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Summer Snaps :: early August 2022

♥ Enjoying my walks in the woodland with J, we walk most mornings at 7am and it's such a beautiful way to start the day. The smell of the summer woodland during a light rain shower is one of the freshest scents I know. It's the very definition of the word "lush".

♥ During the extremely warm weather of the last few weeks, I've really appreciated the dappled shade under the trees. Not just the cooling feel of all that greenery,  but the dancing light and shadows has felt soothing somehow.

♥ Woodland walking and a morning coffee - enjoying my daily rituals no matter what the weather. Yes, I do still love a hot milky brew even on the hottest summer days! Mostly I prefer to take time to go out and sit in a café (especially if they have outside tables) but when J is very busy and tied to his desk I fetch us a takeout. I'm still pretty obsessed with these pastel de nata and absolutely love that my local coffee shop sells them and will wrap one up in tin foil for me to bring home with my coffee.

♥ Crocheting outside in the yarden, enjoying the way the sunshine makes the colours of this yarn glow. Gosh I do really adore this blanket.

♥ An evening walk with Little Lady which involved a slight detour afterwards for some refreshments. We went to a bar in town with a gorgeous outdoor terrace and indulged in a pair of very good mojitos. It was lovely.

♥ A visit to the beautiful RHS Harlow Carr gardens, my goodness it was utterly gorgeous there in early August. The giant herbaceous borders are spectacular and I found all the colours really inspirational. It was the three of us (me and J, with Little B), we took a picnic and had a really enjoyable day. I took loads of photos (of course I did) and will pop them into their own blog post I think.

♥ A family walk out into the Yorkshire Dales, well it was more of a hike really as it was nine miles and a pretty tough climb up to the top of Simon's Seat. Walking over open moorland we found enough ripe bilberries to pick and bring home, and J made two delicious jars of jam with them.

♥ This was a challenging but brilliant walk (the four of us on this day) and again, I took lots of photographs because it was exceptionally scenic. Can you see in the above photo, the shadows of clouds moving across the hillside? I absolutely love-love-love when you get to see that happen, I love it almost as much as still reflections in water. I'll try and find time to show you more of this walk very soon.

♥ A sunny pub beer garden in the late afternoon, in the picturesque Dales village of Appletreewick. It was at the end of our long hike and my goodness, it felt so good to sit down and rest our weary feet! From the pub garden we could see the very top of the high craggy rocks where we had eaten our picnic lunch earlier in the day.

♥ The sky in my wine :) tasted soooooo good after such a long walk!

♥ Visiting the market every Saturday morning with J, it's something we both really enjoy and always a lovely start to our weekend. Right now the summer fruits are abundant and we are eating our way through enormous amounts of strawberries, peaches and plums. Our favourite fruit and veg stall has changed positions on the market and is now right next to a homemade brownie stall.....oh.......it's dangerous stuff.

♥ I couldn't resist bringing some home for the Little People and they were suitably grateful for the Saturday treat. They are too sweet for me (just as well to be honest), but I have it on good authority that they are extremely good.

♥ August so far has delivered us the very best kind of summer weather with endless days of hot sunshine and clear blue skies. To say I've loved it is a humungous understatement, I've been ridiculously overjoyed about the weather and just full of summer happiness. We had a stunning heatwave here last week with temperatures reaching into the 30's which is pretty unusual for us up in the North of England. Oh my, I loooooooooved it!! 

♥ Spending so much time outside has been a huge source of pleasure for me this month, from my early morning woodland walks right through to evening strolls as the sun goes down. 

♥ It's 8am in the above photo, and I'm walking into town to run a few errands before it gets too hot. 

♥ On my way home now, just after 9am and the streets are still beautifully quiet. The town seems to be extremely busy this summer with lots of visitors flocking in on market days. I get a bit of a quiet thrill walking around and playing tourist in my own town, pretending I'm on holiday when I'm actually just popping out to get groceries.

♥ Summer lunch in a bowl, full of fresh flavours. I adore this kind of meal and eat it regularly. Raw courgette noodles (this simple gadget is still one of my faves and I use it loads), with lightly blanched yellow beans (a homegrown gift from my friends allotment) and the sweetest cherry tomatoes. Toss the veggies in a little olive oil and lemon juice, then add some protein (cooked chicken and mozzarella this time) then season and add some fresh basil to finish. Yummmmmm.

♥ Finding a shady spot underneath the tangle of honeysuckle and clematis in the back yard on an incredibly hot afternoon. Can you imagine how happy I am with all this blue sky and bright sunshine to hang about it?!

♥ Coming to the end of my crochet blanket and picking up an old cross stitch project. This is a Cotton & Twine design from two years ago and I only had twelve little buzzy bees left to stitch, so I got busy and completed it.

♥ Ta-dah! I now have all four seasons complete and really love displaying them on my (dusty) mantel. One thing I haven't done much of this summer is housework!

♥ A gentle evening stroll up on the moors to take in the beauty of the heather while at its peak. Oh, it's ridiculously stunning up on those hilltops at this time of year, just breath taking scenery in every direction. It was around 8pm in the above photo and the sun was almost ready to sink below the horizon - yes, yes, I took dozens of photos and will show you some more very soon. 

♥ This last photo was taken yesterday morning as I was nervously pacing the floors, straightening out the blankets and tidying up random objects to keep myself busy. I was waiting for Little Lady to return from school with her A level results and I was suddenly anxious in a way that took me completely by surprise. My goodness, it was an emotional ol' parenting business yesterday! Thankfully I'm pleased to tell you that she did extremely well, and I burst into tears. She got the grades she needed to secure her first choice university place which is a major achievement......but she has made the hard decision not to take it for now. Knowing her as well as I do, I think she is absolutely making the right choice for herself and I'm so incredibly proud of her. Teenage life is such an adventure, it's a thrill ride for sure.

I hope you've enjoyed these snippets, I'm having the best summer this year, such a lovely balance of all good things. I wish I could find more time to share here, I've literally got hundreds of photos that I'd like to show you - we had an amazing holiday week by the sea at the end of July, and then some beautiful staycation days out (Harlow Carr and our Dales hike which I've touched upon in this post). I'll try hard to make the time to upload some more summer blogs. I hope this season is treating you well, grasp every bit of goodness in each day, there is so much to enjoy.

