The Best of British

Hi again! After taking so long to do the last post I've given myself a sharp rap on the knuckles - and having the last week off has given me a chance to give Knitted Duck a proper spring clean, which was long overdue. The other thing I've been able to finally do (she says, BURSTING with excitement) is get KD's own little piece of cyber real estate up and running - and here it is!

http://www.theknittedduck.co.uk/

Isn't it beautiful? I keep gazing over it like a newborn baby and fretting everytime it coughs...

The package I got was a surprisingly cheap and easy to use one from Mr Site - http://www.mrsite.co.uk/ - one among the many recommendations I got after asking around (thanks everyone for your suggestions!). The package is all inclusive (i.e. domain name, hosting, templates etc all in one) rather than forcing you to buy all the elements separately, and I've got to say the selection of templates is pretty respectable, rather than your standard cringeworthy outdated clip art riddled affairs. I have to say I'm also pretty pleased with the amount of freedom it gives you without blinding you with science - I myself am pretty computer literate and know my HTML from my hexadecimal, but I would have lost interest pretty quickly if I'd had to build the whole thing from scratch. If a website is something you're looking into, but you're not so interested in controlling evert 'bit' of data, then I recommend it - the basic option which I have is only £19.99 for the year with no hidden extras. Bargain.

With that finally up and running and no commissions lined up, I also managed to finish a long outstanding knit just yesterday - as part of my celebration of our sceptred isle, I give you my trilogy of Blighty themed mini-cushions!



I decided to invert the Union Jack to give it a bit of a twist and also to make the darker blue and red stand out more vibrantly against a white background - which incidentally, I think we should do to the real flag, but that's just me :) - and although I had a go at doing it intarsia first, it just lacked a sort of charm, so the crosses are knitted in red and crocheted in blue, and sewn on. The two smaller cushions have a quintessentially English houndstooth pattern knitted into them, which is my little nod to my design hero, the most groundbreaking and important designer Britain has ever had, Dame Vivienne Westwood. The cushions themselves are 24cm x 18cm (Union Jack) and 20cm x 14cm (Houndstooth) and come as a set for £25/$36. You can find them on Folksy for £ and Etsy for $ as usual!

All this patriotism is not just about cushions though - with the World Cup on the horizon, everything that isn't red white and blue is out of the wardrobe until the end of July, and I for one will be praying more for the robust health of Wayne Rooney than I ever have for my own. I was actually pretty chuffed to be tagged for the first time in a fellow Folksy-er's blog recently - that of offbeat greetings card makers Konnie Kapow which was on the very subject of the beautiful game. If you're stuck for something spesh for Father's Day on 20th June I recommend you look up their rather fab Folksy shop.

On that note, as I listen to my compilation of late 70s/early 80s UK scene punk and new wave for inspiration and drink my pot-brewed tea, I bid you ta-ra. IN-GER-LUUUUUND!

KD x