The latest
FROM THE BLOG
January Bullet Journal Set Up
I always get a little bit nervous when starting a January spread in a new notebook. For those of you who don't love journals/notebooks this may seem a little strange so let you help you. You know that new car smell? Well I love the new-notebook smell. What I hate most about setting up the first monthly spread is the finality of it. The finality of the set up pages at the start of your journal. You can see mine for 2020 here. I always leave 4 pages blank before I dive into the first monthly just in case I find I need to add an annual tracker...
2020 Bullet Journal Set Up
Are you the type of person that likes your journal to be just the way you can see it in your mind? Do you plan each set up prior to drawing it out? Or are you the free flow type rapid journal user, full of tasks lists and scribbled memos? I'm somewhere in between. My mind likes order and I like the creativity of drawing out layouts but I need my journal to be quick, searchable and mostly that it works for me and that it is something that I think is pretty or that I like. 2020 is the start of a new decade., so you know, no pressure there ;)...
Unravel is Back.
Artwork by Aleks Byrd. Unravel… a festival of yarn returns to celebrate yarn and making in 2020 with a show that’s bigger than ever before. Unravel kicks off the UK yarn show calendar with yarn lovers making the trek to Farnham Maltings from across the country and around the world. This year unravel is literally bursting at the seams with an expanded marketplace and workshop programme. Over 85 talented makers from across the UK and Europe have been invited to exhibit and an international line up of designers will share their expertise in over...
The Love Note Sweater
This post is part of my Handmade Wardrobe Series Countless knitters have fallen in love with this jumper and as soon as you start browsing the finished garments you're hooked. If you want to browse those finished garments on Ravelry you can do that here. Love Note Sweater - Cottage Notebook I'm a huge fan of Tin Can Knits patterns for my kids and I have only made one adult pattern which was Snowflake. When I get to knit one of these patterns I always have to re-measure myself /the kids and highlight each section as I knit as I don't really...
Dear Influencer – Our Community is Personal.
Another Tuesday research session and my brain is left more confused than when I sat down three hours ago with a coffee. Am I the only person who thinks that the social side of social media has taken a rather sharp turn and is lost someways back trying to find the main road? I'm a person who loves craft. The only reason I opened social media accounts when the Facebook and Twitter of the world were born was to stay in contact with people and share my finished pieces with some friends who also loved and cared about the stitches used and...
Does Social Media Belittle Making?
This is a question that has been running around my brain since Inspirefest 2019 back in May. Anil Dash spoke about The Web We Make and it's one of those talks that I keep coming back to in different ways. If you are a knitter/crafter/maker then you probably have an Instagram account as it allows you to share what you make in a visual medium with the world. Trends within the community follow the "props" of Instagram and often finished pieces obtain more likes than in-process shots. In a world where indie makers rely on the use of social media...
Email Woes – A Friendly Guide to Email Success
Let's work through something together, shall we? I know I'm not the only one who is drowning in email. In fact, over the last few years, I think the number of emails that are flying in and out of my inboxes (yes plural) has doubled. What I can't get over is what lies within them. I rarely delete anything except when Google forces me to. So I have amassed quite the collection of rude, entitled and downright bizarre emails. Clearly, as humans who are high on coffee and running on very little sleep, we have lost the ability to communicate. I...
The Post in Which Rapunzel Becomes a Secret Craft Superhero.
As a mum, you spend a lot of your time rewatching old movies with your kids. Sometimes it's a (futile) bonding exercise (they will never love it as much as you do) or sometimes it's family movie night where you find yourself watching a Disney princess prance about singing for the umpteenth time. I'm not against Disney but I did get to thinking that Disney movies would be a lot more interesting if they used craft tools as weapons. Anyone that has been stabbed by embroidery scissors or DPN's (double pointed needles) can relate. My youngest...
Carbeth, Mountain Mist and Love Note Sweater – Vlog
After some thought during last nights Twitter chat, I realised that the best way to show you all my current projects (okay, not all but 3 or 4) was to pop on and record a quick vlog in the morning. So if you would like to make a cuppa and come and join me in the cottage for 30 minutes as I blather on about Carbeth by Kate Davies, the Love Note KAL, Mountain Mist and show off some yarn, then press play below. I did consider calling this; the one in which the clouds move too fast and I talk far too much but I don't think that is quite SEO...
Fat Quarter: Vintage: 25 Projects to Make from Short Lengths of Fabric by Susie Johns
Have you ever wanted to sew? I had this dream once and then I realised how awful I am at it. I have tried numerous times and I have come to the conclusion that I need small projects that satiate the craving for sewing. Yes I get craft cravings, don't you? The wonderful team at GMC pointed me towards the latest book by Susie Johns and it is perfect for my sewing cravings and is perfect for stash busting. The Book This book is separated into 5 decades from the 1930s to the 1970s, each chapter contains five projects using fat quarter fabric or...