Hello, and welcome. I’m Phil. Let me move up a bit so that you can sit down. Have a cushion. Would you like some green tea? Home-made chocolate cake? Wine? Here is my blog, all about knitting and crocheting colour into my home in the Oxfordshire countryside (a converted old brewery with a wonky tower). When I’m not busy with yarn, I’m a clinical psychologist and mother of small twins. I also write a quarterly column for Simply Knitting magazine. These days I also go running a lot, but please don’t expect to find any sporty wisdom here.
Here I am with my family, aka the stoic spouse and the toddler twinnage.

I’m also here in this video, trying to hide the fact that I’m out of breath after sprinting up four flights of stairs…
See my Contact/Media page for details of awards, interviews, features, etc.
Thank you for following mine and Millie’s blog, I hope you will enjoy our ‘yarns’ as much as we enjoy yours 🙂
Thank you. I think I’m a little in love with Millie!
Lovely to find you on here! Happy knitting!
Thank you. You too. 🙂
Thanks for visiting my blog. I must say, anyone who offers green tea and chocolate cake in addition to the lures of knitting and crochet certainly gets my vote! I’m enjoying a browse through your posts. Love that cathedral window crochet project. It’s going to be huge so I’m curious to know where it will eventually end up? cheers. Felicity
Thank you. And I love your blog. 🙂
Not sure what exactly the cathedral window will be used for… probably a throw for a sofa.
What an excellent idea. It would make you feel special every time you sat down.
I’ll take wine please, it goes well with crocheting! Awesome blog you have here and crochet is therapy -:)
OK, large glass of wine coming up. It’s Rioja tonight, hope that’s OK? I hope the Tunisian crochet you mentioned on your blog went well? I’ve always assumed it’d be far too hard to learn.
Awesome, thank you! And yes Rioja works for me. The Tunisian stitch is a fun one and I’m moving right along with it. Once I finish the scarf, I will share on my blog.
I thought it would be hard too, but once I got the drift, it goes rather quickly.
Yes, please please please do show us on the blog. I can’t be the only person who is intrigued but nervous of Tunisian crochet. Meanwhile, have fun with it.
I will do that! I was intrigued too and was nervous at first but now it’s fun!
Thanks for visiting my blog and liking my post.
Likewise! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and liking my post! Love your blog!
Thank you. And likewise!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I am now following yours.
I hope you enjoy my upcoming posts in the next few months.
Ta Ta for now, Cathy the Bagg Lady
Great about – short and funny – I like that!
Thank you. 🙂
Hello Twisted Yarn, thanks for the like on my blog. I came over to find out about you, and I think I’ll stay awhile!
I’ve nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! I love your yarnbombing of the house, and your work really inspires me to try to work my knitting into my surroundings as well – and my mind is still blown over the cathedral window afghan.
Many thanks for liking my post!
Love your works too.
Many thanks for liking my post!
your family is so cute 🙂 I love your blog too 🙂
Good morning – or Good Evening – whichever applies 🙂 I have a question for you. I am taking part in a ‘blog hop around the world’ and need to pass it on to three more bloggers. Would you like to take part? I would like you to be one of my three.
You would make a post on your own blog, answer some really interesting questions and make links to the bloggers you are including. You would post a week after I make mine – mine is due next Monday [14th] so you would be due 21st. lots of time to prepare 🙂 Here is the link that I’m coming off so you can see the questions and links – but how you do it is entirely up to you. http://boomdeeadda.com/2014/07/07/blog-hop-around-the-world/
Fingers crossed 🙂 Pauline
Thank you for so sweet invitation 🙂
You’re very welcome. 🙂
Your work is impressive and awe inspiring. I’ve nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award!
I really enjoy your blog and have nominated you for a Liebster Award on my blog! You can check it out and learn more in my most recent post. Just sharing the love! 🙂
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that we have received a blogger award and decided to nominate you as well… More on http://ourworldheritagebe.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/our-very-first-blog-award/ 😉 Greets – Annick (http://catstitches.wordpress.com)
Hi there, thanks for stopping by my new blog and liking my Teddy. It means a lot. I’m loving your yarn gallery. Those plant pots are really cute and your twin jumpers are just adorable!
Amy, Twenty Feet of Freedom
Thank you for visiting my blog. I love your blog. Keep writing 🙂
Thank you for liking my blog. Your work is beautiful, and I love the family portrait.
Thanks so much for stopping over and liking my post on crochet dish scrubbies! I’m so glad you did there is so much inspiration here for someone who is just starting to make their own patterns!
