Attic24

Colour Palettes

Spring sweetness right there on my table this morning, isn't this little twig of pink blossom sooooo pretty? Every day when I sit down at the table to work or eat, those dinky little flowers make my heart feel so light. It won't be long until the big blowsy blossom trees put on their annual show and I'm really looking forward to enjoying it again this year.

We've had a day of horrid weather, it's been wet and very windy. I could hear the wind howling down the chimney for most of the day with no let up, so we all collectively decided to hunker down and have a very lazy stay-home day. 

I made myself some oat pancakes for a late breakfast, adding some chia seeds to the batter for extra protein.

I did my usual thing and heaped on the yogurt and fruit, and oh-my-goodness they were scrumptious. I don't ever tire of this breakfast, it's just so satisfying to make and eat, and keeps me feeling full for hours.

Pretty much as soon as I woke up this morning I was thinking about the Weekend To-do list that I jokingly made for myself on Friday night. There were four things on it :

1. Finish Granny Josephine bag
2. Stitch together Meadow blanket sampler
3. Cross stitch greenfinch hoop
4. Read March and April magazines so I can pass them on

As you know, yesterday was all about the stitching and number 3 on my list was successfully ticked off. I was really happy about that actually, that mental tick felt stupidly good. So after breakfast was done and dusted I decided to attend to number 2 and stitch my blanket sampler together.

If you've been here for a while, you'll probably know that every time I design a new blanket, one of the first things I do is create a square for each of the fifteen colours. There are two reasons for this - firstly, when I make these squares I am usually in the very first stages of creating a new blanket, and crocheting simple squares gives me a chance to really get to know the colours and how they like to play with each other. This process will often highlight any mistakes I might have made when choosing the colours, and gives me an opportunity to make changes before everything gets nailed down and set in stone. Secondly, I like to stitch the squares together to create a sampler which acts as a visual reference for my colour palettes. At the moment I have sixteen different blanket kits in my shop at Wool Warehouse which I've made over the past seven years, and I like to keep a record of the colours I've used in each one.

When I crochet my squares I leave a long tail end when I fasten off which is used to stitch them together. You can find the pattern for these solid granny squares here on my blog, the tutorial includes my method of joining them using this stitching method which creates a very neat and invisible seam.

I think it took me about an hour or so to join them together, it was a lovely, quiet, soothing activity for a rainy wet Sunday morning. I was happy to get it done and tick another job off my list. Actually, I was surprised when I found the squares sat in the messy piles on my desk on Friday, I'd forgotten that I hadn't finished making up the sampler when I was designing my Meadow blanket back last summer.

↑↑ This is the Meadow colour palette, ahhh, I am still so in love with it! You can read all about the inspiration behind the colours in this post ((here))

As I'm beginning to slowly tidy and sort out my temporary home studio situation, I'm starting to find things that have been forgotten and muddled in with the general chaotic mayhem of things here. As well as the Meadow squares, I also found some of my other blanket samplers shoved in a bag, so I thought it might be nice to show you while I had them out on the table. 

↑↑ This is the Aria sampler, a lovely uplifting palette of juicy bright hues. You can read more about the Aria design process in this post ((here))

↑↑ This is the sampler for the Dune blanket which I made in the Spring of 2019. The palette is soft, light and airy and you can read all about the coastal inspiration in this post ((here))

↑↑ And this is the Dahlia colour palette from my 2020 CAL just over a year ago. Wow, there's no mistaking that exuberant collection of bold floral inspired colours, is there? You can read more about the inspiration behind it in this post ((here))

I find it fascinating to look at these samplers and remember the inspiration that sparked each individual colour palette. They all have a very personal story to tell, memories of times and places that mean a lot to me.

These are the latest four in my series of blankets, the older samplers are displayed in my studio.....

....hanging on my wall and looking very lovely indeed. 

Once I've made my square samplers, the next thing I do is create a striped sampler using all fifteen shades ordered in a colourwash. This gives me a chance to use the stitch pattern that I've designed for the blanket and see how it works in terms of tension/gauge. It's also a neat way for me to photograph a sneaky peek of the blanket design without giving too much away before I'm ready to share fully.

I love these so much! Again, these are the latest four samplers, I have them for all my other blankets too, the rest are in the studio. I think at some point I'll have to reunite them and do a big photo shoot?!

I've also got a fair number of skinny stripe samplers, this is the final part of the design process for my striped blankets, and I often end up needing to make three or four versions before I get it right. I'm never quite sure why I keep them as I don't need them once the blanket is made. But at the same time, I can't seem to bring myself to cast them out into the bin either. You can see why things get into such a mess here.

Such a gorgeous pile of colourful creativity right there, and so many hours/days/weeks/months spent on the design process. I wouldn't have it any other way - at least if you buy one of my yarn packs to make a blanket, you know that a massive amount of heart-felt time and energy has gone into creating it.

Now, for the final bit of Sunday good news - Number 1 on my to-do list GOT THE TICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, the Granny Josephine Bag is FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my. Such an emotional moment, with lots of dancing around the house once the final yarn end was fastened securely and snipped off. Words can't describe the joy, so so so so happy. I adore my bag, it's just so damn lovely! I'm looking forward to showing you how she looks as soon as I've managed to take some proper photographs. I hear on the grapevine that the weather is going to be warm and sunny on Tuesday, so that could very well be the day for prancing around with bag in hand. I'll see what I can do.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

A Stitchy Saturday

It seems I've entered a spell of early starts to my days as I've been waking up naturally around 5.30. But the good news is that I'm sleeping very well at the moment so despite the early hour I feel well rested and ready to roll. I usually get up and head downstairs, feed the kitty, empty the dishwasher, then make myself a frothy coffee to bring back to bed. I went through a phase of drinking hot water with lemon and ginger first thing in the morning, but in all honesty it didn't really send me twirling into the contentment zone like that first coffee of the day does. 

