2013 Round-Up

Wow!  So it's 2014 already.  Where has the year gone?  The older I get, the faster and faster time seems to pass.  2013 was a good'un, there's no doubt about that.  Mostly, because I started Curly Girl Coop, and found a place to jabber on about crafting with like-minded people.  I enjoy writing this blog so much and can't tell you how happy it makes me when you comment on things :) 

There's been a lot of crafting...

Which has made me very happy.  And there were a few stand-out pieces for me...

1. Sheldon the Sheep

Sheldon was a game changer.  He was my first attempt at designing something rather than following a pattern and I was so chuffed with how he turned out.  Sheldon has brought a lot of traffic to my blog, has led to me getting involved with a couple of fantastic British yarn companies which is so exciting but most of all he gave me the confidence to try my hand at designing.  Not bad for a little fluffy sheep. 

   2.  Yarndale

Yarndale was a great event to be part of.  Tracking the build-up online, the across country road trip across and then being there for the very first one was really great.  Will I go every year?  Probably not.  It's such a long way from Great Yarmouth and it has a definite emphasis on hand-dyed yarn which isn't necessarily my thing but another trip will be on the cards in the future I'm sure.

 

 3.  One Sheepish Girl Bloomdrop

I loved this yarn bombing.  It was the first yarn bombing that I have taken part in and I was a bit nervous about how it might go, but the flower drop was well received (with a little family drama thrown in for good measure but hey, when isn't there?!) and I was proud to honour my grandma in a way that was personal to our relationship.  This year, I hope to be brave enough to do some more yarn bombing without worrying what anyone else might think.  

So how about 2014?  Well, top of the list is to keep this up!  I really do love writing my blog and am determined to always make time and space to do so.  I also really want to carry on designing things as inspiration comes to me, but don't want to force ideas and take away the fun of it, so I'll just have to see how it goes.  I really want to get into using my sewing machine too.  I got a sewing machine last year but have hardly used it (I broke it once and then have been a bit scared to try it again) but I got a real urge to sew over the Christmas break and so am hoping to take this forward in 2014.  On the sewing front, I'm also tempted by some beautiful embroidery that's been cropping up on Instagram recently.  Perhaps this will have to feature in my 2014 plans too?!  

September Round-up

Wow!  September has been and gone already and it feels like we are hurtling towards winter and all that it brings.  

There has been lots of great things in September.  One of the big ones was my first attempt at getting involved in yarn bombing.  I was a little cautious about it all, worried that it would be laughed at or ruined, but the response was fantastic.  People took the time to find me on Instagram to say thanks and posted on Twitter that they found my flowers and liked them.  It was such a good feeling to think I had contributed something that had made people smile.  

Yarndale was a fantastic way to say goodbye to September, it really was a great experience and I loved my time there.  It seems like I waited so long for it to come around, I can't believe it's all over.  

Do you see Nelson the Owl and his little log has snuck into the round-up?  I'll make sure you get to meet him soon!

Plans for September - reviewed

• Taking part in the One Sheepish Girl Flower Yarnbomb - done!
• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera - started
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents - started

So, as usual, I've got distracted this month and not achieved much of what I'd set out to.  Having said that, I still feel like it's been a busy and productive time.  

Plans for October

• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long embarrassingly long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents
• Making a cowl for myself (well, I deserve a treat too)
• Trying my hand at a bit of designing (!) 

What are you most pleased to have made this month?  What are your plans for October?

Yarndale 2013 part I

So this weekend was THE weekend.  The weekend I'd been waiting what felt like forever for.  On Friday lunchtime I packed up my suitcase, filled my project bag and said good bye to Squitchy to make the 220 mile trip from Great Yarmouth to Skipton with my buddy A Bunch of Buttons.  To say it was a long journey would be an understatement.  Six and a half hours travelling through what became commuter traffic tested my concentration, temper and at times my nerve but we were both very excited when we finally saw this sign...

Anna's action shot from the car window

Anna had arranged the accommodation for the trip in the neighbouring village of Kelbrook.  We stayed in the very luxurious Craven Heifer Inn, a modern country inn with beautiful decor and a fantastic restaurant to match.  I felt very spoilt to stay in such a lovely place when I had originally suggested a Travelodge! We had a huge tasty meal in the restaurant below when we arrived (the place was crammed full of locals - always a good sign in my book!) and a hearty Yorkshire breakfast in the morning to prepare us for the busy day ahead.  

