My Month in Makes - July

Unusually I have had a fairly quite making-month, and I haven't knitted a stitch of either pair of socks. I've made a whole bunch of little hats for the Big Knit, and about one-hundred and forty pompoms to finish off hats. The rest of my time has been taken up by crochet, I've added two rows to my 2015 blanket, and joined up my nine big squares to make a cosy blanket, I'm just working on the edges now. 

I've started my forth big granny square for my newest blanket, and I love the squares so far. I'm using a 4mm hook and using white for every other row. It's been a handy stash buster, and I'm so pleased with it so far. 

My Week...

The beginning of this week was perfect for hibernation at home, cosy with cups of tea and a Harry Potter movie-marathon and a big bundle of crochet while it rained outside. We snacked on homemade raspberry crumble and ice cream, and it was perfectly delightful. We had Christmas in July with friends - it was because of lateness rather than design, but next year we plan to do it deliberately as we all have birthdays in the months either side of Christmas. I made one-hundred and forty pompoms for Big Knit hats, and we counted the ones that have already arrived - there are 873 so far. 

I have had a couple of little adventures this week - I've been to Wolverhampton and Liverpool, and had a mooch around the shops and Galleries, searching for inspiration. I had a look around the Tate, FACT and the Liverpool World Museum, and bought lots of plastic from the comic book shops. I also went to my first ever Clothes Swap with my little sister, we had a splendid time and I found a very sweet little skirt to bring home. It's been a lovely week.

Taking Stock...

Making : Cosy Blankets and little hats
Cooking : Raspberries
Drinking : Tea
Reading: Lots this month - just finished "Not That Kind of Girl" by Lena Dunham
Wanting: more pretty plants in the house. Especially Succulents as I seem to be managing to keep them alive...
Looking: forward to a day at the seaside when the weather improves
Playing: "Cards Against Humanity"
Deciding: where to go for adventures
Wishing: cake had no calories...
Enjoying: a mix-tape from my husband
Waiting: for sunshine
Liking: dinosaurs 
Wondering: if learning to use a drop-spindle would lead on to harder-spinning-behaviour? Is it a gateway craft?
Loving: the summer's first beautiful orange roses
Pondering: new projects
Considering: what to read next
Buying: Moomin PJs and more thrifty bits and bobs
Watching: classic movies from my childhood - "Jurassic Park" and "Ghostbusters" mostly
Hoping: for more strawberries from the plants in my garden, they've been a bit sad so far...
Marvelling: at the amount of little hats that are arriving at my stall already!
Cringing: at how rubbish people can be to each other.
Needing: to sleep properly
Questioning: how fast time flies, how can the days be getting shorter already?
Smelling: the flowers in the garden and the Raspberry Crumble in the kitchen
Wearing: pretty Cath Kidston dresses and skirts 
Noticing: how friends become family and how we cross the paths of others
Knowing:
Thinking: that I can't wait to visit the Rob Ryan exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Admiring: beautiful blankets and crafty things online
Sorting: out bags of wool and 4mm knitting needles for our Big-Knit-Along!
Getting: excited for the Big-Knit-Along!
Bookmarking: crafty projects and patterns
Coveting: Cath Kidston dresses and PlayPurses (especially the yellow one...)
Disliking: grumpy people
Giggling: with my dear friends
Feeling: grateful, ever so grateful
Snacking: on "kid's tea" (©Amy H)of Quorn Chicken Nuggets and Potato Waffles
Helping: my sister get started with her new business and feeling ever so proud
Hearing: lots of pretty songs - I rather like Daughter, they have a nice song called "In the Shallows"

Thanks as always to lovely Pip at Meet Me At Mike's for this fabulously inspirational list!

My Week

This week has reminded me of the things that are special, moments that are small but important - I have picked fresh raspberries from our garden, fingers stained with juice, and enjoyed the home-made crumble that my lovely husband baked with them. We joined my dear friend for a tea-party to celebrate her new home, her table covered with crochet and the beautiful ceramics that she made as her final degree project, and we ate sweet heart-shaped cakes in the garden, making plans for the summer. 

