Precious Purl

Workshops!

2012-02-06T10:52:00.001+11:00

YES! Workshops are happening at Precious Purl!

The first will be: Muslin Summer Scarf with Felted Flowers.

Wednesday 15th February 10.30-1.30

There is only 1 space left in this class, so email me now (see my profile) for more details.

This is just a small sample piece showing you the lovely effect of felting on Muslin.

The participants in this class last year were delighted with the results.

Tone on Tone was beautiful!

More details about other workshops will follow soon!

If there is a special technique or project in Felting, Knitting or Crochet that you would like to see in our workshops just let us know, as we try to accommodate all interests!

Back soon , I Promise!

My Favourite Place and Back to Work!!

2012-01-26T15:46:00.002+11:00

Happy Australia Day Everyone!
For my last fling of Summer Holiday we went to our favourite part of Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.
I always need a dose of the sea to feel really relaxed!

Mr Purly and I visited as many of our favourite spots as we could squeeze in to one day!

Now back to work!!
Precious Purl will be open this Saturday 28th January and will then resume usual trading days, Wednesday to Saturday 11 - 4pm from this Wednesday, 1st February.
We are looking forward to new and exciting things in 2012. Pop back soon for our calendar of workshops.

Just a teaser of "gorgeous goodies" now available at Precious Purl.

Luscious hand dyed Silk Velvet and tasty yarn "lollies".

And a beautiful rack of hand dyed Tissue Silk just waiting for some clever Felting to be added .

Holidays, Computers and Sales!!

2012-01-05T15:18:00.004+11:00

Happy New Year to all my lovely readers! We are in Holiday mode at Precious Purl, that is, only open on Saturdays during January. (see the previous post for actual dates)

We have spent lazy days in our caravan parked in my sister's beautiful garden.

This has been the delightful view from my bed each morning, woken by the country sounds of roosters, kookaburras and noisy corellas! A gorgeous garden filled with roses.

My Christmas gift of a wonderful Art set to my 5 year old great-niece was much enjoyed by Mum and Auntie too! Must foster those creative genes!

A lot of time was spent in this deliciously cool pool!

Mr Purly and our much loved diabetic Burmese, El, preferred the Hammock! Yes! she came too and loved her country holiday!

I have had a more thorough audit of my blog posts and find that I am really only up to 95 posts so the promise of a 100th Giveaway will be a little while yet!

PLEASE NOTE
The 2012 Computer gremlins have made it impossible to update our website www.lara-downs.com.au and to update the sales for our online Summer sale. SO we will continue the sale until the end of January, when hopefully the Computer Techs are back working!
Feel free to email and make an offer on items listed. Pam will then let you know if goods may have perhaps already been sold! All online Sale items are available at Precious Purl, plus many others. Visit us on one of the Saturdays in January and get yourself a bargain. Enjoy your holiday crafting!

Holiday Hours!

2011-12-19T14:37:00.000+11:00

Precious Purl's usual trading days are Wednesday to Saturday 11-4pm but PLEASE NOTE:

Precious Purl will be
OPEN: Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd December
CLOSED: Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th December

OPEN: Wed 28th, Thurs 29th, Fri 30th December.

Sale continues this week with all reasonable offers being considered on unsold Sale items.

                               CLOSED: Saturday 31st December

During January we will only be open on Saturdays 11-4pm while we take a well earned break.
Other times may be arranged by appointment!
Please ring 0423 514 668

                                OPEN:
                                               Saturday 7th January
                                               Saturday 14th January
                                               Saturday 21st January
                                               Saturday 28th January

                                           Resume Normal Hours 1st February 2012

Thank you to all our lovely customers for your support and we wish you a very Merry Christmas.
We look forward to seeing you back at Precious Purl in 2012

Nuno Felted Summer Scarf/Wrap Workshop.

2011-12-07T18:46:00.003+11:00

We had our last workshop for the year at Precious Purl today.

Our participants made beautiful filmy wraps with Muslin. These would be equally beautiful on silk but the girls chose muslin. Glen selected wool top, silk top, mohair curls and some silver lurex to make this beautiful tone on tone wrap, just right for cool Summer evenings. This was a great workshop for beginning Felters to learn the steps involved in Nuno Felting without too much of the rubbing /rolling being required. Glen, our sometime assistant at Precious Purl, did a great job on her first felted piece.

Moyna chose beautiful blues and greens producing a gorgeous wrap she was making for a gift. Lucky friend!
This was a 3 hour workshop that I will run again at Precious Purl as it produced lovely results in a short space of time.

I have just 3 more posts to reach my 100th and I am planning a great giveaway, so keep checking back!!

Keep checking our Lara Downs Online Sale (see the address in my sidebar!) for some great bargains too.
All products featured in the Sale are available from Precious Purl - Wednesday to Saturday 11 -4pm.

Engaged!

2011-12-01T18:10:00.001+11:00

I don't often have personal posts on my blog, but sometimes, very important family happenings need to be announced to the World!!

The Purly Family Number 1 and only son has become engaged to his long time love!

We had a great Party to celebrate this event along with a House-warming of their beautiful home! We are so happy for both of them!

It's not just his Mum who thinks he looks about 18 years old. He was always the one asked for ID!
He's really almost 28!!
Wonder where those youthful genes came from??

"SALE" and Out & About!

2011-11-24T17:56:00.001+11:00

Busy times at Precious Purl!

This Sunday 27th November from 10-4.30 we have been invited to join the very active Geelong Patchwork and Quilter's Guild to trade at their Biennial Quilt Exhibition.This will be held from Friday 25th November until the 27th at Deakin Waterfront Campus. Enter via Gheringhap Street.
Hope to see you there on Sunday! We will have lots of goodies to tempt you!

Our ANNUAL SALE commences at 9am Monday 28th November online at www.lara-downs.com.au
All SALE items will then be available at Precious Purl from 11 am Wednesday 30th November.
Lots of Bargains so be early!

I'm sorry if you have this post twice in your Google Reader! Blogger wiped all my previous posts from the page when I posted it the first time??? Love the Cyber Gremlins!

Great way to spend a day!

2011-11-07T08:47:00.001+11:00

Saturday! What a beautiful day! Warm and Sunny in Melbourne, some great company and enthusiastic "Cobweb Felting" was happening at Precious Purl.

Designing with pre felts.

Laying out a Merino/Silk Lap, hand dyed by Pam of Lara Downs in a gorgeous colourway called Jewel.

The fibres have been thoroughly wet and rubbed and now ready for the rolling.

Coming together nicely! Definitely looking like a Cobweb!

So pleased with the final result!

Thanks Lynda, we had a great day!

Final Workshops for 2011

2011-10-18T15:58:00.004+11:00

Another great Cobweb Felting workshop at Precious Purl last Saturday! The girls worked hard and were very happy with the results.
Several samples using Merino/Silk Laps in various ways were produced in the morning session. The afternoon saw beautiful scarves/wraps being laminated to hand dyed Tissue Silk.

This Cobweb Felting Workshop will be offered again on Saturday 5th November 10.15 - 4.15, cost $150.

The last workshop for the year will be a Nuno Felted Flowery Summer Scarf using Silk or Muslin on Saturday 19th November. This will be from 10.30 to 1.30 and will cost $95.

Samples of these workshops can be seen at Precious Purl and as numbers are quite limited - be Quick!.
Email me (see my profile) for more details.

Woolly Wall of Fibrey Goodness!

2011-10-10T17:32:00.000+11:00

We have added to our supply of Wool top for all those Spinners, Felters, Embellishers and fibre lovers.
From 18 to 22 micron and in luscious colours, I'm sure you will find something to suit/tempt you!

Solid colours, blends and gorgeous hand dyes from Treetops in Western Australia and Waratah Fibres in NSW.

We even have taster packs - mixed colours of coarser fibre, perfect for Dry Needle Felting.

Beautiful Silk Top to add a gorgeous lustre to any fibrey piece.

Geelong Fibre Forum and Victorian Feltmakers Textile, Art & Craft Charity Market!

2011-10-03T17:41:00.002+11:00

What a busy "Fibrey & Textiley" time at Precious Purl!!
Last week saw us trading at the Geelong Fibre Forum. A wonderful annual event that sees around 200 people move in to Geelong Grammar for an intensive week of learning and fun with International and Local tutors.
Classes this year were offered in Print making, Book making, Jewellery, Creative Machine Embroidery, Weaving, Felting and more!
We joined in the Party on Friday night and were blown away by the hard work of SooMee Kim's Felting group who paraded their beautiful jackets and wraps for us all to admire.
The Open Day on Saturday is a huge affair where the public can view all the work produced during the week, visit the Traders, attend the Heathen Bazaar and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings and soak up that vibrant, creative atmosphere. Add this to your diary for next year!

Our stand looked "Gorgeous!" Thanks to everyone who visited us and loved our "stuff!"
There was a little treasure trove behind this mesh screen!

This Saturday 8th October, Precious Purl/Lara Downs will be at the Victorian Feltmakers Inc
Textile, Art & Craft Charity Market at Hartwell Church of Christ hall off Highfield Road, Hartwell between 10-2pm. Many crafty items have been donated for a silent auction and all money raised will be donated to the Cancer Council.
Hope to see lots of people there! Stop by our stand with the large Precious Purl poster displayed and say Hi!

