Florence. You've (possibly) visited the city, you've seen the photos, now knit the cushion! But more on that in a minute. Here in southern Britain, it's been raining since... well actually I can't remember when this wretched rain began. Last month? Last decade? The Pleistocene epoch? Who knows. The landscape is grey and soggy. Gazing out of the window is not an uplifting experience, unless you're inspired by sludge. Every time I go for a run, I'm not so much running as dancing, in Continue Reading
A Quick (Free) Pattern To Prevent Your Circular Needles From Misbehaving
Almost-autumn is here. The twinnage returned to school last week, with all the swagger that a matching pair of eight-year-olds in a small village school can muster. (Trust me, that's quite a lot of swagger.) Meanwhile here is a cormorant, having a scratch. The days are cooler, and no evening is complete until somebody has said "I can't believe it's dark already. Look! Look how dark it is! Just look, will you?!" Isn't it a beauty? It's been a low-achieving couple of months. Last Continue Reading
May
Despite appearances, this is still a knitting/crochet/running blog. But following your reactions to the last post, I thought that some of you might want to know that this happened with Robyn-the-robin. Repeatedly:- Hello, beautiful. She ate from my hand, too, but I didn't manage to get a picture of that. Sometimes one of the twinnage joins me on the bench waiting quietly for her to arrive, but Robyn is wary of my boys - she stares from the fence as though to say, "Look mate, I've got a Continue Reading
Many Things, Not All Of Them Yarny
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