Yarndale was held at Skipton Auction Mart which is more used to wooly sheep than wooly skeins!  It was a great choice for the venue; it gave that real rural agricultural feel to the proceedings.  As promised, the yarnbombing appeared as soon as we got out of the car.  The 6000 or so bunting which had been sent in from across the world was everywhere...

Not to mention hanging decorations in many of the trees (I really love the knitting needles through the yarn balls below)...

And even the nearby park had had the Yarndale treatment with lampposts, fences and trees all brightly decorated in yarn...

My particular favourites appeared when you reached the picturesque canal at the end of the park.  Lucy of Attic24, one of the main organisers of the event had given little teasers in the weeks leading up to Yarndale that there could be a water theme to some of the yarnbombing and she didn't disappoint.  

Skipton canal

These little guys were so cute! 

Not to mention this little sweetie!

We arrived at the Auction Mart at 9:30 for a 10am start and already the queue was building, so we took  up our place (number 11 and 12 - that's commitment!) and waited in anticipation for the doors to open.  The queue grew so quickly, especially once the special London-style red Yarndale bus appeared from the train station.  Apparently there was issues with getting to, parking at and getting into the venue later that day, but everything was very straightforward for us. 

Finally, the doors opened, and Yarndale had begun...

Come back on Wednesday to find out what Yarndale held in store in Yarndale part II!

Things to be excited about...

There are so many things for me to be excited about at the moment...

1).  Weekend away

I'm sooooo excited to be having some time away this very weekend.  Me, my good friend A Bunch of Buttons and my tiny car are heading up to Yorkshire from Friday to Sunday.  For me, it's nice to have a little break from the worries of work and life, but for Anna, it's even bigger news. This will be the first time she will be away from her Little Lady since she was born.  Exciting but scary, I'm sure.  We have booked a lovely quaint little inn where the food is supposedly excellent and I'm looking forward to the chance to have a little relax and lots of uninterrupted crochet time!

The real purpose of our trip however is not merely the chance to get away. Oh no, it's for something much bigger...

2).  Yarndale!  Yarndale!  Yarndale!

Yep, Yarndale is finally here!  When we booked it, it seemed like an age away and the time passed dreadfully slowly.  In the last few weeks however it's crept up on me and suddenly it's here!  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this event.  The Yarndale team have been dropping hints and teasers of what's to come on Twitter, and now there's a Facebook exhibitors group so that you can see the amazing goodies that will be waiting there.  I've already got a shopping list forming, and it's growing everytime I check my Facebook account!

I'm also eager to see Skipton yarnbombed top to toe.  The rumour is that from the station to the Auction Mart is completely decorated in yarn and everything in between.  It's definitely going to be something to see :)  I'll be sure to get some pictures so you can admire it too.  

3).  Kit Club arrival

I'm sure by now you've realised that Fresh Stitches is one of my favourite crochet designers.  Earlier this year, or possibly even last year (time moves so fast!) Fresh Stitches organised a 'Kit Club' where a mystery package of crochety goodness was sent out every 2 months for 6 months, each complete with everything you need to make a new cutey animal, and a special gift/technique to use in the kit.  

This kit club is just the same; a new package is sent every 2 months, and each has something special included to take your crochet skills to the next level.  The first kit is en route to me right now!  It's got a long old journey though from America, so I'm not expecting to receive mine anytime soon.  That doesn't stop me checking the post everyday mind...

4).  Janie Crow crochet blanket club 2014

Another club!  I guess I'm a sucker for a good crochet mystery.  I've signed up for the 2014 crochet club which starts in February.  The Crochet Club has been held every year since 2011, each with a different theme including art deco, victorian lace and persian mosaic.  This year the theme is 60s and 70s retro flower and geometric patterns and the colours are right up my street.  The kit includes all the Rowan yarn you need to complete the blanket and the online support to do it well.  Now just to tackle the payments...

5).  Movement to the dark side...

