Attic24

Home into Autumn

Hellooooooo to you all, how have you been? It feels like a good long while since I was here chatting to you but that's mainly because I've been away from home, and I think time away often moves at a different pace to the normal, everyday sort of tick-tock time on the home clock.

Actually, this time last week I was still travelling, making my way from the south France to London, then up along the backbone of England all the way north to Yorkshire. It took thirteen hours in total, a coach, a plane, the underground and two trains, with some weary walking up the hill at the very end. 

I've spent the last week resting quite a bit and easing myself back into gentle home routines. It's been a pleasure to allow my days to gently unfold and soak up the quiet, comforting homely vibes here at number twenty four. 

There has been a distinct chill in the air this past week and honestly, it has felt really beautiful. I've often said that I am happiest when our English seasons run true, and so far autumn is feeling wonderfully autumnal. Happy me!

It was my birthday last week and I celebrated fifty four trips around the sun. I had coffee with my good friend (we have a standing date at a favourite café every Tuesday morning) and she gave me a card, a little wrapped present, a bag of pears and a solitary beetroot (complete with roots and soil attached) which she'd dug up from the community veg plot on her way to the café. It was the funniest gift which made me double over with laughter, and that reminds me I really do need to cook it! I think I'm going to roast it in the oven. She also very kindly gifted me the most stunning bunch of fragrant stocks and I inhaled their sweet, peppery scent all the way home.

Don't they look lovely? Stocks and a muddy beetroot - what more could a girl want, eh?!

My birthday was on Wednesday and the day was bright and blustery, perfect for a lunch time stroll. 

J doesn't often take a proper lunch break when he's working (something which we often argue about), but on this day he made time  to come to the woods with me. We had Little Lady with us too, and I must say I am really, really loving the fact that I still have her at home for the time being. 

The leaves are just beginning to fall in the woodland and although it's still mostly green in the treetops, there are lots of leaves now on the ground. There is seasonal beauty all around, and I am absolutely here for it.

We are continuing to manage without our central heating, and I'm kind of getting used to the house being a bit on the cold side. I can't say I like it that much (I take after my late Mum, and really don't like to feel cold), but I am coping. I'm dressing in multiple cotton layers, adding a thick jumper when I need it, woolly socks constantly on my feet and blankets, blankets and more blankets. If I'm sitting, then I'm covered in at least two blankets. I shall be known as Lucy Layers this season. Thank goodness for the fire, my gosh I worship this thing, it brings me immense pleasure and comfort and I absolutely would not be without it.

Since I came home from France, I'm taking even more pleasure than usual from my every day views. I really do love where I live and looking at it as if I were a visitor is something I do quite often. Do you do the same I wonder? Or is this just another of my weird and wonderful habits?!

I walk along this narrow road beside the canal almost every day as it's the quickest route into the centre of town, and it's such a sweet way to observe the changing seasons too. 

On bright days when the sun has felt juuuuuust about warm enough for us to sit outside, J and I have had our morning coffee al fresco. There are a couple of small bistro tables outside our regular coffee shop and I've really enjoyed having the October sun on my face as I slurp my frothy coffee. These small pleasures bring such a lot of joy to my days.

I don't really have much to say about the above photo to be honest! It was an afternoon walk to the supermarket to pick up a few bits that we had run out of. The flowers caught my eye as I walked along the tow path to Tesco, and my immediate thought was to take a photo so that I could show you. Blogging is such a deep-rooted way of life for me that I very rarely stop to question myself over it. Take a photo of a boat with some flowers to share with the twenty thousand strangers who visit the Attic every day (give or take a few)? Completely normal.

I almost forgot that in between the slow, mundane, restful days at home last week, I took off on a very quick jaunt. Good job I snapped a photo of the platform or else I would have forgotten! So yeah...three days after returning from France I was back on the trains again, but a quick journey this time just over to York to visit some of my dearest friends. It was a reunion with the ladies who kept me sane during those very early new born baby days, celebrating twenty years of motherhood and friendship. It was honestly the best night, so full of laughter that I had to work hard not to actually pee my pants. I count myself very lucky to have these kind of friends, it's something special to be able to pick up with each other over the years and feel like no time has passed.

I haven't had chance to chat to you much about the Fireside blanket which launched about a month ago. But I just wanted to say a massive, heartfelt THANK~YOU to everyone who bought a yarn pack and started out on this cosy blanket journey, it's been wonderful for me to see so many new blankets taking shape in recent weeks. I know that many of you are new to using Stylecraft Highland Heathers yarn and it's been great to hear how much you've liked it. 