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Summer 2022 :: Saltburn Solo Trip

If you've been visiting with me for any length of time, you will no doubt be very familiar with my love of the sea and all things coastal. I grew up on the south west coast of Dorset and ever since I left home in my late teenage years and moved to the north of the country, I've really missed being by the sea. I think this feeling has actually intensified as I've gotten older, and at times the call of the coast positively bellows at full volume.

North Yorkshire has some fantastic coastline which I'd say is roughly 90 miles away from where I live, making it just a weeny bit too far for a quick day trip. So of course I frequently attempt to engineer short breaks by the sea whenever I think I can make it work for us as a family - we made it to the coast for the new year, and again in February - and sometimes I'm lucky enough to go away with friends. I also try and visit Dorset to stay with my Dad when I can, but I've never ventured to the coast to holiday completely by myself. That is until last month - oh yes indeedy!! 

I can't tell you how strongly I felt the need to get myself to the sea, it was like the most insane itch that I absolutely had to give a good scratchin'! I think it was fuelled by a strong desire for breathing space, for peace, and for something of a personal reset of sorts, a need to simply spend some long hours quietly by myself with my own thoughts. I had a chat with J about how I was feeling, and he told me to just book something and take myself off for a few days - honestly, you should have seen how fast I acted on that, I had something nailed down and paid for within the hour haha! It was all very spontaneous I guess, I booked it on the Sunday and set off two days later, staying Tuesday to Thursday in early July.

As is usual for me I travelled by train, and it felt really exciting to be setting off  on a little mini solo adventure with just a few things packed into a rucksack.

And this is where I ended up after three hours of gentle jigging along the tracks - one of my all time favourite seaside destinations : Saltburn-by-the-Sea. I wish I'd taken a photo of the little train station in Saltburn to show you, it's ever so cute. There are only two platforms at the end of a short branch line and it's right in the middle of the small town centre. You literally step off the platform, out onto the street and a short walk later you're gazing at a sea view.

↑↑ This was where I called home for two nights, a small but perfectly formed little house that has been very beautifully renovated and decorated. I'll show you a bit more of the house in a while and show you the stunning views, it really is one of the loveliest holiday rentals I've ever stayed in. I found it online at the start of the year and could not get it out of my mind, it was love at first sight.

It was quite the experience arriving all by myself and settling in, and the first thing I did was make a trip to the local supermarket to buy some essential groceries for my short stay. I took a photo of my shopping because I was chatting with J about it at the time, and I thought you might like to see......

....there you go! Halloumi (which I sliced and pan fried), ham, cherry tomatoes and salty snacks for my dinner, with yoghurt, grapes and bananas to snack on. Dark chocolate and slices of cake to take care of any sweet cravings, with coffee and a mini bottle of prosecco to drink.  This kept me going (more or less) for two days, although I did buy a few extra items on my second day. I ate breakfast out at a café on my first morning but other than that I had all my meals at the house, sitting on the little outside terrace at the front with a glorious sea view.

When I arrived in Saltburn it was around 3pm on a bright and breezy afternoon, and once the grocery shopping was taken care of I couldn't wait to get down to the beach.

The house where I stayed had easy access down the cliffs to sea level via various stepped pathways (see here to get an idea). Of course it's easy-peasy going down and you arrive on the sands with a spring in your step....

....and the wide open beach spread out to explore.

The hike back up again isn't quite so springy and leaves your legs feeling a weeny bit on the wobbly side. During the few days when I was staying in Saltburn, the amazing water powered lift wasn't in action but when it's running it provides a really amazing alternative to the hard slog of the steps.

The views from the top promenade are stunning though, and there are loads of benches to gently slump on while you recover your breathing and regain use of your legs.

This elevated promenade is beautifully designed and well kept, and in July the beds were absolutely bursting with flowers. I remember being utterly charmed by this part of the town when we visited for the first time back in 2010. We were staying nearby in our caravan and I really fell in love with Saltburn back then and have been drawn to it ever since.

I mean, any town with giant ammonites set into the pavement is going to get my vote. 

The sea views and fresh air are quite intoxicating (in a good way, a very good way) and I found myself breathing deeply and really taking in the scent of the place. At this time of year it smells of sundried grasses, sweet scented flowers and the salty tang of seaweed and is a little bit heavenly if you ask me.

It's six o'clock now, and I'm back at the house having a bite to eat and a few glasses of chilled fizz. The front garden is decked out with built in seating, providing an amazing place to relax and enjoy a drink with a sea view. Cheers!

It's a bit later now and I've made myself a milky coffee and crossed over the road to sit on the bench there. It's a great spot for people watching and taking in the sun as it descends down towards the horizon. I'm feeling beautifully relaxed and a little weary after the excitements of the day, but I decide that I'll find the energy to walk down to the beach a bit later to watch the sun set....

....I mean, how could I let this ↑↑ slip by?? It's around 9:20pm in the above photo and there are only a few souls on the beach at that time.

Isn't it glorious? I experienced a moment on the beach there of absolute profound gratitude for this life of mine, and for the fact that I was standing there all alone with such an insanely beautiful view to enjoy. How very, very lucky I am.

9.45pm now and the sun has slipped quietly beyond the horizon. Time to face the steps again and climb back up to the house to fall into bed. What a day.

Good morning! I'm sat in bed drinking a hot cup of tea and looking out at the grey of a sky which tells me rain might be on its way. Can you imagine how ridiculously happy I was with this view from my bed in the morning? Isn't it fabulous? Here, let me show you the bed (as it looked when I first arrived), so you can fully appreciate the luxury I was enjoying.....

.....oooooooo, isn't it something?? And to think I had that whoooooole big bed ALL TO MYSELF!!!!! How incredibly indulgent to have all. That. SpAcE.

I took my time getting up and getting ready for the day, because after all there was only me and myself to please. I had no plans at all, preferring to see how I felt from hour to hour and deciding on the spur of the moment how to fill the day. First up, the shoreline was calling, so down to the beach I went.....

....to walk along the sands and breathe in that gorgeous salty morning air. The tide was high at this time of day so I crunched over the pebbles up by the sea wall, admiring the colourful beach huts.

Time to climb back up those steps and go for a wander around the town....

....oh, look!! Just look at those flowers!

This old church was completely surrounded on all sides by the most glorious, exuberant planting of Hollyhocks. So, so pretty!

I later learnt that the church isn't in fact a church any more, but home to a community centre and small theatre. Well whatever goes on within those old brick walls, the flowers really did have the wow factor, they were an absolute delight.

