The 2012 London Olympics is less than six months away, so one would imagine that all of the athletes from around the world are training hard in anticipation.

Many sportsmen and women will have their own regimes and practices that they carry out to ensure that they are in the best shape for the Games.

Some will exercise for hours every single day, others will eat a strict diet, and some participants will have weird traditional customs that they do for good luck.

However, one British team player has confessed that she prepares for the Olympics by spending quality time knitting and reading.

Rachel Cawthorn, a leading sprint canoeist, has admitted that she relaxes in her free time by immersing herself into Harry Potter books as well as getting the knitting needles out.

Cawthorn perhaps may be onto a worldwide trend because knitting really does have its benefits of calming the mind and body which is important just before a huge sports event. A competitor needs to be comfortable and stress-free to be able to go into a sporting race without any other worries and fundamentally, have their eyes on the prize.

But that doesn’t mean that only sportspeople can enjoy knitting as a hobby. If you have come home from a demanding day at work; put the kettle on, put your feet up and let your anxieties melt away by knitting a scarf or jumper for the little ones.

Ulster Weavers bone china mugs are perfect to drink out of when engrossing in some good old weaving and better still, treat yourself to a scrumptious piece of cake afterwards that has been stored decoratively in one of our gorgeous cake tins.

Our cute cosies will keep the pot of tea piping hot so fret not if you become so consumed into knitting that you forget about your brew- Ulster’s tea cosies will keep it lovely and warm.

Check out Ulster Weavers.com today to see how we can make your past-time that little bit special…

The handiwork of a great-grandmother in Leeds has gone worldwide. The knitting skills of Lillian Phillips from Yorkshire have reached every corner of the planet.

The 92-year-old started knitting scarves 20 years ago which is a great hobby to enjoy whilst sipping on some piping hot tea in Ulster weavers china mugs.

However, her quest to get one of her creations to every country of the world has been successful and now hundreds of people in over 130 nations have received her homemade accessories.

In appreciation of her handicraft, the OAP has been given lots of gifts and letters including a prayer book from the Dalai Lama’s monastery. The lady, who is now nearly blind, cannot read conventional patterns and therefore she uses a pattern from her memory that had been passed on to her by her late sister.

The lively pensioner takes three hours to complete each scarf when she is working flat out. Here at Ulster Weavers we think the retiree should have a rest and put her feet up and enjoy a lovely brew. And our tea and kitchen cosies will keep the pot nice and hot.

But Lillian is now using her knitting skills to raise cash for a Leeds-based charity and has so far raised over £1,600 for the heart charity ‘Take Heart’ by making 145 scarves. Her handiwork is on sale at the Leeds General Infirmary.

Fancy putting your creative abilities into action? Knitting can be a great stress relief past-time. But ensure that you reward yourself for all the hard efforts and wash the work down with a nice cup of tea in Ulster Weavers.com delectable mugs. 

Today is Friday 13^th and superstitious folklores state that it is a day of bad luck.

Although there is no written evidence for a ‘Friday the 13^th’ superstition taking place before the 19th century, why do so many people believe it is unlucky?

One theory is that the number 13 is deemed an unlucky number and that Friday is a fateful day and therefore the two unfortunate theories have amalgamated together.

But the impact on present society is far greater than one can imagine. The phobia of Friday the 13^th is called ‘friggatriskaidekaphobia’ and according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, America, on average 21 million people in the United States is affected by the fear of this day.

It is reported that some people are so paralysed by fear of Friday the 13^th that they avoid doing their normal routines and stay cooped up indoors. Many cancel flights that they are scheduled to take and it is estimated that the US lose up to $900 million in business on this day.

Are you superstitious? Sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry, but if you really do feel compelled to stay inside your house on this day, entertain yourself and the family with fun arts and crafts with the help of Ulster Weavers.com

Don one of Ulster weavers gorgeous apron ranges to protect your clothing and spend time as a family doing homemade projects. Why not print out a paper calendar for the year and encourage the kids to be creative and decorate each month with a theme?

Children and parents will be going back to school/work in the New Year, so why not incite the little ones to draw some colourful pictures for you to put up in your office or on your desk?

Is there a relative’s birthday in January? Support the kids to make homemade cards with crayons, glitter and bit and bobs. The extra effort will really show how much as a family you care and the personalisation is a lovely sentiment.

And after all the hard work, sit down as a household with some scrumptious tea and biscuits and keep the pot of tea piping hot with our tea and kitchen cosies.

Stripe Child's PVC Apron

Vintage Rose Cotton Apron

Jack Child's PVC Apron

We are already a week or so into 2012 and although the majority of the world has celebrated it already, it isn’t until 27^th January that China commemorates its New Year.

The Chinese zodiac year of 2012 is the Dragon.

Astrology is very important to Chinese communities and this year is said to be extra special because the dragon is so revered. In Chinese astrology the dragon is seen as a powerful almighty king because it is made from different parts of animals such as an eagle, snake, fish and tiger and so it holds superior significance.

Even today, people from China associate the dragon symbol with power and wisdom and therefore if one is born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon they are said to be wise, powerful and have a certain aura about them.

A dragon can breathe out fire and has a long sharp tongue and this reflects in a person’s personality who is born in the zodiac year in that they can be a hothead and be quite sarcastic. But with regards to the celebrations, regions across the UK with large Chinese communities will be throwing fun and fantastic festivities including dances, parades, fireworks and rides.  

Why not join in the events by donning some Ulster weavers.com PVC aprons and making dragon arts and crafts?

Entertain the children by making your own dragons to celebrate the Chinese New Year with paper and coloured pens and use colourful bits and bobs to make it as bright and flamboyant as possible. Try using red tissue paper to create a lively dragon that is breathing fire and colour him in with crayons.

If the kids really want to get involved, pass the hours by on a horrid rainy afternoon by making dragon masks that the little ones can wear and role play around the house. Or why not make a dancing toy paper dragon using paper, chopsticks and lots of glitter. Just simply fold a piece of paper in half length-wise and fold it over to create a bendy effect that will form the animal’s body.

Check out Ulster Weavers today for gorgeous aprons that will protect the children’s clothing during arts and crafts.

Do you often find that you get bored over the Christmas holiday and crave to get back into work to do something?

Do you love the time off work to relax but then need something to stimulate the brain?

Most people decide to take up the art of knitting over the festive season.

Only recently, a group of 1,805 knitters in Taiwan set a new world record for the ‘most people knitting simultaneously in a single location.’

According to the World Records Academy, the students and community volunteers in Fengshan, Kaohsiung broke the existing record of 1146 participants in Ireland. The record-breaking knit-athon produced thousands of scarves which were given to under-privileged groups including senior citizens living in nursing homes, the disabled and single-parent families.

Why not try your hand at the craft and make some woolly jumpers for the kids for next winter? Or make yourself a tea cosy to keep the piping hot pot of tea warm? And if you do find that this is slightly too advanced, you can cheat and purchase quality tea and kitchen cosies from Ulster Weavers.

Knitting can be very therapeutic and regardless of the stereotypical image, knitting has become very popular with young Brits as of recent years. A hoard of celebrities have been photographed enjoying some gentle past-time and knitting including Sarah Jessica Parker, Geri Halliwell, Julia Roberts, Madonna and Uma Thurman.

So join the plethora of famous people and knit with the stars as your hobby this Christmas. And why not quench your thirst whilst doing so with a lovely cup of tea in Ulster weavers china mugs.

Merry Christmas everyone and have a fantastic New Year!

Most parents will understand how difficult it can be to keep the kids entertained during the festive holiday.

The blustery British weather can be really cold so with the children cooped up indoors, they can get bored and start getting under your feet.

But to amuse the little ones it doesn’t necessarily mean to put them in front of the television for hours on end, or to keep them quiet by giving them some computer games to play with. Kids can be mentally and physically stimulated as they would be outdoors by taking part in some exciting arts and crafts.