We had a quiet day visit to Ruthin, and went on to Llangollen and Ellesmere, just walking and chatting and looking around the little shops. A sweet friend came to visit and gave me a yellow toadstool, which has found a home on my fireplace, and my mum came to my stall to knit with me. We had a trip to the weird and wonderful antique place, and I had tea and crumpets, my favourite snack, and my mum told me that my Granny always had crumpets in the cupboard for me because they were always my favourite. I didn't know that. 
(Thanks to Amy H for the table photo from her Instagram...)

A Cosy Nook to Call My Own...

Today I am sitting in my little stall, with my shoes off and a crochet project at my side. I am having a bit of a tough time at the moment. Things are worrisome and sad and I am having to try extra hard to stay positive and keep my chin up. Ideally I just want to hibernate and hide myself away but sadly that isn't really an option, so I have been looking for inspiration for the den that I would like to build, the cosy nook that I would create to help me shut out the world. I thought I might share my findings...

from this article - "5 Steps to Building Your Own Epic Blanket Fort"

from this article - "14 Bohemian Style Gardens"

From Flickr

From the Article - "16 Grownup Blanket Forts that will make you feel like a kid again"

From Pinterest

from Vinstage on Tumblr

From Ffffound

My Week...

My week started with a very exciting evening out in Liverpool watching the very scary-mindbending Derren Brown after a little visit to Hotel Chocolat for a pot of cocoa-shell tea. 

It has been a quiet and cosy week at home aside from our city adventure, with Thursday being spent building pretty triangular raised-beds with my dad, filling them with pretty succulents and alpines and pretty flowers. I have high hopes for them.

My Month in Makes - May

I've had a jolly good month of making, finishing two pairs of socks (chunky and 4ply), a small blanket, some little crochet pots and a feather-and-fan lace scarf that has been on the needles forever.

Row eight and nine of my 2015 blanket are all done and attached to the other seven rows. Still in-progress are two pairs of socks - I'm at the heel turn point for the lovely grey and pink ones, made with yarn that I picked up at WonderWool so they are very special, and my first ever toe-up pair are very nearly done (thanks to my friend Becca who passed on the pattern to me) and I might well start another pair! I will share the pattern for the pots at some point soon, they are rather fun to make!

My Week...

I have had a lovely week - there has been crafty planning and working away in two of my favourite cafes with two of my favourite ladies, and lots of cake and tea to help things along. I have had cosy moments at home with the cats, and made progress with my toe-up-socks. I had my lovely day out in Liverpool and although I didn't take many photographs I brought home a head full of ideas. 

And despite being chilly outside, the spring is plodding along at it's own little pace, and it's lovely to see.

My Week

I am ever so glad that I made the most of the beautiful weather at the start of the week - today is dreary and rainy and Wintry, but I am making the best of it with plenty of tea and knitting. I spent most of the week in the post-WonderWool wind-down, enjoying my lovely new stash and mooching around the online versions of the beautiful stalls I had visited. I took time to knit with my WonderWool buddy on Monday and we discussed the day and our plans to use our lovely purchases. I spent a little time tending our garden, so pleased that my husband had the foresight to plant beautiful wallflowers and tulips. 

On Thursday I went walking with my dad and his little dog, wandering through the woods and along the canal, stopping to admire the bluebells and wild garlic that lined our way. We mooched along and chatted and managed to avoid the April showers, and it was just lovely.

My Month In Makes...

This month saw a sock knitting innovation - I picked up some Drops Big Fabel chunky sock yarn, and using a combination of two patterns I made some cosy socks! I used the Quick and Chunky Sock Pattern as a starting point, and took some bits from my favourite Beginner Sock Pattern, and now I have two pairs of very gorgeous socks, that take very little time to make! I've started another pair for my sister too.

I finished two pairs of 4ply socks - some stripy ones and some Frankensocks, and I'm working on a third pair, with Drops Fabel yarn that looks like fancy Fairisle. 

