Hello. So on the plus side, I've been designing new crocheted and knitted thingummies and I'm very excited about sharing the patterns with you super-soon. My yarny/designing mojo has well and truly come back and has plonked its ample rear here on the sofa beside me. But. Of the three ideas that I'm working on (a cardigan, a peg-bag, and a vest top), two use yarns that aren't yet available outside of a secret vault under Stylecraft HQ, and the third involves an unusual technique that I really Continue Reading
Outdoors Inspiration
I was browsing Facebook the other evening, when I came across this post by Koliber Anna Droździoł. Freeform crochet landscape dresses. How beautiful?! She's done a stupendously brilliant job. I love the exuberance, the colours, the technical skill, everything about this. (Also, I would so wear this.) It got me thinking, and now I'm wondering whether I should make a dress or a skirt based on the landscape around here in Oxfordshire. If you've been here for any longer than it takes the twinnage Continue Reading
Want To Crochet Some Little Plant-Hangers? What A Coincidence: So Do I!
It's never, ever, a good idea to begin a blog post with the words "Sorry it's been aaaages - I've been super-busy". But sometimes the temptation is so strong that I have to tie my own fingers up with yarn to prevent them from writing those words. Because yes, it's been a while. Mostly, I've been in a hole. No I'm not talking about a pit of existential despair, thank goodness, I'm talking about an ACTUAL HOLE IN THE GROUND. One day very soon (possibly tomorrow), this will become a wildlife Continue Reading
Outdoors
Yikes, I did NOT intend to go quiet on you for so long, but there's scarcely even been time to knit/crochet! What with the twinnage, and redeveloping the garden, and lots of new patients to assess at work, and a stonking big yarn-related writing commission, and marathon training, and... and... and... I'm sure you get the gist. Talking of marathon prep, it turns out that there's more to the training than just eating all the pasta, so I've been upping my running... and eating all the pasta. If Continue Reading
Friday News
Ahhh, it's Friday. I've been at work seeing patients, and then later I was at home, reading bedtime stories to the twinnage, and now, still home, I'm on the sofa with yarn, wine, and very little intention of moving. It's been gloriously warm and sunny here these past few days... ...which feels slightly surreal, because exactly one month ago today, I took this photo whilst I was out on a run:- Meanwhile, the Stoic Spouse has been perfecting his patisserie skills, and each weekend lately, Continue Reading
On The Run
Once upon a time, there was a woman who'd never shown the slightest interest in anything sporty (except knitting - that's a sport, right?) And that would have been the end of this story, except that she married a runner. On one of their very first dates, the two of them went for a run in a nature reserve in dense fog and got hopelessly lost. There was probably a metaphor for something in that escapade, but the woman was too tired after her run to bother thinking about it. Fast forward several Continue Reading
Prizes, Prizes, And A Moment Of Seriousness
Gosh, that was over quickly: the giveaway, I mean. (In case you didn't see, the Knitting And Stitching Show has very kindly donated five pairs of tickets to be won by you lovely lot.) I'll announce the winners later in this post but first, whilst I've got your attention, may I be serious for a rare minute please? Please? It's not even yarn-related, but it involves punching cancer squarely on the nose, a subject close to the hearts of far too many of us, unfortunately. OK, listen up:- Last year Continue Reading
Oh My Goodness…
It's no secret that I like to knit/crochet whilst walking. It's pretty rare that I'm out and about without yarn. Maybe it'll get me labelled as the village weirdo, but we all have to decide our priorities in life, and it turns out that I like knitting more than I dislike being called a weirdo, so meh. It's also no secret that I like to go running most days. Goodness, those are words that I never expected to write, way back when I was the dunce of the PE class at school. But it turns out Continue Reading
How To Knit Socks In An Hour (Sort Of)
Whilst I sort through my photos from the Stylecraft Blogstars weekend (and tweek my over-excited posting about it all), shall we knit/crochet a-while? I have a couple of finished objects that you might like to see. The nice thing about getting round to finishing long-neglected projects (LNPs) is that, if - and it's a big if - if you can figure out where you were up to, and why on earth you put that stitch marker there, and why for that matter you thought that fluorescent yellow would look good Continue Reading
Knitting: It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint
(We have a giveaway winner: more on that in just a moment.) Hello from a splendid hotel in West Yorkshire! I'm 200 miles from home, attending the twice-yearly gathering of the Stylecraft Blogstars at the Stylecraft woollen mill in Slaithwaite. But I'll tell you about that properly in my next post, because there is so very much exciting loveliness to show you. I love these weekends. (In case you're newish to these 'ere parts, I've written before about jollies such as touring the mill, and Continue Reading