Attic24

At a Loss

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

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

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

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

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

But my Mum has gone.

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

                

Today's Colour Therapy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

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

Notes from the Studio

Gorgeous Sweet William

Things I Know

Dorset Summer 2015

Blue Bluebells

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

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

Bluebell Time

On My Mind

The Colours of May

♥ Four Things ♥

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

♥ Thing # 1 :: in my greenhouse ♥

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

♥ Thing #2 :: in my back yard ♥

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

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

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

♥ Thing #4 :: out and about ♥

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

  

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

Tales From Connievan :: Golden Hill Farm

Coastal Walking :: Ravenscar

Elderflower Cordial Time

Yarny Hydrangea Flowers

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

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

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

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

I am thinking possibly a hydrangea wreath?

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

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

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

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

{HYDRANGEA FLOWER TUTORIAL}

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

✿ Hydrangea Flower ✿

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

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

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

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

✿✿✿✿✿ Happy flower making! ✿✿✿✿✿

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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

 

 

Asparagus Season

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deeeeeeeeliicious.

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

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

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

 

 

Yarn Shop Day 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx