Well, what a lovely, lazy, relaxed and happy few days I've had Weekending @ home! We've not been anywhere or done anything much for quite a few weekends on the trot now and despite the occasional guilt ("we really should go somewhere or do something with the children"), it's been wonderful. The Little People are mostly very happy to stay home at weekends, in fact they insist on it. They love being out on the street doing streety things with all the other Little Peeps who live nearby, and seem to resent it these days if we try to take them away. Heaven forbid we should make them Go For A Walk In The Countryside. Dreadful idea. So recently we've just gone with the flow and allowed them to enjoy playing at home without interference.
Saturday morning was unexpectedly bright and sunny (we've had awful chilly wet weather of late), and I was so happy to feel the gentle warmth of the sunshine again. The front of our house is east facing, and we have nine old stone steps leading up to our front door. I've found that I enjoy sitting on the front step with my morning coffee on sunny days :: the stone quickly warms up in the sun and it's surprisingly comforting to sit in this elevated position feeling all warm and idle and morning-ish. For some of my Saturday morning step-sitting I had Little Lady's company. We sat and had a little chat about this and that, and it suddenly reminded me very much of when she was younger and we often did this very same thing together. Oh how she's grown since then!! Such lovely, simple, cherished memories.
Little Lady didn't stop with me for long, she was soon off to skip up the street (she has a brand new skipping rope) so I popped inside and fetched my basket and settled down for a little bit of saturday morning step-hooky. After a slow start and a little bit of uncertainty about this blanket, I'm now really getting into the groove with it, like really going mad for it. Can't stop thinking about it. Will show you more of it later in the week, it's grown quite a bit since my last post.
The rest of Saturday passed in a blur of food shopping, laundry, baking, cooking, coffee and canalside chatter, baby-tending and entertaining family and friends. Oh, and did I mention I worked on my sweet flower granny blanket? Did I tell you how much I'm loving it? That I couldn't stop working on it and hooked till waaaaay beyond my bedtime on Saturday night?
Sunday morning was not a step-sitting morning at all. It was grey and wet. Wet and grey. Drizzle. Damp. Cold. It was weather that made one glad to be weekending at home and not attempting to enjoy outdoor persuits. I said to J This Weather is Terrible. But then again I said, it does make one feel OK about staying at home and not feeling like one really should be Out and About Doing Things Outdoors. It eliminates the aforementioned "guilt" don't you think? Makes it perfectly OK to loaf around and stay in PJ's till lunch time. Which is exactly what we did all do. All five of us (haha, even Little B slobbed around in his sleep suit all morning).
The weather outside continued to be wet and cold and grey and so around about lunchtime, J announced he was going to light the fire. It seemed to me like quite a Big Decision as we've not had the fire lit since April or thereabouts. The first Lighting-of-the-Fire really does ram it home that Summer has been and gone. I am simultaneously cheered by the idea of fireside cosiness and saddened by the loss of summer. I think though, that I am more cheered than saddened. And the fire yesterday really was super-lovely.
It really must be Autumn now then cos not only did we light the fire yesterday, but I ate soup for lunch. I would love to tell you that I chopped lots of fresh veggies and made this delicious chicken and vegetable soup, but that would be an out and out lie. Truthfully I love the idea of homemade soups, but in reality I can never be bothered to deal with all the chopping. So my soup came from a carton and jolly nice it was too.
Isn't this little flower such a gorgeous colour? I found it growing valiantly in one of my pots outside, surrounded on all sides by brutish weeds. It must've self-seeded from last year. So I plucked it from it's weedy pot, shook off the raindrops and brought it indoors to accompany my soup eating. Lovely.
Also accompanying my soup-eating was this rather delicious book. You may remember some time ago I went off on a giddy burst of excitement over a Japanese crochet book, do you remember that? Well, this is the second book I bought (called "Pretty Colour Crochet and Knit Goods 2", find it here), and dare I say it, it's even more lovely than the first. It sends me completely giddy with desire and excitement.
I could show you each and every page and you would be drooling with lust. Seriously, it is one of the most beautiful books I have ever owned.
I was really taken with the above image, and suddenly had a Ping of an idea, right in the middle of my chicken and veggie soup. PING!! Throw down spoon, rush down to the cellar, unearth the old wooden shelf which came out of our bathroom when we revamped it, drag it out into the back yard (in the rain) and start scrubbing it down with soapy water. In the rain. Scrub scrub scrub. YEs, I am quite bonkers. I have in my mind the red painted shelf, do you remember it from this post? I think :: yes yes, I can paint this little old manky shelf (cos it is indeed quite manky, stained a dark seaweedy green colour), make it bright and red and gorgeous and then crochet some Shelf Trim for it!!!!!! Oh, happy days!!!! crochet Shelf Trim!!!!!! So of course I could not wait and I immediately started hooking up an idea for shelf trim. I'll show you what I've started when I've done more of it, and the shelf too, yes I'll show you progress on the Manky Shelf.
Ahhhhh, you can't beat sitting by the fire on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Quite blissful I tell you.
I even had time for a little bit of a stroll in Magazine Wonderland....the October issue of Country Living is an absolute joy, it really is. Colour and Charm, yes it really does have that in spades.
So that was the extent of my weekend at home, and pretty darn good it was too. Right now it's Monday morning and Little B has just woken from his nap. So I shall love you and leave you, I'm trotting off now, heading three doors down to number eighteen to have morning coffee with my lovely neighbour. Have a beautiful day one and all......got a Box to unpack for you next time, bet you can-not-wait for that eh, thrills and spills of the boxy variety!
See you soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wonderful. I saw the daisy thrown in you picture about the picture of your magazine and i was wondering if you had a pattern available for it? I just love your work.
