Attic24

Summer Harmony Blanket :: part 1

During the past few weeks this glorious bag of yarn as been delivering me a huge amount of daily pleasure. The deep familiarity of these seventeen colours that are so very "me" has felt both comforting and inspiring, and I can honestly say more than ever that a good dose of colour therapy really does absolute wonders for mind, heart and soul. This bag of yarn is making me so so happy!

I hatched this blanket plan back at the start of May - at this time of year I get a strong urge to make outdoor picnic blankets as opposed to indoor bed sized blankets. So far I've made two of these which we use a lot during the summer months, they come with us in the car whenever we go to idle about at riversides, hilltops or beaches. Do you know the ones I mean? There was the Granny Patchwork blanket which I made in 2013, then the Colourwash blanket which I made last year. These two blankets were both stash-busting projects and ended up being roughly 140cm / 4.5ft square.

This year, I felt the strong pull back to my original collection of 17 colours which you can see above. 

Top row, from left to right ::

♥ Aster ♥ Turquoise ♥ Cloud Blue ♥ Sherbet ♥ Spring Green ♥ Aspen ♥ Meadow ♥ Saffron ♥

Bottom row, from left to right ::

♥ Plum ♥ Magenta ♥ Lavender ♥ Wisteria ♥ Clematis ♥ Fondant ♥ Shrimp ♥ Pomegranate ♥ Lipstick ♥

I also had in mind that I'd like to try making my Harmony Granny Squares in these bright colours - I've been thinking about doing a second version of the Harmony Blanket for quite a while, and this seemed like a good time to give it a go. I am all about comfort and familiarity at the moment :)

I absolutely love love LOVE setting out on a new blanket journey, the thrill of it hasn't in any way diminished over the ten years I've been hooking up blankets. It gives me such a buzz, a real infusion of pure happiness where everything feels right with my world.

Over the coming weeks, I'm going to try and document my progress with this blanket in as much detail as I can, so that any of you who might feel like joining me can jump in and give it a go. This would be a brilliant stash-busting blanket to use up odds and ends of yarn left over from other makes. As you probably know, there is already a full tutorial for the Harmony Granny Square on my blog. These squares are crocheted in six rounds, with the final/sixth round becoming the join-as-you-go bit of the making process. Now if I was making this blanket with odds and ends of stash yarn, I would simply dive in and make each square completely at random, picking out colours on the hoof and hoping for the best. However, in this case I have my seventeen balls of yarn and I've decided that the best thing to do is approach it in a little bit more of a methodical way. So instead of making each square in full, I'm making them all round by round. Let me explain......

There will by One Hundred squares in total (arranged in a 10 x 10 square format).

Each square will use a different colour for each round (so six colours per square), and no two squares will be the same.

So unlike the Harmony Blanket which used one single colour for the sixth/joining round, these squares will be ALL-the-colours in the joining round (sooooo excited about that!)

With seventeen colours, this means working in groups of 6 (17 x 6 = 102, so I'm just going to make up 102 squares and abandon two of them in the last joining round as I only need 100).

I hope all that makes sense, and you get what I'm trying to do!!! If you look at the picture above ↟↟ , that's how this blanket started out - 102 little granny squares (6 of each colour) which form the first round of each Harmony Square. It felt really great to get that first fiddlesome round out of the way!

After the first round is complete, the fun really begins - time to choose the right colours to make up the next round (picture me hopping about in my back yard doing this in the hot sun!) In theory it's a simple method, but it does take a little bit of skill to keep the colours balanced out (hot/cold, light/dark) and to be able to visualise how the colours will work together. The above picture shows you exactly how I did it - I laid out the seventeen balls of yarn, then one by one placed the little squares on top of the yarn ball which will form round two. No two squares of the same colour should be put on any one ball, keep them all different. It's quite a challenge, but a really excellent way to learn about colour combining, if you fancy giving it a go yourself.

Its quite an instinctive way to work, and I don't have any real rules that I apply to this process. Some colours just feel right together and some colours just feel wrong together. Some colours give something of a zing when they come together, some colours sing in harmony when they are together. It's just about what makes me feel happy I guess. For example, I really dislike yellow and purple together so try to avoid that combo, but I really LOVE putting blues with reds or pinks for a it of a colour pop!

I have actually written out all the info for this first part if you wish to follow my choices exactly. Click on the following link and you should land on a PDF file which contains a colour info table for rounds one and two (I really hope this works - let me know??!)

Download Summer Harmony Part 1

Once you've decided which 6 little squares go with each ball, the next thing to do is gather them up and make sure you keep a note of what decisions you've made! I decided on this method - take a length of yarn from the ball approx. 30 cm and fold it in half. Thread the looped end through the corner spaces of each square.....

