Attic24

Uneasy

I am feeling very odd at the moment, a weird, uneasy mix of high excitement and nervous anxiety. I am one of those people who tries at all costs to minimise stress or anxiety in life, it does not suit me in the slightest. High excitement on the other hand is generally welcomed with opened arms. Excitement most definitely does suit.

During the past week when life has been very chaotic and not at all comfortable, I have tried to push away those niggling feelings of unease and focus on the good. Life's small pleasures which never fail to carry me through. A patch of warm sunshine to sit in, a good mug of coffee.

Crochet. Cuddles. Sweet  moments of togetherness.

The pleasure that comes from being a Mum, fulfilling an early morning plea from my youngest to simply go and watch him play. Please Mummy. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease come watch me play. Sit. Sit there. Look at my Big Train!

Last week our hundred year old house went through a bit of a bash. More precisely we had old windows knocked out, large gaping holes for a bit, and then the most beautiful new windows put in place. It was simultaneously dreadful and wonderful. Stressful and exciting. Feelings of absolute panic and complete joy. I will have to try and photograph the new windows to show you, they are really lovely :: hand crafted, double glazed, timber sash.

The arrival of new windows has sparked off a whole heap load of feelings, thoughts and ideas to do with the rest of our humble abode. Mainly to the tune of we-need-to-get-on-and-get-stuff-done! J and I have spent many hours talking through plans, discussing ideas, trying to get a handle on what needs to be done and in which order. Cripes. Major renovation work baffles me and excites me. I really, really want it to happen, yet at the same time I can't be bothered with the upheaval.

Yesterday was our tenth wedding anniversary. Actually no, it wasn't, it was our eleventh. Yes, eleven years. The most ginormous bouquet of flowers arrived. We went for a simple meal out in a country pub, emerging into the quiet night all flushed from the open fire and full of good food. Lots of talk. Plans. We like to plan, my man and I.

I have so much to do! I have so much to think about and decide upon! It's exciting. Oh it really is, but underneath the excitement sits a persistent anxiety. I'm not really a deadline type of person. Deadlines make me fret. But.....maybe it's time? Time to do more, be more, achieve more? Then again....maybe I'll just keep bumbling along in my own happy little world and leave the deadline stuff well alone. 

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Early Frost

 

Early Saturday morning, the sky was clear and bright and the air was unexpectedly cold. Freezing even. But the beauty of it all was too good to miss.

On impulse I pulled on some clothes and set out for a short walk. Along the path to the top of the park....

....emerging from the trees to stand and breathe in the cold, still frosty beauty of the landscape.

It's very unusual for us to have such cold temperatures and frosty grass this early in the season....

....but it was incredible being out to witness it before the sun rose and melted it all away.

My walk took me down through the park and back along the quiet canal....

....where a few boats were just beginning to wake up, plumes of smoke rising from the chimneys.

The air was crisp and bright and the canal water was very still....

....with the most beautiful, clear reflections in the water.

There's the familiar old mill (now appartments) which we walk past every day on our way to school....

....and there's my familiar Attic View from a slightly lower persepective.

I love where I live so much.

I love the old fashioned terraced houses with their cobbled back streets and friendly inhabitants.

I love these incredibly tall pine trees at the end of my street that swish in the wind.

But most of all I love my little patch of Home.

♥

 

 

 

Granny Patchwork Blanket

Isn't a whole heap of colourful yarn a heart warming sight? I love it soooo much. It still sometimes amazes me that I have become this Yarn Person, when for so long my passion was fabric and thread. Even when I discovered crochet and had a need for yarn, I wasn't all that bothered about the actual yarn itself. I didn't care if it was soft or smooth or warm, natural or man-made, I only cared about the colour. Colour all the way. Actually, now I come to think about it, it was the same when I worked in fabric. When all my textile friends were doing remarkable layered textural things, I only wanted to use plain cotton cos of the huuuuuuge number of colours it came in.

The above dreamy pile of yarn is the remains of my Stylecraft Special DK stash (previously used for the Granny Stripe and the Sweet Flower Granny) with some of my friends oddments added in. Hence the few very dark colours which are not part of my usual colour palette.

I collected all the yarn up and hand wound some of the more raggedy balls so that my bag would be full of neat little yarn balls to work with.

