Attic24

Out and About

Mid April, and the season is balanced with one foot  leaping into spring, and the other (booted) foot still planted firmly in winter. I am absolutely loving these lengthening days though, especially since the clocks went forward into BST at the end of March and we have light evenings back again. All these extra hours of daylight are making me really happy and it goes a long way towards balancing out the high levels of rain and very cold winter temperatures that we're still putting up with.

This morning it was zero degrees when we set out to walk, a gorgeously still and quiet morning with a hard frost dancing over the landscape. It's Springfrost time, and the gentle muted colours keep reminding me of last year's blanket...colour really does have the amazing ability to evoke memories and emotions, don't you think?

I huffed my way up these wooden steps this morning, climbing through the trees all the way up without stopping. It's a great workout and my heart is always dancing a fast jig when I reach the top, reminding me that I'm alive and reasonably fit and well. Good health is pretty high up on my list of priorities these days, and not something I take for granted.

Yesterday morning was also freezing, but honestly I'm not complaining - the clear skies were very welcome and the sun definitely more than made up for the cold. Ahh, sunny-sun......do please stay for a while.

Doesn't the Blackthorn blossom look stunning? It's so pretty and always blooms abundantly, I don't think I've ever met a half hearted blackthorn hedge. The delicate little flowers erupt in an exuberant cloud and I really love it for that. More is more when it comes to flowers, always.

So I was away from home over the weekend, spending three nights in the wilds of West Yorkshire on a crochet retreat. It was my first Stitchtopia retreat of 2024 (I'm doing five in total this year) and after a busy week preparing for it I was really looking forward to meeting everyone and sharing the new project I'd designed.

The country house hotel where we stayed was lovely, quite old fashioned but in a way that immediately welcomed you in and made you feel relaxed and at ease. These retreats are a pleasure to do, mainly because I get to meet and spend time with the loveliest ladies. In the above photo to the right of the magnolia tree, that's the huge window of the "Blue Room" where we spent two days hooking and chatting away. I designed a really pretty wreath with some new flower and leaf designs, and it was loads of fun to see my design brought to life. I'm keeping my photos offline for the time being as I'll be teaching the same retreat again in May and June* and don't want to spoil the surprise for those who are coming along then.

To round out the retreat, we had a visit to Stylecraft at their historic mill building on Monday morning. We were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour giving a fantastic insight into the history and workings of the mill as well as getting to see the design studio and learning about the creative development of their yarns and patterns. 

Of course I'm no stranger to the workings of Stylecraft and have been to the mill many times over the years, but it was such a great experience being a part of this very enthusiastic group of crocheters.....the excitement was real!

Enjoying cake and yarn on a Monday morning....I think we all felt very happy with life at that point in time.

*June 2024 - a little note to say that due to an unexpected cancellation, there is now one place available on my Yorkshire retreat in June (Mon 3rd- Thurs 6th) if you fancy it, details are ((here))

I've spent the past couple of days recharging my batteries after the retreat. I love teaching, but I do find the very full days of socializing take a lot out of me (I am a very introverted person used to spending a lot of time in my own company).

I've enjoyed being out and about in sunny Atticland (blue skies! sunshine!), pottering around, catching up with errands, food  shopping and generally recalibrating after being away.

I took myself out for coffee yesterday morning. It felt like a luxury to sit in the quiet of this café where it was just me on my own for a while, basking in the sun and sipping my chocolate dusted frothy cap. Bliss.

At the start of last week before I got mad busy preparing for the retreat, J and I went out onto the countryside for a walk. It's funny that I had totally forgotten about it until today when I was looking through my photos to see what April was looking like so far. Thank goodness for the Me that always takes photographs every single day, I am grateful for these images that capture and preserve my days, weeks, months and years when my memory is not up to the job.

As you can see, it was very, very grey and damp out there with low cloud swirling just above our heads as we walked across the windswept moorland.

 We saw lots of frogs out and about, they seemed very at home in the damp wet grass minding their own business, or in pairs getting happy with each other ('tis the season!)

This circular walk is just under five miles I think, and during the whole time we were out we only saw one other person (a runner), a fair few grouse and a whole lot of frogs - it was incredibly peaceful even though in all honesty it felt a little bit bleak at times.

This is a walk I love to do in late summer when the purple heather is in flower, but there is a quiet beauty at this time of year which I can appreciate.

As we were walking the last mile, the weather rapidly changed and the clouds lifted and shifted to allow the sun to peek through. What a difference it made to the the landscape, it was like seeing an old sepia photo translated into full colour. Beautiful.

I really love a country walk for blowing the cobwebs away, it always leaves me feeling energised and full of gratitude for our open landscapes and public footpaths. We are very lucky indeed.

Thank you by the way, for all the lovely comments you wrote on my last post, I do so love to read them and hear a little bit about your days and also to find out what you enjoy about your visits here to the Attic. Often I think my posts are verging on the mundane, and yet I do really enjoy creating them for you (and for me to read back and remember things too) so I keep going. Photos stack up and then the words flow around them, it's a rhythm that is very familiar to me now after sixteen years of cultivating it.

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ps. in case you were wondering, I've not forgotten about Amsterdam.....I'll be working on sharing my trip soon before it fades into the rearview. 

pps. there is one single place now available on my Portugal retreat this summer following a cancellation....want to come with me?? Details ((here)) 

ppps. canal boats are still on my mind, they have taken up permanent residence. More on that soon x

 

 

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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March Energy

Today is the Spring Equinox when day and night are of equal length and I couldn't be happier about it. I carried the thought around with me all day and it felt like a warm glow in my soul every time I remembered that we are balancing on this turning point in the seasons. From today, every day will have around three minutes more daylight than the day before as we dance towards the Summer Solstice in June. This is by far and away my favourite quarter of the year as Spring edges towards summer, I feel like I come alive again in this season of light. Happy, happy me.

Of course the weather wasn't really very springlike today (it never is - remember my first spring here in the Attic in 2008?), but somehow I thought that the light felt different, a slightly lighter shade of grey maybe?

My neighbours cherry tree burst into bloom this week, I've been watching the buds and waiting patiently and then suddenly it was all pink frothy abundance. It's so lovely to see it when I walk up the street towards home.

Two doors up, the house has a magnolia tree in the front garden so I am on daily bud watch every time I walk past. It's very exciting here on the street - cherry blossom going crazy to the left and big fat magnolia buds poised to bloom to the right.

I love blossom flowers, I really do, especially these early front garden varieties. The big cherry trees in the park won't be in bloom until May, so it's like we're getting a sneak preview around the streets here.

J and I have started taking our 7 o'clock morning walks through the woods again because it's now full daylight at that time. It feels like a real turning point in our season, and we'll be walking daily through the woods until the dark creeps in again in September. The only down side is the mud as we continue to have so much bloomin' rain. Almost every day - rain. Tomorrows forecast? Rain. The streams and waterfalls are full and noisy and the fields and pathways are puddled with standing water. But at least there is daylight, and despite the slippery, muddy paths I am really enjoying my return to the early morning woodland.

We walked at Bolton Abbey on Monday and miraculously the sun peeked out for just a short while, it was a beautiful thing. As you can see, the wild garlic is looking mighty fine and I really should go and pick some young, fresh leaves and make delicious garlicky things. 