Precious Purl at the Australian Quilters Exhibition.

2011-09-20T17:15:00.001+10:00

Spent a lovely weekend trading at Siena College in Camberwell at the Australian Quilters Members Exhibition.
Over 100 amazing quilts that took me 2 days, in bursts between customers, to see!
I loved this Crazy Patchwork Quilt that featured some amazing treasures in the detail, just the sort I like!

Just love to see buttons and lace and all those embellishing treasures that we sell, being used in this way!

So many other "beauties"too.The colours in this quilt, featuring Kaffe Fassett fabrics were amazing.

I do wonder why I don't see more young Quilters at these great shows I attend. There are many young and enthusiastic quilting bloggers and there is so much pleasure and learning to be gained from attending these group run exhibitions, not just the BIG quilting and Craft shows.

I apologise for not getting the names of the amazing creators of these 2 Quilts.

Our next big outing is the Textile Fibre Forum at Geelong, being held at Geelong Grammar from 25th September to 1st October.
This is always a great Textile and Fibre highlight, so mark it in your diary now!

Welcome Spring!

2011-09-04T13:21:00.001+10:00

What a great start to Spring with a beautiful day yesterday!

We celebrated by making Felted Spring Flowers with Kris at Precious Purl. Lots of fun! Lots of inspiration to use flowers in adorning ourselves. Kris covered the table with real flowers to inspire us!

Beautiful embellishing with silk, mohair, threads, fabric bits, in fact just about anything to give depth and luscious colour. The girls also learned how to make dreads to which they can attach flowers making a statement piece to wear. A photo of all the finished pieces would have been great, but just too busy!

See the previous post for details of more workshops at Precious Purl

Current Workshops.

2011-09-02T17:40:00.009+10:00

Three or maybe Four workshops for you to choose from before this year runs out - all too quickly!

Saturday 17th September - Knitting Basics and Pattern Interpretation. A 2 hour workshop withVicki, an experienced teacher of knitting who will help with all your queries.
Scared of tackling a pattern you love because it looks too complicated? Bring it along and Vicki will help!
OR if you want to try Knitted flowers, we can do that too!

Saturday 15th October - Cobweb Felting ( repeat) 10.15 - 4.15.
A wonderful workshop that sees you walk away with a beautiful Merino/Silk scarf and many samples and ideas to pursue. Great for beginners and those who have not used Merino/Silk laps before.We only take 2 participants for this very popular workshop, so get your name down quickly! We may be able to get Pam to run another in November if we twist her arm!!Update: Only 1 space left for 15th Oct!

Pam and Ingrid holding a completed Cobweb Felted piece from the last class.This was Ingrid's very first lesson in felting and what a great result!

Lori and Helen laying out the merino/silk lap in a previous class.

Saturday 12th November - Nuno Silk scarf with felted flowers. No experience necessary for this lovely class. Limited number of participants again.

If you are interested in any of these workshops, please email me (see my Profile) and all the details will be sent to you, or enquire at Precious Purl.

What's New at Precious Purl?

2011-08-30T15:06:00.000+10:00

A wonderful array of new goodies to share with you!

Hand Dyed Silk Ribbon and Embellishing packs from Colour Streams,

luscious hand dyed wool top from Treetops Colour Harmonies range,

Sari Silk loom ends and Sari Ribbon in gorgeous colours,

beautifully soft 100% wool felt,

some unique Felted Wraps and Hats,

hand dyed Tissue and Paj silk lengths,

hand dyed silk top and mohair curls,

many beautiful yarns from near and far,

more vintage buttons

together with the lovely range of fabric bits from India that I mentioned in the last post.

WOW! the shop is even more colourful than usual!

Come and see for yourself!

Visual Feast!

2011-08-24T18:37:00.004+10:00

A visual feast on my kitchen table, just arrived from Rajasthan in India!

Gorgeous Fat Quarters hand printed with hand carved wood blocks.

Beautiful Silk Fat Quarters in packs of 4 in luscious colours.

Hand stitched squares, just perfect for cushions!

Silk and Sparkle Packs filled with treasures and perfect for those little projects such as card making.

Thank you so much Fiona, you and your Stitching Ladies are doing a wonderful job.

Come on in and see for yourself, these gorgeous packs will get the creative juices going!

Being Seen!!

2011-08-09T11:14:00.004+10:00

It is really important to us that our lovely customers can find us easily!
Here we are on Brunswick Street, one of Melbourne's busiest shopping precincts and people are still saying
"I didn't know you were here," or "I wish I had known you were here," two and a half years after opening!

Yes, we are tucked up stairs above Calico House, but here is our solution! I decided on 4 letter words in bright colours to catch your eye! We still get all the light from all those windows and our Landlord is happy.

So next time you are in Brunswick Street, waiting at the tram stop outside Fitzroy Nursery, riding the tram, visiting Nobody Jeans, or just cruising along enjoying the vibe, LOOK UP and see

WOOL, FELT, YARN which is really only a small part of the treasures you will find inside!

If you visit Precious Purl on Thursday or Friday of this week and mention the BIG WORDS, or this post, I will have a little gift for you.

Victorian Feltmakers Exhibition

2011-08-08T10:11:00.000+10:00

I was lucky enough to have the time on Friday to take in the "FELTernative" exhibition featuring works by the Victorian Feltmakers Inc. This is being held at the Hawthorn Town Hall Gallery from 3rd to 27th August, open Wednesday to Saturday 12 - 5pm.

Butterfly Cape by Jean Braund

Country Garden Tea Cosy by Lyn Gibson

Blooms for Stacey by Carolyn Rogers

Martien van Zuilen's Fiery Sunset
featuring her "jigsaw weave and felt techniques"

I really loved these Silk Organza pieces by Jan Everett, a regular at Precious Purl. The pic on the right shows the beautiful detail of the wrap featured above.

A Visual Feast and well worth visiting if you are at all interested in Felting, as many different techniques are featured.

Cobweb Felting

2011-08-03T10:16:00.001+10:00

The Cobweb Felting classes at Precious Purl have proven to be so popular, that Pam has agreed to run another on 15th October and maybe we can twist her arm to do one in November too!
Some pics of our last class may wet your appetite! Pam only takes 2 participants at a time, so lots of space and individual tuition.

Helen and Lori are laying out the Hand Dyed Merino/Silk Lap ready to laminate it to Tissue Silk. The Lap is amazingly stretchy and felts beautifully by itself. Adding it to Silk just gives a different effect!

Both girls were delighted with the results as you can see.
If you want a sneak preview of this class, the 3rd one this year, is running on Saturday between 10.15 and 4.15. Pop in and see what it's all about.
If you would like more details, see us at Precious Purl or email me. (see my profile)

Brisbane Textile Art Festival and Workshops!

2011-07-22T13:32:00.005+10:00

A month ago I was lucky enough to have a Winter break in Brisbane, although it was barely warmer than frosty Melbourne!
While I was there, a friend and I enrolled in one of Wendy Bailye's Felting classes at the Textile Art Festival. Wendy is a very relaxed Tutor with a wealth of Felting knowledge to share. Some made black silk scarves with 3D Flowers, while I made a Table Runner on prefelt.

Another fuzzy Pic! Less rush - take time, needs to be my motto!

Wendy is adjusting some of the 3D flowers

I was really pleased with my Table Runner now proudly displayed at the shop!

It is always inspiring taking classes, you always learn something new, as every Tutor has their own way of approaching things.

Looking forward to the Dry Felting class we have at Precious Purl tomorrow. 5 gals are in for a treat with experienced teacher, Moira Watkins.

We still have places in the Flowers and Fascinators wet Felting on Saturday 3rd September. A 3 hour class that promises to be lots of fun.

Also places available in Knitting Basics/Pattern Reading with Vicki, Saturday 17th September.

If you are interested in either of these classes just email me for more details.

Back from the Wool & Sheep Show!

2011-07-18T11:38:00.004+10:00

Another successful show for us, great weather on 2 of the 3 days, lots of happy customers, time to take a breath and back to the shop this week!

If you missed the Bendigo Wool & Sheep Show this year, mark it in your diary for 2012 as it just keeps getting bigger and better.
So many "fibrey" things in one place has an amazing effect on some people! We were told by a couple of happy customers that it was the "best day of the year" for them!

Our stand looked great and wonderfully colourful as always, though a little fuzzy in this pic! Blame the long days and much talking and standing in the cold!

Lots of happy shoppers.

Doug was an added attraction to our stand this year. He is a Mohair grower, dyer, spinner and crochets!
Many men/boys stopped to admire and talk, along with the many interested ladies.
Doug's hand spun and dyed mohair yarn is for sale at Precious Purl.

New Workshops!

2011-07-05T10:37:00.006+10:00

There was not really much wrong with the computer I was told, so why does the TechnoWizz think he neeeds to change all the settings? It has taken and is still taking, an age to find everything, reinstall, and I had so much to write about! Gripe complete!

Fabulous new Workshops happening at Precious Purl!
Dry Needle Felting Saturday 23rd July 10.30-12.30 with Moira. Cost is $55
This is for those who have always wanted to explore a less physical/messy version of felting.

The display board at Precious Purl shows many examples of the possibilities of dry felting.

You will come away with techniques, safety awareness and some gorgeous accessories to brighten your Winter wardrobe.

To celebrate Spring, Wet Felted Flowers on Saturday 3rd September 1 - 4pm with Kriscilla. Cost is $70.
These gorgeous full blown flowers can be added to a Fascinator ready for the Spring Carnival and this will form part of the workshop. (an extra cost of $6 for a headband payable to the tutor on the day)
This is also a great introduction to wet felting if you have always wanted to have a go.
The rolling of dreads/felt rope, will be covered also.
Kris is a very talented Felter and you are guaranteed lots of fun in this class!
This pic shows a more complex piece than we will attempt, but isn't it gorgeous and just shows the possibilities!

A Knitting workshop is also happening, so stay tuned for those details.

If you are interested in any of our workshops please send an email (see my profile for the address) and all details will be sent to you.

Please Note: Precious Purl will be closed Thursday 14th July to Saturday 16th July while we attend the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Apologies to the TechnoWizz for my gripe, I have enjoyed doing this post, much quicker than the old!

Bendigo Wool & Sheep Show - Precious Purl closed for 3 days!

2011-06-29T08:31:00.000+10:00

This is an advance notice that
Precious Purl will be closed Thursday 14th July, Friday 15th July and Saturday 16th July.

We are off for our annual visit to the amazing Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show held at the Bendigo Showgrounds.
We will be in our usual, but somewhat expanded spot in Osborne Hall site 6. Come and say hello and enjoy all things "fibrey" at this one stop "fibreholics heaven."

NORO yarn in stock now!

2011-06-21T11:22:00.020+10:00

Where have I been?? 3 weeks since the last post and so much to tell you! First of all thanks to the lovely Eloise for loaning me her laptop! My computer is off at the doctor, one reason for my absence and the other is a winter break to Brisbane for the Textile Art Festival.

But some quick news, we now have in stock some delicious NORO yarn.

Silk Garden, Silk Garden Lite, Silk Garden Sock and some Kureyon Sock.

We also have some lovely soft Eki Riva Natal, an 8 ply Alpaca and Silk Blend.

Drop in to Precious Purl soon to make your selection from these and all our beautiful Lara Downs hand dyes and others.

So many gorgeous colourways to choose from.

I will post about the Textile Art Festival and the Felting workshop I did with Wendy Bailye, when my computer comes home, much easier!!

Delicious!

2011-05-31T10:52:00.002+10:00

I have added a new product to the Precious Purl shelves - gorgeous 100% Wool Felt from

The Netherlands, in delicious colours.

It was so hard selecting my favourites, I wanted them all! I chose 27 colours that jumped out at me. I can see now that a gorgeous yellow could have been added for Zing! - next time! What will you make ?

Yarn, Knit, Yarn, Knit, and some Crochet thrown in!

2011-05-29T17:43:00.003+10:00

Lots of Yarny business at Precious Purl this last week!

We were at the Handknitter's Guild Yarn and Craft Market at the Brunswick Town Hall yesterday. I'm sorry if you missed all this gorgeous yarn in one place, as it only happens once a year! Thank you to all the lovely people who visited our stand, we were hard to miss right next to the entrance.

If you did miss out, you will just have to visit us in Fitzroy or come to the Bendigo Wool and Sheep show, the next big highlight on the Yarn Lover's calendar. July 15th - 17th at the Bendigo Show Grounds is an event not to be missed.

Stay tuned for more workshop details, coming soon!

Do you live near Geelong??

2011-05-17T14:40:00.002+10:00

Lots of gorgeous bits and pieces being packed for a day in Geelong! We are off to the Geelong Patchwork and Quilters Quilt-In this Saturday 21st May, at the Barwon South Civic Centre,

7 Reynolds Road, Belmont from 9.30 - 4.00. Looking forward to it!

The following Saturday, 28th May, Lara Downs/Precious Purl will be well and truly present at the Handknitter's Guild -Yarn and Craft Market at the Brunswick Town Hall 10am-3pm.

Much dyeing of gorgeous yarn is happening between now and then! More details available at http://www.handknittersguild.wordpress.com/

Precious Purl will still be open for business of course, while some of us do the visiting elsewhere.

For all would be felters, a new date has just been announced for Pam's next Cobweb Felting class - Saturday 6th August.

This will be the 3rd time this class has run this year, due to demand, so if you missed out on the other 2, get in quickly with your expression of interest.

Beautiful Fabric pieces to inspire ........

2011-05-15T16:41:00.002+10:00

Some gorgeous new arrivals from India have me quite excited.

Fiona, an Australian living in India, is developing a wonderful range of textile products and providing employment for local ladies at a good wage.
We have in store now, a lovely range of Silk Fat Quarters made from vintage saris. These come in a toning pack of 4 and the colours are rich and vibrant.

Also packs of 4 hand dyed Silk Organza pieces approx 24 x 55cm, and Silk and Sparkle Kits with bits and pieces to inspire your creativity.

These amazing Stitched Squares come in fabulous colours and are just waiting to be made up into cushions, jackets, bags whatever you can think of!

Wonderful stitched designs that are appealing from both sides!

These pictures really do not do justice to any of these products, they really need to be seen and touched lovingly as inspiration comes to you!!

To all Felters ............

2011-05-06T22:21:00.001+10:00

Just wanted to let you all know that there has been a 20% price rise in Fibre Fusion products and this includes the very popular needle felted Felbi Logs and Planks.
Wool prices have soared worldwide, so great for the Wool Growers among us!

At Precious Purl we have decided to hold our current price on these products until 1st July!
Felbi Logs 150 x 200cm still $45
Felbi Planks 35 x 200cm still $18
Large range of colours in store. Stock up now!

Knitting Workshop with Jude Skeers

2011-04-21T10:12:00.010+10:00

Jude Skeers, Master knitter will run a workshop featuring the skills, design techniques and principles in knitting a sampler of this Long Line vest made with Lara Downs Superfine Kid Mohair.

Participants will use provisional cast on, 3 needle cast off, picking up stitches to create a band, lace and cable patterns and will also look at the techniques involved in the famous

Elizabeth Zimmerman Surprise Jacket knitted from the bottom up!

Jude has had Major exhibitions of his knitted webs, trees and other sculptures and also teaches Australia wide.

We are looking forward to him teaching at Precious Purl and if you are looking to extend your knitting skills this workshop is for you.
We have several places still available so email me soon to receive all details!(go to my Profile for address)

When: Saturday 14th May 10-5pm
Cost: $80

We have 1 space available in the repeat of Pam Goble's workshop "Application of wool/silk laps in Cobweb and Nuno Felting." This has been very popular so "first in ..... you know the rest!"
When: Saturday 25th June 10.15 - 4.15
Cost: $150

Birthday giveaway and Vic Feltmakers.

2011-04-20T08:47:00.002+10:00

I finally had a chance to catch up with Narelle, the winner of our Precious Purl Birthday giveaway, at the Vic Feltmakers monthly meeting in Hartwell yesterday. I had been invited as a trader and had a wonderful time meeting many new friends and catching up with many familiar faces from our customer base.

Narelle, the workshop coordinator for Feltmakers, was a delighted winner, never having won anything!!! she says.

A long time between posts thanks to communication problems between Picasa and Blogger!! Thanks John for sorting it all out.

And the Winner is ..............

2011-04-01T12:59:00.000+11:00

Well our 2nd birthday at Precious Purl has come and gone and all we need to do to round out our celebrations is announce the winner of our Gorgeous Giveaway - a box crammed full of crafting goodies.

The lucky winner is Narelle, a Lara Downs subscriber and follower of this blog, with ticket A43.

Congratulations Narelle, we will be in touch and thank you to everyone who joined in our celebrations.

Cram Jar Dyeing!

2011-03-27T14:33:00.003+11:00

I had a day last week to enjoy a Dyeing workshop with friends. It was such fun! I am still trying to find the time to rinse all my fabric - 24 jars each, with 24 different colours! That's a lot of jars to find for 7 ladies!

We had the perfect venue, outside but under cover, as it decided to rain. We were not deterred as we mixed our potions according to the recipe.

We are now so well organised that I can't wait for our next day when I will dye some yarn, muslin and crinkle cotton!

Some of the pieces drying on my Mum's old clothes horse.

The first few dry, ironed and folded. Just gorgeous, vivid colours with subtle colour variations, just the way I like it! Now!! What will I do with them?

UPDATE: The completed Rainbow! How Delicious!

A bit heavy-handed on the blue end of the spectrum, but it is my favourite colour range!

Meanwhile, back at Precious Purl!!! We had a Crochet workshop yesterday with Penny O'Neill.

I was so busy I forgot about the photos. Everyone seemed to have lots of fun!

Please Note: Our next scheduled workshop- Cobweb Felting with Pam Goble is booked out. I hope we can persuade Pam to run another later in the year!

We still have vacancies in Jude Skeers Knitting workshop on 14th May - see 22nd Feb post on this blog or email me for details if you are interested.