Quite possibly the most exciting news of the week is that lovely Leanne Leanne is moving to the dark side.  She's starting to feel the crochet love and becoming a happy hooker!  I gave her her first proper lesson on Friday.  She had been working on sample squares of different stitches and I was helping with crocheting in the spiral, with increases and decreases.  I thought a good place to start was a caterpillar, as it's made up of 6 repeated balls.  I made the eyes, all ready to be attached, and when I left, she had already made one of the balls. 

Later that day, I got this!

I'm massively impressed!  For a first attempt at amigurumi, this is incredibly neatly stitched and perfectly round; so much better than my early work.  I can't wait to see the finished result!

What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks, crafty or otherwise?

A fitting tribute with the #sheepishbloomdrop

Reality TV teaches us that nowadays everyone has a sob story.  There's been some hardship, a traumatic event or terrible tragedy that has led them to this point of their life.  I am not one of those people.  I am very fortunate to say that my life so far has been everything I could hope for.  I have great friends, fantastic family and many happy memories to remind me of all the people and things I love.  

My grandma features in plenty of the best memories.  When my sister and I were little, we differentiated between our grandmas by their cats; Nankee and Tom (I distinctly remember arguing with my reception class teacher who would not write 'Tom' on the picture I'd drawn of my grandma as she insisted I'd got the wrong name).  Grandma Nankee, or Eunice as everyone else knew her, was everything a grandma should be.  Caring and loving, with a well stocked chocolate cupboard just for us, we spent much of our time with her growing up and loved every second.

My grandma 'Nankee' perhaps 20 years ago, with her loyal dog Charlie

In the last few years, age caught up with her and she found it harder to recognise us when we visited, until she didn't know any of us at all.  So when she slipped away earlier this year, at the grand age of 94, although sad, we knew that it was a release for her from the daily confusion she had come to live with.  

Grandma Nankee is never far from my mind and I think about her often.  So when I read about One Sheepish Girl's Sheepish Bloom Drop, it was obvious where my yarn bombing should take place; my grandmas' memorial bench.  This idea made me very happy;  although I think that anything covered in crochet is immediately 10x cooler than it is without, I appreciate that others find it less appealing or litterish.  Yarnbombing the bench felt like a fitting tribute to a grandma who was so well loved, but also allowed me to feel comfortable leaving my little yarn packages for others to see.

So early on Sunday morning, Squitchy and I set off for Gorleston cliffs to my grandma's bench.  The bench sits just in front of my mum's childhood house where she has lots of happy memories.  It's alongside the clifftop putting green and looks directly out over the beautiful sandy beach.

The white house in the top left hand corner, number 46, was my grandma's home for many years

The views from Gorleston to Hopton

Gorleston's beautiful sandy beach

I made a colourful daisy chain which I hung across the back of the bench and two crochet hanging baskets filled with pretty chrysanthemums and carnations.  Attached to the flowers were labels with happy sentiments on.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a motivational speech kind of girl.  In fact, it couldn't be more opposite to me.  However, on this occasion, it felt right.  Nothing too mushy, simple statements like "Smile" "Be kind" and "You are lovely" with larger labels inviting people to take a flower.  

My grandma's bench in front of the putting green

My chunky crochet basket

The cute little luggage tags were hung on all the flowers 

The daisy chain was my favourite part; it's so colourful and cheering

The large luggage tag on the daisy chain next to my grandma's plaque

A crochet basket hung on each side of the bench

I went early in the morning so that the bench was decorated before many people were around.  There were still a few people about setting up for an athletics event who took great interest in what I was doing, but I kept my head down and continued with my work.  I was pleased with how it looked; before I went I worried that the chain wouldn't be long enough, or the flower pots wouldn't work but actually things were just fine.  It wasn't too much, but enough to catch people's eye.  Just after I took my final satisfied look at the bench and returned home, the sun came out from behind the clouds and I'm sure it's made my pretty flowers look even more appealing.  I just hope that people stop and look and help themselves to the flowers; I'll be disappointed if I go back and it's untouched.  My hope is that my little splash of goodness will make someone happy enough to want to pay the kindness forward.  Who knows.  But at the very least, I know my grandma would have stopped and looked and smiled if she had seen the bench, and that's good enough.