Attic24

Dorset :: March 2024 (part 2)

At the start of March I spent a few days down in Dorset, renting a holiday apartment in Weymouth so that I could visit my Dad, but also take some time to recharge and enjoy a short holiday. I travelled with a good friend and we had such a lovely time - you can read  Part 1 of my Dorset tales in my previous blog post ((here)).

Staying in Weymouth was really great, I LoVeD being so close to the sea and our first floor apartment was in a fantastic location with floor to ceiling windows and views out across the harbour. 

I am an early-to-bed-early-to-rise person and when I'm on holiday my body clock remains pretty consistent. In early March the skies were just starting to lighten around 6am and I was very happy to naturally wake up at this time in the morning to enjoy the early daylight. I promised myself that if the weather was clear in the mornings, then I would make the effort and get myself outside onto the beach to catch the sun rise over the sea. It's one of my all time favourite things to do, so on Sunday morning when I woke up to a very crisp and clear sky, I was up and out the door at 6.40am when the moon was still hanging above the rooftops. 

I strolled around the harbour and straight down onto the sandy beach....

....where it was still and quiet and oh-so-tranquil.

At five minutes to seven, the sun peeped over the horizon and I strolled along the shoreline watching and waiting for the Full Rise.

Ahhh, there it is, at 7:06, the promise of a gloriously sunshiny day ahead. I was soooo happy that I kept my promise to myself and gave myself the gift of a seaside sunrise. What a joy!

I spent a while idling on the beach, then eventually made my way up to the esplanade to slowly meander back to the apartment. That rather grand building in the above photo is the Royal Hotel which opened in 1899. I really do love the slightly faded grandeur of seaside resorts, there is something so charming about these old buildings with their many decades of history.

One thing I didn't know until this recent visit is that Weymouth has its very own microclimate. Because it is situated in an east facing bay, it's much warmer and drier than the surrounding areas. Don't be fooled by that tropical looking palm tree (although isn't it impressive?) - on this morning the temperature was only slightly above freezing, so very chilly indeed.

Spring had definitely arrived on the south coast at the start of March, and despite the cold air, the glorious sunlight and delicate blossom more than made up for the chill.

I enjoyed exploring some of the smaller side streets at this early hour before many people were about, loving the quaint and olde worlde feel of the old buildings and bowed windows. In the summer months, these little streets are absolutely jam packed with hoards of holiday makers, so it was really lovely to get the chance to see it out of season.

A bit later on Sunday morning, and here we are back at our local café again, enjoying the sun on our faces as we took in the harbour views over a delicious frothy coffee. Absolute pleasure, right there. It's almost ten o'clock now so we must drink up because we have somewhere to be and people to meet and we can't be late....

....we have a date at this very lovely little place right at the end of the Esplanade. This is the charming Alexandra Hotel, and this gorgeous, light-filled room was soon to be bursting at the seams with an excited crowd of yarn lovers.

WOW, just look!!! This was a very last minute get together organised by the "Friends of Attic24 : Dorset" Facebook group. They meet in various locations in West Dorset, and on this occasion very kindly worked the gathering around my visit to Weymouth. I think this was by far the biggest turn out with around thirty of us all chatting and hooking and enjoying some Attic spirit. I had been a teensy bit nervous before hand because I really don't like being the centre of attention at all, but everyone was soooooo lovely and the atmosphere was incredibly bouncy and uplifting  which made it very easy for me to relax and enjoy the morning.

Just outside the hotel there is a small fairground with a few rides aimed at young children. This old fashioned carousel caught my eye because of all the glorious colours, look......

.....isn't it beautiful??

Inside the hotel there was a spontaneous idea which sprang to life like wild fire - what about we all take a ride on the carousel, and what about if we all take our crochet blankets with us and add even more colour to the whole proceedings? A good idea??? Shall we???? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Load, Ride, Play!!!

Oh, it was BRILLIANT!!!

Such good spirits..... 

....and a lot of fun for me to see my crochet designs out in the wild in such an unexpected way. Love love love love love.

What a wonderful, uplifting, slightly emotional and very happy time I had with my Dorset crochet gang. I loved it, and felt so grateful to be surrounded by so much friendship and good vibes. HUGE thanks to the lovely Sandra (wearing the bright pink tee and sitting front right) for organising and rallying us all to the Alexandra, truly a very memorable time.

I thought I would show you a map ↑↑ just in case you have no idea about Weymouth and Dorset and were curious. You can see it's down on the south-west coast of England, and how the curve of the coast puts Weymouth bay in an east facing direction even though it's on the south coast. You can see the Isle of Portland connected by a very narrow causeway, and the long thin stretch of chesil beach to the west which is separated from the land by water. It's a wonderful coastline, and in the future I'd really like to spend longer down there, with time to explore Portland. I've been there before in years gone by, as a child and also once or twice with J, but I'd love to go back and really spend some time walking and exploring.

On Sunday afternoon after the crochet meet was over, my friend and I decided to take a walk around the coast. The weather was really bright and gorgeous still, and the blues of the sea and sky were breath taking.

We walked for a few miles following the South West coast path, stopping off  at this near deserted beach called Castle Cove.

On the horizon you can see the Isle of Portland stretching out - I feel it calling to me for some reason, like I need to make the journey to go there? I get these strong feelings from time to time, like my soul is being pulled to be somewhere. 

It was such a lovely walk, we made it as far as Sandsfoot Castle and gardens which has a very popular little café with a super-sunny terrace and outdoor seating. What a treat to be able to enjoy this sea view with an afternoon cup of tea and biscuits before slowly re-tracing our steps and walking the 2.5 miles back again.

It was 5.30pm by the time we arrived back at the harbourside, the sun had just set and the early evening light was beautifully calm and tranquil. 

A very busy and long day, and my heart was full.

Monday morning, and almost time to pack up and begin our long journey back north again. I decided to take one last walk along the beach even though it was quite grey and cloudy out, I just couldn't resist the pull of the shoreline when it was right there just minutes away from my bed. 

I made it onto the beach for 7.30am....