I'm making progress with my 2015 blanket, I've finished seven rows now, and I love it so much! I finished my granny square blanket, and it's currently on my sofa being adored by my kitties. At the beginning of the month I started a new stash-buster blanket, I'm not using a pattern, just making it up as I go along, and it's coming along rather nicely. 

It's been a lovely month of makings!

The Grass is Always Greener Where You Water It...

It seems that Spring has finally arrived, and we've been outside in the sunshine tending to our little garden. We've tamed our unruly Raspberry bushes and apple trees, and made a start on a little wild flower border, as well as planting seeds and bulbs, and watching the new sprouts poking their heads through. 

It's been such a relief to be back outside with the sun shining and fresh air, enjoying the warmth and seeing the new life springing up from the soil!

We harvested our first Rhubarb crop of the year, it's so satisfying to see things grow and go on to fulfil their purpose, in the case of the Rhubarb it became a Crumble, with plenty of ginger. 

I'm so excited to see what happens next in our little space. 

My Week...

Well, another week has flown by, and suddenly we're mid-way through March! The highlight of the week was a trip to Liverpool - we visited a rather lovely Moroccan restaurant and then spent the evening with Placebo, one of the bands I have loved since I was a teenager and of the utmost importance in the story of "us". 

The rest of the week was spent quietly crocheting and reading, spending rainy days at home with our feline friends, who found cosy places to curl up. As of this morning I have a new plant to take care of, a blue Hyacinth, from my lovely husband - it will live in my shop, and bring me good cheer as I go about my crafty makings. It's the little moments of happiness after all. 

My Week

There was a turn in the weather at the start of the week, and I suddenly found myself back in full winter hibernation, and the only way for me to hibernate effectively is with tea and a increasingly large stack of granny squares. My blanket is growing, and I am trying to pull my socks up and make the most of these chilly days. 

My Week...

A little bit late, but this was what last week looked like. It was full of small things, quiet moments. The winter-blues have done lots of coming and going, so I've been crafting my way through them. My proudest moment of the week was finally finishing my chevron blanket, which has been a Work-In-Progress threatening to be an Unfinished-Project for a jolly long time. But now it is done, and cosy on my sofa, with a selection of vintage florals and crochet cushions. It is a pretty happy feeling. 

My window-sill garden has been added to, there are new socks on the go, and there's been some new jewellery in the making. It's been a productive sort of week really. 

my week...

After spending last week in cosy hibernation, this week has been about adventures and lovely times. We ventured to Liverpool to see Mark Thomas, and Manchester to see Thurston Moore, and there was a charity shop adventure that involved the purchase of many quality cassettes for my little car Mavis, and of course there was cake. 

To be honest though, there has been a respectable amount of hibernating happening here too, with kitty-cuddles and tea drinking and some prettifying the house with paper pom-poms.

Today was a most splendid combination of hibernation and adventure, spent teaching crochet at the Wonderful Wool Day in a local chapel surrounded by lovely crafty folks and drinking tea. There were all sorts of amazing things going on, and I was able to have a little look at Nale Binding which is a bit fancy looking! It was a nice little reminder of the sheer amount of fabulous that comes as part of my life as a full-time professional-crafter.

Makings...

The change of season and the autumny-wintery chill in the air is inspiring my makes this week. My granny squares are ever-more leafy coloured, and my fireplace in newly adorned with a string of crochet flowers and acorns. I found some lovely yarn in my stash and made myself a mossy-green crochet scarf for extra cosiness on my outside adventures. 

When the fire is lit and it's dark earlier and earlier I am happy to be cosy in our little home. 

My Week...

It's been a quiet week. I've been making time to be at home and cosy, putting big adventures temporarily on hold for a much-needed battery-recharge. There was a little bit more baking (more Easter biscuits - I love them), some end-of-season rose picking, and some time for whimsical movies - the highlights being "Splash", "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Saving Mr. Banks". 

