Attic24

Bonjour and Au Revoir

Bonjour! I wanted to pop in to the Attic very briefly before I head off on my travels. It's been a crazy-busy week for me one way and another, but I have been so uplifted by the phenomenal response to my Dune Blanket - thank you, thank you for every lovely thing you have said about it and for the hundreds and hundreds of comments all over social media, your support is so very much appreciated. I've been riding a bit of an emotional high through the rather extreme tiredness that follows a period of intense work, and I am hanging in there. For those of you who've made the decision to embark on this particular crochet journey for yourself, I am so thankful. You've no idea how deep down happy it makes me feel, to know that I am not on my own with my creative endeavors. It means the world to belong to this happy, joyful, friendly and energetic community of ours. 

My creative journey shows no signs of letting up just yet as I'm about to head off to teach on a crochet retreat in France. I'm very fortunate to be joining the Stitchtopia UK team, retreating with a lovely group of fifteen ladies in a very fine looking chateau in the Savoie region in south eastern France. We'll have four whole days for crochet and I'm going to be teaching some colour stuff using mandalas and the above glorious pile of Ricorumi DK yarn. The other days during the week will be spent jaunting out and about (a market day, and a lake cruise), and I'm hopeful for a little bit of top notch relaxation too - the chateau looks spectacular from the photos I've seen. It still doesn't feel real to me actually, it's like I'm about to sneak into somebody else's life.

So I'd best be getting on with my last minute preparations, and I'll chat you all when I'm back at the start of May. Oh, and happy Easter! With all the hooky and pattern writing madness here in the Attic, I keep forgetting where we're at.....best go eat some chocolate to keep my strength up! Au Revoir!

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Dune Blanket :: Ta-dah!

Hellooooooooo, and welcome to my happy place where I'm very excited to be sharing a breezy coastal ta-dah moment with you all!!! I imagine you all know by now that today is the day for my Dune blanket to be given a bit of a smooch, and quite honestly I've been hopping with excitement this past week as I've finished off my blanket (yeah, I only completed it a week ago) and worked hard on creating the pattern to share. 

You might recall me introducing you to the Dune blanket at the end of March when I returned from a gorgeous short family jaunt to one of my most favourite coastal spots - St Annes on the Fylde coast. You can read all about my holiday ((here)) and read more about the inspiration behind my Dune blanket ((here)).

As you can see from the above collection of photos, my Dune blanket is all about the colours of coastal sand dunes, shoreline adventures and shell collecting. I wanted to bring all those breezy, happy feelings together into a colour palette which is soft and cool, like the tang of salty sea air on a cold Spring day.

When I was in St Annes at the end of February, I spent lots of time wandering the strand line with the family, collecting things which caught my eye and playing about with different colour ideas. I had the notion that I wanted to try and capture the essence of this seaside place where I love spending family time, creating a colour palette that not only described the physical aspect of the coast, but also the emotion of it. I thought : "light, airy, breezy, soft, joyful colours, like a chilly gust of salty fresh air followed by a warm hug" - that's the essence of this place for me. I've written a lot more about my creative process and shared loads of photos in my Dune Introduction post.

I took lots of photos at the seaside holiday house where we were lucky enough to be staying for a few days in February. It has these wide, white painted windowsills which were perfect for arranging things. I was so happy in my own little creative bubble, spending hours lining things up, photographing them, rearranging them and faffing to my hearts content.

After a major amount of creative faffery, I finally settled on fifteen shades of Stylecraft Special DK  to create my Dune palette.

I love the gentle harmony of them and the way that each and every colour holds a significance for me. There are the pale greens of the marram grass, the warm neutrals which represent driftwood, sand dunes and the rippled wet sandy beach, the blues and pale greys of a cold spring sky and the softest of pinks which come from the sea shells I collected.

As is usual for my blankets, I've chose fifteen shades of Stylecraft Special DK for my Dune blanket.

This is enough to make a single/twin size blanket measuring approximately 120cm x 180cm.

Top row, left to right...

♥ Mocha ♥ Pale Rose ♥ Parma Violet ♥ Storm Blue ♥ Sage ♥

Middle row, left to right...

♥ Camel ♥ Mushroom ♥ Silver ♥ Cloud Blue ♥ Spearmint ♥

Bottom row, left to right...

♥ Stone ♥ Powder Pink ♥ Parchment ♥ Duck Egg ♥ Lincoln ♥

You can find the Dune yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse, click on the link below...

DUNE YARN PACK

The yarn pack also contains a 10-page full colour pattern.

Do you like the shells? I crocheted these up in a fit of spontaneous creativity one afternoon, satisfying a craving for something decorative to come flying off my hook.

I found the shell pattern free online - it's a design by Ramsi Leigh who writes her blog {Ramsileigh Designs}. The pattern is actually the beginning part of some bigger crochet sea shells which Ramsi designed as coasters.

I worked round 1 as Ramsi wrote it to make the middle circle (a combination of UK dc, htr and tr), then continued the spiral with round 2 but working in the Back Loops Only. Crocheting in back loops only creates a little ridged line of single loops which defines the spiral shape beautifully - I love it!  If you are going to make these shells, please note that the pattern is written using US terms - the tallest stitch I crocheted was a US treble (this is a UK double treble) - I stopped after this part of the pattern and didn't bother to work the even taller stitches. So in round 2, I worked (2 UK tr) x 4 and (2 UK dtr) x 6, then fastened off.

I love them very much.....I'm still deciding what to do with them, but I'm swaying towards some pretty summer shell bunting for my mantel. I've got some gorgeous little mother of pearl shell buttons which would go really well with these crochet shells.

Having my big baggy yarn bag full of new colours with a fresh, exciting new blanket journey about to begin is one of my greatest pleasures. It makes me so ridiculously happy!

I always spend a long time on the pattern sampling stage, and I have a whole motley pile of discarded stitch samples to prove it. I tried out some wavy things and some ripply things, but nothing seemed quite right. In the end it was the shell idea that my mind seemed to really fixate on, so I went with it and ended up with a whole slew of shell-type samples. 

I settled on a delightful variation of a shell pattern where the stripe is worked in two rows - first you create a row of v-stitches, then you infill the v-spaces with shells - it really is a beautiful pattern to crochet. This pattern creates a delicious texture, and best of all the blanket is different on both sides, making it double sided, squishy and visually very lovely indeed.

I'm certain this pattern would be suitable for beginners to have a go at. It does need a little concentration in the beginning to make sure you are starting and ending each row correctly, but it very quickly becomes memorizable (is this even a word?!).

I've written a full step-by-step photo tutorial to walk you through the pattern and give you as much guidance as I possibly can. I've named it the Seashell Stripe, and you can find it in the usual place over in my left hand sidebar, or click on the following link to go right there >> 

SEASHELL PATTERN

As with all my blanket patterns, I would strongly advise you to work up a small tension sample before you launch straight into the blanket - this helps you to become familiar with the pattern (in particular the way the different rows start and end), but also to determine your own personal hooky tension and which hook sizes to go for. This Seashell pattern produces a slightly tighter crochet fabric than usual, so if you are used to working with Stylecraft Special DK, my general advice would be to use a bigger hook size (a half-millimetre) than you would normally use. The Dune blanket is similar to the Moorland and Woodland in this respect. All this is explained in the tutorial.

I've also given options for different blanket sizes, from a baby blanket to a King Size blanket. The yarn pack is enough to make a standard 120 x 180 cm single bed blanket, you will need two yarn packs for a double or king size.

DUNE YARN PACK

So............................................................

Shall we have a look at the blanket now? Would you like to see some more of it?

I love love love starting out on a blanket journey - yes, I'm one of those weirdos who even loves making that very first awkward, wiggly dc row into the foundation chain!! Love it! Having said that, it's wonderful once the stripes get under way and the blanket slowly begins to show itself. I used my yarn pegs and little snips of yarn taped to paper to work out the colour order of the stripes. This is the way I prefer to work - it's hands on and old school and suits me down to the ground.

