Attic24

Across the Moors

Last Sunday on the first day of September we set out on a morning walk across the moors. It was our last jaunt of the Summer holidays, a chance for us to stretch our legs, breathe in the fresh air and mentally begin the process of winding down our holidays and preparing for the start of a new school year. 

As is pretty usual for us these days, we were walking as a family of three with both the Teens working that day. Mind you, even if they weren't working I doubt that it would have made a difference to our walking plans - Little Lady does still like to walk with us but more often than not she's made other weekend plans for herself. Her social life is like a non stop merry-go-round and she is always on the go with her gorgeous group of friends, which of course I'm super happy about. She is in such a great place right now, happy, confident and loving life and I couldn't be more pleased for her.

So we are a threesome for walks these days, and that's quite OK, the transition has been gradual and it feels more normal now than it did a year ago. 

We mapped out a circular five mile walk around the two reservoirs (Upper Barden and Lower Barden) which sit high up on Barden Moor. We drive this way often en route to Bolton Abbey, but it's a beautiful place in it's own right and well worth an outing when the weather is fine. It can often be very wild and windy up here with virtually no place to shelter, so you do need to come prepared with the right clothes and some refreshments tucked in your bag.

We passed a few other people walking as well as some woolly four legged residents but mostly we enjoyed having these vast moors and spectacular views all to ourselves.

Upper Barden reservoir can't be seen from the road so it's always a lovely sight when it finally comes into view. Being that this was roughly the half way point of the walk, we had told Little B that we would stop here for a rest and something to eat and drink, so he was ridiculously happy when we arrived at the waters edge.

Before leaving town, we made a quick stop off at a café which opens it's doors for the early morning breakfast crowd and filled up our flasks. J and I had frothy lattés and Little B had his very own flask of hot chocolate which he was delighted with. On the spur of the moment I'd also picked up a couple of chocolate croissants which I felt would hit the spot rather nicely once we were high up on the hilltops.

Sitting out in the wide open countryside with a picturesque view laid out in front of you is one of life's glorious pleasures and one of my most favourite things to do. If you add in a picnic blanket, a hot drink and a bit of something sweet and naughty, well the whole experience is elevated up a notch or two on the pleasure charts. It was just so good! It also really helped to give Little B an extra energy boost as he'd been dragging his little legs somewhat. Hot chocolate has magical properties I'm sure of it.

We walked past the old Victorian reservoir keepers house - we were last here in the depths of Winter and I found myself very intrigued by this remote house back then too. I wonder what it would feel like to live there? Blissful or lonesome?

The heather was beautiful but definitely not abundant this year and there was far more brown than purple.

There was lots of green though, and it made me immediately think of the first part of my Moorland Blanket. I don't think I'll ever walk up here and not think of the colours in my Moorland blanket to be honest, it's impossible for me to look at this very familiar landscape and not see Cypress, Lime, Khaki, Meadow, Pistachio, Mocha and Walnut!

The winding track back towards the Lower Reservoir felt quite long and a little hard going - you can just see the reservoir in the distance there. 

But eventually we made it to the water's edge...

...and continued to follow the track across the embankment and up, up, up over the moors.

This felt like a veeeeery long part of the walk, and I was glad that Little B seemed to still be powering forward on hot chocolate energy because I was definitely dragging my heels.

I loved this Rowan tree which was absolutely covered in berries, it looked so bright and cheerful against the more muted backdrop of the hills and water.

I love walking in the countryside and taking in all the colours and I find myself mixing up virtual colour palettes inside my Creative Mind all the time. I've always been this way, even as a teenager I can vividly remember walking in Dorset and being so drawn to particular colours around me, wishing back then that I'd had a camera to capture what I was seeing. Owning a digital camera has completely changed my life and I absolutely wouldn't be without it. I always carry my little pocket point-and-shoot camera with me wherever I go (it's this Sony one, in case you wanted to know) and love that taking photographs has become such an essential part of my everyday life.

Hard to believe it's now three years since I  was working on my Moorland Blanket, it's still one of my most favourite makes.

I'm currently working on my next blanket design which I'll be ready to share with you in mid November (it'll be run as another CAL which will take place in Jan/Feb 2020). I'm super excited as I'm heading off on Friday for a little inspirational visit somewhere special. I might share some sneaky photos with you, I've not decided yet - it's hard to know how much to share and how much to keep as a surprise.

Let me know what you think? Would you like to know what the colour inspiration is for my next blanket, or shall I keep it under wraps for now? I'm so so so so so excited about it by the way!!!!!

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Life in August :: part 3

I've loved writing my blog during this past month, and know from experience that these types of everyday-life posts are the ones that I'll most enjoy looking back on and re-reading in future years. Blogging is such an excellent way to capture memories and record the essence of time and place, and I so enjoy seeing my random photos come together to describe the little everyday joys of spending summer at home with the Little People. I guess this is my own personal window into the summer of twenty-nineteen, but I'm glad that you also enjoy peeking through my window with me.

24th August, a random Tuesday morning. We drove out to the beautiful village of Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales and strolled along the riverside, it was sunny, bright and fresh and a lovely morning for a walk. Most of the river along this stretch is fast moving and quite noisy...

....but I loved this bit close to the riverbank where the reflections played on the still surface of the water amongst the mossy stones. 

Turning away from the river, this part of the walk passes through beautiful fields and meadows. Mid morning and the sun is still low in the sky and the shadows are long in late August.

There is a definite feel of summer drawing to a soft, gentle close......

....and the very beginnings of the Autumn season beginning to show. 

We walked as far as our favourite watering hole in Hebden and for the first time all summer we chose to sit inside instead of out in the garden. This was in part decided by the wasps, but it's sooo cosy and gorgeous inside I felt I could quite happily move in. A leisurely brunch is definitely the most enjoyable meal of the day I've decided. I know it doesn't really work on school/work days but that's probably why I love it so much because it's so very weekend/holidayish!

We've continued to make the most of the long days when the weather has been good, enjoying early evenings out and about after our dinner. It's mostly just Little B and me, the two of us seeking out the sunshine and enjoying a bit of playtime. We head to the park close to our house where I sit a while and daydream while he runs, balances, jumps, climbs and spins his way around the place.

There is another small park that we sometimes visit, it's a bit further to walk and sits at the top of a veeeeeery long, steep, hilly residential street so I need to be persuaded to take that particular jaunt in the evening. Little B is very, very good at the whole persuasive thing though, and I do love the peaceful tranquility up here.

It was definitely worth the steep walk as we got to watch the sun go down just after 8pm. There were rabbits nibbling the grass and a couple of people walking dogs, but mostly we had the whole place to ourselves.

Another evening, and this time it's Little Lady who asks me if I'd like to walk with her. I immediately sense that she is feeling restless and needs to walk and talk, and I am more than happy to be the legs and ears that she needs. We climb up the big grassy hill to sit on the dry stone wall and look out over our neighbourhood....

....well, that was the plan! As you can see, our usual peaceful long distance view was interrupted by the local residents who were very interested in coming to see us. Nosy things.

7.20pm and already the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are delightfully long. You can just make out myself and Little Lady in the photo above, well not us in person but our shadowy selves. Little Lady has grown tall this summer and is now around three inches taller than me (I am a shorty at only 5ft 3"), and I am still adjusting to that fact. It feels all wrong somehow.

On our way out of the woods we found ourselves at the top of the high street and with a tilt of her head and a big persuasive smile, Little Lady gently asked if perhaps we might go for a drink together. It was a beautifully warm, clear evening and I could tell she wasn't ready to head home, so I did the decent thing and obliged her.....

....oh, it was really no hardship, as you can see!!! Haha!! We were drawn to the outside terrace of Alexanders Bar which really comes into it's own on a warm summers evening. I treated Little Lady to a mocktail, she chose a White Russian (a "coffee and vanilla infusion with crushed ice & cream topped with salted caramel" in case you wondered) and I went with a very delicious chilled Sauvignon Blanc. It was such an unexpectedly good end to a long, warm lazy day, a delightful memory that has stayed fresh and bright in my mind ever since. My sweet girl, I do love her so.

Days have been gentle and rather lazy during this past week or so. I've found myself lolling around the house in Holiday Mode and sometimes I've felt guilty about it and sometimes I've just been delighted by it. I found the above photo on my camera roll, and it just describes these kind of lolling days perfectly. I'm sat outside in my back yard, it's 5pm ish and I'm kind of in the midst of cooking dinner (well when I say "cooking" I probably mean plopping various bits of salad stuff onto a plate along with some cold roast chicken and appropriate condiments, crusty bread and dips). I remember it had been a warm sunny day because there is my duvet cover folded up ready to go upstairs after drying on the line (isn't that one of the most wonderful things about summertime weather?). I had been reading through some magazines after deciding to carry out a bit of decluttering around my desk that afternoon. Of course I had to read the magazines before passing them on to a good friend. Of course! And yes ok, that is a cheeky little gin and tonic there, hmm....I don't often drink during the week, but realise that these last two photos make it look like I really do. Holiday Mode and a relaxing drink go hand in hand, no?

I have to say that I don't enjoy the shortening days at this time of year and although I try not to allow it, I do experience a creeping melancholy at the thought of summer starting to wane. I try hard to be positive about it, but it's not easy for a summer-loving soul like me. I've been lighting up my candles in the evenings instead of putting the light on, and that does kind of ease the transition a little. I'm so enjoying this particular candle which was a gift to me from Lady B when she came to visit a few months ago. The scent is just beautiful, and it does feel like a real luxury to light it up and enjoy the fragrance as well as the dancing light.

On the mornings when I don't have any particular agenda or anywhere to be, I've been getting up at around 7am ish. I head downstairs, empty the dishwasher, bring the milk in from the doorstep, feed the cat and see to the laundry, then set about making myself a cup of coffee. I like my coffee with plenty of hot milk and a dusting of chocolate powder, and always in a mug that feels morningish and good to hold. I tiptoe back to bed and sit and sip my coffee in the quiet of the house before Little B wakes up. It's one of those lovely little pockets of time in the day when I can be still and quiet and allow my thoughts to meander. I appreciate this slow start to the day very much as it's not something that can easily happen during school time. By the way, do you like my new mug? I came across it in the supermarket and couldn't resist it's wonky charms....it cost £4, a little treat from me to me. Happy Summer, Lucy!!

Actually one day last week I woke up with a start at 7.15 and was just about to start my dishwasher-cat-laundry-coffee-back-to-bed routine when I remembered that I had a train to catch......and I only had 50 minutes in which to perform the catching!!!! Yikes, I had to rush around like a crazy thing to get myself ready and out the door in time for the 8.05 train, I only just made it. My destination was Hebden Bridge....

....and can we just stop a moment and appreciate what a picturesque little train station Hebden Bridge is, it's really very lovely!

Setting off so early meant that I was strolling the streets before it got busy, and that's a rarity in this popular little town. I don't know Hebden Bridge very well having only been there a few times before, but from what I've seen it's a truly amazing  place with a very creative, quirky vibe. There are lots of independent shops and cafés and a real feeling of community spirit (it's very much like that where I live too).

To make this trip even more special, I wasn't wandering the streets on my ownsome. I had journeyed to HB to meet up with my very good friend Christine as we'd not had the opportunity to get together since before the summer holidays began. We thought it would be a fun place to spend the day together, an easy(ish) train journey for each of us and a great place for a leisurely pootle with plenty of cosy places to sit, sip, munch and chatter.

I hadn't really considered the shopping possibilities in HB, but of course the temptation was there and it was hard to resist the lure of pretty things. We called into a few different shops but this was definitely my favourite - it's the very lovely Yorkshire Soap Co. I didn't know until about 5 seconds ago that there are actually eight shops in Yorkshire, which just goes to show how gorgeous the products are and what a treat it is to step inside the fours walls.

Everything was just so very pretty, not only to look at, but the array of sniffing possibilities blew my mind!

I fell in love with the glycerine soap bars - the combination of beautiful glowing colours and tempting scents made me a bit giddy (to be fair, it doesn't take much to tip me over). There are more than 40 fragrances to choose from, and rather predictably I chose this one................

.......uh, huh.......Seashore. I've not used it yet but I have sniffed it excessively and can tell you it is delightful in every way. Fresh and zingy, it is meant to "capture the essence of a bracing walk along a seashore" which is right up my street. 

Our day was such a tonic, a chance to take some hours to be just Me and not Mum or Wife. I do really love the summer holidays and being home with the family but towards the end I always find myself craving just a weeny bit of breathing space. Christine and I meandered along the very picturesque canal, wandered in and out of shops and spent an extensive amount of time drinking coffee and eating cake in the cosy upstairs of a small café. We attempted a little bit of planning which ended up being just a bit of list making for me, but that's not a bad thing by any means. All in all it's often such good therapy just to talk things through with someone who knows you well enough to offer honest opinions and objective advice when it's needed. I certainly always feel like my head space is clearer after spending time with Christine, it's like whipping a feather duster around my cluttered Mental Cavities and opening up a window or two.

This week has seen us preparing for the return to school after our six week break and there has been a definite feeling of wanting to make the last few days count. On Sunday we decided to head up to to high ground and stride out across the moors. I was hoping for lots of purple but as you can see the heather on our local moor is pretty sparse this year. Still, we had a really lovely walk and I took lots of panoramic photos which I'm saving for another blog post. Lucky you.

Yesterday was the very last day before school returned today, and I'd promised my time to Little B. The previous day (Monday) I'd given it over to Little Lady, going with her on the train to Leeds for a day of shopping and lunch. She'd managed to save up a fair bit of money from working so many extra shifts at her waitressing  job over the summer, and was excited for a little bit of a well earned spending spree. It was a lovely day for us both, but honestly utterly exhausting.

So back to Little B - I asked him what he wanted to do, suggesting all sorts of things including swimming, the cinema, a trip on the train to Leeds (even though the thought of doing it two days on the trot made me wither a little inside), and in the end he was adamant that he wanted to go here...................

..........Skipton Castle. Yes, that's right, this is the castle that sits at the top of the High Street, less than ten minutes walk from home. He had it in his head that he really wanted to see inside it - we had taken him years ago when he was toddlerish size so he was too young to remember it. So off we went yesterday morning, just him and me (J was suddenly very busy, funny that), walking through that grand archway to buy our tickets and go on a jaunt through an eight hundred year old building.

I adore this tree which sits proudly in the centre of the inner courtyard. It's an ancient yew tree, planted as a sappling waaaaaay back in 1659. Sixteen-fifty-nine!!! 

I don't know how many times I've visited the castle over the years, we used to go when the Little People were small using an annual voucher from the local newspaper which gave us free entry. But no matter how many times you walk the rooms and take in the views and soak up the immense history of the place, it never fails to impress. It's just so very, very, very old!

I especially loved looking out of the windows to the side of the castle which overlooks the woodland as we've walk along that narrow pathway pretty much every week during the summer. There's something appealing about getting an aerial perspective of a well known place don't you think?

We really had a great time actually, and Little B absolutely loved it. We read every single information panel in every single room and being that is was first thing on a Tuesday morning we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. We were able to freely wander in and out of all the magnificently huge rooms and generally breathe in the historical importance of it all. I'm not much of a one for historical appreciation, but even I felt impressed by the absolute ancientness surrounding us.

After buying a pencil from the castle souvenir shop, we ventured back into modern day life and went for a coffee in Starbucks, followed by a last minute dash to the school uniform shop. It's all about balance.

The afternoon was spent like this ↑↑↑↑ (well for Little B, not me, although I was very tempted). You can just see his hand waving out of his "den", telling me that he is still alive and hasn't suffocated under the huge weight of allllll the crochet blankets and alllllll the cushions. 

And so......there endeth our summer holidays and it's been back to school and work for us all today. I think we've had a pretty great summer this year and it has felt beautifully long and lazy for the most part. Our trip to Dorset seems like it was ages ago now (well I guess it was six weeks ago), and although we haven't had any big exciting holidays or trips out this summer it's still been extremely lovely. Oh, I almost forgot, we did have a second short break three weeks ago up to Saltburn  - I started to upload some photos for a seasidey blog post so I'll try and finish that up and write about it quite soon before it all fades and becomes too distant.

Yes, summer has been so, so good. And you know, it IS still summer, right up until the Autumn Equinox on Monday 23rd September. It really is still summer (it is, it is), so please don't talk to me about Autumn just yet. I'm not quite ready.

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ps. Here are links to previous summer posts ::

☀ Life in August PART 1 ☀

☀ Life in August PART 2 ☀

 

 

 

Yarning for Yarndale

I know many of you already know all about **Yarndale but if you've somehow missed it, Yarndale is a creative yarn festival, "a celebration of all things woolly and wonderful." It takes place here in my home town in North Yorkshire at the end of September and this will be the 7th year. As one of the the five original organisers, I'm involved with all sorts of behind-the-scenes stuff throughout the year - Yarndale has become quite a large festival with more than 200 exhibitors and over 8,000 visitors, so there is always plenty to be done.

One of my main "jobs" for Yarndale is to head up all of the creative stuff, so today I thought I'd share a few of the projects I've been working on this summer.

Every year I come up with a small pattern for the brochure. It's not always easy to think up something pretty that will photograph well and be a small enough pattern to fit on the brochure page. But my Creative Mind likes a challenge and always seems to deliver something appropriate when I need it - so far I've designed a jar cover, a birdie brooch, a small stuffed owl, a heart key ring, a felted bowl and a flower garland. I have to say I do really like the little decorative things that come forth from my imagination, they make me smile! 

This year I settled on a bag charm and I have absolutely no idea why or how this came to me, I just snagged the idea directly from my Creative Mind as I could see it so clearly. I could envisage little crochet balls and tassels (I thought about adding beads but didn't have any to hand at the time) in bright colours and a bit boho gypsyish in style? Not sure that makes sense, but I kind of knew what I meant at the time!

I went to Amazon to find the clasp, it's called a "Lobster Swivel Clasp" if you are searching online for it. I chose the pretty coppery colour, but you can get this clasp in silver, gold and some other metallic colours as well, click on the link below ::

{37mm Lobster Swivel Clasps on Amazon UK}

The clasps come in packs of ten, so they are great things to have for making small gifts, you could dangle all sorts of little crochet things from them and clip to a bag or keyring.

I bought this cute straw bag a while ago, again from Amazon {{here}}. I wanted a neat little bag to take to the park and on holidays, something I could use to carry a drink and books/mags and a little bit of crochet perhaps if I was off for a picnic or a bit of relaxing-on-a-blanket time. The description on Amazon really made me laugh.... "Special Design: This straw handbag is hand-crafted by our local Artisans, unique, delicate, and fashionable. Perfect for any occasion: beach, party, shopping, camping, and dating, it shows your special personal character" ...HA!! Love that!

You can see how the bag charm just clips straight onto the bag, I do really love the effect of the bright colours against the straw.

Making the tassels was sooo easy and super-addictive. I used cotton yarn (Ricorumi DK), wrapping a length around my four fingers (I wrapped 12 times I think). You then slip a length of yarn between the yarn-wrap and your fingers and ease it up to the top, then tie a tight knot to secure the strands.

Then use a second length of yarn to tie another secure knot about 1 cm down to form a little bobbly bit at the top of the tassel. Use a needle to thread the yarn ends down through the centre of your tassel after you've tied both knots, but leave one long end at the top that you can use to secure your tassel onto your clasp. And finally, give the tassel a neat trim across the bottom. Easy Peasy! 

The pattern for the little crochet balls will be in the Yarndale brochure and like the tassels they are very easy and addictive to make. I love the finished look I have to say.

You might remember me talking a little while ago about some stripy crochet I've been doing? During Yarndale week these long thin panels will be wrapped around the lamp posts which line the pedestrian path through the park. I've LOVED making them, the colourful stripes have really ticked all my therapeutic-happy-crochet boxes. I already showed you the YARNDALE stripes above, and I think I also showed you the beginnings of my sunflower wrap in progress.....

I made a bright sunny flower using chunky yarn and following a free pattern I found online ((here)).

The leaves were a made-up pattern (and I'm sorry I didn't write anything down for these so can't share how I made them). I think perhaps they are a bit small for sunflower leaves, but honestly I don't suppose it matters too much.

I couldn't resist adding a little flying critter too, using scraps of 4 ply wool yarn and a 3 mm hook. This is such a faffy little thing to make but it is totally worth the effort - you can find the Bumble Bee pattern on my blog ((here))

What do you think? 

I'm so happy with it! I hope all the folks who see it wrapped around a lamp post next month will stop and smile :)

For the third wrap I crocheted up a whole load of green stripes to accommodate a flock of woolly sheep, as you do. The idea sprang into my mind one afternoon and would not go away, I was powerless to resist. So I set about designing a sheep pattern to bring my idea to reality, and I'm really delighted with it.

I used scraps of Stylecraft Special DK in white, black (yes I do possess black yarn) and grey.

Oh, and pink yarn too! Baaaaaa!!!!

Love love love how this came out, I had such fun making the sheep and stitching them in place to graze on those green stripes.

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super happy with these, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them bring some happy vibes to the park in September.

Many of you have asked for the sheep pattern, so I did the decent thing and made a whole tutorial for you. I've just been proof reading it, and do you know what I realised??? 

Can you see what's missing???

This poor little sheep has no tail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I added a quick pattern edit to tell you about making the tail, but it's night time now and I don't have the time or energy to make a tail and re-photograph the sheep. You'll just have to imagine her with a cute little sheep tail waggling from her behind.

You can find the pattern and tutorial by clicking on the link below >>

🐑🐑 SHEEP PATTERN 🐑🐑

I've named the pattern "Sheep Appliqué" if you need to find it in my list of patterns in the sidebar of my blog.

One of my biggest jobs for Yarndale each year is to organise and co-ordinate the large scale creative display which raises money and awareness for a charity. This has become an all-consuming part of my summers in recent years and although at times it's a pretty huge undertaking I do really enjoy it. The large scale creative displays are an amazing way of bringing together our fantastic worldwide yarn community and it's something I feel passionate about celebrating. I love the idea of us all connecting together through knitting, crochet and a love of yarn (and colour!) - I'm lucky enough to experience this sense of belonging and friendship every day through my blog and social media and Yarndale is a beautiful real-life extension of our online community.

This year, the project is all about BEARS!! Aren't they lovely??

These crochet bears are very simple to make and were inspired by the old fashioned traditional knitted bears that have been around for decades. There are many different charitable organisations around the world who collect and distribute knitted bears to give comfort and hope to children in need. My job was to create a crochet pattern which matched the knitted pattern. Sounds easy eh? It took me three attempts to get the proportions right (bear number one had veeeeery long legs, bear number two had veeeeeery long arms and a body that was too short, bear number three had a head that was too small). It's difficult to tell what the different parts of the bear will look like during the crocheting process as the whole thing is constructed as a flat piece. But eventually I got it about right, and I loved the whole process of making it work. 

The construction is ever so clever - the legs, body and head are worked as one long continuous piece. It's then folded in half and the head/ears are stitched and created. Finally the arms are worked into the ends of the body rows so that there is no need to sew on limbs. This makes a strong, safe toy suitable for children.

As with all critters, it's always so much harder than you'd think to get the face looking friendly/charming/cute, especially when you aren't able to use pre-made plastic toy eyes. A length of black yarn, a needle and some simple stitching and off you go...hoping you don't create an evil monster!

Awww, I do so love the old fashioned simplicity of these bears, I think they are completely charming.

I made a whole tutorial to help with the pattern and I named it "Charity Bear" if you are looking for it in my sidebar. Click on the link below to find it >>

🐻🐻CHARITY BEAR TUTORIAL🐻🐻

 

I also made a written pattern PDF which you can download and print if you don't need all the step-by-step photos.

Click on the link below to find it >>

CHARITY BEAR PATTERN

As I mentioned earlier, this isn't just about me making a few bears to sit on my sofa - this is all part of the Creative Community project for Yarndale 2019. The display of teddies at the festival will be in support of a fantastic charity called Mercy Ships (https://www.mercyships.org.uk), and you can read more about the Bear project on the Yarndale website ((here))

As in previous years, I was able to put the call out on social media to get the project rolling and during the past month or so, bears have been arriving into the Attic from all over the world. At first there was a neat little well behaved group......

....then more began to arrive and a bear party began!

To date, almost 400 bears are hanging out with me here in the Attic, it's a riot! There is still time to join in with this project if you would like to, in fact I would be delighted! The more bears we receive, the more children will be given a very precious woolly hug in a time of need.

With J's help, we've made a start photographing each and every bear and adding them to Pinterest so that everyone who has contributed is credited. It's such a lovely, fun gallery of images, I adore it! Currently there are four separate boards (100 bears on each board), and I've got a massive stack of parcels in my hallway waiting to be opened still.

You can see all the bears ((here)) and I'll be adding more over the next few days as I try and catch up with the parcel mountain currently blockading my hallway!

I love that these bears will be seen and loved at Yarndale, but that they will then be going on a very special onward voyage. It means that every single bear that is sent in will eventually be given a forever home with a child undergoing surgery or treatment on board the floating hospital ship currently off the coast of Senegal, isn't that something?

If you are interested in making and contributing a bear, all the details for sending etc can be found on the Yarndale website ((here)). 

Thank you for reading all the way to the end of this post, gosh my posts always end up waaaay longer than I anticipate, I can't seem to do concise writing, and I'm sorry about that. Well kind of. I don't know how to write any other way, so I guess it's not something I should be sorry about really. But thank you anyways. 

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Here are some links all in one place for you ::

💗 SHEEP APPLIQUE PATTERN

 

💗CHARITY BEAR PATTERN

 

💗 YARNDALE CREATIVE COMMUNITY INFO (includes address for posting, plus important bear making details)

 

💗 YARNDALE BEAR GALLERIES ON PINTEREST

 

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** Yarndale is a for-profit organisation and I am one of the five organisers. Yarndale is not a charity. You can read more about Yarndale on the website ((here)). I know you know all this already, but I do need to be clear and honest about my involvement with Yarndale. I'm so proud of our festival and hope you've enjoyed a little bit of insight into some of the things that I've been up to. xx

 

 

 

 

 

Life in August :: part 2

First things first - I want to thank you for the truly lovely comments that you've written to me recently when I've posted here in my precious Attic space, I've really enjoyed reading your words on my last couple of posts. I do so love to hear from you and I am grateful for the time you spend visiting with me and gifting me with your thoughts. Carving out quiet time to sit and write a coherent blog post during school holidays is actually quite the challenge for me, and it's really great to hear that you continue to enjoy my slightly random narrative. I am thankful for you!

I continue to keep my camera close, and pretty much every day I manage to capture a few images here and there which describe these August days. The randomness of the photos means that they don't always feel like they make sense together but I still  really enjoy seeing the visual story unfold when I sit down and string them along in a blog post. These images create an honest narrative that's for sure - I guess that summer holidays are in themselves a collection of utter randomness with no two days ever being the same?!

We took a short stroll around the reservoir on Sunday morning which we've not done for far too long. Little B moaned like crazy about being dragged out of the house - it was half past nine so not a ridiculously early time, but still you'd think we were asking him to take an all day mountain hike in some remote, far away place rather than a short 30 minute walk a few miles away. As usual, as soon as we stepped out of the car and began to walk he was pulled immediately out of his funk and absolutely loved being outdoors with both J and I. I resisted the rather strong urge to yell "I-TOLD-YOU-SO!!!" although crikey, it hovered on the tip of my tongue for most of the walk as he was just so happy!! A shame we had to go through such angst to get him there, but it was totally worth it.

Short local walks seem to be the way to go for us at the moment. The weather is so unpredictable that even if you set out in bright sunshine, the likelihood of getting drenched in a sudden downpour is remarkably high. It suits me though, I really don't seem to crave new things or new places at the moment, content to tread familiar paths in well loved locations. I seriously love where I live, and I don't think a day goes by when I don't see the hills surrounding the Attic and give quiet thanks for the fact that I am so happy here.

I think I mentioned in my post last week about visiting the farm shop, we go once or twice a week during the holidays, partly for the amazing fresh produce but also for the chance to walk a couple of easy miles. Plus (and this is a big plus for me personally) you can get really good coffee there, either to drink in at the farm shop café or as a takeout. 

I don't eat a lot of bread (although I do love a bit of sourdough occasionally, or some dark rye bread for my poached egg addiction) but the bakery at the farm shop is fabulous. The bakers make the dough and bake it right there behind the counter so you can watch them doing it and it always smells soooo good. We picked up a ciabatta loaf this time, freshly baked and still warm, gosh it was hard to resist!

If we decide not to spend time in the café then a takeout latté is the next best thing - strolling home through the park while sipping on a hot fresh milky coffee is pretty great - small daily pleasures, I'll take them. I try and remember to pack our bamboo cups in my bag if I think we might be getting a takeout (J has one as well, his is a manly black and red design). I love my cup, it works really well at keeping the coffee hot all the way to the bottom of the frothy deliciousness and best of all it can go straight into the dishwasher when I get home.

As you can see from the splodge of red child in the distance, our walk to the farm shop is very good for a certain nine year old with a shed load of energy humming inside his body. Sometimes he rides his bike, but on Monday he decided to walk, which actually meant he needed to run. And run and run. J and I strolled along with our coffees as Little B raced ahead - I've said this many times on my blog over the years but don't you think there is something so brilliant about the way that children run for the sheer joy of moving their bodies? It's just so lovely to witness.

I love coming home with brown paper bags filled with all the fresh stuff, it makes me feel all inspired for cooking and healthy eating. Those tomatoes......ohmygosh, the flavour, so so good. 

Yesterday morning was a time for errands with my Little Buddy, and lookeeee.........the hand holding is back and I couldn't be more delighted (silent, internal happy mummy dancing). We set out early, first stop a haircut (for him, not me).....

....second stop was some mid morning refreshment for the both of us. We had a lovely little chat over our hot chocolate/cappuccino, about food and books and school and holidays, just the general stuff of life that sometimes needs talking over.

Third/fourth/fifth and sixth stops were a mish mash of essential shopping (drain unblocker, batteries, a birthday present) and non essential shopping which Little B somehow talked me into.

Do you want to know what two things he most wanted me to buy for him, with a heap load of begging and persuasive argument thrown in?

Number One........................

......a giant two foot long bubble wand.

As soon as we got home he was straight out onto the back street making the BIGgeSt bubbles you ever did see....

....and I was right there with him attempting to photograph the BIGgeSt bubbles you ever did see, which is much harder than you might imagine. It was windy and the giant bubbles went sailing up to the rooftops before I could even think about aiming my camera. I managed one very poor shot of a low-flying pair, aren't the colours pretty? 

You want to know the Number Two purchase?

He was so desperate for these that I just didn't stand a chance, I had to allow the indulgent purchase......

......bath marbles. Of course! Just what any boy would want desperately?!

You can see the appeal mind you......they're little mini scented bath bombs and are set out a bit like a pick-and-mix sweet shop, with paper bags for you to select your own collection. You get to choose ten for £3, and well, I figured that if it helps make the whole bath-bed routine a little more fun and not such a grind then they would be worth it. 

Life on the home front has been pretty easy this week to be honest. The Teens pretty much take care of themselves, both of them have been working extra holiday shifts at their weekend jobs (Little Lady waitresses in a café, Little Man works in a really lovely local pub in town). I'm so proud of them, they are saving up their money and seem to be enjoying their independence very much. Little B has perhaps been a bit bored at times, spending his time watching films and gaming a little, but also reading, dressing up and building dens as well, so I guess it all balances out one way and another.

Laughing now, remember at the start of this post I told you about the randomness? Well this is a case in point - here I present to you my breakfast.....crikey, how can you stand the excitement of all this???!!!!!

However....I have the same breakfast every day pretty much and I have to tell you I love it. LOVE it. I put 40g of oats in a bowl with a little splash of milk and some fat free vanilla yoghurt and leave it to soak overnight in the fridge. Then in the morning I add in half a sliced banana and some warm/smushed up berries (frozen "wonky" berries, defrosted/warmed in the microwave for a minute so they go all gloopy). OH my goodness, it's like eating pudding for breakfast, you really must try it.

A cute little posy of the brightest, sweetest summer flowers on my table too, cheering up my days no end. The mini dahlias are surviving the mollusks in the back yard and I am so in love with them.

There is crochet happening too of course - some things that I can't show you just yet which are making me giddy with excitement, and some things that I can show you and will gather together in a separate blog post. I finished off my third lamp post wrap for Yarndale this week, and I think I'm going to write up the little sheep pattern I designed for it. Would you like that? I'm not sure what use a little appliqué sheep will be to anyone, but maybe you would like to give it a go - let me know?

Last week we snook off for a few days for a short little family holiday beside the sea....it was absolutely blissful and I loved every minute of it. I took my usual stack of photos so will share with you in a few days while it's still fresh in my mind. We were so lucky with the weather, it rained of course (this is English summertime after all) but not ever enough to stop us in our tracks. We had such a good time, it was exactly what we all needed last week I think, a blast of fresh sea air and a little bit of somewhere different. Wonderful stuff.

I hope your week is shaping up nicely and that life's randomness is making you happy - tell me what you're eating for breakfast these days, I really would like to know. Honest!

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Life in August

These August days are flying past and already the first half of our six week summer holiday is over. We are having a lovely time of it and although nothing remotely exciting has been happening, it just feels really, really good. The days feel kind of light and easy and blissfully unstructured, with the exception of food provision which remains very structured indeed. Little B has a very sturdy, in-built food clock which will not be ignored, so 8am is breakfast, 10am is morning snack, 12pm is lunch, 3pm is afternoon snack and 5.30pm is dinnertime. It means that days spent at home are punctuated with these regular requests for fodder but I am not complaining in the slightest, in fact I like the way he gives some gentle routine to my own days. The Teens do not appear to have any routine at all and are completely ruled by their own weird and wonderful teenage body clocks. So aside from our evening meal which we all eat together, they will happily see to their own food throughout the day. I am so grateful for the fact that I can be at home throughout August, and I'm enjoying my Little People very much at this age.

J and I are both juggling working from home with family life this holiday and I think we are doing a pretty good job of it so far. On the days of the week when J isn't working, I try and take a bit of time out as well. I'm lucky in that I can work through into the evenings if I need to so that I can free up time during the day and it's so good to get out into the countryside together, even if it's just for a few hours.

Mostly we just have Little B with us and to be honest I think he really enjoys having our undivided attention when we go out and about. One day last week we decided to drive up into the Dales to walk one of our favourite paths along the riverside from Linton Falls to Hebden.

It was warm and muggy, and the countryside is definitely on the gentle slide into late summertime now. We saw so many butterflies and the tall dried summer grasses looked beautiful all along the river bank.

Little B and I are still going on our evening walks and it's always such a sweet hour of my day. Last week on our meander along the woodland footpath we spotted a huge heron perched on the fence ahead of us, he really was magnificent. It was a bit of a stop and awe moment - we do quite often see these amazing birds around the canal and the beck that runs through the woodland, but the size of them always amazes me every time.

You can't tell from the above photo, but as we strolled along this peaceful pathway a thunderstorm began to roll overhead. Loud rumbles of thunder followed by a heavy downpour of torrential rain meant that we arrived home looking a little soggy and bedraggled! It was fun though, and Little B seemed oddly delighted by the fact that neither of us had coats (I was wearing sandals too) and we were literally getting soaked to the skin. It was the nicest thing to come home and get changed straight into pyjamas (it was 8 o'clock by this time) and it really did fit the definition of cosy.

We've had some stonking wet and stormy weather during the past few weeks actually, with the kind of rain that makes a huge sound as it falls. But it's remained pretty warm and humid and there has been plenty of sunshine in between the downpours. I've loved the rain (now there's a surprise), the sound and smell of it has been refreshing and soothing.

Little B hasn't really asked to do much so far this holiday, we've been into town a few times to our favourite cafes and we've walked/cycled through the park to the farm shop. But one morning last week (Tuesday) he asked if I could take him on the train to visit Salts Mill. To be perfectly honest I didn't much feel like it at the time and I was very tempted to say no. But he asked me so sweetly in a way that gave a great big yank on my heart strings, so I found myself looking up train times and agreeing to go, and he was so happy! We only live a short walk from the train station, so last minute decisions to go places is made pretty easy really.

We enjoyed Salts Mill, and being fairly early on a weekday morning it was quiet and peaceful. Little B chose a new reading book (he is an avid reader) and I got to browse in the very-expensive-daydreamy-home part of the mill where Little B persuaded me to buy some very-expensive-daydreamy hand wash. I then had to recover with a stiff cappuccino and a slice of coffee and walnut cake in Salts Diner (I did share the cake with Little B), but it was altogether a lovely little trip for the two of us. And the hand soap smells delicious - the child has good taste it has to be said.