It was just about warm enough to sit outside and enjoy a frothy coffee after our walk, always one of life's pleasures. I got chatting to a lovely lady sat at the next table and it turned out that she reads my blog which is always a nice thing to hear out of the blue. 

Signs of spring are slowly edging their way into my day to day life, and although it'll be a good few months before the trees green up, there are some early performers. This huuuuuge weeping willow (opposite the butcher at the top end of town) is beginning to sprout and that fresh limey green colour is fabulous.

I continue to walk every day along the canal side and have really been enjoying the colours. Even on days when the weather has been wet and blustery, there is sometimes the occasional bright spell to lift my spirits. After the rain, everything seems to glow and vibrate with energy, I swear I can actually feel it in the air. I am quite sensitive to energy and light (which is why very low-light days affect my mood so much I think), so these bright moments are like a rapid re-charge of my internal batteries.

I took the above photo on Saturday morning and I love it sooooooooo much. You know I am quite obsessed with water reflections and  as we were walking from the market to the café to have breakfast, this view under the bridge literally stopped me in my tracks. I find reflected images mesmerising, what is it about them that fascinates me so much? I honestly have no idea, but I thought you might appreciate it too.

Oh, I just had an idea to turn the image upsidedown................hang on......................

..................there.....WOW!!! My mind can't cope!!!!

I make myself crazy sometimes, obsessing over the glorious visuals of everyday life.

I'm still working on my Blooming Sungold Flower cushion and have really been enjoying the making process. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the kitty stopped sulking on day four after my return from Dorset and is back to being my constant companion again. She really likes the Sungold blanket, so has been very happy when she gets to pin me underneath it for maximum cosy warmth and comfort.

I've stopped lighting the fire during the week, but we do often feel the need for it at the weekends when we're spending a lot of time relaxing in this room. Fireside crochet is one of my favourite things and during the last few weeks I've really enjoyed sitting next to the hearth and gently adding these scallopy rounds to my cushion.

On Friday I spent the morning at Coopers Café like I usually do, and had the added pleasure of spending time with two lovely friends who were visiting town. We had such a good long chat and a catch up as it had been some years - shall I tell you about the projects in the above photo? Well, that was the three of us sat at the table by the window - me with my blooming flower cushion on the go as you already know. The cutest autumn scene with a darling little hedgehog is being stitched by Cathy (Dear Emma Designs). And the fabulous knitted hexagon blanket? That's the work of my lovely friend Amanda who many of you will know from her Little Box of Crochet days, and more recently her Cosy Life project boxes. It's such a lovely thing to have creative friends, and I am beyond grateful for all the inspiration and joy they bring to my life.

Mostly I spend much of my time alone here in the Attic in my own creative little bubble. Well, I'm not technically alone because J works from home so is always around, but you know what I mean. Design work is mostly a solitary thing, just me and my thoughts and my ideas, searching for a way to harness all the creative energy and direct it into projects which make my heart sing.

This March energy feels very powerful at the moment, and for me personally it's like I just woke up from a deep sleep and suddenly I feel the need to do all the things. My brain is a bit on the hyper side, I think I mentioned this to you a few weeks ago? I am buzzing with ideas and am gathering inspiration at high speed, stashing away so many thoughts and ideas for things I want to do, make, design, create, share. I've got quite a lot going on at the moment, working on a few different things at the same time and I hope very soon to share some of what I'm up to. It's early stage design stuff, so I'm spending a ridiculous amount of time shuffling yarn pegs around and trying to pin down some colour palette ideas. One thing I do know - it's exciting and it's making me very happy, so that's always a good sign.

I'm sat here at my little desk chatting to you today and it feels good to be sat here quietly stringing words together. This past week I spent quite a while sorting out my Dorset photos into some sort of order and uploading them for a blog post. I realised quite quickly that there were far too many for one post (did I mention how picturesque it was?) so it will be a story in two parts. I can hardly believe it's almost three weeks since I was there....March is zooming!! I'm going to make a concerted effort not to get distracted by the yarn pegs tomorrow (they are proper time stealers) and get busy showing you some seasidey things.

I hope you're all doing OK....tell me, do you feel the energy in the air too, or is it just me? 

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Feels Like Winter

In my humble opinion, the end of November should really still have an autumn feel to it, because in all honesty our winters are long enough when they span from December to March. This year however, winter came howling in at the end of November and snatched away any hope of a gradual seasonal shift. Yes, it's safe to say there's been nothing remotely gradual about the early arrival of winter this year, and the sudden icy freeze came as a bit of a shock.

Despite the freezing chill, it's been beautiful out there, a real gift to have days (yes, multiple days!) of blue sky and sunshine.

These photos were taken in the middle of last week during the final days of November, and as you can see it looked and felt very, very much like winter. The temperatures stayed on the low side, and waking up to a minus four icy start was bracing.

You've probably gathered by now that I walk a lot in my day-to-day life, and I am not generally put off by the weather. I mean, I much (much, much) prefer walking when it's bright and sunny but getting outside to walk at least once a day is a non negotiable part of my wellness routine, rain or shine. I usually have two walks each morning, the first one is a fast "wake-up walk" at 7am with J, and then the second one I usually take on my own as I head out to do our daily grocery shop.

This second solo walk is much slower, and I love to take my time. I find that walking is a wonderful opportunity to practice mindfulness, and for me personally, my morning stroll is often a time of mental clarity and creativity. It's a time when I absorb my surroundings, often stopping to really look at things in detail....

....it's a wonderful practice, to consciously slow down and spend time appreciating the seasonal details of nature.

Taking daily photographs has become a way of life for me now, after so many years inhabiting Blogland. I just can't imagine going through life in too much of a hurry to stop, appreciate and photograph the things that inspire me.

Frost is such a beautiful thing, a sparkly dusting of winter magic which makes even the dullest plants look enchanting.

On this morning I was actually on route to the supermarket, with a spur of the moment detour around the meadow and along the canal bank. I am so thankful that I have such freedom in my days that allows me to spend time outside....

....I'm someone who needs a regular sun/light fix and I feel my whole soul craving it if I go too long without.

We had our first dusting of snow last week, it wasn't much, just a soft sprinkling that made the landscape look beautiful.

The canal froze over too, always a sure sign that winter is most definitely underway. I took a slow, slip-slidey walk to Coopers café on Friday morning, it's a highlight of my week and I always wake up on Friday's with a happy heart.

It was extra special last week because I had friends visiting, so my stripy Starbright was not alone for long.....

.....awwww, I had the best kind of yarny company! I LOVE the above photo, it's the three of us sat around the table laughing and chatting and eating caramel shortbread and yarning along all day. In case you are curious about my visitors, the sock-in-progress belongs to Christine Winwick Mum, and the delicious granny squares belong to the lovely Emma Varnam. We try and get together every few months if we can (out last meet up was early September), to chat all things yarn and design and blog and creative living. We can quite literally talk all day long without pausing for breath, it's just the best thing having friends who are totally on your wave length.

Our days are so short now as we head through December, but it does mean that I often get to see the most beautiful light in the late afternoons.

It's Saturday morning now, and I'm out walking the hilly streets of my neighbourhood with J and the Peeps. Well, two of the LP at least - the eldest Giant Child lives a very independent life these days. I so appreciate still having our 19 year old and 13 year old come out with us though, and more and more often they are asking to come without an ounce of bribery or coercion needed. It's just before 9am in the above photo....

.....and yes, it was proper cold and frosty still.

We walked along the farm track...

...stopping often to oooo and aaaaah over the beautiful iciness of everything.

It was lovely and still in the woodland, a gentle, chilled quiet as we strolled along and breathed in the cold air.

I love that we get to start our weekend in this way, it makes me SO happy. It might seem a bit odd to walk up hills and through woodland and around a castle on the way to do a grocery shop, but adding on that extra hour of time is worth so much and I love that the Little People are living this kind of life with us.

My flowers for this week came from the market which I'm delighted about - a wonderful lady who is fairly new to the market, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a regular customer. She had some mixed bouquets and wreaths for sale, but it was her buckets of floristry blooms that really caught my eye. Buying individual stems is not something I get to do very often because I am usually just buying the standard cheap bunches that the supermarkets sell. But just look at these flowers, aren't they spectacular? The flower lady told me they are a chrysanthemum variety called "fuego" which is Spanish for "fire" and I fell instantly in love with them. She wrapped them so nicely for me in brown paper tied with rafia, and I could not take my eyes off them all the way home.

I only bought two stems as they were quite expensive, but I am so enjoying them on my table. Such beauty right there. Love 'em.

Something else I'm loving right now is the return of the leafy clems, a regular seasonal supermarket purchase which always makes me glad for winter.

The leafage is a bit extra on this batch (more leaf than fruit) but I love the look of them on my table, and the fruits themselves are just sooooo sweet and juicy.

I've been feeling quite tired of late, kind of like my body is naturally wanting to send me into some sort of mild winter hibernation state. I took a nap on Saturday afternoon, it wasn't planned, but I found that I simply could not keep my eyes open. I was on the sofa with the kitty (you can just spot her in the above photo) and what with the cosiness of the blankets, the gentle weight of the cat, and the rhythmic rows of gentle v-stitches on my hook, well, I was tipped over the edge into a deep and restorative power nap. I woke up a bit disorientated but felt so much better for having the extra zzzz's.

All this talk of winter, and we are in December of course, but I just can't quite bring myself to face up to the idea of Christmas just yet. All over social media it seems like Christmas things have been happening for many weeks already, but here in the Attic I'm still weirdly embedded in Autumn. 

I did hang up my one solitary strand of tinsel.....

.....and I've been eating mini mince pies which is about as festive as I can manage this early in the month. The Little People are nagging about the tree, so I guess I will have to rally myself quite soon and get on my hands and knees and into the attic cupboards to perform the annual drag-out of the Christmas Boxes.

How's it with you, are you all decked out or are you taking your time like me? And do you do a real tree or a faux job? We'll have our usual ancient old tree-in-a-box again this year, it must be at least twenty five years old, an old friend. I really should get a move on and let it see the light of day.....

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November Days

We went out today, myself, J and Little B, into the grey drizzle of a cold Sunday morning. First stop was coffee in town, a fairly new routine for us on a Sunday and one that I am heavily endorsing. It's just such a pleasure - family time to enjoy a hot frothy drink, and to chat about all sorts of random things. Sometimes I find myself totally surprised by my Little People growing into Big People. They are opinionated and articulate, ready to argue, debate and discuss, and often times I just can't get over the Bigness of their personalities. When exactly did their Littleness disappear?

After coffee we walked along the canal, not just our usual stretch but on beyond the centre of town to the outskirts. We walked for about a mile and a half before stepping off the tow path to go and buy some groceries. We are very lucky in our town to have two main supermarkets very close to the centre so they are very accessible on foot. We also have an Aldi which is further out, and this is where we went to shop today. I only buy certain products in Aldi, so I tend to go around the aisles and cherry-pick the specific things that I know I like and are good value. Extra virgin olive oil is one such product - this has become so, so expensive in the mainstream supermarkets now, so it's worth shopping elsewhere for it. Plus it was good exercise and an easy, un-muddy walk for us to take while the ground remains very, very wet.

On the way home we stopped briefly to watch this lady feeding the pigeons, she was completely surrounded by them and it seemed to me such a lovely scene unfolding in front of me. Often times when I'm out and about I can somehow view my life as though it's not real, like seeing it as a painting or a scene from a film. It's hard to explain the feeling, it's like a sort of visual detachment, and it's really rather beautiful at times. 

Yesterday was also wet and grey and J and I were in town quite early to shop at the market. One of my lovely US blog readers asked me a little while ago if I could show you what the market looks like, so I took a few rainy snaps to give you an idea. It's a street market which means it's linear, with stalls set up on both sides of our very wide main high street.

I found a really cool video on YouTube taken with a drone, showing you the town centre where I live, with the church and castle sitting proudly at the top. You can view the video ((here)), it's only 2 minutes long. You'll be able to see the road, but also notice that as well as the pavements there are wide cobbled "setts" along both sides of the road which are used for car parking and give space for the stalls to set up on market days.

We've stopped to buy free range eggs and locally produced dry cured bacon, and now we've crossed over the road and are on the other side. It's time for our fruit and veg....

....it's always a pleasure to shop in this way, buying from local small businesses and supporting our street market which has been here for hundreds of years.

After our Saturday shop we go for breakfast on our way home, always to the same little café which is strung with fairy lights and plays the sort of music you imagine would be playing in a Parisian café. It's charming and down to earth in here, and the coffee is extremely good.

I always eat a lot of fruit every day and enjoy seeing what's seasonal at the market. At the moment I'm loving these Russet apples, they have a very distinctive sweet flavour which is unlike any other apple. They are quite old fashioned I suppose and you don't generally see them for sale in mainstream supermarkets, so it's lovely to have them while they're in season. They go really well with thin slices of mature cheddar - a regular afternoon snack for me at the moment.

Also in season right now - pomegranates, oh, happy days!!! I AdOrE these exotic fruits and honestly get such a kick out of spending slow, quiet time taking them apart at the kitchen sink and popping out the jewel-like seeds.

Absolutely beautiful, in every way.

I can eat pomegranate seeds by the handful at any time of day, but this week I've really been enjoying them on my breakfast. A generous helping of Greek style yoghurt, drizzled with honey and topped with a little nutty granola, sliced banana, blueberries and pomegranate jewels. Delicious.

J and I continue our morning walk routine and have managed to go every day this past week. Five days out of seven it's been grey, dull and drizzly, but On Friday I was so happy to wake to clear skies - what a welcome change.

The clear skies made a huge difference to the light levels and at 7.15 it was no longer dark. I so wish we had more November days like this instead of the near constant grey wet weather we've been enduring.

I am making a great effort not to let the weather get me down, and I take myself out of the house by myself to walk every single day, even in the rain. There is always beauty to be found out there, and not a day goes by when I don't feel inspired to stop for a moment and capture something on my camera.