I ended up in a small deli in the town for a late breakfast of buttered toast, bacon and eggs, sat at a little wooden table in the window watching the locals coming and going. It's a unique experience being away from home by yourself, choosing where to go, what to eat, and how long to take over each thing you decide to do. I found my pace was deliciously slow and I really enjoyed just sitting in various places (Saltburn has a great many benches, and I absolutely LoVe a bit of bench sitting), or slowly pottering around observing all the little details of the town.

Saltburn is a great place to take in the wide skies too, and you can really see the weather playing out along the coastline as you walk.

I have to be honest with you and tell you that my breakfast and coffee was only just about OK, and not somewhere I would especially recommend. So once I'd finished up I found my feet taking me back down to the beach where I knew for a fact that good coffee could be found. I walked slowly down through the Valley Gardens (I forgot to take photos, but you can see a bit of what it's like here) - it's an interesting mixture of woodland, formal gardens, riverside, playground and park all leading down to the sea. Camfields is down at the very bottom of the gardens where the river flows out to the sea, and is the place to go for great takeout coffee. I really enjoyed sipping as I strolled along the beach....

...parking my butt down on the pebbles with my back leaning against the sea wall. As you can see, the rain did indeed arrive but it was only a very light summer shower, a few minutes of drip-drops landing and then it was gone as quickly as it came.

Eventually I arrived back at the house and it was just after midday. Hmmm....what do I feel like doing with my afternoon? Yes, of course I had packed my crochet, because in early July I was properly falling madly in love with this blanket after being very unsure of it for a few months.

I took the above photo so you can see a little more of the house - it's small but oh-so-lovely and completely open plan downstairs with a beautiful clear light streaming in. What you can't see is to the right of the picture out of view there are huge bi-fold doors leading onto the front decking, so I could sit and crochet with the doors open and the sea breeze wafting in.

I spent the afternoon listening to music and crocheting - I landed on a Spotify soundtrack called "Easy 70's" or something like that and it was absolutely perfect for the occasion. Kind of mellow and nostalgic and summertime-ish. I did manage to get a lot of crochet completed and only stopped when I realised my hands were feeling a bit stiff and achey. I was stunned to discover it was almost 5 o'clock, my goodness, how speedy the time passes when you are living your best life!

I noticed that as the afternoon had passed the grey skies had given way to blues, so on the spur of the moment I decided to take a quick walk down on the beach, my third visit of the day.

Bloomin' heck, it was sooooooo windy!! The tide was at its lowest point so there was a huge expanse of beach exposed and the wind was whipping it up into a sand storm! It was absolutely mesmerising to watch but not at all pleasant to be in, I felt like any exposed skin was being exfoliated and my trainers were literally filling up with sand as I walked.

So I quite quickly came up off the beach and walked back to the house via a wooded lane where I picked a few wild flowers from the verges.

It's six o'clock now and I'm suddenly very hungry so I made myself a simple meal to enjoy - pan fried halloumi, chorizo slices, tomatoes and grapes, with some smoky paprika crisps and a gorgeous chilled drink of Sauvignon Blanc. I have a soft spot for those dinky little miniature bottles of wine you can buy in the supermarket, they feel like a treat and are just right for enjoying a solo drink with dinner.

Here I am look, back to my hooky as the evening rolls in, loving the hell out of my yarny squares and the sea views right outside the door. Happy, happy me.

It's 8.30pm now, but the sky is too cloudy for a good sunset which is a shame. Shall I go for a walk anyways? Oh, go on then, it would be a shame to be inside when there are such beautiful coastal views to be had.

I decided not to head down to the beach this time, but instead stayed up on the top promenade, strolling and bench sitting, breathing in those glorious sea views. 

I'm tucked up in bed by 9.45 with a mug of tea and a slice of cake (who knew eating cake in bed would feel so naughty, but SO good?!), and look it's still light outside. What a wonderful, wonderful day I've had.

I slept for a solid nine hours that night (I'd actually done a lot of walking during the full day I spent in Saltburn, over 25,000 steps) and woke up feeling happy, refreshed and energised. I decided to get busy packing up my things and tidying up the house so that I could head out for one last walk and a coffee before needing to leave and catch my train home.

One final stroll along the top promenade to drink in those views.

The famous water powered lift was getting ready to open later that morning and I was sorry that I wouldn't be there to take a ride. One last walk down the steps......

.....down to Camfields to get my morning coffee. I can highly recommend the Illy coffee, it really hits the spot first thing in the morning.

With my coffee in hand I took a slow stroll along the whole length of the pier....

....stopping to sit on a bench to drink my coffee and watch the waves roll in under my feet. I'm pretty certain that bench-sitting is now my new best thing, in fact I think I could train to become a professional bencher because I do seem to have a talent for it.

I wonder how many benches there are in Saltburn? Can you see them all on the pier in the above photo? I can tell you there are loooooads of benches in Saltburn, benches with a plethora of differing views and vantage points.

Sigh....how I adore this place. 

I've got a little bit of time before my train leaves so I can stroll on the beach for a while....

....and pop a pebble in my pocket to remind me of a very memorable trip.

It's hard to find the words to describe just how good this trip was for my soul, but hopefully through my photos you can get an impression of it. I think I've mentioned before how important it is for my wellbeing to carve out regular alone time to recalibrate and process my thoughts. Usually I am attempting to do this in small snatches of time during the course of a busy day spent at home with the family - short walks to the meadow, a solo takeout coffee by the canal perhaps. It never occurred to me that I could give myself permission to have an extended break away, and with J's blessing it was absolutely the greatest gift and a real privilege. 

Time, breathing space, quiet, stillness. But also flying sparks of energy, inspiration and creativity, a huge recharge that I didn't know I needed quite so much. This solo trip gave me way more than I could have hoped, and I am so, so grateful for the whole experience.

There's just one niggling little problem now though........when do I get to do it all over again?!

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ps I would love to know in the comments whether you've ever taken a trip away all by yourself somewhere? If not, would you like to? Do tell me your thoughts! x

 

 

 

 

 

Summer 2022 :: A Yarny Trip

During July I was lucky enough to enjoy three trips away from home - one of them was a family holiday just a fortnight ago (can't wait to share that with you!), but for the other two jaunts it was just me, myself and I. With J working from home and the Little People being of an age where they are pretty low maintenance, it's possible for me to take off for a few days here and there without too much to organise. I count myself very lucky to have a really supportive hubby who always encourages me to enjoy time away when I need/want it and I appreciate it a lot. Like, a LOT-a-lot.