My own blanket is in constant use and it's the perfect size to wrap around my shoulders (my name is Lucy Layers, remember) or cosy across my legs.

A few days ago I came across a photo on Facebook which made my heart skip a beat, and I knew I had to show you.....

......what do you think?? Isn't it BEaUtiFuL??? It's made using the twelve Fireside colours following my random stripe order which you can find ((here)). The pattern is the Seashell Stripe (which I used to make my Dune blanket) and I think it looks absolutely stunning. Amanda, if you are reading this, I just love love love your blanket, thank you so much for sharing on Facebook, what an inspiration.

At the moment I'm using the leftovers from my Fireside blanket to make a circular cushion and I am absolutely crushing on the colours all over again. They somehow look different when in a circle, a bit brighter and more lustrous? Is lustrous a real word or did I just make that up...hahah....I kind of want to say Lush-trous?!! 

Anyhow, this is the second side of the cushion and I'm almost finished so I'll show you later in the week when it's done. I started the project when I was in France as I needed something fairly easy to work on in the teeeeny gaps of time when I was free from teaching and wasn't out walking and falling in love with stone walls and cobbled streets.

Speaking of France, I had a wonderful, amazing time teaching on my Stitchtopia retreat and I fell a little bit in love with beautiful Carcassonne. It was ridiculously picturesque and atmospheric and I took a gazillion photos which I've spent aaaaaages organising and editing over the past few days.

I'd like to share my trip with you, if you'd be interested to see what an Attic24 Crochet retreat looks like? It was pretty colourful (of course) and there was lots of crochet and coffee and beautiful views and the sunniest sunshine.....more soon!

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Recent Views

It's been a misty, murky sort of a day today, with a view that was only half there. It's so strange when the familiar hilly landscape that I've become so fond of simply disappears, it's a bit of a visual shock to the system! In fact this week so far has been a bit of a strange one, and that murky dampness seems to have settled deeply into my system. I flew back from France on Sunday, traveled north from London on Monday, then spent yesterday floating around in a grey bubble of mild exhaustion.

Today has been better, I met a friend for coffee this morning and spent half of the time bending her ear about my fabulous French experience, feeling the need to verbalise my feelings to somebody who was prepared to listen and nod in appropriate places. The fam were glad to have me back, but mainly because household harmony seemed to be hanging by a thread. Nobody had any clean underwear, and I listened to the Little People tell me about The Running Out of Butter as if it were the end of the world. It felt nice to be missed, even if it was only in the capacity of laundry maid and grocery shopper. J did an amazing job of cooking and keeping everything ticking over while I was gone (although he clearly did not monitor the butter situation carefully enough, and one load of washing in 9 days was not quite enough either).

France was a-mazing, it was everything I had hoped for and so very much more besides. I have so much to tell you! However, I am mindful of the fact that I'll be repeating my crochet retreat again in a couple of weeks and don't wish to spoil it for the ladies that are still to experience it. I thought you might like to see a few photos though - the above is the view from my third floor bedroom, which had me so delighted each and every day. Hills that were more like mountains, buildings and trees that were centuries old, and the most glorious flowering wisteria that made me swoon and sneeze.

Before last week I had no idea that wisteria had a scent - I had assumed that it was all about the abundant flowery drape and glorious colour.

The scent of wisteria is utterly delicious I can tell you. It is sweet and floral and the very essence of late Springtime. Every day I walked past this doorway and would breathe in the perfume of these delicate flowers - it's a memory that I know will stay with me for always.

I had the most wonderful time teaching last week and found it incredibly uplifting and enjoyable. I created a four day course which was a mixture of colour teaching and crochet and I was very, very inspired by the way the ladies applied so much passion, enthusiasm, thought and determination to their creations. We honestly had the best time together and I'm looking forward to showing you more in a few weeks time.

We had a very welcome amount of time each day to relax and socialise out of the classroom, and we usually spent it cosied up in the very atmospheric and comfortable bar with hooks/needles in hand and a glass of something chilled and sparkly within easy reach. We discovered the local sparkling rose wine which tasted like a fruity champagne......it was pretty irresistible and seemed to go very well with yarn.