The dull wet weather has made the house feel even more cosy than usual, and the twinkly lights stay on all day long. I can really recommend these warm white lights on delicate copper wire, they take standard AA batteries (we use rechargable ones) and best of all they are on a timer so that they switch off by themselves after eight hours, which is so clever I think. They bring such a comforting twinkle into the house on these dull days and I wouldn't be without them.

Flowers in the house this week are these chrysanths and they are sooooo pretty. So cheap to buy at this time of year (this bunch was £3) and they stay looking great for ages. I think the last bunch I had (the dark pinky-red ones with yellow centres) lasted over two weeks

They bring such a lot of cheer into the room, I really do love having a jug of simple flowers in the house and it's not often my table is without them.

Tilly loves the cosy season when we are snuggled in blankets and she gets to drape herself all over us, she loves our company and honestly I love hers too. The weight and warmth of a soundly sleeping kitty on your legs is just the nicest thing.

Bringing colour into these grey November days is vital to my wellbeing, and my current Sungold yarn palette is doing a fantastic job. On Friday I sat at Coopers café and crocheted some simple flowers, what a joyful few hours that was. They are a bit misshapen and curly looking at the moment but once I've given them a little steam treatment they'll be ready for their photo shoot. I'm going to use them to showcase the full Sungold colour palette on Tuesday - only two more sleeps!!! Eeeeeep, I'm pretty excited to talk to you about this blanket and show you more of my inspiration photos. I hope you're ready for lots and lot of flowers, garden views, flowers and more flowers. Alllllllll the flowers. That'll cheer up an average November Tuesday, I'm really looking forward to it.

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Designer of Blankets

Hello, my name is Lucy and I am a Designer of Blankets. They are my passion and my obsession, my creative spark and my relaxation therapy. And how absurdly wonderful it is that I get to live this colourful life of mine, and that designing blankets has become the thing that I do to thrive. 

Attic24 blog started over fifteen years ago and I was crocheting blankets right from the very start. Then six years later I met the owners of Wool Warehouse and that was when we began to create yarn packs together to sell online. It was (and still is) amazing to me that I could design blankets that other people would want to make for themselves. How amazing to share my ideas and inspire people all over the world to crochet blankets!

The above photo is an old one from my archives, I really should create an updated image with all my blankets included, that would be something to see. To date I have created twenty blanket designs using Stylecraft Yarns, each one having its own beautiful colour palette inspired by things I love. I have used colour to describe my enjoyment of the countryside and the English seasons - walks over hills, along woodland paths, through meadows and along the beach. There is also my love of flowers in those blankets too - sweet peas, hydrangeas, wild flowers, summer annuals, cottage gardens and dahlias. There is sooo much gorgeous colour inspiration to be found out there in every day life!

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about my crochet and the way things have evolved and grown over the years, evaluating where I'm at with it all, and what I might want to do next. I'm very proud of what I've achieved so far because I am passionate about spreading the joy of colourful crochet and inspiring people to find happiness in being creative.

A few days ago I was reading something online which reminded me of the British Knitting and Crochet Awards. Sadly they no longer happen but they ran every year from 2014-2022. I won my first award in 2016, and do you know, I won the title of "favourite crochet designer" for seven years running. As well as the crochet designer category, I also won the "favourite crochet blogger" category many times, and last year scooped the "best ready-to-make kits" award too. 

It's a funny thing winning awards because there is a part of me which pops champagne and dances with delight, but a bigger part of me which just wants to keep my head down and not be a show off.  Trumpet blowing is not my style. But all in all, I think it's safe to say that crocheting blankets has been a good thing for me. A very good thing.

Today I want to share some crochet which literally fell out of the Cupboard of Doom yesterday and landed at my feet. I was in that precarious cupboard trying to get to my yarn winder, and suddenly there was a colourful crochet avalanche happening.

These colourful bits of crochet represent the preparation I do in the weeks and months before I embark on a new blanket journey. A blanket doesn't just happen for me, no no, there is a lot that goes into the design process before I sit down to crochet the actual blanket itself.

For every blanket I've designed, I've crocheted up one of these colour palette samplers. I spend a really long time choosing the colours for a blanket and often this process happens over the course of many weeks. Once I think I'm pretty much there with my palette, I set about crocheting a little square for each colour. This gives me a chance to get a true "working" feel of how the colours want to play together and make sure everything is balancing properly. Sometimes at this stage I will make a last minute change, but that's quite rare - usually by the time I'm crocheting these squares, I'm living and breathing the colour palette day and night and it's giving me all the shivery excitement.  By the way, I did write up the pattern for these little solid squares if they appeal to you - here it is >> ((Solid Granny Square pattern))

The second stage in my preparation is shown above - these are long, skinny stripe samplers made using rows of double crochet, one row to represent each stripe. I've found this a great way to work out the final colour order for the stripes and although it's all extra work I really think it's worth me taking the time to do it. It means that by the time I come to crochet the actual blanket, I'm one hundred percent confident that the colours are going to look magnificent.

On the right are my two festive colourways - Yuletide and Starbright. It's the first time I've seen them together and I have to say I absolutely love love love them. 

Look!! ^^ don't they both glow with joyful Christmas spirit?! Both very different, and yet they both have my trademark colour signature. It's a hard thing to define, but I do think my colour palettes are very recognisable, aren't they? They simply glow with Attic24-ness!

And finally...this is the third stage of my preparation. These are the samples which showcase the colour palette combined with the stitch pattern. Before I get to this stage, make no mistake, I've already done a tonne of work to design the stitch pattern itself. I don't tend to look in books for stitch ideas, I prefer to work them straight out of my head, a bit like doodling or making notes, but using yarn and hook instead of paper and pen. I've got a massive messy box containing dozens and dozens of trial and error stitch samples made over the years. Loads of them. It takes a while to work through ideas and there is a lot of failure in this process. 

So by the time I'm making the above samples, well, I'm already beyond thrilled with the pattern and raring to get going on the blanket.

I love these samplers, I really do. I pour so much emotion into all my blanket designs that they are like an extension of my heart.

I don't have all my samples here because my earlier ones are packed away in storage from when I cleared out my studio during covid. But these are the ones pictured above, from left to right...

♥Dahlia ♥ Dune ♥ Aria ♥ Meadow ♥ Harbour ♥ Springfrost ♥ Starbright ♥ Sungold ♥

You probably recognise them all from seeing them here on my blog over the years.....except for that last one.

Sungold...........ooooooo, that's something new!

Please say hello to the Sungold blanket, well the beginning of the Sungold journey at least. This blanket is going to be my TENTH annual crochet-along which begins in January 2024. I've designed a very pretty stripe for these colours, a soft and curvy little shell pattern which has a light and slightly open look to it.

Do you like the colours, aren't they joyful?

The colour palette was inspired by my many visits to see the famous flower borders at RHS Harlow Carr. I wanted this colour palette to be a little dose of summer perfection - colours that remind me of a sunny afternoon strolling amongst brightly coloured flowers buzzing with bees. The Sungold colour palette is rich and uplifting - beautiful floral shades glowing with golden warmth.

Just look at it compared to this year's CAL blanket (the Springfrost), what a difference in temperature! From frosty chill to golden warmth, I love that these colours literally make you feel the seasons.