Doing homemade projects like making Christmas cards or tree decorations is a fantastic way to get the whole family together to have fun, as well as keeping the monsters busy on a low budget.

HAND MADE CARDS

Our kids aprons are fantastic to wear this season because they are jolly- themed and practical to protect the clothing. A personalised card can really put a smile on someone’s face because it shows effort and care, so why not encourage the children to write their own Christmas cards to their grandparents?

They can use coloured pieces of paper, felt tip pens and glitter to make them as merry as possible. Stick cotton wool to the card to make snow and show them pictures of robins, Christmas trees and Santa Claus so they can replicate them. Or to make it easier, trace an outline of a drawing and let them colour it in with paint!

DECORATED CANDLES

For another craft, why not decorate all the candles around the home with pretty ribbons, buttons and sequins? Make sure to supervise the kids throughout the whole process for health and safety and do not light the candles until finished and until the candles are aware from child’s harm. The project will only take around an hour to complete but let the kids imaginations flow and urge them to be creative with their designs.

Follow some of these brilliant arts and crafts ideas to keep the kids busy this Christmas when they are off school and for further top tips on homeware and giftware, go to Ulster Weavers.com.

Painting Child's PVC Apron

Home Sweet Home Child's Cotton Shaped Apron

Jack Child's PVC Apron

One of the biggest traditions at Christmastime is to deck the halls with some festive decorations!

Many people choose to hang holly wreaths on the front door, suspend mistletoe above the doorway and embellish each room with bright and colourful tinsel.

Try to choose one main colour scheme and convey this through the whole house; popular favourites are green, red and gold.

Get the whole family involved by adorning twinkly fairy lights wrapped around the Christmas tree, spraying snowflakes onto the windows and tying little replicate robins in the plant pots. Don’t forget to put the traditional figurine on top the tree whether that is a pass-me-down fairy, angel or shining star; and hang a stocking for each family member on the fireplace mantel.

Why not treat the kids by decorating the kitchen with advent calendars crammed with scrumptious chocolates? But you can save money and make your own decorations this year with the help of Ulster Weavers. Money is tight for many Brits but that doesn’t mean you cannot fill the home with some festive cheer!

Entertain the kids as well as create some home-made trimmings at the same time with some imaginative arts and crafts. It is a perfect project for a snowy day. Just make sure you wear PVC aprons to protect your clothes and ensure that the scissors are child-friendly.

Stockings

Have fun this year and knit your own stockings! They are easy enough to make and the possibilities of shape, size and colour are endless. To make the classic stocking just get two pieces of fleece and cut one piece from each material.

Take care that the toes match up and point in the opposite directions to each other and then pin it together before stitching it in place. Just make a cuff on the top and then go to town decorating it with cotton wool, glitter and felt tip pens.

Tree decor

Make your own ornaments to hang off the Christmas tree and let the creativity flow with anything from snowmen to Santa. Parental supervision is recommended at all times though. To make a mini tree knick-knack all you need is a lolly stick, some sequins, ribbon and craft glue.

Why not cook and glaze some Christmas cookies that remain inedible; or if you want to make some baubles, choose from Santa designed, festive polka dot or glitter. Use any old light bulbs and recycle them for the basic shape but be careful in case the glass breaks.

Have fun this Halloween making creative arts and crafts with the help of Ulster Weavers and our gorgeous PVC aprons.

Get the kids involved this year by dressing up in scary costumes and making ghostly sculptures and spooky drawings.

Halloween is essentially about trick and treating but the whole family can also use the occasion by getting together and painting interesting eerie objects. Paper mache some bats to hang from the living room ceiling, have fun carving pumpkins into creepy faces and create finger puppets in the form of mummies or ghosts.

Put the kids in protective childrens aprons and let the imaginations flow by producing craft spider webs, statue gargoyles, or animal Halloween masks. Encourage the little ones to make crafts as frightening as possible, or simply cute black cats.