A Reminder: There is still time to get a ticket in our Birthday giveaway! See the previous post!

Another Birthday & Another Giveaway!!

2011-03-08T16:34:00.011+11:00

Precious Purl is celebrating its 2nd Birthday during March and the customers are receiving the gifts!
No cake, candles or balloons, maybe some lollies, but there's more........................

We are launching a Reward Scheme for all our loyal customers (more details available in the shop - needless to say, the more you spend the more rewards you get!) and also offering this gorgeous box of goodies as a gift to the lucky customer whose number is drawn out on Friday 1st April.This will appeal to Felters, Knitters, Spinners, Sewers, Quilters, Embroiderers or would make a lovely gift for that special crafting friend, if you could part with it!!

How to be in with a chance to win this crafting delight!

1. Leave a comment on this blog. If you also become a Follower of the blog, I will give 2 entries into the draw!

2. Send an email to the Lara Downs email address- see sidebar (check out the great pattern offer on the website at the same time!) OR

3. Visit Precious Purl to collect a ticket (do check out our lovely products too!)

Thank you to all our customers - without you there would not be a 2nd birthday to celebrate!

Don't forget our workshops! - see 22nd February post.

A great workshop!

2011-03-01T15:00:00.001+11:00

Participants in Precious Purl's "Introduction to Wet Felting Basics" workshop were most industrious on Saturday.

Robyn Steel-Strickland our tutor, (in the red) kept the girls working very hard all day! They learnt heaps, and so did I,as I watched on, between customers and shop business.

They produced beautifully felted samples.

The gorgeous flowers were a lovely way to use their newly acquired skills.

Adding the stem, was tricky!

Note the Jelly Beans! Always on the worktable for Precious Purl workshops, helps with the occasional sagging energy levels.

We will run further felting workshops. See the previous post for details.

Crochet, Knitting, Felting Workshops.

2011-02-22T16:34:00.001+11:00

Workshops have commenced at Precious Purl for 2011. Our first class will run this Saturday 26th February 10.30-4.30 This is an introduction to Felting with Robyn Steel-Strickland and is booked out, but if you are interested in such a class, let us know and we will plan to run it again.

On Saturdays 19th March and 26th March we have planned 2 workshops with the fabulous, outrageous, Crochet Queen, Penny O'Neill. Penny has run classes for us previously and all participants have had a "ball!"

On 19th March 2.00-4.00 Penny will run her Bower Birdz class.Crocheted flowers and treasures embellish a "stitch holder" to adorn hair,bags,scarf or wrap.Cost will be $55.

On 26th March 2.00-4.00 a crocheted Scarflette that can also be worn as a head band embellished with crocheted flowers that are used as fastening. Also $55.

These fun classes are designed for both beginners and experienced crocheters.

Saturday 30th April, Pam Goble of Lara Downs will run a Felting workshop using her hand dyed Merino/Silk laps to produce cobweb felt. Get in quickly as numbers will be very limited!

Saturday 14th May Jude Skeers, well known knitwear designer of Moebius Wrap fame will take you through the process of knitting his latest vest design using our Superfine Kid Mohair.

Register your interest by email now (go to my profile for address) and all details will be sent to you or visit Precious Purl to see Samples.

Geelong Patchwork and Quilters Guild

2011-02-20T11:19:00.005+11:00

What a great day we had yesterday as the invited guests of the Geelong Patchwork and Quilters Guild at their monthly meeting! This is a vibrant group of around 120 women who are passionate about many crafts.

Pam gave a fabulous talk about the evolution of Lara Downs/Precious Purl over the years and displayed some samples of work by our talented Artists and Knitters that were lovingly fondled as they were passed around!
Sorry about the fuzzy zoom shot below!

Our Trade stand was enthusiastically received and many treasures purchased for the next project or just because they were irresistible!!

Thanks Geelong for inviting us! We would love to come back again and thank you Lisa for minding the Store!

My next post will be all about the exciting workshops happening at Precious Purl - stay tuned!!

This is Melbourne, not Brisbane!!

2011-02-07T11:09:00.001+11:00

WOW!! I really feel even more for all those affected by our unbelievable weather in Australia this summer!

The tail end of cyclones Anthony and Yasi hit very close to home on Friday!

This is the view out our bedroom window at the height of the torrential downpour. This raging waterfall was running down the hill from the back of our half acre block, taking everything in its way, including our driveway!! Fortunately it stopped just short of flowing in the back door!

But this was nothing compared to my son's brand new house.

Pride and joy of he and his partner for the last 6 months!

Workers from the insurance company came very quickly to remove the soggy plaster and insulation and secure what was left. Just heart breaking for them, but all can be repaired. Gives perspective to the huge losses and damage, others have had to endure.

I am crocheting Granny Squares with new fervour as I join in with Crochet a Rainbow for all flood victims!

http://sarahlondon.wordpress.com/

Crochet a Rainbow

2011-02-01T19:30:00.003+11:00

Precious Purl has joined the growing list of participants aiming to Crochet a Rainbow to bring comfort and colour to those affected by the floods throughout Queensland and Victoria.
Donations of Granny Squares of 5 rounds in wool or acrylic will be joined together into blankets. Completed "Grannies" can be left at Precious Purl and we will forward them to Sarah London in NSW. We hope our customers will want to join in such a wonderful way to show their support.
All information can be found at "Crochet a Rainbow" or Sarah London on Ravelry or http://sarahlondon.wordpress.com

Precious Purl resumes normal trading tomorrow Wednesday 2nd February 11-4pm

2011 Workshops at Precious Purl

2011-01-23T14:17:00.004+11:00

Time to get excited about 2011 Workshops!

We are starting off the year with a bang!

Our first workshop for the year will be with Robyn Steel-Strickland, author of this great little book of "Irresistibly Beautiful Projects."
Robyn is a past president of Victorian Feltmakers, felter extraordinaire, and a very experienced teacher. She's also lots of fun!
This will be a technique based day for beginning Felters.

Date: Saturday 26th February
Time: 10.30 - 4 -30pm
Place: Precious Purl
Cost: $99 inc all materials and equipment
There are limited places, so register your interest now by sending me an email,(go to my profile for address)
All details and registration form will be sent to you.
I will be at Precious Purl next Saturday 29th January, our last day of holiday trading before resuming normal trading days/hours on Wednesday 2nd February, if you want to register in person. However, we already have several participants, so I would get in early to ensure your place.

Edited: This workshop is now full, but you can still register your interest by email, as we plan to run another soon.

Other workshops in the pipeline are Crochet with the wonderful crochet Queen Penny O'Neill, Knitting with Jude Skeers well known knitwear designer of Moebius Wrap fame, Cobweb Felting with Pam, using her wonderfully lustrous Merino/Silk Laps, dyed to your order and more, stay tuned!!

Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef in Upwey!

2011-01-08T17:29:00.006+11:00

I finally managed to find the time to see this wonderful Satellite of the worldwide project. It happens to be about 5 minutes from home, so I visited Friday, then again today with my camera, 2 different groups of friends, 2 chances for a coffee!
Sadly, it finishes tomorrow 9th Jan at "Burrinja" the Arts Centre and Cafe on Glenfern Rd in Upwey.
Hurry! Well worth a look!

Many people, of all ages, have crocheted pieces for this fabulous project combining Maths and Craft, while highlighting the effects of Global warming on our Reefs and the huge impact of Plastics on our Oceans.

(A little fuzzy, still learning about my Flash/Focus )

This section of "bleached" coral was amazing! It was hard to pick the few pieces of "real" thing from the crocheted pieces.

Even a little Nemo!

All this crochet is making me think it is time to get some more Crochet Workshops happening at

Precious Purl.

If you do get to Burrinja!! Check out the beautiful paintings in the Cafe, painted by my talented neighbour, Gabrielle Ridgeway!

HOLIDAYS! HOLIDAYS! HOLIDAYS! HOLIDAYS!

2010-12-30T20:21:00.002+11:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We certainly did!

Today was the last day of trading at Precious Purl for 2010!

We will only be open on Saturday 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th January from 11-5pm, while we take a break.
If you are desperately in need of some supplies for Summer Crafting or are visiting Melbourne from interstate and not able to get to Precious Purl on Saturdays, then give me a call on 0423 514 668 and you may be able to persuade me to be at the shop on some other day!! Maybe!

I am going to be doing lots of enjoying of my sister's lovely garden/pool in the Central Highlands area of Victoria. We have our caravan set up in this lush and private caravan park!

Lots of family members to enjoy this break with us and plenty of reading, eating, talking, knitting, shopping, swimming, walking, bike riding and sleeping to come. That's in between Mr Purly and I, tag teaming to give Insulin injections to our recently diagnosed, diabetic Burmese cat. She is much loved and absolutely worth the time and petrol spent to and froing!

Hope your holidays are memorable!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blog readers and to all our lovely customers at Precious Purl!

Button Obsession!

2010-12-23T09:21:00.002+11:00

This "Button Obsessive" has been lusting after the gorgeous button jewellery that I spotted the wonderful Maggie Beer wearing on Masterchef this year. That "eagle" eye had also noticed Maggie wearing "buttons" back in "The Cook and the Chef "days on the ABC!
Well I finally tracked down the clever designer and maker - Kellie Christie of Brisbane and have persuaded her to supply Precious Purl with some lovely pieces just in time for Christmas.