I took along a bag of yarn oddments with me to France, left overs from the making of my Sweet Pea and Dune blankets. There are 30 colours in total and I'm so in love with the delicate feel of them all together. I'm making centres for some Summer Garden Granny Squares, putting the colours together in a very random fashion with next to no planning or thought. It's very liberating to be working in this way I have to say, and it's making me really happy. I've no idea how this is going to pan out, how many squares I'll make or what they will turn into - a small blanket, a back-of-the-chair throw, a cushion or maybe even a wrap/shawl? I'll keep you posted.

Yesterday in my murky bubble, I realised that I needed to work on the Dune Colourwash sequence for you. I'm sorry I didn't have time to do this before I went off to France and I know many of you have been waiting patiently for it. I finished it last night and J is creating a colour chart for me, so I'm going to share it on my blog tomorrow (Thursday) for those who fancy giving it a go. I have to say that it has turned out so beautifully, and I can certainly see the appeal of working colourwash versions of my blanket designs. They are just so soothing to look at, and this particular palette of soft coastal colours really looks great when ordered in this way.

Right now it's 10pm and I am pretty sure I need to be horizontal in my bed in the next five minutes or else I will most likely fall asleep right here and face plant into my keyboard. I'll be back tomorrrow with Dune stripey stuff!

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Bonjour and Au Revoir

Bonjour! I wanted to pop in to the Attic very briefly before I head off on my travels. It's been a crazy-busy week for me one way and another, but I have been so uplifted by the phenomenal response to my Dune Blanket - thank you, thank you for every lovely thing you have said about it and for the hundreds and hundreds of comments all over social media, your support is so very much appreciated. I've been riding a bit of an emotional high through the rather extreme tiredness that follows a period of intense work, and I am hanging in there. For those of you who've made the decision to embark on this particular crochet journey for yourself, I am so thankful. You've no idea how deep down happy it makes me feel, to know that I am not on my own with my creative endeavors. It means the world to belong to this happy, joyful, friendly and energetic community of ours. 

My creative journey shows no signs of letting up just yet as I'm about to head off to teach on a crochet retreat in France. I'm very fortunate to be joining the Stitchtopia UK team, retreating with a lovely group of fifteen ladies in a very fine looking chateau in the Savoie region in south eastern France. We'll have four whole days for crochet and I'm going to be teaching some colour stuff using mandalas and the above glorious pile of Ricorumi DK yarn. The other days during the week will be spent jaunting out and about (a market day, and a lake cruise), and I'm hopeful for a little bit of top notch relaxation too - the chateau looks spectacular from the photos I've seen. It still doesn't feel real to me actually, it's like I'm about to sneak into somebody else's life.

So I'd best be getting on with my last minute preparations, and I'll chat you all when I'm back at the start of May. Oh, and happy Easter! With all the hooky and pattern writing madness here in the Attic, I keep forgetting where we're at.....best go eat some chocolate to keep my strength up! Au Revoir!

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Sociable Crochet :: Part II

Isn't this view divine? Dreamy? Idyllic looking? I would quite fancy waking up to a view like that. Ok, scrap that last sentence and lets say I would completely adore waking up to a view like that. There's that haziness in the sky which tells you it's going to a glorious day. There will be sunshine and heat, for dead cert. Oh what I wouldn't give for some Dead Certain Sunshine right now!

And what about this little street? Do you like the brightly painted wooden shutters, the pretty pastel coloured walls? Can you picture yourself strolling along, taking it easy, breathing it all in?

Come on, lets go wander around the local market and buy some fresh produce for our lunch! We can stop for a morning coffee and sweet pastry in a little cafe and soak up the atmosphere before heading out into the countryside.....

...oooo, this looks like a lovely place to stop for lunch....don't you think it would be amazing to picnic in the dappled shade of these olive trees? Spread out some colourful blankets or ease into a comfy chair, and have a delicious bite to eat. So relaxing. Such pleasure!

Ok, I think by now you must be thinking I have gone quite gaga, I am off in a dream world, a little detached from reality. This is most definitely not my neck o' the woods. Nah, this doesn't look like rainy, stormy Yorkshire at all! And no, I haven't managed to sneak off to somewhere hot and delicious without telling you. Not yet anyway.

So what is this all about? Where is this magical sounding place? And more importantly, WHERE IS THE SOCIABLE CROCHET I promised you?? Eh???     

Well let me enlighten you. These photographs were all taken in sunny Provence, a picturesque region in the south of France. It's a beautiful area, somewhere I have long dreamed of visiting. When I think of Provence, I think of the incredible landscapes captured by Van Gogh and Cezanne who did much of their painting in the region. I think of azure blue skies, twinkling stars, fields of lavender and sunflowers. I think of bright colour and light, of tasty fresh produce, vineyards and olive groves, of beauty and warmth, relaxation and inspiration.

