About Us

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Jolie is a knitting and homeware shop run by Linda Williams and Daniella Taylor. If you are interested in anything you see on this blog or would like to learn to knit or crochet please call us at the shop on 01438 861 717. We are open between 10am and 4pm Mon - Sat. To view our website, click on http link below.

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Loose women

Tony (Hadley) really needs to learn to knit! He is currently working on a music project with Phil and can't resist coming in to see the girls on his way up to the studio. " It always sounds like you're having so much fun, it's like Loose Women in here - women talk about much more interesting things than men - not just football and cars". Pictured here with Ann, Linda and Sue. Get some needles and a ball of wool Tony and you're in!

Goodwood girls

More birthday celebrations at Goodwood Revival Weekend for Linda and Karen. Linda is wearing Mary's genuine 70's dress and Karen has on that fab hat featured in an earlier blog shot in Scotland back in June. A great day out and highly recommended; tons of dressing up, vintage stalls, track racing, air displays, fun fair and more!

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Mary, Mary

Mary is a fabulous knitter and has knitted many lovely things for Jolie and for our customers. Mary knits samples for the shop, all of our baby shoes as well as undertaking commissions. She is very speedy and enjoys a challenge - the more intricate the better. How Mary manages to fit in knitting with all her other commitments we will never know.

Thirty days hath September

and nearly every one seems to be a birthday at Jolie.
Dany and Linda chose Mr Kipling's Big French Fancy for their cake on Thursday. Ann provided the pastel coloured macaroons. It was exceeeedingly good!

Knit and Wine

Tuesday 21st September 7.30 -10pm

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

Best in show

Best in Show by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne. Now you can knit your own dog. This book has patterns for 25 breeds.
There is a Bassett hound.
A Dalmation.
A Collie, and many more.

With a twist

New from Debbie Bliss, The Knitter's Year contains 52 hand-knit designs, one for each week of the year. All projects are designed to take less than a week and include; bags, flags, hats, scarves, socks, bootees, cushions, a pencil case, peg bag.
We chose a hot water bottle cover which Mary knitted over the weekend in the new Rowan Silk Twist aran.

Is it systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic? - no it's Hipstamatic!

It was Linda's birthday on Monday 13th.
September is the month for birthdays at Jolie - hope I havn't missed anyone out but at last count it was; Sally, Linda, Libby, Dany, Karen, Trish, Julie, Annmarie and Ann all celebrating in September.
Jo took these great pics of the shop with her new iphone Hipstamatic App.
Very atmospheric.
New in: gorgeous new handbags from Fibi Vintage. All handmade using pretty vintage fabrics and souvenir scarves.

Saturday, 11 September 2010

Island life

Dany and family went to Ven (or Hven, in old Swedish), an island between Denmark and Sweden, for our summer holiday.
Scandinavian children go back to school in mid August, so the beaches were deserted. We managed to catch a few rays of late summer sun.
My lolly of choice - dark chocolate and pineapple. I wasn't so sure about raspberry and liquorice as an ice cream combination....
Unless you are a resident, and there are only 300 or so of those, you cannot bring a car onto the island. We hired bikes for the week and travelled around together like the Von Trapp family.
We stayed in an old Swedish farmhouse painted in typical colours.
There was even an antique Gustavian clock, although it had lost it's hands.
And I loved this hand blocked wallpaper in the hallway, which had been papered over the door!
We spent a day in Copenhagen and met up with some rellies (Phil's). It was lovely and quiet to come back to the island for some more reading, drawing and knitting - unfortunately I ran out of wool and there was a distinct lack of wool shops.
Still, more time to sit and reflect and watch the boats go by.

Saturday, 4 September 2010

Happy holidays

Sorry we've been absent for a while. We've been on our summer hols and taking turns in the shop.
Linda and family had a relaxing week in deepest rural Tuscany (near Poppi) and stayed in a lovely farmhouse with beautiful views over the countryside.
Such a busy walk to the pool. Not!
Linda went on a Madonna quest and spotted a few around Poppi.
Aah, there's another one. Madonna by night in Castello de Fiorentino....
Linda found one to bring home too - no wonder her mum thinks she's changed religion!