As you will have seen by the title of this post, this particular trip involved yarn and I needed to hop on and off two trains, then in and out of a taxi to get to my destination. Train travel is a bit of a hit and miss affair right now in the UK and very rarely runs smoothly. Trains seem to be breaking down on the regular, staff shortages cause all sorts of last minute delays and cancellations and the unusually hot weather has played havoc too. So it took me rather a long time to get to where I needed to be....

...which was this amazing, historic boutique hotel down in the very middle of the country close to Birmingham.

I arrived hot, weary and late, the last one to join the table in fact.....

...but I was sooooooo happy to see some familiar smiley faces waiting for me. Hellooooooo Blogstars and lovely Stylecraft peeps, how I have missed you all!!!! You can see me in the above photo (bottom left) smiling widely with an ice cold drink in my hand, soaking up the chatter and laughter and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. We were a smaller group than usual as many of the  blogstars were unable to make it this time. But let me introduce you around the table - there's me bottom left, then moving clockwise around we have Sophie (Stylecraft), Helen Shrimpton (Crystals and Crochet), Bronagh (Stylecraft), Janie (Jane Crowfoot), Catherine (Catherine's Crochet Corner), Phil (who is hiding a bit - she's The Twisted Yarn) and Lucia (Lucia's Fig Tree). And taking the photo is Juliet who's part of the Stylecraft team and was the ninth seat in our party.

It's been a good long while since I was able to meet up with these yarny friends of mine, back in those long ago days before Covid put some huge spanners into all of our social works. Looking through my bloggy archives tells me it was in fact three years ago in 2019, can this be true? Well however long it's been, it really did feel good to be back in such creative company. We enjoyed a delicious evening meal and I personally also enjoyed the tremendous luxury of having a double bed all to myself, yes, it's often the little pleasures which unexpectedly feel like such a treat.

The following morning before breakfast I took a quiet stroll around the hotel grounds which were really lovely. This is a very ancient old building with over four hundred years of history, and in the peace of an early summers morning it was very atmospheric. But old stone walls and tall chimneys aside, there's yarny business to attend to so I better head inside and see what's on the agenda.

In case you were wondering, the Stylecraft Blogstars are a group of crochet and knitting designers who share their love of the craft across various social media platforms (not just blogs, but also Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Ravelry etc). We all really enjoy using Stylecraft yarns and it's been great to see this well loved UK yarn brand grow and expand over the years. There are currently seventeen designers in the Blogstars group and you can find us all listed on the Stylecraft website ((here)). 

The first part of the meeting is always a catch up session where we find out what we're all working on and what plans are in place for the year ahead. Often times when you see a new project released by a crochet/knit designer, it will have been many months (and sometimes years) in the making. It's exciting for us to be able to talk through our plans when they are still in the early baby stages and kept secret from the world at large.

The second part of the morning is all about Stylecraft and we are given a presentation where we gain insight into the year ahead in terms of design trends. This is where we learn about colour palette predictions, fashion shapes and details, and general "moods" for garments and interiors. The Stylecraft team also showcase their new yarns and patterns for the upcoming season  as well as any new colour additions to existing ranges. In the above photo you can see one of the brand new yarns that has just launched (I did double check that I'm safe to show you, because it would be just like me to get the dates totally wrong!)

To be honest with you, most of the new yarns are really lovely but not necessarily yarns that I would personally use, being more suited to knitting or to making garments. It's still fascinating to find out about them though, and we do get to fondle actual balls and have a really good squish. We are also given yarn wraps (shown above) so that we have reference to all the colours in new ranges to help with design decisions and to spark inspiration. In the above photo you can also see another of the brand new yarns which has just launched - this is called Colour Twist and is such a clever yarn made up from different coloured strands twisted together.

One thing I am always interested in, without question, is colour. Colour palettes form the beating heart of all my crochet designs and it's the very first thing I think about when I'm starting something new. In the above photo I was attaching the final squares to my blanket (yes, it's perfectly OK to crochet and have a meeting simultaneously), but in the background you can see a lot of yarn out on the table. We had been discussing the possibility of adding some new colours to an existing range of Stylecraft yarn and I am always, always up for this kind of chat. Colour, colour, colour, yes, let me at it!

I have to say, the team at Stylecraft who make the colour decisions are extremely talented and have art-based backgrounds, so every single range of yarn is always very well balanced and carefully thought out in terms of colour. However, it's still an exciting thing when we get asked for input from a design point of view and can help add some lovely new shades which we'll all be able to create with in future.

After lunch it's time for some gentle creativity and new skill learning, and at this meeting we were treated to a workshop by our very own Jane Crowfoot. We were taught how to add beads to our crochet which is one of Janes trademark design elements and something I've always wanted to learn.

My goodness, it's clever!!! Right from the start when Jane taught us how to actually get those teeny glass beads onto our DK weight cotton yarn, my mind was blown - did I mention how clever it is??! 

Jane actually has a video tutorial for this technique over on the Tube if you're interested in learning - you can find it by clicking the following link : {Janes beaded crochet tutorial}

We followed one of Janes patterns for a beaded flower motif and they turned out soooooo pretty!

If you are interested in using beads in your work, Jane recommends using these very pretty glass beads by knitting designer Debbie Abrahams, they come in around 30 different colours I think and you can find them online ((here)). 

The day passed by so quickly and soon it was time for us to pack up, say our goodbyes and head homewards. I generally enjoy train travel very much and find a lot of value in being gifted time to just sit quietly as you pass through changing landscapes, towns and cities. On this journey I was travelling up the backbone of England, through parts of the West Midlands, Derbyshire and into South Yorkshire, then finally tipping into my home county of North Yorkshire. It's always a sweet moment when I spy my hill view and know that I'm getting close to home.

My trains were delayed and running very slooooow, so it was almost eight o'clock in the evening by the time I was walking from the station towards home. The canalside always feels especially peaceful and still after the constant movement of a travel day...

....and I'm always glad to stop and catch my breath at the top of the steep hill climb and admire my familiar view.

Home.

I took a few photos of my finished beaded flower to show you, isn't it pretty? The whole technique of adding beads to crochet has lots of potential and I love the extra decorative element it adds.