My Sungold blanket hasn't started yet because truthfully I'm still caught up in the Starbright. I'm working on the border design for the v-stitch this week because I know there are those of you waiting for it. But if you look at the above photo, you can spot the Sungold stripe sampler....

......here it is look ^^, just to give you a taste of how amazing the colours look together. I'm going to be making a mixed stripe blanket, but there will also be the option to work the Sungold stripes as a colourwash if you wish. Both versions will be given as part of the CAL in the New Year.

Yarn packs are coming very soon, next week in fact. Mark your calendars - Tuesday 21st November at 8am, my shop at Wool Warehouse will be buzzing with sunny Sungold vibes. Maybe you'd like to join me making this blanket along with our wonderful worldwide hooky community? I'd really like it if you did.

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Autumn Colour

I had a slow start to my day and I welcomed it wholeheartedly, making the most of this week where I'm home with the fam and there is no school routine to dictate my schedule. J is also off work this week so it feels good for us to just be in this slow, gentle routine together. We went out for a coffee this morning, and it feels like the Autumn season really got into full swing in the short time we were away.

Later I walked into town on my own, I needed to call in at the bank to make an appointment and pick up a few groceries. I took a homemade chilli out of the freezer this morning and bought some large baking potatoes to have with it instead of rice. Perfect Autumn comfort food.

On my way home I detoured into the church yard, it was unplanned and somehow I found myself there without really realising that's where I wanted to go. I have felt a little like I've been in a daze today, a bit detached from reality. I sat on a sunny bench for a little while, watching people come and go. I chatted to the jackdaws (I was surrounded by them on all sides, seven in total like a little gang) and ate half a bag of sugar snap peas. Afterwards I wondered what I must have looked like, a lady sitting on a bench talking to the birds and eating peas. I'm obviously in my crazy bench era.

I really enjoyed my slow stroll home, wandering these much loved little pathways along the canal side. Being by water is so calming. Obviously the sea will always have my heart but I'm drawn to any kind of water - lakes, ponds, rivers, waterfalls, fountains, canals.

The colours of Autumn were looking so inviting today, I can't believe how much change there has been in the trees since last week.

^^ Isn't it beautiful? This Japanese Acer puts on such a fiery show each year - you can see the pretty leaves it sheds onto the pavement in the first photo.

I want to thank you all for the comments you've been writing to me on my recent posts, and to tell you how much they have meant to me. I know from what you write that so many of you have enjoyed my daily ramblings, and in turn I've really, really enjoyed your words written back to me in the comments. We (you and me) are a two way street, isn't that a lovely thought?

Writing a daily October blog has been weirdly therapeutic, and although at times I've felt very vulnerable sharing such personal life stuff, it has helped me a lot to be able to share my thoughts. I know for a fact that if I hadn't committed to Blogtober, you would not have heard from me at all during these past few weeks. I would have hibernated until my emotions were back in check. And yet I don't have one regret about showing up in this space and writing about my days, it's proof that no matter what we go through, there is always beauty in the world and things to be grateful for. Those small moments of mindfulness and gratitude mean so much, most especially on the fraught days.

If you followed me in past years with Blogtober you will know that I do like to put together a monthly review at the end. It's a fun post for me to create and I'm looking forward to doing it again this year. This month has been far from ordinary! I can't even remember what was happening at the start of October, it's all a blur in my mind - haha - I wish this was an exaggeration, but sadly it's true. No. Idea.

So a review will be coming, it's a mystery what it will look like, but I'll be happy to share it with you.

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♥ Blogtober 2021 review

♥ Blogtober 2020 review

 

 

Starbright Love

T-I-N-S-E-L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With S-T-A-R-S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If there was ever a tinsel to make me fall head over heels in love, then this is it. Isn't it glorious?

You remember yesterday me showing you all the tinsel and garlands hanging up in John Lewis and me telling you I made a purchase? Lots of you guessed the felt star garland (and that was indeed lovely), but it was this perfect "Starbright" tinsel that I fell for. How could I not? The beautiful colours and the shimmery shininess caught my eye straight away and I instantly saw my Starbright colour palette right there....

...these are the colours of my childhood Christmases and that starry tinsel took me right back to those young years.

It's been a little over three weeks since I shared my Starbright blanket with the world, and I've been blown away by the response to the colours, the design and the yarn packs that I created with Wool Warehouse. Thank you so much for loving this blanket as much as I do, your comments all over social media have truly warmed my heart.

This week I've seen the first completed blankets being shared in the Facebook groups (details of the groups can be found at the end of this post). Yes, I did say Completed!!! There have been some very fast and happy hooksters blazing a Starbright trail and I've been so excited watching the progress unfold in their photos. Elizabeth J and Heather P - your ta-dah moments were such a thrill for me! Also a mention for Lou S who joined all her squares in record time and is onto the border now I think. Bravo ladies, such wonderful, bright and happy blankets now living their best blankety lives, spreading comfort and joy.

I thought that today I would share some inspirational Starbright photos with you, a celebration of the creativity, happiness and friendship which always surrounds my blankets. I hope you enjoy the visuals....

↑↑ Lou - this lovely lady really inspired a lot of people when she shared her idea for making the Starbright squares using a "production line" method. This is when you make all the round centres of the squares (so 81 in total), then you move on to crochet all of the round 3's, then all the round 4's etc etc. It means you get into a good rhythm because your hands and brain can just enjoy making the same rounds over and over until all 81 are complete, before they need to process and work the next stage.

But the genius thing that Lou did is shown above - she used a length of cord to thread her crochet onto, so that the squares were always kept in number order....my goodness, this is so simple, but so bloomin' clever too! I never would have thought to do it this way, but it makes perfect sense. It means you can follow my colour chart and keep everything in order right up to the joining bit.

↑↑ Clare was inspired by Lou and decided to work her Starbright squares in the same orderly way. She cleverly used a long circular knitting needle to thread her crochet onto so that they stayed in number order - brilliant thinking, and so practical.

↑↑ Patricia opted to make the v-stitch stripe and has really cracked on, doesn't it look great? She is up to stripe 67, so around two thirds complete.

↑↑ Liz decided to follow my stripe order for the colourwash version of the v-stitch, and is working through the final few colours. Another super-fast blanket coming very close to the finish line.

↑↑ Mandy has also been sharing progress of her colourwash Starbright, and I've really enjoyed seeing this grow. With each new colour added, the whole feel of the blanket changes.

↑↑ Debbie used the Seashell stripe pattern and made some gorgeous Starbright minis - a pram blanket and a doll blanket which look so bright and cheery with the colours ordered in this lovely repeat.

↑↑ Natasha went even mini-er!  Her delicate little doll blanket is super cute, I love it!

I've seen quite a few Starbright blankets growing as large squares and this is very exciting for me as I really wanted to try this out myself. 

↑↑ Ann is using my very popular Yuletide Square pattern, and following the ordered Starbright repeat that I shared in the ta-dah post. It's already looking really good and I'm excited to see more as it grows.

↑↑ Elizabeth is also making a Yuletide, but she's decided to follow the colourwash order. This is going to be amazing as it grows, because the colours are going to shift and change and "glow" as they pulse outwards. Exciting!

