Yarn Therapy

Hello all, and thank you for your positive and encouraging comments on my last post. It does feel good to be blogging again.

 I've been quite busy on yarn-related projects recently, mainly as a result of having been laid low for several weeks with flu and a respiratory infection. After the initial phase of being stuck in bed wore off, I had some time off work which I spent sitting around coughing a great deal and generally wondering if the lurgy would ever go, with my ever-constant companion my little furry friend Clover.

 I decided that this was a good opportunity to stave off boredom by keeping my hands busy, and managed to complete several little yarny projects. First was this dark blue mandala mat for my table. I've made lots in pastelly colours, but felt in need of an autumnal one to complement the rich shades of seasonal flowers like these and remind me of the deep blue sky which comes at dusk at this time of year.

Then I finished this little crocheted wall-hanging - a bit of an experiment really, based on the colours on Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, our holiday destination this summer. I think I caught the colours well, even if the crochet is slightly wonky.

I've loved having my new yarn bowl which I bought from ThrownInStone. It arrived in time for my birthday and I've been using it each time I knit a few more rows on my yellow woollen scarf which I began last year. Isn't the bowl a thing of beauty?

Next up were these little cotton pumpkins, courtesy of Attic 24 and Planet June. As soon as I clapped eyes on them I had to make some, and as I already had oddments of cotton yarn in all the right colours, there was no stopping me.

I enjoyed giving the pumpkins their own photoshoot. Now that I've typed that sentence it sounds weird, but I know you know what I mean, don't you, dear readers?

On a roll now, and starting to feel a bit better, I wrapped up very warmly and headed out into the garden to pick a few twigs, and did something that I've toyed with doing for a while - some twig weaving. I've seen lots of twig or branch-weaving on Pinterest and fancied having a go, but something has always stopped me. What are they for? What do you do with them when you've made them? This time, though, I ignored such thoughts and got to work. I used wool to keep a natural feel, and really enjoyed a freestyle approach to weaving. They now stand in a stoneware pot on our shelves, and I may well be tempted to make some more. 

As William Morris said, "Have nothing in your house which you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful". They're not useful, but to me they are beautiful.

Finally I crocheted this little poppy in cotton for Remembrance Sunday from Kandipandi's pattern. I gave it a felt leaf and finished it in time to wear it.

I've taken out these two crocheted pots for use in my shed too. I made them both a year or two ago, and like their earthy and jewel-like colours. They're just right for keeping odds and ends in - I think I put some conkers in this woolly brown, orange and green one.

This little very fluffy pot was made from recycled sari fabric and is very tactile.

Well, I'm feeling better now, and the cough is almost gone, definitely helped along by all that yarny creativity.

I'll leave you with this gorgeous perennial wallflower which I planted back in April, and has been blooming ever since. Aren't these rich, velevty colours just gorgeous?

See you soon x

Spring

Hello all! Thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful comments on my last post. I was delighted and interested to hear how many of you also enjoy handwriting - you really are a talented and inspiring lot. I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks now and I must say it's good to be back. Two weeks isn't long, but I miss this cosy, friendly and sharing world when I'm gone. Despite trying to be more organised in term-time I still struggle to fit things in (perhaps I'm too ambitious!). Anyway, never mind all that. I'd like to show you the most wonderful sunrise which I woke to yesterday morning. This was the view from our window - isn't it just beautiful?

Already it's almost the middle of March - here's this month's page of my calender. 

We've had some very bright and chilly days lately, as well as sleety showers and light snow-falls, but it's been toasty and warm indoors here. Clover has been very busy making herself comfortable on my crocheted cushion. There's nothing she likes better than to knead it well with her claws - oh dear. It's lucky for her that she's so sweet.

Last weekend I bought a bunch of anenomes and have been enjoying their jewel-like colours.

With their feathery foliage and inky black centres, they are so very spring-like that they make me want to do a little dance.

Something else that makes me feel rather giddy is the addition of some yarn to my already sizeable stash. There's no danger of me doing any stash-busting, but I generally only buy one ball of each yarn to make little things with (honest!). These are from my current favourite LYS and are 4 balls of Rico Creative Cotton in the most gorgeously muted, vintagey shades. I'm knitting the rest of my little napkin rings with them, and will show you when they're finished. 

The lighter evenings nowadays mean that when I come home from work there is a little time to wander out to my shed with a cup of tea. I sometimes just potter around it tidying and rearranging things, and generally chilling out. If I have more energy I sit and make things for a bit. One evening this week I just sat for half an hour and listened to the birdsong outside. Sparrows were chattering noisily in the trees and blackbirds were calling. The arrival of spring felt tangible, and reminded me of Mole in 'The Wind in the Willows':

'Spring was moving in the air above and the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing ... the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout'.

