Attic24

I'm on the Slow Road

January is a month where I feel an instinctive need to hunker down, retreat into semi-hibernation, restore energy levels and revel in the cosy comforts of home. It's a slow-living month, a time for contemplation and gentle planning, for taking it easy.

Yesterday J had the day off work, so we chose to head out into the Dales and meander along a favourite patch of riverside for an hour or so. We haven't really ventured out very much of late, so it felt great to drive into the countryside and breathe in some fresh air and scenery.

It wasn't that cold really, the air felt mild and still, but the sky was a murky grey which made the landscape seem a little dull and sleepy.

But still....we both agreed how good it felt to walk slowly along this flat easy pathway, inhaling the fresh winter air and taking in the soothing sounds of the river.

Our walk was short, and afterwards we drove along to the picturesque village of Linton....

....to nestle into this gorgeous, cosy old pub and eat a very tasty lunch. It was a slow, gentle day, just enough exercise for me to handle at this time. Just enough.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I had been feeling under the weather? Well I eventually took myself to the doctor and after a little discussion was sent off for some blood tests. Let me reassure you, it's nothing serious, but I have honestly been struggling with my day to day routines of late, feeling utterly exhausted, fuzzy headed and unusually down in the dumps. And no wonder really - it turns out I have iron deficiency anaemia, as well as vitamin D deficiency. I tell you, it was such a relief to find this out, to be told that I wasn't just over tired, over weight, unfit, hormonal etc etc which is what I had begun to convince myself. Deep down I knew I wasn't right, but there was this nagging feeling that I should be coping better, should be feeling brighter, should have more energy and va-va-voom.

I can tell you that having an iron-deficient body and brain is blinkin' hard work. My brain hasn't really been functioning properly at all to be honest, I've felt discombobulated, been finding it hard to concentrate and remember things. I have felt on the brink of exhaustion pretty much all day every day, just the odd fleeting periods of feeling ok (usually after a whole day doing absolutely naff all).

But anyhow - of course the good news is that this is all fixable, although because my iron levels have fallen so very low, it's a slow recovery road that I'm on. I've got three months of hefty iron and vitamin supplements to get through, and oh I can't wait to begin to feel more like my usual self again. I miss the old me very, very much. This bone tired, dizzy, foggy, tearful version of me is pretty rubbish!

On the upside (and I believe there IS always an upside to be found), I am learning pretty fast to put my needs first and look after myself in this time of recovery. I have slowed myself right down physically and mentally, telling myself that it is entirely acceptable in the circumstances to adopt a slow shuffle through my days. And I don't just mean physically (although I am seriously slow on my feet right now), but mentally as well. I am spending a lot of time at home, quiet, thoughtful, not expecting too much of myself. I am using the time for planning too, getting my head around starting some exciting new crochet projects as well as finishing off some old ones too.

I'm starting with my original granny stripe blanket, re-making it with more standard dimensions (the original version is wide and short as it was made for my caravan seat). I'll be using the same stitch and row count as my recent Sunny Granny Stripe, which means adding an extra 30 stripes. I'm photographing the making as I go so that I'll have pictures to use for a printed version of this pattern to pop inside the original yarn pack. It's been bothering me for a while that two of my early yarn packs don't have a printed pattern included (next on the list is a proper pattern for the Chunky Raindrops Cushion). Revisiting this blanket, using colours that I am so familiar with is therapeutic work and it's suiting me very well right now. The actual pattern writing can wait for a few months, when hopefully my brain will be in better shape!

Last week I went every day to my studio to work, even though I was feeling quite low and run down. It was lovely, and I found myself getting all giddy over new colour combo's which has really got me all excited for new Spring projects. But really, home is right where I most want to be at the moment. I need rest and quiet, warmth and comfort. I am preparing hearty, healthy lunches to give me energy and nutrients. I am giving myself permission to light the fire and candles in the middle of the afternoon and making myself simply sit still and be. It's surprisingly hard for me to sit still I've found, I am such a fidget!

I've been enjoying life’s simple pleasures as the days crawl by - sweet little narcissi dancing on my mantel.....

....and some pretty pink hyacinths just coming into bloom.

And these rows of yarny colour too, oh this is the very best kind of pleasure, it really is. I sit and crochet row after row and think for the bobillionth time, how very much I love crocheting blankets. I am a Blanket Maker, and I have the best job in the world.

