Red, gold and green

Autumn’s definitely made an appearance now, I confess I’ve had the heating on a couple of times already. I’m actually really looking forward to it though, at least you can be sure of the weather. Summer was such a let down this year, as it inevitably is every year. We hardly got to do any of the nice beach/picnic/park trips I had planned.

Yesterday I decided to go for a walk to go foraging for autumnal inspiration. I managed to find quite a bit although felt rather silly as people walked past and saw me dithering over which leaves to pick up. I kind of hoped they’d think it was for Jude’s benefit, not mummy’s!

By the time we got home, little man was fast asleep so I took advantage and got my harvest out to have a play.

I had great fun I can tell you. Little things and all that! Aren’t the colours just beautiful though?

I have B I G plans for decorating the house this Autumn. I’ve never done it before but think it’ll really be nice. Last year I made these so I might do a few again this year.

I’d best get busy, lots to do! Xx

Great balls of Yarndale

Hello, can you have a little guess where I went this weekend? All you hooky friends will know as it’s the talk of the woolly media! Yes, I was extremely lucky enough to go to Yarndale on Saturday, my first ever time. I’d actually like to dedicate this post to an extremely talented friend, Janine,  who both knits and crochets the most beautiful things. Unfortunately, due to health reasons she was unable to go herself, so I hope this post gives her a little taster of the woolly wonders that were in store for us.

My other lovely friend Jane who’s also a woolly whiz, kindly arranged this trip and also drove us there. I’m not the most confident motorway driver so I was extremely grateful. Instead, I was on picnic duty which was fine by me.

We parked in the Skipton Building Society car park and waited in a very long queue for the shuttle bus to take us to the auction mart. On arrival we could sense the excitement in the air. It was hard to know where to start. We decided it would be wise to look around first before spending our hard earned pennies. We both had an idea of what we were looking out for but were also open to all the wonderful talent and inspiration that was everywhere to be seen. And there was that in abundance.

So much colour and creativity.

After seeing about half the event, we found ourselves in the Hub where there was a beautiful display of crocheted bunting.

We waited in line for ages to get a peek at the marvellous sheep that had been lovingly created and sent into the yarndale organisers. There were over 700 in all. They were all being sold off with all proceeds going to a local children’s hospice, Martin House.

So much cuteness and such a lot of love had been poured into making these. This was the one I picked…

I was just drawn to her, I think I’ll call her Betsy. I hope to find out who made her and where she’s from once Mr. Postman’s delivered her.

By this time, we were getting a bit peckish so decided to head out of the mayhem and madness and take the yarn walk to have our picnic in the fresh Yorkshire air. Just outside the building, there was a stall with a difference. It was called Little Fingy and sold knitted finger puppets. A very cool idea.

Just across from here was a lawned area where people congregated to chat yarn, eat lunch and generally get in the festival vibe.

The whole atmosphere here was so friendly, it was just lovely to be a part of it. You see those mandalas hanging from the trees? They were made by the lovely Lucy from Attic 24. One of those is on my ever growing, mental to-do list.

So off on our yarn walk, one of the many well thought out things that had been put into place by the organisers. I had to get a quick shot of the beautiful countryside we were surrounded by.

The whole walk took about 30 minutes although we stopped in the park to eat our picnic. The park had been yarn bombed which was no surprise really.

Once through the park, you met the canal. What a treat that was. Walking by the water is so peaceful.

This led us into the bustling town of Skipton. It’s a really lovely place, I’d love to have more time to explore it properly. We’d hoped to squeeze in a little visit to Lucy’s studio which she’d kindly opened to everyone for the weekend but time ran away with us and we still had half of yarndale to see. After a quick mooch about, we made our way to the train station to catch one of the red vintage buses that had been laid on to ferry us yarn-laden ladies to and fro.

It’s fabulous isn’t it? Inside was just as beautiful with mandalas and flowers decorating it.

Back to base, we were refreshed and ready to take on the crowds once more.

There were aisles and aisles of luxury yarns, way out of my price range and if I’m honest, a little out of my capabilities of finding suitable projects for. I’d be too scared to use it. I’d come with a shopping list and I actually stuck to it. I was very proud of myself. I was more than happy immersing myself in all the talent, hoping one day to be half as creative. Just look at this…

I would actually wear this.