 Having a special place to go to to be creative and store my things in has been wonderful and I count myself as very lucky every time I step inside. I change the decor as the seasons come and go, an at the moment am loving the colours of spring. These bright blue grape hyacinths are blooming beautifully on the workbench. 

They're one of my favourite spring flowers with their neat little clusters of frilly bells.

Blue hyacinths have been filling the place with their heady perfume too.

The sun came out and shone through this little blue lantern.

As well as all this blue, Miss Blossom has changed into more spring-like attire and is decked out in emerald green,

and some jaunty pink bunting is up, a tonic after the muted shades of winter.

Just like Mole, I am very ready for the sunshine, warmth and colour of spring. Can't wait!

This Week

Hello there, and thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post which was all about poetry. I must confess that when I wrote it I was a bit worried that it might be met with a rather quiet response. However, I should have known better, and I was delighted to discover that you enjoy poetry too - yay! It was fascinating to hear about your favourite poems and to hear about why they're special to you. 

This week has been pretty chilly with a good deal of stormy weather. Last weekend I managed to do a bit of gardening: tidying up dead perennials, a bit of weeding and some pruning. It felt good to be outside digging the soil and being active, and I spent an hour or so in my shed afterwards.

Some muscari which I bought from a supermarket a week ago are doing well and will bloom soon, and brighten up the shed with their wonderful blue-ness. I can't wait.

Yesterday they were in bud next to their scented cousins, the hyacinths. Such a lovely spicy, springtime smell.

At Christmas I bought another Mark Hearld concertina card decorated with a scene of winter birds. It's in my shed too, reminding me of the birds outside in the garden.

This weekend I plan to take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, spending an hour watching the birds in my garden, and taking part in the survey. I already sent off for a pack and have refilled the feeders ready for our feathered visitors.

As you can see, Clover took an active interest, hanging about while I put out the seeds. Not sure the birds appreciated this.

I can see this might not work. Cats are not ideal birdwatching companions.

Whilst I was out in the garden I had a look round to see what was blooming, and discovered that there is a surprising amount of colour out at the moment. Outside our back door is this potted rosemary.

Looking at its flowers closely you can see how very blue and delicately marked they are.

There are pretty frilly primroses,

sweet violas,

hardy little snowdrops,

spotty-leaved pulmonarias,

richly-coloured and scented wallflowers,

bell-shaped heather

and shyly nodding hellebores,

delicately freckled and patterned.

And indoors on the window-sill a bright vase of sugary pink tulips glow in the sunshine.

More indoor flowers were to be enjoyed at my friend Jane's house which is where I spent a very pleasant afternoon last weekend. We have been friends a long time and share a love of making things, gardening and baking. When we can we take turns to go to each others' houses for a creative afternoon. Jane had prepared a very cosy corner with pretty miniature daffodils and a scented candle. Bliss. We had an inspiring time together sketching, sewing, crocheting and knitting.

It was lovely to chat and bounce ideas for projects around, as well as seeing what each other are making. 

Jane is talented and sells her brooches and artwork on Etsy - you can visit her shop here. It was fun to be surrounded by someone else's creations for a change, and very relaxing.

We drank tea, ate slices of stollen, and I started to crochet a basket from some chunky handspun wool which I bought online a few years ago. 

I finished it this week. Can you see the little star beads which have been spun into the yarn on the inside of the basket? I bought this gorgeous yarn here, as well as the yarn which I used to make my autumn garland and crocheted pot in this post.

It makes a good container to keep my wool in.

Or my knitting. I do like baskets, don't you?

This week I discovered overnight oats, as recommended by Jane. I had never heard of them, but after a bit of online research I discovered that they are quite a big thing. You may well know about them already. Not sure how I missed them, but I think they are the answer to my breakfast dilemma: I know porridge is delicious, healthy and excellent for keeping weight off, but I never seem to have enough time to make it before work. Overnight oats, however, make themselves. You simply put rolled oats in a container with milk, yoghurt, or a dairy alternative like soya, almond or coconut milk, and leave it in the fridge until morning. You can also add fresh fruit, like berries or banana, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and a sweetener like honey or peanut butter. You can even add cocoa powder the night before. That's all a bit rich for me first thing in the morning, so I kept mine quite plain with milk, walnuts, seeds and a little honey. Delicious. Thanks, Jane.

I shall leave you with two glorious sunrises this week. The colours are so gorgeous, I don't mind that they signal unsettled weather for the day ahead. As far as I'm concerned they're a great way to start the day.

See you soon x