Once I had my coffee in hand I idled around in bed for almost two hours watching videos about decluttering and minimalism which for some obscure reason I'm fixated with at the moment. To be clear, I definitely don't want to be a minimalist, but I do have a deep need right now for more breathing space and less chaos in my living environment. So yeah, maybe my watching this type of content isn't all that obscure as I can see the reason behind it, and I guess I'm looking to be inspired to start working a bit of zen magic in my home. I'll be sure to let you know if any magic happens.

Saturday again (a week since the first day of Spring) which means a walk into town for J and I to visit the market and a few local food shops. It was bitingly cold this morning so we hurried through town gathering food into our bags, picked up a very good latté each, then straight home before the coffee had time to cool. I'm really, really looking forward to some warmer weather I have to say.

The best buy from the market today was this glorious Romanesco cauliflower for £1.50. Wow, I just couldn't resist it. I'm fairly sure I meant to ask for broccoli, but the sight of all those enchanting lime green florets captivated me completely. The colour in this photo doesn't quite compare to the real thing - this is a majorly bright vegetable! J and I had some with our dinner this evening, I tossed some of the florets in some olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and some smoked paprika, then roasted in a hot oven for about 20 mins until the edges went slightly crispy. So, so good, and definitely on my list to buy again when I see it.

Do you remember my to-do list for today (I wrote it out at the end of yesterdays post)? Well, I'm pleased to announce that I achieved one whole thing today, yayyy!!!!!!!!!!! Go me!!!! The fourth item on the list was "stitch a greenfinch" and I've had the most wonderful stitchy time of it today. This little 4 inch hoop project from Craftpod is utter stitching perfection - it's the perfect size, just the right amount of counting and concentration, and so insanely satisfying to start and finish in an afternoon.

I sat myself down at the table at around 1pm and I did not stop stitching until that little greenfinch was sat on his pretty perch of mimosa blossom....

.....awwwwww, just look!!! I adore this little hoop, honestly, I couldn't love it more. I finished it off with a little green ribbon bow, then hung it on my wall straight away......

.....next to my Spring embroidery from three years ago. 

I love having a couple of stitchy hoops hanging on the wall with the rest of my seasonal guff - I have Autumn, Winter and Spring hoops, but I don't think I have anything yet for summer. I'll have to see what Jo has in store for us with the Summer Craftpod in June, or maybe I'll design something myself for summer. Ohhhh...I just remembered I already designed this! Yes, it's all coming back to me now. Well I'll definitely need one or two more hoops to go with the Summer daisy as that one's only tiny. I also need to make a Summer wreath too, that's been on my to-do list for the longest time. So exciting, I love thinking about future makes. 

Being that I got caught up in a stitch fest today, there wasn't any time left for Granny Jo or magazine pages. By 4pm I needed to rest my weary eyes and hands and sit down to enjoy some liquid refreshment. I've had a truly lovely, simple day today, and tomorrow there will hopefully be time to tick a couple more things off my weekend list. The clocks change tonight, jumping forward an hour as we move into British Summer Time....I'm tHrilLeD about this because it'll mean longer evening daylight hours......oh, my happy heart!

Hoping you've enjoyed a lovely day today, tell me what's been floating your boat - will it be as obscure as my green cauliflower and stitchy greenfinch I wonder? Do tell!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Slow and Quiet

I've had a slow, quiet sort of a day today, lots going on in my mind it seems. I woke up early (5.30am) and got up not long after so my day has felt quite long - not in a bad way though. I really like having extra time in the early morning to come into the day at a slow pace, and it meant I had almost two hours to sit quietly and drink coffee before needing to be up and out.

I intended to sit and do a bit of a therapeutic brain dump this morning but I accidentally got caught up in the online world. I'm not sure how it happened, but I found myself reading all about Intentional Living, wow, there are some passionate folks out there advocating this way of life, and reading about it was fascinating. There is a lot of crossover between intentional living, simple living and minimalism and although this sort of lifestyle isn't for me, I can certainly see how adopting elements of it could be hugely beneficial. Lots to think about. I keep a little notebook and pen beside my bed and often like to jot things down when I find myself contemplating new ideas. I think I'll do some more reading/viewing online and try and organise my thoughts a bit better, then I'll write about it here - could be interesting?!

I was out the door at 7.30 this morning as per my new spring routine, walking swiftly down through the park, along the canal, then back up the steep hill to home. It was grey and cold so I didn't linger to take many photos, and I made it home in exactly ten minutes - a fantastic way to warm up before my twenty minute running interval workout which I really enjoyed this morning. J and I also took a wet walk through the woods, it was a bit grim to be honest as the rain was pretty freezing and blowing in our faces. We stopped in town on the way back to pick up our coffee and I was so glad to finally get back home, wrap a blanket around myself and sit a while in the Big Chair with my latté to warm myself up.

As I was sat drinking my coffee I noticed that my Winter wreath was still in situ, so a bit later in the day I unpacked my Easter wreath ready for it to take it's place for the Spring season.

I've just looked back through my archives to find the Ta-dah post for this wreath, and am shocked to discover it was eight years ago. Gosh, how the years fly by. I still love this wreath, although if I were to make it again I would make some changes. I would remove the pompoms and space the flowers out a little bit more - it's very crowded on there! It's such a cheerful decoration though and I'm enjoying having it on my wall again.

The flowers on my table are teensy weeny this week, a couple little stems of blossom that are very slowly beginning to open. They are so, so beautiful, the perfect, delicate shade of pink.

