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If an apple blossom or a ripe apple could tell its own story, it would be, still more than its own, the story of the sunshine that smiled upon it, of the winds that whispered to it, of the birds that sang around it, of the storms that visited it, and of the motherly tree that held it and fed it until its petals were unfolded and its form developed.
Lucy Larcom
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This week joining in with Ginny
I am reading 12x12 by William Powers...I think I saw it recommended on yarnalong a while ago and decided to give it a try. I am enjoying how much it makes me think...and I am dreaming of living in a tiny house, no matter how unlikely that eventuality really is. It is an equal mix of depressing and inspiring and I am hoping that it is the inspiration that will stay with me once I finish reading it...
I am knitting on my Memory Blanket.
After a long time debating which "scrap" project I was going to start (hexipuffs, crochet stripes and others all caught my eye) this simple but clever design has got me knitting. It is designed to be made in a DK yarn but I only have sock yarn scraps so it's a smaller square and longer project on the needles. Every square seems like magic, as it morphs from a straight line and the joining as you go is such a neat way of doing things. I am definitely addicted and mutterings of "just one more square.."can be heard echoing around the house...
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No, this isn't a wild and lovely woodland floor...it is wild and beautiful but it is actually in my garden...under the apple tree.
Every spring we are lucky enough to enjoy gathering this wild harvest and at the same time we get to enjoy its magnificent display of blooms too!
The "fragrance" might leave a little to be desired but along with the cherry and apple blossom it is a heady part of the perfume of Spring.
This year I discovered this list of new recipes...but I'd love to hear if you have a favourite way of using it too?
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Wherever I go and whatever I do, she follows...
Today we went for a walk along the lanes and then settled down together to knit.
A mug of tea, my knitting and a soundtrack of gentle snores...I don't think it would be possible to find a better crafting companion do you?
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I have been de-cluttering for a while now..."letting go" of things I don't need, will never use or those which I keep out of a sense of responsibility...gifts and pass me downs, items with emotional attatchments or items needing repairs or for crafting projects I know I will never get around to...
Trying to keep William Morris's quote in mind, I am keeping only those things I know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.
This change of perspective has also enabled me to stop "keeping things for best", treasures that were hidden and not enjoyed enough are now in daily use and the pleasure they bring far out weighs the fleeting sadness felt when something gets broken or damaged.
It has been a good learning process and each day it gets easier to let go, to enjoy, to live in the moment.
The rewards are views like this above, the pillowcase I made one spring, the bag - a crochet reminder of the very first visit I made to Woolfest, the bed salvaged from a barn in pieces and paid for by family and friends when we got married...none of it expensive but full of worth and a constant reminder of just how good a handmade life can be.
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I've always been partial to a puzzle...in fact my Mother loved to tell the story of the time she left me in my cot for an afternoon nap and came back hours later to find I hadn't been sleeping as she thought but had in fact completed every puzzle I could find and drag back to my bed...
Recently I decided to treat myself to a new puzzle and settled on "The Elements by Theodore Gray" .It appealed to my geeky side and hey you can't go wrong with a puzzle that has that many plain black pieces! The challenge is in the impossibility isn't it?!
I am trying to control my urge to become obsessive and am limiting myself to a handful of pieces at a time. Having a table to leave it on helps with this intention, especially one with a door between it and the rest of my life...
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I've been spending as much time in the garden as possible...the long grey Winter is slowly becoming Spring and I need all the vitamin D I can get. Slowing down and sitting quietly for an hour each day, when I get back from school, makes me feel so much better and gives me the boost I need to carry on with all the chores that need doing every evening. It doesn't happpen every day but as much as possible I get my garden chair, my knitting and a cup of tea and go out to spend time with my new chickens! Often my needles rest in my lap as my eyes are caught by all the simple lovliness about me. Fuzzy orange bees, with their little nest holes in the grass, the garden birds busy meeting and nest building and the daisies...which this year are particulary plentiful and as I get up close reveal a complexity and beauty I so often overlook at less meditative moments in the day...
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At the end of April I travelled, with two of my best friends, to the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells to visit Wonderwool Wales. It was a perfect sunny day, blue sky, fluffy clouds and we met early on the Sunday morning to travel down together in a car full of chatter, giggles, maybe a few tears and big take away coffees to keep us awake. I hadn't intended to buy any yarn (really?) and all in all I didn't do too badly...five different, natural grey fibres to experiment with on my spinning wheel, some soft mohair (which has already turned into a pair of fingerless mitts), one (greenish) skein for a shawl, one deep purple skein for a hat and a couple of sock projects (one ready to become two at a time socks and one sport weight). I'm not sure I totally managed to keep to my plan for neutrals only BUT I'm not really sure I ever believed I would! We had a wonderful time wandering around and chatting to the stall holders and then spent a couple of hours doing a needle felting workshop...but that is a photo for another day!
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The cherry blossom has been so beautiful this year and I am hoping it will be followed by an equally bumper crop of fruit. Last year we didn't manage to pick a single cherry, the downside to sharing our garden with an enormous number of birds! I have decided to start attatching things to the branches early this year in an attempt to distract our avian friends. Wind chimes, crystals and a few Japanese fish flags are already in place and now the bunting has gone up too. I'm not sure it will work but it's worth a try and if all fails at least it looks pretty...
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Our little flock of backyard bantams became sadly depleted this Winter. With only two old silkie ladies left we decided the time had come to add a few more younger hens to the coop. Mrs Pepperpot is a silver laced wyandotte bantam and is settling in nicely (along with her husband Mr Pepperpot). She is laying tiny white eggs and her favourite spot is under the lilac in the sunshine. We also added a couple of silkie/wyandotte cross bantams but they have instantly become broody and are refusing to leave their nest boxes unless forced...let me know if you have any suggestions for ways to get them out and about again, they would be greatly appreciated!
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Hello, welcome to my blog, a place I like to record things I have made, things I have seen and the things that help me to enjoy my life. I would love to hear from you by email or in the comments and will try to respond unless life gets in the way (and I have to admit that with 2 boys, 4 chickens, a naughty blue wippet and a husband that works all over the world, life does tend to get in the way quite often!) Please do not reproduce images or content from this site without permission, just contact me by clicking above and I usually say yes!