There are 100 stripes in the Dune blanket, and I've ordered them in what I like to call a "planned random" way. This method gives a lovely energy to the blanket I think, and is definitely my preferred way of playing with colour. I know from the Sweet Pea blanket that many of you prefer to order your stripes using a colourwash, so we'll talk about the idea of a Dune Colourwash towards the end of the post.

I began crocheting the Dune blanket hot on the heels of finishing the Sweet Pea CAL, so these stripes have grown in super-quick time. Started on 12th March and finished on 9th April - that's just four weeks from start to finish. Its a good job I fell head over heels in love with the Seashell stripe pattern isn't it??!! I crocheted at every opportunity - at the café, at friends houses, on the train, and even on an aeroplane (and that's a whole other story for another day!)

But mostly I cosied up and crocheted these pretty rows in the comfort of home. I snuggled on the sofa....

.....in bed....

....and beside the fire.

Shell after shell after shell after shell. The addiction was real.

I finished working my one hundred stripes in record time, and can honestly say that I loved every second of this blanket journey. These soft coastal colours have such happy vibes, and every stitch holds fond memories of happy, breezy, fun-filled times.

For once, I managed to decide on my edging pretty quickly and I'm really, really happy with how it turned out.

I chose four colours and created a version of my Spot-On Edging - this is an easy border to crochet and very enjoyable.

I think the colours I chose work really well - I deliberately placed the Pink between two blue shades to create the "spots" of colour, reminding me of the tiny pink Baltic Tellin shells that I collected from the beach at St Annes.

I've enjoyed the pleasure of the Dune blanket on my bed this past week as the nights have been f-f-f-f-freezing.

I've made my blanket the usual single bed size (120 x 180 cm) so it's not really a good fit for a double bed, but I still love to drape it across my duvet so that I can admire it every time I walk into the bedroom.

It was while I was tidying up my bedside table for photographic purposes that I was reminded of one of my all time favourite books.......

......The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. I've read this delightful book many, many times over the years (did you know it's over 30 years old now, written in 1987?) and adore it's simple charm and coastal setting. I bought my copy in a second hand book shop in Robin Hoods Bay many years ago, but I was really happy to find that it's still in print and you can find it online {Amazon UK : Amazon US}. I can highly recommend it as a lovely, lighthearted read, especially if like me you have a craving to be beside the sea.

I only got round to spreading my blanket out for photography purposes at the weekend, and the light wasn't especially great to be honest. But I thought you'd appreciate being able to see all one hundred stripes.............

..............ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I adore the texture of the seashell stitch, it is just so blinkin' pretty!

Scrumptious even!

And already very much at home here in the Attic. I'm sat at my drafty desk under the window right now and have the blanket wrapped around me, it feels warm and snug and cosy. I love it so much.

On Friday morning last week, we woke up to the most glorious blue skies, and there was only one place that I wanted to be. So after dropping Little B at school, J and I set off to drive west..............

.......yes, my Dune blanket went on a jolly to St Annes!!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to stride out into the sand dunes with my blanket tucked under my arm, to conduct my own little personal photo shoot.

It was a beautiful clear day, but don't be fooled by those blue skies as it was blowing a hoolie and really, really cold.

Still, despite the very low temperatures, the sun was shining and my blanket looked amazing with a beachy backdrop.

↑↑↑ oh boy, this photo really makes me laugh!! There is a moody, grumbling husbundo hiding behind that blanket, he really didn't enjoy being my photographic assistant I can tell you! He was cold, his arms ached, he was hungry, it was too windy, no he couldn't hold it any longer......hahaha!!!! We took some terrible photos actually, there is definitely a knack to photographing things on location, especially in windy conditions with strong sunlight and harsh shadows and all that.....

.....I'm certain we didn't do a very good job, but well, the resulting photos are homespun and honest and real, which is what my blog is all about.

I do quite like the above windy action shot, using a wooden post and a piece of driftwood jammed into the sand - this was the last picture before we gave up and trudged off in search of food and warmth. 

I did come home with a really beautiful cockle shell in my pocket though!

I'm wondering what you think of these colours and whether you find them calling to you and whispering all sorts of breezy, seaside things to you? Yarn colours talk to me all the time, is that odd do you think? 

The above bag of yarn is what remains after my blanket was finished - I used approximately 80g of each colour.. There is plenty left to make shell bunting....or maybe a Dune cushion? 

I mentioned earlier about the idea of using the Dune colours to create a colourwash version of the blanket. I made the above sampler to test out the pattern, and deliberately arranged the colours so that they could be crocheted in a subtle wash of colour if you prefer the look of this to a random order.

You could repeat the above order (the Cloud Blue and Storm stripes flow really well together), or you could create something similar to the Sweet Pea colourwash that I put together for my last CAL blanket. I'm sorry I haven't had time to write out an exact blueprint for a colourwash blanket, but if you'd like me to do this, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do to make it happen.

My own random stripe order is listed over on the Seashell pattern page, and also as part of the printed pattern that is included when you buy a yarn pack from my shop at Wool Woolwarehouse.

And finally, after all the wordy words and excessive number of photos, I just want to say THANK YOU.

Thank you for your encouragement, your friendship and for always keeping me company as I indulge in my blanket and colour addiction. I appreciate you so much, I hope you know that. Thank you!

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Here are some links you might need :

♥ DUNE YARN PACK (including printed pattern)

♥ DUNE BLANKET : INTRODUCTION

♥ SEASHELL PATTERN

♥ DUNE BLANKET : EDGING TUTORIAL

x

 

Eventide

Seven thirty and my lovely Little Lady asks me if I'd like to head out for a walk with her. She is old enough to go out by herself if she wants to, but how can I resist when she asks for company? I immediately close down my laptop (I'm working on a magazine article for Yarndale), pull on my boots and off we go into the chill of the early evening. Not a cloud in the sky, and that glorious dusky pink end-of-day glow over the hills.

We walk up, up, up - a steep lane with views over the town, then over an old wooden stile into a steeply sloping field. Up, up, chatting and puffing, stopping every so often to catch breath. We reach the dry stone wall at the very top just as the sun is almost down - it is unexpectedly bright and breathtaking and makes us both squeal with pleasure. We sit a while a-top the wall and watch the sun disappear over the horizon. We gaze out over our town spread out in the valley below - we can see our neighbourhood, our street, our house.  We can see the schools, the church, the shops. We know where the canal runs even though we can't see it, and we know where our friends live and where we walk every day as we go about our routines. We both say how much we love living here, agree on how comforting it is to be surrounded by green hills and countryside, how joyful it is to climb up high and see the sun set, take in the view.

We begin to feel chilled and so we climb down from the wall and walk on over the huge field. Down, down, down until we reach the farm track at the bottom. It's an easy stroll now, downhill all the way. The sky is quickly darkening, the moon bright and a blackbird singing loudly from his perch in the bare treetops. We are walking along residential streets now, houses lit up from inside, all cosy and settled for the evening.

Eight thirty, and we arrive back at number 24, rosy cheeks and a slight ache in the back of the legs from all that steep climbing. Little Lady is glowing, she looks and sounds so happy and content. She tells me she loved our walk, and could we do it again tomorrow if the weather stays nice. Yes, yes we can. I am already looking forward to it.

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April Feels

April is treating us kindly for the most part and it really does feel like Spring has finally sprung here. We took a walk at Bolton abbey on Sunday morning, just a shortish stroll through Strid Woods to breathe in some cool fresh air and stretch our legs a little. Little B was in fine form, a non stop chattering, noisy little mouthpiece on two legs. He could talk the hind legs off a donkey, as my Mum used to say. It's still a bit bare and wintry in the woods, yet I don't mind it too much as it feels right and proper for the time of year. There is bluebell greenery to be found look, but unlike my friends in the south we are still some weeks away from blue floral bounty.