Well I think that's a wrap and hopefully you've enjoyed a little insight into the "working" part of my life as a crochet and colour addict. A big thank you to Stylecraft for gifting us the opportunity to meet and enjoy such a happy, yarn-infused time, I'm already looking forward to the next get together.

⇧⇧ I've got some salty seaside tales to share with you next......yes, July was a very, very good month

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Summer Snaps :: July 2022

♥ a rose blooming just outside my front door.....I'm gifting it directly to you, to say thank you! I've just been reading through all the wonderful comments after my last post, such beautiful words and such lovely sharing of news and happy chat and just thank you, thank you...SO much....for taking the time to write to me in the comments. I read and treasure them all, they bring a lot of joy in through my Attic window xx

OK....on with the July snaps.....

♥ a single rose bringing instant happiness into the room, making my heart sing

♥ hot sun, blue skies and fluffy clouds - July weather was a dream come true

♥ in the heat of the summer I was drawn to the quiet shallow waters of the riverside

♥ I can never resist a pretty feather and found four stunning duck feathers on this river beach

♥ enjoying someone else's roses on an evening walk to the meadow

♥ dreamy, slow evening walks at the end of a hot summers day, warm and golden

♥ the summer meadow is in full tilt, swaying with tall grasses and eye catching seed heads

♥ taking a little time to sit, savouring the golden moment of quiet and still. It's 8.30pm in the above photo, the stuff of my winter dreams.

♥ an intense heat wave came and went, we reached 33 degrees (in the 90's!) here in my patch and honestly, I loved it

♥ morning walks with the fam, enjoying the summer warmth and clear views

♥ evening walks just me and Little B, a gentle stroll across dry fields and along quiet country lanes

♥ still enjoying my daily morning coffee break with J, sitting outside in the café garden making the most of the sunshine

♥ many of my meals eaten outside too, I'm sure they taste better this way?!

♥ working away on my latest crochet blanket, falling madly in love with it all over again

♥ this yarn, these colours = cosy, snuggly joy!

♥ this kitty, checking that all is well with the yarn and taking it very seriously by the looks of it.

I know I haven't shown you very much of this blanket in progress, it's been a crazy journey and at times I've felt quite unsure of it to be honest. But now that I am almost at the end (I'm finally on the edge!), well, I am just head over heels in love. It's one of the snuggliest blankets I've ever made, and seems to glow with warmth and cosy vibes. This week I'm starting on the lengthy process of photographing a tutorial and creating a full colour printed pattern for the blanket kit which will be available in September.

So that was July - it was a beautiful month full of sunshine, heat and glorious summer vibes and I tried my best to soak up every golden minute of it. And now that we're all caught up with the ordinary day-to-day snippets of the month, I'm looking forward to sharing my trips away with you. I had a good many wonderful, happy, memorable summer days in July, so much summery goodness came my way and I'm beyond thankful for it. I feel rested and recharged and excited to see what August brings.

Thank you as always for your most excellent company here, I appreciate your visits so very much. More soon!

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Summer Snaps :: end of June 2022

♥ Enjoying evening walks with the sun still golden in the sky at 8pm

♥ The bright cheerfulness of sweet williams on my table

♥ A glorious, long sunny walk with J around Hebden Bridge

♥ Stopping for refreshments towards the end of the aforementioned long sunny walk

♥ More beautiful evening strolls (this was summer solstice)

♥ Making a big batch of elderflower cordial which was delicious as always

♥ Putting ice on my sprained wrist after a ridiculous comedy fall out of the bath. Talk about painful.

♥ Love her. She's such a diva, but she's ours and she is so well loved.

♥ First baking I've done in ages, a banana loaf with sultanas and apricots - yumm.

♥ Weird, heavy stormy weather and high temperatures - I've LOVED it!

♥ Hellooooooooooooooooo....... :)♥

How have you all been? All good here mostly, we are swinging through the summer at high speed and I thought to myself this morning that I really feel the pull to be present here again to write/share so that I don't forget all the goodness that's been happening in the beautiful day to day of full summer.

So this is the start of some catching up, a little collection of snaps which take us through the end of June. It was mostly glorious, the highlight being the weather and all the amazing warmth and sunshine we were blessed with, the summer solstice (the 5th photo of the canal, it was soooooo sunny for solstice this year!) and the end of Little Lady's A levels....lots to be thankful for.

The major low point for me was a stupid fall which had me sprawled across the bathroom floor with my wrist taking the brunt of it. My goodness the pain was something else, and I spent a good few weeks feeling very sorry for myself, especially as it was my right wrist. Luckily after the third week I had more or less recovered and could at last manage to crochet again (YAY!) 

I've almost finished my latest blanket, just dithering on the edge of it, as is the norm. I cannot wait to show you, it's turned out so, so, so beautifully, way better than I ever imagined. I'm quite obsessed with it, seriously. I'm actually wearing it right now, folded in half and draped around my shoulders like an oversized shawl because suddenly after a warm humid day I was feeling a little chilly sat here. 

July is at an end and it's been a busy month for me with three different trips away. I took a gazillion photos this month, I've just spent the past hour uploading them to my laptop and organising them into folders. Would you like knowing about my July jaunts do you think? Because I would really enjoy sharing them with you. Do chat to me in the comments, tell me your highs and lows and how you've been, I'd love to hear....

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ps I'm so glad you popped in to visit.....thank you, thank you xx

 

 

 

And so into June

So here we are, racing through June at such a pace I can hardly catch my breath. Just this morning I happened to catch sight of the date and was astounded to find out that we are already in the middle of the month and goodness me, the Summer Solstice is less than a week away! Say what???!!! I remember it was just the same last year, so maybe this is what May-June feels like at this time in my life? I think it's because our winter season seems to take foreeeeeveeer to be over and done with, that once Spring finally arrives it rushes in and out like a flood tide. 

Towards the end of May my Dad and Lady B journeyed all the way from Dorset to visit for a week, it was a holiday that had been postponed since 2020. Back then in pre-covid times my Dad's memory and general health was very much more robust, so I was a little worried about how he would cope with the lengthy train travel and also being out of his usual environment and routine. Lets just say it was a challenge - whether he was really aware of it or not I'm unsure, but his level of general confusion was pretty heart breaking. So yeah, it was a very intense week, not stressful as such, but highly emotional and draining nevertheless. 