 The highlight of my quiet little week was the arrival of my delightful new shoes, the most spiffingly-splendid shoes that have been in my possession for quite some time, as I am usually a devoted wearer of Converse sneakers and Dr Marten boots. But I love my new shoes, and have worn them loyally every day since they landed at my door, with a variety of coloured tights - mustard and navy being a jolly good match - and I think they might be friends for life. 

Ponderings...

Today has been a pondering day. I have them occasionally with no provocation or explanation. I have wondered about the merits of my life as a full-time crafter, questioned my choices in life and thought about my place in the world. It's been a funny kind of day. I'm not sure that there are conclusions to be found. I try my best to be a good person, to know that I would be the kind of grown up that would make my beloved and dearly missed granny proud. I hope that my little space in the world makes a positive contribution to the world in general. 

I try to fill my little corner of things with craftiness, to make our little house a home. I am trying to fill my time with the people that count, the ones that I feel comfortable with, that make me feel at home. It's not easy, sometimes I get a bit lost, sometimes I forget to listen to the little voice that tells me that I'm in the wrong place with the wrong people, and I've found out from experience that the little voice is usually worth listening to. I guess the conclusion that I'm getting towards is that I need to remember who I am, and surround myself with like-minded people who also understand me. My little place in the world is small, and it needs to be filled carefully. 

I borrowed this image from Freya Ete on Etsy, since I bought the little card on Monday, and it makes me happy. Her shop is beautiful and I love her work. 

Makings and Ponderings...

When I'm off on my adventures, I always carry a book and some knitting, for those 'just-in-case' moments that tend to pop up unexpectedly. Several of my adventures have started with train journeys in the last week, so I have had an abundance of knitting opportunities. 

 I rather like knitting in public, there is a pleasantness about it, a higher likelihood that nice people will start up a conversation with me. I've been pondering on the sociability of knitting, after having a nice old chitchat with a sweet little lady on the train last week. It was one of those "what are you making? It's nice to see a young person knitting" kind of chitchats, and I must confess that it warmed my heart a wee bit to be in the company of a kindred-spirit. 

I had a happy-cast-off moment on Sunday, finishing a warm and cosy scarf and enjoying the ever-so-slightly-smug-feeling of being ahead with my Christmas gift making. It's a lovely little feeling. 

I was really quite the busy-bee on Sunday and added another strand of crocheted-joy in our hall, this time it's sweet little line of Sunburst-circles all in pretty pastels. I do so enjoy being busy and making delightful little bits and bobs.

My Week...

As with all good weeks, this one has been full of lovely crafty opportunities and spending time with wonderful friends. On Sunday I discovered some long forgotten goodies at the bottom of my yarn stash, including some delightful Colinette chunky pure wool, which I started whipping-up into a very cosy scarf ready to be gifted at Christmas. I also absolutely had to try out a very pretty crochet heart pattern that I found, it's one of the most spiffy ones that I've made so far, from many, many attempts at hearts! Monday was a "work in a cafe" day, followed by a "tea with little sister date" and it was just splendid. On Tuesday there was vintage and charity shopping accompanied by lots of tea (and possibly a very large piece of cake...) with a dear friend, where the adoption of yet another lost-looking little bird may have occurred. There was also the acquisition of mustard beads and a book on the collections of Victorian folk, which promises to be a very good read. After the shopping portion of the day there was an extended hound-hugging session with my two favourite Greyhounds, Freya and Chester. They are wonderful cuddle-buddies. 

Thursday started off perfectly with gorgeous mail. There is something so exciting about letters, and the tales that are shared. The afternoon was spent on one of my favourite seasonal adventures -  Brambling! It was a real family outing with my sister, my dad and his fluffy little dog. We found lots of Blackberries, and there are big plans for baking this weekend. Friday was a special, really rather important day - it was the nine year anniversary of the arrival of our special little companion Honey, who despite being a grumpy-pants, is the friendliest cat I've ever known. She was a skinny-miss when we found her, and she was very pleased to have a new home after seven months in RSPCA accommodation, her little life being saved by a member of staff who fought for her. I like to think Miss Honey was just waiting for us to come along so she could adopt us, I hope she is pleased with her choice every day.