Attic24

Harbour Blanket CAL :: Part 2

Hello, hello, I hope you're well and happy and finding lots of joy in your days as we step through the first month of the year. Here in Atticland I've been having a slow, restorative week for the most part, attempting to settle my days into some sort of routine which allows me to get things done while still having plenty of time to rest if I need it. I have to say, I'm finding myself daydreaming quite a bit at the moment, my mind wandering to sunnier, warmer times and I'm looking forward to the seasons shifting and changing to give us lighter, brighter days. 

These photos were taken in May last year when I spent a few days at the coast with a good friend. We rented a small apartment in Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast and our days were filled with walking the coast path, strolling on the beach and pottering around the harbour. The weather was glorious - bright and breezy and absolutely perfect for taking photographs. As soon as I got home I pulled out my yarn pegs and began working on the Harbour colour palette inspired by all that I had seen. 

The bustling holiday town of Whitby and the quiet little village of Staithes are some of my favourite places to visit when I need a sea fix, and never fail to uplift my spirits. It was this happy kind of feeling that I wanted to capture in my Harbour blanket - the carefree, uplifting joy that takes hold when you're on holiday and the days are filled with relaxation and pleasure seeking, and when every view makes you sigh with happiness.

I know from all the photos I've seen on social media since last Friday that there are a good many of you joining me on this blanket journey and I hope that you've enjoyed getting started with your stripes. I would like to thank you all so much for sharing your progress online too (the Facebook groups have been buzzing with excitement!) and for all the heart warming friendship and support you've freely given to our online groups, it's been absolutely wonderful to see.

If you aren't already a part of the Attic24 Facebook community, I can highly recommend it if you're looking for some friendly banter and to join up with hundreds of other hooksters all over the world. You can share photos of your blanket progress, pick up lots of handy hints and tips and chat to your hearts content. There are three groups on Facebook to look out for (there may well be more but these are the ones that I visit) :

Hooked on Attic24

Attic24 and Lots More - UK

Just Attic24 Friends

These groups are very active and friendly, and you'd be made so welcome if you wanted to join in. I'd like to say a massive heart-felt thank you to the fabulous folks who administrate these groups and take care of the day to day running of them, I am so grateful to them.

I also want to take this opportunity to mention that there are absolutely no time restrictions involved with my crochet-alongs, and it's perfectly acceptable for you to take it slowly if that suits you better. You probably already know this but I think it's worth mentioning again - my patterns stay free and accessible on my blog for always, so that you can jump in and use them whenever you like. I see people picking up the cosy stripe blanket all the time, and that was my first ever CAL in 2014!! This year more than in previous years, the Harbour yarn pack continues to fly out of the warehouse as we jaunt through January, so I know there will be hundreds of new blankets starting out every day. All I ask is that you enjoy your own personal hooky journey, no matter when you start or how fast or slow it is.

I've really enjoyed seeing you all fall in love with the Harbour colour palette as those stripes begin to grow....it really is a mood lifter that's for sure. Many of you have found your way to Veronica's online shop (Simply Shade Cards) and are using her wooden shade cards to keep a record of the Harbour colours. Thanks to Karen for the lovely photo above.

I thought it would be fun to share some more blanket beginnings that have caught my eye online this week. I know that the majority of you are following along with me and giving the Easy Eyelet Ripple pattern a try, and it's been fantastic for me to see how much you're enjoying it. It's an easy pattern to get to grips with once those first few rows are done and dusted and I know that you're already appreciating the top notch relaxation therapy that it's bringing to your days.

↑↑ Maria's cat Minty looks happy enough testing out the snuggle factor don't you think?!

↑↑ Awwww, just look at this little cutie!! Poppie shared this adorable photo on Instagram - her Little Man decided that he would like to wear his very own Harbour stripes, so Poppie decided to start her blanket all over again and let him stay cosy in his brand new Harbour Scarf.

Some of you have decided to use alternative Attic24 patterns for your Harbour stripes, and I always think it's inspirational to see....

↑↑ Allison is hooking up the Neat Ripple for her blanket

↑↑Amy decided that a simple Granny Stripe would be the way to go for some relaxing hooky time

↑↑ Christine has chosen the Hydrangea Stripe which looks super snuggly in these bright shades

↑↑ Gaye is making the Harbour Eyelet ripple, but at the same time is hooking up a smaller lap blanket using the Dahlia Spike stitch

↑↑ And Denise is crocheting her Harbour colours into a fabulous Yuletide square which already looks stunning. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one grow.

Thank you again for sharing your photos - do please keep posting on Facebook and Instagram ( #harbourblanketcal ) as I absolutely love to see them.

Right then, lets take a look at the second part of the CAL, and the stripes that will be flowing off your hook this week.

If you're making the Mixed Stripe version, then this week you'll be adding another fifteen jolly stripes to your blanket. The bigger it grows, the more happiness seems to radiate out from those ripples, don't you think? It's just such a JOYFUL thing!

You will no doubt have noticed that some of the colours are very bright (hello Clementine, I'm looking at you), but the predominance of cool blue tones allows the bright shades to pop out and sing without being too over powering. 

It's the pops of bright orange, yellow and green which give this blanket it's unique signature, and I hope they are making you happy. Do they remind you of being on holiday? Do you think of the seaside as you ripple up and down those rows? Oh, I really do hope so! I hope your daydreams are as sunny and happy as can be.

Ok, lets have a look at this week's colours, we'll be working on stripes 15-30.

Here is the colour info for Part 2 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Harbour Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

16. Turquoise

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Clementine (for double bed size blankets)

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Cornish Blue (for double bed size blankets)

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Dandelion (for double bed size blankets)

17. Lipstick

18. Lapis

19. Cloud Blue

20. Storm Blue

21. Apple

22. Clementine

23. Aspen 

24. Aster 

25. Tomato 

26. Denim

27. Spice 

28. Dandelion

29. Spearmint

30. Cornish Blue

Part two of the Colourwash version brings a subtle progression to last week, with similar mid-blue tones dancing along with the orange shades. You'll be using four colours this week ::

Tomato, Denim, Aster and, Spice.

I'm currently working on this blanket myself so I am really, really enjoying the colour play first hand at the moment. I think to be honest, the Colourwash Harbour Blanket looks better in real life than it does in photos, so trust me when I tell you that it gets better and better the bigger it grows. 

Here is the colour info for Part 2 of the "COLOURWASH" Harbour Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (the mixed stripe is on page 2 of the PDF)

16. Tomato

17. Denim

18. Tomato

19. Tomato

20. Aster

21. Tomato

22. Aster

23. Tomato 

24. Aster 

25. Aster 

26. Spice

27. Aster 

28. Spice

29. Aster

30. Spice (hint - don't fasten off, there will be another stripe of Spice next!)

I hope this week passes by gently and harmoniously for you - January can be a tricky month to navigate but one thing I do know for sure is that bright colours and soothing yarny stripes really, really help. It's the best kind of therapy there is......enjoy every stitch!!

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Here are some links you might need this week ::

♥ PART 2 COLOUR WORK SHEETS

♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK 

♥ EASY EYELET RIPPLE TUTORIAL

♥ HARBOUR PRINTABLE PATTERN

♥ HARBOUR BLANKET INTRODUCTION

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 1 - stripes 1-15

 

 

Harbour Blanket CAL :: Part 1

YAY, it's CAL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning, a belated Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the start of what I hope is a very happy two month jolly along with these glorious coastal-inspired colours. This is the sixth time that I've shared a blanket journey at the start of the year and I can tell you from experience that it makes a huuuuuuuge difference to the feel of these tricky months. My hope is that you feel it too, and that you enjoy belonging to our vibrant online crochet community as we make a blanket together. I don't think you can beat the joy and satisfaction of immersing yourself in the gentle art of yarning along with a palette of uplifting colours through the darkest months of the year. If you don't crochet, I really hope that my weekly CAL posts will still make you feel good with a little bit of colour therapy, and I'll try my best to chat to you midweek about normal every day life kind of stuff too.