I can't wait for the flowers! Come on little buds, shoot upwards!

In the late afternoon on Sunday I found a quiet window of opportunity to amuse myself with some gentle creativity. The Little Peeps were all busy with friends and J was wearing his blue and white stripy pinny and cooking up a delicious smelling curry for dinner. I decided to sit and stitch for a short while - I started this cross stitch hoop last summer but it's been tucked away in my project bag waiting patiently for me to return to it. Autumn/Winter generally means allllllll the crochet for me with my annual CAL blanket in progress, so I don't often feel the need to look elsewhere for a creative fix. 

Cross stitch is such a beautifully slow and meditative hobby, and I honestly adore it. If I wasn't so completely obsessed with my crochet hook then I could easily imagine myself designing with these little crosses. The above design is by Tiny Modernist on Etsy, in case you feel the urge to stitch up some Love letters surrounded by flowers.

Monday afternoon, J and I took a very quick jaunt into our local woods in the hour before the school run. It was one of those days consumed by mundane jobs and admin, and by 2.30 I'd just had enough of sitting at my laptop. It was such a tonic to get out into the fresh air and soak in some sunny woodland feel-good....

.....and oh the wild garlic is looking scrumptious. I gathered some young leaves and made wild garlic pesto last year (using this recipe) but this year I am fancying some green, garlicky soup. I came across this recipe today and it is calling loudly to my leaf-gathering soul, so I shall see if I can make it happen.

I've had a jug of narcissus on my table for weeks on end now, they've become an essential weekly grocery item that I pop into my basket along with bananas without even thinking too hard about it. They are always right there near the fruit, long stems held together with elastic bands and laid out neatly in cardboard boxes. I simply cannot resist their happy little faces, and the scent too of course. I bought these ones yesterday, and the lady who served me in the supermarket literally scrunched up her nose with disgust as she passed them through the checkout scanner, telling me that she couldn't stand the smell of them. Not me, I LOVE the smell!

Today has been bright and sunny, and when I came back home after the school run this morning I found the kitty lounging around on the sofa basking in the sun. She looked so completely content, and I thought : yes indeedy, I know exactly how you are feeling. Isn't it just the loveliest thing to sit a while in a warm patch of streaming sunshine and soak in it's gentle warmth?

Yes, it's enough to make you want to roll around and delight in the pure deliciousness of it all!

Despite the Spring sunshine, it's been cold these past few days. I was chatting to the Ice Cream Tug Boat Man on the canal yesterday as he opened his boat up for the first time this season - he admitted that he had misjudged the weather and was absolutely frozen. He did look a tad chilled around the extremities I have to say.

I'm still plodding around wearing my hand knit socks and boots, and I am very, very happy with that arrangement for the time being. I folded up these freshly washed socks earlier today ready to take them upstairs - well the top pair will go upstairs to join my Sock Pile, the bottom pair will be wrapped up very soon and gifted (finally, finally) to my super-patient father-in-law. I certainly hope his toes adore wriggling inside those cosy, woolly stitches.

I bought a new duvet cover and pillowcases yesterday, a spontaneous element of the regular supermarket** shop. I absolutely could not walk past and leave this behind - a king size 100% cotton duvet with a very beautiful Liberty-esk design - reduced in price to a mere £10! TEN!! I came home, washed it, hung it outside to dry and had the utter pleasure of that clean-sheet-smell when I went to bed last night. I woke up this morning thinking that I was in someone else's bed, being that for the past ten years we've always had a plain white duvet cover. The pattern is taking some getting used to, I keep getting a mild shock every time I walk into the bedroom and see my bed looking so overly flowery.

Little B is truly horrified by the sudden change, he just can't understand why on earth I would want to have flowers all over my bed. He also commented on the fact that my beloved Sunny Log Cabin blanket looks out of place now ("the colours are all wrong Mummy"). I took his advice on board and swapped blankets this afternoon.....................

............oh, that's looking a bit yummy isn't it just? A newly FOTH blanket (that's Fresh Off The Hook in case you wondered), there is honestly nothing more satisfying than darning in the very last end on a blanket project that has spanned many weeks.

YAY!!! My Dune blanket is finished! I absolutely love love love it, and can't wait to show you more.

As I was crocheting the border this morning I was also photographing my progress in preparation for making the tutorial. It's a slow, slow process but I don't mind it too much and good coffee definitely helps.

I'm really happy to tell you that I'll be ready to share my Dune blanket with you next week, on Tuesday 16th April. Yarn packs will go on sale in my shop at Wool Warehouse and will include a full colour printed pattern. I'll also be sharing it all for FREEEEeeeEeEee here on my blog, my usual full photo tutorial to teach you the Seashell stitch so that you can crochet up your very own breezy seaside stripes.

I hope April is treating you well my friends, and that you are feeling happy and content.

A big hug from me to you ((XX))

ps ** duvet cover is from Morrisons, it was heavily reduced in price, a real bargain x

 

 

 

Early Spring

It's been cold here today, an un-spring-like three degrees, and as I sit here at my desk I can hear J cleaning out the grate ready for me to light the fire. We are straddling the seasons it seems, with one foot tentatively tiptoeing into Spring and the other foot staying wrapped up in woolly hand knit socks and winter boots. I haven't taken a photograph of my hill view in ages, mainly because it has often been covered in low cloud or fog and has been very murky indeed. But as our days lengthen I'm beginning to notice more sunlight and shadows across the landscape and more subtle changes in colour as the winter slowly comes to an end. I'm so ridiculously happy that our clocks jumped forward an hour into BST (British Summer Time) at the weekend and we now have the beautiful pleasure of light evenings again. I popped outside to put some paper into the recycling bin last night at 8pm and it was still (almost) light......happy, happy, happy me!!

It was the Spring Equinox on the 20th March, so exactly two weeks ago. Since then we've had a whole mixed bag of weather thrown at us but there have been the most delicious signs of early Spring showing in my neighbourhood, and I'm mainly talking about the florals. 

This golden beauty is at the end of my street in someone's front garden and I walk right past it every day when I come and go up and down the hill. It's a Forsythia and is absolutely laden with bright yellow flowers at this time of year. In the late afternoon when I'm on my way down the hill to school, the sun is low in the sky and shines right through the branches - it makes the flowers look as if they are glowing.

Blossom season is usually May here in my patch, but some of the smaller more sheltered trees in my neighbourhood are already in flower. This beautiful pink offering is very conveniently in my next door neighbours front garden so I am treated to the sight of it up close and personal. It's only a small tree which was planted around 3 years ago so the blossom is actually at face level which I absolutely love! Usually I'm gazing up through blossom branches high above my head, but having these beautiful flowers right in front of my nose is wonderful. 

I was walking home from our knit and natter morning at Coopers Cafe on Friday and snapped this photo when I felt overcome by nostalgia. Walking along this narrow pathway next to the little beck always makes me smile and reminds me of the many times I've walked back from playgroup holding hands with a very small chattery Little B. We used to call this our "tricky way" home as it involved the act of walking very, very, very carefully as close to the wall as we could manage - it was a little bit nerve wracking for this Mummy, but how could I deny him this simple bit of adventure? Little B would beg me to take him this way home...."please, please Mummy, can we walk home the Tricky Way?" He absolutely loved this pathway as I think it felt a little bit dangerous to his three year old self. I mean, look! No fence, no hand rail, nothing to prevent a three year old Little Person from tumbling into the water below! How very risky!!

What you can't see in the above photo is the flight of well worn stone steps at the end of the path - these take you straight up to the canal tow path. Yes, that bridge at the end is actually an aqueduct and carries the canal over the beck below. Don't you just love quirky little pathways like this?

I've no idea what this Tricky Way tree is called, but it's newly unfolding leaves are absolutely beautiful. They emerge at this time of year a very, very soft and pale silvery green so that they almost look like blossom. I would love to know it's name**, it somehow niggles me when I can't bring forth this sort of vital information.