Sorry, the Red, Black and White necklace has already been SOLD, but there are some other gorgeous ones to choose from and they are very reasonably priced.

Some very cute button brooches also.

Something to appeal to any button lover or anyone who loves a fun necklace or just Colour!

Please check my previous post that details our Holiday Trading hours and remember our online Sale continues until 31st December.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Holiday Trading hours

2010-12-14T11:37:00.006+11:00

Great Christmas shopping is available at Precious Purl, with gorgeous hand made garments, accessories and jewellery and there is a great chance to stock up on your holiday craft supplies while we have big price reductions. Last day for sales prior to Christmas is Thursday 23rd December.

Merry Christmas and a Wonderful, Happy and Healthy New Year to all our great customers and friends.

Please make a note of trading hours for Precious Purl during the Christmas/New Year/Holiday season.
Our regular days are Wednesday - Saturday 11 - 4pm .We are always closed Sunday/Monday/Tuesday.

Closed:       Friday 24th December
                     Saturday 25th December
Open:          Wednesday 29th December
                    Thursday 30th December
Closed:        Friday 31st December
                     Saturday 1st January

During January 2011 we will only be open on Saturdays - 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th from 11am to 5pm.
Other times may be available by appointment. Ring to make arrangements 0423 514 668

Gorgeous Necklaces

2010-12-10T18:26:00.005+11:00

Just arrived at Precious Purl, some beautiful necklaces created by Teresa, a highly talented Melbourne Artist! Only the highest quality sterling silver and 16 carat gold plated sterling silver fittings are used in creating these unique necklaces that really complement our lovely range of garments and accessories.

Onyx, amethyst, white turquoise, jade, Murano glass, shell fossils and obsidian, lava and coral are featured in these beautiful pieces.

This beautiful faceted onyx and Murano glass with gold plated sterling silver features has already SOLD.

Sorry!

This is a new direction for Precious Purl but sits so well with our current range of Artisan Garments and we are sure that visitors to our space will be delighted.

Bargains @ Precious Purl!

2010-12-07T14:55:00.011+11:00

Starting Wednesday 8th December at 11am our online sale items will all be available at Precious Purl.
You can have a preview of these items at http://www.lara-downs.com.au/

In addition there will be many other specials in store, including
25% off Fibre Fusion prefelts, both Logs 150 x 200cm and Planks 35 x 200cm.
We have a large selection of colours for you to choose from. These are wonderful to felt with and I have featured them on this blog many times (see 2nd Nov, 12th Aug, 25th Feb)
This is a rare opportunity to get Felbi prefelts at a reduced rate!
UPDATE: All Fibre Fusion Divine Wooltops 25% off also. This really is a bargain not to be missed!

Please note that Black is only available in Plank size.

Another special, only available to instore customers, is 25% off our limited range of

Noro, Debbie Bliss,

Eki Riva,Touch Yarns 4 ply & 8 ply.

Look forward to seeing you at Precious Purl!

SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE!

2010-12-01T07:20:00.003+11:00

Our ONLINE SALE at http://www.lara-downs.com.au/ will commence at 9.00am AEST on Monday 6th December and all items will then be available at Precious Purl from 11am Wednesday 8th December.

This annual sale has proven to be very popular and you will need to get in early to have a pick from the 60 lots available.

There will be beautiful Hand Dyed and commercially dyed yarns in luxury fibres, some recycled Sari silk, fabric pieces, threads, embellishing packs, wool, mohair and silk top. Something to appeal to all fibre lovers.

Be early online or visit Precious Purl where you can also see all the beautiful hand crafted items we now have available in our Gallery space. (see the last post for some of these!)
Coming very soon - gorgeous jewellery!

Gorgeous Garments!

2010-11-26T07:46:00.003+11:00

We have some beautiful pieces of work now available at Precious Purl that have been made by some of our talented customers. These would all be fabulous Christmas gifts or an indulgence for oneself!

I have my eye on this brilliant felted vest with removable flower trim by Helen French.

This beautifully felted scarf with gum leaf prints and using only natural dyes, is one of several in store from the hugely talented Pam Hovell.

This lovely summery wrap in palest pink silk with warm pink and green flowers is by Jan McGowan.

Another wrap by Jan and I love the way she has incorporated this beautifully embroidered and beaded piece from Precious Purl.

Come and visit! I'm sure you will find something that appeals!

We also make up gift boxes to your budget, your area of interest and favourite colour selection for those crafty friends and family, or maybe a gift voucher so they can choose for themselves.

Giveaway??

2010-11-16T15:33:00.001+11:00

Thank you to those who took the time to visit and leave a comment about the gorgeous silk fat quarters I featured last post. Sorry I have been slow to announce the winner but a somewhat erratic heart meant yet another stay hooked up to all that beeping equipment!

And the winner is..... Leisurely Lesley! as drawn from the hat by Mr Purly!
Contact me Lesley with postal details and 3 of these beauties along with 2 sets of covered buttons will be on the way to you!

We are enjoying the extra space and wonderful natural light at Precious Purl after negotiating with our landlord and rearranging his Stuff!

So when a lovely Creative Arts group visited from Geelong on Monday, it was great to not feel "squishy" with all the extra bodies. Yes! we can open especially for groups on Mon/Tues when we are normally closed, just contact us to make arrangements.

More space means more beautiful products can be displayed!

We have gorgeous Felted Hats and wraps, many made by our customers, to tempt you for Christmas giving.

Even a Christmas table featuring our products in colour theme!

Come and visit next time you are in Fitzroy or make a special trip. Great shopping and food guaranteed in this neighbourhood!

Luscious Silk Fat Quarters!

2010-11-06T18:43:00.003+11:00

I have added gorgeous Silk Fat Quarters from India to our ever expanding Textile range at Precious Purl.
These come in beautiful patterns and colours with more coming in late November.

I love this fabric so much, I have decided to share with a lucky winner in a Giveaway!

The prize will be 3 Silk Fat quarters of different colours and patterns along with 2 sets of covered buttons like those below and here's how to win!

Leave me a comment telling me what you would use the Fat Quarters for and I will choose a Random Winner next Saturday 13th November at 9 pm AEST. One entry for each comment and if you let me know that you are a Follower of my blog, you will receive 2 entries in the draw.

Don't you love the "Lustre" on this Silk?

The buttons will be this pair of 38mm and a pair of the same fabric in 28mm.

Good Luck!

Nuno Felted scarf

2010-11-02T17:35:00.002+11:00

At our Felting Play Day on Saturday, I found enough time to make myself a scarf I had been planning for a while.
This gorgeous Turkish Red Felbi and the beautiful silk scarf were a perfect match for my Nuno plans.

I cut the silk into irregular shapes and laid them on the Felbi prefelt base, rather like crazy paving.

This is much closer to the real colour than the "raspberry" in the previous pic taken quite some time ago.

I had lots of help with the rolling as it is time consuming and takes its toll on my aging neck and shoulders.

The fabulous King of Hearts coat hanging in the background, was made by Catherine Byatt who was our Felter-in-Residence for the day. Her last exhibition, based on the Alice in Wonderland story was "Awesome!"

The coat detail was made with the same Felbi I used as the base in my scarf.

Here is the finished piece, (although I am thinking of adding a little black embellishment ) perfect for the wet and cold Spring weather we are having in Melbourne, but really meant to wear with my black coat next Winter. Not bad if I do say so myself!

The Felbi Planks approx 35x200cm and $18, are available from Precious Purl in a good range of colours.

Felting Play Day!

2010-10-31T13:37:00.006+11:00

If you have been to Precious Purl, you may have wondered just what was behind the screen dividing the mezzanine space??
It was the accumulation of many years of hoarding by our Landlord!! With some gentle persuasion the STUFF was rearranged, not necessarily thrown out, to make a great space for our Felting Play Day yesterday.
So, in spite of the very wet weather, we had a great demonstration and play throughout the day with enthusiastic beginners of all ages. We plan to do this again if you missed out this time.
A big thank you to Catherine of Feltazia, for sharing her expertise and enthusiasm. She even gave me a gentle nudge to do the Nuno felted scarf/wrap I had been planning for some time. I will show you the finished piece next post - it looks great!

Here's a shot to show you just how great that extra space looks.

It's on our wish list !

Hayley, planning to do Textiles as a subject for VCE next year, had a great time playing and absorbing as much info about felting as she could.This piece, in the process of being laid out, with merino/silk and lace embellishment turned out really well, a great sampler to be used next year.

If you would like to be on our mailing list to hear about the next event, just leave a comment here or send an email (go to my profile for the address) or see our website http://www.lara-downs.com.au/

An OPEN DRAWER!

2010-10-27T16:22:00.000+11:00

A wonderful new venue for Textile/Fibre lovers and more, has recently opened at 1158 Toorak Rd Camberwell. (Mel. Ref 60 C6) "Open Drawer" is the brain child of Robyn Steel-Strickland and Prue Barridge and this promises to be a "must visit" venue if you are interested in sewing, embroidery, felting, knitting, crochet, jewellery, dyeing and more. This is a wonderful space with classrooms and gallery, along with the retail area where you can purchase distinctive giftware, garments & accessories, jewellery, homewares, art works and more.