It's been two months since I introduced you to the Harbour blanket, and maybe some of you are new to the Attic and aren't sure what I'm talking about (a warm welcome to you if you're new here!). You can read the introduction post I wrote about the Harbour blanket by clicking on the following link >>

HARBOUR BLANKET INTRODUCTION

These colours are inspired by my childhood growing up by the sea in Dorset, as well the many wonderful holidays I've had at the Yorkshire coast. Harbours and fishing boats have always been a source of happiness for me and hold many memories of much loved places and times spent with special people. 

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

From left to right :

♥ Lipstick ♥  Tomato ♥  Spice ♥  Clementine ♥  Dandelion ♥

♥ Apple ♥ Aspen ♥ Spearmint ♥ Cloud Blue ♥ Turquoise ♥

♥ Aster ♥ Cornish Blue ♥  Storm Blue ♥ Denim ♥ Lapis ♥

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

HARBOUR YARN PACK

I really wanted this blanket to have a joyful, holiday-ish feel to it, and for it to bring forth memories of happy times spent beside the sea. It's an easy pattern (I promise), so easy in fact that I've named it the Easy Eyelet Ripple. I very much wanted to design a ripple pattern that would be perfect for beginners, and I really think this is it so don't be afraid to jump in and give it a go even if you are a complete newbie with the hook. 

For those of you who have made CAL blankets with me before then you will be familiar with the schedule. If this is your first time, here is a quick rundown of the weeks....

Today you have access to the pattern which remains free and accessible here on my blog for ever so that you can use it whenever you like. Each week I'll be giving you a list of stripes so that you can work on a portion of the blanket, and we aim to make 15 stripes a week. Don't worry if this isn't do-able for you, you can absolutely work at your own pace and take ten years to do it if you need to! 

Today - Part 1 (stripes 1 - 15)

14th January - Part 2 (stripes 16 - 30)

21st January - Part 3 (stripes 31 - 45)

28th January - Part 4 (stripes 46 - 60)

4th February - Part 5 (stripes 61 - 75)

11th February - Part 6 (stripes 76 - 84)

18th February - catch up week (darn in those ends!)

25th February - Part 7 - the Border

As always, I've created my usual photo-heavy tutorial to help you crochet your tension sample and learn how to work the Easy Eyelet Ripple. You can find it by clicking on the following link >>

EASY EYELET RIPPLE TUTORIAL

I've also made a simple written pattern that you can download/print if you don't need the step by step help and prefer to have a traditional printed pattern to pop in your bag. You can find it by clicking on the following link >>

DOWNLOAD HARBOUR BLANKET PATTERN

Even if you are an experienced crocheter, I would strongly advise you to crochet a small tension sample before beginning your blanket. This is just 31 chains, then 4 rows of the pattern which is enough for you to familiarise yourself with the way the rows work, as well as giving you reassurance that your hook size/tension is correct. It doesn't take long, and is worth the extra bit of effort I think. You don't have to change colours with the sample if you don't want to - just work up 4 rows in one colour, measure it, then frog it and re-use the yarn.

The Easy Eyelet Ripple uses just one stitch - a UK treble (this is the same as a double crochet in the US) and it's a very intuitive and easy-to-see visual pattern with simple rhythmic counting. It's an absolute joy to crochet, and once you've got that pesky first row out of the way you'll be jollying along with no trouble. I know the first row can be tough - crocheting stitches into a foundation chain can be hard going, especially for new hooksters. Here are my top tips for making this as stress-free as possible:

1. use a bigger hook size to make your chain, then switch down again to work your first row. You can go up two half-sizes to open up the chains a little (eg if you're going to use a 4mm hook for the blanket, make the chain using a 5mm).
2. take your time, and plan to make this first row when you can sit quietly and be completely undisturbed as you count and concentrate on the pattern.
3. make sure you have good light (the first stripe uses Lapis which is a dark blue, so you will need good light to see the chains clearly).
4. use stitch markers. You will need to have an accurate chain count for this to work, there is no room for errors. Make your chains slowly, evenly, and place stitch markers at regular intervals, say every 25 chains. This way, if your mind suddenly goes blank (it happens), or the cat distracts you and you lose count (also a distinct possibility in my house), you only have to go back as far as your last stitch marker.
5. when you work your first row, get into the habit of checking back over your stitches after every single ripple repeat (8 stitches). That way, if you've accidentally gone wrong and made too many or two few stitches, you can easily trouble shoot straight away. The eyelets really help with this - you will know straight away if you come to an eyelet space and you've mis-counted the previous stitches.

After that first row, you will probably need a coffee, or maybe a hefty glass of wine, but you will know that from here on out those rows will be flying off your hook. This is a repetitive, meditative pattern with uber-easy repeats so you will very quickly be able to ditch the written pattern and hook along to your heart's content. 

When I was crocheting the first part of the Harbour Ripple, I actually happened to be taking a short break by the sea at one of the places that inspired these colours. I really wanted to photograph the blanket beginning by the sea, and so I planned this trip to make it happen. It was back at the end of September, and the weather was mild enough for me to sit quietly on a bench overlooking the beach as I completed stripe number fifteen. Sitting and hooking outdoors with a sea view is one of my greatest pleasures, so of course I was in absolute heaven!

I mean, just look at it!!!! How wonderful this blanket looks already, after only 15 stripes!

In case you were wondering, this charming little harbour is in the enchanting village of Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast. I've been visiting here for decades and it holds some very special memories from when the Little People were small - you can see more of it in this post. 

So here we are back at home, and this is what Part 1 looks like. Fifteen ripply stripes of gloriously vibrant colour.

In the above photo you can clearly see how wonderful those little eyelets are, they add a lovely extra dimension to the look and feel of the blanket, but also they serve to really help when you are crocheting those rows. As they stack very neatly on top of each other they act like a full stop/pause after every eight stitches which will help to keep you on track with the pattern. Tis very clever!

I have a feeling that you are really going to enjoy this pattern, whether you are using the Harbour colour palette or going your own way with your own colours. 

OK.....shall we take a look at the colour order now, so that you can get cracking with it?

Here is the colour info for Part 1 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Harbour Blanket.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

1. Lapis (Foundation chain & rows 1 & 2)

2. Turquoise (rows 3 & 4)

3. Lipstick (rows 5 & 6)

4. Clementine (rows 7 & 8)

5. Cornish Blue (rows 9 & 10)

6. Dandelion (rows 11 & 12)

7. Spearmint (rows 13 & 14)

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Lapis (for double bed size blankets)

8. Storm Blue (rows 15 & 16)

9. Apple (rows 17 & 18)

10. Tomato (rows 19 & 20)

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Turquoise (for double bed size blankets)

11. Aster (rows 21 & 22)

12. Cloud Blue (rows 23 & 24)

13. Spice (rows 25 & 26)

14. Aspen (rows 27 & 28)

15. Denim (rows 29 & 30)

I always intended for these ripple stripes to be mixed in a jolly random way, to give something of a carefree holiday-ish feel to the overall design. But at the same time I know that many of you prefer your blankets to have more order and harmony, so I've also created a second "Colourwash" version which you might prefer. 

As you can see in the above image, both blankets will use the same set of colours but the order of them changes the look dramatically. The colourwash version is arranged so that the blues sweep upwards in a wash from dark to light, with the bright boaty-inspired shades popping up in between.

Lets take a closer look......

What do you think? I really love it, although I think my heart still prefers the mixed stripe.