....and spent a while beachcombing and ambling along, lost in my own thoughts for a while. The day before had felt like an Enormous Day with a lot of high energy expenditure, and as an introverted soul I always feel the need to recalibrate and reset after a big social event. The sea worked its magic and I slowly felt the return of my inner calm. It's such a lovely thing to be able to take solo time when I need it and I am thankful for these pockets of quiet time I can create in my days when I need them.

 We had to leave our lovely cosy apartment by 10, so we spent the morning exploring some of the historic parts of Weymouth over on the other side of the harbour. Lots of old buildings and small cobbled streets and up on the headland the impressive Nothe fort. I have some childhood memories here - my grandparents really liked Weymouth and I remember often coming with them to picnic in the Nothe Gardens in my summer holidays.

It was a chilly, overcast end to my time in Dorset, like the weather was making my goodbye easier. One last stroll round the harbour and a coffee with a beautiful boaty view before it was time to slowly make our way homewards on the train. 

It was a really good holiday this one, and more than anything I'm really happy (and relieved) that I was able to feel like I was on holiday in Dorset for the first time in years. Thank you for coming along with me, and an especially big thank you to those of you who left a comment on my last post {Dorset part 1}. You are so kind to share your own stories with me, it has helped me feel very supported and understood as I navigate this rather sad journey with my Dad. Thank you so, so much for that.

Dorset Spring 2024 - it was wonderful.

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And...Exhale

I was walking down the street this morning thinking about Blogtober and my recent contributions to life on the World Wide Web. I pondered on the fact that the gentle, daily routine of stringing together some words and photos can be so, so nurturing and fulfilling. After fifteen years I still love love love this blogging life I've created for myself. It feeds a need in me to connect, engage and inspire, but also it's a valuable way for me to empty my mind of visuals and thoughts so that I don't feel quite so congested in my brain. I can spill it all out onto this digital page and exhale with relief.

It's been a beautiful day here, and I really don't want to sound smug as I know the weather down south has been horrendous. But here in Yorkshire it's been all blue skies and sunshine and I have walked around soaking it in. Breathing out all the tension of the past months and reminding myself how to stand down from the high alert status I've been caught in of late.

Being Friday, my morning was spent at Coopers in the company of friends and my slowly growing Starbright stripes. I was sat next to my very good friend Samm today, and she's making a Starbright colourwash ripple, oh it's looking magnificent! I had a special little zip of joy seeing our two blankets side by side.

I'm being slow with these stripes because I keep getting distracted by other things. But I've got a weekend ahead with zero plans (which is the best feeling) so I'm going to make sure that I grab me some cosy hooky time.

Remember the one hundred foot chimney I showed you last week (Blogtober Day 27)? Well I took a photo of it from the other side today because it looked very picturesque in the Autumn sunshine.

This is an unusual spot (the chimney is just up and to the right of the above photo) because the canal is carried over the stream via an old aqueduct bridge. I often walk this way home from Coopers café - if I go up those stone steps, that's the canal tow path right there.

I took advantage of the weather and walked this afternoon, taking in all the glorious autumn colour and loving the gentle feel of the sun on my face.

I often take myself out and about, just for the pleasure of being outdoors and enjoying some slow, strolling steps along familiar routes. It's my therapy I guess, and really helps me to unwind and feel calm.

I walked along the canal to the supermarket to buy a few essentials that we'd run out of, and to treat myself to some fruit. I'll be going to the market in the morning to buy fruit and veg, but today I had an insane craving for tropical fruit - I guess not a bad craving to have. I bought passion fruits, persimmons and kiwis and when I got home I made myself a bowl of greek yoghurt with the fruits piled on top. Yummm.

The kitty has been in this position on the sofa allllll afternoon, and right now at 7.45pm she is still right there. She must be feeling very happy indeed because the fire is blazing (I'm sat right beside the hearth chatting to you today) and this room has reached the perfect cosy temperature. 

Today I have felt more like my normal self than I have done in quite a while, and my inner energy and spark is returning slowly but surely. I am quietly hopeful that November will be a month of healing and closure in many ways, and that thought is making me happy, like there is sunshine in my soul again. 

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A Lovely May Weekend

I was thinking yesterday about all the many, many weekends I've written about on my blog over the years, and how they are mostly a visual celebration of ordinary, domestic life. Nothing outrageously exciting ever happens on my weekends, they are made up of mundane routines, gentle chores and slow living, and I am honestly full of gratitude for the uncomplicated ease of them. I was saying to a friend the other day that I think living a slow, contented and ever so slightly boring life is very underrated in terms of the happiness it delivers.

When the Little People were young, my weekends looked and felt very different. All three of them were seriously early risers (especially at this time of year when it's light in the mornings) and it was such a full-on, rather cray-cray time in my life parenting three Littles. I remember wondering what life might feel like in the future when I could wake up before them and spend my days doing pretty much what I wanted to do while they did their own thing, I could hardly imagine the total luxury of it back then. Fast forward to now, and I'm living and loving my once longed for quiet morning starts, and fully enjoying my leisurely weekend days where I have plenty of time to relax and do things that make me happy.

It's a funny thing looking back to those days (and I do often read back through my own Attic24 archives to help me remember), because I really did love parenting through the toddler and young school ages....and yet....I am SO HAPPY that I'm beyond it all haha!! Of course I do still have my three offspring at home so I'm still parenting, but at ages 20, 19 and 13 it's a totally different kind of gig these days.

Anyhooo....where was all this leading, I really don't know.....I hadn't meant to wander off down memory lane! 

I was at Coopers café on Friday morning which isn't strictly the weekend but often times those hours at the tail end of the  school week do have a delightfully weekendish feel. I had a lovely time chatting to my friends while knitting up some stripy rows, eating toasted crumpets and slurping a frothy cappuccino. I cast on these "frost" socks at the start of March and they are great to have on the go for when I'm at that faffy, unsociable stage with my crochet project.

We went out for a walk in the woods on Sunday morning, notable because a) I spotted the first bluebells in flower and b) we had both Little B and Little Lady walking with us. I've worked out that I can encourage them to walk with us on a Sunday morning if it's not too early (10.30am is the sweet spot) and if we detour via their favourite coffee chain on the way. The lure of a Sunday morning coffee and a pastry works wonders, I wonder where they get these ideas from (??!)