Thank you for liking my post. I have just started using wordpress, so I’m new to this community, but I am sure I’ll be back here for inspiration.
Thanks for commenting on my drop spindle adventures post. A converted brewery sounds like a very cool place to live! Your blog is great, I’ll be sure to keep reading now that I know you’re out there.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog
… it’s exciting to put those ideas out into the ether and see what happens.
Just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the “One Lovely Blog Award.” You’ve been doing an awesome job! I truly enjoy your thoughtful and fun posts! Love the family pic. 😉
Betti
crochetably.com
Awwww thank you! You’re very kind. I love your blog too. I’d been meaning to learn how to do a foundation single crochet chain for ages, and your tutorial finally made me get round to doing it. 🙂 Congratulations on your own OLBA award – you deserve it.
Beautiful! What a wonderful, colorful blog!
Hi and thank you for following me. I feel very honoured ‘cos your blog is brilliantly funny and inspiring. Cheers me dear. Moke xx
I just wanted to tell you that I have nominated you for the Liebster Award. Please feel free to accept or ignore it. In any case, it is really a pleasure to read your blog and I wanted to share this with others.
Here is my post about it, if you accept it, you will have to reply to the questions at the end of the post: http://atelieroursonne.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/liebster-award-thank-you/
I’m nominating you for the Lovely Blog Award, because I think your blog is awesome. Check out the post: http://leaveittojoy.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/one-lovely-blog-award
Hello! Obviously I’m not the first, but I’ve also nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. I so look forward to your posts! 🙂 If you’ve got the time and inclination, you can see my post here: http://bonnyknits.com/2014/11/23/one-lovely-blog-award/
Thank you. 🙂 You’re very kind! And you most certainly deserved your win.
Thank you for stopping to read a few of my latest posts. As you may have guessed from reading those posts I don’t typically focus on knitting, and my little ‘project’ is a challenge to say the least. If my arthritic hands allow me to continue beyond this tea cosy, I believe your blog will provide great inspiration. Your work is wonderful 🙂
Hello, another nomination for One Lovely Blog award from me! 🙂
Thank you!
I just found out about your blog from Moke who has the It’ll Be Reet blog. It’s fab. I love all your Fair Isle work – I am still not that great at it, but I wish I was better as you can make such pretty stuff. I am also a Clinical Psychologist up in Glasgow but enjoying knitting and crocheting and doing this blog in my spare time (which isn’t much – I too have a young child with another on the way). Looking forward to seeing your posts. Aileen x
Hello! Lovely to ‘meet’ you, especially as a fellow clin psych. Apologies for slightly slow reply but we’re battling chicken pox here. Your blog looks lovely and I’m a little envious of the big community of fibre artists that you’ve got up there. I wonder whether we can persuade the BPS to create the DKC (Division of Knitters and Crocheters)? Meanwhile, thank you very much for wandering over here, and to introducing me to your blog. I hope the pregnancy is going well. 🙂 Best wishes, Phil
Ha ha we could try – it would certainly make for interesting CPD opportunities!! Hope that your wee ones are on the mend. We haven’t had chicken pox yet, but I’m sure we’ll get it soon enough. Thanks for following me – I hope to get a few posts out before the baby comes and crafting and all related-activities are put firmly on the back-burner! Aileen x
Hi. I just nominated you for the Encouraging Thunder Award. I really like your blog and you have certainly inspired/encouraged me on occasion. You don’t have to accept but I hope you will. The details and my post are at http://yarnbooksroses.com/2015/10/12/bolt-from-the-blue-the-encouraging-thunder-award/
Thanks for following Mythreeangles and mentioning as a blog you follow. LahLee doesn’t do handicrafts but I do, and your work is lovely.
Hi, I’ve nominated you. Hope you can take part! 🙂
Aww, thank you SO much! You’re enormously kind. (And you totally deserved the award yourself for your colourful blog.)
You’re welcome! 🙂
Thank you Phil for all informations and humour I found on your website. As we say in France “Bravo !”
Merci beaucoup!
Hi Phil, lovely to meet you. I found you through little box of crochet and Amanda, and I am really pleased. We have a few things in common, I love knitting and crochet, I am a Counselling Psychologist working for the NHS and I live in the area of Oxfordshire . Really like your style and blog.
Hi Elena, Oh gosh, we have too much in common! What sort of thing do you knit/crochet?
Never mind the chocolate cake, Phil – cough up some of that stupendous poppyseed and zucchini cake [swoon ..], willya ? PLEASE ?