Clever clog

Here is the sweet little Amsterdam souvenir haberdashery holder, with pincushion - put to good use straightaway. Thanks Jennifer, as I love all that kinda stuff.

Friday, 20 August 2010

Chez Jenny

Jennifer invited Linda, Dany, Karen and Betty over for dinner at Toad Hall in Walthamstow, her friend Jane was there too and of course Naomi. And what a time we had, we're all green with envy over the knitting room ... and the sewing room. Jennifer kindly gave Linda the little Dutch clog pincushion.
This lovely quilt is vintage Laura Ashley. The prints are so pretty and were all given a little bit of nostalgia to take home.
There was so much to look at - not only beautiful embroidery, knitting, crochet, quilts and tapestries but pictures galore and all so interesting. Linda and I spotted this gorgeous picture published in Woman's Realm in about 1952 of Jennifer and a Christmas cracker house.
The food was divine too. Jen made us lavender shortbread (is there an end to this woman's talents?), from Lazy Days and Beach Blankets. It was delicious and came served with raspberries, cream and brandy. Mmm!

She's a gem

We celebrated Beryl's birthday at Knit and Chat on Thursday with a delicious chocolate cake. Beryl was delighted with her handmade knitting bag featuring turquoise embroidery and a lovely vintage turquoise button.

Thursday, 12 August 2010

Pat's blanket

Pat, on right (we all know who is on the left), came on a surprise visit to Knit and Chat with her daughter Natasha, all the way from Aylesbury. Natasha told her to bring her knitting and her blanket - she thought she was going to an old people's home - really. Pat knitted this beautiful throw whilst she was laid up with a broken ankle - it is knitted in cotton dk and has 64 squares made from 256 triangles. Truly gorgeuos.

'Tis the season..

..of mellow fruitfulness...or however the saying goes. We havn't even had our summer holiday yet and the blackberries are coming.
I picked enough for a crumble from the brambles in the garden with a little help from Billie
and Edward, who is always around when food is mentioned.
We made a delicious blackberry and apple crumble for tea, with ground almonds in the topping and served with hot custard of course. They were plenty of 'oohs' 'aahs' and 'mmms' at the table - nothing quite beats the taste of cooked blackberries - good old comfort food. I might make another one tonight - blackberry again, seeing as there are only two plums on the little plum tree.

Monday, 9 August 2010

Stiffkey stores

Yes, it's the fabulous Stiffkey Stores (nr Wells, Norfolk) - a bit over run with blooms but what a sight. Enjoyed a fabulous cappuccino and a 'blondie' (like a brownie, but made with white chocolate and salted peanuts), truly yummy. Does anyone have a recipe please? http://stiffkeystores.com

Vintage rock chick

Gill came to learn to crochet a couple of weeks back and hey, she hasn't stopped.
Check out Gill's inspiring blog for a fab combination of music and creative rock chick flair. http://vintagerockchick-gill.blogspot.com

Thursday, 5 August 2010

Brian

This is Brian, the South African picture framer, in his Walkern workshop. If you need any framing, Brian's the man - he does a great job and is excellent at choosing the right moulding and colours to suit the image. Pictured here with Karen's Chester Williams' watercolour. Very 'juji' as Brian would say....
Brian Barnard 07871 105 417

A woman of many talents

Donna came over to give the old Joanna (purchased in Yoxford on Southwold trip) a facelift.
Just perfect - vintage transfers of a 'Jolie' lamb and some roses.

Junior choice

We had our youngest workshop students last week. Tilly and Alice (aged 5) came with their mums Katie and Lucy to learn to knit. The girls and mums were all eager to learn and did amazingly well. Sue (Ford) popped in at just the right moment to lend a helping hand.
Alice and Tilly left satisfied with their bags of loveliness - two very sophisticated young ladies.