And this is the stunning display of flowers for memories. Well half of it anyway, just breathtaking.

I love these houses created by Little Tin Bird. It’s given me a cool idea, if I ever get round to it! And living just opposite these was Lucy from Attic 24 with the Wool Warehouse stand.

And she had with her all her beautiful blankets that we’ve all marvelled at on her blog over the years. We were lucky to catch her at a quiet moment as the crowds were easing, and got to chat with her for a few minutes. I was quite in awe of her. At the risk of sounding slightly silly, it was a bit like meeting a celebrity! She was so so lovely though and I’m kicking myself now that I never plucked up the courage to ask for a photo. Oh well, I’m sure there’ll be other times.

Well, with weary legs and plenty of woolly ideas flying round in our minds, it was time to make tracks home. It was the longest I’d ever been away from Jude and although I’d missed him, boy did I need that time away. Time to just be me for a day, to indulge in my passion a little and not have to be responsible for anyone else.

As well as a few balls of stylecraft that I was running out of, I got these…

I have plans for two out of three of these, all will be revealed in good time. I’d hoped to see a granny square blocker for sale but surprisingly there weren’t any. I did come home with these must haves tho.

Aren’t they just the cutest little things? I love them! I’ll have to find a little home for them somewhere, with enough space for Betsy sheep to join them when she arrives.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and I feel very lucky to have been able to go.

Vicki xxx

No sew bunting

Do you remember last year when I posted about our Pantry? Well the blind needed cutting down to size and the strip I cut off was too big to just chuck so I kept it with the intention of doing something with it. Waste not want not. Well I finally got round to it. It was the perfect size for a bit of bunting to cheer up the pantry.

I measured and marked out in 6 inch triangles then cut them with nans good old pinking shears.

I then punched holes in the top two corners and threaded through some bakers twine.

It’s great material to work with as it’s nice and thick and sturdy and doesn’t fray. I had to go out and buy some of those super sticky hooks to attach the bunting to the wall, but overall it’s been an extremely cost effective project. And it does what I wanted it to, just adds a little fun to the pantry.

National trust series – Speke Hall

As National Trust members, we often go for days out to visit some of the beautiful houses and gardens that are being looked after by them. I thought I’d do a little blog series on the ones we visit. It’ll be just as and when we go.

I’ll start with our closest one which is just 30 minutes drive away, Speke Hall.  We came here in the summer holidays on a lovely warm day. The building itself is a Tudor timber framed house. It’s lovely but when you’ve seen inside once, there’s really not much to look at again. 

The thing I love the most about the national trust places are the grounds and the gardens.

They have a kitchen garden there and it just so happened that they were celebrating what would have been Beatrix Potters 150th birthday. They’d yarn bombed the kitchen garden with the most adorable little fruit, veg and creatures. I just had to share it with you.

And there’s Mr. McGregor himself, keeping a watchful eye over his veg patch. They had a lady dressed up in Victorian clothing telling children the much loved stories from Miss Potter and her little friends. Jude’s too much of a wriggler to sit still for more than 5 seconds unfortunately.

The grounds are quite extensive, I’m pretty sure we’ve never managed to see everything. They go all the way down to the River Mersey and if you’re a keen plane spotter, it’s right next door to Liverpool John Lennon airport. There’s a pretty woodland which I’ve written about before at bluebell time. They have a nice play area for the kids and also a maze, although I’ve not managed to venture in there just yet. The bonus is its just 30 minutes drive for us so we can go back anytime we feel like it.

Camping crochet cushion

Do you remember my little camping crochet project? The last time you saw it, it was looking like this…

Once we’d got home, unpacked and I’d started the mission of post camping washing, I was itching to continue this project. I started by framing each circle with white to make it into a square. It was actually a lot quicker than I thought.

I really love the effect of the different shades of the same colour. I can see me doing something like this in the future. Hmmm, lots of ideas flying around. Once they were all done, I needed to block them as they’d gone a bit curly.

I was thoroughly enjoying this. Now to join.

This is the difference between blocked and unblocked. What a difference a bit of steam makes. I measured each side up against my cushion pad but it was not quite big enough yet. I decided to add some rows of trebles.