On Thursday morning last week we walked at Bolton Abbey, it's been a while since we'd been there.

It was a warm, still morning and we walked a fair number of miles along the woodland and riverside paths.

I do try and be In The Moment when I'm out with the family, but I am so easily distracted by nature's details and feel compelled to capture on camera the little things that catch my eye. 

Everything looks so lovely in summertime!

As delightful as the walk was, I absolutely couldn't wait to get back to where we'd parked the car to sit down and enjoy this.......

......ahhhhh, that was so good! Little B had a much deserved ice cream and J and I inhaled our frothy coffees and all was well in my world. We walked for a  good few hours so had covered some miles, that coffee was well earned!

We did a little bit of gardening last week, working on tidying up our very overgrown front garden. It was a joint effort - J cut and strimmed our unruly patch of grass and I trimmed back all the foliage. Our buddleia is flowering anundantly this year and we've had so many butterflies on it every day - peacocks, red admirals, large whites, painted ladies and small tortoiseshells. It's been wonderful to sit and watch them flitting about. I trimmed all the dead flowers off and tidied it up a bit - there were some casualties from the football so I snipped off the broken stems and popped them in a glass on the dining table with some other bits from the garden. Summer right there in a glass.

I've been trying to eat healthily this holiday and aside from the odd bit of cake here and there I've been keeping all my meals as wholesome as possible. Lunch is one of my favourites as I usually cook just for myself - nearly always an egg now I come to think about it. I love poached eggs soooooo much! Yum, yum, yum, especially with avocado on toasted rye bread.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post, and a doubly big thank you to everyone who made the journey to come and see me at Wool Warehouse on Sunday. I had such a lovely time! I traveled down on Saturday afternoon with J which was a treat in itself as we'd booked into a lovely hotel and enjoyed a gorgeous meal out and a welcome little slice of child-free time. 

I was so excited to see the Warehouse and it did not disappoint, oh boy, it was magnificent! 

The wall of Stylecraft Special yarn was inspirational and I love love LOVED that little mini Attic24 blankets had been made to showcase my colour palettes and designs......

......look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so neat, and really useful to see them all displayed like that. 

In the showroom there is limited space so it's not possible for all of the many thousands of yarns to be displayed. What they've done is so clever - there is one ball of every single type of yarn they stock, with a label giving you all the information you need (weight, yardage, price etc). You can then look at the colour ranges on the computers and request for any balls you might want to take a closer look at. I loved seeing so much variety and found my brain spinning with creative ideas.

It was a truly amazing day...super busy from start to finish and so many happy, friendly and enthusiastic visitors to chat to. I loved meeting everyone and hearing all about the projects you've made and those you've added to your list - lots of yarn packs went off to new homes so I know there will be some lovely new blankets in the making very soon. It makes me so very happy to think about it, gosh you just can't beat the feeling of starting out on a brand new blanket journey. I love making blankets very very very very very much.......you'd never have guessed that would you??!!

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Yarny Weekends

A few days before I went down to Dorset at the end of July I packed my bags, hopped on and off a couple of trains and journeyed across to West Yorkshire to spend a few days with the Stylecraft team and some of my gorgeous fellow Blogstars. We are lucky enough to enjoy two get-togethers a year (one in the winter and one in summer) and it's something I really, really look forward to. Over the years that the Blogstars have been meeting I think it's fair to say that we've all become very good friends. We obviously have a huge amount in common in that we are all crochet/knit designers and bloggers and I love being able to chat about all things yarn/crochet/blog to others who not only get what I'm on about, but who are willing to share their own thoughts, projects, advice and experiences so freely. It's a nurturing, uplifting and super-kind group to be a part of and I value these yarny friends very much. You can see who all the Stylecraft blogstars are and find links to their blogs {{here}}

After a fun social on Friday night and a relaxing stay in a local hotel, we made our way to the Stylecraft mill for some serious yarn chat on Saturday morning. The team at Stylecraft gave a detailed presentation to us, showing new yarns and patterns that will be coming in the season ahead (Autumn/Winter 2019). We were given a little insight into fashion influences and design/colour trends (which fascinates me beyond measure!) and shown new yarns and new colours coming to existing ranges. I absolutely love all this - much of it isn't directly relevant to the way I work (a lot of knitting patterns and yarns that are more suited to garments) but I still get a real buzz out of seeing how design collections are created and photographed and how themes and colour palettes work their way through from concept stage to finished item. It's an insight into the yarn industry that I feel very privileged to have.

Usually we all make our way home after the day spent at the mill on Saturday, but this particular meet up was a little bit special. As well as the Blogstar get together, it was also party time! Stylecraft are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year and as part of their celebrations there was a going to be a much anticipated Sunday tea party. A part of the working mill had been cleared and spruced up and the Stylecraft team did an amazing job of making it all look very welcoming. It was to be a very busy day with 60 guests (winners from a competition) and 30 local yarn shop owners invited to the party.

I loved the schedule of the day which included yarn-themed party games, prossecco and birthday cake, I mean, how can that not make anyone giddy?!

One of the games involved this wall of mini jumpers made from Stylecraft Special DK - there were fifteen colours missing and I can tell you I had a load of fun with the blogstars attempting to nail down the missing ones. I know these colours inside out, but it was still quite a challenge!

There were a couple of other really fun games too, including "Stylecraft Special DK Bingo" - the winners of a full line and full house were gifted with these beautiful yarny bouquets which I thought was amazing.

photo credit : Stylecraft Yarns

Oh, did I mention that there was cake??????? There was cake!!!!!!!

You can read more about the purl party and see more photos on the Stylecraft blog {{here}}

After lunch, it was time for some workshops. The blogstars who were teaching had each set up a little display area - as I had traveled by train I was limited with what I could carry but I was really happy to give some of my blankets a little outing. It's always so nice to see people enjoying my blankets and telling me about their own crochet makes, I love our creative crochet community very much.

For my workshop I had chosen to teach a simple mandala using Stylecraft Classique cotton DK.

I had ten gorgeous ladies at my table..... 

.....and a whole lot of colourful yarn. The pattern I designed uses 8 different colours and it was great fun to see everyone making their choices and working out which order to place them in.

I say I was 'teaching' a workshop but honestly, these ladies were all very, very good crocheters and picked up my pattern with ease. I gave a little bit of colour advice, but mostly I just watched in awe as the most beautiful mandalas grew in front of my eyes.

Oh......there might have also been cake involved........did I mention cake already???

Cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

The workshop lasted for two hours so it was quite speedy and before we knew it, the afternoon was wrapping up. I managed to get a quick snap of the mandalas made by all the ladies, it was one of the most fun (and fast) workshops I've ever done. Don't they look amazing?

x

 

photo credit : Wool Warehouse

This coming weekend also promises to be very, very yarn filled as I am heading south to Leamington Spa to visit Wool Warehouse for the very first time. Over the years I've met the WW team on many occasions but I've never had the opportunity to actually go to the very building where all the magic happens....I'm so excited to see it! There is a beautiful new showroom which I am really looking forward to exploring, but best of all I get to share the day with a whole heap load of yarny friends.......................

.....yipppeeee!!!!!!!!!!! You see, this isn't a personal, private visit for me on my own-some, but a whole OPEN DAY where you are all invited too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so sorry for the very short notice, August has kind of crept up on me a little and suddenly it's nearly blanket show time.

But if you are able to come along, it would be fabulous to see you - it's this coming Sunday 11th August, 10-4. I'll be there with ALL my blankets, and guess what? There. Will. Be. CAKE!!!!!!!!!! 

Yes, I have it on good authority that there will indeed be tea, coffee and homemade cake, and of course there will be yarn, loads and loads of yarn. You can browse and shop and have a chat with me if you like, and generally have a really lovely day out I hope. There is a page on the Wool Warehouse website with all the visiting information (including local pubs where you can have lunch or park the other half for a few hours) - click {{here}} for the details.

I've spent much of today running up and down the cellar stairs with armfuls of blankets, giving my entire pile a wash and a spruce up. That's one of the beautiful things about Stylecraft Special DK, it washes like a dream. I put three blankets into the machine at a time on a short wash (40 degrees) with my usual laundry liquid and fabric softener. I gave them an extra spin to loose as much of the water as possible, then popped them in a cool tumble drier for around 30 minutes. They come out feeling sooooooooooo soft and delicious, I just wanted to cuddle up and snuggle them to bits. I love my blankets so, so much.

So I hope to see some of you on Sunday, and I'll be back in the Attic next week to share some more yarny goings on and some general summery chit chat. 

Have a fabulous weekend, I hope there is yarn (and cake) involved xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Dorset Summer 2019

Helloooooo my lovelies! I'm back in the Attic after a weeny break, I hadn't intended to be gone for so long but I've enjoyed my un-planned time away from my laptop I have to say. It's good to be back though, I've missed my Attic space and I've got quite a bit of catching up to do....lots of miscellaneous chat coming your way in the days to come .... haha .... please don't run away!

During the first week of the holidays at the end of July, we made the three hundred mile journey south for a short holiday in Dorset. It surprised me to realise that it had been two years since our last family trip there in the summer of '17 - I went down twice last year but they were both solo journeys by train.