The woodland is absolutely bursting with greenery and lushness right now....

....fresh green leafage everywhere you look.

Spotting these teeny tiny fluffy ducklings dancing along in the reflections made me quite weak at the knees, the cuteness was almost too much.

It takes about ten minutes to walk from the coffee shop on the main high street to the woodland, isn't that something? Such a lovely combination of pleasures to enjoy on a sun dappled Sunday morning.

It's three in the afternoon on Sunday now, and things are happening out on our street. For once, the weather got the memo and there is blue sky up above, yay! Bunting is flapping in the breeze, and down below there are tables all set with cloths and napkins ready to be piled with all manor of sandwiches, cakes, fruit platters and savoury snacks.

I didn't take in any of the Kings Coronation on Saturday as I was busy doing other things, but on Sunday it was a lovely chance for our little terraced community to come out and celebrate. I live on such a friendly street where we know most of our neighbours up and down on both sides. There are thirty houses in total, and being terraced I think it's safe to say that we have no choice but to be close knit! It makes for a very jovial atmosphere when the children are all out to play (we had a permit to close the street so there were no cars for a few days) and everyone brings chairs and benches and gets down to the happy business of chit-chatting and having fun.

I snapped the above photo on my phone and it did make me laugh just now when I uploaded it - a jug of Pimms next to a half empty bottle of bubble mixture, kind of sums up the afternoon rather nicely! The kids varied in age from small toddlers up to teenagers, and the activities included bubbles and chalks (so nostalgic), a little bit of football, some jump rope skipping (huge fun, nearly wet myself laughing when the adults got involved after a whole lot of Pimms had gone down), and later s'mores on the barbecue, music and dancing well into the dark of the night.

As a result of the enormous quantity of Pimms which ended up in my system, Monday was spent mostly horizontal in a recovery position. It was worth it though, such a happy and memorable day.

I hope you had a good weekend, whether it was mundane or something exciting, do tell me what you got up to? I'd love to hear..

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Summer Snaps :: late August 2022

Hello, hello, hellooooooo!!!!! How're you all doing out there in the Big Wide World?

I've been meaning to check in here for the past week or so, well ever since Little B returned to school actually, and it's been tricky to find the right time of day/evening when I can be fully present without other things clamouring for my attention. Finally I've managed it - it's 7.30pm and I've come to sit cosy in bed with my laptop as it's been a surprisingly chilly day and I needed the comfort.

I had a long debate with myself earlier on today about how exactly to jump back in here, and in the end decided to give you something of an end-of-summer round up before everything starts to get forgotten in the seasonal shift. Although I'm embracing the return to the school and working routines and the fact that Autumn is sitting very close on the horizon, it's always lovely to look back and celebrate every last bit of Summer.

J had some time off work at the end of August which allowed me to take some time down south (more of that in a bit), but also for us to enjoy a bit of a staycation week here with the Little People.

We took a day trip up to Cumbria to visit a National Trust property called Sizergh. It's quite a grand old house with a huge estate, so we did a four mile circular walk with a picnic lunch, then spent some time enjoying the house and gardens which were at their peak in late August.

The kitchen garden was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't get enough of the abundant colours....

....oh, it was glorious!

I also loved this long walled border which was bursting with later summer colour....

....and attracting a good many bees and butterflies too.

It was a lovely day out and I'm hoping we can do more exploring of new places in the months to come.

Closer to home, we've been getting out and about to walk in the local countryside right on our doorstep. The weather at the end of August and into early September was seriously lovely, remaining bright and sunny and warm enough to walk in t-shirts. I can't adequately describe my constant levels of happiness in relation to the warm sunny summer we've had, but it has been pretty sky high. Finally a summer that behaved itself and truly felt like a Proper Summer!!

I walked and walked, often two or three times a day I would find myself keen to get out there and walk. J and I continue to enjoy our 7am fast-paced, slightly breathless power walks through the woodland (so good, love love love it), then a solo stroll around town sometime in the morning for me - walking along the canal, a trip to the café for coffee, errands to run, groceries to buy. And then sometimes an evening walk too, usually with Little B, to take in the summery evening skies and breathe it all in.

My daily coffee, taken outside most days through the warmth of late summer. I simply can't imagine life without this pleasurable mid morning pause, I love it so much.

I enjoyed being at home as the summer shone on through late August, our sash windows pushed up high to let the warm breeze blow through the house. 

At the every end of August I set off to travel south on the train down to Dorset. This seems to have become the norm for me now - frequent solo visits every 3 or 4 months to touch base with my Dad, making the most of these times when his health is still pretty stable. It's also lovely for me to be back in my childhood place too, and I find myself soaking in that deep-rooted familiarity and feeling very grateful for it. 

I hardly ever eat ice cream, but on this day I joined in with my Dad and Lady B and had an old fashioned Mr. Whippy with a flake. My goodness, what a hit of nostalgia that was, I felt like I was ten years old! 

We strolled slowly, slowly along the promenade - I think my Dad is honestly the slowest walker I have ever met in my life and I have to dig deep to find the patience to slow my own pace down to a dawdling shuffle. But promenades are good places for slow shuffles, so once I adjusted to it, all was well.

The sea was incredibly calm on this day with barely any waves at all, and even though I prefer it when it's noisy and crashing and salty, it was still lovely.

My trip to Dorset was only short this time, and after two nights I was off on my travels again. I took the train and journeyed east into Hampshire - destination Portsmouth Harbour. I was then heading across the water to the Isle of Wight, traveling at high speed on the fast catamaran that operates between Portsmouth and Ryde. It was all very exciting, and a first time for me to travel on a catamaran (you can see here what it looks like, it was much bigger than I expected). I sat next to the window and tried not to fidget too much with over excitement, wishing that the trip was way longer than twenty two minutes long.

It's been eighteen years since I visited the Isle of Wight - one of my best friends from my art/textile uni days lives here and I used to regularly come and stay with her in the years before I had children. We've been friends for thirty four years, isn't that something? It was absolutely wonderful to see her and her family and how much they have grown since I  last saw them (three ginormous, handsome boys, and I mean they are huuuuuuge, well over six feet tall all of them). We had such a fun time, some delicious meals out, bottles of prosecco, chatting in the garden, picking blackberries out in the countryside, walking the dog and generally just enjoying a massive, long over due catch up.