And it isn’t just the younger broods who can get involved, the adolescents can too. All ages can amuse themselves for hours by creating spaghetti skeletons, spider rings or tin can Frankenstein. Use all the bits and bobs around the house including cotton wool, glitter, paper, crayons, paint and feather.

Think colours that are popular with the spooky theme such as black, white and orange and you can even use glow in the dark pastels to really go to town!

Pass the time this Halloween and half term with some entertaining homemade projects. But note that some glues are not healthy to be inhaled and may be highly inflammable; and when using scissors younger children should be supervised at all times. Plastic safety scissors are perfectly acceptable to use.

So have fun making family Halloween arts and crafts with Ulster Weavers’ fabulous homeware.

Painting Child's PVC Apron

British Cats PVC Apron

Black Plain Dyed Cotton Apron

It can be difficult buying a special birthday present for your mum or friend this September, especially as money is tight and everyone is waiting for pay day.

But it doesn’t have to cost the earth to be able to treat your loved-one to an exceptional gift for her birthday.

A handmade present that requires a lot of effort to make shows you have gone above and beyond this year and that you really care for them. So why not make them some gorgeous new jewellery to wear this autumn/winter?

You don’t have to be a craft professional to make a necklace or bracelet as skill levels can vary from beginner, intermediate to expert. And often the jewellery can be made in as little as 15 minutes, so rest assured if you are short on cash this month that you can still give your auntie, niece or best pal a prezzie for her birthday without breaking the bank!

Jewellery making can range from simple heart pendants, to glass or wooden beads; just let your imagination flow using bits and bobs of buttons and ribbons. Personalise the charms and jewels by including her favourite colours and why not splash out and make a matching set of earrings and necklace to really make her smile?

Check out some of the brilliant ideas below that Ulster Weavers have found for you…

Heart Pendant

Make this simple necklace with seed beads of your choice and finish it in only 30 minutes.

 Instructions

 Turquoise & Lime Ribbon Bracelet

This project only takes around 15 minutes and is simple to make with buttons and ribbon. Why not get colour co-ordinating materials and make a matching necklace?

Instructions

Knitted Jewellery Collection

This collection includes necklace, bracelet and earrings. It is a little adventurous for the beginner, so perhaps practise on other projects and gain skill and confidence before trying this. It will take around 2 hours to make it all.

Instructions

If on the other hand you want to treat her to some gorgeous homeware that is also affordable; have a look at our gift ideas that consist of cute canvas bags, cosmetic bags and linen tea towels!

V&A Strawberry Thief Cosmetic Bag

V&A Golden Lily Small Canvas Bag

Marilyn Cotton Tea Towel

The leaves change colour in the autumn and go from lush green to yellows, oranges and browns.

As the summer ends and the days get shorter, the reduced amount of light triggers the trees to get ready for the winter and store their food.

Chlorophyll is a chemical which gives plants their green colour and as a result of the trees resting for the winter months, the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves and therefore the bright green fades away.

Many leaves fall off the branches during freezing temperatures and rather than them going to waste, why not pop along to your local park with your children and collect a vast array of colours to create some natural art?

It can be hard to amuse the kids during the winter as the weather is so cold outside, so have fun indoors by picking up yellow, brown and orange leaves and taking them home to do arts and crafts.

Turn dead leaves into a colourful painting, drawing or sculpture and let the creativity flow! Just wear on of Ulster Weavers aprons to protect everyone’s clothing from being ruined.

There are lots of ideas to make including leaf stencils and mobiles, to collages and photo frames. Get imaginative and create autumn leaf name tags for the family meal- the possibilities are endless!

So pop on one of our PVC childrens aprons and have fun making arts and crafts inside this winter with the little ones; you don’t need to spend lots of money to have really expensive toys to entertain the youngsters this Christmas holiday. .

Check out Ulster Weavers gorgeous apron ranges for both adults and children today by clicking here!

Painting Child's PVC Apron

RHS Hooker's Orchard Cotton Apron

RHS Catalogue Of Seeds PVC Apron