Actually my table has been in a right mess this afternoon as I decided to have a bit of a sort out. The dining room has become my work-from-home makeshift studio during the past year or so, and it's gotten into a real chaotic state. I think all that reading about simple living must have seeped into my soul as I suddenly felt desperate to try and clear some space for myself. 

I tackled a huuuuuuuuuge teetering pile of stuff on top of my old desk (which is supposed to be leaving us as soon as we can find how/where to move it out), and boy was it therapeutic. I managed to sling a massive pile of paper/card/packaging/old magazines/boxes into the recycling bin, and sort out the varied assortment of miscellaneous objects which had accumulated over the months. The piles were so tall and so dense that I unearthed a wonderful collection of lost and forgotten things, including some Christmas presents, crochet projects and a box of posh chocolates.

I gathered together a small pile of recent magazines which I want to read before giving away to friends. I found my Meadow blanket colour squares which need stitching together (I make up colour samplers for all of my blanket projects which I keep for reference). And to my utter shame, I found my Granny Josephine bag sat at the bottom of the pile looking very neglected indeed. You may remember I was working on her during Blogtober and she's so very nearly finished, what a silly thing to have left this project for so long.

All that needs to be done is a little bit of hand stitching - leaves, flowers and the handle flap, and then she is done - flying straight to the top of my to-do list. Seriously. This bag needs to be used and loved, and I shall make that happen this weekend.

Also in my monstrous desk pile was the latest Craftpod box which arrived earlier in the week, oh, it's so lovely! I took out the little cross stitch project as I really love the design and the colours and would love to see it on my Spring mantel. I shall need to see to Granny J first, and then I'll make a start on the birdie.

BY the way, if you like the look of this project, you can buy the Spring box as a one-off purchase while stocks last - see ((here)).

Today was the last day of the Spring term and I think we all collectively breathed a sigh of relief at 3.30 when home school finished for Little B and Little Lady came through the door. She was in a good mood because she got an A score in her recent maths test (she's studying A level Maths, as well as Physics and Spanish, she's a clever so-and-so). We've got two weeks free from school stuff now, and even though lockdown life means that we can't do very much, I'm still hoping that there might be some sort of a holiday feeling to our days.

Little B doesn't spend much time with us downstairs any more, but once he'd finished his lessons today he came down to watch TV for a while. After years of guarded suspicion, Tilly has recently decided that she does in fact like Little B when he's not being all noisy and boisterous and she will always curl up on his lap any time he sits on the sofa. It's such a sweet thing - there is something about children and crochet blankets that makes my heart melt into a puddle, especially if you add in the crazy furball as well. So sweet.

I made this granny square blanket while I was pregnant with Little B and as he was born in the middle of an extremely cold snowy winter (it was -11 degrees on the day we brought him home from hospital), this blanket was very much needed in his cot at night. It's made from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, so it's really cosy and warm.

It's been very stormy here today, windy and wet with heavy hail showers thrown in for good measure. I'm glad I took the time to do a little bit of tidying today - still a LOT to do, but at least I made a start. It meant that I could sit for a while by the fire this afternoon without feeling guilty, making inroads into my small magazine pile. I've got both March and April issues with all the Spring vibes in those pages.....do you think I could add "read magazines" to my weekend to-do list, along with "Finish Granny Jo" and "Stitch a Greenfinch"?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Mini Spring Flowers

Ahhhhhh, this yarn is giving me so many happy feels this week, it's sat there looking very inspirational in it's circular tin tray. I keep moving it around the place, I just love having it close by and in full view so it mostly sits on our dining table until we need to eat.

I spoke briefly about this new yarn in yesterdays post - it's a brand new organic cotton by Stylecraft which launched to retail at the start of last week. It really is a beautiful yarn - at first glance it looks quite thin for a DK weight but it hooks up really well on a 4mm hook. The thing I like most about it is that it's a smooth matt yarn (I'm not a fan of slippery mercerised cotton) and it's also really soft. So far I've only used it for small decorative things but I'm looking forward to making something bigger with it so that I can see what the drape is like.

There are 38 shades in total (the 36 shown above, plus black and white), and I think  the clever folks at Stylecraft have done a fantastic job with the colour range. It's the perfect combination of soft pastels and strong brights which makes it very versatile for all sorts of projects.

I picked out a palette of soft Spring pastel shades to crochet some mini flowers and leaves...

Top row :

Mauve : Fondant : Blush : Coral

Bottom row:

Cardoon : Artichoke : Peppermint : Buttermilk

↑↑ See the twiggy branch up there on the right of my mantel? I picked it up when we were out on a walk last month, it was laid on the grass verge at the side of the road and I just happened to like the look of it. The family were completely gobsmacked which surprised me as you'd think they'd be used to my strange ways by now. They just couldn't understand the appeal of a dead twig but as soon as I saw it I knew that it would be perfect for a Spring decoration. It was worth the effort of carrying it the two miles home.

I used the same little pattern that I designed for my Spring Garland - do you remember the white Hawthorne blossom I made to go in between the polyanthus flowers? This is exactly the same flower, and I just added some little leaves.

**I'll write the pattern out at the end of this blog post for you for reference**

I'd forgotten how satisfying it is to embark on a small decorative project which takes just hours to complete. I ended up making 20 flowers and leaves and loved every minute of it. The leaves were a little fiddly as they are only small, but it was such a fun thing to sit and occupy myself with yesterday afternoon.

You can see in the above photo that the leaves still have their tail ends hanging....

....these tail ends are used to stitch the leaf to the back of the flower.