....then pass the ends of the yarn through the loop and pull tight.

This way, your six little squares are all gathered together and you know exactly which colour to use for the second round of crochet.

The advantage of doing this (other than to avoid making colour mistakes), is that it makes this project extremely portable. If you are going out and about with your crochet, all you need to do is pick up a couple of "bundles" and make sure you have the right balls of yarn to go with them. No need to lug all 17 big balls out and about, just take a few at a time and get ready for some easy, therapeutic hooky. 

Working on all 102 squares at a time means that you quickly become familiar with the pattern too, and those rounds really start to fly off the hook. I find it very addictive working in this way ("just one more set, then I must go and cook dinner......"), pleasurable too. 

Before you know it, you will be stashing and stacking those two-round squares feeling mighty happy with your progress. It's hooky heaven!

One thing I do need to mention is about the ends........now don't start groaning and rolling your eyes, honestly, it's really not that bad! With a project like this (six hundred colour changes, people), it's vital that you dig deep and find some end-darning discipline. Keep your needle with your scissors and get used to darning in the ends as soon as you snip off the yarn.

Crochet, snip and darn.

Don't even question it, just try it and you will be surprised how quickly it becomes a habit - trust me, it's the only way to go.

In my next update, I'll show  you how round 3 looks and I'll have a go at putting all the colour info together in a way that makes sense.....now there's a challenge!

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ps Forgot to say - as per the title of this post, I'm calling this blanket "Summer Harmony" 

 

...more little snippets from the Attic...

Colourblock Cushion :: Ta-dah!

Harmony Home Stretch

Dorset Summer 2015

Drifting

Since coming home from Dorset just over a week ago I'm finding it unexpectedly hard to ease myself back into any kind of normal daily routine. I just can't seem to find the energy or the will to address any of the gazillion things that are screaming for my attention, and so I resolutely keep myself feeling slightly adrift and untethered, and the gazillion things remain in a teetering, taunting pile. It's not a particularly bad feeling though, and I can look objectively and see that it's all probably a part of a process and maybe I'm OK to do this drifting thing for just a little while longer. Can't be for too much longer mind you, as I'm well aware that deadlines are looming and commitments are pressing, and there is only so long I can put off the inevitable result of being absent for three weeks. It's almost time to pull my life back into focus, but for now, I kind of like that my days feel like they are a bit blurred around the edges.

Dorset was a bitter sweet time. My camera broke on the first day, and after taking just one picture it refused to work any more, so I took it as a sign that I simply wasn't meant to record those days. No pictures or words, just a series of vivid emotions and memories to hold onto, and really that seems just fine. I have to say, it was most odd to be pootling around Dorset without my blogger's goggles on, most odd indeed! 

When I got home last weekend, I discovered that my camera (which I adore) wasn't broken at all and was just low on battery charge, so that was something of a pheewww moment. Usually I take photographs every day, but recently not so much. I have missed it though, I love uploading images to my laptop and taking in the odd assortment of visuals which represent my life. Yarn and flowers (always those), food and views, animals and kids, home life and scenery. Colour, creativity, joy, life, love. All of those things.

I finished another pair of Man Socks yesterday, a second pair to fit J's size 10 feet. I love this Opal Classics yarn for Man socks, they don't come out too stripy looking (a manly no-no apparently) but are still rather lovely to make. I'll write a sock update post very soon as I like to keep a record of all these kinds of things.

This past week I've loved having a jug of flowers on my table that smell just as good as they look - these stocks have such a beautiful scent and I can't get enough of them. I stick my face into them many, many times a day, and the smell of them makes me feel soooooo good. Kind of nostalgic and childish and dizzy with all sorts of sweet summer memories.

It was our town's annual charity Gala on Saturday, and sadly the weather was down right horrid. The whole day was awash with a persistent grey drizzle which left you feeling a little soggy and down hearted, but in typical British fashion the Gala didn't falter one bit. Our two Teens (oh, I have TWO teens now don't you know since Little Lady turned 13 in the Spring) did their own thing with their respective crowds of buddies, which left J and I trailing in the wet grass with an excited Little B. It's hard not to get caught up in the fairground atmosphere - the sights and sounds are very energising and Little B adored it. Freshly cooked donuts, a fun stint on a child-sized roller coaster, a jaunt in and out of the "House of Fun" and a new giant sized bouncy ball attached to a length of springy plastic and all was crazy-happy in his little world.