On my last day there we took a long walk all around the eastern coast and it was really interesting to see how different the beaches are. The coastline is very woody with trees coming right down to the beach in many places.

We stopped off for lunch at a really beautiful café nestled into the trees overlooking the beach. It was warm enough for us to sit out on the decking and enjoy a chilled glass of refreshment and some delicious food with stunning sea views. I felt as though I was abroad....I mean, just look at this beach.......

.............just WOW!!!! Isn't it beautiful? You can see the café tucked into the trees above, and imagine how bloomin' delighted I was with it all.

After three super happy days it was time to say goodbye and begin my long journey home. Back across the water to the mainland (that ship is HMS Warrior, an old Navy vessel docked in Portsmouth Harbour), then a train up to London.....

....where everything was it's usual hectic, noisy, crowded, busy city self. Then it was the final three hours on the train back up to Yorkshire, and I tumbled in the front door at around 9.30pm. It was a lot of hours on the move (eight in total) but I happen to like travelling by myself and really enjoyed every bit of it.

I was away for six days in total, and the day before I left decided to cast on a pair of socks. I've not done any knitting since last year and had this yarn waiting patiently to be transformed into stripes. Socks make great travel projects and I really enjoyed knitting the hours away as I journeyed up and down the country.

The sock yarn matches perfectly with my latest blanket too, a delightful happy accident which is making me very pleased with the visual harmony. I'll be able to share my new blanket with you very, very soon - yarn packs will go on sale on Wednesday 21st September. I'll be here to tell you all about the blanket which I've named "Fireside" (cosy, warm and comforting vibes) , and as always there will be a free pattern and tutorial for you too. I'm really looking forward to showing it to you.

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Friday Five

Five small things that have made me feel happy today....

Number 1 :: Spending the morning with my Yarny Tribe ::

My Friday mornings spent at Coopers café always make me happy - good coffee, crochet time, and a hefty dose of laughter and chatter with great friends. I crocheted 6 fern leaves and 1.5 hellebores, time well spent.

Number 2 :: My new pencils ::

My new pencils arrived and I am obsessed with them, they are perfection and they smell like my childhood. Derwent pencils are such a classic, historic brand and I am delighted to own these beauties. Happy, happy me.

Number 3 :: The scent of these narcissus ::

The whole downstairs of the house is filled with the scent of these flowers and I absolutely love it, although I hear that many people really dislike it? They look so pretty too and I am enjoying them on my table very, very much.

Number 4 :: chasing the sun ::

It's been a very drizzly grey day for most of today, but in the early evening it finally brightened up which sent me running out the door to chase the light. It was glorious - the most stunning reflections and a fiery sun which I just managed to catch before it disappeared behind the rooftops.

Number 5 :: cosy hand knit socks and the warmth of a fire ::

It's wintry cold here, single digit temperatures, woolly socks required. Lighting the fire in the late afternoon is one of my favourite household jobs and relaxing beside the hearth always makes me happy. 

Coffee, crochet, friendship, coloured pencils, scented flowers, reflections, sunset, cosy fireside, woolly socks. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

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Ps, Number 6 :: my hill view came back - yay!! x

 

 

The Here and Now

Last week I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine about the business of how to return to ones blog when one has been absent for a period of time. She was telling me she hadn't blogged since February and really wanted to find her way back to it. My advice went something like this ::

1. Don't get caught up in the reasons for your absence. Don't feel you need to explain if you don't want to, and definitely don't fall over yourself to apologise. Blogs belong to the blogger, and gaps in the narrative are a natural part of writing a genuine, truthful blog which follows the ups and downs of life. There is no need to say sorry, or feel guilty.
2. Jump right in with something short and current rather than trying to back track and create a hefty "catch-up" post. Your blogging voice may well be a little bit croaky after a break and keeping things short and of-the-moment will be a good way to un-croak yourself. Lengthy catch ups and more specific posts can happen when you get back into the general swing of things.
3. Let the photos lead the way if the words aren't coming easy.

So......this is me sliding back gently into blogland and taking my own advice. Hellooooo!! I've missed this space, and am very glad to be back. The above photo was taken this morning on my daily tramp into the woods. It's been a warm and muggy day today with a heavy feeling in the air, as if it needs to really pour with rain but can't quite manage to make it happen.

I found a beautiful feather on the woodland path today and had to bring it home to add to my collection - it's the super-tall dark black feather in the above photo. Actually, it's a very, very dark blue rather than being black but you only see the blue hue when it catches the light. Needless to say, even though I tried to be very stealthy about introducing it into the house, Tilly has already sniffed it out and had it onto the floor. I have no idea why I'm so surprised.

I've had a jug of white stocks on my table this week and the scent they bring to the room is heavenly. 

I took the above photo to share on Instagram this morning, for no other reason than to document the joy my dining room shelves are delivering to me at the moment. After a very long spell of them making me feel very frustrated and irritated, I finally decided last month to put some effort in and and sort them out. I performed a major declutter, re-organised all my things, and finally managed to tame the chaos. 

I had a long overdue clear out of my books and donated some huge bags to our local Oxfam Bookshop which felt wonderful. Owning less books has given me more shelf space and now that it's pretty tidy and clutter-free on those shelves I'm working hard to try and keep it that way. Daily diligence is needed, honestly, it's a full time job. I check on them every single day and make sure to re-home anything that lands there and doesn't belong. Who even am I??!

Funny thing, I took some before and after photos whilst this was all going on because I also tackled the twin Cupboards of Doom at the same time. I've just looked back at the photos and gasped out loud - it was really pretty bad here for a while last month when everything was in utter chaos. I might be brave and show you - is this something that you'd be curious about, the behind the scenes state of my messy home that you don't usually get to see? Would you like to see inside my cupboards which are no longer doom-filled? Let me know eh?

I'm currently dragging myself back into healthy eating after way too much over indulgence during the past few months. Artisan sourdough bread has a lot to answer for, as does chocolate. I've discovered that gluten and sugar are really not good for my body these days, both my mood/energy levels and my joints really start acting up if I eat too much of it. So I'm diggin' deep for some self discipline this week and thankful for our weekly trips to the market and the delicious fresh produce we can purchase. Natural fruit sugars are wonderful....I keep telling myself this, as I sit and fantasise about eating a piece of cake.

As well as daily shelf-clutter checks, I'm now also performing daily plantlet checks as I've got actual living things growing in my back yard that are making me so bloomin' happy. Lots of flowers are now in residence, and I'll show you some more photos very soon. For now, please do appreciate how healthy my sweet peas are looking - this is one of three big pots I've got going on out there, and I am mothering them to death. My plant babies. 

And in crochet news, my Yuletide blanket is slowly but surely growing and I am very in love with it. Coopers café re-opened a few weeks ago after being closed since the start of the year, and I am so happy to be back. It's not back to the full social group of old yet as we are still restricted to sitting in small groups of 6, but it's a step in the right direction.

This week I'm also working behind the scenes on the design of another blanket project but annoyingly I can't show you just yet. On the whole though, I've been enjoying some slow down time during the past few months and haven't done much crochet at all. I've been percolating some ideas though, and there is a list of things I want to make - an actual list written on paper, not just free floating inside my messy head space, so that's something. I very much hope that June will treat me better than May did, I lost my way for a while last month, it' was a tricksy, emotional month for various reasons. 

Well, I'm so happy to be back here and I promise to not be so quiet and croaky-voiced and will come back very soon to chat some more. Back soon...........xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

March End

A cup of frothy coffee enjoyed in the cosy warmth of my bed is how I really like to start my mornings. It's the perfect way for me to gently adjust my mind to the new day and to process what I want to try and do with the hours stretching ahead. I don't meditate, but I am very good at just sitting and being in the moment. Often I wake up and my mind is so chockablock full of stuff it's hard to think straight, so I've been meaning to try and do a mini morning brain dump but I keep forgetting! I'm sure there is a lesson to be learnt there.  I was chatting about this with my bloggy friend Rachell who was telling me that taking just five minutes to empty your mind onto paper in the mornings is hugely beneficial. I'll try and remember to do it tomorrow morning, and I'll report back on how it goes. Do let me know in the comments if this is something you have tried or do regularly, I'd love to hear.

I was on a real go-slow this morning after another poor nights sleep, and as today is the first day of my monthly cycle I was not feeling the best. I know I must have been feeling low because even though the sun was shining I really didn't feel like taking my morning walk. I just didn't want to expend any energy, so I simply decided to stay put. I feel extremely fortunate to be able to make these decisions for myself I have to say, and I do really appreciate that fact. My Little People are at an age now where they sleep in late and are self sufficient in the mornings so I'm at liberty to please myself when there isn't a school run to do. I've had many, many years of very full on parenting, often starting my days at 5am as all three of my littln's were very early risers. This is my time now, and my goodness I'm grateful. 

After a very slow start, I eventually got myself together and went about my morning chores - emptying the dishwasher, putting a load of laundry in the machine, feeding the kitty, a quick tidy up of our downstairs living space. We had a family dentist appointment in the late morning which involved a drive to another town, oh, huge excitement to be leaving the boundaries of our local area and seeing Fresh New Scenery for the first time in months! It was a thrill, honestly. 

I get very nervous going to the dentist (even though this was just a check up, and my teeth are pretty good on the whole), so I wasn't able to eat very much this morning. By the time I got home at 1pm I was seriously hungry so I made myself a healthy lunch bowl. Yesterday I got a new gadget to play with and I'm pretty sure I'm about to become a little bit obsessed with it. The gadget in question is a spiralizer, but not one of those huge machines with a handle that takes up half the kitchen, oh no, this is the most amazing low-tech little hand held gizmo and I am so impressed with it. You can find it on Amazon ((here)), and I tell you it works a treat for making courgette noodles.

I made a simple salad dressing for my courgetti today (olive oil, lemon juice, wholegrain mustard and maple syrup), and tossed them in with cucumber, tomato and a bit of left over cooked chicken, then crumbled some feta cheese on top. Oh my goodness..... sooooooooooo good. I've been reading up on courgetti recipes (courgetti puttanesca, or a garlicky pesto - yes yes, I could make wild garlic pesto courgetti!) and I am most definitely going to be spiralizing my lunch on the daily for a while.

Lunch time rolled around into mid afternoon and I felt restless but weary at the same time. I couldn't decide what to do with myself, so in the end I decided to do nothing much. I made a coffee (all my coffees are decaff at the moment because of the rubbish hormonal sleep sitch), and sat myself in a sunny corner of the back yard to absorb some of the warmth and light into my brain. I think the sunshine must have helped recharge my batteries a little because once my coffee was finished I felt ready to do some work.

I spent some time caking up my Meadow blanket leftovers so that they can be neatly added to my yarn stash boxes. I needed to do this to free up my big baggy yarn bag because I'm starting out on a new blanket project and I've been sampling for it this afternoon. I'm still in the very early stages of working out the colour palette but I'm very nearly there with it I think. I'm beginning to get that fizzy feeling in the pit of my stomach that tells me that this blanket is coming in with alllll the feels, so I know I'm close to nailing it down. There is a teensy clue in the above photo - two shades of red. Tis VERY exciting! 

It's taken me an age to write this blog entry (it's now gone ten o'clock and I've been sat here for hours, literally), so I hope I've not written a huge pile of gibberish. As you probably know, I don't faff my posts at all (other than a quick check through for typos) so what you read is the actual unedited stream of words that pours forth from my brain. Some days it pours in a flowing torrent, and other days it's a slow trickle, but at least it's always the true essence of what I'm thinking/feeling at the time.

Ah.......see that above?? Now that is partly why this blog post has taken me so long as I spent an AGE choosing and editing photos for my March round-up. Ha, I had forgotten all about that, honestly, my poor brain is so thick with fog sometimes, it's a wonder I can get anything done. 

Today being March End and all, my two weeks of daily blogging have come to a gentle finishing line. Thank you so very much for joining me and for all the delightful comments you've written for me too, I really appreciate your company. I don't plan on disappearing so you can expect my blogs to keep on coming, maybe not every single day but I'll do my best.

A new month begins tomorrow and I'm so excited for it, the start of my favourite quarter of the year. I'm ready for all the light and sunshine and greenery and flowery things.

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ps huge thanks to my two friends Christine and Kate who have kept me company with my daily blogging endeavour this month, it's been wonderful to have them with me xx

 

 

 

 

Cosy November

Gosh, it's been a whirlwind kind of a week here in the Attic and even though I've been whirling in very small circles close to home I feel as if I've expended a lot of energy somehow. Some weeks just feel especially full I guess - full of social connection (even if it is all digital these days), quiet productivity, high emotion. All the feels here. I would like to say a mahooooosive, big squishy (((thank you))) for all the Meadow love on my last post, thank you for your kind words and your enthusiasm, I absolutely love love love sharing my creative endeavours with you all. The Meadow yarn packs have been selling so fast, flying out of the Warehouse to deliver some happy yarny cheer all around the world. I am SO EXCITED for the crochet a long to begin in January, and to have your company as we wander the summer meadow together. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I mentioned in my last post about planner stickers - this is the fifth year that I've collaborated with Rachel of EllieBeth Designs and I absolutely love the way she takes my colour palettes/themes and produces the most beautiful sticky things to work alongside my CALs. You can find them in Rachels shop ((HERE)) - the stickers can be used on a calendar or in your notebooks/journals if you aren't into planners, and I absolutely love them.

Rachel has very kindly given me a discount code to pass onto you - you can get 15% off any stickers in her shop....

...just use the code MEADOWCAL15 at the checkout.

This past week has really felt like autumn is slipping away and winter is beginning to creep in, and although it's been quite mild (we've not had a frost yet this season), the air has nevertheless looked and felt quite wintry.

I've been enjoying the cosiness of my home, especially the first hour when I come home from the school run. Usually the timing works out just right for me to call at the coffee shop on my way home from dropping Little B, picking up two takeout coffees to bring home for J and me. I do miss my café visits in this locked-down life, but enjoying a really good freshly made coffee in the comfort of home is still a wonderful luxury and I am grateful for it.

Once a week I get to collect my takeout coffee and carry it up to the park to meet up with a very good friend. We sit (socially distanced) at the top of a small run of stone steps, her on one end and me perched on the other end so that we both have this  view out across the park. We can sit and drink our coffees and chat for about half an hour until our butts get too cold and stiff, then we walk a brisk circuit around the park to warm up again. 

This week I have felt very blessed with my friendships, and I have spent a lot of time chatting via WhatsApp on my phone, and on social media. I received a beautiful little parcel through the post a few days ago too, from one of my yarny friends who I used to see once a week at our Coopers knit and natter when life was normal.

She has been knitting little houses using her very own pattern, such a delight! She knit a whole street and very kindly sent them out to her friends, simply to bring a little cheer. Oh my, I was overwhelmed with emotion over this beautiful little handmade gift.

You may know that I have a Thing for little houses, I totally adore them and over the years I've managed to collect and build a small handmade street. Gosh, I've just noticed how terribly dusty my mantel is, please do try and overlook my very slapdash approach to the housework and focus on the houses. Eyes up. Aren't they cute?

It's been all things Meadow here during the past few weeks as I've worked hard behind the scenes to finalise all the colour work decisions. These colours have been bringing me a lot of happiness, a LOT. I think they are magical actually, and I can't wait for you to experience them for yourself in January. 

Lots of time spent in this room as J an I both work here during the days when the Little Peeps are at school. I've started lighting the fire in the early afternoon as the house seems to suddenly feel chilly round about then. We've usually been on our woodland walk, had some lunch and settled down for a few more hours of work before the 3pm school departure, so lighting the fire has given us some very welcome warmth and comfort. Right now I am sat exactly where Tilly is sleeping in the above photo, it's one of my favourite places to sit. I pull the coffee table over so that I can sit on the floor with my legs stretched out underneath it, and lean my back against the sofa. Not a bad working-from-home situation by any means.

As I mentioned earlier, there has definitely been a distinct whiff of winter in the air this week. 

I am so glad of my wellies now as the pathways are very muddy and the most dominant colour of the November woodland is brown. Oh dear, it really isn't my favourite.

Thank goodness for moss, it provides such a beautiful little bright spot of colour in amongst all the murk and I couldn't love it more. I'm a moss-lover, and proud of it.

↑↑ OK, so this happened on Tuesday, I know, I know. Danish pastries are not very "clean eating" but totally acceptable in terms of "wellness" I'd say (please see this post if you don't know what I'm going on about!). I always treat myself to a pastry on new-blanket-launch-days, it's become a little ritual that I have - a small celebrational treat from me, to me. It was still warm when I snaffled it from the bakery shelves and it was utterly divine I can tell you. Di-VINE. 

And so my days whirl along, and I continue to feel very thankful for it all. 

We found out today the this area of the UK will be out of Lockdown next week, but our socialising is still going to be very limited. Our pubs and cafés will reopen and J and I will be able to return to enjoy our morning coffees, but that's only because we live within the same household. I really, really miss my weekly yarny get togethers and was hoping to have them back again next week but sadly it's not happening. Ah well, I guess we just keep on doing our bit to stay safe and hope that little by little things begin to improve.

There are only three more weeks left of school now before the Christmas holidays, I can hardly believe it to be honest. 

I took the above photo yesterday on the way home from school, it was twenty past three in the afternoon and the sun was almost down beyond the horizon. It's twenty five more days before we land on the Winter Solstice (it's on Monday 21st this year). I am so looking forward to celebrating that special day of the year, I will be ready and waiting to gather in the greenery, light the candles and celebrate the fact that our days will begin to lengthen once more.

I hope you're having a good week however big or small your circles are, and that there is light and colour and warmth in your days xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Yarny Stripes

Ever since I completed my Dune blanket back in April I've been itching to start another blanket. There is something about crocheting stripes which soothes my soul and makes me insanely happy and I experience definite withdrawal symptoms if I don't have anything stripy on the go. The struggle is real!