Precious Purl products are available here and we wish the girls all the best with their venture.

I have more photos showing the lovely interior but I am having trouble with the new Blogger image upload! Is anyone else, or is it just me I wonder??

Big Birthday & Buttons

2010-10-25T18:02:00.002+11:00

One of the partners of Precious Purl (and it wasn't me!) had a BIG Birthday celebration yesterday with a great family gathering in the Botanical Gardens. It was such a beautiful day, I think a large percentage of Melbourne's population was there also. We found a huge, shady Liquidamber under which we could celebrate with gorgeous Cake & Champers. The cake was Cointreau, lemon curd and white chocolate decorated with real Rose buds and made at The French Lettuce in Nicholson St - just divine!

Happpy Birthday P!

But back to what's happening at Precious Purl! Gorgeous covered buttons, lots of them, are joining the amazing array of Vintage buttons. Some Liberty prints and Japanese fabrics among this lot.

Don't you just love the owls?

A reminder about our Felting Play Day, next Saturday. Come along and join in the fun.

See the post for 17th September.

A Mini Break.

2010-10-21T08:14:00.001+11:00

Have had a few days to recharge the batteries! A sea view and falling asleep to the sound of waves pounding on to the beach, will always do wonders for me. A bit of tree top climbing and viewing was a bonus.

Are "the greying hair and the white-knuckled hand grip!" indications of just how high off the ground this magnificent Otway Fly Treetop walk really is? Yes! and it does move! Exhilarating none the less.

Just a reminder about our Wet Felting Play Day on Saturday 30th October.

See blog post on 17th September for all the details.

Just leave a comment here with your email, if you want to be in it!

New Products for Patchworkers and Embroiderers.

2010-10-01T15:33:00.001+10:00

Some lovely Japanese Yukata, the 100% cotton, traditionally indigo dyed fabric for everyday Kimono, is now available at Precious Purl. Great geometric and floral designs! I just love the fresh blue and white!

These will be available in packs of 5 different designs approx 25cm x 35cm each piece, and in packs of

3x (6inch) 15cm squares.

Not quite focused! Again! My poor eyesight and my camera don't always get together!!

Colour Delights!

After all the positive feedback to the gorgeous hand dyed fat eighths and extra goodies that I had in the Giveaway for my 50th post, I have finally put these together as Colour Delight packs in 2 different sizes.

The large at $24 have 1 hand dyed fat eighth,1 fat tenth, silk pieces, hand dyed embroidery threads in silk, cashmere, wool or mohair and coordinating buttons.

The small Colour Delight Packs at $11 contain 1 hand dyed fat eighth, coordinating buttons and hand dyed lace, ric rac, or trim.

These would make lovely gifts for the creative people in your life.

A REMINDER!!

Don't forget our Felting PLAY DAY on 30th October at Precious Purl!

See post on 17th September.

Blending and Carding! Carding and Blending!

2010-09-24T18:18:00.003+10:00

This is what has been happening at Precious Purl lately! Gathering of gorgeous stuff - wool top, silk top, mohair top, mohair curls, silk fibre, threads and sparkle in colour ways that we love.
Some Smudge, Cumin, Mink, Bullion and toning silk fibre in this lot, pull it apart, mix it all up and feed into the Drum Carder.

Wind and wind, minding your fingers on those spikes!

Here's the first blending!! Looking good!

Back into the feeding chute and wind some more!

Nicely blended! Ready for Spinners and Felters and all fibre lovers!

Into a pack and ready for sale! 50grams for $9.95!

We have these in stock now in a range of colour blends, but just ask if you want a special mix!

That large electric carder Pam is lusting after and has even ordered! - will make this fun task, even better!

Felting Play Day!

2010-09-17T15:48:00.004+10:00

I mentioned this in my last post but here are all the details!
Are you interested in learning about the materials, techniques or the possibilities in Wet Felting?
Want to have a dabble in this exciting craft in a relaxed and fun atmosphere or just want to watch an expert at work??

Then this date is for you!!

Saturday 30th October 11.30-3.30 at Precious Purl.
Catherine Byatt of Feltazia will be having a PLAY DAY in Wet Felting. Come along and watch, learn, ask and see all the gorgeous Precious Purl supplies being put to work.

If you would like to join in and make a small sample, then we ask for $5 to cover the cost of materials. You will need to let us know if you want to "have a play" and the approximate time you will be there, so as we can save you a space. Just want to watch? Welcome anytime!

Catherine has held several exhibitions that have featured her very theatrical garments and her speciality -HATS!

This is my very own gorgeous hat and matching scarf made by Catherine in Silk and Wool.

These gorgeous Nuno felted or laminated scarves, show Catherine's love of colour.

This will be a great opportunity to find out if Felting is for you!!

Hope to see you there!

......Happy Jan!!

2010-09-13T11:22:00.001+10:00

It was great to have a Show and Tell from one of our customers last week. Jan is fairly new to Felting but she is doing really well.

This Salmon silk is finished with tone on tone wool and silk top.

This Cumin and Aubergine wrap uses our Fibre Fantasy pack.

A great colour combo!

Lots of lovely pinks from our Rainbow Threads and Silk Loom ends in this one.

Well Done Jan, and thanks for sharing.

If you are wanting to learn some of the secrets to felting, this craft that so many seem to be passionate about, then here is your chance. A date for your diary!!

A felting Play Day with Catherine Byatt of Feltazia at Precious Purl.

Saturday 30th October 11.30-3.30.

Come along, look and learn! If you want to play, $5 to cover materials is all you will need to pay, but let us know so as we can save you a space.

Rare & Unusual

2010-09-06T17:20:00.002+10:00

I have made just 5 of these beautiful brooches, featuring rare and unusual buttons. There will only be 5! Make that 4, as I have already sold the 1 that has the square checker and bull's eye buttons! Sorry it is not quite in focus.

These buttons came from my lovely supplier who used to own some very exclusive button/accessory shops.

I have priced them at $35, so be quick or they will all be gone!
The brooch back is set into the base so it is very secure. I love the classic black and white theme.

I have finally found a way to store and display my more unusual buttons at Precious Purl. I am busy pricing these at the moment, a very difficult task, and they will be available for purchase or just "lusting after" very soon.
Here's just a glimpse of some of my treasures, including some Czech Glass. (top left) Plenty more like this.

Hope to see you button lovers very soon!

Also some 28mm and 38mm covered buttons in gorgeous fabrics, being added daily too!

Vibrant Colours as ordered!

2010-09-03T12:51:00.001+10:00

Lots of this happening! Not much time for anything else at the moment.

A large order for gorgeous vibrant colours, right up my alley! I'm having lots of fun putting these together.The order table (dining table in it's other life!) is filling up with Inspiration CD's, Fibre Fantasy, Silk Sensation and Wool Top Packs.

Almost ready for packing and posting to a lovely new home on the coast of NSW.

All these gorgeous goodies are available from Precious Purl. If you don't find the colours that you want, we make to order, as you can see!!

Keeping warm in Fitzroy!

2010-08-22T13:16:00.006+10:00

Maybe the Fitzroy crafters were envious of the relaxed atmosphere of Sewjourn the Craft and Quilting retreat at Lancefield !! or maybe it is just colder in Fitzroy!

Whatever the reason (who needs a reason??) the stork that resides in the front window of
St Judes Cellars 389-391 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
(just down from Precious Purl and venue for my recent birthday lunch - DELICIOUS!) is now sporting a hat and scarf to rival the scarf and leg warmers of the stork that resides in the garden at Sewjourn!

These have been knitted by one of our anonymous local knitters with a great sense of style and Guerrilla knitting tendencies
in recycled Sari Silk yarn purchased from Precious Purl!

Great Job!
Great Food!
Great glass of Brown's Sparkling!
Great Company!
Great Birthday!
Thank you!

Nuno Felting

2010-08-12T13:27:00.023+10:00

Last week Chrissie Lauritz of Fibre Fusion demonstrated Nuno Felting to enthusiastic felting beginners at Precious Purl. Using her needle felted Merino wool Felbi pieces and a pre loved piece of patterned cotton, Chrissie showed just how easy it is to produce a lovely light weight, but warm scarf, in very little time.

I'm not a "real blogger" yet! I completely forgot to get the camera out until it was all over, but here is the finished piece.

I'm now inspired to use this beautiful piece of patterned silk I bought last year with the Turkish Red Felbi . A "Perfect Match" I think, although they are both a deep red not the raspberry tone of the pic (another dull and cloudy day for photos in Melbourne.

These great Needle felts are ready for you to add fabric, wool, silk, mohair or alpaca top and embellishments without the time consuming laying out of wool fibre.

The large size of Felbi Log is 150 x 200cm and ideal for a wrap for $45

and the scarf size Plank 35 x 200cm for $18.

They come in a great range of colours too.
We also have Batt Bundles, 8 pieces of Felbi 20 x 75cm for design work or just experimenting. These are available in single, solid colour pieces or larger hand dyed pieces also.