I began to make and join some simple one-colour granny squares. It was all done on a bit of a whim as I was searching for a suitable hooky project to take on holiday with me. I was inspired by the patchwork blankets that Heather and Jacquie made earlier in the year, and these squares promised to be a relaxing, easy going kind of a way to produce a top-notch blanket.

Since starting my patchwork blanket, I found out that there are already many lovely hooky people all working on the same sort of thing, inspired by Sandra's really beautiful creation. My Ravelry group has a thread dedicated to a "Patchwork Granny CAL" where you can catch up with everyones progress, I think it's utterly wonderful that there are so many of us all working on similar blankets all over the World.

I'm working my squares in five rounds, and joining-as-I-go.

This joining method works incredibly well for this sort of project, especially if you tackle it in a methodical sort of a way. I'm working my blanket up in rows which are 12 squares wide, joining as I go from left to right.

It was an absolute dream to work on whilst I was on holiday, the perfect relaxation project. I would come downstairs in the early morning and sit on the sofa as the sun streamed in through the window, hooking myself into a state of pure bliss.

The rows grew (Driftwood Cottage garden bench, 30th August)....

....and grew (Driftwood Cottage carpeted floor, 1st September).

As with most of my blanket projects, I am working my colours at random. I really love the random process, but I confess I do put a weeny bit of planning into place with it.

I want to share my method with you, in case it might be of help. As you can see with the above pictures, I plan my rows. I lay my blanket out and arrange my yarn balls for the next row. It helps me space out the colours/tones, especially the highly contrasting ones (eg the yellow and the couple of very dark ones). It helps the blanket to gain a certain colour balance.

When I've got my 12 colours selected for the next row, I take little snips of the yarn and stick them to a piece of paper. This is my colour map.

This colour map enables me to select just 12 balls to put into my flowery zippered project bag (posted about here) so I am always already for hooky-on-the-go. It means I don't have to take a whole big bulky bag of yarn out with me, I can just grab my zippered pouch and run. It also means I don't have to faff about trying to select colours when I'm in a slightly tricky hooky spot (ie in the car)

With this dash and grab method, I also figured something else out. I figured out that I don't actually need to cart the growing blanket out and about with me if I don't want to. I can just take yarn and hook, and crochet up the first four rounds+one side of each square so that I stop exactly at the point where I need to slip-stitch-to-join. Do you get what I mean? The idea is that when I've got time at home, I can pick up where I left off and complete the 5th/joining round when I can easily sit with the blanket draped over me (ie not in sweltering heat beside the pool as the Little People swim).

By employing these methods, my blanket has grown surprisingly quickly as I've been hooking in all sorts of places and at all sorts of in-between times. At the swimming pool, on the heather clad hills, in the pub, in the car, at my friends kitchen table. It's become the perfect fitty-in thing to make, and that's one of the things I most adore about crochet. It just so neatly and perfectly Fits In with family life.



This is where I'm currently at, seven rows of twelve. I have to say I am completely smitten with the deep dark colours sitting amongst my usual mid-tones. They worried me for a bit, but now I've got used to their dark presence, I love the way they jolt the whole thing up and give it depth and movement. Oooo, I sound a little bit arty there, don't I? Depth and Movement indeed, get me!!! Maybe I should just say it's jolly and happy and patchworky and a tad quirky, which are more my kind of words. Yeah, well, you know what I mean.

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Cosy

I love sunny, cosy, lazy, at-ease weekend mornings. Love-em I do. I love that we are a lazy pyjama-wearing family and if we can get away with it, we stay in pj's all morning. Neighbours children come to call at 9am, 10am, 11am and we shoo them gently away, telling them we are still pyjama'ed and not yet ready to receive visitors thank you. I think they think we're weird. I baked a lemon drizzle cake this morning wearing my pyjamas with an apron over the top, and I was soooo happy pottering about in my fragrant, warm little kitchen.



With the drop in temperature and the wearing of pyjamas, the blankets go into cosy overdrive. I notice we are all fighting and scrabbling for our favourites. I need to make more! Seriously. The cashmere blankets are in great demand, they are terrifically warm and snuggly and we all love them. There are three down here, but we need more. Yes! We do! We are a family of five and we have very particular blankety needs. Although Little B has taken a real shine to the Granny Patchwork (which is acrylic), he wears it round himself like a cape as it's still rather small. I'm going to show you that tomorrow. Was meant to be today, but I got distracted by family guests, a lovely pub lunch followed by a freezing cold walk home and then.............