In the many long, quiet moments during the past few weeks I've been pratting about with my nails. I blame Little Lady entirely for this recent obsession as she has the most beautiful nails and she inspired me to try and treat my own a little better. When she was smaller, she used to bite her nails badly, but a few years ago during the summer between primary and secondary school, she spent six weeks growing her nails out with amazing results. She's so proud of them, and it impressed the heck out of me that she transformed them through sheer determination and a £1 bottle of Nail Hardener from Poundland. I've never had great nails, ever ever in my life. Sometimes I confess I do nibble at them but mostly they are just quite weak and always split off and look rubbish but I can never be bothered to attend to them. I am trying hard to see if I can do this and am using the same £1 nail hardener technique as recommended by Little Lady. I even have my own nail file and everything. It's a small challenge in the scheme of things, but it is somehow helping me feel like I'm doing OK. I can do this!

A sweet, sleepy kitty picture for you, although there is nothing soft focus or drift-like about this crazy creature. She chased a bee yesterday and got stung on her chin, giving me the nerve wracking task of extracting the bee sting with a pair of tweezers whilst trying to avoid being clawed to ribbons. I felt like biting my nails a teensy bit then I can tell you, I was really nervous! She is one feisty little moggie, but we love her so so much. I've relished having her close by me this past week, her soft, undemanding presence has felt very calming and comforting.

On the morning that I took off to go down to Dorset to see my Mum, I had a yarn delivery. I couldn't take it with me on the train but just knowing that it would be sat here waiting for me to return to it was a really lovely thing. The colours may well look very familiar to you - for me, this colour palette feels like coming home. It represents all that is happy and joyful and full of Summer spirit, which is exactly what I need right now. So I'm just about to start a new Summer blanket using this original colour pack, and am really looking forward to soaking up the happy memories that seem to spin right out of those colours.

Bring on the happy!

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At a Loss

This time last week I was down in Dorset, walking along this gorgeously leafy little footpath. The dappled shades of sunlit green were breathtaking.

I was walking alone, following a familiar footpath across fields that would take me from the town to the sea. I've walked this route many, many times since being a child and it's familiarity was comforting and welcome.

I went straight to the beach and plonked myself down on the warm shingle, at a loss as to what exactly to do with myself.

I had such a very, very heavy heart. I felt so utterly sad this time last week, at a complete loss as to how to remove the solid lump of sorrow that was stuck in the pit of my stomach.

I spent hours gazing out to sea, watching boats come and go, seagulls wheeling overhead, children splashing in the shallows, dogs digging and dashing. The normal stuff of a sunny Sunday afternoon.

But my Mum has gone.

She died on the 18th May, and thankfully I was able to make the 300 mile journey by train to arrive at the hospital to spend the last few hours with her.  My brother and I were both with her when she died, her last breath sure was peaceful, like a soft sigh of pure relief. A gentle end to her many sad struggles, I really hope with all my heart that she has finally found the peace that eluded her in life.

I ended up staying down in Dorset for almost a week to sort out the many things that needed sorting. It was emotional and exhausting, as you would expect and I missed J and the Little People like crazy. I'm home again right now, sitting at my desk thinking that I should perhaps be writing more, feeling more. It's a complex cocktail of emotions I can tell you - perhaps one day I might be able to say more but right now I just need to continue to keep the whys and wherefores to myself. The story is just too sad and sorry to share.

We'll head back down south later today, it's school holidays and we had already planned to head to Dorset during this week. It's such a bitter sweet time - Dorset is looking stunningly glorious at this time of year and I'm looking forward to being back there with my family, despite the sadness.

I'm alright though, please do know that - I'm really alright.  We'll have the funeral this week and say an official goodbye, and life will go on. I'm a lover of life, each day is precious, to be treasured and enjoyed. There is so much to be grateful for.

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Today's Colour Therapy

I've had such a happy time in my studio today, pottering about, arranging some new yarn on my shelves, chatting with lovely visitors and hooking up a few rounds of a new large mandala I'm working on. Oh, and admiring my flowers too, they've been very "visually chatty" today and have demanded a huge amount of my attention!

I've been amazed how long these flowers have lasted as I don't tend to have much luck with gerberas. Usually the stems go all floppy after a few days, but with these ones I cut the stems short so they wouldn't flop about in my jug and they are still looking pretty good twelve days later. The colours are just incredible, so intense and vibrant, they make me swoon a little bit.

I'm using these equally vibrant and swoon worthy cottons this week and I really enjoy having them sitting so prettily in this basket in my studio. So much of what makes me happy is to do with colours and the beautiful visual inspiration they provide. It really is the best kind of feel-good therapy.