I decided on a whim to add some tiny buttons to the flower centres, and when I say tiny, I really mean it! These are "micro buttons" which are only 6mm across, I have a whole tin of them left over from the long ago days when I used to make handmade greetings cards. They are made by a company called "Dress it Up", you can find little packs of them on Amazon in all sorts of colours ((see here)). For a very brief second I did consider stitching the buttons on, but quickly came to my senses and reached for the craft glue.

This morning when I woke up, the very first thing I thought was "yipppeeeee, I get to stick my flowers to the twig today!"

The thought of having this project to work on gave me such a buzz! Of course Tilly was on hand to help me throughout the whole process, whatever would I do without her sticking herself into all my business??

Attaching crochet flowers to a twiggy branch is definitely a job for a hot glue gun. I bought this one a few years ago when I wanted to stick some felt owls to twigs (you can see I have history with twiggy projects) and it is so easy to use and very, very good for super fast, strong sticking of any type of material.

It took no time at all to attach flowers to twig-ends.........

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

I love that the colours of the flowers go so well with my little Annabel Burton canvas (a happy accident to be honest, but I'm calling it a win)

I love what I created, it's a simple idea that delivers maximum spring vibes.

I would say this is a very Attic24 style make, and I'm not sure there is much general appeal in crocheting flowers to stick to twigs? But if you feel a burning desire to make yourself a little twiggy spring something, then I'm writing the simple pattern out for you below.....

MINI SPRING FLOWER

Ch 4; sl st into 1^st ch to form a ring.

All stitches in round 1 are worked into the ring.

Round 1 : *ch 2; 1 tr; ch 2; sl st;

Repeat from * 4 more times; sl st into 1^st ch of beginning ch-2 to close the round; fasten off [5 petals]

Note : if you crochet over the tail end as you make each petal, you can give it a firm pull when you finish and close up the hole in the centre. Alternatively, you could use the magic ring method if you prefer.

MINI SPRING LEAF

Ch 4; beginning in 2nd ch from hook, work 1 dc; 1 htr ; 1 dc;

Ch 2; sl st in 2nd ch from hook to form a picot point;

Now work into the single loops of the foundation chain, as follows :

1 dc; 1 htr; 1 dc;

Sl st into the little loop formed by the turning chain; fasten off, leaving a tail end long enough to stitch the leaf to the back of the flower.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my crazy idea take shape - I've got a couple other things to work on for you in the next week or two, things that have been on my crochet to-do list for aaaaaages. And this new organic cotton is the perfect yarn for what I have in mind.

See you tomorrow :)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Routine Feels Good

Following on from yesterdays chat about my new-found Springtime lockdown routine, today followed a similar pattern and I felt really good about making it happen. I didn't manage to get out quite so early this morning as I didn't set an alarm and woke naturally at 6.30. But I tell you, it felt wonderful to wake up and know that I already had a plan in place, and that there was no need to ponder on things. I can't tell you what a difference it made, it was quite remarkable how much more settled I felt when I woke up. I was striding out the door at 7.20, and it was a truly beautiful day to be out and about. 

I appreciate the feeling of stillness that hangs in the air this early in the morning, there is something very calming and tranquil about the day being still in it's early waking hours.

It must've rained in the night as everything was damp this morning and the hedges were still holding onto the raindrops.

I love to see the signs of spring slowly appearing and the fresh zing of newly unfurled leaves never fails to make me happy. It's a magical time of year and I can see why so many people are spring lovers. 

J and I set out to walk early again this morning, around 8.45 I think it was when we left the house. The sunshine was glorious, and it was just about warm enough to ditch the coat and manage with a warm hoodie. It felt so good after many months of woolly layers and wellie boots.

We walked home through town so that we could pick up our coffee, and on a whim I stopped to buy a loaf of bread from the veggie stall on the market. I figured that fresh crusty bread would go well with my homemade soup for lunch so I bought a brown sourdough loaf made here in Skipton by a local chef who started up his own micro bakery last year. It's hands down the best sourdough I've ever tasted, the flavour is so so so good. Of course it really didn't help me with my quest to kick the toast and sugar cravings to the curb, but that's a burden I'm willing to deal with. Everything in moderation.

It was a happy delivery day here today as not one but two parcels arrived in the post this morning. I bought myself a new dress (this one) from one of my favourite clothing companies, it's a really soft cotton material and I can't wait to wear it on days when it's warm enough for bare legs and flip flops.

I also purchased some of my most favourite chocolate (again, NOT helping with the clean eating mission, but I ordered it at the weekend when I was in full self indulgence mode). Lime and Sea Salt dark chocolate, honestly the flavour combos in this chocolate are like heaven to me.

Hmmm....I'm seeing a seasalty theme appearing here......guess I must really be missing the sea?!

This afternoon I felt the pull to crochet and it felt really good to sit for a few hours to quietly work with hook and yarn. Do you like the look of the yarn? Isn't it a feast?! This is a brand new product from Stylecraft and I've been lucky enough to get my hands on all of the colours available - there are 38 in total. This is a DK weight organic cotton which comes in 50g balls, and I absolutely love it. It's soft and smooth with a matt finish (it's not a mercerised yarn) and it's a delight to crochet with. I was worried that my hands might not like it as cotton doesn't have any elasticity and can quite often be tough to work with. But I haven't had any difficulty with this yarn and I think it's going to become a firm favourite. 

I spent the whole afternoon lost in the bliss of these soft, spring like colours, crocheting up a pile of flowers and leaves. It's been ages since I felt inspired to dive into some decorative making, and it felt so good! Happy, happy me!!