On top of the worry about my Dad's health decline, I also tend to experience a surge of emotions at this time of year - ever since I lost my Mum five years ago, the month of May weighs heavy on me. I'm the kind of person who tends to deal with these things silently and inwardly which is probably not the best way, but keeping everything tightly wrapped up is just the way I am. I'm still trying to come to terms with many things to do with my Mum and the way her life came to a very sad and abrupt end, gosh this kind of deep rooted stuff isn't easy is it?

Anyhow, I'm not here to dig into my past because my childhood and my relationship with my parents has always been quite the messy tangle which I keep locked down tight, but I did just want to let you know a little of what I've been going through lately. Thankfully these times never seem to last for long and I'm pretty adept at bouncing back - boing! I'm here, it's mid June with summer almost upon us and all is warm and well.

At the beginning of June the UK commemorated the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and as such we were treated to a four day bank holiday weekend. The weather was mixed (of course it was) but it mostly held dry if a bit on the chilly-breezy side. The town was hugely busy with visitors, both on the pavements and the waterways and I love the hustle and bustle of a high season holiday weekend when the atmosphere is joyful and celebratory.

On my friendly little street with it's terraced houses all tucked together in close proximity, we collectively organised a laid back Jubilee street party. We applied to the council for a permit to close the road to traffic, hung up strings of red, white and blue bunting and gathered together enough food and drink to feed a small army.

It was a lot of fun just being able to sit in the middle of the road and chat to neighbours from up and down the street, most of whom we did already know (thirty houses in total). There was cake....

....and of course there was Pimms served in paper cups. It was really ever so British and made me remember how very much I love Pimms (and cake) in the summertime.

May and early June is such a l-u-s-h time in the countryside and the abundance of greenery and general floral frothiness has really lifted my spirits lately. 

My daily morning walks in the woodland have continued to keep me simultaneously grounded and uplifted and I'm so thankful for this place that I call home.

Up until this week, the weather has been unseasonably cold (and very windy) during the past few months. I really hope that Summer will bring plenty of warmth and sunshine as I desperately feel a need for both.

I've been keeping an eye on the elderflowers around and about as I'm hoping to make a nice big batch of cordial again this year. The above photo was taken nine days ago, and since then most of the bushes I walk past are now in full floral froth. It's a glorious time of year and I absolutely love to (literally) bottle it up - I'll go and buy the sugar, lemons and oranges tomorrow so that I can get busy with it over the weekend if it stays dry. The recipe is on my blog here >> {Elderflower Cordial recipe, scroll down through the long-winded chatty blog post to find it}

What else to tell you? Building work finished here early last week, resulting in the safe dismantling of an old disused chimney stack and the back wall of our house being repaired and repointed. We asked the builders if they could leave the actual chimney pot for us as I thought it would be fun to plant something in it - my goodness, we were totally unprepared for the monstrous size of it, it's gigantic! It must stand four feet tall and was on top of a stack of heavy stone which was as high again - imagine, an eight foot tall chimney sitting very precariously on top of our bathroom roof, it blows my mind every time I think about it.

Our back yard is still in disarray because the scaffolding hasn't yet come down. I'm impatiently waiting for that to happen and then I can get busy with cleaning and tidying and planting up my pots for the summer.

The past few weeks I've been in full Mum-mode, supporting Little Lady as she revises and sits her A level exams. I think she's doing remarkably well in terms of managing both her time and her wellbeing, putting in many hours of revision and coping with a certain inevitable level of daily anxiety. She's only got two more exams left to do now, so next Tuesday I anticipate there will be much rejoicing, and I will finally be able to breathe out again.

This past week or two I've been working steadily away behind the scenes, finalising the colour palette for my next CAL blanket which will be revealed in November. I generally work around five months in advance which can be quite challenging for someone like me who much prefers the do-it-right-now spontaneous approach. Ahhhh......I can't wait to show you more, so exciting! I'm now working on the stitch design and it's been the usual frustrating, stop-start affair, but I spent a good few hours noodling with yarn and hook today and think I'm finally getting somewhere.

Goodness knows how many hours I've spent at the dining table during these past few weeks as it takes a LOT of time to work through the colour and pattern design process for one of my blankets. My whole heart and soul goes into each and every blanket and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well I think that's about all for now, I hope you are doing ok out there in the world and enjoying these mid year months. Despite the emotional ups and downs, this really is my very best favourite time of year by far.

Thanks as always for popping into the Attic to visit, it's always so good to be here for a chat and a catch up....see you again soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

This Week...

This week...the Huntress wore a delightful Spring dress decorated with fresh wild garlic flowers and it made me smile big and wide.

This week...I enjoyed coffee in the park with a good friend, loving the sunshine on my face while we chatted and caffeinated.

This week...I received a beautifully wrapped gift in the post, a surprise from a very generous friend. It turned out to be the most inspirational book, I promise I'll show it to you very soon because I think you'd like it.

This week...I enjoyed running errands on a gorgeously warm and sunny spring afternoon. Walking to the shops is always a visual pleasure and I often feel like I'm on holiday as I go about my quiet business.

This week...there was a lot of  noise (and mess) as we have builders doing emergency work on the back of our house. That glorious old chimney stack is going to come down because its leaning dangerously, and the whole of the back wall is being repaired.

This week...I admired the old Yorkshire stone that our century old house is built from. I'm looking forward to seeing it repointed and brought back to life.

This week...yesterday in fact, I took my Little Lady out to breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and her good natured, chatty company.

This week...my Little Lady officially left school to begin her A level study leave and it's proving to be a highly emotional time for yours truly, unexpectedly so. She dressed up so beautifully for her farewell celebrations and it reminded me of this long-ago post when she was just four years old. And now....she's eighteen and no longer a school girl. All the Mummy feels, alllllll of them.

This week...I finally finished my umpteenth round of sampling and came to a decision about my latest blanket. It needs reworking with a bigger hook size and less colour changes, so I'm preparing to start all over again from scratch. Weirdly I'm not unhappy about starting over (I'd already made about a quarter of the blanket), I'm just excited to get busy with it again.

This week...I tried hard to find the joy in my working-from-home situation. It's been noisy with the builders knocking seven bells out of the back wall and the whole house needs a good tidy and clean. Everything has felt a bit overwhelming this week to be honest. But the kitty has been such a sweet companion and despite the messy chaos, I felt grateful for this rather haphazard home-based working life of mine.

I hope your week has been a good'n' - tell me something you're grateful for, I'd love to know....