So what has this got to do with crochet? Well.........this coming October 2012, I'm being given a very special chance to visit Provence for a most amazing holiday there. The week long holiday will provide a chance to take a luxurious break from every day life in the most beautiful surroundings. There will be a tempting mix of local visits (cafe's, markets, picturesque villages etc), cultural visits, and time for pure relaxation. Oh, and of course there will be lots of Hooky Time, yaaaaayyyy!!! As I (a confessed hooky addict) will be there, of course there has to be plenty of time to ease back, chitter chatter and crochet, crochet, crochet. Sometimes we will be in the gorgeous villa with tea and cake, sometimes we will be out in the amazing landscape with a picnic lunch, but crochet will always be at the heart of it.

Now to say that I am "excited" by the prospect of a week full of crochet, food, friendship, landscape, beauty and relaxation, well that doesn't even begin to cover it. I am fizz-popping with joy at the very idea of it, right from the top of my ditsy head to the end of my stripy-socked toes. Every time I am reminded of it (only thirteen weeks to go!!!) I get a shiver of excitement right down my spine. It promises to be such a happy, fun experience. I am SOOOOOOooooooo looking forward to it!

Truthfully I am quite overwhelmed by this whole dreamlike opportunity, and beleive me I do know and appreicate how incredibly lucky I am. Now if you'd like to find out more, please do go and visit the website at Provence Temptations and take a look at the little Crochet Tour video. Feast your eyes on the gorgeous images and the detailed itinerary. The lovely Petah who is organising this whole incredible event will be delighted to hear from you either by contacting her on the website or via Facebook, please do feel free to get in touch with her for a friendly chat.

I feel so very lucky to have found my way into the creative world of yarn, to have found a craft that lends itself so perfectly to social situations. I feel like I've discovered something so precious, and so full of happiness, and I LOVE to be able to share this experience with others. It's bloomin' MarVelouS!!!! So if you've never had the chance to crochet/knit/craft alongside like minded people, I really hope that someday you will find a way to make it happen. It's the best thing. And if you can make it happen with the most idyllic of surroundings, well a little slice of heaven will open up on Earth for you.

Right, I'm off to go find my hook and yarn, I'm absolutely bursting with energy and excitement now and I need to go unwind myself...........

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ps the crochet element of the tour is going to be very relaxed and informal. I'm creating some special yarn packs and designing a new (colourful) project to introduce and work on during the week, but it'll be an easy going kind of approach. Just the way I like it.

http://www.provencetemptations.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ProvenceTemptations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorset :: a flying visit

Hello, hello my lovelies! Good to be back in the Attic after an unexpectedly long break, it's been half term week for us here which has meant my time has been taken up with the Littlies, oh and a home-from-work husband too. We've been quite lazy actually, staying close to home and using the time to recharge a little. We've all five of us had the same head cold, I'm the last one to get it so am just starting out but the others have been in full snot-mode all week.

But this post isn't about germs or staying home, it's about scooting up into the wide blue yonder and gazing at the clouds!

Yes, I've been away again, snook away by myself to spend a few days with my parents, much as I did in July. I booked my flight a few months ago so I've had the pleasure of looking forward to it as the weeks have passed and Summer has slipped into Autumn.

I absolutely love to travel by plane, it never fails to thrill me. The sky was beautifully clear when I flew last weekend, allowing me to spend the entire hour gazing out of the window watching the changing landscape unfolding below.

Travelling by myself is a real pleasure, it always feels like so much more than simply getting from A to B. I love the feeling of lightness and freedom it brings, stepping off the plane, walking to the nearby train station, knowing that ahead of me lies ninety minutes of pure Time Out. A time to sit quietly, sip a latté and gaze at the passing landscape. Maybe a weeny bit of hooky, or a chapter of a book. Or maybe just allowing time to drift in and out of thoughts and memories.

The train takes me to Dorchester, the "County Town" of Dorset where I indulge in some minor retail therapy and treat myself to a new necklace in the sale at a favourite shop. From Dorchester I ride by bus through the familiar patchwork of fields, waiting for the exact point when I can finally see the sea, just like I did as a child. What an enjoyable four-part journey :: car, plane, train and bus.

The following morning I wake to the sound of seagulls overhead. It's such a novel sensation to wake of ones own accord, I am so used to being pulled out of my dream-sleep by Little B calling me "Mama! Mama! Mama!" 