↑↑ Another Yuletide-Starbright combination (I think we are collectively calling is "Startide" in the Facebook groups), this one is a work in progress for Lindsay. It's delightful, I love it. 

↑↑ Jo has chosen to crochet the Starbright square but has gone LARGE!! By repeating round 7, you can grow the Starbright square and make it as big as you like. It's so nice to see and very evocative of Christmas for me - it's tinsel and baubles and all the happy festive things.

↑↑ Helen is doing the same large Starbright square but with her own choice of colours. This reminds me of May time - blossom and bluebells.

If you wish to go large with a Starbright square, you need to repeat round 7, but do remember to keep turning your work after every round (alternate between working on the right side and the wrong side) to keep the sides straight and stop any distortion/twisting.

I do always love to see alternative colours being used with my designs and find it very inspiring. You know I do always support stash busting, or choosing your own unique colours, so don't ever feel you have to exclusively use my yarn packs.

↑↑ Joanna is making a v-stitch stripe using up colours from her stash, with repeating cream stripes every third row. It's super effective adding a cream or neutral in between bright colours and gives a softer, gentler look ideal for baby blankets.

↑↑ Ally is doing a similar v-stitch with cream in between her colours. I didn't realise it at first, but the colours are from my Hydrangea yarn pack and the vintage feel of it is really appealing.

↑↑ Just look at these glorious Starbright squares made by Maya, aren't the colours lush? This is a stash bust project using up oddments of brightly coloured yarn and I love the playful look of them.

↑↑ Sarah is also making her very own version of Starbright with such a beautiful palette of colours. I came across this photo she shared on Instagram (her cat Louie is stealing the show somewhat, but he can be forgiven), and loved it at first sight. The colours remind me of old fashioned vintage eiderdowns and faded patchwork quilts. 

↑↑ And finally Anja - what more can I say except WOW!!!!! This is an absolutely stunning blanket in progress, showcasing the Starbright colour palette to perfection. The pattern is the Havana Afghan which uses the mosaic crochet technique - Anja, you've outdone yourself, I couldn't love it more. 

As I mentioned earlier, the Attic24 online crochet community is thriving and I absolutely love love love it. Instagram is as popular as ever and there are some wonderful crochet creators on that platform.

But I think the best community feels happen in the Facebook groups, especially around the times when I release a new blanket design. If you like using Facebook and aren't already joined in with the groups, you very welcome to join in over there. Currently there are three main Attic24 groups that I'm aware of, as well as a wonderful Dorset group who chat online and meet up in real life. These groups aren't run by me - they are managed by super teams of admins who keep everything running smoothly and I am so grateful to them all. Here are the links if you are interested in joining >>

Hooked on Attic24

Attic24 and Lots More Group UK

Just Attic24 Friends

Friends of Attic24 Dorset

If you wish to join it's very straightforward, but do please remember to answer the questions at the start otherwise the admins won't be able to accept your join request.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post, it's been fun for me putting it together. More regular Blogtober content will resume tomorrow xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

★ STARBRIGHT BLANKET TA-DAH

★ STARBRIGHT YARN PACK

 

 

The Starbright Blanket :: Ta-dah!

Good morning! If you want to go and grab a Starbright yarn pack, here is the link to Wool Warehouse >>

STARBRIGHT YARN PACK 

And if you're after the free pattern and photo tutorial, here is the link to it (it's in my sidebar listed in alphabetical order)

STARBRIGHT BLANKET TUTORIAL

Please do read on if you'd like to find out more about the blanket design and drink in lots of colour!

Hellooooo, and thank you so much for being here to share this merry and bright Ta-dah occasion with me. I love to chat to you about the creative things that have been occupying my time, especially if there is a tangible source of inspiration behind the colour palette I've been immersed in. You can be sure that by the time you read my ta-dah posts, I've been obsessively designing and crocheting with these colours for many, many months - this particular colour palette has been jigging about inside my mind for more than a year now.

As you can see above, I gathered together some photos to give you an idea of the colour inspiration behind the Starbright blanket. I dreamed of a blanket inspired by those delicious weeks in December when decorations and twinkly lights take centre stage. I began to think a lot about the excitement of it all, about those nostalgic, child-like feelings that always surface when the month of December comes around and you realise all of a sudden that Christmas isn't too far away. It's everything I love about the festive season - the lights, decorations and bright colours which bring so much joy into the house. With these nostalgic feelings in mind, I chose colours that celebrate the winter season in the most joyful way I could think of. 

A lot of my inspiration for Starbright came from my own childhood memories and so there wasn't anything that I could photograph or look at. Memories of the old christmas decorations that would be unpacked year after year after year. The mismatched collections of baubles and the fairy lights with their brightly coloured plastic flowery petals. Strings of foil garlands which pulled out in a concertina of intricate folds and cuts, and brightly coloured foil stars which hung from lampshades and shelves. And a big round tin of colourful foil wrapped Quality Street chocolates (always a highly anticipated gift from my Grandad).

In the town where I grew up, every shop along the high street would display a small living christmas tree above the upper storey window, strung with brightly lit, multi coloured festoon lights. I LOVED those lights - I don't think trees are decorated like this any more, but the lights were always so bright and colourful due to the large bulbs. It meant that walking or driving through the town in the weeks leading up to Christmas was incredibly joyful, oh, I can still picture it so clearly in my mind and I absolutely adored it.

My idea for the Starbright colour palette was to create a background of deep blues as a nod to the dark winter skies, then light up those blues with all the bright shades that exist in my memory of childhood Christmases.

Lights in the dark if you like. 

You can see my colours here - heavy on the blues because I wanted that feeling of cosy nights and clear starry skies. I added in some greens for the evergreens and trees that we associate with christmas, and then a handful of festive brights to really bring the whole idea to life. Taking these rich, bright shades and setting them against the deep blues of a starry night sky makes this a blanket full of Winter Magic.

As is usual for my blankets, I've chose fifteen shades of Stylecraft Special DK for my Starbright blanket

Top row :

♥ Gold ♥  Magenta ♥  Fuchsia Purple ♥  Pomegranate ♥  Lipstick ♥

Middle row :

♥ Apple ♥ Kelly Green ♥ Empire ♥ Teal ♥ Bottle ♥

Bottom row :

♥ Turquoise ♥ Aster ♥  Lapis ♥ Lobelia ♥ French Navy ♥

You can find the Starbright yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse, click on the following link...

STARBRIGHT YARN PACK 

There is a whole backstory to the Starbright blanket design which I won't bore you with - suffice to say I went through a LOT of failure to get to the blanket that I'm showing you today. Stacks of samples and partly made and abandoned squares. A whole ginormous, massive HEAP of really wrong colour decisions resulting in three months of work being thrown in the bin (literally - the whole lot went in the kitchen bin). I started again from scratch with a fresh bag of yarn - the above photo was taken on 22nd July on the first day of our summer holiday in Northumberland when I was just about to start Starbright V2.

I'm very happy with the square pattern I designed -  a star in the centre, radiating out into simple v-stitch rounds. I wanted the square to have something of a vintage bauble look, and the zig-zag of the v-stitch reminds me of those concertina foil garlands, do you know the ones I mean?

I planned to start each square with a jolly bright centre and finish with some of the darker blue shades - I was trying to create something that described lights shining out into the dark.