So I have a bare twiggy branch that is waiting for Spring to arrive - tomorrow I'll show you when these flowers find their twiggy place. See you then xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

  

 

New Routines

Yesterday I came to the realisation that I always feel happier when life is flowing gently around a very settled daily routine, and when that routine is up-ended on it's head it makes me feel very off balance. For so many years of my life my week days  have been dominated by the school routine - because of the age gap between the big Teen and Little B, I'm currently in the final stretch of a fifteen year primary school stint. That's a lot of years, and it has always provided a very solid structure to my week. During this past year when school life has been so utterly disrupted, we have all bent and adapted to changing circumstances as we've moved in and out of lockdown. I never thought I would miss the school routine so much, but quite simply I find life so much easier to navigate when I'm out the door at 8.30 with energy in my step and a sense of purpose.

Little B was finally back in school for two weeks and I was just beginning to feel my sense of equilibrium returning when out of nowhere he was sent straight back to home schooling and a period of self isolation (a positive covid case in his class). I could have cried, honestly. I woke up early this morning (6am kind of early) and for a while I lay in bed wondering if I could maybe drift back to sleep for a bit, or if I should just get up and embrace the day. With the luxury of time to spare, I sat and thought about how I would really like to start my day. What should I do? I pondered on it for a while, and then finally decided that what would suit me best would be some early morning fresh air.....yeah, lets do this! I got dressed in my workout clothes (leggings and a sports top), threw a warm fleece on top, then made myself a coffee in my takeout cup. Then before I could think anything more of it, I was striding out the back door and up the cobbled streets towards the park. It was 6.40am, a chilly, grey kind of a day.

I stood at the top of the park and looked out towards the meadow, and I can't tell you how good it felt to be breathing in that cold fresh air. It was like my inner balance was suddenly restored, and I felt full of energy for the day ahead. I walked down the steep grassy slope, then along the pathway that leads from the park to the canal....

....and all was still and quiet. I walked as fast as I could to wake up my circulation, powering up the steep hill back to the Attic. It took me twelve minutes in total, which oddly enough is about the same length of time that the school run takes. When I got home, because I was already wearing my workout clothes it made it easy to get stuck straight into my exercise. I'd effectively given myself a twelve minute al fresco warm up.

I'm still loving Lucy Wyndham-Read workouts on YouTube (you can read more about my exercise journey in this post), they are just so easy to fit into an everyday busy morning. I'm doing her "Beginners Running Workouts" at the moment and am currently in week three. I actually started week three last week but got a bit over enthusiastic with the lunges and ended up hobbling around for three days so had to take a break. This week I'm repeating week three with a bit more caution and so far so good. Incidentally, I have no intention of running outside, but I find that interval training is a really great workout. 

Do you know, I was all exercised, showered and dressed by 8am this morning (which is how it would be on a normal school day for me) and I felt SO GOOD!!!!!!!!! 

Due to this new routine, and also the fact that there isn't any school run to do right now, J and I decided to shift our daily walk forward as well today. We were out walking at 8.30 (again, this is the time we would normally be walking to school), and it was great to be out there so early. We had the woodland to ourselves, the paths were deserted and it really did feel like we were getting the best out of the day. 

We came home from the woods via a quick detour through town to pick up our coffee (of course we did), and by 9.30 I was sat in the Big Chair all exercised out and ready for a bit of a  rest. I'm convinced that this is going to be a great routine for me for the next few weeks so I'm going to try and stick with it. I'll let you know how I get on.

I'm trying to reset my eating habits this week too as I've been on a bit of a toast and chocolate rollercoaster ride just lately. I get real cravings for toasty carbs and sweet things which mostly I've learnt to keep in check. Every so often I allow myself to go with the flow when the cravings hit hard, knowing that I'll generally be able to pull it back into line when I need to. This week is me getting back to that healthy line. Full disclosure - I didn't manage to resist the hot cross bun or the mini eggs today. But hey, I'm trying.

Today was something of a "life admin" day for me with an actual to-do list written down on paper instead of just jangling around inside my head. I popped out late morning to visit the post office to post a letter and drop off some parcels, something I've been meaning to do for weeks. I'm so lucky that my walk into town is along the canal, it makes running errands feel like less of a chore.

Ahhh, it felt good to tick those things off my list, and my plan is to make myself another small list of to-do's for tomorrow as well. It all helps to keep me feeling grounded, and I realised this morning that I really need that right now. 

I put clean bedding on the bed today (can't wait to climb in there later), and this afternoon I lit my burner and spent an hour or so chatting to my Mum friend in Winwick on the phone. My bed has become my retreat during this lockdown, it's where I go when I need to think, rest, retreat. And chat to friends.

It's been a good day, and I'm feeling encouraged by the small changes to my routine that made me feel like I'm doing OK in these topsy turvy times. Before I go, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts this week, I really love hearing from you. I hope your day has been a good one, see you tomorrow :)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps one of my oldest friends from my textile/art student days has just recently started blogging and is joining me with daily blogs this week...do pop over and give her a wave, I think you'll like her story telling. She's called Stitchy Kate x

 

Small Pleasures

♥ Coming downstairs this morning and seeing my "messy" sofa looking so homely and colourful with all the crochet additions. I'm really crushing on my Meadow blanket, especially the top end of summery skies. Also.....that edging.....ahh, I'm pretty chuffed with it, those mini bobbles just make something inside my brain feel stupidly happy.

♥ Walking out in the woods with J quite early this morning as we were able to leave Little B plugged into his laptop doing home school (a distinct advantage of having an 18 year old still living at home). It was blissfully quiet with just a few dog walkers out and about. We are really ready to enjoy a little more freedom with our Monday walks again and very much looking forward to travelling a bit further afield next month. Until then, we continue to enjoy what we have on our doorstep.

♥ The wild garlic gets greener by the day and I'm so delighted by the sight of it. I was getting a bit disheartened after months of mud and brown in the woods, so the sight of all this lush green makes me really happy.