Well............what did you expect?? A jug of vibrant floral blooms and a basket of vibrant cotton yarn - how could you possibly think that I wouldn't want to play?!

The yarn I'm using is my favourite for mandala-making, it's Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK. Sadly, that gorgeous zesty Seville (orange) shade was discontinued (even though I did beg them to keep it), so I use it sparingly in my projects.

So I'm making some more mandala hoops to add to the ones I made for Yarndale last year. I loved the installation I created for Yarndale 2016, it was amazing seeing them hanging from the trees and swinging in the breeze. But I need more for this year, because more is more! 

I love making mandalas when I am feeling a little adrift between blankets, they give me a much needed colour boost as well as being insanely satisfying things to create. But as lovely as mandalas are, they just aren't blankets and cripes, I do really, really need a blanket fix. Nothing lifts my spirits more than having a crochet blanket in progress. I'm hatching a plan for an early summer blanket (as is my usual thing at this time of year :: note the date of last year's blanket-planning post!!).

So I've already decided what I'm going to do and am now just waiting for yarn to arrive.........I am really rather excited and can't wait to show you. Yipppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for hatching new blankets!!

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...more little snippets from the Attic...

Notes from the Studio

Gorgeous Sweet William

Things I Know

Dorset Summer 2015

Blue Bluebells

The bluebells came early this year, starting to gently bloom at the end of April instead of waiting until May like we've come to expect here in my patch.

J and I walked in the woods about ten days ago, a sunny Thursday afternoon at the start of the month and it was magical.

As per usual I took a shed load of photographs, and as per usual I wondered out loud why I can't for the life of me just appreciate the bluebells without feeling compelled to capture the visuals, share them and talk about them with the world at large. It's the same thing every year - I absolutely have to show you how bloomin' gorgeous it all is, you just have to see what I see!

I feel an almost obsessive need to try and convey the beauty of this beautiful and fleeting time in May, when the woodland glows with shades of sunlit blue and green.

It's a living sea of colour, the woodsy equivalent of looking out to sea perhaps?

Sigh.....I love this time of year so much.

Last week I enjoyed the most delightful little posy of bluebells on my table at home, well, when I say bluebells I also need to say pinky-purple and creamy-white bells too. Aren't they pretty? I wouldn't usually pick wild flowers, but these ones are growing in abundance all around the edge of our allotment plot and I couldn't resit picking just a few to bring home.

I love having little flower posies on my table and am really looking forward to planting up my back yard pots for this year.....once my little veggie seedlings are planted out safe and sound I'll be all over the flowers.

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...more little snippets from the attic...

Bluebell Time

On My Mind

The Colours of May

♥ Four Things ♥

♥ Four things that have made me feel heart skippy happy this weekend.... ♥

♥ Thing # 1 :: in my greenhouse ♥

Laughing gently to myself here as I typed the word "greenhouse", pretending that I do actually have one. Not really. What I do have is a small plastic tenty type thing held together with zips and metal tubing which cost less than £20 from the home bargain shop down the road. I'm not dissing it mind you, it does the job for now and it really does make me happy. Currently housing some precious little plantlets (which include these sugar snap peas) as we wait rather impatiently for it to be deemed truly frost-free up here in North Yorkshire. I've also got courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes growing merrily away inside the warmth and shelter of my see-through tenthouse, and I'm looking forward to planting them into the ground. At the allotment. Yes, allotment happenings are happening here, and that's a whole other happy tale for another day.

♥ Thing #2 :: in my back yard ♥

We've had some lush early summer type weather here this past week, and although it's currently now cold and peeing down with rain, our weekend was warm and sunny and beautiful. Although I have a deep and lasting love affair with my tumble drier, I do enjoy when the weather makes it possible for me to peg the laundry outside to dry in the sun. My back yard might be teeny tiny, but I have three washing lines, a bucket full of pegs and the delicious pleasure of enjoying sun-dried clean bedding when the weather allows. For that simple thing I am grateful.

♥ Thing #3 :: on my plate (and in my tummy) ♥

With the sunshiny weather at the weekend I ate quite a few meals outside - this was my al fresco lunch on Saturday and it was utterly scrumptious. Wholemeal toast spread with a generous amount of creamy goats cheese, topped with smashed avocado heavily seasoned with cracked black pepper, Maldon sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I really wish I could have made it last longer but I'm ashamed to say that I wolfed it down. Couldn't help myself, partly cos I was very hungry at the time, but mainly the taste of it was so so so good that I just launched straight into devouring mode. Definitely a lunch time thing that I will make again very soon.

♥ Thing #4 :: out and about ♥

Yesterday morning we rallied the Little People and went out to stroll around Bolton Abbey. It was glorious, sunny and green. Oh, that green, it made my heart sing! The leaves are only just beginning to unfurl in the treetops so there was the most beautiful lushness to it all. The woodland floor was a carpet of wild garlic and the scent was intoxicating as we walked. It really was a beautiful way to spend a Sunday morning. We finished up (rather predictably) in the cafe where I treated the Little Peeps to cake and very expensive posh milkshakes, while my man and I enjoyed frothy coffee with a sausage butty (him) and a slab of millionaires shortbread (me). I wish I had the willpower to ease back on the sweet treats as I've got a family wedding to attend in a couple months time and am slightly concerned about the size of body coverage I'm going to need. But.....the shortbread was incredible, no regrets. Deeeeeeee-lish.

Here's hoping you have a fabulous week ahead, full of things that make your heart skip a beat.

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...more little snippets from the Attic...

Tales From Connievan :: Golden Hill Farm

Coastal Walking :: Ravenscar

Elderflower Cordial Time

Yarny Hydrangea Flowers

Do you know, I still find it amazing that these itty bitty little dried flowers have managed to deliver soooooo much creative pleasure in the months since I stumbled upon them last year, who'd have thought it eh? Here I am, a whole seven months and one whole blanket later and I am still finding myself thinking about them and being inspired by them.

If you followed the making of my Hydrangea Striped blanket, you will already be familiar with the fifteen colours I chose - I loved creating and crocheting with this soft, floral colour palette very much. As part of my creative process, I designed a little four petaled flower so that I could make up a set of flowery yarn swatches to show off my hydrangea inspired colour palette. This simple pattern pleased me on so many levels, they are just so cute and easy to make and carried out their job to perfection.

Once my Hydrangea Striped blanket was finished, I thought it would be fun to use up some of the leftover yarn to make more flowers. More is always more where flowers are concerned, and I've been crocheting these yarny blooms here and there whenever the mood has taken me. It's a lovely little project which I especially like to work on at the cafe as they are small and portable and I can chat away quite happily whilst hooking them up without any drama (so very different to the sock situation I can tell you). 

I haven't really known quite what these flowers will become, just that the making of them was fun and it gave me a way to carry on indulging in the colour therapy long after my blanket was finished. 

I am thinking possibly a hydrangea wreath?

Or maybe I might crochet a round cushion and stitch the flowers and leaves to the front of the cushion in a pretty circular pattern ?

Or perhaps I might make a lovely little delicate flowery garland to decorate my mantel?

I love to ponder these ideas as I sit quietly with yarn and hook -so many ideas flit in and out of my Creative Mind as I work my little stitches!

It's been oh-so-beautifully warm here in Atticland this week with blue skies and sunny sun shining down on us here. It's been delicious, and I've enjoyed sitting outside in the gentle warmth of my teeny tiny back yard, adding to my growing pile of flowers and leaves. Yesterday I photographed a quick tutorial for making the hydrangea flowers, even though this is a very easy and simple pattern, I do like to try my best to enable newbie hookers to give these patterns a whirl.

{HYDRANGEA FLOWER TUTORIAL}

There are plenty of pictures in the tutorial to help you, plus patterns for some leaves too, but in a nutshell, here is the basic flower pattern for you :

✿ Hydrangea Flower ✿

Ch 2; work 4 dc in 2nd chain from hook.

(sl st; ch 1; 2 tr; 1 dtr; 2 tr; ch 1; sl st) in first dc.

Work  the same petal sequence (sl st; ch 1; 2 tr; 1 dtr; 2 tr; ch 1; sl st) in each of the remaining 3 dc stitches to create four petals in total. 

Slip stitch into the beginning ch-1 to close round. Fasten off and darn end through the back of flower.

✿✿✿✿✿ Happy flower making! ✿✿✿✿✿

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ps I'll keep you posted on what I decide re the wreath/cushion/garland decision!x

 

 

Asparagus Season

I have such a crush on this time of year, yes I am seriously in love with May. Everything is suddenly so lush and green and our days are deliciously long and light again, which makes me very, very happy. One of my most favourite vegetables is back in season during this month too, which is just the (green) icing on an already rather lovely cake as far as I'm concerned. 

We ate our first English asparagus of the season today, a lunch time treat for J and I, and oh-my-golly-gosh it was absolutely divine.

This is my favourite way to cook asparagus - put the spears into a shallow dish and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Massage the spears gently with your fingers until they are completely coated and glistening with oil, then season generously with flakes of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat up a ridged griddle pan until very hot (no need to add oil), then lay your spears in so that they are all in one layer. Cook for about 15 minutes, tossing and turning the spears every so often so they don't catch - there is a fine line between chargrilled and burnt! The spears will soften but still retain a lush little bit of bite to them.

Tip them out onto a plate, add more seasoning if you like, squeeze a little lemon juice over, then crumble some feta cheese on top. Grated Parmesan also works well if you don't have feta.

Tuck in and eat straight away whilst still piping hot - this is finger food at it's best, so no forks allowed. You can mmmm-mmm-mmmm out loud and lick your fingers as you go, in fact this is pretty much essential when you eat fresh asparagus in May.

Deeeeeeeeliicious.

And in other news, after I'd finished smooching my lunchtime veg I set up a little outdoor studio and made a small tutorial to show you how to make some hydrangea flowers.

I can't decide whether to use these flowers to make myself a hydrangea wreath, or decorate a circular cushion - what do you think?

I'll share the pattern here tomorrow, see you then xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Yarn Shop Day 2017

Well, helloooooo there my lovelies!! I'm so sorry it's taken me a while to get myself sat here for a chat, I've been so lazy these past few weeks, haha!! My days have been drifting rather pleasantly (and rather idly) along, and April morphed into May in the blink of an eye. I'm not reading too much into the whys and wherefores of this laziness that has come over me, but I have certainly appreciated the gentleness of this time.

However, May (being my most favourite time of year) is most certainly bringing in a new wave of creative energy, and I am more than ready for it to unfold. I am missing my blanket making something terrible, oh I miss it so much! I am seriously craving a big new project to get stuck into, and new designs and ideas are tumbling about inside my Creative Mind trying to unleash themselves. It's fun and frustrating all at once, I've got soooooo many ideas doing somersaults up there!!

But more of all that another day - today I need to tell you about what is happening in Atticland on Saturday.................

.................yes, this coming Saturday 6th May is Yarn Shop Day here in the UK. If you've not heard about it before, let me tell you what I know - this is an annual event organised by Lets Knit magazine, to celebrate the wonderful bricks-and-mortar yarn shops up and down the country. Almost 200 shops will be taking part this year, and there is a handy map for you to locate where you nearest Yarn Shop Day party can be found {Yarn Shop Day Map}

This will be the first year that I'll be involved with this event, and I am rather excited about it as I get to yarn-party in my very own town!!!!

I'd like to introduce you to my very own Local Yarn Shop, which is called The Wooleys {no website to give you, but lots of info over on their Facebook page}. The shop has only been open on my local High Street for 7 months but it is already an absolute dreamboat of a place, particularly for those of us who have a soft spot for squishing Stylecraft yarns.....

.....see what I mean? What do your eyes make of that little lot ??!!

The Wooleys in Skipton carries every single colour of the Stylecraft Special range (Dk, Aran and Chunky) as well as other popular ranges (Batik and Classique Cotton for example). It is run by the nicest ladies, and I am often in and out of this lovely little shop, grabbing balls down off those shelves for myself as well as helping friends pick out colours for blanket projects. You just can't beat having a friendly shop where the owners positively encourage you to get down on your hands and knees so you can play with their balls on the carpet. Yes, I am that needy, hands-on type of customer, and I make no apologies for it.

I am really happy to be supporting Yarn Shop Day this year, I think it's a fabulous idea and hope that where ever you are in the country that you'll take a few hours out of your Saturday to go find your local place and help them celebrate the Yarn Love. And if you happen to be anywhere near my little patch of North Yorkshire, I'd like to invite you to come and join me at The Wooleys in Skipton........there will be those gorgeous yarny shelves to squidge......and there will be cake!!

So I'll be hanging out at the Wooleys in Skipton on Saturday (it's easy to find, right in the centre of Skipton town, see the map here for details) - from 10 am onwards. There will be a very generous 15% off all purchases in the shop on the day, and I'll be more than happy to help you select yarn colours and plan projects. Or we can just eat cake, have a chat and get giddy at all the possibilities held in those shelves! I'll have my blankets there for you to see and stroke, and am really looking forward to meeting some of you and indulging in all that colour and yarn. I think there will be some goodies bags and gifts as well as a charity raffle too, it's all good stuff!

I'd also like to let you know that my little Studio room will be open on Saturday for you to pop in and have a peek - it's only about 10-15 minutes walk away from The Wooleys. The lovely ladies at Coopers Cafe Bar would love to see you too (more cake!), there really is no better cup of coffee in town, and the lunches and home baking are to die for. I know I'm very lucky indeed to live in such a fabulous little town, and I'd love to share it with you if you fancy a wee jaunt to Atticland on Saturday......