As you can see, our first day wasn't really the summer heatwave that we had been expecting - the sea mist was thick and persistent, giving a rather eerie feel to the coastline. Looking at the above photo, you wouldn't know that there was a one hundred and forty foot cliff face sat right there would you?

It didn't matter though, because I was back in my Happy Place, and no amount of eerie mist was going to dampen my spirits. It was really special being back with J and the Little Peeps (although we were missing the Big Teen) and our customary first-day stroll around the harbour and out along the pier filled me with sea-breezy joy. I've lived away from Dorset for over thirty years now and although I absolutely LOVE my life here in North Yorkshire, Dorset will always be home for me. Every time I return I feel an overwhelming sense of being back where I belong - it's a good feeling, kind of warm and reassuring somehow.

Our first day pootled along at a deliciously leisurely holiday pace - coffee and brunch by the sea, then a lazy afternoon spent with my Dad and Lady B enjoying her beautiful walled garden. I have to say that an ice cold G&T really does hit the spot rather nicely, especially on a warm, hazy afternoon after a huge dose of sea air. Ahh, slow summer holidays..........talk about laid back relaxation, I was practically horizontal when I got to the bottom of that glass!

Day two, and welcome to the Heat Wave. The people in the know with weather stuff had predicted this heat wave coming and despite the damp murk of the previous day, the hot weather did indeed arrive. I am a sun lover through and through, and waking up in Dorset to a bright blue sky with the sound of seagulls overhead and the promise of blazing sunshine and I was truly happy with my lot. 

When we arrive in Dorset, one of the first things my Dad always asks me is "do you have any plans while you're here?" which makes me laugh - the answer is always a very firm "no!". We aren't a family who plans much, and for me personally I really enjoy  the start of a holiday with the days stretching ahead and nothing decided upon. I love the freedom of being able to choose at whim what to do and where to go according to the current mood, it's a luxury that escapes us when we are caught up in our day to day life juggling work, school, home, jobs, routines.

So on this Tuesday when we were gifted blue sky, sunshine and heat, we decided to pack up a simple picnic lunch and head upwards to find far reaching views and a cooling breeze. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you will have no doubt inhaled countless Dorset posts from me over the years. You may even be familiar with this particular place that calls to us pretty much every time we are on holiday there. I don't know what it is about St Catherine's Chapel that draws us there, but we always enjoy the peacefulness of the location and the views are spectacular.

Thankfully, the Little People have outgrown the shouting and running that used to dominate our time spent here and instead we wander gently in and out of this very special building, taking in the ancientness and admiring the rural views.

Did I already mention how much I love the summertime when the temperatures soar? We hit a beautifully pleasurable 30 degrees with a steady sea breeze to take the edge off and I couldn't have been happier. Our picnic was delicious and simple (salty crackers with Emmental cheese and peppery salami, baby plum tomatoes and mini cucumbers, salt and vinegar crisps, the juiciest ripe cherries and some partially melted chocolate biscuits). We spread our picnic blanket on the grass right up against the old stone walls of the chapel and lazed about in the heat of the early afternoon. 

Eventually it was time to move on.....I was longing to be closer to the sea and the Little People suddenly set up a verbal chant for ice cream, so off we went.......

....down to the sea at Burton Bradstock. You can see the beach in the above photo, packed full of holiday makers enjoying the sunshine. The Hive beach cafe was hugely busy (it was packed out actually) but we manged to find a shady table and enjoyed ice cold drinks and delicious ice creams. I really wanted to go and paddle my feet in the sea but J was having none of it (he doesn't really do hot, crowded beaches, he's a winter soul in contrast to my summer one). So after we'd finished up our refreshments we headed back into town to spend time with family and enjoy a second round of walled garden delights.....

.....oh, so beautiful! The tail end of a long hot day, this was around 7.30pm in that beautiful golden time just before the sun disappeared behind the rooftops.

We had planned to cook our dinner on the beach and had purchased all the gubbins for barbecue burgers and s'mores. But the weather folks predicted thunderstorms and as we could feel the threat of rain in the air we decided to bring the barbecue experience to Lady B's back garden. It was lovely actually - not quite the same as cooking and eating on the beach but the rain (mostly) held off and J did his usual amazing job of cooking the burgers to perfection. The Little Peeps were then let loose with marshmallows on sticks and the disposable barbecue did remarkably well at giving them their s'more fix.

Little B asked if he could borrow my camera and spent ages roaming the garden practicing his macro shooting skillz. I shall spare you the entire photo gallery of thirty three miscellaneous objects in close up detail, but hope you enjoy the lavender. It was fascinating to see what caught his eye, he does seem to have a real genuine love of flowers (hmmm, I wonder where he gets that from?)

Day three, and more lush hot sunny weather to go and play in, oh the joy!! We decided not to travel far on this day, choosing instead to stay at our local patch of coast at West Bay. We were on a brunch mission (I think brunch is my absolute favourite meal of the day at weekends or when I'm on holiday) and wanted to treat my Dad and Lady B to a lovely meal out.

We chose to go to a fairly new place called Rise. The building used to be a rather posh (but slightly faded) seafood restaurant - it's in a brilliant location at the wide mouth of the river just before it enters the harbour. It's a tiny piece of land surrounded by water which is accessed via a little wooden footbridge, so it feels kind of special before you even set foot in the building.

The building has been beautifully renovated inside and has a relaxed beachy vibe. There is an area with comfy looking squishy sofas around a log burning stove which I feel sure I will make a special visit for in the winter, and the dining area is all wood and natural textures, beautiful patterned textiles and loads of plants. I felt so at home there!

But it was the outdoor riverside garden that called to us on this warm sunny morning. It was utter perfection - plenty of space, gorgeous views of the river and harbour and genius glass paneling which kept the breeze at bay. I can honestly say we all really enjoyed that meal, it was everything I'd hoped for and more. The Little People are brilliant eater-outers, they have healthy appetites and pretty mature tastes but best of all they really appreciate it, not just the food itself but the joy of spending time with family and making a simple meal into a memorable social occasion. 

Just behind Rise there is a field next to the river which has always been home to the travelling fairground in summer. I remember it so clearly from when I was a child, and just the sight of it made me feel incredibly nostalgic. It's all a little brash I suppose, but it made me ponder on what a Fairground colour palette might look like?!

Our day continued to unfold at a leisurely pace. It's early afternoon now and we are strolling around the harbour which is looking much more summery than it did on day one of our holiday.

Out along the pier - we are very slowly ambling, kind of like I imagine families would have done in the olden days - good old fashioned promenading, taking in the sea air. My dad is pretty fit and well in general but he has slowed a lot with age and walks veeeeeeeeeeery slowly. I found it interesting in that I generally walk a lot in my day to day life and my natural walking pace is quite fast as I usually have a purpose or a time limit. It's an entirely different experience to walk slowly for pleasure, to really be aware of putting one foot gently in front of the other. I liked it a lot, the mindfulness of walking, experiencing gratitude for something that is so easy to overlook and take for granted.

Ahh, that's better, no more murky mist and the cliffs have returned!

We sat a while at the end of the pier, watching boats sail in and out of the harbour and feeling the sun on our faces. The colours of the sea were mesmerising, such rich, sparkling shades of turquoise, green and blue.

This time I managed to persuade J down onto the beach, much to the joy of the Little People. They didn't have swimming costumes with them, but that didn't stop them enjoying the sea. They rolled up their shorts and went in as deep as their clothes allowed, splashing and playing in the water for ages. It was delightful watching them play together, just as they did when they were much younger.

Eventually we pulled ourselves off the beach, dried off a very sodden Little B as best as we could and made our way to the nearest pub. What better way to round off the afternoon than with an ice cold drink of something yummy?! Seaside beachy pubs are rather lovely I think, especially when you can sit outside and breathe in the salty air while you enjoy some refreshment. 

Later that same day, we decided on the spur of the moment that we needed one last sea fix. It had been a perfect hot summers day and the evening was still beautifully warm and golden, so we drove down to Burton beach to sit a while by the sea.

It was around 9pm and the colours of the sea and sky were magical.

I love having my crochet blankets with me when we're on holiday, it's just the best feeling to see them being used and loved and to have the visual joy of all those colours singing into the outdoors. I made this blanket in the summer of '16 and I absolutely adore it. I also had my Coast Ripple blanket with me (I always bring this to Dorset as it's like bringing it home) - I couldn't photograph it however as Little Lady had rolled herself up in it like an enchilada! She laid herself out on the still warm shingle of the beach, quietly watching the sky change colour as the day came to a gentle end. It was a weeny bit magical being down on the beach until 9.30pm, a time when we are usually thinking about heading to bed when we are at home.

Day four, and another scorcher. We had a slow start to our day, enjoying the opportunity to have a lie in and some slow time lazing around in the garden. After a short family discussion, the general agreement was for beach, sea and food with minimal effort involved, so we packed up another simple picnic lunch and headed to one of our favourite Chesil beach spots at West Bexington. This is a very quiet and unspoilt stretch of coast and I adore the sense of natural tranquility here. 

It was very hot on this day, too hot to really walk very far but I took myself off for a little stroll along the top of the shingle beach. I love seeing flowers growing on the beach, it's always so unexpected somehow.

This is sea kale ↑ which grows in abundance along this stretch of the coast. 