**edit** I sent a photo of the tree to Christine who has a huge bank of gardening knowledge in her brain alongside all the sock knowledge, and she told me it's a Whitebeam tree. I am SO HAPPY to know this!!! Whitebeam, whitebeam....I shall try my hardest to retain that information inside my chaotic scramble of a brain. I love this tree!

On Saturday we ventured out as a family of four (sadly no matter how much I plead, I cannot persuade our 16 year old BoyTeen to come with us any more). It was a sunny day and as Little Lady was due to work on Sunday at her waitressing job, we loosely called this jaunt a day-early Mothers Day treat. We are very lucky to live on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales national park, and have an enviably large number of destinations/walks we can choose which involve only a short car journey. On Saturday we picked one of our favourite family walks, an easy riverside meander with the added bonus of a top notch refreshment break built in. 

The walk starts at Linton Falls (there is a small car park there) and follows the river Wharfe (in the direction of Burnsall) as far as Hebden suspension bridge. Here you turn off and follow the half mile footpath to the small village of Hebden which is home to one of my most favourite rural cafes {The Old School tearoom}. If you live around here or are planning to visit in future I can highly recommend this easy walk - it's not circular, but with the tea-room stop in the middle, the return walk still feels very pleasurable even though you are effectively walking back the way you came. 

There are some huge Horse Chestnut trees growing along the riverside, and I was delighted to see the "sticky buds" already beginning to open. Spring is here, even when it feels like Winter still has us in it's grip.

I wish I'd taken some photos of our tea room stop, it was soooo good! It was just about warm enough to sit out in the garden (along with the goat, chickens and guinea pigs) and as well as the very, very good coffee, the home baked cakes are to die for. It was midday, so the rest of the family opted for brunch style sausage and bacon rolls while I went my own unique way and chose carrot and orange cake. It was utter cakey perfection and I enjoyed every single mouthful.

Our return walk along the river was slower (bellies full of good stuff!) and included a stop at one of the pebbly river beaches. The water was beautifully clear and dappled with dancing sunlight, it made me happy just to stand and gaze at it.

Little B won the prize for the very best river beach find - I was a tad jealous until he gifted it to me without a second thought. I've kept it in my coat pocket and every time I get a hold of it I'm reminded of this sunny afternoon and the joy of spending time with family.

How about that ↑↑↑ for an impressive set of roots??!!

It was around 3.30 by the time we returned to the falls, and all felt ridiculously happy in my personal internal world. I do so love where I live, and getting out to enjoy the countryside with J and the Little People is one of my all time bestest most favourite pleasures (especially when you add in coffee, cake and pebbly beaches).

And here I am, engaging in one of my other favourite pleasures - a little spell of fireside crochet. Actually, this was Sunday afternoon and I don't think we'd lit the fire by this point but I still like to sit on the floor there. I've got a couple of surprisingly comfy, boxy square floor cushions and when my blanket has reached full-body length it's lovely to sit crocheting on the floor with the blanket stretched out in front of me. It's a visual feast!

Dune blanket is coming along beautifully and I am so very happy with it. It's hard to put into words - saying "very happy" seems rather lame when I look at those soothing yarny colours worked into cute little seashells and feel an overwhelming sense of joy. For me, this blanket is chockablock full of the best kind of seaside memories and I like to think they surround those stitches like an invisible magical aura. Crochet blankets are just fantabulous, in every way. Love love love making blankets!

I need to chat to my friends at Wool Warehouse and settle on a date for the Dune yarn pack - I've got to finish making the blanket (four more stripes, then the border), work on the printed pattern (which will be included in the yarn pack) and create the full photo tutorial to share here on my blog. I'm thinking it'll be in about two weeks time.......I am also thinking........scenic photos of the blanket at the beach will most definitely be required......sea fever springs to mind......!

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Dune Blanket :: Introduction

Before I begin posting proper today, I'd like to say a huge big ((thank you)) for all your lovely comments on posts just lately. I love hearing from you very, very much and I know it's not always easy in our busy, full-on days to make time to comment on blogs, Facebook, Instagram. It takes time and care to write thoughts and feelings, and I am so grateful that you send your warm words my way. I really do appreciate it! I often question myself when I'm writing about outings or holidays as they are very personal experiences and I do wonder whether anyone will really be interested in what I ate, what the weather was like, or what itty bitty things caught my eye. However, you repeatedly tell me that you enjoy my posts, so I am encouraged to keep sharing the minutiae of my ordinary life and hope to carry on brightening your days.

Following on from my coastal post yesterday, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit more of the inspiration behind my Dune blanket. If you've been following my blog over the years then you will be very familiar with my enduring obsession with the coast. I grew up on the south west coast of Dorset and my childhood memories are anchored to the beaches, clifftops and harbours there. Now that I live 300 miles away in North Yorkshire I've found new coastal places to satisfy my sea craving, so all is well in my world and I continue to try and take regular trips to see the sea. 

The Fylde coast (St Annes in particular) has been a beautiful discovery for me over the past three years, and I absolutely love it there. We visit whenever we can, often for quick day trips but a few times we've been lucky enough to rent a house to extend our stay for a couple days. 

We visit at all times of the year, but I think Winter and early Spring is my favourite season for beaching. There is something truly wonderful about having all that wide open, virtually deserted space for the taking, and walking on this vast sandy beach always makes me feel full to the brim with coastal feel-good.

Although I am a Summer loving soul, I really do love out-of-season beaches. With very few people choosing to walk when the weather is cold, it's often extremely quiet and I do love the feeling of being gifted a deserted expanse of space to roam in. I adore wrapping up warm and braving the elements, feeling the tang of cold, salty air on my face, the wind whipping my hair into knots, and my lungs filling to the brim with all that breezy freshness. It's peaceful and invigorating, calming and energising all at once. It never fails to make me feel really, really happy! 

It was last Autumn when the idea came to me for a blanket inspired by my feelings and memories of this particular coastal location. As you can see in the above photo it wasn't an especially nice day when I was on the beach at St Annes celebrating my birthday in October. In fact it was very grey, cold and fiercely windy but I was still so happy to be there. It was this deep-down contentment and bubbly joy that I wanted to remember and hold onto, and creating a blanket that would become a guardian of those memories seemed like such a good idea.

In the weeks that followed, my mind often drifted back to that day. I thought about the essence of the coast at St Annes, the things that make it special - the huge beach, the natural beauty of the sand dunes which lead down to the open sands, the endless views of the sky, the very gentle, shallow waves advancing and retreating, the abundance of sea shells to be found. It's natural and unspoilt - sea, sand, coastal vegetation, seagulls and seashells......blissful stuff for a sea-junkie like me.

Heading back there last month when the weather was light and bright and unseasonably warm was an utter delight. I had my camera with me everywhere we walked and spent lots of time photographing our holiday there. Dozens and dozens of photos which capture light, colour, texture and happiness.

My Creative Mind began to filter and distil all the images I was capturing on my camera, building an impression of colour and pattern which would represent everything that I love about this beach.

I searched for shells to see what delicate colours were held there. 

I observed light and shade, the changes from morning to night, the reflections and shadows which shifted constantly. But most importantly I began to think about the colours that would capture the emotion of spending such happy hours with family enjoying the fresh air and tranquillity.

Light, airy, breezy, soft, joyful colours, like a chilly gust of salty fresh air followed by a warm hug.

When I'm beginning to think about a new blanket journey, photographing the source of my inspiration and gathering visual material is a vital part of my creative process. I absolutely LOVE this element of design almost as much as the crochet itself. It's like being given permission to have a really good play, and who can resist that??!!

I chatted a little bit yesterday about the full family affair that surrounded this shell gathering mission....it's a really good memory I have of all of us searching the strand line for shells, laying them out on an old weathered wooden sleeper along with gathered driftwood, feathers and the distinctive silvery grey marram grasses which grow in abundance amongst the sand dunes.