Oh, I need to mention one important thing - this blanket is designed to have 84 stripes which will give a finished length of approx 175cm. The colourwash version is therefore not suitable for making shorter or longer blankets (you will need to follow the "Mixed Stripe" for smaller/longer blankets). 

If the colourwash has stolen your heart and you'd like to take your Harbour colours on this soothing journey, lets take a look at part 1.....

This week you will be using four colours : Lapis, Denim, Lipstick and Tomato.

This is the darkest part of the colourwash, and it's also beautifully vibrant - the combination of red and dark blue is very striking. As the blanket grows you'll see that this section very successfully balances out the lighter shades in the second half, and the whole effect will be stunning.

As you can see in the above photo, there are some parts of the colourwash where you crochet a double stripe (4 rows of the same colour), so there is no need to fasten off and restart your yarn in between these stripes.

Here is the colour info for Part 1 of the "COLOURWASH" Harbour Blanket.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (the colourwash is listed on page 2).

1. Lapis (Foundation chain & rows 1 & 2)

2. Lipstick  (rows 3 & 4)

3. Lapis (rows 5 & 6)

4. Lipstick (rows 7 & 8)

5. Lapis (rows 9 & 10)

6. Lipstick (rows 11 & 12)

7. Lipstick (rows 13 & 14)

8. Denim (rows 15 & 16)

9. Lipstick (rows 17 & 18)

10. Denim (rows 19 & 20)

11. Lipstick (rows 21 & 22)

12. Denim (rows 23 & 24)

13. Denim (rows 25 & 26)

14. Tomato (rows 27 & 28)

15. Denim (rows 29 & 30)

I want to gently remind you that if you haven't already done so, you will need to find some way of identifying the yarn colours once you've removed the paper ball band. You can do this by simply sticking some strands of yarn to a piece of paper and writing the colour names next to them, or wrapping yarn pegs like I do. Or you can employ any other clever way that tickles your fancy.......which includes creating an actual shade card for your blanket project.

My friend Veronica has been making and selling these wooden shade cards for a little while now and they've become incredibly popular. She makes them for all of my current blanket designs and you can find them in her Etsy shop - the Harbour shade card is HERE.

I'm also thrilled to share with you these beautiful Harbour Harmony blankets designed by Kaz Hall who is one of the amazing admins in the "Hooked on Attic24" Facebook group. Kaz took my harbour colours and created these stunning versions of my Summer Harmony blanket. 

The Harbour Harmony blanket is being run as a mini CAL within the Hooked on Attic24 Facebook group. Kaz is organising this herself with my blessing, so if you would like to use your yarn pack to create your own Harbour Harmony, head on over to the Facebook group to join in.

There is also a rectangular version which I think is especially stunning - the wash of blues from dark to light makes me feel like I'm looking out to sea....isn't it beautiful?

I would like to say a huge thank you to Kaz for coming up with the idea and organising it all, and also to Sue and Catherine who crocheted the above stunning blankets to show us. Isn't our online crochet community the most amazing and inspirational place? I absolutely love love love being a part of it.

Well, I think that's about all for this week - remember you can share photos or questions on my Facebook page, in the "Hooked on Attic24" Facebook group, or an Instagram (please use the hashtag #harbourcal so I can find your posts).

I really hope you get your blankets off to a great start, have a fabulous, happy hooky week my lovelies!!!!!!!!!

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♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK 

♥ EASY EYELET RIPPLE TUTORIAL

♥ HARBOUR PRINTABLE PATTERN

♥ HARBOUR BLANKET INTRODUCTION

♥ PART 1 COLOUR WORK SHEETS

 

 

December End

Well as I sit and write this it's very, very close to the end of the year (less than four hours to go) and I'm happy to be looking forward to a new year beginning. I don't tend to celebrate New Year's Eve any more (I actually can't physically stay awake for it) and find I'm much happier looking forwards than looking backwards. A brand new start to a brand new year always fills me with positivity and it's a day I really look forward to. 

We had such a lovely, peaceful Christmas this year, and the days that followed have been slow and happy and very restorative. We've been out and about a little in the gloom of these short winter days, but most of our time has been spent cosy at home. I've absolutely love love loved ditching my carefully built routines for a while - no alarm clock, no morning workouts, no rush, no schedule to keep. I've enjoyed waking up naturally and spending an hour or so sat in bed with a coffee or two and my new daylight lamp filling my brain with much needed light.

The weather has been absolutely dire the past few weeks. J told me that apparently this has officially been one of the dullest months ever recorded as we've had so little sunlight in December. Today though, there was sun, and it felt momentous and glorious and soooo uplifting! You can see it in the last photo, and although it was only a few hours, my goodness, I soaked it in as much as I possibly could. 

Yesterday morning I went out with Little B, a necessary outing to get his wild mop of hair cut into submission. It's not all that often that we spend one-on-one time together any more, and I really did enjoy it. I gave him freedom to choose where to go for a spot of late breakfast as a treat and he picked a little creperie café that we'd not been into before. Goodness me, it was one of the best things I've eaten in a long time - a simple lemon and sugar pancake cooked to perfection, and it was huuuuge - in the photo above it was folded into thirds and still managed to fill the plate. Yummmm. 

I took down the Christmas tree and all the other little festive bits today ready for the new year and it feels good, if a little on the bare side. But tomorrow, joy of joys, we are heading to the coast to spend a few days pottering beside the sea, so I wanted to be able to return home on Monday and feel like everything is in order for school and work to begin again. Oh, the sea!!!!! I shall be beside the sea tomorrow, and I cannot think of a better way to begin a hopeful, positive new year. I'm very, very happy about it I can tell you.

Well I think that's all for now, I hope you're feeling good as we move into twenty-twenty-two, and I wish you a year of love, light, creativity and joy.....lots of it!

See you next week, with some sea views and salty good times....

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ps a little reminder that my annual blankety crochet-a-long starts next week on Friday 7th, all details in this post if you missed it xx

 

 

 

Christmastime 2021

It's Christmas Eve and all is calm and peaceful here in the Attic so I thought I would pop by to say hello and share some Christmassy bits and bobs with you. 

On Tuesday I celebrated the Winter Solstice in my own quiet way and as usual it made me feel super happy and contented. I love this gentle celebration of light, and the feeling of the year coming full circle never fails to uplift my spirits. I ventured out in the damp, murky grey afternoon to collect in some greenery and made a simple wreath from ivy, evergreens, eucalyptus and a few berry sprigs. 

My solstice candle this year is a green one called "Christmas Tree" and has a lush scent of pine combined with some other subtle festive scents. It's really lovely and makes the room smell ever so christmassy. Sometimes pine scented candles can smell a bit too much like toilet cleaner, can't they? This one is definitely a good one.

On Wednesday I went on the train to the city in the afternoon, something I'd completely forgotten I was doing until about half an hour before I needed to leave. Little Lady had a 4 o'clock appointment to sit her driving theory test so I'd offered to go with her for moral support. During the hour when she was doing her testing thing, I wandered around the nearby streets and soaked up the Christmas spirit - it wasn't very busy (no complaints about that from me) and I enjoyed just mooching about even though it was blinkin' freezing.

Little Lady came out of the test centre clutching her piece of paper with a big smile on her face and I don't mind telling you I was massively relieved that she passed first time. So happy for her! To celebrate, I treated her to a freshly made chocolate crepe from one of the christmassy food stalls, and then....... a spontaneous ride on a big wheel....!!

Confession from me :: I was a little bit wobbly about sitting in a little spinning box so high up in the sky but I think I coped pretty well all things considering. It was a lovely end to a rather hectic and slightly stressy day.