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Spring Joy

After a long winter, the spring season has exploded all of a sudden here in my patch and it really is quite something. Despite the temperatures often remaining very wintry, it's been utterly beautiful and I've been out there drinking it in at every opportunity.

The blossom in the park reached it's peak at the start of May and it was absolutely breath taking this year. During my early morning walks I would stand underneath those floral branches and sigh with pleasure. They filled me with joy every single morning (even in the drizzle).

I went for a little rummage in the antique centre one morning and realised it had been a good few years since I'd last been in. It's a very quirky old place set across three floors, kind of ramshackle and chaotic with an old fashioned, nostalgic atmosphere. It's a wonderful place for a poke about as you never know what you might find - I picked out this teeny old glass bottle for £2 and it was love at first sight. It's perfect to display some miniature spring blooms, and yeah I'm a bit in love with that cute little viola too.

Do you remember me telling you a while back that I've got some new bedding? I've wanted to change my bedding for ages as my bargain £10 supermarket set has faded a lot with constant wash and wear over the years and was looking very tired. As I only ever own one set at a time, it's important to me that I really, really like it because it will be on my bed all the time for many years to come.

I fancied something relaxed that had the look of faded linen and I fell for this Pyjama Stripe design which has exactly the relaxed holiday vibe that I was after. It's not actually linen but is 100% cotton so it feels ever so soft, and I bought some blush pink linen covers for our second set of pillows. It occurred to me when I was plumping my pillows that my Dune blanket would go really well with this new look, adding to the coastal feel. It's inspiring me to think about decorating and refreshing our bedroom, it's about time we gave that room a bit of attention I think.

May weather so far has been very mixed, and in amongst the unseasonal cold we've had a few warm sunny days here and there. You can be sure that I've been out and about making the most of it and we enjoyed our first al fresco morning coffee of the year a few weeks ago. One of our favourite cafés has the cutest little courtyard garden for customers to enjoy, and it felt so good to be sitting outside enjoying the early spring warmth. 

The past couple of Sundays we've taken a local walk along the canal, setting out quite early before the tow path gets busy with cyclists and walkers. We have a good reason to walk this way, and that reason has feathers......

......which belong to this flock of chickens!

They free roam in this large field right next to the canal, and close to the farmhouse there is a wooden stand where you can put money into a little flowery tin and pick up a box of eggs. It's one of the joys of living in a rural area, and being able to see the chickens looking so happy and content going about their clucky business makes the eggs extra special.

The eggs in question are very fresh and are excellent for poaching because the whites hold together in a very satisfying blob (if you've ever made poached eggs using this method, you will know the utter satisfaction of whites that hold tight).

The yolks are super-golden.....

....and make my oat pancakes turn out bright yellow. As a result of our canal side jaunts, my Sunday brunch meals have mostly been of the eggy variety, and have made me very content with weekend life.

I'm getting a lot of joy from food at the moment, there is something deeply satisfying about making a meal for one that sits beautifully in a bowl and looks colourful and nourishing.

This was my lunch on Monday, a roasted sweet potato and chickpea salad with a simple olive oil/lemon juice/maple syrup dressing that really hit the spot. The secret ingredient was little snippets of sundried tomatoes, gosh, the flavours were something else.

J and I are walking every morning still, and have gone back to our woodland route now that mud season is over.

The wild garlic is in full flower and looks unbelievably beautiful at the moment. I think any flowers en masse have a really striking effect and although I get to see this spectacle every single year, I can never quite get over the sheer abundance of it.

The flowers are so, so pretty, and don't get me started on the heady scent in the woodland after a night of rain....I can't find words to do it justice.

On the morning when I was taking the wild garlic photos above, I came across a huuuuuuuge feather just laid in the middle of the pathway waiting for me. It was absolutely pristine and so big, just like you would imagine an old fashioned ink quill pen to look. I can't imagine what bird it would have come from as it's way bigger than any feather you'd expect to find in the woods. Any ideas?

Tilly was beside herself with the Wanties so I've had to hide it from her for now because I just know she would have hunted it down if it joined my feather collection on the mantel. Yes, I have a feather collection - of course I do. In fact, if you cast your eyes downwards and look at the photo below, you'll see it on the left of the mantel next to my Observer books....

.....do you see the feathers? Or were you too mesmerised by my gorgeous tulips!?! It's a good time of year for shop-bought tulips, they are plentiful and affordable and I really love having them on my table.

Talking of tulips, I came across something last month which I've squirrelled away in my brain for next year - a possible visit to an actual tulip field here in England, wouldn't that be something? The field in question is down in Norfolk and opens to the public for a few weeks each year to raise money for charity...oh my heart....I pretty much hyperventilated with excitement when I saw the photos. The open season is ticketed and in high demand I think, so it's a trip that needs careful planning with some good fortune thrown in. 

Ahh, it's been really good to catch up with you here in the Attic, I love sharing snippets of this and that, the little joys that make up my days. The spring season is extremely short here in the north of England because we have such lengthy winters, but in a way it makes them even more special. I hope you're enjoying this season too, and finding lots of little joys in your own days xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

English Bluebells

The bluebells are spectacular this year and I'm so glad that I got to walk through the woods at Bolton Abbey last week to enjoy them at peak floral perfection. All that glorious colour to feast on, I was absolutely beside myself. Native English bluebells are such a stunning deep purply blue (darker than their Spanish cousins), and every single year I forget how wonderful that particular colour is, then fall in love with it all over again.

I read recently that almost half of all the world’s bluebells can be found in the British Isles, apparently our damp climate provides the perfect environment for them to thrive. Isn't that something? Having read that, it makes me love them even more, if that's possible.

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Stylecraft Blogstars Garden Party

Ever since Stylecraft first introduced their new range of organic cotton yarn it has been a firm favourite of mine. If you've not had the opportunity to give it a squish yet or try it out on your own hook or needles, then you have to trust me when I tell you it is absolutely beautiful to work with.

And don't get me started on the colours.....I mean, just look at the above photo, aren't they the most delicious shades? There are 38 colours in total (which includes black and white) and I think they are the perfect mix of cheery brights, pretty neutrals and soft pastels. This cotton has become my go-to yarn when I want to whip up something decorative.

So today is all about a project I've been working on with some of my talented fellow Stylecraft Blogstars, a collaboration of sorts to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and summer in general. We named it the Blogstars Garden Party, and will be bringing you a "feast of festival patterns" inspired by outdoor living, warm summer days and tea parties in the garden. Starting from today and then every other day, there will be new patterns released by the Blogstars which include bunting, placemats, tea cosies, table runners, mandalas and cupcakes....oh, you really are in for a treat!