Grass, wood, shells......add in some sea, sand, sky......and then finally add the breeze, the salty air and the deep down feel-good.

This is my Dune palette beginning to take shape.

I popped the shells we'd gathered into a paper bag and brought them home so that I could really study the colours in detail.

Some of the shells were familiar and I already knew the names - others I managed to look up online so that I could have that knowledge tucked away in my mind for the future.

Top row - Common Whelks

2nd and 3rd row - Necklace shells, also known as Moon Snails

4th row - Rayed Trough shells

5th row - Cockles

Bottom row - Baltic Tellins

I absolutely love the moon snails, they have such pretty markings and soft colours.

And the cockles and tellins are pretty too, those pale pinks are enchanting and I knew straight away that I would include some of these delicate shades in my Dune blanket. 

As lovely as these pale shell colours are, they would be lost without the rest. Soft neutrals and very pale pinks need to be enriched by the shades of sand, sea, sky and grass.......

....it's still pretty subtle as colour palettes go, but there is a gentle harmony which I find very appealing.

I'm really looking forward to sharing the exact colours I've chosen for my Dune blanket - you'll have to wait a little longer for this information as I won't be publishing the colour list until the yarn packs become available in my shop. I know, such a tease! I am going to show you some of my blanket though......

.....would you like to see?

When it came to deciding on a pattern for my Dune blanket, the obvious choice would have been something Ripple-ish or Wavy. I did ponder on this decision for quite some time (I so very nearly went with the Neat Wave), but I found that my Creative Mind had other ideas and I began to fixate on my collection of shells. 

Shell or scallop patterns are popular in crochet and there are masses to choose from once you go searching. After a lot of sampling, I settled for a type of shell pattern which is slightly different from the usual crochet shells, in that the pattern is worked up in two different rows. I can't tell you how much I love it! It's a fabulous pattern to crochet, easy to get to grips with and very, very therapeutic.

The other thing I really like about it is that it has two distinctly different sides. Both are lovely so there isn't really a right or wrong side as such. The above photo is what I'm calling the front.....

....and this is the reverse. 

The blanket has a gorgeous squishy texture, but the little holes at the base of the shells stop it from looking too dense. I'm so happy with it I have to say.

I've been asked if this would be a good pattern for beginners, perhaps those of you who are relatively new to crochet but have tackled the Sweet Pea, Cosy or Hydrangea stripe and are looking for your next project? I would say absolutely YES, this is a great next step. There is slightly more learning to do with this pattern in that the start and end of the rows change depending on whether you're working an even stripe or an odd stripe. But aside from that it's a very easy pattern to memorise and crochet, and I'll be making my usual full photo tutorial to help you step by step through the pattern.

As you can see, Tilly has been "helping" me to test the blanket for snuggleability qualities and I'm pretty certain she's given it the kitty seal of approval.

Currently, I'm about two thirds of the way through my Dune journey and absolutely love it to bits. I'm hoping that I'll have everything ready to share with you in about three weeks time, around the middle of April.

I won't be running this project as a Crochet-A-Long this time. There will be a Dune yarn pack which will contain a full colour printed pattern, and I'll share a full photo tutorial (with a complete stripe order) free here on my blog too. 

Thank you for always showing such enthusiasm for my designs and ideas, it means the world to me that you enjoy what I do.

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Coastal Happiness

As the weeks whizz by and we're almost at the end of March, I am making time to share the short holiday that we took in February before the memories become too faded. We had our half term holiday during the last week in February and decided quite last minute to book a few nights away in St Annes (Lancashire coast). We've stayed in the same rental house a few times before so it was all beautifully relaxed and familiar to us, and the drive across to the west coast only takes around an hour and a quarter from Atticland. 

One of the reasons behind our sudden decision to take off for the coast was the stunning weather forecast - those of you in the UK will probably remember the astonishing weather we had at the end of February, it was an utter delight! February is usually a cold, grey winter month for us here in the North where we expect fog, snow, ice and sub zero temperatures. But this one week, well, it was an anomaly of grand proportions and the temperature on the day we landed at the coast was a blissful 19 degrees. NiNeTeEn!!!! I don't think I've ever known this type of February weather in my lifetime, and the sheer joy of having unexpected warm sun and blue sky was wonderful. 

We parked our car at the house and immediately set off to walk the short five minutes down to the beach to eat our picnic lunch. We spread out some blankets at the base of the sand dunes, kicked off our boots and socks, shed a few layers of clothing and basked in the early afternoon sunshiny warmth. It felt so so so good!

I can't remember exactly what was in our picnic, but I found this photo of strawberries and remember now how sweet and juicy they were. It really was like a summer picnic miraculously transported into the middle of winter, and I can tell you I loved every nanosecond of it. 

After lunch, I decided to go on a jaunt to see if I could possibly reach the sea. Often when we've been on this beach in the past, the tide has been so very far out that it's not actually been possible to reach the water in the time we've had. Honestly, you could walk for 45 minutes (which is maybe two miles?) and still not manage to reach the sea, the beach really is that vast!

The boys weren't interested in coming along, preferring to stay warm and lazy, idling in the sunny sand dunes. So it was me and Little Lady striding out over the still wet ripples of the sandy beach in search of the waters edge.

It took us around 15 minutes to reach this first patch of water which was like a big salty puddle....

....there we are look, having a super time laughing and chatting as we strolled across the huge expanse of sand. Little Lady is great company - she is almost 15 years old now, taller than me and a beautiful person inside and out.

Eventually we arrived at the edge of the sea where the shallow waves gently rolled back and forth.....

....it was so bright and beautiful!

Along this part of the coast, the tide moves extremely rapidly and you have to keep your wits about you. It's easy to get trapped without realising what is happening - one minute you are standing on wide open sand, the next minute the sea is literally sneaking up behind you and you are standing on an ever decreasing island surrounded by fast rising water. 

We quickly discovered that the tide was coming in around us so took care to outwit it, edging our way slowly back up the beach....

....I loved the patterns in the sand....

....and all the beautiful little sea shells that caught my eye.

I've been trying to identify the ones that I found and didn't know the names of, it delights me to have this kind of knowledge tucked away in my brain. The one above is called a Rayed Trough Shell, isn't that lovely? I probably won't be able to remember this in future as my memory is pretty dire but I do still like to know.

Arriving back at the dunes and the boys were ready to head back to the house. I could have stayed for hours, sprawled out on a blanket soaking up the sun and daydreaming the time away.

I have to say, I really loved seeing my patchwork granny blanket out and about enjoying an al fresco moment - those patchwork colours looked so cheery in the sunshine. I love my crochet blankets so so much! They become so beautifully layered with memories over the years (the granny-patch is 6 years old now) and I dearly love them for the role they play in family life.

Later in the day now, and we are walking back from a trip to the little local cinema (we went to see "How to Train your Dragon 3" which was a fun way to spend 104 minutes).

We chose to walk back along the beach instead of along the road, and enjoy the last of the daylight.....

....it was so pretty! 

A lovely end to a beautiful, beautiful day.

Day two, and we woke up to yet more blue sky and warm sunshine. After a leisurely breakfast (oh, hello warm, flaky croissants and fresh hot coffee!) we set off to walk the four miles of coastline which connect St Annes with Lytham. The two places are often merged together as Lytham-St-Annes but are actually two quite distinct places with their own communities and high streets. 

We walked some of the way along the promenade....

....and some of the way along the beach. The further toward Lytham we got, the more grassy and un-beach-like the beach became. It's a curious coastline this one, being that the actual sea is nearly always absent from view. 

There are still shells to be found though (Cockles and Baltic Tellins and Necklace Shells : thank you magic information-giving internet!)....

....and sand dunes to climb too.

Four miles is quite a long way to walk even if it's mostly flat and scenic, and by the time we arrived into Lytham we were ready to find somewhere to rest and have some lunch.