So, Christmas Eve today, and for the first time EVER (honestly) I managed to finish all the food shopping and all the present buying and wrapping with days to spare. I know, it was a minor miracle. We made a trip to the market early on Wednesday morning, and came home with....

....another small crate of clementines, yay!!!!I absolutely love these fruits and am so happy that I can buy them in large quantities.

YUM!!

Candy canes made it onto the tree again this year, much to Little B's delight.

I took a very low key and slow approach to decorating the house for Christmas this year and nobody seemed to even notice. We put our tree up during the first weekend in December (the Little People insisted on it) and since then I've gradually added a few things here and there when I was in the mood. My friend gave me a pot of hyacinths last week, so I popped them into an old  cup and topped it off with some moss from my front garden and the whole thing makes me sooooooo happy every time I look at it. 

My other hyacinths from the supermarket are on the mantel and just beginning to bloom in time for Christmas which is great timing, accidental, but great.

Over the years theses simple white flowers have become winter essentials for me and I can't imagine not having them in the house at Christmas.

By the way, did you notice the lovely painted wooden horses?

This was one of those to-me-from-me Christmas treats, a small gift for myself. They are from a lovely online shop called Frank and Lusia which sells hand made folk art from Poland. I absolutely love love love EvErYthInG in Zara's shop, the colourful homespun style is right up my street. Zara travels to Poland herself and sources all the items directly from traditional artisan makers and I love following her on Instagram.

I hung my beloved Christmas Wreath up yesterday, oh, what joy it is to unpack this creation every year! I love love love it so much. It was the start of my love affair with crochet wreaths nine years ago and I just adore the exuberance of it.

Another gift I give myself every year is a bunch of festive flowers. In years gone by I would usually buy some red tulips from the supermarket, but last year I upped my game and ordered a bunch from Bloom&Wild to be delivered through my door on Winter Solstice. As I'm on their mailing list I usually receive a worthwhile discount code to use at this time of year, so I take full advantage. I know it's still an extravagant purchase, but well, I do believe I'm worth it ;)

They really are very beautiful and usually stay looking good on my table for the whole of the festive period. 

I didn't really feel like decorating my mantels this year, the effort involved just seemed like a bit much for me to be honest. However, this morning I had a good tidy up and a clean in our downstairs space and suddenly felt like the room needed a little bit more Christmas cheer. I dug out some silver baubles and decorated the twigs that sit on my mantel all year round and the extra sparkle has really made me happy. Can you also see on my twigs I've hung some very sweet little white and red spotted toadstools? These were knitted and gifted to me by a friend and I absolutely love them. As you know, I'm usually very full on with my decs and use allllll the colours, but somehow the simplicity of red, white and silver is doing it for me this year.

Well, having said that, our tree is the usual over the top, full-colour affair that it is every year, nothing changes on these branches and I like it that way. I bought one new decoration for the tree, a little felt mouse that I found on the supermarket shelf looking rather lonely and in need of a loving home. 

Well, I think that's about all from me for now, I'm sat writing this by candle light at the dining table and J and Little B are sat at the other end of the room watching a film. I think it's time for me to go and warm up by the fire and crochet a few rows before bed.

Sending love and light to you through my Attic window, I hope this Christmastime is full of all good things. Enjoy every minute....

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Emerging from the Grey

Hello, hello, helloooooooooo!!!! It's me, I'm back, and I would like to say a massive big thank you to everyone who has checked in with me just lately and left such kind messages. Thank you ever so, you have no idea how much a few kind words can lighten the weight of the day sometimes.  

So yeah, I'm back. I've decided just to emerge from my burrow and blink directly into the light without very much thought as to what I want to say, other than I'm glad I'm finally feeling up to writing again. It's been a pretty dark, murky, grey few weeks to be honest, both in the literal sense (the weather has been vile, so dark and gloomy) and in the emotional sense too.

A brief explanation - I had to change my HRT prescription at the beginning of November (because of certain side effects I was having) and unfortunately over the past month my mood has plummeted down into a rather bleak place. It turned out that the dosage of the new stuff was all wrong (half of what it should have been) but after sorting it out last week I'm very  slowly starting to feel a smidge better. 

During this time I've tried to make the best of my days even when I've felt at a very low ebb.

I've been out walking every single day no matter what the weather as I know that fresh air and exercise are an absolute daily  essential for me.

We've had endless days of very low light where it feels like we've been on the edge of darkness all day long. Occasionally there would be a break in the clouds and yep, you know what's coming.....I drop everything and rush outside to drink in any glimmer of sunshine, I absolutely can't stay indoors when there is a chance of catching some sun. The above photo was just after 3pm on Sunday - I was literally speed walking along the canal chasing the last of the sunbeams before they disappeared over the horizon.

At times I feel so desperate for the light and it's such a weird feeling to crave something so deeply and on such a fundamental level. Clear, bright daylight, that's all I want. 

J and I walked about 5 miles on Monday, just a local stroll out of our front door, up hilly streets, along quiet country lanes and a lengthy stretch along the canal tow path. It was late morning when we set off so we took a picnic lunch with us - nothing fancy, just a hastily made sandwich with some cheese crackers, but we did also have a flask of fresh coffee and some chocolate too. We sat on a bench close to that blue boat and lunched al fresco in the cold, but it was such a simple, enjoyable thing to do on a grey December day.

December hasn't been especially cold so far actually, in fact November felt far more wintry. We had snow at the end of November, I took lots of lovely photos so I'll try and pull together some sort of a blog post to share here as I'd like to be able to remember what last month looked and felt like, even if at times it was a bit bleak. It's good to remember the honesty of it all I think, the ups and the downs of daily life. 

As is often the case, I've found that little seasonal rituals have kept me grounded and have brought me a lot of joy. Small moments of peace when everything has felt off kilter, and often from the simplest of things. Potted hyacinth bulbs came into the supermarkets in late November and as always they felt like the biggest treat. I love the anticipation they bring - the slow, steady wait for the greenery to grow tall and the flowers to bloom.

Lighting my advent candle every day in the run up to Christmas is another ritual that I enjoy very much. This is a fairly recent thing for me, I had my first ever advent candle in 2017 and then every year since. We usually light it at dinner time as we are a family who sits down at the table to eat together most nights, and it's lovely to have the candle burning while we eat.

Other seasonal pleasures are of the fruity variety - I carried home this box of sweet, juicy clementines from the market on Saturday....

.....and pomegranates are in season now too - yay! I do really love these crazy, complicated fruits!

Eating healthy food has really helped me feel a bit better in the scheme of things, it's something positive I've been able to focus on and I'm sure has made a big difference. When mental and emotional wellbeing is on the low side, it can be very tempting to eat allll the sweet sugary things (for me personally these cravings have been quite intense just recently). It's been a job to resist and I haven't always managed it, but I have really tried hard to treat myself with care and compassion. Healthy wholesome food, good quality sleep and as much outdoor walking as possible have helped me keep my physical energies topped up even when I've felt drained in other ways.

Although my hormones are very out of whack at the moment, the lack of daylight is also causing me to feel much lower than usual, and I realised this week that I need to do more to try and help myself cope. I bought myself a daylight lamp which has enough lumens to help combat the symptoms of SAD, and I'm going to use it every morning for 30-40 minutes in the hope that it will make me feel a little more like myself again. There are a lot of lamps on the market and they vary hugely in terms of price, function and design, so I chose one that I liked the look of that wasn't too expensive and had good reviews  (it's this one on Amazon) and it's plugged in beside my bed. It only arrived yesterday, so this morning was the first time using it - wow - it's bright! But it's oddly comforting and does feel a little bit like having the sun shine on your face. I'll let you know how I get on with it in the coming weeks.

Ah....this blog post does suddenly feel a little bit moany, I'm so sorry, it absolutely wasn't my intention to come here and throw a pity party. I promise you I am doing OK and am hopeful that I'll very soon begin to feel my energy return.