....the Lighting of the Fire.

Yeah, I know I said we would wait till October but what's a week when ones toes are cold? I'm one of those people who, at the tail end of summer refuses to wear socks until my feet actually turn a purply-blue colour. I defiantly repaint my toenails and keep going in my bare feet until the bitter end. I admit my feet have been very cold this weekend, although not quite frozen. But still, as we have house guests staying, it was declared we would Light The Fire after a day of very cold, grey, drizzly weather. My poor southern-dwelling guests are wrapped up in multiple layers and have been feeling the cold.

Lighting the fire this afternoon was marvelous, such a treat. It's cosy warmth spread into the room and made us all flushed and sleepy. I dug out my toasting fork and toasted crumpets for everyone, they were delicious. Deeeeee-licious.

Right now the flames have died down and the coals are glowing white hot. We live in a conservation area here and it's a smoke-free zone so we burn "Smokeless Ovals" with the odd seasoned hardwood log thrown on top. The ovals are marvelous, they give out a terrific heat and a beautiful glow, and they burn down to nothing, just a pile of still warm white ash left in the morning.

Do you see my one-eyed owl? No-one is owning up to this, but I found his missing eye in the coal bucket. I am suspecting the youngest member of the family, the one with the cute toes. Little tinker.

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Speedy September

Well here I am back under the eaves, gently re-opening my little Attic window to give you all a wave....hellooooooooooo, cooo--eeeeeee, I'm baaaaa-aaaack!!! Oh it's so good to be back in the Attic again, I have really, really, really missed being here. Thank you all very much for your patience and your kind words of sweet concern during the past month I've been gone. It has meant a lot to me knowing that you have been out there wondering and waiting for me, I truly never meant to be gone for so long. Yes it's been a month, a whole long month, cripes the days and weeks of September have been so speedy!

But here I am, a little worn by the very busy-ness of my life at the moment, but essentially I am very fine and dandy thank you. Nothing to worry over. Just a sudden heap of Very Important Things that all needed my focused time and attention at the same time and kept me from my beloved Attic window.

So....a little catch up is in order I think. Where did we leave off? Ahh yes, I remember, I was just about to jaunt off on holiday wasn't I?

We had an amazing week away at the end of August, a beautiful, relaxing, happy, jolly family time beside the sea and I'm very much looking forward to spinning some post-holiday tales for you. I took almost five hundred photos during that week (well the place is supremely photogenic), so will need to ponder on how best to add some words and squidge it all down into manageable chunks.

While we were away beside the sea, Little Man became ten years old. It was a lovely day of gentle pottering, bookshops and cafe refreshments (mmm cake), rockpools and coastal walks, a barbecue dinner (mmmmm more cake) and all round family happiness. When we came home a few days later, we hosted a little lunchtime party for family and friends with a spread of party food, balloons and party poppers, oh and yet more cake. Sigh. I have been mothering for ten whole years, and now my dinky little first born is almost as tall as me and has bigger feet. How time marches on.

September always feels very nostalgic for me, I seem to hold a great many layers of vivid memories for this summer-into-autumn month. It is the month I met J (19 years ago, age 24) it is the month we got married (11 years ago, age 32) and it is the month we brought our first baby home from hospital (10 years ago, age 33). If you were to ask me about my feelings for September, I would not be sure how to answer. On one hand, it can often be a truly golden, glorious month, the last gasp of sweet summer before Autumn takes hold. Yet on the other hand, I always experience a weird sense of mild panic creep in during September, a feeling that everything is slip sliding away and there is not nearly enough time. It makes me feel uneasy somehow. We are on the cusp of a very noticeable season change where the emphasis suddenly shifts from outdoors to in, and with that comes a certain sadness. I am most definitely an outdoor Summer girl. It makes me feel like I want to wail with the unfairness of it all. Wahhhhh!!!! I want to hang my laundry outside to dry all year round! Boo-hoo!!!! I don't wish to spend so much time hunkering down indoors while it rains and gets all gloomy and grey and cold!

But hey...one thing I've learnt through writing this blog is that Annual Seasonal Cycles can be and should be celebrated and embraced. It does no good to wail and feel sad when ones favourite season draws to a close, cos it will most certainly come around again next year.

So September arrives, the Little People get new black footwear and a new school year begins. Routine resumes. Nesting instincts kick in. I start obsessing about the light levels and buying candles. I start wanting to clean and tidy the place.