Lucky me, I get to be the first in line, so may I officially welcome you to the Garden Party, I'm sure you're going to have a lovely time. 

As the patterns are revealed during the next few weeks, you'll notice that each designer has used their own unique palette of colours (and yarns) but they all fit beautifully together as a collection. Our brief was very wide (my favourite kind!) and the only specifications were that we use a pretty pastel colour palette and come up with something decorative that would fit a garden party theme.

I chose six shades of Stylecraft Yarns Naturals Organic Cotton DK :

Bone, Peppermint, Artichoke, Citron, Coral, Papaya

I adore these colours together, they evoke summertime and warmth and are perfect for the project I had dreamed up inside my Creative Mind.

So would you like to see what I came up with?

TINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Of course I did. I don't know where the idea came from but it flew into my head one morning and would not be shifted no matter how hard I tried. So tins it had to be.

It's a simple concept - I figured I could crochet some pretty pastel jackets to fit around everyday food tins that would normally find their way into the recycle bin. I had the idea that the prettified tins could be used on the garden party table to display  flowers, or to hold napkins and cutlery, or even as a container for some fresh herbs (I was thinking mint would be nice, you know, for your Mojito or Pimms)

I set to work straight away, working on the first design that had come to life inside my mind. I actually had more than one idea fighting for my attention, so I ended up making three different designs using the same set of six colours.

Would you like to see them?

↑↑

There you go!

Aren't the colours pretty?

Yes, the lacey edged one is especially lovely I think.

Haha - I am teasing you really, because the above photo is the backside of my creations.

Shall we turn them over so you can see the front?

OK....

Here they come.....

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

These are my Summertime Tins - they are very Attic24-ish I think, and I couldn't love them more. 

I know they look a bit weird in their flattened out state, so I took some more photos to show you them hugging their tins.

Do you remember me showing you these gorgeous flowers back in March? I bought them especially to take photographs of my tins and chose the colours to match the crochet.

Ahhhhhhhh, don't they look fab? I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Lets take a closer look at each one...

↑↑ This one is named FLORA, because the large flower in the centre is a design that I've used a few times before, and it's called Flora's Flower.

I added some leaves and a couple of smaller flowers to make a summer posy, and with the soft blue and cream striped background I think it works well.

↑↑ This one is called the LACE TRIM tin, for obvious reasons. It's actually a neat design - the lacey trim is worked from the wrong side, then folded over at the top so that the right side comes to the front.....

....isn't it pretty? I've actually got this tin on my shelf at the moment with crochet hooks and pens in, it makes such a cute little storage solution.

↑↑ I've saved my favourite tin till last, please say hello to the ✿ FLOWER LADY ✿

She was the first thing that came to mind when I thought about designing tin covers and I absolutely adore her.

I made her a little frill to go around her stripy top, and decorated her with two little flowers. Originally I was going to stitch flowers all the way around like a crown, but in my head I always saw this tin with real flowers in it. So I simply decided to let the real flowers do most of the decorative work.....

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

This was so much fun to design and make, and I hope you love her as much as I do.

As always, I've opted to keep my patterns freely available for you all. I've created a very lengthy full photo-heavy tutorial to help encourage beginners, and there is also a 7-page PDF pattern which you can download/print if you wish. Both are FREE and will stay here on my blog for you to access whenever you like. I've named the pattern Summertime Tins, so if you're looking for it in my alphabetical list in the left hand sidebar ← then it starts with S.

✿ SUMMERTIME TIN TUTORIAL ✿

✿ DOWNLOAD PDF PATTERN ✿

Photo Credit : Stylecraft Yarns

Now the good folks at Stylecraft Yarns did something very special for us Blogstars (and for you too) and arranged a professional photoshoot to showcase the Garden Party projects. I'll be honest, I had no idea what to expect and thought it might just be a table with all of our crochet and knitted things arranged together.

When we were sent the above moodboard a few weeks ago I couldn't believe my eyes - WOW - just wow.

The photos are incredibly atmospheric and very beautifully styled, bringing the whole feeling of a summer garden party to life.

Photo Credit : Stylecraft Yarns

I literally squealed out loud when I noticed the gorgeous model holding one of my tins!!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!! I was so, so excited, it made me feel like I was a Professional Designer and I can tell you that I very rarely feel that way. 

Photo Credit : Stylecraft Yarns

So to say I was thrilled with how the photos came out is a massive understatement, I think they look crazy-beautiful and do a great job in bringing together all the different designs that the Blogstars worked so hard on.

I know this has turned into a long-winded post, so I hope you're still with me at this point because I've got a few more things to tell you.

Firstly, Stylecraft is holding a little giveaway competition where each day of the blog tour, there will be a chance for one lucky winner (and a friend) to win the yarn to make the featured pattern of the day. In my case today, the yarn bundle will be the six balls of Organic Cotton for you to make my Summertime Tins - you need to hop over to the Stylecraft page on Facebook to enter >>

https://www.facebook.com/stylecraftyarn

Photo Credit : Stylecraft Yarns

Secondly, if you feel inspired to make any of the Garden Party projects featured in the coming days and wish to share on social media (please, please do show us what you're making!) then please could you tag your photos with the following hashtag >>

#stylecraftgardenparty

This will allow us to find your work and share it with others. Thank you so much.

Now it's time for me to tell you about who is coming next in the Garden Party tour - say HeLLo to the lovely Julia who is the talented designer and author behind "Hand Knitted Things". 

You can find her blog here >> https://handknittedthings.blogspot.com/  and she is @handknittedthings on Instagram. Julia will be sharing her project with you in two days time, on Thursday 12th May.

↑↑ Here is a little taster for you - she's chosen the most perfect palette of Stylecraft Special DK for her knitting design, I'm sure you're going to love it.

Ah, all this excitement has sent me into a giddy spin, and I think I'm going to need a little lie down now. I really hope you've enjoyed seeing what's been on my hook and in my mind of late, and I'd be thrilled if you felt like making your own tins to pop pretty things in. Here are the links again for you >>

✿ SUMMERTIME TIN TUTORIAL ✿

✿ DOWNLOAD PDF PATTERN ✿

Thank you as always for your most excellent company, and don't forget to visit with Julia on Thursday,

Lots of love, and happy Summertime hooking!

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