I joined the two sides around the pad and debated whether or not to put a fancy border on it. I decided not, thought it best to keep it simple. So here it is…

And on its final resting place 

I think the colours are a perfect match.

There was no set pattern I followed for this cushion.  I combined two patterns to get the circle how I wanted it, then part of another pattern to do the framing. The rest I just made up as I went. I’m pretty pleased with it.

I think along with the blooming flower I’m already making, I may just have to do one more cushion for here. After all, you can never have too many cushions can you?

Happy campers – part two

There was lots to do where we stayed in Gatehouse of Fleet, near Castle Douglas. Although it was tricky finding things that we could take the dog to as well. Everywhere we went there were signs for castles, but we didn’t visit any as to certain members of our family, that would be a fate worse than death! We did find a perfect place for the older kids though and it was just a twenty minute drive.

This place was brilliant. You could book the kids in to a workshop where they learn how to make their own chocolate. I thought it was great value. For £14.00 each they got their own apron and hairnet, they made a big slab of chocolate, a chocolate animal in a reusable mould and a marvellous creation with marshmallows. All to take home with them. 

There was also a huge indoor soft play area and a massive outdoor play area with a dinosaur that was about 30ft high. Sadly, Jude had fallen asleep in the car so he missed out. We waited in the car while the kids were in chocolate heaven, but luckily I’d brought my yarn along.

It looks like an advertisement for Cath Kidston doesn’t it? This project is very mobile so it’s really easy to just do a little bit as and when I can. On the way back to the site, we stopped to say hello to some cows. 

I’ve never seen so many cows than in Scotland. Every field was full of them, and sheep. There were animals everywhere. The campsite was surrounded by rabbits. It was like a scene straight out of Watership Down. It was lovely but the poor things were so scared that they ran off if you got within 20 metres. So no photographs, although I did try my hardest.

The next day we took the kids to a local activity centre. There were some very brave souls there trying some very scary things. Ours stuck to grass sledging, lots safer!

While they were busy I took Jude to the huge sandpit to play. He thought this was the best thing ever and didn’t want to leave.

The following day we planned a lovely day  in the Scottish mountains. Otters Pool had been recommended to us by a friend. On the drive up there my hubby kept pulling over for me to take photos. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking.

We passed Loch Dee just further on from here.

After a bit of an unplanned detour down a never ending dirt track through the wilderness, we found Otters Pool. We sat and ate our picnic lunch with the water to one side of us and woodland to the other. It was such a beautiful place, so peaceful.

Flip flops on and towels at the ready, we headed into the water for a paddle with the best view ever.

The scenery was just stunning. It’s like you’re in a whole other world just for a short while. Everyone had such a nice time. Real good, honest, wholesome family time. 

Pepper loved it too, she’s always enjoyed a paddle. I spotted these toadstools in amongst the trees and just had to take a picture. They looked so magical, like they’re from an enchanted forest or fairy glen.

We were nearing the end of our holiday and I’d say it was a very successful one. Many happy memories made. Although we all love going abroad on holiday and living in a bit of luxury, there’s something really special about holidaying closer to home and closer to nature. We have some absolutely beautiful places in the UK that we often overlook. Especially on our doorstep. Perhaps we all need to pretend we’re tourists in our own towns occasionally and go see all the lovely places around us.  

As for my holiday crochet, I’m pretty pleased with what I achieved.

I wasn’t expecting to get this far. I’m looking forward to showing you the finished product cos I haven’t been able to put this down since we got home.

Vicki xx



Happy campers – part one

For this years camping holiday, we decided to try somewhere new that none of us had tried before. We usually go to Wales which is lovely, but for a change, we chose Scotland. It was a little bit further afield but it was a whole new adventure for us. After losing our lovely dog Amber just the week before, we couldn’t bear to put Pepper into kennels as planned. She’s really missing her sister and would’ve been so sad and lonely on her own. The campsite is dog friendly so we squished her in the footwell of the car along with our ever growing collection of camping gear.

We don’t travel light when it comes to camping. We like to have quite a few little   gadgets to make life that bit easier. Things like electric hook-up, a fridge, kettle, toaster and fan heater. Not quite glamping but not too far off!