We hadn't planned on where to go but knew that Lytham has lots and lots of very lovely places to choose from when something to eat is in order. We settled for this very stylish place (The Deacon), lured in by the prospect of sitting in the light and airy conservatory where we could feel as if we were outside while staying warm and sheltered from the wind.

The Deacon was such a treat, and we decided that as it had been J's 50th Birthday a few days before then we could justify the upmarketness of it. The contrast to the day before was not lost on me and although I did so love our modest beach picnic and crochet blanket cosyness, having a proper posh midday meal was super lovely.

The menu was interesting and varied, and Little Lady and I opted to share a platter - Korean chicken wings, sticky ribs, duck spring roll, guacamole, soy dip, pickled vegetables and freshly baked bread. It was delish!!

Full from all the food, we had a big discussion about the journey home, debating whether to catch the bus back or make the return on foot. In the end we divided and the boys decided they wanted to walk (Little B, you do surprise me sometimes!), while Little Lady and I hopped on the bus instead.

As we arrived back way before the boys, Little Lady and I had time to wander along to the end of the pier at St Annes and sit a while in the sunshine. 

It was so lovely, a still moment after all the walking, talking and eating where we felt happy to just sit quietly on a bench and feel the sun shining down on us. I enjoyed the day so much - it was one of those wonderful family days that sticks in the memory, a day of pleasure and leisure, sunshine and happiness.

I spent the late afternoon playing with shells and yarn (as you do), and thinking about a design for a new blanket inspired by this lovely coastline that I have become so fond of.

Our last morning and the weather had changed quite dramatically. There was a misty damp fog hanging low over the beach, and a very faint whiff of light drizzly rain in the air. But still, I felt the need to wander for one last time along the beach, to soak up the peacefulness of all that open space and breathe it all in.

I also had it in my head that I wanted to photograph some shells whilst we were right there on the beach. I am very lucky in that my family don't often question my creative crazy vibe. They ask how they can help, scurry off to search for suitable shell offerings, looking for lovely colours or perfect shapes to gift to me for my photographs.

Didn't they do well? I'm not too sure about the manky feather, but everything else, yes, very photogenic and perfect for my sandy beach inspiration.

I love the subtle colours in these shells, especially the very pretty pink striped Tellins. The Necklace shells (the ones with the spiral whirl) were a new find, and I've only just discovered what they are called. I've never seen them on the beach before, but they are really lovely, especially when you look closely at all the subtle colours and markings.

Little B was enchanted to find a whole load of Mermaids Purses and whelk egg cases along the strandline which fascinated him, especially once we explained to him what they actually are. He very sweetly lined them up next to my shells and asked if I could photograph his collection, he was so proud of his beach finds.

Eventually, after I had taken way too many photographs and we had all begun to feel the chill of the damp morning, we began to pootle along the beach towards the pier.

It felt like Winter again, and the warmth of the previous few days seemed like a distant dream. The wind was cold and gusty and the sky a heavy, dull grey. But I still really enjoyed being out there, I do love beaches in winter. I love the solitude and the peacefulness and the wildness. 

Our favourite cafe on the pier was open and our favourite table right by the window was waiting for us. Frothy Italian coffee for J and me, decadent hot chocolates (oh, so much cream!) for the Little Peeps. It was a lovely close to our coastal break, and we set off for home feeling very full of happy.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, then you may have already seen me hint at the beginnings of a new blanket inspired by our trips to the beach at St Annes. I have had this idea in my mind for a while, since I was there last year for my fiftieth Birthday in October. I experienced a very strong urge to create a coastal blanket that felt like a joyful blast of cold, salty air. I wanted to capture the wide-open feeling of those huge sandy beaches, the softness of the sand dunes, the joy of beach combing and shell collecting, the gentle wandering along the water's edge as the tide ebbs in and out. 

As is often the case with these things, once I start noodling on a creative idea it becomes a ginormous itch that absolutely has to be scratched and I simply cannot let it go. I obsess to the point of crazy, and then I know that I have no choice but to begin the journey. I choose the colours and search for the perfect stitch, then off I go, working those rows so that my brain will stop clammering for it and my fingers can gently bring my ideas to life.

I'll be sharing a blog post about the start of my new Dune blanket very, very soon (maybe tomorrow actually?), it really is rather beautiful and I can't wait to share it with you.

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Stepping out of the Attic

In my day to day life I spend much of my time alone, either at home or in my studio at Coopers Cafe. I don't mind this, not at all, in fact I really adore my quiet life and love that I can pretty much organise my days as I please. Having said that, I do enjoy a little change of scenery from time to time and every so often I like to step out of my solitary Attic life and engage with other creative yarny folks. Sometimes it's just for a day, and sometimes it involves an overnight stay away, and it always, always makes me feel very excited.

As part of the Stylecraft Blogstars team, I am fortunate enough to get a twice yearly invite to spend time at the mill enjoying a concentrated amount of yarny chat and pleasure. I look forward to it so much, it's guaranteed to be inspirational on so many levels, and it's always huge fun getting to spend time with other crochet and knitting bloggers/designers who have become good friends over the years. I've lost count of how many times I've visited the Stylecraft mill now, but it never fails to impress. It's huuuuuuge! A tall, solid building, steeped in history and full of character. We get to ride the cranky old industrial elevator right to the top floor which is where the design team work, and where visitors are made to feel very, very welcome.

I was there a few weeks ago, on a blustery, wild and wet weekend here in Yorkshire. We were gifted the pleasure of an overnight stay in a nearby hotel so it was only a short jaunt to the mill on the Saturday morning. I adore walking into this light and airy room with its wooden floors, rustic brick walls and huge windows with glorious views over the surrounding countryside. But it's always the yarny colour which steals the show every single time, oh it's just fabulous!! I didn't take many photos on my camera, but I did snap a few pictures to share on my Attic24 Instagram Stories which I thought you might like to see.

We generally begin the day with a cuppa and a bit of a show and tell sesh which is always a gasp-worthy event. There is so much talent gathered around the table as you would expect from a giddy tribe of colour-loving yarny designer types.

Lucia {Lucias Fig Tree blog} had three blankets to show us - you can see two of them above look. She is holding up her "January Blues" blanket, and on the table is her completed "Havana CAL" blanket. Both show her exuberant love of colour and pattern and are absolutely breathtaking in real life.

Phil {The Twisted Yarn blog} shared her recently finished knitted picture. The word "picture" doesn't remotely describe the magic that came forth from her needles to create this intricate yarny waterscape. Honestly, this girl is a genius with pattern and yarn, and this is a truly unbelievable work of yarn art. You can read more about it {here}

The morning moves on with a full presentation given to us by the Stylecraft team which tells us about the seasons ahead (in this case we are looking at Spring/Summer 2019). The start of the presentation gives a general overview of the trends which will be featuring in both the yarns and the garment and accessory designs. I am fascinated by the idea of "trend forecasting", and even though it isn't something that carries any weight with regards to my own projects, I just really enjoy seeing sources of inspiration, creative trains of thought, background stories and ideas, and general creative workings in action.

Stylecraft shared two trends which they are using to inspire their yarns and pattern collections this coming season.....want some inside info on what these are????

..........................

Tribal Eccentric :

"a clashing soft & strong colour palette that focuses on vibrancy. This palette has hints of folk-inspired colours reminiscent of tribal textiles that temp a new rhythmic dialog that oozes mystery. Loose lightweight shapes that dance with playful spirit, layers of lace boldly smudged with strong textures that incorporate exuberance and energy."  

Does't that sound amazing? I love how the words and the colours conjure up an overall feeling so that you can begin to picture what sort of knitted garments and decorative details might come from these ideas.

Radiant Romance :

"A sumptuously soft palette of pastels that give a watery fluid feeling. Blush pinks blend with soft lilacs and periwinkles to create a feminine romance that lead into stronger fresh pigments that bring together a more interesting perspective for the use of colour. A compelling blend of man made and natural fibres teamed together with open pointelle structures, simple elegant silhouettes that drape beautifully against the body."