♥ When the wild garlic is young and fresh, it makes for good picking and eating. I'm going to try and remember to take a small plastic bag with me so that I can collect a little to bring home for cooking.

♥ I made a batch of soup today to last through the week - red lentil and tomato. It was delicious and very filling. I've been making soup every week this month, a different concoction each time and I know that Little Lady really appreciates it on the days she's able to come home from school for lunch. 

♥ I popped up the the allotment this afternoon to see how the flowering blossom tree was doing as I remembered that this is the time of year when it peaks. I've no idea what sort of tree it is, but it really is lovely. 

♥ Picking a few stems of the blossom to bring home, and look - the sun came out to play too!

♥ I popped the twiggy stems in a little thrifted jug on the mantel and the simple joy of having those wild outdoor flowers blooming inside made me really happy. I know they won't last very long, but I am going to enjoy them to the max while I can.

♥ Today there has been a certain lightness in the air which makes me feel like Winter really is behind us. We've had snow in April in previous years, so I try not to get my hopes up too high, but every day feels a little lighter and brighter and I'm so glad about that.

I hope your day has been light and bright, and that you've found pleasure in the little things.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Sunday Vibes

Waking up slowly, no alarm, no reason to hurry, just a peaceful slide from deep sleep to light snoozing and then finally some time to just be awake and still in my warm bed. J is a very early riser and is always up before me, so I really luxuriate in those first moments of awakeness when I am alone and quiet with my thoughts. I eventually got up around 7.15 feeling well rested and very content to face a quiet Sunday with no plans. I made a coffee and took it back to bed, I really love climbing back into a still-warm bed, it's something I used to fantasise about when I was a parent of babies and an early rise meant that the day started at full pelt no matter what.

The morning unfolded at leisure, and eventually we headed out the door at around 11am. Just J and I this morning as Little Lady was on Planet Teen and Little B is in self isolation for 10 days following a positive Covid case in his class. Sigh. I am so over the home schooling, and yet here we are again. Still, I've made up my mind not to let it get me down any more, no no no. No more downward feelings. I am rising above it, and all will be well. Only one more week and then we at least get a reprieve for the Easter holibobs. It was sunshiny and mild this morning, warm enough to wear just a jumper and no coat for the first time this year. Along beside the canal.....

....then up this bumpy cobbled lane to the main street of town. Oh yeah, you can guess what was on the agenda here I expect...I'll give you a clue.....it begins with C and ends in EE. Yeah, hot, milky and hitting the comfort spot very nicely indeed. We strolled slowly up the main street of town in the morning sunshine, sipping our coffee and chatting. 

At the top of the town there are steps down to the pathway which leads into the woodland, and it always delights me how swiftly we can leave the cars and streets behind and suddenly be surrounded by trees and running water.

Don't be fooled by this apparently deserted woodland path, this was just a momentary lull as there were plenty of folks out enjoying the sunshine today.

There are a couple of benches beside the pond, so we decided to sit a while and finish drinking our coffees. Iit was so tranquil and really a lovely little pause to just breathe in and out and be thankful.

Our way home takes us down a long, steep residential street and every time we walk here I take a moment to stop and appreciate this hedge. It's a long one and runs along the boundary of a garden, immaculately kept with a very neatly trimmed shape. The special thing about this hedge is that it flowers in spring - it's a blossom hedge, how wonderful is that? As you can see it's just starting to bloom.....

....oh, such pretty, pretty pale pink flowers and fresh little coppery leaves. I love it so much - I'll try and remember to photograph it again in a week or two when it's in full bloom, it really is stunning. Spring is springing, and I couldn't be happier.

This afternoon, the slow Sunday vibes continued and I found myself drawn to my cross stitching project. I didn't manage to do very much, I'm finding it hard to settle down to anything since my Meadow Blanket finished, gosh I do miss the ease of those soothing, delicious rows. I feel the pull to be creative, but my concentration isn't always there.

Still, I enjoyed working those neat little crosses, and there isn't any hurry for this project to be finished. Summer still seems like a long way off.

I've got the most beautiful tulips on my table this week, they were an unexpected gift from my friend when we met to have our weekly walk around the park on Friday. They were pretty tightly in bud when I popped them into my rainbow jug but they've slowly begun to open over the weekend. Beautiful things, they really are.

I sat a while on the sofa this afternoon, browsing on Instagram on my phone, enjoying those inspirational little squares and catching up with the comings and goings of my online friends. I'm so grateful for our online communities, I know I say this a lot, but it really is important to me. There was no Instagram when I first started writing my blog, no Pinterest either. Things have changed a lot in the last decade and we've got so many more possibilities to interact and find inspiration, right in the palm of our hands. Aren't we lucky?

Hoping you've had a wonderful day full of good vibes - tell me something that has made you happy today, I'd love to hear.

See you tomorrow xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

First Day of Spring

Well winter is now officially behind us and today is the Spring Equinox which is when day and night are of equal length. I am very much in the astronomical camp when it comes to the changing seasons (more about that here) and I enjoy celebrating the equinoxes and solstices each year. They seem to me like a really good opportunity to pause and take stock, a gentle quarterly review if you like. We are now into my favourite quarter by far as our days lengthen and we start jaunting through to the Summer Solstice in June. I love these months very, very much.

The weather today has been very un-spring-like (often the case on the Spring Equinox), but I thought you might still like to see how my hill view looked today. It was dull, murky, still and cold. But hey, no rain, so I'm thankful for that at least.

Being Saturday, J and I set off into town this morning for our weekly market and local food shop. It's less than ten minutes walk to the main high street so it's no hardship and I really look forward to it. Once we've gathered in our produce (fruit, veggies, cheese, meat and bread), we pick up a takeout coffee to drink sitting beside the canal. In our non-lockdown life we would visit our favourite little café and cosy up inside with our drinks, but right now we are making the best of our al fresco experience. It's cold though I have to admit.