The above plate was my summer holiday crochet - eighty one little starry centres.

The stars soon turned into baubles.....

....and on through the weeks of summer I turned the baubles into colourful squares.

The above photo shows the squares with the first three colours complete (there are 6 colours for each square).

I really, really love seeing a blanket journey evolve like this, it's such a thrill to have this idea inside my head and to witness it literally come to life in front of my eyes.

You'll notice that at this point, all the squares are very colourful as I've kept the darker blues to be used in the outer rounds.

The squares continued to grow....

.....and grow.....

....and grow, until they were at the stage where they were ready to join.

Now this is where the hard work really starts - it's really hard to explain to you just how difficult this process can be, and what a humongous amount of concentration and creative vision it takes to make these colour decisions on the fly.

Using the join-as-you-go method means that I need to try and imagine what the joining colours are going to look like before I actually make them. I also need to do things like make sure I use each colour an equal number of times, and separate squares that are too samey...so many decisions to make. My method is to use the floor, and make little yarn twists to represent the colour of the joining round. I place the yarn twists alongside each square, trying to balance the colour placement, and making sure that I can visualise them working. It's hard! Reeeeeeally hard!!

But I go forth with confidence, joining, joining, joining, and hoping and praying that it's going to look as good in real life as it does inside my head.

I work out from the centre because I'm trying to move the joining rounds from light to dark. Lighter in the centre and radiating out to the darker blues and greens around the outside.

The kitty oversees all decision making and work in progress, testing the quality of my workmanship at all times.

It's worth mentioning that it's inevitable that I make colour mistakes with this process, and so I leave all my joining tail ends dangling in case I need to perform surgery. I think I frogged out four squares in total, removing them completely, remaking them with better colours and then joining them back in again.

Finally, I had joined all 81 squares (they are arranged in a 9 x 9 format for this blanket) and began the task of darning in those dangling ends. Luckily for me I was at the café with friends while I tackled this bit so it wasn't too painful, but in normal circumstances crocheting a square blanket, I would always, always darn my ends in as I go.

I LOVE the join-as-you-go method and have used it in most of my square blanket designs. It's so neat and means that the blanket comes together pretty quickly.

So shall I give you a few numbers to roll around in your mind?

81 squares in total. 

6 colours in each square. No two squares are the same, they are all different.

That makes 486 colour decisions in these squares......and I am SO PROUD of it!!!!!

The border keeps the v-stitch design and is worked in the darker shades of blues and greens. This creates a  grounding framework around the squares and settles the whole design down a bit - those squares are pretty rowdy and shouty and need a bit of calming.

The little red border at the end was a last minute decision and I love the way it adds a final zing of joyful spirit.

Ahhhh.........it really is more than a little bit lovely.

As always, as soon as I darned in the last end, the blanket was put into use. My blankets don't get folded up and put away, no, no, they get to become a part of family life right from the start. It quickly became a firm favourite with the Little People and I can't tell you how happy it makes me when I see my blankets being used and loved by my family.

Oh - I took this photo yesterday and wanted to show you - I held my blanket up to the window to let the light shine through to highlight the stitch pattern. Isn't it lovely? I really like how the stars look like they are shining.

Miss Tilly didn't wait a second to road test the newly completed blanket - she was literally on it in an instant, as soon as it touched down on the sofa. I love the way cats just assume you are spreading out a blanket for their personal comfort and use. That look on her face that says well of course you made this just for me, I expect nothing less!

I want to show you how the whole blanket looks now, so you can see the play of light and dark, and the shine of the colours out from the centre.....

............TA-DAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am immensely proud of this blanket, it has proven to be a real challenge for me with my depleted concentration levels and not an easy make by any means. I mean, the actual crochet bit was easy-peasy, but the endless decision making was not. 

But just look at it - isn't it a beauty??

I honestly adore it, and part of me can't believe I actually designed and made it. I did it! And I love it and I'm so bloomin' proud of it.

So. STARBRIGHT. It's done and I love it, and now I'd love you to love it too.

There is of course the yarn pack which contains 15 balls of yarn as well as a 12 page A4 printed pattern.

STARBRIGHT YARN PACK AND PRINTED PATTERN

You will need a 4mm hook as standard, but you can go bigger or smaller if you know your crochet tension. I think this pattern looks and feels better if it's kept on the tighter side.

The join-as-you-go method is written into the printed pattern, but there is also a full photo tutorial here on my blog to help you along with it.

STARBRIGHT TUTORIAL

I often get asked if my patterns are suitable for beginners, and with Starbright I'd say that yes, it's a good one for adventurous beginners to try. The actual stitches are easy (mostly just UK trebles and chains), but you do need to be able to hold a good, even tension, and you do need to concentrate with making squares!

And then of course we have the ends to deal with. Please don't groan......darning in ends is all part of the blanket making journey, and I'd really like you to adjust your mindset when it comes to tucking those ends away. Think of it like this - you are darning love into your blanket with every colour change, and ensuring that it becomes an heirloom that will stand the test of time. My method is to darn as soon as I snip, NO EXCUSES. Scissors and needle stay together, and as soon as I cut that yarn, I thread it straight onto my needle and darn. it takes just a few seconds. Seconds. It's not an endless, thankless task if you do it this way.

STARBRIGHT STRIPES

Now I know that not everyone loves squares like I do, and some of you would prefer to work on a striped blanket where you have an easy run of it up and down those long rows. I hear you - I love the ease of stripes too, and the way that they provide a really therapeutic and mindful crochet experience. So last week I worked up a sampler to see how these bright winter colours would look as a stripe. OH. MY. GOODNESS. I hadn't been expecting to fall head over heels in love, but unexpectedly it happened.

I knew as soon as I took the above photo that I would be making my own striped blanket. I mean look.......

......WOW!!!!! This is my skinny sampler which has 105 rows. It's how I like to sample a stripe blanket so that I know for sure the colours are going to balance and play nice with each other.

It's safe to say that these colours together are powerful - this is going to be a power-stripe! It's rich and vibrant and joyful, if a little bit on the boisterous side. Gosh, I do love it.

I started out on my next blanket journey as soon as I'd finished my sampler, I couldn't wait to get going.

I'm using the same v-stitch as I used for the Starbright squares and the border - it's a simple v-stitch which is compact and doesn't have chain spaces, so it makes a nice dense crochet fabric. I'm working two rows of colour for each stripe so it's not quite so zig-zaggy, but half the number of ends to darn in. I just couldn't face one-row stripes.

This pattern is very, very, very easy, so there won't be a photo tutorial for it, just the written pattern. Of course you don't have to use the v-stitch if you don't want to. I have twelve other stripe patterns to choose from, so if stripes are calling to you, then choose whichever pattern pleases you the most.

Click on the following link for the V-stitch pattern >>

V-STITCH PATTERN

The graphic below shows the 105 stripes I made in my sampler, it really is going to make a glorious blanket. 

Now depending on which stripe pattern you choose, each pattern will have a different number of stripes (because the height of each stripe pattern varies). I'm going to aim for 99 stripes for my v-stitch to make my blanket 175cm long. You can choose to make as many stripes as you have yarn for, in whichever pattern tickles your fancy.