There has been some gentle creativity going on in recent weeks, and I've loved spending time with hook and yarn. I've been working in fits and starts on my Yuletide Garland, designing and making some new things which has been exciting and frustrating in equal measures. I've designed two sizes of ivy leaves, some eucalyptus, orange slices and a poinsettia flower, and I've even managed to write out the patterns for them, although I think the eucalyptus still needs a bit of work. I'm well aware that it's only a week until Christmas and that this is all happening far too late, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Maybe this will just have to be kept on the back burner now until next year.

I've also started crocheting up a second version of the Harbour blanket, a variation on a colourwash design and I'm enjoying it MAssIveLy. I should have it finished by the time the CAL starts on 7th January, so I'll be able to give you a sneaky peek of both blankets then. The Harbour CAL will have weekly instalments for both versions so if you're planning on joining in with the Crochet-A-Long then you can choose which one you like best.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support and friendship that you send my way, especially with regards to my blanket projects. It means such a lot to me, hard to put into words, but I hope you know how grateful I am. 

I'll be back very soon to have a look back into November if you'd like to see a bit of what that month looked like for me. Thanks as always for keeping my company, I really appreciate it. Oh, and I need to show you my knitting too - I finished a pair of socks, learnt to knit fairisle, made myself some wrist warmers and cast on a fairisle hat!! Yes, I'd almost forgotten I did all that last month, more on all that coming soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps I can knit fairisle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With two hands and two strands, following a chart and everything!!!!!!!!!!! Might be a weeny bit excited about it too. 

 

 

 

 

 

Harbour Blanket :: Introduction

Good morning, good morning! If you're here looking for the new Harbour yarn pack, click on the following link to go straight there >>

♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK ♥

I hope you'll also enjoy reading today's post where I'm sharing a bit more of the inspiration behind this blanket. I promise that I'll try not to go overboard with all my millions of coastal photos, I'll save some for the CAL :)

Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to take a late Spring jaunt over to the Yorkshire coast with a friend of mine, partly because we both felt in need of a little holiday and partly because I knew I wanted to gather in some visual inspiration. It was mid May and we were exceptionally lucky with the weather - May here in Yorkshire wasn't that great, but on the two days that we spent by the sea we were treated to (mostly) blue skies and some very welcome sunshine.

We stayed in one of my favourite places on the coast, a place that I've visited many, many times during the three decades that J and I have been together. This is Whitby, a picturesque little seaside town with a busy fishing harbour which is deservedly popular with tourists who come to enjoy the beach and the friendly atmosphere. There is a distinct holiday vibe here which I absolutely love and it always makes me happy to spend time around the harbour and in the very old part of the town which is steeped in history. 

I've been thinking about creating a blanket inspired by the colours found at traditional seaside harbours for many years. This is often the way I work, and it's not unusual for me to ponder on creative design ideas and colour palettes for a really long time before it feels right to bring them to fruition. 

During the few days I spent at the coast I did a lot of walking - coastal walking is one of my favourite activities and I absolutely adore it, especially when the weather is playing nice. We walked for many miles, following the Cleveland Way as it ambled up and down the steep cliffs which hug this coastline. I took a LOT of photos, way too many to share with you today, so I'll save them for the CAL so that we can look forward to some coastal views as we make our ripply rows. What I mainly want to show you today is a little bit of the inspiration I found around the fishing harbours, not just in Whitby but also the charming village of Staithes. There aren't nearly so many boats at Staithes as the harbour is tiny compared to Whitby but oh my goodness, the colours are beautiful. 

I mean, just look how colourful and jaunty it all is!! I adore the jolly, carefree summer vibe that these colourful boats invoke, it makes me feel incredibly happy right down to my toes, especially on this grey, cold misty day in mid November when summer seems so far away. I love love love the way that the colours of the boats look so vibrant against the backdrop of coastal blues - those vibrant "pops" of colour light up my colour-loving soul and I can't get enough of them.

It's not just the boats that bring colour to the harbour - vibrant colour is all around once you begin to look for it. These lobster pots really caught my eye with their bright turquoise, jade, mustard yellow and orange netting and I took a gazillion photos of them from every imaginable angle. I hope you appreciate that I'm showing enormous restraint by showing you just one!

May time is full of glorious colour in the countryside, and along the Yorkshire coastline you get to see the country and coast combined. I noticed lots of colour in the fields as it was the time of year when rapeseed crops were in full bloom, and I loved seeing some self seeded flowers right down at the edge of the harbour. These flowers were so gloriously bright that I knew I would have to include some yellow and fresh green in my Harbour colour palette. 

I love the cosy tumble of these Yorkshire seaside villages and everywhere we went I took note of the colours. The terracotta pan tiled rooftops are a very distinctive feature of the Yorkshire coast and look wonderful against a backdrop of cool blue sea and sky.

I also took lots (and lots) of photos of cute coastal cottages with brightly painted doors and colourful ceramic pots full of tumbling flowers - I'll show you more of those once the CAL starts. 

Of course, the overwhelming colour of the coast is blue, blue and more blue, and I couldn't be happier about that! I adore the cool part of the colour wheel and sea blues and greens are my most favourite colours in the whole wide world. Coastal walking is a real treat when the weather is good because sunny skies mean that there are soooooooooo many shades of blue to enjoy. The colours in the sea change minute by minute and I never tire of seeing it. I am quite obsessed by these coastal shades of water and sky, they just fill my soul with such a deep sense of calm and tranquillity. 

As I spent these wonderful hours and days beside the sea, I began to instinctively know how this blanket would look and feel. It would be dominated by blues, because, well....the endless expanse of sea and sky is hard to ignore. I wanted it to feel as peaceful as a wide open sea view - bright and breezy, but also calming and restorative.

And then at the same time I was excited to add in those gloriously vibrant pops of coastal colour that bring such energy and joy. Bright shades of red, orange and yellow which sing against a backdrop of cool blues. This is how I imagined the Harbour blanket would be......

....and I began to actually see the brightly coloured ripples dancing in front of my eyes long before I picked up my crochet hook. I just knew it would be a truly happy blanket - bright and breezy, jaunty and jolly, and full of summer feel good.

It was a huge amount of fun playing with the colours when I returned from my trip - this is the part of the design process which gives me the most happiness and satisfaction. Fortunately for me, Stylecraft has a really beautiful palette of blues and blue-greens to choose from and I had absolutely no trouble at all selecting my sea and sky shades. My biggest challenge was deciding on the overall balance of the colour palette. In other words, how to take the very bright colours of the harbour boats and balance them out with exactly the right amount of sea and sky. How much blue is enough??!!

It took me many weeks to make this decision, honestly, I take my colour balancing very seriously and a humungous amount of pondering goes on before I settle on the final palette.

I really, really hope you love the Harbour colours as much as I do, because I am absolutely head over heels for them!

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

From left to right :

♥ Lipstick ♥  Tomato ♥  Spice ♥  Clementine ♥  Dandelion ♥

♥ Apple ♥ Aspen ♥ Spearmint ♥ Cloud Blue ♥ Turquoise ♥

♥ Aster ♥ Cornish Blue ♥  Storm Blue ♥ Denim ♥ Lapis ♥

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

♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK ♥

In the above photo, you can see the fifteen colours I chose and get a better idea of how the balancing act worked out. You can see that the blues and blue-greens take up more than half the space, with the bright boaty colours occupying a little less than half. Getting this balance right is really important and not to be underestimated -  a bold, stripy blanket needs careful handling if it's to look happy and jaunty without looking garish.

I'm so, so happy with how these colours play together, and I can't wait for you to see for yourself. The baby ripples are fabulous and make the colours look so playful and full of life.