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Easter Ins and Outs

We are almost at the end of our two week Easter break and honestly, it has been a wonderful time of nothing and everything. For the first time in over a decade (since I was very heavily preggers with Little Lady in fact) we made the decision not to go down to Dorset this holiday. Although I have really missed not strolling about beside the sea on my home turf this Easter, we've enjoyed a very relaxing and restorative time here at home. 

Rather predictably the weather has been very mixed, but as we made zero plans for this holiday other than to wake up each day and enjoy not having to do anything much, it's been great. Early on in the holiday, we had a short run of beautiful, sunny Spring weather so on one gorgeous morning we set out early to make the most of it.

It delights me to tell you that after a lengthy stint (months? years?) of enduring the Little People protesting like crazy every time we suggested a venture into the great outdoors, these days they seem to positively enjoy the idea of it (shock! horror!) It's been a welcome turn about, and not something that I've voiced aloud to them for fear of jinxing the good walking vibes, but oh, I am so so so so glad!

This walk we did to "climb the crag" is a favourite for us - it's local, so less than 10 minutes in the car, and not that lengthy either as the whole round route is only 3 or 4 miles long. The actual climbing bit though, oh that's quite something and takes a bit of doing. The pathway up to the summit is steep and rocky and so for a good 20 minutes there is plenty of huffing and puffing (and possibly a bit of mild, under-the-breath cursing from time to time) as we scrabble slowly upwards. 

But the feeling when you finally reach the top and get to flollop down in a heap is like nothing else, it's exhilarating (in a breathless sort of a way), satisfying and just plain wonderful. This was an impressively early jaunt for us, and we were sitting up amongst these rocks with chocolate, jam sandwiches and hot coffee just after 9 am.

The Little People embraced this walk with such energy and enthusiasm, it made me so happy deep down in the pit of my stomach, like a heart squeeze multiplied by a million. 

Spring is always so slow to get to us here in North Yorkshire, but during April there are always a handful of blue sky days where we feel the first real sunshiny warmth of the year. It feels sooooooo good when those warm days happen!

At the start of the holidays, the warm sunny days encouraged the Little People to take their play outdoors for the first time this year. It's always a lovely time when we can prop open our front doors and listen to the sound of the neighbourhood children playing up and down the street. I generally leave them to it and don't think to photograph what they are up to - but it's pretty much the same simple play that takes place year after year after year. Wheels, bubbles and chalks. Sometimes balls, sometimes an assortment of other toys, but always scooters, skateboards, bubble wands and street chalks. This bucket was half full at the start of the holidays - there has been a LOT of chalky art happening out there!

I didn't decorate for Easter this year, for the first time in ages (last year's efforts are here, if you are remotely interested in my chaotic hang-all-the-things approach). I don't know why I just didn't feel like I wanted to bother, but I'm not going to over analyse that fact. I was content with just a jug of very pretty little daffies on my table, wafting out the most delicious scent. 

In fact, thinking back over the past two weeks, I've spent a lot of time sat at my dining table indulging in quiet me-things. I finally plucked up courage to pull my cable sock out of the naughty corner and give it a thorough telling off. I then spent three hours pulling back the whole of the toe section which had gone horribly wrong and re-knitting it. The relief and the pride was enormous, considering it's just one sock, but oh I am proud! Since I took this photo, the second cable sock is also finished and believe it or not it was even more of a mare than the first one. It took me t-h-r-e-e attempts to do the toe on the second sock, I can't even tell you how cross it made me. But they are finally complete, and I love them, and I am super-proud. I'll write a proper sock update post soon to show you properly and give all the deets. 

In and out, this holiday has been thoroughly dictated by the weather it seems. We spent a lot of time snuggled up at home that's for sure, but on days when it was dry and we all felt like it, we ventured out to walk. 

We visited Bolton Abbey a few times this holiday, and I was surprised to see that the bluebells were well on their way already. 

The weather last week was cold and grey and felt much more like Winter than Spring, so the bluebells looked at odds underneath the still-bare branches of the trees. Still another week or two before they reach their peak here, so I must remember to prime the fam and warn them of an imminent Bluebell Appreciation outing. 

Gosh, never mind the flowers, there has been a lot of chocolate appreciation happening in the Attic these past few weeks. I've been filling little bowls with mini eggs here and there, partly for the pleasure of seeing them sitting prettily on the table, but mostly for the pleasure of being able to pop one in my mouth whenever the mood strikes. I happen to rather like a small chocolate hit with my first coffee of the day, and think perhaps I might need to keep having bowls of little foil wrapped chocolates about the place. The Little People are slowly working their way through their considerable stash of giant hollow chocolate eggs as I'm being very Mumsy and rationing it to small bits each day after dinner. The Teen rebelled a little and took a whole big egg out with him one day last week, but mostly even he is towing the line and sticking to his daily rations.