Oh yes, I can imagine this, can't you? It sounds dreamy!! 

The remainder of the morning is spent oooohing and aaaaahing and squishing a huge pile of delicious new Stylecraft yarns. Some of these are absolutely brand spankin' new to the market, and some are additional colours added into existing ranges. It all feels very exciting I can tell you, like the best kind of secret inside intel! I've already shown you the new Special DK colours, and my friend Helen wrote a great blog post outlining the other yarn newbies if you wish to see what they are ((here)).

After lunch we are treated to an informal creative workshop led by one of the Stylecraft team. In the past we've learnt how to do basic Tunisian crochet, how to work colour pooling (which I failed spectacularly at) and how to make Dorset Buttons (LOVED doing these). During this last meet up we learnt how to fold and stitch our own notebooks which was surprisingly therapeutic - it's lovely to make something useful which also has major decorative possibilities I think. We were told in advance that this is what we would be doing, and encouraged to create a cover for our notebooks which are A5 size (like a piece of A4 printer paper folded in half).

I decided to make some little crochet flowers and leaves and stitch them to some pretty pale pink wool felt - I really like how my idea took shape and must make time to finish off the stitching. My handmade notebook is currently sitting on my desk looking forlorn and bare, it needs it's floral cover *adding to my to-do list*

Our next Stylecraft Blogstars meet up is in July and promises to be very special indeed with some extra special tea-party-shaped celebrations. I'm already excited for it, I told you I don't get out much.

Very occasionally my life seems to get extra busy all at once, and hot on the tail of the Stylecraft weekend I found myself packing up all my blankets and preparing for another trip away from the Attic. This time I was heading in the opposite direction out of Yorkshire and into Cheshire, to a shop that I have wanted to visit for many years.

Black Sheep Wools is a fabulous local yarn shop - well, truthfully it's very much more than a shop and is known fondly as The Craft Barn. Sara who owns and runs this well established family business asked me if I would like to be a guest there, to hang out with my crochet blankets and spend the day chatting to customers and eating cake.....what's not to like about that invitation?! With the exception of my role at Yarndale it's not often that I choose to do these kind of events as I am generally a quiet, introverted type and busy public things are a challenge for this solitary Attic dweller. 

I needn't have worried though - I was made to feel so very welcome as soon as I walked in the door, and surrounded by colourful yarn and my beloved blankets I very quickly settled in and felt at home.

The other great thing about the day was getting to spend it with my good friends - those two cheeky rascals with me in the photo above had agreed to come and keep me company for the day. On the left is Emma Varnam and on the right is Christine Perry (AKA Winwick Mum), and they came to Black Sheep Wools to be very famous doing author-ish things and signing their books alongside me and my blankets.

photo credit : Emma Varnam

Emma is probably best known for her Cute Crocheted Animals but she has recently published a brand new book called  "Crocheted Succulents", which as the name suggests is a brilliantly written and humorous project book designed to help you crochet your very own indoor yarn garden. You can read more about the inspiration behind the book on Emma's blog ((here))

Many of you will know Christine already as she is responsible for my own personal sock knitting journey and I know many of you have also taken up sock knitting using her fabulous beginners tutorials. She published her second sock knitting book last Autumn and visitors to Black Sheep Wools were able to tap into Christine's vast knowledge about all things Sock related.

This was the calm before the storm (well less of a storm and more of a tidal wave of yarn enthusiasm) - we were all set up and ready for the day to unfold.

Oh, it really did unfold in style! The day was tremendously busy from start to finish with a huge number of ladies (and gents) travelling to see me and my friends, and to enjoy the hospitality and charm of the award winning Craft Barn. When I say charm, I'm really meaning yarn with a side helping of tea and cake (there is a cafe actually inside the Craft Barn, how perfect is that?!). It's one of those places where you could happily spend a whole day - in fact Sara encourages you to stay as long as you feel like and there are squishy sofas and little knitting/reading/crochet nooks dotted all around the shop. There is also cake, did I mention that? I sampled not only the most delicious home made Yorkshire Ginger Parkin, but also a generous slab of the most divine Coconut and Lime cake which hit the sweet spot like you wouldn't believe.

It's hard to describe the true scale of Black Sheep Wools, but when they tell you it's the UK's largest yarn shop they aren't exaggerating - it's humungous! I took the above photo to show you the racks of Stylecraft Special DK, don't they look scrumptious?

This is the Rowan Flagship area - Black Sheep carries a large number of different yarn brands, from familiar favourites to more unusual and exclusive choices. There's Christine and Emma look, taking advantage of the sofa comfort at the end of a busy, busy day.....we were all a little exhausted I have to say!

At the start of the day, my crochet blankets (all fourteen of them?) were folded oh-so-neatly on the table, stacked and draped in a way that made me feel rather proud of all my years of blanket making. They always look so good when I see them all together, a happy fiesta of colour and pattern and cosy comfort.

By the end of the day, the table ↑↑↑ resembled a glorified rummage sale (albeit a colourful, creative one), and it did make me laugh! My blankets received a lot of love and touchy-feely admiration and I was so happy to learn that a good many ladies decided to set off on a new blanket journey of their own, inspired by my creations. I met some truly beautiful people at Black Sheep Wools, so much kindness, kinship and good spirit. Bravery too, I heard first hand how colour and crochet has helped people rise above life's worries and struggles. I felt humbled and so grateful for this wonderful yarn community I am lucky to be a part of.

So if you took the time to come and see me there - ((THANK YOU)) - I had such a wonderful day.

Here we are look, a little weary at the end of it all, but very happy smiles all round.

Sara, Emma, the Attic Lady and Christine.

If you are ever up north and in the Cheshire area, I can highly recommend a detour to this wonderful shop (directions and practical details are HERE). Don't forget there is tea and cake as well as yarn....you won't be disappointed with either and you will be made very welcome.

Last week I took some time to write up a little Q&A interview for Black Sheep Wools, gosh I did get a bit carried away (sorry-not-sorry) and wrote rather a lot of long winded answers to some really great questions. I talked about many things, including the start of my crochet journey and the very first project I ever made (granny squares for my first blanket, shown above).

If you fancy a read, I suggest you maybe grab yourself a cuppa first and settle yourself somewhere comfy...!!

((Black Sheep Wools and Attic24 interview))

Thanks so much for reading, I hope I haven't bored you too much?! 

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New Stylecraft Special Colours

I've just had to check and double check my dates as I would have bet a serious amount of good chocolate on the fact that Stylecraft released new shades to their Special DK range this time last year, in the Spring of 2018. In fact, it was August the previous year in 2017, yes really it was. Not last year then, but the year before that. Well I never - I certainly lost that particular bet with myself.

I'm delighted to tell you that there are very soon to be four new shades coming to my favourite blanket-making yarn. The size of the Stylecraft Special DK range is already impressive with 80 solid shades and a further 8 marled shades. I absolutely LOVE (in big, over excited capital letters) that the Special colours remain consistent and aren't ever discontinued. In fact there have been over twenty new colours added since I first began using SSDK almost 9 years ago now, and I think the colour range is now very brilliant indeed. There is a fabulous mix of strong brights, beautiful neutrals, pretty pastels and recently an ever increasing number of very sophisticated colours (think the yarny equivalent of Farrow & Ball). It just keeps getting better and better.

What I love about the colour development at Stylecraft is that the decisions are made by people who really love using colour themselves and understand it, not just the business of making and selling it, but the creative emotion involved in designing successful and inspirational colour palettes. These are people who knit and crochet themselves, and I can't tell you how much I love the genuine creative passion that sits at the heart of the colourful decision making at Stylecraft Yarns. 

So without further delay, shall we take a look at the newbies?