The beach here at West Bex isn't flat, in fact the slope of shingle is constantly shifting and changing throughout the year. Sometimes the ridge is very steep indeed which makes for a fun experience with flip flops, haha! The seagulls made me laugh, they looked as if they were waiting in line for something (maybe waiting for me to trip over my flip-flop feet as I stumbled around in the shingle).....

....and they didn't especially like me taking their photograph either!

In the heat of the midday sun, we were so very, very glad that we remembered to sling our old beach tent into the car before we left home. It gave us some welcome shade as we ate our picnic and made a long, hot beach afternoon feel beautifully relaxed. You can see how quiet this beach is, so different from the more popular stretches of coast further to the west. You can also see the car park to the left of the beach in the above photo, and this is the very thing that makes West Bexington such a great place for a picnic or barbecue as you only have a very short journey to make with alllllll the paraphernalia - winning!

This end of Chesil beach is made up of very small stones, they are smooth and rounded and in the height of summer they are also very hot, which was certainly a challenge for the Little People making their way from crochet blanket to sea....kind of a speedy running hobble! Made me laugh - I've got loads of photos of us all from this day, lounging around, hobbling and paddling. Fun times for sure.

I happen to really, really like shingle beaches because the little stones don't get into every single thing like fine sand does, and I enjoy sifting the weeny smooth pebbles through my fingers too. Oh, and did I mention the sound of the sea? Waves gently breaking and retreating on a shingle beach have a very particular sound, it's one of the most rhythmic and soothing things to listen to (to give you an idea, turn up your sound and take a few minutes to listen to this video).

Ahhh, I just love this beach.....can you tell??!!

Much later that day, after a lovely family meal out at a local pub with my Dad, Lady B and my sister-in-law and nephews who were passing through town, we once again took to the hills. This time we drove up to J's favourite Dorset spot, Eggardon Hill. I've been coming up here since I was a small child and have sooooo many memories of fun family times spent on these high slopes. We arrived just as the sun was dipping over the horizon at 9pm.....

....with just enough light left to take a short stroll.

We had no real reason to come up here, other than we all had the feeling that we weren't quite ready for the day to end. 

We didn't walk far, just across the field and along the main ridge of this ancient hill fort with it's long distance views out towards the coast. We had chocolate and blankets, and all we planned to do was sit a while to breathe it all in.....

......so, so, so good.

I didn't know that J had snapped this photo of us - he sent it to my phone a few days later once we were home in the Attic and I just sighed with the absolute pleasure of the memory. Such sweet family times.

We really enjoyed our time away, it was lovely to disconnect from technology for a while and spend so much time outdoors. And despite a hellish journey back  I came home feeling refreshed and energised and so thankful for the many pleasures of a simple family holiday and all the memories we made. I love my Dorset trips so much and really value the regular re-connection with my childhood place, but honestly it's really nice to be back home again. Home to number twenty four, and all is well....happy me :)

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A Sweet Day

Before I launch into my witterings for today, I'd first like to gift you this beautiful bunch of sweet peas by way of a heart felt thank you. Thank you all so very much for your comments on my last post, for your unwavering kindness, empathy and understanding, I am unbelievably grateful. The morning after I'd written, I read back over my words and truthfully I was a microsecond away from deleting it all, feeling rather embarrassed to be honest. It's not my style to wallow, and I was kind of surprised by what had tumbled out of my head and into that blog post. I don't generally plan my posts, nor do I edit or mess around with my words - what you read is pretty much what spontaneously enters into my head at the time, it's my weird inner dialogue and you can be sure that it is honest and genuine. So.....I can't really find it in me to delete that entry, as much as it makes me cringe to read it. It is what it is. But thank you again, for taking time to gift me your thoughts and allow me to see things from a different perspective, and for lifting my spirits. I bet you wish you could lean in to your screen and smell those sweet peas, they smell soooooo good I can tell you!

On Saturday we took a trip to visit the RHS gardens at Harlow Carr in Harrogate. I realised last week that it was the annual Sweet Pea Society show, and remembering how much I had loved it last year I asked the fam if they fancied going. The Teens were both busy with work and friends, but Little B seems to have very vivid memories attached from his few visits to Harlow Carr and was mega keen on the idea of being back there. I don't know exactly what it is that he loves so much about it - oh hang on, why don't I ask him......? Well, he says that he can't really explain it, but he just likes the feeling of it there. He says he enjoys smelling the flowers (that is so true, we did a lot of sniffing!), and he likes the way it always feels fresh (not sure what he means, maybe the air smells fresh? There is a lot of open green space). It really is a lovely place to explore with lots of different areas within the gardens, and as you would expect from a top class RHS garden, it is immaculately kept. 

The beautiful eco-building in the photo above is the Learning Centre (it has a living sedum roof, how cool is that?!) and is where the Sweet Pea show was held. I couldn't wait to get inside, and it was the first place we went to as soon as we were in the gardens (even before coffee, that's how excited I was).

You might remember me talking about this flower show when I introduced you to my Sweet Pea blanket last year? This year I knew what to expect so the shock of the rigid formality wasn't quite so great. J and Little B (who had waited for me outside last year) came in with me this time, and it was very funny to see their expressions - wide eyes and shocked faces!

Despite the seriousness of the show, it was still a breathtaking sight, and wowsers, the scent in this room was unreal. Being a warm, humid day they had a big fan blowing and the highly fragrant air wafting around was absolutely delightful.

It wasn't overly busy, but it was lovely seeing visitors enjoying the show and admiring the painstaking perfection of each little display of blooms. You could feel the passion in the air (the competitiveness too) - competition flower growing is such a weird and wonderful hobby.

I just had to show you these flowers, they looked as if they had been spray painted, aren't they amazing?

The thing I love best about visiting this show is the opportunity to buy flowers to take home. These are gorgeously large, blowsy sweet peas, a mixture of colours and varieties grown by experts and they are stunning. At only £2 a bunch I snaffled up three and donated a bit of extra money to the Sweet Pea society in gratitude for the inspiration and joy that they've given me.

I mean, just look at them - so, so beautiful, and the colours make me weak at the knees.

After the sweet pea excitement we continued to explore the gardens, following the many pathways past vast flower beds, around lily ponds, through modern show gardens and humble teaching gardens.

Being mid summer, the flowers were in abundance and absolutely stunning.

Even the pathways through the woodland areas were floral - I've no idea what these flowers are but the hot tropical mix of colours was really lovely.

Little B, nine and a half years old and possibly a tad too big for children's playgrounds these days. However, we spent an aaaaaage in the woodland visiting the various wooden play areas and waiting patiently while he clambered around. He really was the oldest child by far, but he didn't mind in the slightest. I have to say it was delicious being able to relax casually on a bench and wait for him to do his thing without having to hover around ready to rescue or offer assistance. I watched all the mummies and daddies with their toddlers and felt a deep sense of relief that those days are now behind me.

One of my most favourite areas of Harlow Carr (well of any garden really) is the kitchen garden. This one is large and immaculately kept with lots of different shaped raised beds and neat, bark covered paths. The beds were made from recycled plastic instead of wood which I thought was brilliant, and something I would love to investigate for our allotment. The mixture of vegetables, fruit and flowers was so visually appealing and very inspiring....

...you can guess where I was drawn to can't you?

..

..

..

...of course, how predictable! These towers of sweet peas were gloriously unruly and in such contrast to the stiffness of the formal Sweet Pea show.

I found it hard to tear myself away from sniffing them. Beautiful.

We took a fragrant stroll around the scented garden which was mostly roses, honeysuckle and lavender....

....we loved this secluded rustic bench which was designed with a lavender back rest. Little B was enchanted by it, in fact his delight in all the flowers was unexpected and really made the day extra special somehow.

As well as the floral abundance, Harlow Carr has a pleasing amount of open green space and when you have children this really comes into it's own. Little B has a massive amount of energy fizzing inside his little nine year old body and the lure of the grass could not be ignored. After much running, he threw himself to the ground and rolled his whole body length down the grassy slopes, squealing as he went. It was joyful to watch!

In fact, I think Harlow Carr manages to very successfully mix formal, adult appeal with a wonderful childlike delight and I love it for that. I love the super-neat formal flower beds, but I also love the wilder more natural areas and the playful willow sculptures dotted around. It was such a lovely day out and if you're ever in the area here in North Yorkshire I can highly recommend it. 

I was so thrilled to be coming home with my big bunch of sweet peas, gosh they did make me swoon.

I knew they would probably be at their best for just a few short days, so I decided to put them to good use........

.....awwwww!!!! Just look at how good the colours look!!

I couldn't resist taking some photos of my Sweet Pea blanket with the flowers that inspired its creation.

This photo makes me so happy!!!

The above photo was taken exactly a year ago, on the 17th July 2018 when I was finalising the colours for my Sweet Pea blanket. I remember the day so clearly, and how excited I was when the yarn palette finally came together and I just stood and stared at it and felt like I wanted to cry. That's usually how I know that I've got it right - colour-filled emotion is quite extreme for me! It means that every blanket of mine has ALL the  feels right from the very beginning. There is heart and soul and passion in my yarny colour palettes and creating them brings me so much joy.

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Attitude of Gratitude

I've been struggling with my days of late, feeling a little on the low side and experiencing a rush of Overwhelm which quite predictably for this time of year has come speeding in like a freight train. I am really just plain exhausted to be honest, and in dire need of a rest and a bit of a break.