Giveaway leads to a new product?

2010-08-06T18:17:00.001+10:00

By now, the lucky winners of my giveaway should have received their goodies, although Allison in New York may still be waiting!I thought I would share a pic with you, as I think I may start selling these at Precious Purl. I just love the endless possibilities of combining our products and any chance to include some buttons!!

Allison chose Purple and Mary the Green.

The hand Dyes are cotton, along with the fat tenth, the extra fabric pieces are silk, the threads may be our hand dyed mohair, merino, silk, cashmere or a blend of these and of course a lovely selection of coordinating buttons. What do you think? A new product to add to the already groaning shelves of Precious Purl??

Should appeal to all our embroidering, quilting and embellishing friends!

FREE Felting Demonstration - Friday 6th August

2010-07-30T13:58:00.002+10:00

I have just realised that my last post re the winners of my Giveaway was the 50th Post on my Blog! Wow!! It has been a steep learning curve, but I really enjoy keeping you up to date with what's happening at Precious Purl!

Next Friday 6th August at 2pm we have a FREE demonstration of wet felting using prefelts by Chrissie Lauritz of Fibre Fusion.

We stock Fibre Fusion's great range of Felbi Logs, Planks and a large selection of beautiful matching 18 micron wool top. Come along and be inspired by Chrissie, she is a great teacher and has a wealth of Felting Knowledge to share.

You will need to contact us by email (go to my profile) to register your name, as places will be limited. There are only 2 or 3 places still available.

The Winner is........

2010-07-28T12:12:00.003+10:00

Thanks to everyone who left a comment about the gorgeous hand dyed Fat Eighths now available at Precious Purl .

Here's the tin with all the cut out names surrounded by all the projects, inspirations and clutter of my work table!!!

The Winner is ......

Allison loves purple, so a purple fat eighth, along with some other goodies will be on the way to her very soon.

Just because I have enjoyed reading all your comments, I have decided to give another fat eighth away as well and this goes to Mary who loved the greens. Enjoy!!

Haddon Wool/Craft Expo - Sunday 25th July

2010-07-26T15:03:00.075+10:00

We had a fun time at the Haddon (Ballarat) Community centre yesterday. Our "Make & Take" table was a big hit with felted silk flowers, felted flower brooches and dry felting to be tried!

One small poppet who thoroughly enjoyed creating, just happened to be my Great Niece! Any family resemblance here? Certainly a love of making!

These felted Silk Flowers created lots of interest yesterday and are now available in Kit form with full instructions at PreciousPurl.

The guest Textile Artist, Penny O'Neill - Crochet Queen extraordinaire, did go "via Botswana!!"
but with the help of many locals, finally made it to instruct us in dc's, trebles and chains!!

This promises to be an Annual event so we look forward to seeing lots more people next year.

Don't forget my Giveaway! Last day to leave a comment is tomorrow, Tuesday 27th July.

Haddon Wool Expo - Sunday 25th July

2010-07-23T17:45:00.003+10:00

This Sunday we are off to Haddon Community Centre, 396 Sago Hill Rd Haddon (west of Ballarat) for a fun time at their Wool/Fibre Expo. Local crafters and wool enthusiasts, Lara Downs/Precious Purl and
Penny O'Neill , crochet Queen, will demonstrate and involve visitors in all sorts of wonderful "Fibre Fun".

Refreshments available. Great goodies to buy! I hear there will even be some sheep there!!

If you live in the area and you are a knitter, crocheter, felter, spinner, weaver, embroiderer or just an interested by-stander, we would love to see you between 11am and 3 pm.

Don't forget my Fat Eighth giveaway! You have until the end of Tuesday 27th July to leave a lovely comment to be in it.

Hand Dyed Fat Eighths - Precious Purl Giveaway!!

2010-07-20T15:41:00.000+10:00

A great new product for Precious Purl is this range of hand dyed 100% Cotton Homespun Fat eighths.
Exclusive to us, these wonderfully patterned pieces will appeal to Patchworkers, Sewers and all Textile artists. They come in a great range of colours, the 3 pictured below, plus brown, black, purple and orange/yellows. Shelegh, the dyer, will gradually add to her colour range.
If you would like one of these!! Read on!!

I have decided to give one of these fat eighths plus some other surprise goodies to a randomly selected lovely person who leaves a comment on this blog by Tuesday 27th July! Tell me your favourite colour and I will try to select one that you would like. Good Luck!

Australian Wool & Sheep Show - Bendigo

2010-07-19T15:49:00.001+10:00

What a huge, long weekend !! Precious Purl made the trip to Bendigo for this amazing show, the largest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. We met so many customers, old and new (not talking about birthdays here!) It was so busy and a bit of a blur, but great to see you all.

We joined up with the merry Ravelry band on Saturday night for dinner. It was awesome to see so many knitters/crocheters working away while chatting, eating and drinking.

Here's the divine Miss Kylie Gusset taking photos in the Precious Purl/Lara Downs stand, no doubt for her next feature in a yarn magazine!! while Pam looks after business!!(sorry about the blur, the eyes weren't functioning very well on limited sleep! and I didn't manage any other photos for the weekend!) The Lara Downs yarn still looks luscious!

If you missed the show this year, make it a must for next, it just gets bigger and better.

Please Note!!

2010-07-06T18:42:00.000+10:00

Precious Purl will be closed on Thursday 15th July, Friday 16th July, and Saturday 17th July.

We will be attending the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show and you can find us in Osborne Hall, Site 6.
This is an amazing event! Put it in your diary now if you are interested in Natural Fibres.

Brisbane Textile Art Festival June 25-27

2010-07-05T16:30:00.005+10:00

Just a few pics taken at the Brisbane Textile Art Festival a week ago.

Gill Venn of Fibreworks blending beautifully with her collaborative crochet piece background.

The Queensland Quilters had a beautiful display.

The Art of Recycling competition was amazing!

This jacket was made from a 20 year old Kaffe Fassett jumper, taken apart and given a new life .

Loved these Zipper flowers.

I had a wonderful 2 days at this Festival with my friend Lisa. Lots of coffee, eats, meeting friends, improving our crochet skills, (not practised in the last 20 years or is that 30 in my case???) some spending and much oohing and aahing over textile and fibre delights!!! Highly recommend a visit to next years!

Where have I been??

2010-07-01T17:10:00.001+10:00

Well, you may have wondered!!
No! I hadn't really died and gone to heaven!! Almost!!
I've been to lovely warm Brisbane for the Textile Art Festival held at the Exhibition Centre, South Bank, last Friday 25th to Sunday 27th June. Had a wonderful time chatting to many like-minded Textile and Fibre lovers, doing workshops, seeing what's new, catching up with a friend I had not seen for 12 years, and thoroughly enjoying all that Brisbane has to offer.
I will post some pics when I have done my 2 days at the shop and "re acclimatised" to this COLD!

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

2010-06-15T15:27:00.000+10:00

Had a wonderful time with my very precious button supplier today!
My purchases included a few buckles too. Just where am I going to display them?
I tried to be restrained but it is so hard to resist! Here are just a few pics to tantalise you!
Available at Precious Purl this week.

Great Hat!

2010-06-14T14:49:00.008+10:00

Just look at this great hat!
Louise crocheted this after just 2 lessons with the fantastic tutor Penny O'Neill!

Luv all those colours! We plan to have Penny the "Crochet Queen" back again to Precious Purl. Stay tuned for dates.

Did Louise mean to leave that tail hanging out the top?? We'll never know!

Perhaps she could add a few extra threads to look like a tassel or even some beads!

Penny would approve, she's not one for fussing about all the ends being neatly finished off!

Thanks for sending me the picture Louise!

Felting Workshop

2010-05-31T17:14:00.003+10:00

Calling all those would be FELTERS!!!!
We are looking for 4 more participants to be involved in our Introduction to Wet Felting Workshop this coming Saturday 5th June 1.30-3.30 at Precious Purl.This promises to be a great way to learn about the basics, ready to launch you on your exciting journey with FELT.
You will produce several swatches using a variety of materials such as pre felts, wool, mohair, silk. These can then be used as embellishment for scarf, wrap, cushion, bag, flowers etc.
Your Tutor will be Catherine Byatt of Feltazia.Catherine has held several exhibitions of her very Theatrical garments and Hats and she will inspire you with her enthusiasm and talent for felting, along with her warm personality.
Contact us now, via the website (see sidebar) or email (see my profile)

Gorgeous hand Dyed prefelts to add to your felting.

Felted swatches can be turned into flower brooches such as this one. A great way to use a special button!

Yarn, yarn and more yarn!

2010-05-24T16:28:00.003+10:00

Lots of yarn happening at Precious Purl!
We are getting ready for the Hand Knitters day at Brunswick Town Hall this coming Saturday 29th May 10am-3pm. Pam is out in the Dye Shed frantically trying to stock up on her beautiful hand dyes (see the Lara Downs website) while I am adding to our stock of lovely Touch Yarn in Kid Mohair and Merino.
The hardest decision will be "Which colour?" for that next project you have in mind.
Look forward to seeing you at the show on Saturday or the shop will be open as usual 11-4pm.