And yet, I still cling to the feelings of summer. I spend every available opportunity outdoors when the weather allows, pottering in my back yard, chattering to the remaining flowers, willing them to keep going just a little while longer.

The surrounding landscape in September is glorious here. This is heather season which means a beautiful purple haze spreading across the moor tops. We went up a few weeks ago to stroll amongst it (remember last year?) and breathe it all in. It was a delicious feast for the senses.

We sat a while on the sun warmed rocks in amongst the springy dry grass and bushy heather plants and I indulged in a little bit of al fresco hooky. My patchwork granny blanket is growing beautifully (if a bit over-the-toply) and I've made 7 x 12 squares so far. Will give you a full update on that soon. Possibly tomorrow. Shall we talk colourful, exuberant, hooky squares tomorrow? Shall I show you where I'm at with it? Ok. Will do.

A new treat for us this September has been the fantastic arrival of butterflies to our front garden. Oh boy, I can't tell you how happy I have been to see them flutter to our patch, it's been absolutely delightful. I bought and planted a Buddleia bush in our garden last summer, and this has been it's first flowering year.

We've had many Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Red Admirals and a Painted Lady come to visit (have a look at this lovely site depicting our British butterflies), and I am pleased as punch with my rather untidy, sprawling butterfly bush.

September is also the month for Dahlias, although they have been appearing on the market since mid August. At £2 a bunch, they are an affordable, glorious weekly must-have at this time of year, and I generally buy two bunches at a time. With two bunches at my disposal I can experience the fantastical clash of vibrant reds and pinks in a single jug on the table. Oh boy. They deliver such happiness.

A jug of brightly coloured fresh flowers certainly helps to lift the spirits, I love walking into the room first thing in the morning and seeing them there on the table. I've not yet been able to get my Home Blessing routine back into action as I've been so incredibly busy these past few weeks. But on Tuesday I had to undertake a day of back breaking Emergency Home Rescue as I had my Dad and Lady B arriving to stay a week with us. It took a good part of the day to transform the rather untidy, chaotic Attic into a satisfactory Guest Bedroom, and an equally good part of the day to see to the rest of the place. My dad, never one to hold back with his very direct observations, declared my home to be overly full of objects, but with an overall Cosy Vibe. Yes, it is just that, and it makes me happy.

Part of my Emergency Cleaning mission involved a spritz of Mister Sheen polish and a swipe of my floral duster along the two mantels. I had to share this picture with you, it's my sweet little driftwood house and boat which now has two residents! They are most likely a part of some elaborate game of Little Lady's devising, that girl has a magnificent imagination and it always makes me smile when I stumble upon evidence of her play.

The temperatures have very suddenly fallen here in my patch, and this morning for the first time we awoke to the sight of frost on the rooftops. We switched on our central heating a few days ago as we found we were kind of shivering with cold in the early mornings. But we are holding off lighting our fire, saving that seasonal pleasure for October if we can. The logs and kindling are at the ready though, we are all prepared...but September is still a Summer Month you know. It is, it is, it is.

I have to say I am really looking forward to telling you a bit about what has been keeping me so busy of late. It's almost time. It's very exciting stuff, a new venture I'm involved with here in Attic Land. It has meant there hasn't been much time for relaxation these past few weeks as I've been busy, busy, busy, but I think things will ease up a little bit now. Very soon I will be able to chatter to you about it and I can't wait!

Righty-o my sweetie pies, I am going to love you and leave you and tootle down from the Attic now. The view across the hills this afternoon is especially glorious and I am reluctant to leave it, but I'm going to go and fetch my crochet bag and sit outside in the afternoon sunshine to make a granny square or two now. It's been pretty marvellous chatting to you I have to say, so good to catch up. Will be back tomorrow with some bright and cheerful Granny Patchwork to show you, yiipppeeee! See you then....

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Time Out

Taking a weeny time-out break.........I'll be back next week sometime ♥

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14th Sept.......thanks for all your sweet words, just wanted to reassure you I am absolutely fine and dandy and all is well. I've simply needed to give time, energy and support to my husband and children as they eased back into work/school/playgroup. Oh, and I've also needed to spend time fulfilling some creative commitments which have tight deadlines.....hoping to be back in this space across the weekend! Thank you for waiting, chat soon!! ♥