Posted by: grandmag | October 27, 2010 at 02:32 AM
This is best things for the Weekend cause whole Week we have worked for so at the end of the week people enjoy for.This is best pics and places they enjoy.
Posted by: York Escorts | October 16, 2010 at 05:35 AM
Hi Lucy! I love your blog! What's the book you are looking for? I'm from Italy and here is not simple find good crochet book!
Thanks for your colors!
Valentina
Posted by: Valentina | October 15, 2010 at 05:18 PM
That is a real cozy fire place.
Posted by: joe | October 08, 2010 at 02:46 PM
Hope you are doing ok. Just wanted to let you know that the big blanket I was crocheting at your Knit and Natter is now finished and I have enjoyed my Ta-Da moment! Just as well, because Luke is off to Uni on Sunday with it! Also, I’ve decided not to continue with the blog, due to various different pressures in my life right now. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, and of course I will still enjoying reading your blog and leaving comments! Jayne xxx
Posted by: Jayne | October 07, 2010 at 08:06 PM
Hope all is well at the Attic. Missing your posts!
Kind regards,
Donna x
Posted by: Donna | October 07, 2010 at 03:51 PM
Congratulations on being voted 2nd in Best Knitting Blog in 'Let's Knit' magazine. You deserve it x
Posted by: Wendy Wager | October 07, 2010 at 10:39 AM
are you ok, missing my catch up with your news.
Posted by: suzie sews at Dotty Red | October 06, 2010 at 05:14 PM
Hi there Lucy! Hope you and yours are well! Guess we all feel we know you and when you don't blog we worry that you are okay in Attic land! take care now
Posted by: Pamela T. | October 06, 2010 at 11:54 AM
sOOOO lOOOng your WE ! ! ! ^^ :o))))))))bisoussssssss********
Posted by: tara | October 06, 2010 at 10:37 AM
Hello Lucy
Just dropping by to say "hi" ~ I've missed your colourful blog posts of late and I do hope everything is well in your world, sending love to you.
Julia x x x
Posted by: Julia | October 06, 2010 at 10:16 AM
Dear Lucy , Izzy Patchworksails here from NJ USA. Do you have a personal fav. recipe for Cornish Pasty? If so would you share it with us, or just me ..Thanks so much
Posted by: Patchworksails | October 06, 2010 at 09:08 AM
Hope all is well in the attic household and life is hectic and normal.
Love and stuff xx
Posted by: Gill | October 05, 2010 at 09:24 PM
Hello Lucy.
I hope everything's ok. Havent seen you for a while. Just busy with life I hope. By the way I so love your fireplace and the fire in it. Just looking at it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Cant wait to hear from you.
Take care.
Priya
Posted by: Priya | October 05, 2010 at 12:42 PM
Hello there Lucy, I have been a little worried by your absence these past few weeks and am hoping the all is well in the Attic. I am hoping you have gone on an impromptu holiday or some such thing and that you and your family are all well. Can't wait to see the goings on in your little part of the world and an update on the blanket too. Take care. x
Posted by: Mandy M | October 05, 2010 at 03:46 AM
Hopefully now that Fall is setting in, we will get some weekends like this. For months we seem to have been very busy going all over the place at the weekend.
I wish I had a fire like yours. It looks so cosy.
Posted by: Julia | October 05, 2010 at 03:15 AM
Hoping all is well in the Attic!
Posted by: Jeanie | October 04, 2010 at 06:50 PM
It's been cold here in Ohio, we had the wood burner going all weekend! I LOVE your blog! You have inspired me to pick up my crochet hooks, it's been a long time but looking at your projects reminded me of how much I really love to crochet! Oh, I love Country Living magazine, too! I've wanted to get a subscription for years but it's expensive here in the States so I just buy it whenever I see it at the book store--it's much better than the US version!
Posted by: Leslie Lansdowne | October 04, 2010 at 03:18 PM
Hey Lucy, it's been 2 weeks since last post, hope you're ok and just busy with kids and life in general...hope this does not add stress to you, but if you have time just pop in and say hi to us all :-)
cheers, Claudia
Posted by: Claudia | October 03, 2010 at 11:10 PM
Hi! I´ve just got to your blog and I´m amazed how colorful and warm it is.
I could feel the coziness of your home!
Regards from Brazil!!
Mina
Posted by: Mina | October 03, 2010 at 10:12 PM
Did you ever do the tutorial on reading diagram crotchet patterns Lucy?? I'm slowly working my way through your archives and enjoying every minute of it.xx
Posted by: Dawn Marie | October 03, 2010 at 07:08 PM
I'm sure you're just about drowning in all sorts of blog awards but I can't help myself, I just HAVE to hand this over to you to say thank you for being such an inspiration!
If you want to collect it here's the link: http://stjarnkraft.blogspot.com/2010/10/ett-korsbar-pa-toppen.html
And, by the way, I've finished my hexagon blanket! If you'd like to see what you've inspired me to achieve you find a post about it here (alas in Swedish): http://stjarnkraft.blogspot.com/2010/09/malgang.html
Posted by: Nina | October 03, 2010 at 06:36 PM
Hi Lucy,
Your crocheted things are beautiful!So colourful- they make you smile!
Ilona, London
Posted by: Ilona Maroziene | October 03, 2010 at 11:46 AM
A quick granny square question...do you block your squares before you attach them? Or do you block the throw/blanket after you are done?
Posted by: Cheryl | October 02, 2010 at 03:18 PM
Oh, Lucy,I just found this wonderful idea for you to check out. After the success and enjoyment in creating your toilet paper family, you must look at this idea for Halloween. I am sure you had/have extra rolls around just dying to be costumed. www.ohdeedoh,com posted Oct. 1, 2010 9 a.m. by Katie Steuernagle
Brenda in Canada
Posted by: Brenda E | October 02, 2010 at 09:00 AM