Mid morning and I set out walking, through Bridport town and out across the green fields to the coast. I'm headed for the harbour of course, the place I am always pulled to on any first-morning-in-Dorset. 

It's very windy at the coast, great gusts of wind whip around the small harbour, tossing the boats to and fro on the water. The sky is heavy and grey. But oh my, it is completely deeeeeeeeeeeelicious. It is wild and windy and salty and fresh and invigorating, the best Sunday morning tonic e-v-e-r. 

I am heading to my favourite cafe to meet with family, to chit and chat over coffee and a bite to eat. This is only the second time I've been to this cafe, but it has really crept into my heart and taken hold. I love love love it here. I love that the condiments are kept in bright plastic seaside buckets. I love the light and airy decor, the strings of fabric bunting, the sweet artwork on the walls, the bright splashes of vibrant colour. And I love that on this day there is an incredible bucket of fresh scarlet amaryllis sitting on the counter. It's just my kind of place, the cafe of my dreams.

We are a tad too late for the breakfast menu, so we order lunch :: I go for "griddled halloumi and roasted butternut squash skewers". I am with my family :: my Dad and his partner, my Mum and her partner, and they are quite stunned when I get out my camera and photograph my lunch before eating it. But, I say, just look at it! It's so good to look at!! The colours are stunning - golden orange and vibrant green against red and white checks! And besides, I really want to remember this delicious lunch and the best way I know of remembering is to take a photograph. I forget sometimes what an oddity it is to record life in this way. Oh, and in case you were wondering, lunch was deeeeeelicious.

After lunch we head out to take a wild and windy walk along the pier. My-my, it is AWeSoMe to experience the sea in high winds. It smashes and crashes onto the shingle beach, the very noise of it is loud and energetic and fantastic.

We venture to the very end of the pier and prepare to get a little wet as the waves splash up and over. The feel of salty sea spray on my face and the taste of it in the air is something I vividly remember from childhood. It fills me with joy, truly it does.

Evidence of the local fishing industry is piled high around the harbour.......

......and I love to see all this paraphanalia here, love to be reminded that West Bay is still an honest, working harbour at heart.

This is my Mum's cottage beside the river, and I had the pleasure of staying the night here last Sunday. When I'm down in Dorset with the rest of the family in tow it's not possible for us to sleep here as it's waaay too small. But on my own I was able to stay in the small single bedroom, and I really appreciated the quality time spent with my Mum. She is remarkably well and in good spirits these days, so hard to believe that we almost lost her in June.

Would you like to have a little peek around my Mum's place? It's an incredible little patch of rural England, I'm sure you'll love it.

See in the picture above, the painted door in the old stone wall there? Well that's actually the entrance to a secret little bit of the garden, let's go through.........

...........this is a weeny little secret garden with a small patch of grass  and a beautiful view over the river. To the left is the log store, and in front is Grandpa B's shed which he built himself entirely from recycled materials. 

To the back door now, this is where you come into the cottage.......

......you have to walk through this old lean-to before entering the cottage kitchen. I adore this working part of the cottage, love that Mum has all sorts of plants growing away in here including an olive tree and a climbing clematis which scrambles right up and across the roof.

This is a corner of the small sitting room, the walls of the cottage are very thick making for deep, cosy windowsills.

And this is the magnificent old Esse multi fuel stove. There's no central heating in the cottage, and being so close to the river makes it prone to feel cold so the stove is often lit, even in summer. It's the cosiest feeling to sit curled up on the sofa in front of the stove with a hot cuppa to hand. Add in a bit of hooky and it reaches high on my Pleasure-o-meter.

This is the little bedroom window looking out onto the field beside the river. Such a lush green view to wake up to, and I adore those curly-wurly old window latches.

I slept so soundly that night, cosied up in the little single bed with a hot water bottle in it's crocheted granny-square cover. Lovely memories.

I was away from the Attic for three nights, it was so very good of J to suggest that I take this wee break away to see my folks. He is a such a sweetheart. In some ways the time whizzed by, but in other ways it felt like I'd been away for ages. I alternated between revelling in my freedom and missing the children like mad.

When the time came, I enjoyed travelling home, I really did. J and the Little Peeps came to meet me from the airport, and I got the distinct feeling that I'd been desperately missed. I was bowled over with so many hugs and cuddles, it made me feel great!

Ahhhh I'm one Lucky Lady I'd say, such a great little family I have.

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