Consequently, I've been fighting the huge urge to start a summer blanket due to the fact that I really don't have the actual time to squeeze in a big project. I've got a gathering number of things that need my urgent attention at this time of year, so I've staged a Blanket Resistance Campaign and well, so far so good. No more blankets until my CAL design starts to call to me. I can do it. I can, I can!

A couple weeks ago, I had the brilliant idea of combining my stripe addiction with Yarndale needs and began working on some new lamp post wraps. We currently have around 25 wraps which we install in the park  - they have been enjoyed for six years now and to be honest some of them are looking a little past their best. Time for a few new additions, and oh, I have been enjoying these easy, colourful stripes!

For my first wrap, I chose some really vibrant rainbow brights for the stripes. Each wrap measures around 28 x 100 cm, and I've worked the stripes in simple UK treble crochet. Four rows for each stripe, twenty five stripes in total. It's easy, pleasurable, joyful, therapeutic crochet and I've loved every hooking minute.

I decided to use the absolutely fabulous Moogly Crochet Alphabet to spell out the word Y-A-R-N-D-A-L-E, making up the letters in white yarn so that they stand out against the bright background.

I find the simplest way to add the letters is to tack/baste them in place using contrast yarn, then neatly stitch around the outside edge of each letter. Basting takes a little more time than simply pinning but is well worth the effort to keep the letters straight and in the correct place. Wonky words just won't do.

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!! What do you think? 

The wrap will be secured around the lamp post with cable ties at the top and bottom, then an invisible seam will be stitched up the back so that the wrap looks good from all directions and stays intact. 

You can see the effect in the photo below...............

The 25 wraps stay in the park for around a week in the run up to Yarndale, then I carefully un pick the stitched seams and take them all back down again. They get washed and stored away ready for next year, so this isn't a throw-away kind of project, or something that will get left to weather the elements for any length of time.

I made the granny stripe wrap in the photo above for the first ever Yarndale in 2013 and it's still in pretty good shape.

As soon as the first wrap was finished I started on a second one. I'm using left over scraps of Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook, and it's been fun thinking up colour and design ideas. The rows work up very quickly too - each row of trebles has 48 stitches and I can really whizz along fast once I get into The Zone.

↑↑↑ This was me on Sunday, sitting outside on a warm sunny morning waiting for my breakfast to arrive. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend on a jolly in Manchester with my very good friends Christine and Emma. Oh, we did have fun! Lots of eating and drinking, a little bit of retail therapy, a fair amount of pootling and wandering and a huge amount of chatter and laughter.

↑↑↑ There they are look, check out those happy smiley faces! We were sat out on the terrace at the back of a gorgeous eatery in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter. Coffee (oh so good!) along with a very tasty brunch and a bit of a leisurely crochet/knit along......what's not to love?! 

I really adore the various shades of blue that Stylecraft have created in their Special DK range. From the deep teal and rich blue tones, right through to the pale sky blues, this is a gorgeous section of the overall colour range.

I finished up the background stripes on Monday, ready to add a little floral something......

Oh, helloooooo beautiful sunflower!!!!!

I made the sunflower using Stylecraft Special Chunky yarn and a 6mm hook, following a fabulous free pattern by Cindy Hopper. You might recognise the design as I made the same flower in 4ply wool yarn for my Autumn Wreath. 

You can see how lovely the flower looks against the blue stripes, and I hope it'll be very striking when it's in situ in the park.

I made the leaves yesterday afternoon when I was at my Creative Coopers get together at the cafe. I had a quick look online to see what sunflower leaves actually look like, then made up a shape which seemed about right. I'm planning to edge the leaves in a darker green and add some stitched detail, then crochet a tall stem to bring it all together. 

I'll show you once it's all finished......I love love love exercising my Creative Mind in this way and am already forming some plans for wrap number three. I'm thinking something sheepish might be in order......!

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Twelve Days of Christmas Felt Ornaments

Two weeks ago on a very bright and sunny Thursday afternoon I had a couple of very special visitors arrive at the Studio. It wasn't a surprise as I had been expecting them, and oh it was so good to see them looking all smiley-happy and ready for some serious colour therapy and crafty time. Well, that's to say one of the visitors came carrying a bag of craft supplies - the other one came with muddy paws and a lolling tongue, but seemed happy to nose about my studio emptying out my bin and generally sniffing out every nook and cranny. Would you like to know who it was?

Some of you may very well be familiar with her, especially if you are on Instagram and know of a certain Little Box of Crochet - yes, it was none other than Amanda Bloom and her beautiful canine companion Honey. Amanda and I have been friends for a good few years and it's always a pleasure to get together and chat about all things colour and crochet. But two weeks ago, we had hatched a crafty plan and it didn't involve yarn or crochet - gasp!!!! What on earth???!!!

I'd invited Amanda to come and join me in a little bit of a felt fest, and oh boy, did she deliver on the felt front - just LOOOOOOOK at that delicious stack of gorgeous felty lovliness that came out of her bag!!!! We'd decided to have a little bit of a SAL (stitch-a-long) and Amanda had certainly come prepared. The above stack was all part of a truly scrumptious kit of supplies that she'd bought, especially designed to make and stitch these beautiful Christmas decorations.........

photo credit : Larissa Holland : mmmcrafts

...........these are the Twelve Days of Christmas Ornaments designed by Larissa Holland who writes on her blog mmmcrafts. I can tell you it was absolutely love at first sight when I saw these on Instagram a few months ago, oh I fell hard and fast. Aren't they utterly charming????

Larissa sells the patterns as downloadable PDF files via her Etsy shop - you can buy them individually, or in bundles of three, six or twelve (I think, I'll need to check that). They are quite expensive, but they are amazingly well written patterns. Each decoration comes as a twelve page document with detailed instructions and lots of pictures, including a full scale pattern page which you can print off onto a special sticky interface thingy - I'll explain more about that in a bit.

You have an option to purchase complete felt/thread kits to make all of these ornaments but this wasn't something I really needed. You see, I already have the above stack of beautiful wool blend felt which I bought a few years ago from the fabulous Paper and String.

Sarah's felt is a 40/60% wool-viscose blend and comes in sixty lush colours. It's very reasonably priced and I can highly recommend it if you fancy a bit of making and stitching.

You can also purchase a set of swatch cards from Paper and String, and if you are into colour then these in themselves are a pure hit of happiness. I love them so much, and confess I've spent rather a lot of time gazing at them. If you want to have a go a making the 12 days of Christmas ornaments with your own felt and threads, it's perfectly possible to use the many photos on mmmcrafts listing for the patterns to guide you in your colour choices.

You will probably know that I have also spent this year building up a fair collection of embroidery threads, thanks to my cross stitch obsession.

So with felt and threads to hand and the patterns printed out and prepared, I was all ready to get busy stitching with Amanda.

Now I want to tell you about the sticky printable interface stuff - it's from the US and I was able to order it on Amazon. It's got a ridiculously over complicated name - it's called "PRINTABLE Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy Stablizer", don't try and say that in a hurry! Basically, its a sheet of thin sticky interface that will dissolve in water - the sticky stuff is on a backing and comes as an A4 sheet, meaning (and this is the magic) that you can put it in an inkjet printer and print a design right onto the surface. No tracing! And it's sticky, meaning you can simply cut out the shape, peel off the backing paper, stick it straight onto your felt and stitch right through it. How about that? It really speeds up the whole process and you can be ready to stitch very quickly.......

....this was Amanda and me on a Friday at Coopers Cafe bar, joining in with my knitty and crochet friends who were very curious to see me stitching instead of hooking for a change.

The embroidery stitches that Larissa uses in these ornaments are very simple (back stitch, running stitch and french knots) and the charm is in the colours she uses and the beautiful folk-inspired designs. 

I am an absolute sucker for french knots, I pretty much think I could sit and stitch them all day long. Using the sticky stuff with the pattern printed on it makes the embroidery a doddle, as every stitch is marked for you so you know exactly what you are doing. The only downside is that it's quite tough pulling the needle in and out of the sticky - the needle certainly doesn't glide in and out of the felt and you have to "work" the stitches quite hard. But on the upside, the felt is kept taught and the stitches come out even and neat, so I guess the ups outweigh the downs.

Mid afternoon and essential refreshments were delivered to our table to keep us going with the *arduous* task of stitching.

 This is Amanda and me both embroidering our partridge wings, me ooooohing over the french knots (again) on the left, and Amanda stitching neat pink back stitches on the right. We had such a lovely chatty time of it - a whole day of stitching to our hearts content, interspersed with coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and cake. I can totally recommend partnering up with a crafty buddy, it's so much fun! We weren't able to finish our partridge and pear in the time that we had, but we each continued to stitch later on in the evening, sending photos to each other via text message.

It's a lovely moment when you get to soak away the sticky-solvy. It's very easy to do - just immerse the felt pieces into some tepid water for a few minutes and you'll see the solvy stuff almost immediately begin to dissolve and lift away. You can use your fingers to gently rub away any bits that stay stuck around the stitches, but honestly it's all very easy and trouble free. I so enjoyed seeing my colourful embroidery revealed against the colours of the felt - stitching onto the white solvy stuff you don't get to appreciate all the colour combo's until after it's all done.

The only thing you have to note is this :: WOOL FELT MUST BE PRE-WASHED BEFORE YOU STITCH!!! This is very important as it surprised me how much shrinkage there was. It doesn't take much to do - a quick soak in some tepid water in the basin, then roll up in a towel to absorb excess water and leave to air dry. But please do not be tempted to skip this step.

The printed pattern includes very detailed instructions for assembling the pieces and stitching it all up. I thought this bit might be tedious (lots of weeny whip stitching) but actually it was very soothing to work all those small, neat stitches.

I stitched and stuffed my pear first and was hugely pleased with how it turned out. 

The partridge was a little more complex as it required a pipe cleaner inserted into the plume. This meant I had to venture into the Cupboards of Doom to try and locate a suitable pipe cleaner, and that was all rather time consuming and stressy. But eventually all was stuffed and stitched and I could admire my handiwork...............

...........................ta dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm really rather ridiculously pleased with my efforts!!

I still need to find some silver thread to hang them (more exploration into the Doom-filled Cupboards), but essentially that's the First Day of Christmas all wrapped up.

On a roll, I immediately selected colours to make the second ornament in the series which is the Turtle Dove. I chose pinky purples and blues, and a handful of vibrant threads to decorate.

I relished my quiet stitching time, a rare Saturday morning when everyone else was occupied doing their own thing and I was free to sit and indulge in the gentle rhythm of needle and thread.

This is how my turtle dove looks now the sticky solvy has been washed away - I love the colours I chose and am really looking forward to seeing it come together.

During this past week I've been insanely busy with all things Sweet Pea, and so my ornaments are sitting waiting patiently for me to come back to them. After I've stitched up the Turtle Dove I've got the French Hen to make (I bought a bundle of three patterns), and I can't wait to see them all finished and hung on the Christmas tree. I knew when I started that this would be a long term project - it might take me years to complete the set, but isn't that just the nicest thing? I'll have lots of memories stitched into them, and hopefully the Little People will have memories of them too.

You see, the loveliest thing happened at the weekend. While I was sat finishing up my stitching, Little B and Little Lady began to hover around the table watching me, asking questions, taking an interest in my felt, my threads, my stitching. And that lead to them both embarking on some felt stitching themselves, oh it was soooooooooooo good!!! I loved every single nano-second of that together stitching time with the three of us sat around the table. I'll show you very soon what they made (need to encourage Little B to finish!). I will forever remember that time.

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Here are the links/info for you all in one place, should you find your fingers itching to get stitching!

⭐Mmmcrafts (ornament info and resources)

⭐Mmmcrafts ornament patterns on Etsy (lots of lovely images/colour inspiration)

⭐Mmmcrafts on Instagram (you can also search the hashtag #twelvedaysornaments for lots of inspiration)

⭐Paper and String (for wool felt supplies and LOTS of gorgeous stitchy goodies. Ribbon and buttons, just saying)

⭐Printable sticky solvy stuff on Amazon (you can make the ornaments without this, but it is bloomin' great stuff).