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Operation Sock Drawer

Hello my yarny friends! I thought it was about time I shared some more of my sock knitting progress with you, following my revelation about the pointy sticks back in November last year. Well the first thing to say is that I am still really enjoying this new hobby, there is quite a lot about knitting socks that brings  a heap of joy to my creative soul. The yarns, oh the yarns!! So many endless stripy possibilities in every colour under the sun, I've developed something of a love affair with these balls of 4ply yarn. Striping sock yarn is a smidge on the addictive side you know, although so far I have resisted the urge to stash. My first pair of socks (pictured above) was made from yarn gifted to me for my Birthday, when sock making still seemed very much like something other people did. I've since discovered a whole online world of sock yarn, virtual shelves full of the stuff, so tempting, so desirable, so very, very stash-worthy. After my first pair of socks was off the needles {Opal sock yarn :: Sweet and Spicy 2 range :: colourway Sprinkles}, I duly purchased yarn to make a second pair. But I promise hand on heart I only bought enough yarn for just one more pair, still very much all under control and absolutely no stashing. Are you impressed by my self control?? Admirable don't you think? I am strong, I can resist! I can look and peruse and drool and sigh.....and then I can buy just the exact yarn that I need for my very next pair. Go me!

This is the second pair of socks I made - I spent an absolute age doing all the perusing and drooling bit (hours and hours) before finally settling on these particular Norwegian inspired stripes in this particular colourway {Regia sock yarn :: Design Line by Arne and Carlos Edition 2 :: colourway Summer Night}

I absolutely loved using this yarn. I really got a kick out of watching these clever stripes practically making themselves as I knit round and round and round on my small circular needles. So very, very clever. I wonder if I'll ever lose this sock yarn amazement, it just gets me every time!

With this second pair, I messed up a little bit in that my row counting went slightly awry and one sock ended up shorter than the other. So although I meticulously worked the yarn to ensure perfect matching stripes (Christine's explanation for doing this is completely brilliant), my toes ended up a little different to each other. And somehow because of the messed up row counting and resulting mismatched toes, these particular socks ended up just an incy-wincy bit too small for my wide, size 5-but-almost-size-6 feet. My toes felt squished, and I really cannot bare squished toes. So I decided that I would wash and block the socks and then......................

..............I would give them away.

What a pleasing decision, I was instantly full of the joy of gifting handmade. My heart was full I tell you. And then I remembered that within Winwick Mum's SockaLong Facebook group there was a "File section" containing Useful Links. And within the list of Useful Links there was a place to got to where you could download and print some sock wrappers. Genius!

If you like doing this sort of thing, then I can highly recommend using the PDF on Buttons blog {here} A simple black and white paper wrapper to pop around your beloved hand knit socks, and there you have a most perfect gift.

I used Picmonkey to add a little bit of personalised text to the reverse and felt rather pleased with my attention to detail. I wrapped them up and gave them to my Mum who suffers from very cold feet just like me and had a Birthday in December just before Christmas. 

So my needles remained bare and sockless for just a short while, but faced with a 7 hour train journey (my trip to Dorset in December) I decided to purchase more yarn for my third pair of socks. This time I went for hot colours, as I thought they would look rather snazzy poking out the top of my red Fly London boots which I wear every day. The yarn is lovely to work with {Regia sock yarn :: Design Line by Kaffe Fassett :: Ombre Stripe, colourway chili pepper} with the stripes forming in a pleasingly ordered way.

I do still struggle with using the pointy sticks needed to shape the toes, but with each sock it's becoming less fraught and troublesome. Can't yet say that I enjoy "wrestling with the hedgehog", but at least I can manage to get through it in a relatively calm manner.

Now then - do you see my neat little stitch markers in the above picture, the little beady rings nestled amongst my stitches there? These are a recent discovery which I want to share with you, as I absolutely love them and they are pure joy to use.

I found them in a very round about way, the exact ins and outs I can't recall (it was one of those lengthy internet journeys where you hop from place to place to place without remembering a thing about it).

These gorgeous little markers are designed especially to fit small circular needles, and they are called Mini Ring O's. They are made by Sarah, who's small business on Etsy is delightfully named Fripperies & Bibelots, oh I do so love that quirky name! Sarah is a trained silversmith and jeweller who has created a wonderful reputation for herself designing and making the most beautiful stitch markers for us yarnies.

It was early December when I fell in love with these beauties, and Sarah was right in the thicket of making and fulfilling her Christmas orders. At that time there were no mini ring o's to be found in her shop, but after a few conversations back and forth, Sarah kindly offered to make a set designed especially for me - in full rainbow colour of course! She named them "Lucy's Rainbow" and I was so enchanted by them that I ordered six extra sets so that I could give them to my sock making friends for Christmas. As you can see from the above picture, these are teeny tiny little rings which slip easily on and off the needles. Because they are very small and smooth, they don't cause any snagging or accidental holes when passing them on your needles and knitting over them. The different colours mean that you can choose contrasting markers to show up against whatever colour sock yarn you are using, and you can choose two different colours to mark the two decrease points when you shape the gusset. I really do love using them, they are beautiful and practical and I LOVE buying handmade and supporting small businesses.

Sarah has just restocked her shop with some sets of mini ring o's, you can find them in her Etsy shop {here}. She also messaged me last week to say that she's been busy making some special rainbow spectrum sets inspired by the sets made for me last month, and they should be landing in her shop very soon (squeeee!!!!!). So please do keep checking back if you can't find them listed straight away, they will be there very very soon. Sarah is also very good with social media and shares regular news on stock updates via Facebook, Ravelry, Twitter and Instagram.

And now we are all up to date with my knitty goings on - I'm  currently about half way through the second chili pepper sock at the heel flap stage and I hope to have them on my feet asap. I can't wait.

I would love to know if any of you have been inspired to start on your own sock knitting journey and how you're getting on? Are you loving it? Are you wearing your first pair of socks yet? Remember you can find this brilliant Basic Sock pattern and tutorial for free on Christine's blog Winwick Mum {go here to find all the info and pattern links}.

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ps about the title of this post :: #operationsockdrawer is a brilliant hashtag on Instagram that has kept me inspired and amused for many months now, I do love a good hashtag. It's my aim to keep knitting socks in all colours of the rainbow until I have a sock drawer like this......

{Photo credit :: Nanette Blanchard via Fickr}

pps Wool Warehouse has recently increased their sock yarn stash and now have in incredible selection for you to peruse and drool over - do go and have a peep!

{sock yarn at Wool Warehouse}

ppps don't blame me if sock yarn accidentally on purpose falls into your virtual basket and then turns up on your doorstep, tis not my fault ok.

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Here are some useful links for you if you feel inspired to embark on your very own #operationsockdrawer....

Chistine's Sockalong Tutorials (all the help you need with choosing needles, yarn, matching stripes, casting on and knitting)

Sockalong Facebook Group (online support and all round lovely community)

Super Socks (Christine's book)

You will need....

100g ball of Sock yarn (I like and Opal and Regia brands, especially the lovely self-striping patterns)

30cm circular needle 2.5mm (eg Addi needles on Amazon)

20cm set of dpns 2.5mm (eg Addi needles on Amazon)

2 stitch markers in 2 different colours/designs, to mark places for decrease pattern (I like Mini Ring o's by Fripperies & Bibelots)

EDIT TO ADD >>

I have to share just one more inspiration picture - a very swoon worthy set of sock drawers.......

{photo credit :: Christine Petterson blog}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowday Sunday

The snow came late on Saturday afternoon without a whole lot of warning. It was already dark and I was in my own little domestic world, busy in the kitchen making a lasagne. So I had no real idea what was going on outside my warm steamy kitchen bubble, in fact, the first I knew of the snowfall was Little B's excited shouts. It's snowing, it's snowing!! And lots of running and jumping and general over excited yelping as the front door was flung wide open and we all ran to gape at the snow steadily falling and settling. It didn't snow for long, a few hours maybe, but a good three inches settled and it was cold enough for the snow to stick around through the night.

The next morning, the Little People were so excited to wake up and see that the snow was still there, oh the excitement! Snow is exciting at any time, but to have it there ready and waiting on a Sunday morning is precious indeed. Little B has been patiently waiting three years (since he was 3 years old) to experience the thrill of sledging that he still remembers from his toddler days, but we've just not had enough snow for it in recent winters. On Sunday however, it was perfect.

So we wrapped up in our layers, pulled on boots, hats, gloves, gathered together a basket of hot coffee and home made biscuits, dug out the sledges from the depths of the cellar (oh my, what a job that was) and up to the park we all went.

We are very lucky to have this beautiful park  just five minutes walk from home, it's lovely at all times of the year to have this wide open green space so close, but it is especially great with a snowy topping. The slope of the hill is just perfection for sledging - steep enough to get some speed up, but not so steep that there is any danger of injury or collision. On Sunday morning there were a good number of families all out doing the exact same thing as us. The atmosphere was partyish, lots of joking and laughter with friends and neighbours as we all gathered together to do the Snow Thing with our Little People.

I wasn't exactly dressed for sSledging (no outdoor full-body-cover waterproofs or fancy shmancy snow boots for me), but my feet were beautifully toasty wrapped up in hand knitted socks and encased in warm, dry spotty rubber. And my old red coat, although now very threadbare and shabby, kept me warm and dry as I hurtled down the slope at speed.

Every so often I would take a much needed breather from the sledging malarky. I sat on the wooden bench a while to sip hot fresh coffee whilst watching the goings on up and down the snowy slope. Flying down a hill on a bright pink bit of moulded plastic, then the long, slow trudge back up again is exhausting work you know. Especially when your energy levels are already depleted and you are feeling rather worn.

But a whole lot of fun too - we managed to perfect the art of making a Sledge Train - that's four sledges zooming down the hill attached together in convoy if you'd like to imagine it. Lots of flying snow and much whooping and shrieking (yes I think I may have shrieked a little). I love that I can do this daft kind of thing with my neighbours, we are all still young at heart. Which is a good thing to know.

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Sunny Log Cabin Blanket :: Ta dah!

It's always a mixed blessing when you come to the end of a big, happy crochet project. There is so much rejoicing when a pile of squares finally becomes a blanket after many months of work, but also a little sadness. A weeny bit of bereavement as you say goodbye to the blissful crochet hours that filled your days and weeks.

I have really enjoyed making this blanket, although to be honest it has at times proven very challenging. I have loved the colours, oh how I have adored working with these bright, happy shades! They have given me a whole lot of visual feel good through some very dark, dreary Winter weather. They have kept my spirits aloft when life has been a little tough at times.

Working these squares as a crochet-a-long has been such a blessing. This hasn't been a totally relaxing pattern for me to work as there has been a lot of brain power behind both the design elements and the colour choices. I have really had to think hard about every stage of this blanket. But being able to come here every Sunday to share my progress has been great, and has kept me going when perhaps I might have pushed this project to one side in favour of something simpler.

If you've been following along with me since the start of November, you will have already seen a lot of these squares. I finished making them (sixteen in total) just after Christmas. They sat in a stack whilst we celebrated New Year and returned to routine after the holidays. After a few delays, I finally got around to joining them together last week - it was exciting to bring the squares together and start to feel an actual blanket forming in my hands.

I started out by crocheting the seams together, but although I like the crochet joining process, the finish wasn't quite right for this blanket. When you crochet squares together you end up with a ridge and the squares don't lie completely flat. I wanted something smooth and seamless so that the squares would appear effortlessly joined, and crochet didn't work for this. So I abandoned my hook and adopted my tried and trusted sewing method (the same one I used for stitching my colourblock cushion) and it worked a treat.

Stitching each seam with a length of yarn the same colour as one of the squares gives a near invisible join....

....see? See that invisible seam running down between the turquoise and meadow strips? The squares lie beautifully flat and the overall finish is very neat indeed.

As is my usual thing, I approached the joining in a very methodical way to make it as easy as possible to photograph and explain in a tutorial. I stitched all the vertical seams first, creating four long strips. These strips were then joined together in a series of horizontal seams, one, two three, completing the transformation from squares to blanket.......

....oh what a moment! As soon as my last end was darned in, I grabbed the blanket and ran upstairs so that I could drape it over my bed and dance around it. I smoothed it and smooched it, marvelling at its very blanketness, delighting in the colours and the magic of the log cabin diamond pattern that had emerged from the sunshine and shadow. This is a bold design, and I think it looks at its very best when it is horizontal, laid out on a bed, showing off the glorious pattern.

But the blanket still wasn't finished, there was more work to be done, an Edge to be pondered over. I decided to keep the Edge very, very simple for this blanket. I wanted a subtle frame, something that would be gently there to contain the squares but in a very understated way. I chose six colours to echo the hot/cool design of the log cabin squares, and worked some simple rows of treble crochet.

Half the blanket is edged in Aster/Turquoise/Sage (the cool half), the other half in Lisptick/Bright Pink/Magenta (the hot half).

The overall look is pretty neat when you see it all spread out (I'll show you in a bit what I mean), and compliments the log cabin design rather nicely.

By the way, I've written a full tutorial for joining the squares and crocheting the edge, you can find it in the usual place in the left hand sidebar...

{SUNNY LOG CABIN BLANKET : PART 2}

One thing I've noticed since the squares became a blanket is how much I love the play of colours when the blanket's in use. I've spent so much time concentrating on the two dimensional design aspect of each individual square that I almost lost sight of the blanket I was making. It is wonderful to simply gaze at the ridges and folds, the undulating dashes of colour and the crazy energy of it all. The whole log cabin design thing can be forgotten for a while, just soak up that colour and enjoy the feeling............mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!! Scrumptious!

Back down to Earth, and there is a final bit of work to be done - the Sunny Log Cabin blanket is in need of a little steam spa treatment to soften the seams and calm the corners. Lucky for me, I have an area of floor space in the Attic where I can lay out my blanket and leave it to dry overnight. It was great using my attic floor as the old carpet up there seemed to grab a hold of the crochet like a fuzzy felt board which meant I didn't need to use pins as all. I simply spread the blanket out, smoothed out the corners and edges, straightened seams and generally eased the blanket into the perfect finished size and shape. I plugged in my steam iron with the setting on low, then went right around the whole surface of my blanket, hovering the iron about 2 cm above the surface of the crochet so that the steam could do it's magic.Give some extra steamy puffs over the places where four squares join, and at the corners and edges, then stand back and take a look.....................

........oooooooooooooooooooooooooo, looking mighty fine!

Looking glorious actually, a real stunner.

This blanket design is not for the faint hearted - it is bold and feisty and just a little bit over the top with it's stunning visuals.

I know there have been a good many of you who have watched me making these squares week in, week out and not shared my enthusiasm. Many of you told me outright that you really didn't like the Sunny Log Cabin Square at all. That's absolutely OK - I knew from the start that this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, that this would be a very self indulgent project for me to play out my own personal colour addiction.

I had a vision you see, an idea that making sixteen squares and bringing them together to form a whole bigger pattern would be a fun thing to try.

Squares can make diamonds.

Clever use of colour can create lines and shapes, can divide and direct the eye.

Hot and cold, sunshine and shadow. Squares and diamonds, lines and shapes.

It's a whole lot of fun to use colour in this way.

Would you care to see how the arrangement of squares looks in it's entirety?

Get ready.......................................

here

it

comes.............................................

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

My Sunny Log Cabin blanket is complete, and I love it very, very, very much.

You can see the Edge properly now too  - see it is just the right amount of something? Just enough. Sunshine and Shadow.

Yes, this is a beauty. It sings and dances before my eyes, it vibrates with energy and light. It never looks still, always there is movement there don't you think?

But lets not forget that blankets are to be used, they aren't show-pieces, they are practical objects which give warmth and snuggles.

Blankets are made to be draped and layered and provide a whole lot of cosy pleasure. I have so enjoyed sleeping beneath these crochet layers during the past week - it's been below freezing here at nights and so two layers of blankety goodness has been entirely necessary (Big Blanket, made in 2009 is still going strong). I originally thought this might be a back-of-sofa throw, but I much prefer seeing it horizontal rather than vertical so it now belongs to my bed. It measures roughly 145 cm square and it sits squarely on my bed like a wacky, modern day eiderdown.

I like waking up in the mornings and seeing it all scrunched up like it's had a hard night keeping me warm and cosy. And I get the pleasure of making my bed each morning and restoring it to it's smoothed out log cabin glory. It sings to me every time I bob in and out of the bedroom during the day, a bright, happy, sunny song.

Love love love love love. I love this blanket!

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ps thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has joined in with the Sunny Crochet a Long during the past few months, I have LOVED sharing my journey and I hope you've had fun embarking on yours too.

Here are some links to all the CAL posts and tutorials ::

♥ SUNNY YARN PACK - 18 x 100g Stylecraft Special DK.