Four new shades will be landing very soon, and there they are look ^^^

Cornish Blue, Spearmint, Powder Pink and Toy (yes Toy, I know, slightly odd but very apt!)

They are all lovely colours with a subtlety about them which makes them very easy on the eye. There is nothing brash or acrylicky (yes, I'm claiming that as a real word) about these colours, they are just delightful and blend wonderfully into the existing range as if they were always meant to be there.....

.....what do you think? I'm sure you will immediately have your favourite picked out, you may even feel that all four of these new colours could have a place in future projects.

Shall we take a look at each of them more closely and see how they fit in?

Cornish Blue - as the name suggests, this blue is inspired by the famous stripy Cornishware pottery  and is a lovely mid blue colour. It sits closely next to Aster but as it has a slight grey tone to it, there is a definite affinity with Storm Blue. 

Spearmint - this is probably my favourite of the four as my heart is naturally drawn to the blue-green shades. Spearmint sits closely next to Aspen but think of it as Aspen's more sophisticated counterpart. As with Cornish Blue, Spearmint contains an element of grey tone which stops it from being too mint-ice-cream sweet. It's a beautiful colour in real life, strong but subtle.

Toy - apparently this colour was developed in response to a great many customer requests over the years. There was a need for a natural skin tone which would be suitable for toy making, hence the name. I am beyond glad for the clever Toy name, as flesh and skin just give me the creeps. It's a fabulous colour actually, and one of those which changes a lot depending on the light, and on the colours it sits next to. It's a warm neutral with a soft yellow tone, although it can take on a pinkish tint if it's placed amongst the pinks and apricots (sorry I meant to photograph this for you and forgot). It sits closely next to Stone.

Powder Pink - this was the biggest surprise for me in that I absolutely adored it the moment I saw it, and I am not usually one to fall for candy pastels. It is just so bloomin' pretty! It's soft and powdery, but again it has a very slight underlying grey tone which gives it a beautiful vintage vibe. It's a dirtier version of Candyfloss, and I mean that in the bestest kind of way!

I happened to have a ball of candyfloss in my my bag and wanted to show you them side by side.

Candyfloss on the left looks very acrylicky to me - pretty, but ever so slightly garish.

Powder Pink on the right looks soft and sophisticated by comparison, pale but not washed out. I think it's a massive success and can see it blending in with so many of the softly vintage shades that are already in the SSDK range.

I put the above palette together to show you all four of the new shades playing beautifully with the others. I could see these colours crocheted into a giant granny square blanket, all warm, nostalgic vintage charm.

Delightful!

I've been lucky enough to get my hands on these colours already, but I promise you won't have long to wait. All four new shades will be available in high street shops from 25th March, and with online retailers from 8th April.

I'll have some news for you soon about my new blanket too........I'm using two of the new colours and I am so so happy with it all! More soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February Good Times

It was our half term break last week. We seemed to have it a week later than pretty much the whole of the country and we were all so ready for some idle days of rest and relaxation. It was sooo good, all of it, even the low key days where we forgot what day it was and didn't bother to get dressed until after lunch. 

With the brood returned to school today and our daily routine restored, I've thoroughly enjoyed the gentle silence here in the house. It made me sit quiet and still this afternoon catching my breath (if you can have an emotional breath to catch) taking some time to reflect and think about how this year is going so far. I took a look through my February photos and reminded myself how very good this past month has been.

February can be a tough ol' month and I find that unless I make a conscious effort to seek out the things that make me happy, the days tend to drag by in a slow, dull blur. I really find bluuurrr days very trying so I do my best not to allow them to take hold. It honestly doesn't take an awful lot to make me happy right down to my toes - a short walk by water, a good coffee, a jug of fresh flowers on my table, something colourful and yarny in my hands. All those things would be at the top of my personal feel-good anti-blur list, and instinctively I incorporate them into my days as often as I can. 

It takes effort to get out for a walk in the winter months, and the Little People can be hard to persuade. But I find that when we do make it happen it's soooooo worth it and without fail I always return home feeling uplifted. 

These photos were taken mid month, a cold, brisk stroll around the reservoir one Sunday morning. I wore my short floral wellies and paddled in the shallow water, thinking that if I can't be beside the sea then this sandy little reservoir beach is not a bad second best.

It was one of those walks where we constantly felt like we were only a few minutes away from a torrential downpour that would ruin everything. The sky was so dark and heavy with the threat of rain, but despite the ominous clouds and eerie light it never actually came, and I was thankful for that simple thing.

February was pretty much consumed by the Sweet Pea CAL for me and there wasn't really any time for much else. I spent some days in the studio tidying up and taking stock of things, clearing my table, re-jigging my very full shelves and generally faffing around making everything feel good in there. It's been a while since I had flowers on my studio table so I treated myself to some tulips from the supermarket, and oh they did make me happy!

Over the days that I was working in the studio I had the pleasure of watching those petals gently unfurl in the warmth of my cosy room. Such a beautiful visual pleasure, I couldn't stop drinking them in.

Flowers reached a peak on my mantel last week, with red hyacinths flowering at one end and bridal crown narcissus reaching for the ceiling at the other end.

I absolutely adore narcissus, the scent of them is so sweet and beautiful and so very much a February joy.

Out in my front garden and the crocus patch all of a sudden woke up after its winter slumber. We had a welcome amount of sunshine last week and these flowers bloomed their little hearts out. I'm sure they are early (I think of them as March flowers?) but I'm not complaining, they have been a real treat to see every time I come home and climb the stone steps to my front door.

The starlings continue to murmur above our house each and every evening, and my goodness, it is a spectacular sight. During the past few weeks the numbers have swelled dramatically and the flock is now absolutely mahoosive. Being that they fly (at great speed) right overhead here at number 24 it's impossibly hard to photograph and hard to describe the true scale of it. I found a beautiful bit of video footage on YouTube - do go and look ((here)) to see the full murmuration effect. The downside is the mess - our street is a bit of a poo zone, our car liberally decorated for the season. Not complaining though, I don't think I'll ever forget this Starling Winter.

At the start of our half term holiday last week we were blessed with a short burst of the most incredible weather. Cloudless blue, blue skies and warm hours of sunshine, it was absolute bliss. 

Last Monday we took Little B on his bike to the park and even though it was February (truly a Winter month here in North Yorkshire) the temperature reached a balmy 18 degrees. EIgHtEen!!!!! It was t-shirt hot, lay on a blanket and soak in the sun hot, close your eyes and make-believe it's Summer hot.

It made me think of this....

.....I saw this online somewhere a while ago and it proper made me laugh! So I kept saying to J last week, this is Fool's Spring we're having you know, and he didn't have a clue what I was on about, but still.......it was glorious, an especially good memory as we appear to be firmly into the Second Winter this week. Won't be long until we can enjoy the Spring of Deception. Ha!

Coinciding with Fool's Spring, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a couple of short trips away from home at the end of February. The weather was utter perfection and we couldn't believe our luck.

J and I took off for a twenty four hour one night away from home just the two of us - we didn't go far, driving just 20 miles into West Yorkshire to visit the quirky little town of Hebden Bridge. We booked into a cosy little pub B&B high on the hill above the town, and spent our time walking and pootling in the sunshine.

During half term week, we decided very last minute to take a short family holiday over to St Anne's on the Lancashire coast. We've stayed here a few times before and were able to book the same house which was delightfully relaxing and familiar. I won't bore you with more weather details (just look at that sky!!!), but well, it was bloomin' wonderful. We celebrated J's Big Birthday (he reached the big 5-0 like me) and it was just the best little holiday. 

The tide very rarely comes right in at St. Annes but occasional storms bring the waves right up the beach to the base of the sand dunes, leaving behind a strandline rich with seaside treasure. I just can't resist the urge to collect and gather when I'm by the sea, it's such a deeply ingrained habit that has been with me since childhood. 

You can see how my creative coastal playtime took a hold.........got lots more to show you very soon!!!!

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