However, I am not one to wallow and I do try very hard to practice a daily Attitude of Gratitude towards my life. I know how very lucky I am, and trust me I do thank my lucky stars each and every day for everything that makes up my daily life. I am truly grateful for all of it. I keep reminding myself that tiredness isn't illness and this Overwhelm phase will pass over soon enough. Just got to keep on keeping on for the time being.

I'm really enjoying my little potted dahliettas in the back yard, even though I am waging a constant battle with slugs and snails. I had to resort to liberally sprinkling some pellets down (the kind that are deemed safe for the environment), and that has stopped the nightly feasting for the time being.

This one is especially charming I have to say, and I find myself sitting and simply gazing in awe at those delicious raspberry ripple petals. I've never seen anything quite like it, and for £2 I feel like I've gotten the bargain of the century.

I've had very few still, quiet moments of late, and very little time to sit and think. It's all been go-go-go, and work-work-work. Lots of time at my desk which makes me a little grouchy it has to be said. I try and remind myself to go and sit outside for a short while in the early evening once the dinner has been made and devoured and the kitchen cleared and cleaned down. It's a brief spell before I return to my desk when I make a small fresh coffee and treat myself to a dark chocolate rice cake which is just the nicest thing. I never would have guessed that a daily rice cake would make me so happy. As it's been very warm and humid this week, I've started drinking my coffee on the cool side which is bizarrely satisfying. Instead of heating my milk, I pour it cold into one of my favourite melamine cups and add in a shot of decaff espresso. Finish with a dusting of chocolate powder, inhale and enjoy. 

I was upstairs dealing with the mountain of laundry earlier, sorting, folding, stacking. Like you do. I tend to do a big heap of washing at the weekend (4 or 5 loads usually) and for about 22.5 minutes the laundry basket is joyously, miraculously, completely and utterly empty on a Sunday afternoon. It blows my mind!!! Of course this isn't the end of laundry duty and probably every alternate day during the week I'm at one stage or another with a load of clothes, bedding or towels in transit. I actually don't mind it to be honest. I added a clean pair of hand knit socks to the top of my pile this afternoon and stood for a while just looking at that beautiful pile of colourful stripes. I'm mostly gadding about in sandals or flip flops at the moment (even when it rains) but I often find that I get cold feet in the evenings and there is nothing nicer than pulling a pair of hand knit socks over chilly toes. I love them so much, and I am grateful for the simple pleasure of them.

I've been despairing at the state of our house of late, wondering if there will ever come a time when we aren't too busy or too weary to deal with it all. We've lived here for eleven years and honestly, the place is falling apart. Our bed is broken, the bathroom light has started doing weird flickery on-off things, the carpet has worn out holes in it (actual holes), the fridge has a broken shelf and a door that won't shut properly, the stair banisters are broken, the toilet seat has cracked, there are holes in the walls, wallpaper falling off the walls, a glass light fitting that is smashed (J and Little B and a Nerf Gun fight, seriously) and on and on. Every single bit of every single room needs attention, and I just don't know where to start. I keep looking at it, and thinking that right now, in the run up to the long summer holidays which will be filled with the usual work-Mum juggle, it's just not do-able. House Overwhelm I tell you - another carriage on the freight train.

But still I am grateful for this old shabby house which is such a good home for us, for the way in which it has made me feel so content and secure after a lifetime of moving around and never feeling settled.

J and I walked in the Yorkshire Dales on Monday, a still, hot and humid day. We tramped over the hills that rise above the picturesque village of Grassington, making our way down through Grass Wood to eventually reach the riverside.

It's such a lovely spot right by the river where there are huge, flat stones to sit on and take a breather.

We had a picnic lunch and a flask of fresh coffee each, and honestly it was just so pleasurable. I really love my flask by the way (it's this one on Amazon if you're interested?!). It has a really cute little cup to sip out of and I'm sure coffee tastes better when drunk out of a flask cup. I am easily pleased.

So yeah....Yarndale. I'm working hard for it right now, that's for sure. The above was a little project that I designed and made last week for the brochure. It's harder than you'd think to come up with something new that can be written as a very short, simple pattern to fit an A4 page. I'm not all that good with the 'short' part, being the long-winded, gazillion-photo type of pattern writer. I'll show you more of this project next week I think, I took photos for a little tassel-making lesson which was really satisfying.

I'm still working on the lamp post wraps as and when I find time to actually sit and crochet, which is usually at the cafe. I haven't finished the sunflower yet, but I decided to start on another idea. I made a whole length of green stripes and now I'm crocheting a flock of sheep to fill it. I designed the sheep pattern myself and am quite proud of it actually. They look like sheep and don't look evil, which is always a bonus when doing animal faces.

Speaking of faces.....

......here's a little sneaky peek of something else I've been working on for quite a long time behind the scenes. 

It's a delightful project - Yarndale is teaming up with a fantastic charity this year, and I'll be sharing the Yarndale Creative Community project with you all next week. I very much hope you'll feel inspired to join in, it's for such a good cause.

So that's us all caught up for now. I'm sorry for the slight whiny tone carrying through this post - I really had intended to come here and be upbeat and overflowing with gratitude. But maybe I'm just a bit too tired this evening, so you've been delivered the honest version of the right here and now at the tail end of a long, busy day. 

I hope your days are ticking along nicely, let me know what's making you happy this week? I bet it's not rice cakes?!

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Yarny Stripes

Ever since I completed my Dune blanket back in April I've been itching to start another blanket. There is something about crocheting stripes which soothes my soul and makes me insanely happy and I experience definite withdrawal symptoms if I don't have anything stripy on the go. The struggle is real!

Consequently, I've been fighting the huge urge to start a summer blanket due to the fact that I really don't have the actual time to squeeze in a big project. I've got a gathering number of things that need my urgent attention at this time of year, so I've staged a Blanket Resistance Campaign and well, so far so good. No more blankets until my CAL design starts to call to me. I can do it. I can, I can!

A couple weeks ago, I had the brilliant idea of combining my stripe addiction with Yarndale needs and began working on some new lamp post wraps. We currently have around 25 wraps which we install in the park  - they have been enjoyed for six years now and to be honest some of them are looking a little past their best. Time for a few new additions, and oh, I have been enjoying these easy, colourful stripes!

For my first wrap, I chose some really vibrant rainbow brights for the stripes. Each wrap measures around 28 x 100 cm, and I've worked the stripes in simple UK treble crochet. Four rows for each stripe, twenty five stripes in total. It's easy, pleasurable, joyful, therapeutic crochet and I've loved every hooking minute.

I decided to use the absolutely fabulous Moogly Crochet Alphabet to spell out the word Y-A-R-N-D-A-L-E, making up the letters in white yarn so that they stand out against the bright background.

I find the simplest way to add the letters is to tack/baste them in place using contrast yarn, then neatly stitch around the outside edge of each letter. Basting takes a little more time than simply pinning but is well worth the effort to keep the letters straight and in the correct place. Wonky words just won't do.

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!! What do you think? 

The wrap will be secured around the lamp post with cable ties at the top and bottom, then an invisible seam will be stitched up the back so that the wrap looks good from all directions and stays intact. 

You can see the effect in the photo below...............

The 25 wraps stay in the park for around a week in the run up to Yarndale, then I carefully un pick the stitched seams and take them all back down again. They get washed and stored away ready for next year, so this isn't a throw-away kind of project, or something that will get left to weather the elements for any length of time.

I made the granny stripe wrap in the photo above for the first ever Yarndale in 2013 and it's still in pretty good shape.

As soon as the first wrap was finished I started on a second one. I'm using left over scraps of Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook, and it's been fun thinking up colour and design ideas. The rows work up very quickly too - each row of trebles has 48 stitches and I can really whizz along fast once I get into The Zone.

↑↑↑ This was me on Sunday, sitting outside on a warm sunny morning waiting for my breakfast to arrive. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend on a jolly in Manchester with my very good friends Christine and Emma. Oh, we did have fun! Lots of eating and drinking, a little bit of retail therapy, a fair amount of pootling and wandering and a huge amount of chatter and laughter.

↑↑↑ There they are look, check out those happy smiley faces! We were sat out on the terrace at the back of a gorgeous eatery in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter. Coffee (oh so good!) along with a very tasty brunch and a bit of a leisurely crochet/knit along......what's not to love?! 

I really adore the various shades of blue that Stylecraft have created in their Special DK range. From the deep teal and rich blue tones, right through to the pale sky blues, this is a gorgeous section of the overall colour range.

I finished up the background stripes on Monday, ready to add a little floral something......

Oh, helloooooo beautiful sunflower!!!!!

I made the sunflower using Stylecraft Special Chunky yarn and a 6mm hook, following a fabulous free pattern by Cindy Hopper. You might recognise the design as I made the same flower in 4ply wool yarn for my Autumn Wreath. 

You can see how lovely the flower looks against the blue stripes, and I hope it'll be very striking when it's in situ in the park.

I made the leaves yesterday afternoon when I was at my Creative Coopers get together at the cafe. I had a quick look online to see what sunflower leaves actually look like, then made up a shape which seemed about right. I'm planning to edge the leaves in a darker green and add some stitched detail, then crochet a tall stem to bring it all together. 

I'll show you once it's all finished......I love love love exercising my Creative Mind in this way and am already forming some plans for wrap number three. I'm thinking something sheepish might be in order......!

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