Stitches Galore

We visited London for the second ever time at Easter. I love the energy of the city and how the sense of history is combined with showcasing new and changing things to see. It feels to me the way the internet can feel - endless, everchanging and rushing on with more and more to see, never still. But it is a wonderful place for discoveries and experiences. We had a fantastic view from our hotel room:   Almost every day started here: We walked and explored lots of fascinating places - Covent Garden, Camden Passage and St James (Piccadilly) markets, Fortnum and Mason's and the Burlington Arcade. And then we went from the subline to ...M&M World!   Seeing Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap made for a wonderful evening - and no, I can't tell you whodunnit! We visited St Paul's Cathedral for the first time having visited Westminter Abbey last year. It is a very different place altogether. The mosaic ceilings are beautiful - a re...

Now that the Blogging Your Way course has come to an end, I have been thinking about all I have learned, everything that has inspired me and what I would like to achieve through my blog. The course is excellent – not just in the standard of teaching provided by a range of inspiring and experienced role models and the variety of learning resources that are provided to challenge and motivate students, but in the way we were encouraged to think more deeply about ourselves and how we value creativity as part of our everyday life. All images from the Blog Boss e-course content I can honestly say it has changed the way I think about what I do and how I occupy my time and has encouraged me to focus on the things in life that have value and that will have a positive impact on my ability to be creative. I have also learned about tools that can be used to share that creativity here on my blog. If you have a blog that you would like to re-ignite with a passion for your skill or talen...

There are times when too much colour co-ordination is too much of a good thing. Over the years I grew tired of seeing lovely colour combinations and knowing that there was no way I could introduce them into my home without it becoming a mix-up. When it was time to change our bathroom and kitchen recently, it was my cue to put my plan for a home with a neutral base into action, ready for all the colour I could bring in to liven it all up. Well, that was the idea we signed up to. Now we have less of a neutral base and more of a blank canvas. We have left pale blue and yellow bedrooms (they were pretty at the time) and honey pine furniture behind to get to this:   Yes, now after coat after coat of primer and paint we are all white - even the furniture (for I couldn't decide what neutral shade would work out best) with natural oak flooring. I love it. It is very calming. It is clearly also missing something. There are spots of...

A few weeks ago I was searching for something in the attic and came across a box which contained some tubes of paint, brushes and some sketch pads. I recognised them as the remnants of an art course I had taken during high school. Among the collection of papers I found some things I had drawn when I was thirteen years of age – I had almost forgotten the girl I was then and these sketches brought all the memories flooding back. There was a scraperboard picture – anyone remember scraperboards? I remember us being given a blank black scraperboard along with a selection of sharp instruments in Art class in second year at high school. On the back my name and class was written in handwriting that I hardly recognised as mine – but which appeared on the fronts of all my exercise books and work from school. Clearly inspired by a picture or photograph, this is what I produced… Seeing the picture again after many years boxed away in the attic seemed to create a resonance in me and I jus...

A lot of the knitting I have been doing lately has been in garter stitch and I have realised just how much I love this stitch! It's the ultimate in comfort knitting - maybe it's because it's the first stitch we learn when starting to knit. When it is combined with experience and some lovely favourite yarn it can't be beaten. I've recently used Rowan Felted Tweed to knit Charm by Kim Hargreaves (from her book 'Amber', now sadly not listed on her website) and was really pleased with the result. The last project involved Noro Silk Garden. I have a love/hate relationship with this yarn. I'd knitted it up into two cardigans and a scarf which I wore once or twice and didn't enjoy. They languished in my wardrobe until I decided it was a criminal waste of good (and expensive) yarn. So I set to ripping out, winding into hanks around a chopping board, washing, drying and winding into balls to reknit. The perfect project for the yarn was a log cabin bla...

I didn’t realise this week’s homework for the Blogging Your Way course to chose 8 'blogs that rock' would be so challenging – there are so many blogs out there that I admire. My choice was ultimately dictated by how each blogger or group of bloggers had a unique voice and enabled their readers to identify with the posts they create. I suppose I went with my heart and how reading their posts inspired me or altered my train of thinking at the time. The effect of their inspiration always lasts longer than the time spent reading their blogs – often I find myself contemplating a topic they have discussed as I go through the day. So, in no particular order, for that would be impossible: 1.        Attic 24 – I love the colour and enthusiasm Lucy brings to her posts and how each one is a continuation of the conversation you had with her in the previous post. Her blog is bright and cheerful, her photos capture the tone of what she is writing about an...

          On Saturday we decided to have an Afternoon Off. We drove to Portstewart, a lovely seaside town about 45 minutes away. Although the day was ovecast and cold, it was calm and you can see how peaceful the sea was. I'm not sure how spring-like things really were, although we did see a bridal party having photographs taken on the rocky part of the shore.   The cliff path leads past rocky basalt shoreline to our famous Portstewart Strand - a 2 mile stetch of wonderful sand - all spread out in front of us.   Such a wonderful way to spend an afternoon taking in the expanse of the View, fresh Air and enjoying some Time Out.   Do you have a favourite place to escape to?