Did I mention that this past week has been cold? Freezing even? We've been back to lighting the fire, no joke, and although I would much rather throw the doors open and step out in my brand new flip flops, the fireside cosiness has been welcome this holiday. It's felt snug and homely here in the Attic, and we've all spent a ridiculous amount of time wearing pyjamas. 

The kitty has seemingly enjoyed having us about at home, she is a cat who likes to be close to her humans and I've frequently found her curled up with Little Lady or Little B.

As you can see from the above picture, my lovely Hydrangea blanket is very much in use here at the moment. Due to the persistent cold weather, all my blankets have been used a lot during this holiday as we've indulged in a lot of sofa time. It makes me really happy to see the Little People using my blankets (they've all got blankets on their beds right now too), and I wish for these blankety memories to stick fast and hold tight for a long time to come.

This is how the corner of our living room looks right now though, with the blankets being used to make a rather sprawling hideout for Little B. Goodness knows what goes on under there, but he's been in and out of it all day long.

In and Out - a different kind of out this time though, and as far from the bluebell woods as you could be. We took a train ride to Leeds for a day of shopping, lunch out and posh afternoon drinks in our favourite Sky Lounge. It was the first time we'd taken the Little Peeps to the Sky Lounge and they absolutely loved the whole experience - the big glass revolving doors into the hotel, the ride up to the 13th floor in the lift, the plush golden sofas and velvet cushions, the views, and the posh drinks delivered to our table (pictured above is my mojito which was stunningly delicious)

For the shopping portion of our trip we split into two - J took Little B shopping with his pocket money to the Lego store (huge excitement for this!), whilst I accompanied Little Lady on a bit of a clothes buying jaunt. I don't think I am the best clothes shopping companion (it drains me just thinking about it), but we did OK and she was really happy with her modest purchases. It was such a lovely day with the Little Peeps, one of those times when everything just clicks into place and feels easy and good. Little B was in his element, still so excited by simple train journeys, in awe of big city shops and streets, thrilled by escalators and lifts. 

Yesterday we went to the coast to meet up with J's mama who was spending a few days in St Annes. It wasn't particularly beach weather (it was freeeezing) but we wrapped up warm and made the most of the day. 

After a delicious morning coffee in the cafe on the pier, we set out to attempt to see the sea. This might sound odd given that we were right there at the seaside, but low tide in St Annes means that the actual sea is far, far away. This is more SANDside than seaside. The beach here is seriously huge with great long miles of gently rippled sand, and you need to be quite determined to make it as far as the shoreline. We walked and walked and walked.........

.....and after HALF an HOUR we still didn't make it. I kid you not. We did reach a shallow patch of sea water, but not the sea itself.

Impressive sand ripples though, yes, we saw lots and lots of those. And I loved watching the Little People lark about on the beach as we walked. Collecting shells, using driftwood sticks to draw in the sand and generally letting loose with all that stored up kidlet energy.

After lunch, we spent some time in the municipal park - Ashton Gardens is so beautifully designed and kept, it's a really lovely place to visit at all times of the year.

I went a bit bonkers when I spotted the tulip beds (the local lady walking her dog looked at me as if I were utterly crazy, getting down on my knees to really loooooook at the blooms, which were huge and beautiful and well worth looking at up close).  The Little People burnt off the last of their hot chocolate fueled energy in the play park before we called it a day and headed back inland and home. 

After some wonderful Outings this week, some In days are needed now though as I try and catch up with all that has been neglected recently. After all the excitement and long, full days which led up to the Hydrangea Blanket reveal (thank you so so so much for all your shared excitement over that by the way!), I've appreciated this quiet down time with my family very much. Back to it now though - lots of Yarndale stuff happening behind the scenes right now, as well as some other bits and pieces I'm working on for magazines too. I've been designing and working on a commission this week using this gorgeous, soft summery palette of cottons, as well as writing stuff for various features and generally trying to do what people are asking of me. 

Gosh, this has been a super-long post, I've been writing it on and off for days! It's been so lovely to catch up though, and I promise I'll be back very soon with a proper sock update (I'll have Man Socks on my needles next, what colour do you think J has gone for?????!), and some other yarny news too.

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...more little snippets from the Attic...

Coastal Walking :: Whitby

Dorset Summer 2015

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