Another date to keep in mind is 5th June for our Introduction to Felting workshop. This promises to be a wonderful introduction to the basics and possibilities of wet felting. Even if you have had some felting experience, every Tutor can teach you something new and Catherine Byatt of Feltazia will inspire you. Go to my Profile to see my email contact to find out more and express your interest in joining in with this class. It will be held at Precious Purl 1.30-3.30pm and costs just $40, which includes all materials.

Date for your Diary!

2010-05-18T15:29:00.002+10:00

Here's a date to remember! Saturday 29th May the Hand Knitter's Guild will hold their annual Show and Sale day at the Brunswick Town Hall, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick. This event is well worth a visit to stock up on beautiful yarns and knitting/crochet supplies. It usually runs from around 10am to 4pm and as it is not widely advertised, make a note now!

Precious Purl/Lara Downs

will be there with as much gorgeous yarn as we can carry! Hope to see you.

Just a Reminder!!
We still have vacancies in our Introduction to Knitting class this Saturday 22nd May and also some spots in our Introduction to Wet Felting on 5th June. Details in posts below or contact Precious Purl - see the sidebar.

What Fun!

2010-05-09T15:14:00.000+10:00

Another great workshop at Precious Purl!

The o-so entertaining Penny O'Neill, Queen of the Crochet Hook, took us all on a fun ride yesterday, while urging everyone on in their quest to crochet a Beanie or Beret .

Great work from Natasha, who had never crocheted before. It's starting to take shape!

Penny couldn't resist showing off her gorgeous crocheted skirt.

We will plan more workshops with Penny, so stay tuned if you missed out this time.

Here's Beck!!!!

2010-05-03T15:48:00.002+10:00

Let me introduce you to Rebecca Scott who will run our

Introduction to Knitting Workshop at Precious Purl on Saturday 22nd May 1.30-3.30pm. I asked her to write a little something about herself so that everyone can see how perfect she will be as the tutor.
Take note of the gorgeous pink Cashmere scarf made from Lara Downs yarn, of course.

An Interior Decorator with a passion for craft,

Rebecca Scott spent many years living with her grandma, whose influence led her to knit from a young age.

Beck considers herself fortunate to have grown up in an environment where knitting, crochet,sewing and embroidery were a normal part of life. In her work and craft pursuits Beck adores working with natural fibres and using her flair for colour.

A "chameleon" of craft, Rebecca also enjoys sewing, jewellery making, cake decorating and painting but knitting continues to remain a favourite pastime.

"Knitting is such a beautiful craft, I love the rhythm of knitting simple stitches and the sense of achievement in nutting out a complex pattern. Knitting allows you to create what you want in any style,colour and material you choose. It's such a great form of self expression."

Rebecca is an energetic, bubbly young lady and her passion and creativity will delight all ages. She is especially enthusiastic about sharing a fresh look on this timeless craft with a younger generation.

Send an email to get all the details for this workshop and others to be run at Precious Purl.

Change as good as a holiday!!

2010-05-01T21:08:00.003+10:00

Thought I would have a change of template! A bit tired of the PINK!
I like this clean and uncluttered look! What do you think?

I do seem to have lost my Post Archive off the sidebar!
Well not lost, just waaayy down the bottom!
Have tried everything to get it back up, no luck!

Workshops workshops workshops!

2010-04-20T15:35:00.002+10:00

Workshops are happening at Precious Purl!
Register your interest by email or visit Precious Purl for more details.

Saturday 8th May 1.30-3.30pm $40
"Bowled Over" Crochet Hats/Beanies/Berets
This is a follow up class to our Introduction to Crochet where participants made a necklace.
(see post on 23rd March) Feel free to join us even if you didn't do this class, only a basic grasp of crochet is needed.
This promises to be lots of fun with Penny O'Neill of Artrageous Fashions and Alice Springs Beanie Festival fame! Penny is a magnificent story teller, a recycling queen and a fabulous teacher. Her crochet skills were pitted against a world record on "Rove" -ask her to tell you the story??

Saturday 22nd May 1.30-3.30pm $30

Beginners Knitting class.

(Bek)Rebecca Scott of Calico House will run this class for those people keen to learn this wonderful craft.

This class is particularly aimed at those around Bek's age(26) but her bubbly personality will enthuse all ages.

Bek has been a passionate Knitter since her Nan taught her and she is one of Precious Purl's best customers, after all she does just work downstairs!!! Follow up classes will be discussed on the day.

Saturday 5th June 1.30-3.30pm $40

An Introduction to Felting - a Demonstration and some participation class.
This will be an absolute beginners class open to all those wanting to learn about the materials, techniques, and enthralling possibilities of wet felting. A Kit to get you started will be included in the cost.

Your Tutor will be Catherine Byatt of Feltazia. Catherine has held exhibitions of her wonderfully theatrical garments and in particular hats, showcasing her amazing use of fibre and colour.

Contact us soon, some places filled already.

Crafting with friends....

2010-04-19T07:56:00.001+10:00

What could be better than getting together with friends over a great lunch, lots of coffee, conversation and crafting!!!!

Definitely the home of a Craft Fanatic, note the handiwork on the coffee and teapots!!!

A "bad hair day" hat on circular needles!

A face/dish cloth knitted on the diagonal, reminds me of knitting classes at Primary school or was that Brownies?? I remember the pale green colour that looked decidedly grubby by the end!

A beautiful Quilt-as-you-go work in progress.

Another productive and fun day, thanks Lori!

Kanzashi - Kimono House

2010-04-13T16:50:00.001+10:00

I'm always looking for ways to use my buttons!
Kanzashi are traditional Japanese fabric flowers created with beautiful fabrics and used as hair adornment by Geishas.They look great with a button in the centre! Wonderful for brooches, hair clips, bags etc.
I attended a workshop at Kimono House last week run by Leanne, where I put my stiff little fingers to work in folding, as in Origami, but with fabric! This was a lovely change for me to get out and see all the wonderful Creative spaces in the Nicholas Building, cnr Flinders Lane & Swanston St Melbourne.
The creaky, self operating lift is scarey but I had to get to the 6th floor and that is TOO many stairs for the old legs! It didn't get stuck thank goodness but I'm sure it does sometimes!
Just had to drop in to see Buttonmania on the 2nd floor and Kate was having a sale!!!! My lucky day!!
I thoroughly enjoyed my Autumn outing and the results were GREAT! Don't you think??

Precious Purl commonly called "Treasure Trove" or "Aladdin's cave"!!!!

2010-04-12T16:50:00.001+10:00

I thought I would post some pics of Precious Purl as it is looking quite "scrummy" at the moment!
Some new lighting means we can now see it all! No dark corners at last.

What do you think?

Worth a look? Drop by and say Hello!

Meet the Winner!

2010-04-11T17:30:00.004+10:00

Just a quick post to introduce you to the winner of our Birthday Goodies Basket give-away.
Pauline and her husband Peter, have been regular customers of Lara Downs/Precious Purl and were delighted to come and pick up the winnings. Pauline was pleased to see the buttons I squeezed in and is now waiting for Peter to knit her something to match them!! I can feel the envy!

Daylesford Maker's Market

2010-04-07T13:17:00.010+10:00

It was great to see the Daylesford Maker's Market thriving last Saturday. So many people flock to this small town at weekends. I keep promising myself to go visit during the week, when I know it is much quieter and easier to get a parking spot!
The display by Amber Brennan, a Graphic Designer, caught my eye immediately! You may know how much I luv BUTTONS! Amber is doing clever things with resin! The bangles with buttons set into the resin were gorgeous! Unfortunately my hand was too broad to fit, a la "Cinderella"
Amber can be contacted at amberlucy4@hotmail.com

Another Artist doing great things with yarn, (very close to the heart of Precious Purl fibreholics), is Martine of www.greenolivedesign.com.au
One of her knitted/crocheted Entangled Scarves really wanted to come home with me!!

The Winner is.........!!!!

2010-04-03T09:25:00.000+11:00

The Winner of our Birthday give-away is Pauline of Geelong!!! Congratulations! I know she will love the goodies packed into the basket. There has been much drooling over these goodies while it has been on display at Precious Purl. Thank you everyone for entering.
Have a great Easter break! I'm off to the Daylesford Maker's Market this morning and I'm really looking forward to it.

Last Chance!

2010-03-29T17:21:00.003+11:00

This is the very last chance to be in the draw for our Birthday Give-away! The lucky winner will be drawn on Thursday 1st April at Precious Purl and the result will be announced on this blog and Lara Downs website. Here's how to be in it!

1.Leave a message here.

2.Leave a message on the website (see side bar)

3.Visit Precious Purl on Wednesday.

Good Luck!

Here are some gorgeous new products I have packaged that should tempt all craft- a- holics!

A combination of supersoft 19micron wool top in 2 coordinating colours, hand dyed muslin, silk loom ends, 20m of embellishing threads, silk georgette strips, and maybe a felt string or 2. All sorts of other treasures maybe added to blend with the colour theme. I have titled this delight, "Fibre Frolic." It is sure to appeal to Felters, and all those who love layered and textured Fibre Art. Around 40g and $14.95 these come in a large array of gorgeous colours.