Here is a run down of my stripe patterns, and the suggested number of stripes to make a 6ft length.

♥ Starbright v-stitch :: 99 stripes

♥ Neat Wave :: 115 stripes (as used in the Moorland Blanket)

♥ Woodland Ripple :: 105 stripes 

♥ Seashell Stripe :: 100 stripes (as used in the Dune blanket)

♥ Spike Stitch :: 99 stripes (as used in the Dahlia blanket)

♥ Springfrost Stripe :: 95 stripes

♥ Cosy Stripe :: 90 stripes

♥ Granny Stripe :: 90 stripes

♥ Meadow Stripe :: 90 stripes

♥ Hydrangea Stripe :: 88 stripes

♥ Neat Ripple :: 84 stripes

♥ Easy Eyelet Ripple :: 84 stripes (as used in the Harbour blanket)

♥ Trellis Stripe :: 84 stripes (as used in the Sweet Pea blanket)

I hope this pattern/stripe info is helpful - all patterns (including starting chains etc) are in my sidebar in the usual place, I expect you will already be familiar with many of them and will have a favourite.

I made a worksheet for you so that you have the exact colour order that I'm using for my stripes. Click on the following link to download/print.

STARBRIGHT STRIPE WORKSHEET 

There are 105 stripes listed on the worksheet, but obviously depending on which pattern you choose, do remember to stop when your blanket reaches the length that you want!

The other thing I've done is make up a sampler with the Starbright colours ordered into a sequence which loosely follows the colour wheel. I think this repeating stripe would make a fantastic blanket and if you like the look of it, here is the order (from bottom to top) :

1. Aster
2. Turquoise
3. Empire
4. Bottle
5. Kelly Green
6. Apple
7. Gold
8. Magenta
9. Pomegranate
10. Fuchsia Purple
11. Lipstick
12. Lapis
13. French Navy
14. Teal
15. Lobelia

You can see how different the same fifteen colours can look when they are ordered differently. I much prefer the higgeldy-piggeldy energised version on the left, but I can also see the appeal of the calmer, more ordered colourwash version on the right.

If you like the idea of making a colourwash blanket, I created a worksheet for that too. It has 99 stripes, so would be suitable for a shorter stitch pattern like the v-stitch, or the seashell (Dune) or Springfrost stripes would also work well.

STARBRIGHT COLOURWASH WORKSHEET 

Well, I think that's all for now. Thank you so much for reading all about Starbright, I hope you enjoyed the colourful visuals and a little peek into my creative working process.

STARBRIGHT YARN PACK

STARBRIGHT TUTORIAL

V-STITCH PATTERN

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Little Zippy Bags :: Ta-dah!

Aren't zippers amazing little things when you actually stop and think about it? While I've been making these bags I've been zipping the cute little coloured zips back and forth and really appreciating their cleverness and usefulness. I haven't made many things with zips really, because sewing them into fabric (or crochet) always seems to be an overly complicated affair and just a step too far. That is why, when I hit on the idea of using a ready-made zippered bag, it seemed like such a GrEaT idea! Crocheting around the bag so that the zip is already inserted AND you have a ready made canvas liner.....well my goodness, that just sounds like loads of crochet fun waiting to happen without any of the sewing stress.

I think I mentioned before, I bought a pack of these small canvas pouches a few months ago. So when I had the idea to crochet around them, I already had everything I needed to jump in and try it out while the inspiration was hot and my Creative Mind wanted to explode with excitement.

The bags measure 21 x 12 cm (pencil case or make-up bag size) and I adore the different coloured zippers. I got them on Amazon - there are loads of different listings for them, but these ones are similar ((HERE)).

I decided to use Ricorumi DK and I love this cotton yarn for decorative projects. It comes in dinky little 25g balls, so you can really have a good load of colour play going on for an affordable amount of money.

My method of attaching the crochet to the bag starts with this ↑↑ a line of  chain stitches worked directly into the zipper with a sharp Chenille needle. It's a neat idea because the chains are spaced to simulate a crochet foundation chain all around the zipper, and can be crocheted into very easily....

......do you see? That's a round of double crochet worked into the stitched chain to form the beginnings of a stripe-fest.

I worked rounds of double crochet in back loops only to give a lovely surface texture.

The rounds are worked upwards, but also inside out.....eventually you will flip the crochet back down.....

....so that the right side is showing and the stripes completely cover up the canvas from the top down.

Wheeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

It's LOADS of fun playing with colours, and I love the slightly crazy clash of it all.

There are 26 little rounds in total, and because this is only a small thing and not a giant blanket, they whizz off your hook in no time. In my tutorial I teach you how to create an invisible join at the end of each round so that the whole thing is seamless, it really is neat.

Me being me, I couldn't resist a little added floral decoration....

....so I made a Polyanthus flower, a baby flower with a little French knot centre and a couple of leaves.

Oh, and as a little bougie extra, I also added a slender tassel to the zip.

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

Oh, my heart fell hard for this little stripy bag!

The one pictured behind with the turquoise zipper followed immediately after the first one, I was deep into obsessional territory by this point. I started the second one in exactly the same way, but the stripes are made with half trebles worked into the spaces between stitches which give a wider stripe but keep the dense kind of look.

On Monday I decided to try out this pattern with my extensive stash of Stylecraft Special DK, just to see how it compared to the cotton. These small balls are all leftovers from making my blankets and they make a wonderful working colour palette for stash-busting projects.

I used some fresh floral shades of SSDK and really love how it turned out.

I added a layered flower for a bit of extra something-something (I used my Triple Layer flower pattern, but only made two layers instead of three). Actually I think the stripes on their own are enough, but I just can't seem to stop myself with the flower thing.

The inside of these canvas pouches are little bit primitive because the edges of the zips aren't concealed inside, and the overlocked seams of the canvas are also visible. But I don't really think it matters too much, and they are certainly practical little  bags for storing your crochet hooks and bits and bobs, or for holding small things. I'm currently using one to keep tissues, paracetamol and a lip balm in my everyday rucksack which I use in place of a handbag (It's THIS one, in case you wanted to picture it)

Comparing these two finished bags (SSDK acrylic yarn on the top, and Ricorumi cotton yarn on the bottom), I have to say I prefer the look and feel of the cotton. I think the texture is very pleasing and I think it would be more hard wearing too. But as so many of you have probably got leftovers of Stylecraft Special tucked away, then honestly there is no need to purchase cotton - use the stash you have! Each stripe of SSDK only uses ONE GRAM of yarn, so less than 30g for the whole bag.

Do you feel inspired? Would you like to give this a try? Be warned....they are very addictive little things, and real time stealers too. You won't be able to step away once you get whizzing along on those stripes!

As promised, I've made a  full photo tutorial to show you step by step how to go about this project. It includes links to the canvas bags and other bits you'll need, I hope I've managed to explain myself OK.

The tutorial is free to use, and you can find it in the left hand sidebar list as usual. The following link will take you there >>

♥ ZIPPY BAG TUTORAL ♥

Well that's all from me for now - I'd love to hear what you think of this project and I hope if you give it a go that you enjoy the creative process. Happy hooking!

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♥ ZIPPY BAG TUTORAL ♥