♥ Sunny CAL Introduction

♥ Sunny CAL : Part 1

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 2

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 3

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 4

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 5

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 6

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 7

♥ Sunny Cal : Part 8

♥ Sunny Cal :: Part 9

♥ Sunny Granny Square pattern

♥ Log Cabin Blanket pattern

♥ Log Cabin Blanket : part 2 (joining and edge)

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Under the Weather

I really like the phrase "under the weather", especially given my mild obsession with all things seasonal and weather related. I looked it up just now and found out that the phrase comes from British sailing ships, fancy that! So when a sailor became ill he was confined below deck out of the weather, so it was said that he was under the weather. I do like to know these kinds of things.

So yes, I am currently under the weather it seems, in more ways than one. Just look at that sky from yesterday, talk about drama up there in the heavens. We've had a weeny bit of snow but it's been the wet variety and hasn't stuck around, much to the vocal disappointment of the Little People.

Thank you so very much for your thoughtful and kind words during the past few days, I appreciate it enormously. I would like to tell you that I am feeling loads better, but really I find myself muddling through as best as I can whilst feeling decidedly not myself at all. I'm not ill as such, but I'm definitely not quite right. It's difficult to know how much to share here in my Happy Place, so lets just say I'm hopeful that results of blood tests will be conclusive and provide an answer and some relief from the exhaustion and strange head fog that has settled on top of me in recent weeks.

In more up-beat news, I've got green shoots on my mantel, yipppeee!!! I completely love these little yellow pots of narcissi that appear in the supermarket every January, I've been enjoying them for many years now. It's been lovely also to bring out my crochet tins again too, I really appreciate the gentle seasonal rhythm that repeats itself here in the Attic. It's homely and reassuring and just plain nice to do these same things year after year.

So today there is weak sunshine up above and I've been trying to attend to the business of making a crochet tutorial.

I finally worked out The Sunny Edge yesterday and am now merrily hooking along those long rows. I hope I've made the right call - I won't know until it's done, which is kind of exciting and a weeny bit nail-biting. But I've been photographing my progress and am hoping to get the tutorial all wrapped up for you by the end of this week if I can, providing the head-fog isn't too dense. Again, I am so sorry for the unexpected delay.

Oh, this is such a showy-offy kind of a blanket, I can't wait to show you it in it's entirety. Back to the Edge I go........

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Sorry

I'm so sorry not to be here with a load of bright sunny crochet photos and a tutorial. I'm not feeling very well, I've not felt good since Friday and so have decided to listen to my body and take myself straight back to bed.

As soon as I have a head that stops hurting I'll be here to show you how to join the Sunny Log Cabin Squares, fingers crossed it'll be in the next few days.

Much love, stay cosy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sunshine and Shadow

Today, for approximately two whole hours, it actually stopped raining. Not only that, but the rain clouds scurried off over the horizon leaving us with a blissful open air ceiling of clear blue sky dancing with light.

Oh sunshine, how very much I have missed you! Sunbeams threw themselves in through my studio window and bounced joyfully off my work table.

I pootled my way through town buying bread from the bakery and eggs from the market, then decided to walk home beside the canal.

The bright light illuminated puddles and pathways, cast reflections into the water and lit up the little patches of greenery

It made my walk home completely delightful and I loved every second of that short, sunlit journey.

I kept looking down at my spotty mini-wellies and grinning, they do make me stupidly happy I have to say.

Sadly, two hours isn't very long at all and by 3pm the dark clouds rolled back in and the rain returned, just in time for a thoroughly sodden school run. But in other stupendous news - top photo - that sunny pile represents the end of my ends!!!! Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! At the café this morning I spent three hours stitching and snipping and the result is a blanket now ready and waiting for it's Edge. Oh boy. The thrill of arriving at this point after months and months of crochet and darning is just too great to put into words. I want to show you a photo.......

I laid the Sunny Log Cabin blanket (it's a blanket! No longer a pile of squares!!) - yes, I laid it out on my bed this afternoon and just stood and drooled and gasped a little. Sunshine and Shadow, the light at the window. Gosh I do love it so.

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Beating the Gloom

Well we woke up to yet more rain this morning, what a complete surprise - NOT. Oh my life, this wet weather is becoming so tiresome, day after day after day of low grey skies and soggy surroundings is more than a little bit bleugh. These winter months can be quite a struggle as it is with their low temperatures and low light levels, but when you add in days full of rain it can all feel very gloomy indeed.

I went for a little walk this morning, yes, I did, even in the rain. I called at the supermarket after the school run, then decided on the spur of the moment to walk a long way home via the park. What can I say? It was cold and wet and not particularly pleasant, and yet I really did enjoy the physical act of walking and exerting my lazy legs and pumping a bit of blood around my sluggish body after a few weeks of slobbish living. I arrived home wet, a little out of puff and in dire need of caffeine, it was so lovely to come indoors and busy myself with getting warm and dry and refuelled.

Something that cheered me up enormously this morning was at the end of my legs - new ankle wellie boots! With polka dots!! I am aware that I probably look more than a bit ridiculous wearing them, but I simply don't care - I love them. They are roomy enough for me to wear my gorgeous hand knitted socks and my feet have never felt so snug and warm. And dry. Having dry feet when it's raining is a huge pleasure not to be underestimated.

I bought these beauties in the sale from WhiteStuff.com (see here for details), and they are definitely high up on my list of "things that beat the gloom".

Daffodils too, they are superb little gloom-beaters for sure. I packed away Christmas yesterday, back into it's 5 boxes and into the Attic eaves. I've not yet replaced all the ephemera on my mantles, they remain bare and awaiting my attention. But I did buy daffodils, oh yes, these are always the very first flowers I buy as soon as the New Year is upon us, such a happy way to celebrate January. The buds were tight shut when this £1 bunch came home from the shops a few days ago, but today most of the flowers have opened. The sight of them on my table cheered me hugely today, as did the sight of this on my floor......

..........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, just look at all that Sunny Colour!!

These vibrant colours have really given my heart and soul a lift today, such a wonderful project for a wet, grey January day.

I spent much of the day sat in the big chair working out how to join these big, beautiful squares. It's soooo exciting - the squares are very almost nearly a bonafide blanket!!! I'll be sharing the joining process here on Sunday for those of you who are waiting. I can't wait to have a really good ponder on the Dilemma of The Edge. At the moment, the very truth of the matter is that I haven't a clue how's best to tackle it. I'm hoping inspiration will strike at some point - soon would be good.

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Gently Does It

♥ A lovely little table top sesh with Little Lady, filling in our respective calendars for the year ahead. She seems to love calendars, notebooks, pens and journals just as much as I do and we had fun mapping out the academic year ahead, plotting holidays and special dates together.

♥ A little nod to healthy eating as we gently ease into the New Year. I'm rather ashamed to admit that I spent the whole of New Year's Day lolling about in bed nursing a grade A hangover after drinking far too much champagne with friends the night before. Silly me. But oh it was fun at the time!

♥ The days are suddenly very cold here (still very wet too, boohoo) and at the weekend we lit the fire just after lunch each day. I unexpectedly found myself all alone in the house for a short while on Saturday so I pulled up the big chair, made a mug of Lady Grey tea and daydreamed my way through the latest magazines.

♥ Late afternoon and a bit peckish, I had an idea to rootle out our old toasting fork and set to with a bit of fireside crumpet toasting. Oh, the joy of doing this simple thing, so so so good I tell ya! Warmth and contentment and homely cosiness right there at the end of my prongs.

♥ mmmmmmmmmmmm, have you ever eaten fire-toasted crumpets smothered in butter? They have an exceptional taste, ever so slightly smokey, with just the right amount of wood-fired charred bits on the outer edge, the butter all rich and melty and dripping through the holes....yumyuymyumyum.

♥ My sleep has been dreadful the past few nights, I've over indulged and messed up my body clock and not felt well rested at all. I've been tossing and turning and waking very early, choosing to tiptoe downstairs in the early morning darkness whilst everyone else still sleeps. A mug of steaming hot tea, maybe a slice of toast, and then some quiet, soothing knitty rounds. A gentle (if early) way to start the day.

♥ The Little People have been going late to bed during the holidays, meaning that J and I are staying up waaaaaay past our normal bedtime too. We've watched some films together, furniture pulled up in front of the fire, lazy and content.

Back to routine for us all tomorrow though, today has been our very last holiday day and I am all set for an early night.

How is your New Year shaping up so far? I hope it's gentle and cosy where you are, that all is well in your world...

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2015 :: Year End Review :: crochet

Here's a little look through my hooky makes of 2015.....enjoy!

January :: 2015 started with my Winter Wreath. In fact, various wintry bits of crochet occupied much of my creative time during the first few months of the year.

January :: pale coloured leaves and delicate ferns for my winter wreath {fern leaf pattern}

January :: a little Winter Robin hatched {more details here}

January :: I made some small pine cones for my wreath {pine cone pattern}

February :: I worked on the Yarndale twin lambs (now named Belle and Billy)

February :: the lambs are ready for their photo shoot!

March :: flowers for my Winter Wreath {Hellebore Flower pattern}

March :: my Winter wreath is finished - Ta dah!

March :: Spring is in the air and I made these cute little Easter chicks {Mini Chicklet pattern}

March :: my Spring Posy Brooch pattern was published in The Big Comic Relief Crafternoon bookazine. So proud!

March :: I worked on a new bag design (the Weekend Bag) in chunky yarn and different colourways - I'll be showing you more very soon.

April :: I started making my Harmony Blanket.

May :: I designed a new Mandala with a pretty beady edge for a Mollie Makes publication.

May :: I made good progress on the Harmony Blanket throughout May, enjoying being able to take my hooky outside :)

May :: I started making and joining some colourful solid granny squares using all my oddments of Stylecraft Special DK yarn {Solid Granny Square Pattern}

June :: I started working on creative projects for Yarndale with a floral theme.

June :: I finished my Colourblock Cushion - Ta dah!

June :: I finished the beautiful border on my Harmony Blanket.

July :: I designed a small flower garland for the Yarndale brochure.

August :: I finally finished writing up the pattern and photographing a huge tutorial for the Harmony Blanket - it's the most complex pattern I've ever written. I loved giving this beautiful blanket it's Ta dah moment!

August :: I designed a new cushion for Yarndale called the "Ring-o-Roses" cushion. The pattern can be found in the 2016 Yarndale calendar which you can find in the online Yarndale shop.

August :: another of my crochet designs for the Yarndale calendar - this is as a scented Lavender Heart.

August :: I crocheted a little Bumble Bee! {bee pattern}

August :: I made a woolly sign for Yarndale.

September :: after months of work, I finalised the design for my Sunny Log Cabin square.

October :: I began crocheting the first large Sunny Log Cabin squares ready to start the Crochet-A-Long.

October :: I started working on the Sunny Granny Stripe blanket ready for the Crochet-A-Long.

November :: my hook was on fire as I attempted to make two blankets at the same time. I made two large log cabin squares each week as well as good progress on the Sunny Granny Stripes.

December :: I completed the last of my Sunny Log Cabin squares for the Crochet-A-Long (excepting for a fair few ends still to darn in, eh-hem)

December :: I finished my Sunny Granny Stripe blanket - Ta dah!

✿ Well I must say I did enjoy that jaunt down Hooky Memory Lane! Due to my stunningly poor memory, I am so often surprised and delighted when I put these Review posts together as many of the smaller projects get completely forgotten in the blur of my obsessive blanket making. I don't ever have much of a plan for my crochet makes, I love being able to go with the flow for the most part, working on ideas and projects spontaneously as they occur to me. Having said that, I am beginning to formulate something of a plan for 2016 as I already have a growing list of ideas and things I would like to make this year. I would like to create a Summer Wreath to complete my seasonal collection, and there will no doubt be at least two blankets springing forth (I already have colours and a pattern idea for a Spring/Summer blankie, mmmmm). I also have a list of things that need finishing off and bringing to completion (oh Weekend Bag, you are SO top of my list!).

Crochet continues to pull my life into a blissful swirl of colour and creativity, giving me day after day of fun and happiness, relaxation and joy, friendship and community. I am so, so grateful for everything that crochet brings to me, it really has changed my life. Gotta love that a little stick of metal and a ball of yarn can do so much!!!

I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made blankets during the past year following my colours and designs, I cannot tell you how very, very much I appreciate your enthusiasm and support. I get such a thrill seeing all the hooky goodness happening around the world inspired by the colours and ideas that sit messily in my Creative Mind and tumble forth into reality. We are building a truly amazing global crochet community, full of so much joy and it makes me very, very happy to be a part of it. Thank you, thank you for being a part of it too.

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ps this is my seventh crochet review (7!)....I've just had a look through all my previous ones, so much colour!! hahah!!!

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