As well as the random mix of Harbour stripes shown here, there will also be a second option to create a "colourwash" Harbour blanket where all fifteen colours are ordered in a very particular way. Over the past few years I've enjoyed giving more than one option for my CAL blankets and it's always wonderful to see the excitement as everyone makes their decision as to which version they prefer. I'll be sharing some sneak peeks of the two versions of the Harbour blanket a little bit closer to the start of the CAL.

It's hard to think of a coastal blanket without conjuring up ripples or waves, so I did the decent thing and settled on a pretty little eyelet ripple stitch for my harbour blanket. This is a wonderfully simple but effective ripple design which is SUPER EASY to crochet. It's perfect for newbie crocheters or for those who have maybe attempted the ripple in the past but not quite been able to get it to work. I promise you, this ripple pattern is easy-peasy and I can't wait to talk you through it when I share the pattern at the start of the CAL in January. I feel sure you'll love it. 

Now if you've followed along with my CAL's in the past, you might remember that every year I work on a collaboration with my lovely friend Rachel of EllieBethDesigns who designs and sells stickers for planners, journals and notebooks. We started working together for my Moorland blanket in 2017 and Rachel has designed a sheet of stickers for every CAL blanket since then. It's always such a delight to see how she takes my colour palette and comes up with the most delicious stickers - isn't she clever?! I'm not sure if you can see in the above photo, but there are stickers to add to a planner or journal to mark each week of the CAL, along with some very sweet little harbour inspired decorative stickers (I especially love the rows of harbour cottages).

Rachel has very kindly created a discount code especially for you, and you can use this to get 20% off any of her stickers.

Use code A24HARBOUR at the checkout for 20% off any order (one use per customer), either on the EllieBethDesigns website or Etsy shop. Here are the links for you >>

https://www.elliebethdesignsuk.com/

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EllieBethDesignsUK

It goes without saying that I'm incredibly excited for this crochet-a-long, it's such a lovely thing to look forward to in the New Year once the sparkle of Christmas is behind us. Just a reminder that there is no need to sign up for this CAL - it's all very relaxed here in the Attic so all you need to do is gather your yarn together and join in when the free pattern is released on 7th January.

I'll be writing more about the CAL a little closer to the time (just over seven weeks until the CAL starts), but here is a quick round-up of information for you :

♥ The Attic24 HARBOUR CAL will will run for 8 weeks in total, beginning on Friday 7th January - that'll be the day when the pattern will be published here on my blog and I'll give you all the information you need to get started. I'll then give weekly updates every Friday throughout January and February 2022 so that we can make the most of weekend hooky time.

♥ There will be a full picture tutorial here on my blog for the new Harbour Ripple pattern. Each week I'll share the colour stripe order for the two different versions of the Harbour blanket I'm making (Mixed Stripe and Colourwash),

♥ The HARBOUR YARN PACK contains 15 x 100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK and is enough to make one blanket/throw. There is no printed pattern included in this pack, all pattern info will be here on my blog, with updates every Friday throughout January and February 2022. 

♥ The Harbour blanket will measure approx. 120cm x 175cm. You will need two packs if you wish to make a larger/double bed size blanket. I'll give starting chain/pattern guidance for those of you wishing to make larger (or smaller) blankets. 

I'm extremely grateful to my friends at Stylecraft Yarns and Wool Warehouse for all the hard work they've done to make sure that this gorgeous collection of yarn is here for you, especially in these still-tricky times. The CAL begins in just over 7 weeks, so hopefully enough time for you to gather your yarn together.

As always thank you so so much for keeping my company as I jaunt along with another blanket project. I know many of you are still hooking away on your Yuletide blankets, so I do hope you're still enjoying those colours and that you'll be ready for a bright and breezy change of scene in January?!

Thank you for being such wonderful friends, I appreciate you very much ♥

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♥ HARBOUR ♥

 

 

 

 

Out of Town

Yesterday morning I was out doing the usual thing with J, our early morning walk in the semi darkness. Although I'm generally happy enough pottering through my same old daily routine, yesterday I realised that I've not actually been out of town since I went to Dorset at the end of October, so it's been two weeks without a change of scene. We've not even driven into the countryside to walk, so all my photos from the past fortnight have been local walks and the same old views, and I suddenly felt a really strong urge to escape from it all. 

So I did!

On a whim I hopped onto the 10:25 train to the city, and it felt absolutely marvellous, I was so happy to just be in motion and to be somewhere with a totally different atmosphere. I had a few things which I wanted to look for (new bedding and towels) and a few things which I needed to buy (something to wear for a fairly posh weekend ahead) but other than that, all I really wanted to do was wander around the streets and shops and soak up the city vibe.

As you can see, the shopping arcades were already in full-on Christmas mode which caught me by surprise as I don't generally begin to think about Christmas until December.

I love this arcade which is a relatively new build and houses some lovely shops including John Lewis which is one of my favourite department stores to browse in. This flooring though, it gets me every time - it's sooooooooo shiny!! It has a very reflective surface and combined with the zigzags it makes me feel all off kilter and wobbly, it's the strangest sensation.

Anyhow, John Lewis was dreamy and I spent ages riding up and down the escalators and ummming and aaahhhhing over the household textiles, like you do. I didn't end up buying anything because I didn't want to have to carry it, but it was good to see and feel and make notes for a future online shop.

Leeds has some really stunning architecture which includes these historic shopping arcades, and I absolutely love them. They are so beautiful and atmospheric....

....I mean, just look how glamorous it all is!! You can read more about them ((here)), they really are quite special.

My shopping trip was a success, and I did manage to find something to wear for the weekend which I was relieved about. I'm not a great shopper and really don't enjoy trying things on or making decisions about outfits so I very rarely do it. I have a very small wardrobe and wear the same clothes over and over and over, for years, until they fall apart or look far too unkempt to be acceptable. So yeah, job done, and I'm even a teensy bit excited to wear my new dress on Saturday.

I loved being in the city for a short while and wandering around just immersing myself in the commercial world for half a day gave me a real energy buzz.

Today I was also out of town, and the contrast with yesterday really did make an impression when I looked at my photos this evening.

My good friend who I meet with every week for coffee is off work this week on holiday, so of course I offered up my services as Outing Companion and agreed to go anywhere that took her fancy. I admit I did quietly suggest that the seaside is wonderful at this time of year, but she obviously didn't get the hint and instead she suggested we drive ten miles out into the Yorkshire Dales to the picturesque village of Burnsall. 

We both know this riverside walk very well, and I've pootled along here countless times over the years with the family. It's beautiful in all weathers and seasons but is especially lovely in Autumn.

It's an easy, scenic walk and we had a very specific midway destination in mind....

....leaving the river behind and following the footpath through fields, we arrived.....

....at one of my favourite little watering holes. Doesn't it look welcoming? This is the Old School Tearoom and somewhere I am very fond of when I'm in need of a bit of brunch and a really good coffee.

On this quiet, misty grey Thursday morning in November, the café was quiet when we arrived which allowed us to nab the very coveted window seat. Oh, happy, happy day!! As you can see, the view out of the window is absolutely beautiful....

.....with the café's free range chickens wandering around on the grass below. It really is an idyllic spot to sit and rest for a while in the cosy warmth while waiting for food and drinks to come to the table.

We stayed in the café eating, drinking and chatting for almost two hours, long enough for the mist to eventually lift and the sun to make an appearance. Doesn't it look gorgeous out there? Anyhow, aside from the scenery and greenery, I know that what you're really interested in is my coffee of the day, so here you go, I photographed it especially for you......

.....ta-dah!!!! It's a beauty!! This was actually my second cup of the day, uh-huh, I did splash out and have two, sometimes one just isn't quite enough. Do you want to see my brunch too? I thought you might......

.....now doesn't that look like it would really hit the spot? It was scrumptious, it really was.

It was early afternoon by the time we started to make our way back across the fields.... 

.....and the sun made such a difference to the colours of the landscape, it was really beautiful.

The river Wharfe is quite wide and fast flowing along this stretch but there are spots close to the riverbank which are more shallow and still. 

I kept thinking about my day in the city yesterday, and how today couldn't have been more different. It was extremely tranquil, not an inkling of hustle or bustle to be found along the riverbank.

I read somewhere that the village of Burnsall (in particular this old stone bridge) is one of the most photographed villages in the Yorkshire Dales. I've no idea if this is true, but it certainly is very photogenic.

It was built in 1609, over four hundred years ago. Amazing history right there.

Well it's been lovely catching you up with my comings and goings, I've had a really happy few days doing different things and I do feel that it's done me good. This weekend promises to bring even more out-of-routine delights, because I'm off with Little Lady to look round another city University, and this time we've booked a hotel stay to make a weekend of it. I'm really excited actually, me and my new dress are ready for some city adventures. Bring it on!

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Sunday Photos

Some photos from Sunday - I meant to share these with you yesterday but I had to go out in the evening and was too tired to write when I got back. However, I didn't want to lose the memories of a pretty ordinary Sunday which nevertheless felt so nourishing and good. 

A lazy start with some crochet in bed, a lovely walk full of Autumn feel-good, then back for a snuggle in bed with a delicious frothy coffee topped with real chocolate flakes. After my coffee I spent a few hours writing up my last blog post before heading downstairs to cook our roast dinner. I don't often blog from my bed, but I have to say it was ever so cosy and I found my words felt like they flowed from a good place in my soul.

Some days just feel blissful in their ordinariness - this was one of those days and I want to remember how good simple weekends can be xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Tilt Autumn

We are full tilt into the autumn season now and there is so much to love about it. This past week the weather has been cold and still, and the stillness was the biggest surprise after the high winds we experienced the week before. At first I couldn't quite place what felt different, but gradually I realised it was simply that there was no wind whipping the trees and mussing up my hair. It felt like a quiet sort of relief, the kind you don't know you need until it happens.

As is usual for me at this time of year, I find myself enchanted by the colours in nature and every day there are moments when I can't quite believe how beautiful it all is. It's an intense feeling and very distracting - J often says that I rudely interrupt our conversations because my attention is suddenly caught by some fallen leaves or the way a cloud looks as if it is lit up from the inside (I wish I'd been able to capture the cloud-light in a photograph, it was magnificent, and really did stop me in my tracks and bring a halt to the conversation).

We haven't been anywhere this week, so all my photos come from my walks around the town, either on my way to do something or meet someone, or sometimes just walking around for the pure pleasure of it.

 I know I'm very lucky to have some pretty scenic places to stroll within a few minutes of my front door, and I appreciate it very much. Mind you, even when I lived in very un-inspiring urban environments I still used to walk for pleasure - for most of my adult life, heading out for a walk has been my go-to solution when I need to clear my head, think things through, unwind, or just feel grounded in the moment. I think a simple walk around the local neighbourhood is a highly underrated pastime for pleasure, but also for mental health benefits.

The tourist season is beginning to slow down now that half term is over, although we do get visitors all year round here. In summer the canal is very busy with holiday rental boats coming and going, but now in early November there are mainly day-trip boats on the move.

Along certain parts of the canal the boats don't move at all as they are permanent moorings. Some of them are lived on all year round, and others like the one above are used like summer holiday cottages and get put to rest in the colder weather.

These photos were taken in the mid afternoon one day last week, Thursday I think it was. The weather was bright and clear and like I mentioned earlier there wasn't a wisp of wind in the air.

The still air and bright skies made for the most beautiful reflections in the water, I was absolutely enthralled by them. I've no idea why I find reflections in water so pleasing to look at, but I could honestly stand and stare for ages getting lost in the visual perfection of them.

J and I are still doing our early morning walks and on Friday we had the first frost of the season. It was certainly "crisp" out there at 6.45am, and I was glad I'd put on an extra fleece layer. It was very beautiful though, especially in the park where the grass was frosted to a pale minty green....

....and the fallen leaves were edged with delicate ice crystals.

Our woodland walks are now a weekend treat because it's too dark to walk amongst the trees during the week when we head out so early. 

With only walking this way once a week the seasonal changes are really noticeable, and it's a lovely feeling to observe nature doing her magnificent thing. I am very in tune with the seasonal rhythms of the year and always feel a sense of comfort when I see that all is on track and as it should be. Early November, Autumn is in full swing and all is well.

These woodland photos are from yesterday, J and I walked reasonably early for a Saturday (it was about 8.30am I think) so it was blissfully quiet along the leafy pathways. Strolling in the woods before pootling into town to buy groceries from the butcher, bakery and the market is such a wonderfully weekendish thing and I can't tell you how much I love it. Every single Saturday I get a little jolt of happiness when I realise that this is my life, and I get to do this every single weekend. I just can't seem to get over the happy surprise of it somehow. I think this must be a true definition of contentment, when you keep getting surprised by the routines of life and feeling delighted that they belong to you.

⇈ OK, I'm documenting this as an Autumn-in-full-tilt moment, because honestly it's just too good not to share. Some of you may recall that J and I recently started enjoying a coffee together a couple mornings a week in the teensy little coffee shop at the bottom of our street, it's the one with the William Morris wallpaper. Well, alongside the most yummy coffee they also sell a modest selection of sweet treats, and have recently introduced these traditional Portuguese tarts - "pastel de nata". I've eaten them in Portugal before but never here in England, and J had never tried them so I felt it was my duty to introduce him to the delight of them. Have you ever eaten one? Oh. My. Word. They are utterly delicious in every way, the perfect amount of sweetness and flaky pastryness, and they go ridiculously well with a cup of strong coffee. We are addicted, honestly.

I seem to be all about routine at the moment, and I'm really enjoying all the ordinary, repeating, familiar comforts that make up my weeks. And pastel de nata is a very, very welcome addition.

The little posy of geraniums is just about still going on my table, but they are well past their best and I'll need to think about buying in some fresh seasonal flowers this week. Last year I fell a bit in love with some tiny little yellow button chrysanths, do you remember them? I might see if I can find something similar tomorrow when I'm out and about.

I made a batch of fresh soup on Saturday, again this has become another of my weekly routines which grounds me and feeds my sense of domestic contentment. This week I made carrot and coriander and it was sooooo good. I toasted some pumpkin seeds to add to the top because I've been trying to add seeds into my diet every day for the healthy fats. They added a perfect little crunch and I'll definitely do them again as a soup topper.

In creative news, I've been thoroughly enjoying having woolly socks on my feet every day this week as it's been so cold and it inspired me to knit some more of my Cool Kaffe socks. I can't wait to actually have these beautiful stripes on my feet, so I'll try and get the heels turned this week if I can.

Thanks as always for the lovely, lovely comments you wrote about my Harbour blanket, thank you! I'm really enjoying crocheting this blanket ahead of my CAL, it has a very special rhythm to it which makes for some of the most relaxing crochet I've ever done. I can't wait to share more with you, especially more of the photos from my coastal jaunt earlier in the year. Such happy memories.

Well, I think that's about all my seasonal banter for now, I hope you're enjoying the autumn if you're on this side of the globe, and if you're down under, then I truly hope that Spring is bringing you joy.

Right now it's already starting to get dark (it's 4.30pm) and I'm going to go and light the fire and get on with making the dinner. We're having a roast today, for the first time in a long while and I'm really excited for it - we've got a stuffed pheasant parcel wrapped in bacon which we bought from the local game man who comes to the market. It's very Autumnal fodder I think you'll agree - can't wait!

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Attic24 CAL Number Eight

Ever since I learnt to crochet my first wobbly granny square in the summer of 2007, I knew that I would be a blanket maker. I had my heart set on making a granny square blanket for my two Little People to snuggle under (they were aged 3 and 4 at the time) and I've been crocheting blankets ever since. I absolutely loved making blankets right from the start, and whenever a blanket was finished I would always feel a deep sense of loss followed by an immediate itch to start a new one. I quickly learnt that it was futile to ignore the lure of yet another blanket project and allowed myself to just do what my heart wanted, and my heart always wanted another blanket on my hook. I became addicted, and now here we are fourteen years later and that craving has never left me.

My first blanket Crochet-A-Long (CAL) came seven years later in the autumn of 2014. I had fallen in love with the wonderful colours of Stylecraft Special DK and decided to create a striped blanket that I would share on my blog in weekly instalments. It wasn't a new concept by any means, but I'd never actually followed a CAL myself and didn't really have much idea about running one either. I just thought that I could design and publish a free pattern, tell folks which colours they needed, then give out fifteen stripes per week until the blanket was complete. I'd already begun working with the wonderful people at Wool Warehouse, so it was a natural decision for us to create yarn packs which contained the fifteen colours I'd selected for my first CAL blanket.

What I hadn't bargained for at the time was the huge amount of excitement that would come my way from the world wide crocheting community, WOW, I remember being so, so thrilled when people actually started buying the yarn packs and following along to make their weekly stripes! It was an amazing feeling, knowing that I was inspiring people to find joy in making blankets in beautiful colours, and the wonderful sense of belonging that wraps around you like a warm hug when you create alongside so many other like minded souls. 

This year I'll be leading the way with my eighth blanket CAL, and it's safe to say I'm more than a little bit excited about it! Before I tell you all about the latest stripes on my hook, I thought it would be fun to look back at the previous seven blankets and the colour inspiration behind each one - I wonder if you will recognise them all?

♥ BLANKET CAL #1 {2014} COSY STRIPE ♥

This blanket was inspired by the colours of Autumn - leaves, seeds, berries and flowers. It was the first time that I'd created a colour palette with a definite "theme" and all my subsequent CAL projects have been inspired by the seasonal landscape or by nature.

You can read more about the inspiration behind the Cosy colour palette in this post ((here))

♥ BLANKET CAL #2 {2015} SUNNY LOG CABIN ♥

This colour palette was inspired by my love of the summer season and the colourful flowers I always have growing in my back yard pots. I designed a large square blanket for this CAL, made up of 16 colourful log cabin blocks - it's one of my all time favourite designs, and you can see more of it in this post ((here)).

As well as the large log cabin blanket, I also crocheted the same Sunny colours into a vibrant granny stripe blanket. You can read more about it ((here)).

♥ BLANKET CAL #3 {2017} MOORLAND ♥

For this CAL I changed the timing and moved it from the pre-Christmas period into the start of the New Year. I love the idea of having something to look forward to in the darkest of our winter months, and ever since then my annual CAL's have always run through January and February.

The Moorland blanket was inspired by the colours of the moors close to where I live in August when the heather is in full bloom. It was the first time I'd designed a blanket as a "colour story" where the stripes are ordered to mimic the colours seen when viewing the landscape. You can read more about the colour inspiration in this post ((here)).

♥ BLANKET CAL #4 {2018} WOODLAND ♥

Another autumn inspired colour palette, this time it was my woodland walks which provided a rich source of inspiration. I designed this blanket as a companion to the Moorland, so another colour story sequence which takes you on a walk through the trees.

Lots more photos about my inspiration ((here)).

♥ BLANKET CAL #5 {2019} SWEET PEA ♥

My fifth CAL blanket proved extremely popular, and I have to say this floral inspired colour palette really is incredibly pretty. You can see lots more photos in this post ((here))

As well as the mixed stripe Sweet Pea blanket, for the first time I created an alternative colour order. This is where the same fifteen shades were arranged to create a colourwash effect, and it's something that really sparked a lot of interest at the time. I've since created colourwash stripe orders for many of my blanket kits - there is something very pleasing about seeing a colour palette ordered in this way.

♥ BLANKET CAL #6 {2020} DAHLIA ♥

Similar to the Sweet Pea, I created two versions of the vibrant floral inspired Dahlia blanket - a mixed stripe and a colourwash.

You can see lots more inspiration photos ((here)) - dahlias are soooo photogenic!

♥ BLANKET CAL #7 {2021} MEADOW ♥

A very pretty summery colour palette inspired by the wild flower meadow very close to my home. The meadow became a very special place for me during the lockdown months in 2020, and I adore this colour palette. You can see more of the inspiration photos ((here)).

Actually this crochet along only finished eight months ago because it ran throughout January and February of this year, but I was working on the colour palette and design ideas way back in the summer of 2020. Generally speaking, by the time I'm chatting to you about a new CAL, I've already been obsessing over it for many, many months. And when I say obsessing I really do mean it - I put a tremendous amount of heart and soul into all my blankets as they are inspired by places or things that I have a deep emotional connection to. I take hundreds of photos which feed my initial ideas through a lengthy design process, and this means that my colour palettes are always the end result of a huge amount of pondering and creative faffery. Can you tell?!! I wouldn't have it any other way, I'm passionate about creating colour palettes that tell a story and bring joy into the finished blanket.

Anyhow - back to the present day, and being that we are now in November you may have guessed that it's almost time for my next CAL yarn pack to be released into the world.....oh, I may be just a teensy bit excited to share this with you.....!

Are you ready to see what has been floating my boat since May this year?

Some of you may have already guessed from the little peeks of the ripply blanket on my hook just lately, but let me tell you more.

My next blanket is inspired by the coast, specifically the gorgeous colours of fishing boats against the calming blues of sea and sky.....

........this is the HARBOUR blanket, and I'll be releasing the pattern and colour instalments at the start of 2022. All these photos were taken earlier this year in May when I took a short jolly to the North Yorkshire coast to photograph some of my favourite places. I've had the idea to make a harbour inspired blanket for a few years now, as I have so many happy memories of holidays spent in Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and Staithes on the Yorkshire coast. And of course my childhood home in Dorset and the harbours at West Bay and Lyme Regis have often featured in my blog over the years so you know how much I love these places.

Boaty colours are bright aren't they?! I love the jaunty, jolly holiday feel of these colours, and when they are set against a palette of cool blues, they really do harmonise beautifully. As well as a mixed stripe I've also created a colourwash version and I'll be chatting more about this when the yarn packs launch in twelve days time.

As you can see I've designed a new ripple pattern to gently blend this colour palette into a really beautiful and joyful blanket. This is an incredibly soothing and easy ripple to work and is perfect for beginners, or for those of you who like to immerse yourself in some easy therapeutic hooky rows. I can't wait to share more with you in January.

As in previous years, yarn packs will be on sale in my shop at Wool Warehouse very soon so that there will be plenty of time for you to get your yarn sorted if you wish to join in with the CAL in the New Year. I'll also publish a list of the colours so that you can check your stash or shop local if you want to. The launch date for the Harbour yarn packs is Tuesday 16th November, and we usually aim to have everything go live at 8am - put the date in your diaries! The packs will contain 15 balls of Stylecraft Special DK (my usual thing) and Wool Warehouse will ship worldwide. Did you know that my yarn packs get sent out to more than a hundred countries around the world, isn't that amazing? We truly are a world wide community, and I'm so, so thankful for it.

Right, I think that's about all for now - on the 16th November I'll have a lot more photos to share when I introduce the Harbour blanket to you in all it's colourful glory. I can't wait!

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