I thought I would share my market haul with you today - everything goes straight into my canvas shoppers and often times we don't even bother with paper bags. Tilly was very eager to inspect the goods, she is always right there waiting for us when we come home.

The above selection is a typical weeks fruit and veg for us, although we usually end up needing to buy more fruit towards the end of the week. Isn't it so pleasing to look at? So satisfying to see it all laid out!

I love buying, cooking and eating fresh ingredients, it gives me a lot of pleasure to feed myself and my family in this way.

We also buy eggs from the veg stall and they are always these snowy white ones which have the most gorgeous, rich orange yolks. 

Ah Tilly, you are such a crazy little kitty! 

I made myself a late breakfast once I'd packed away all the food, then decided the time was right for some Equinox faffery on the mantel. Time to pack away Winter and welcome in the Spring.

I was a little sad to say goodbye to my Winter TreePeep, I've loved having her on my mantel. I can't remember if I've showed you my TreePeeps before? They're painted by my super-talented Instagram friend Lynn (@silverypaws) and so far I've collected Autumn, Winter and Christmas. Lynn is painting me a Spring TreePeep this week so I'm VERY excited for that (you can see some of her Spring peeps here), I'll be sure to show you when she arrives in the Attic. If you'd like to give a TreePeep a home, do get in touch with Lynn via her Instagram.

Once Winter had been collected and stored away, I gave the mantel a good clean and changed over my candelabra. As always, it was really nice to unpack the new seasons decorations and remember what I had collected - do you know I had actually forgotten all about the Spring garland that I made last year? It was a delight to see it again! You can read all about the making of it in this post, and I wrote up the patterns for the flowers if you would like to create your own.

You can also see the Spring cross stitch canvas I made last year from Cotton & Twine. I really enjoyed stitching all those beautiful bluebells, it was my lockdown project at the start of Covid almost a year ago. I've just started stitching the Summer design so that it'll be ready for June, I'll show you that once I've made a bit more progress.

Loving the look of my Spring mantel, most especially the garland. So pretty! By the way, can you see the bare twigs up there on the right hand side? I'm going to crochet some blossom flowers to decorate them this week, and I am really crazy excited for that to happen. I've not done any crochet at all since finishing my Meadow Blanket last month (my hands really needed a rest) so I'm more than ready to have my hook back in my hand again.

I bought myself a new scented candle this week as I've been without one on my mantel since the mulled wine binge over Christmas. I opted for "Quiescent" from the Botanical Candle Co (you may remember me going on about their "Late Summer" candle that I obsessed over last year)

Would you care to know how this one smells? Here's the official blurb....

"Eucalyptus is uplifting, cleansing and fresh whilst the floral notes of lavender soften this scent and provides a sense of calm. Frankincense delivers a resinous base note that's grounding, complex and earthy. Overall, Quiescent is comforting, pure and luxurious."

It is a delight I can tell you, well anything with eucalyptus in immediately gets my vote to be honest. It's the perfect winter/spring scent I think, and yes I would agree that it is cleansing, fresh and calm. Just the thing for pandemic lockdown life.

Spring may be here but it's still fire lighting weather in Atticland with single digit temperatures. At the weekends I light the fire in the mid afternoon as J and I are usually spending time together in our main living room. I just can't get enough of the cosy vibes at the moment, I guess winter comforts are still needed for a while longer until the weather begins to do it's Spring thing. 

Before I go, I wanted to say a huge big thank you to those of you who have clicked on my little "buy me a coffee" button just lately. I have been so humbled and deeply touched by the kindness that has come my way and have felt overwhelmed with gratitude. I appreciate you all so much, and I'm really happy to be back here in my patch having a chat with you. Your comments on my last couple of posts have been incredibly heart warming, so thank you for the hot milky coffees and for your kind words and all that you do to make me feel cherished.

A few days ago I was reading back through my Blogtober archives and remembering how much fun it was to create a daily blog for a while, and I've decided that for the remainder of March I'm going to be here every single day to chat to you. Blogtober had such a cute ring to it, but I'm thinking Blarch doesn't sound quite so appealing?! Haha, well we don't have to name this thing do we, but I hope you'll enjoy a daily dose of Attic life during the next eleven days. 

Happy Spring (or Autumn if you're down on t'other side of the planet), I hope today has been a good one. See you tomorrow!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps my lovely friend Christine (she who knits alllllll the socks) has decided to join in with my Blarch adventure, so you're very welcome to pop on over to Winwick and enjoy her daily words and photos x

 

 

 

Last Day of Winter

One of things about taking a blog break is that it disrupts the continuity of my own personal story, and I've come to realise that I really regret when there are missing segments. For example, there are some fabulous holidays I've taken in the past which I never got around to documenting here and that means there are valuable memoires missing. You see, although I dearly love that you are here with me (and apparently you enjoy my words and photos), I mainly write my blog for myself. It's the best memory-keeping tool I  can think of, a truly priceless archive of my life that means the word to me. 

So although January and February aren't ever my best months, I think they still deserve their moment and I feel bad that this winter went by with nothing to show for it here. Well, there was the Meadow Blanket of course, but you know what I mean - the snapshots of everyday life are missing. So as today is the final day of winter before the Spring Equinox tomorrow, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to have a little winter catch up.

Before we head into that, I want to tell you a bit about the above photo. The print is by an artist called Jessica Boehman who lives and works in New York. I fell in love with this illustration years ago when I saw it on Facebook and it stayed lodged in my mind ever since. Sadly the image was being used on social media without any credit to Jessica, and it took me a long while to track her down as the artist. But eventually at the end of last year I did, and I was able to buy the print which I am really happy about. I found Jessica's Facebook page, and wanted to share something she wrote back in November which had a profound affect on the way I feel about the Winter Season.....

