What a treat!

When it seems that the supply of good, unused vintage yarn has finally dried up then just a little more turns up here and there. In 3 and 4 ply too – perfect for fair isle knits and crochet projects. And at bargain prices it’s all the more welcome to supplement the depleting supplies of new yarn when the cost of pure wool knitting yarn keeps going up.

The colours are somewhat random, but there’s a charm and a challenge in that.

There is also the secondary pleasure of the labels. Patons ‘Purple Heather’ Fingering is a classic – the first choice for many a 1940′s and 50′s pattern. There’s some Marriner Empress which appears to be 1960′s or 70′s. And then there is Lee Target -  more often associated with frightening synthetic easy- care yarns for 70′s creations, but here Monarch 4 ply and Campanula 3 ply fingering - ‘Pure wool mothproofed for Life’ (which is reassuring). Made by George Lee and Sons Ltd of Wakefield, England.  

It’s almost too precious to use.

Despite a love for all things vintage and retro, the 21st century does have its upsides.

Girl’s Own Store has, somewhat belatedly, acknowledged the power, joy and sheer usefulness of social media.

Find out all the latest goings on, including latest arrivals, more general news and information and lots of photos on the new Girl’s Own Store Facebook page.

And in celebration of the event, the names of the first 100 ‘likes’ will be put into a hat for a Prize Draw  - with £50 for the winner to spend on the website or in the shop.

So don’t delay – just click here and don’t forget to tell your friends!

For lots more inspiration in picture form you can now also follow Girl’s Own Store on Pinterest

Firstly this little lamb was in a poorly way. He was already threadbare in places, his tail had obviously received attention in the past. Eyes missing and almost no nose left.

But his feet were the worst. Following a gentle cycle in the washing machine the felt all but apart with stuffing falling out everywhere.

He could no longer see and could no longer stand. Urgent treatment was required.

Then there was this clockwork Minic Mouse.

No ears and no tail – poor thing.

This was solved using an old pair of leather gloves and some scissors to cut replacements. Simple.

He looks so much happier now.

But what about the lamb?

Some bits of old woollen blanket made some new feet with a little extra stuffing from a worn out cushion. A couple of circles of worn out black cardigan made two new eyes, a little black wool and some stitching for a new nose.  And…….

 The animal hospital’s work is done.

With longer days now here and the the hope of sunnier skies to come it is time to open up the summerhouse and give it a spring clean.

Cobwebs are banished, surfaces wiped down, windows cleaned, floor swept and blankets shaken out and aired. 

And since the garden is detached from the house a place to store and prepare refreshments is essential.

Huts, Sheds and Caravans of all sorts have their own board on the new Girl’s Own Store Pinterest page, go to http://pinterest.com/girlsownstore/ or just click the button at the bottom of the page to follow Girl’s Own Store on Pinterest for more ideas and inspiration.

In the last year or so more and more vintage Pyrex has been coming in and out of the shop.

The facts according to Wikipedia: 

Pyrex (trademarked as PYREX) is a brand which was introduced by Corning Incorporated in 1915 for a line of clear, low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass used for laboratory glassware and kitchenware.

It’s heyday it terms of design was from the late 1950′s to 1970′s. Just the thing for cool kitchens of the ’50′s and also for the slightly less hip but fabulously kitsch George and Mildred style kitchen of the ’70′s.  

As retro trends go it is definitely on the up, there is even a website dedicated to its appreciation:  http://www.pyrexlove.com/.   At the moment it  is still affordable, oh-so cheerful and as useful as ever it was.

Because stock comes in and out so quickly it is impracticable to feature on the website, please contact the shop directly (01308 424474) for availability.

These two books were found together, and probably came from the same house. Both beautifully illustrated tales for children, but an interesting contrast in styles.

Firstly – The Mudlarks (sadly missing its dust jacket), by Vernon Stokes and Cynthia Harnett and published in 1941. It is a tale of hard times on the banks of the river (Thames presumably) for twins Vicky and Bill and their dog Rosie. Beautiful, realistic illustrations throughout.

And then there is Priscilla and th Prawn by Bryan Guiness, illustrated by Roland Pym.

Published in 1960, but harking back to the Edwardian era. The story of posh girl Priscilla and her magical adventures underwater whilst convalescing at the seaside.

The illustrations are delightful confections. The whole thing is bonkers and a complete delight.

This appeared to be a rather grubby, vintage linen tablecloth with unfinished embroidery snaffled up in haste at a boot fair. It was a curious thing, although it featured floral details, the embroidery transfer pattern was a mix of grid and floral motifs, stopping and starting in a peculiar arrangement if intended for the tea table.

On closer inspection things became stranger still – here and there were words (in German) and gaps in the design marked with dashed lines.

Then there was this image on one side, a chic young lady (1930′s by the look of her) wearing a rather fetching peasant style embroidered blouse.

So not a tablecloth after all – but a dressmaking pattern, with all the pieces marked out with instructions.  Far too interesting to mark with tea stains.

 The Girl’s Own Store bantams are getting back into the swing of egg laying after their Winter break. This is a real sign that Spring will soon be here.

Folklore has is that chickens start laying again on St Valentines day. This is nonsense of course, it having much more to do with day length - 10 hours of daylight seems to be the trigger for the hens, which just happens to arrive around the 14th February in this part of the world.  Olwen the dark Wyandotte actually started laying a week or so earlier, Eunice (the brighter Wyandotte) around the 14th, quickly followed by Betty the Maran cross. Doris is the other Maran cross and is yet to lay - it is suspected that actually she has never laid an egg in her life, but no one has that heart to wring her neck.  The other three girls produce between 1 t0 3 eggs a day, which is ample and means lots of fresh eggs for baking plenty of cakes.

What to do? Sunday afternoon and the need for a sweet teatime treat. But not so much as a rich tea biscuit in the house, ingredients in the cupboard very limited and the nearest supermarket a 10 mile round trip away. This was an emergency.

But there was flour and just enough butter and vegetable fat to rustle up some pastry,an assortment of jam lurking on the shelves and even some mincemeat left over from Christmas (it actually keeps for ages).

OK, so the presentation isn’t very sophisticated, but the results tasty enough. Just enough time to walk the dog whilst they cool and back to put the kettle on for tea.   

Shortcrust Pastry:

• 8oz/200g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 2oz/50g butter
• 2oz/50g vegetable fat
• 4 tablespoons water

Sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and fat, cut with a knife to break up and then use your fingers to rub into the flour (ie lifting and rubbing lightly through fingertips so it falls back into the bowl, incorporating as much air as possible). Stop when it resembles breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the middle and add the the water all at once. Stir with a fork or knife until it comes together into a ball. Turn onto a floured surface and knead (lightly and briefly) until it holds together. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.

To make the large tart:

Grease a tart case (this one is about 20cm/8in”). Take half the dough and roll out large enough to fit the case and go over the side. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry and roll onto the case. Use your fingers to press right into the edges. Prick the base with a fork. Fill with jam of your choice – but not too thickly or your pastry will have a soggy bottom. Use trimmings to cut strips to decorate, use a little milk to stick into place. Trim the edge with a knife. Use a pastry brush (or your fingers) to glaze the pastry with milk.

Small Tarts:

Roll out the remaining pastry and use pastry cutters to make rounds. Put these into a greased tartlet tin. Cut smaller rounds for lids for the mincepies. Use about a teaspoon of jam/mincemeat for the filling. Glaze the mincepies and prick the tops.

Bake for around15/20 minutes at 200 degrees C/gas No 6 until golden brown. Remove from the tins to cool on a wire tray.

New into the shop, this little cottage night light is the sweetest thing.

The clever LED light just goes to show that sometimes modern technology does have its uses.

And it changes colour too…. although when green it is perhaps a little spooky. 

http://www.girlsownstore.co.uk/acatalog/Childrens.html for more details.

Along with the best selling Rabbit version.