The weather was awful when we set off. I was driving along the motorway gripping onto the steering wheel so hard my knuckles were white. We stopped half way to change drivers and the weather was still grey but improving. By the time we reached the campsite it was all blue skies and sunshine. Perfect conditions for pitching a tent.

It was a lovely location, we pitched right at the far end of the field so we didn’t have people walking past us constantly. The site was surprisingly quiet, I kept wondering what the catch was. We discovered what it was on the first night. The main road runs alongside the field and at nighttime, just as soon as your head hits your inflatable pillow, about a thousand lorries it seemed, come thundering past heading for the docks. We’d seen comments about road noise on the reviews before we booked, but had kind of hoped they were exaggerating. Sadly they weren’t. It was quite loud but you kind of got used to it. That was really the only negative though. It was a very carefree site, you pitched up where you liked and were just left to get on with your holiday with no interference. 

The first evening, we treated ourselves to fish & chips from an award winning chippy in nearby Castle Douglas. It was really yummy and the sweet girl who served us insisted on buying Pepper a sausage out of her own money. She’d been off her food for a bit but she managed to woof it down with no trouble. The next morning, we awoke to rain and grey skies which had been forecast for the majority of our stay. I’d packed for the chilly weather too. We spent the day in the tent mostly being lazy campers. Which gave me the perfect excuse to crack out my camping crochet. I’d dithered over what to bring with me. I didn’t want to bring too many balls of yarn so that ruled out my blooming flower cushion. I’m loving the colours in it so much though that I decided to make a second cushion to go with it. I picked just 6 of the colours to bring. 

These looked better than I’d imagined, and quick to do too. A perfect holiday project.

The following morning, we awoke to glorious sunshine. This was our view from the tent…

I couldn’t resist pulling my wellies on with my pyjamas and going for a little wander.

There was an abundance of blackberry bushes around so I decided to pick my own breakfast.

 
Lovely! We went for a little explore around the site later on. It’s a very well kept site. Just a five minute walk from our field you’ll find the entertainment areas. There’s a bar, bistro, swimming pool, gym and of course arcades. They were a hit with the big kids. Well actually Jude loved it there too, he discovered the 2p machines and demanded a constant supply of ‘pennies’. While they were all in the arcades, I sneaked off to take a few photos of the beautiful coastline that we were lucky enough to call home for a few days.

The sunsets here were pretty amazing too.

There’s something about being close to natural beauty that leaves you feeling very calm and content with the world. Sights like this were not made by any man, they’ve always been there and always will. Nothing can ever spoil it. It’s very good for the soul to take a few moments every now and again to appreciate these little things in life.

Another thing I appreciate in life is being cooked for. Camping cooking usually falls to the hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed having a break from having to prepare the meals. He’s also an excellent cook so win win! My job was to lay the table and in true Vicki style, I gathered some pretty flowers from the hedgerows to dress it.

I think I’ll leave it there for part one.  Back in a couple of days with the second half. Xxx

Southport flower show

This post is a little bit late as I’ve been really busy these last couple of weeks but better late than never hey?

We were very lucky indeed to be invited to this years Southport flower show as VIP guests. My husband works in the Garden Centre industry and was kindly invited by a supplier called Lavania. It just so happened that their garden entry won the best in show. It was very well deserved, it was certainly my favourite.

We got to step inside the roped barrier and have a private tour. 

The attention to detail was incredible, everywhere you looked they’d created something unique and unusual. They’d made the very most of every little nook and cranny. Very clever design.

Here are a couple of the other gardens that caught my eye..

Aren’t they beautiful? I just love the bloomers hanging on the line in this one!

I’d come dressed for the occasion.

I love my Joules wellies, and they were quite appropriate really. The weather had been awful that morning and we feared we’d end up in a mud bath, but we actually brought the sunshine along with us. It wouldn’t have been much fun getting soaked.

These were just a few of the things that whispered ‘photograph me’ as we walked around. I have been very restrained believe it or not as I’m increasingly aware that my little allowance of cyberspace is getting filled up so I need to try and be good.

There was lots to do for all ages. We got to see Mr. Bloom from CBeebies with his veggies, there was live music and talks from tv garden experts. After we’d explored all around, we were treated to afternoon tea in the VIP tent. We felt very special indeed.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon. Lots of inspiration to do a few new things in our garden next year.

Back soon with a little write up on our holiday xx