"It's mid-November, my favorite season, the time I was born. The nights are getting longer. I find I look forward to the months of the long nights, because they offer up their many gifts: a chance to rest, long, blue nights to take comfort with lovers, your children, or loved ones, wrapped tightly under blankets, and the quiet time needed for the mind to spark and grow. Turning inward, my mind lights up. I light a candle and read or draw, allowing myself to spend time in other worlds. It's a time for growing stronger. I think we could all use a healthy and restful hibernation from the ravages of this past year. Wishing you all a happy dark season, and wishing you health and safety as we continue to weather this storm together. May we come out of it kinder, stronger, and more willing to help each other in a time of need. This is my birthday wish for the world."

After reading Jessica's words I suddenly had the realisation that the winter season can be a positive time for hibernation and healing, and that we can indeed look forward to a "happy dark season". I tried SO HARD to take this onboard, and to find the joy in the dark, short days but of course it's not possible to make yourself feel happy, no matter how much you may wish for it. Having said that, I did take great comfort from this picture, so that even on days when I just wanted to stay in bed I was able to view it as being restorative and cosy rather than a failed day of doing nothing. 

One of the ways I embrace the seasons is by decorating my mantel and if you've been visiting with me a while then you will of course know all about this. My mantel was bare for a little while once Christmas was packed away, but soon enough I felt the pull to decorate for the Winter season. It's all quite minimal really, and yet I still get a huge amount of pleasure from unpacking these treasured things from previous years. The two stitched hoops were from previous Craftpod subscription boxes, and if you like the looks of them then you can now buy them as individual projects from the Craftpod Etsy shop ((here))

The Winter cross stitch canvas was from a Cotton & Twine subscription box last year (sadly no longer available)

The crochet garland was from a few years ago and I still love it, although I think next winter I'd like to crochet a nature inspired garland of leaves and berries.

The crochet robin was made from a pattern by Little Conkers ((here)).

I've enjoyed my mantel and fireplace enormously over the past two months, and have spent many hours sat on the floor right there by the fireside. It's one of my favourite places to be when all is quiet in the late afternoons.

As tomorrow is the first day of Spring, it'll be all change on my mantel this weekend, so I'm glad I've had a chance to share the winter version with you before it gets packed away for another year.

This winter the weather has actually been fantastic, as it's been the coldest season we've had in quite a few years. I'm not bothered by the cold weather at all, and I LOVE when we have ice, frost and snow in the depths of winter. What I'm not keen on is the damp, grey, drizzly, dank parts of winter, those days can just go away for ever and ever as far as I'm concerned. So yeah, the weeks we had in January and February when the temperatures sat below freezing, I was actually pretty delighted by it.

I loved that even with our very shortened days, the start and end of each day often delivered the most beautiful skies.

I loved seeing my hill view coated in a layer of white ice....

...and I love love LOVED visiting the meadow in the crisp early mornings to see the magic of winter. 

On the morning when these photos were taken it was 9am, just as the sun was rising behind the hills.

It was also a very chilly -5 degrees, oh-so-cold, but my goodness it was incredibly beautiful out there.

During these weeks when the temperature stayed below zero, the canal stayed frozen. It looks beautiful don't you think? It was a little bit treacherous on the footpaths but as we were in lockdown and home schooling, we often didn't leave the house for days on end when the ice was very bad. 

This winter also brought us quite a bit of snow, and I think this year we had four separate snow falls.

I always went out to walk in it, there is something compelling about a snow-filled landscape and I had some fun walks with the Little People. It was actually Little Lady who built the snowman (the twiggy arms were my addition), it was a very spur of the moment playful streak which I hadn't been expecting from my mature teen!

The snowy part of this winter was really wonderful actually, and looking back at these photos has reminded me how much I appreciate the four distinct seasons that we get to experience here in my corner of the world.

I've been so thankful for the clear, bright, blue-sky days of winter, oh deep joy right down to my soul when the sky is that colour!! We haven't had all that many clear days, but you can be sure I've made the most of them when they've been gifted to us.

Our daily walking has happened in all weathers and has become a permanent fixture in our days since lockdown started almost a year ago. This routine has made a huge difference to my wellbeing - we walk for just over an hour each day (about 5 km), around the neighbourhood and through the woods and I absolutely love it. The best kind of self care I'd say.

On the home front, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, life has been slow and uneventful. Aside from crocheting my beloved Meadow Blanket, I haven't felt especially creative to be honest. But really that's OK - it's absolutely OK to have quiet times when life is slow and there isn't much doing. This past week I've felt an uprising of inspiration and I've begun working creatively again, so I figure the rest must have done me good. 

Spending extended time within the four walls of home hasn't always been easy this winter, but I really have tried to make the best of it. I learnt to recognise when I needed to retreat to my bedroom and close the door, and I learnt to make the very most of the rare times when our one downstairs living room was quiet except for me and the cat. 

Daffodils have been a constant on my table this winter, a weekly essential purchase along with the groceries. At just £1 a bunch, they are such a bargain, and I love watching those tight buds slowly open in the warmth of home.

And there we have it, a mini round up of my slow winter days. Nothing terribly exciting, although we did have the drama of a broken finger a few weeks ago, thanks to the Big Teen falling off his mountain bike in spectacular fashion. I'm not going to show you photos of that mess though, even though it's still an ongoing drama. He goes back to see the plastic surgeon on Monday I think. But yeah, broken bones aside, all has been low key and quiet. 

I'm looking forward to stepping gently into the next season now, I really am ready for the change.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx