summer

A Postcard from August 2026

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It’s 1st September – hello autumn! I don’t know about you but there has been a definite autumnal feeling over the past few days where I am, with heavy rain and thunder storms so it’s been feeling a little bit like summer had come to an end already. 

Normally I feel a little bit melancholy at this time of the year as I mourn the end of the summer weather and lighter evenings, but this time, I’m feeling that as we had into a new month and a new season, it’s a time for fresh starts and new challenges – I’m not entirely sure what they are, but if I hear of any, I’ll keep you posted.

Summer Craft Challenge 2026

My summer craft challenge is about to come to an end for another year – this one being my 10th which is a little bit crazy. Again, it’s been lovely to give myself permission to carve out a little bit of time every day since the start of the school summer holidays in our house to be creative. It all started 11 years ago, when I was a stay-at-home Mum with three young men to entertain during the long summer break in Gibraltar (which was 2 months-long). I found those long summers very hard going at times and something which is as true today as it was back then, is that if I don’t manage to do something creative (crochet, painting, sewing etc) for a while I tend to get very grumpy. By setting aside at least a few (guilt-free) minutes of me time each day, it made the summer run a lot smoother. 

Even though my boys are all a lot older these day (one has left home, another is soon off to university) I have kept the challenge going and I have loved doing it. It’s so easy to be busy and not find the time for such things, but this summer, as always, it’s been a fun endeavour.

PARIS!!

Paris sightseeing


We didn’t make our annual pilgrimage up to Scotland this year, it felt like the end of an era with just one child still in school, and I have the feeling the older two may not still want to go on holiday with their old mum in the years to come, so we decided to do something different. 

We opted for a city break and hopped on a flight over to Paris. Half of our traveling party had never been before, so it was fun to be able to share the city with the other two. We did all the usual things, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre (from the outside only – they didn’t fancy the queues to see the Mona Lisa etc). We also caught a double-decker train (very exciting) out to Versailles.

As I didn’t have my brain in gear early enough to book tickets to go inside, we just did some of the outside areas. We took a walk through the gardens and watched the lovely fountain displays accompanied by classical music. We also hired bikes and rode them around the wider estate for a couple of hours. I’m so glad we did this, because this is the one thing that everyone has spoken about being their favourite bit! 

Versailles

We also took a ride out to a beautiful park called Buttes-Chaumont out in the suburbs which I visited with Eldest on our previous visit a few years ago, and we visited the Paris Natural History Museum for the first time too with its amazing gardens and stunning interior (would highly recommend even for people visiting without young folk in tow).

Natural History Museum

All in all, it was a brilliant 4 days – including some gorgeous food. We found a favourite new eatery called Bo & Mei which had the most amazing pastries for sale. We visited two different branches, one was near the Louvre and the other at Bastille en route out to visit the park. I can highly recommend a visit if you find yourself near one. The Pain au Chocolat was out of this world!

Buttes-Chaumant Park

A trip up to the Lakes

We had a very quick turn around when we arrived back home from Paris – less than 24 hours later we were up in the Lakes! I had to do some emergency washing and speedy packing to be ready in time to load the car up for a trip up to Grasmere to visit some very dear friends who live up that way now. We had such a lovely time with them out in the fresh air, star gazing on our way home from an evening playing pool, riding bikes through the Langdale Valley and generally having fun.

Back to reality

And then, as if by magic, the summer was over and it was time to get things ready for school and an impending move to University for Son number 2. Just before we headed off on holiday, A-level results day happened. I’m very relieved to say things went well in our house and he’s off on his next chapter very soon. It’s going to be strange in our house with him gone…..

There’s no podcast news this month, as I have taken a break from putting episiodes out, but Making Stitchest Podcast will be coming back again soon. Watch this space…

That’s all for this time, I’m off now to do an emergency shop for school stationary which I forgot to grab at the weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy September!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2026 : Weeks 4 & 5

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Hello there, I’ve gone double bubble with this post seeing as I was on holiday for a good chuck of the last two weeks and away from my laptop. Since we last spoke, we have been to Paris and to the Lake District. I feel very lucky to have been able to spend time with my boys away from the usual routine and in such beautiful places – more on that in a different post I’m sure though – now down to the crafty side of my life… and what I’ve been up to on my travels. Here’s Weeks 4 & 5 of my Summer Craft Challenge 2026!

It already feels like a long, long time ago, but after the partial eclipse on Wednesday evening 2 weeks ago, I sat down for a bit a more crochet on this scarf/shawl I’m working on.

A little post A-level results embroidery on Thursday evening. After a few days of growing tension in the house and the emotion of everything that day, it was nice to be able to unwind with my needle! (Good news was received in our house thank goodness, but I spare a thought for those who didn’t get the news they were hoping for).

On Friday, I managed a little bit of doctor’s waiting room sock knitting. Back on Wednesday evening, post eclipse, we sat in the garden chatting until late, ruminating on what lay ahead in terms of exam results and what might happen next. While I was out there, unbeknownst to me, I was bitten on both ankles by something nasty which resulted in my feet and ankles swelling up way beyond what was decent to share with you. It turned out I had an infection in both bites. Knowing I was heading off on holiday just 48 hours later, I thankfully acquired a doctor’s appointment and secured some antibiotics to counteract the nasty reaction.

With the medicine kicking in and my ankles and feet slowly returning to their ‘normal’ shape, I sat down for a bit more sock knitting on Saturday.

Ooh, the most exciting type of crochet here on Sunday – plane crochet! Three of us flew to Paris and met Eldest there who had come from London via the tunnel. Such a lovely start to our few days in France.

Monday was a lovely hot, sunny day and perfect for some sightseeing. This photo was taken late afternoon, while sitting on a bench having a break in a park a short walk from the Eiffel Tower.

A spot of regal crochet was on the cards on Tuesday – I took my crochet hook and yarn on a train trip out to the Palace of Versailles! What a beautiful place it was. We didn’t manage to get into the Palace – tickets to get in are booked until the end of the year (or something like that) we didn’t fancy the humungous ‘without prebooked tickets’ queue so visited the majestic gardens and hired bikes to ride around the wider estate – what a stunning place!

Summer Craft Challenge 2026: Week 5

Summer Craft Challenge 2026 Week 5

Onto Week 5 here on Wednesday last week – although I had completely rather a lot of the blue section of this scarf, I just wasn’t happy with it, so frogged back lots of rows to where I thought I was happy and started again… This was in my hotel bedroom after a lovely morning at the brilliant Natural History Museum in Paris.

Homeward bound means more plane crochet! Still not happy with the blue section, I sat at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and ripped all the blue back to the start and started again. I think I’m happy with it this time!

New day, new location – this sock knitting happened at one of my oldest friend’s kitchen table in the Lake District! We had a very quick turnaround, landed back at home from our French trip at dinner time, did 3 loads of washing, ironing, repacking and was on the road by mid afternoon on Friday up to the Lakes.

Al fresco crochet this time, post breakfast while waiting for a certain teenager to get out of bed so we could go out for a walk!

Back at home and ready to face the real world with a bit of Sunday night embroidery. The car was unpacked, washing done, cases back in the loft and packed lunches made ready for work on Monday – why does the fun have to come to an end so quickly?

At least there’s a bank holiday coming soon, so no Monday morning alarm next week…

A bit more evening embroidery on Monday evening in front of the TV… slowly making progress filling the pattern on this lovely kit from Hello Hooray Blog.

And my last post for this week, a bit of evening crochet after work and the sad news that Dolly Parton had died. What an amazing lady she was – I think we should all be a bit more Dolly.

Thanks to the wonders of Instagram, it’s not just me taking part in the Summer Craft Challenge this year. It’s open for anyone to join in with too. All you need to do is have a moment (or longer if you can manage) of creativity in your day. Take a photo of what you are working on and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2026 and we can all see what you are doing. Thanks to @alisonswoolnwalks, @crochet_at_holme, & @jothiquestscraft for joining in during the past two weeks!

Thanks for stopping by for a read, and thank you to everyone who’s joining in with the Summer Craft Challenge this year too! It’s fun being creative together.

Until next week (the final week), take care of yourself!

Lindsay x

A postcard from June 2026

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Take That Circus at the Etihad Stadium

Hello there, I hope this finds you doing ok. I’m a bit earlier with this monthly review than I managed last month, but not by much!
I had a lovely month in June – although it didn’t produce many exciting pictures to share (other than a very impressive evening I spent at the Etihad Stadium in the company of Gary, Howard & Mark!).

The main reason for being so late to the game with this update is because of the Carry on Crafting Festival which happened just over a week ago – it was utterly amazing and I look forward to sharing more of it with you next month. In the meantime, you can catch the latest episode of Making Stitches Podcast to hear a flavour of Carry on Crafting (which was an absolute delight to edit last week!).
Anyway, back to June..

Crochet Corner

My Carry on Crafting Squares so far…

I had a bit of a dabble with designing again in June. I am working on another little amigurumi character, but I want to wait to share her with you once she is finished – she is currently sitting on my sideboard without a head (poor love!). Away from amigurumi, I had the chance to give away a pair of tickets to Carry on Crafting festival on my social media channels, and that inspired me to make a few CoC inspired squares. I am hoping to make a complete Carry on Crafting blanket over the course of the summer, so will share more squares with you as they develop!


Also, a good friend of mine at work celebrated a big birthday last month and I simply had to knock up a mini-me for her. I was bought the Crochet Iconic Women book by Carla Mitrani by Eldest a few years ago and along with creating quite a few of those wonderful ladies (including HM Queen Elizabeth & Emmeline Pankhurst) I have used the pattern to create so many little people as gifts when they have hit milestones like big birthdays and other events. I can honestly say this is the most used crochet book I have! As a matter of fact, I am using it right now to create some more little characters – more on them next month!

A mini me gift for a lovely colleague

Take That!

Now to the biggest thing which happened to me in June…


Back in the 1990s, I met Take That very briefly when they visited the place I was working at (conveniently during my lunch hour) I got Gary and Mark’s autograph on my spiral bound notebook! I had never seen them play live in their original incarnation, but amazingly during our last summer living in Gibraltar (in the days before Covid) they came and did a few songs at the Gibraltar Music Festival which was literally a 10 minute walk from our home! It was at the very end of their big world tour. It was not a Take That concert in the conventional sense, but it was a thrill to see them at last as they sung about half a dozen songs between Rick Astley and a Mel C DJ set!


A couple of years ago, I was offered a last minute ticket to see Take That appearing in Manchester at the AO Arena – and when I say last minute – I mean literally hours before. It was an unexpected and very pleasant surprise. It was a truly amazing show – I’d heard they put on a good show but it blew my mind. When I heard that they were coming back to Manchester this summer, I joined the online queue for tickets when they went on sale and was amazed to be successful in getting a couple of tickets.

Take That in Gibraltar 2019
Take That in Manchester 2024

My Mum said when I went the last time, that she wouldn’t mind seeing Take That and that she’d never actually been to a ‘gig’ before so I offered her the other ticket. She didn’t hesitate in saying yes! So, I took my Mum with me which was lovely.

Belinda Carlisle
The Script

The support acts were Belinda Carlisle (I was amazed how many songs she had and how many of them I remembered from my teens) and the Script (who we also saw at the Gibraltar Music Festival in years gone by). They both put on a great show with the crowd singing along.

Then the show began – wow! It truly was a show. It went on for hours, had a cast of hundreds of performers, acrobats, dancers, a tightrope walker, trapeze and the most amazing mechanical elephant which had a woman dangling upside down at the back to give the impression of a tail! I felt privileged to be able to witness it – it defies description.

I’m so glad I got to share it with Mum too. It was a perfect evening – apart from the journey home which including queuing in the world’s longest queue for a tram home which didn’t help Mum’s legs.

The longest tram queue in the world – this was less than half of it!!

Podcast News

In June, I released a couple of episodes of Making Stitches Podcast:

Episode 107 Connection, Confidence & Community with Melissa Santiago-Val – I really enjoyed my chat with Melissa who set up the charity helping people through sewing after a lockdown Covid mask making initiative grew into something lasting and very impactful.

Episode 108 Reconnecting with your imagination with textile artist, Murron Fraser – Murron is a textile artist based in my hometown of Manchester. She uses her work to encourage others to reconnect with their whimsical, childhood imaginations and is inspired by nature, folklore and storytelling.

Anyone for a Craft Challenge?

Back in the summer of 2016, as I approached the 10-week-long school summer holiday in Gibraltar with apprehension, wondering how I was going to manage the juggle of entertaining 3 young men for all that time and keep my sanity.

I decided to set myself a challenge. The plan was to do something creative every day during the long, hot school summer holiday. It worked – and the #SummerCraftChallenge was born. The simple act of giving myself permission to do something for me (even for a short while) really helped.

Every year, since then, (except for during 2020 when we relocated back the UK that summer holiday) I have kept up the challenge.
This year, I am going to do the same.

My youngest is the only one still in school – GCSEs loom next year – but even as they got older and I found myself back in work rather being stuck at home, I kept the challenge going. His school breaks up for the summer today, so as of tomorrow, the #SummerCraftChallenge2026 will begin.

If you’d like to join in, please do! All you have to do is share a picture of what you have done that day (which can involve any sort of creativity) and use the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2026 – at the end of each week, I will share a blog post with a round-up of peoples’ summer creativity.
There is no pressure to do something every day (I don’t always manage it myself to be honest), it’s just a gentle reminder to do something that makes you happy and takes you away from the stresses of the everyday grind.

It would be lovely if you could join me!

That’s all for this time, thanks for stopping by!
Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2025 : Week Six +

image shows Lindsay from Making Stitches sitting on a rock in Snowdonia smiling at the camera while crocheting
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Hello there! Bit late getting this out to you again – it’s been quite a week what with back to school shenanigans and a trip up to Glasgow for a University Open Day. But here we are, well into September now and with everyone in my household back at school or university. Back when I first started this Summer Craft Challenge in 2016, I was staring down the barrel of a 10-week-long school summer break with 3 young children. It was a bit of a marathon keeping everyone entertained back then, but times have changed. My boys only get 6 weeks off now we live back here in England AND they are a lot more independent these days, so the summer school holidays don’t feel quite the same for me.

It was still fun to deliberately seek out some time for creativity (almost) every day during that 6-and-a-bit weeks this year. It was also great fun to be joined in the challenge by even more people as well. Thank you to everyone who joined me this summer, it was so nice to hear that the challenge had inspired some of you to dig out some wips and get them finished or try something new. Thank you for sharing what you have been working on this year!

Here’s a little look back at what I got up to during the sixth and final week (and a bit) of the school summer holidays:

In Week 5 I started making another heart for the North West & North Wales Paediatric Transport Service but ran out of stuffing! I made a quick trip out to the shops and restocked on my stuffing stash and was able to finish this one off!

By now, you may well be aware of a special project I worked on with Eleonora from Coastal Crochet called the Let’s Celebrate Wreath. Well before launching that I realised that the orange balloon I’d previous made for it was the wrong shade of yarn! Arghhh! At least I spotted it before it was too late!

On Bank Holiday Monday, I had to make an early morning dash to Snowdonia with son number 2. He needed to gather some evidence for a geography A-Level piece of work. The trip had been scheduled for earlier in the holiday but Storm Floris blew in (not the best conditions for climbing hills) so it was put off, then ill health got in the way so we were left with only one option – to drive to Wales on Bank Holiday Monday – not ideal.

We were up with the lark and he got the work done while I sat on a rock and crocheted!

Not much time for creativity on Day 39 – busy day back at work for me and I was a bit tired in the evening, so only managed one cube on my Hello Hooray Blog embroidery kit.

This Orla Square was made while watching Manchester United get knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town. The dark colour of the flower in my Orla Square was rather appropriate!

Day 41 and I suddenly realised we were hurtling towards the end of August and I still hadn’t completely decided what I was going to do for my September Square for the Making Stiches 2025 CAL – nothing like leaving it until the last minute eh?

This cream coloured square went on to become the middle of an apple. You can find the full square here.

Throughout this Summer Craft Challenge, I have been making these really fun Orla Squares. My aim is to create a garment with them, and, as I often do, I have set myself a potentially unrealistic target for finishing it! On Day 42 (Friday 29th), I laid all these beauties out and was trying to decide whether to go random with their colour placement or have some sort of pattern – I simply couldn’t decide!

Fast forward to Tuesday 2nd September. Week Six officially ended on Day 42, and I had planned to keep going every day until both of my younger boys were back at school, but the weekend was exceptionally busy and didn’t allow for any creativity, so as I climbed aboard a train bound for Glasgow on Tuesday afternoon with Son number 2, I was thrilled to have a good chunk of uninterrupted train crochet time!

Sadly, on our return journey from Glasgow on Wednesday 3rd, things didn’t quite go to plan. A damaged power line meant no trains south of Carlisle, so we had a rather stressful journey home, which took about 4 hours longer than it should have done. We arrived home on Thursday morning ready for a full return to school, university and work. I didn’t get any crochet done on the return leg, so just posted this collection of 9 squares I managed on the journey north.

And that’s it for my 2025 Summer Craft Challenge! It has genuinely flown by for me, I cannot quite believe that we are back in the old routine again. School’s back, Eldest has gone back to University and we had our first football match of the season this morning with Youngest. It’s as if it was all a dream, but at least I have lovely memories and a lot more crochet done and it was so lovely to spent my summer with you all.

Huge thanks to everyone who has joined in with the Summer Craft Challenge this time – it has genuinely been so lovely to have company on this challenge. Included below are some of varied Instagram posts I’ve seen including crocheted rainbow fans by Sarah @Sarah.livelovecrochet, a lovely scrappy sock in the making by Kristina @crochet_at_holme, a beautiful festival cardigan modelled by Carol @nanaseamakes, fabulous mountain-top crochet with Zeli @yarnstorms, the final pocket of a cardigan being made by Sarah @sarahsheehangib, stunning felt fungi by Sandra @wilddaffodilwild, the cutest crocheted avocado made by Jothi @Jothiquestcrafts, a lovely crocheted rose brooch by Karen @seasidekaren & utterly stunning Persian Tiles by AnnMarie @crochetscot – Thank you all!

And that’s all for this week and this summer! Thanks again to everyone who’s joined in with the craft challenge to keep me company over the past six and a bit weeks! Anyone up for joining in next year? If so, watch this space!

Happy crafting!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2025 : Week Five

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Hello there! Bit late getting this out to you following the Bank Holiday Weekend. It’s thrown me out of routine and I’m only just getting back on track (and knowing what day it is!) today. We started Week Five of this year’s Summer Craft Challenge up in the Lake District visiting some lovely friends of ours. The view behind the pictures above is of Grasmere, where we enjoyed a lovely kayak around on Sunday. We have visited the Lakes many times over the years, and have never seen it in such warm and sunny conditions – we were really lucky.

Here’s what I got up to this week!

Last Saturday, we woke up in the Lakes again and packed a picnic ready for a big climb. We managed to get to top of a mountain! Cat Bells to be precise. When we made it to the top and found a quiet space to sit, those cheese rolls tasted like nectar from the Gods! Bliss! After our picnic lunch, I whipped my hook out and made another Orla Square at the top as a souvenir of our big climb.

Sunday morning was my last Lake District crochet session, we went to Grasmere and got our friends’ inflatable kayak pumped up so the boys could get out on the water. Once they had all had a go paddling around the island in the middle of the lake, my friend and I got in and had a go. While I was waiting for my turn, I sat in the shade and hooked up another Orla square. I wonder if I will remember where I made each one, when I finish the project later on? Maybe not, but they will certainly remind me of this summer.

On Monday, after work, I found myself back at home with the rather boring backdrop of our dining table for my Orla Squares today!

On Day 32, work was incredibly busy and the evening was too, but I managed to find a bit of time before bed to begin another heart for the North Wales and North West Paediatric Transport Service (full details of appeal is here). Unfortunately, once I was committed, I discovered I’d run out of filling to stuff it with, so had to leave it like this! Off to the shops soon…

Wednesday already and as I am planning on using my Orla Squares to make a garment (once I have enough made), I realised that I will probably need some ‘half’ squares to help with the shaping, so I did a bit of experinenting tonight.

Busy day on Day 34, including a really lovely funeral for a very good friend’s Dad, so not much inclination for making when I got home, some mindless sock-knitting rounds was just the ticket.

On Friday, I did a different bit of crafting – I crafted a podcast episode! The first episode of the new series of Making Stitches Podcast is ready to go live on Friday!

And that’s it for Week 5 of my Summer Craft Challenge from my part of the world.

Huge thanks to everyone who has joined in with the Summer Craft Challenge this week, it’s been so lovely to have company on this challenge. Included below are some of varied Instagram posts I’ve seen including a beautiful crocheted sea shell from Sandra @wilddaffodilwild, a beautiful Crochet Sanctuary Christmas blanket and a cardigan in the making from Kristina @crochet_at_holme, a Making Stitches 2025 CAL Bonus Birthday square from Sarah @sarahsheehangib and the cutest Snoopy and Woodstock from Jothi @jothiquestcraft – Thank you all!

And that’s all for this week, thanks again to everyone who’s joined in with the craft challenge to keep me company this week! If you want to join in, you can do at any time, just share what you’re making (any crafts welcome) over on Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2025 and we can all enjoy each other’s creativity!

Happy crafting!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2025 : Week Four

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Week Four of this year’s Summer Craft Challenge was much like week three – a real mix of things going on. I made a point of trying to have something different each week. Back in the old days when this summer challenge first started, it was completely different – we were living in Gibraltar (where the beach was a 10 minute drive and the sun (almost) always shone, I was a stay at home mum and my kids were a lot smaller. I now work part time, have only 2 young men at home and they are teenagers, so things have needed to be a bit more strategic.

This week was chilled for the lads as I was working 3 days, then we packed up the car and headed north again (not as far as our last holiday to Scotland though) and went to visit our very good friends who live in the Lake District. It was quite hard trying to find time for crochet or anything else in between things on my working days, but after that, it was a different matter.

Here’s what I got up to this week!

Last Saturday was a busy one (every day seems to be busy at the minute) and the first time I had to sit down and get my hook out was in the evening as I watched Guardians of the Galaxy 3 with the boys. That’s another 2 hearts made for the North West and North Wales Paediatric Transport Service. For full details on why I’m making these, check out this post!

Sunday and I revisited my Orla squares. I’m really enjoying making these as they work up so quickly.

On Monday I managed to make a third yellow heart for the North West and North Wales Paediatric Transport Service. That’s a fourth trio of hearts done.

On Day 25 and I took my knitting into work with me in the hope of getting a few rounds done on my sock at lunch time. I was a crazy busy day at work with one thing and another, so no time for lunchtime knitting for me. I enjoyed a sit down late at night and managed a few rounds whilst watcing the finale of Series 3 of The Guilded Age.

Blimey it was really hot on Wednesday (Day 26), and I managed to spend a good chunk of the afternoon sweating it up under a nylon cape at the hairdresser while she made my ‘silver highlights’ a bit less silver. I managed to hook some more squares up while I was in the chair!

Day 27 found us in the Lake District visiting some very dear friends. First night there involved half a pint of local ale and a lovely pub meal. I managed a teeny bit of crochet while we waited for dinner to come.

On Friday, I found myself beside Loughrigg Tarn (after taking a dip on my first ever wild swimming experience). It was a bit cold, but very invigorating and I am so proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone. I also managed to get last night’s square finished by the side of the water too!

And that’s it for Week 4 of my Summer Craft Challenge from my part of the world. This is coming to you a little bit late on Monday rather than Saturday owing to us being away for a few days. Back home safely now and back to ‘normal’ again for the time being.

Huge thanks to everyone who has joined in with the Summer Craft Challenge this week, it’s been so lovely to have company on this challenge. Included below are some of varied Instagram posts I’ve seen including some crocheted sea anemones from Sandra @wilddaffodilwild, a beautiful Merton Abbey Flower Square designed by Janie Crow and made by Kristina @crochet_at_holme, a stunning black crocheted fan comission from Sarah @Sarah.livelovecrochet. A truly lovely cardigan in the making from Carol @nanaseamakes, some dressmaking for the first time this summer from @seaside_karen, a Making Stitches 2025 CAL August square from Sarah @sarahsheehangib, a stunning collection of Granny Squares from Jothi @jothiquestcraft and finally a beautiful photo from Zeli @yarnstorms of her crocheting at the top of Foel Offrym, the Hill of Sacrifice in Wales. Thank you all!

Some of the brilliant Summer Craft Challenge posts shared on Instagram

And that’s all for this week, thanks again to everyone who’s joined in with the craft challenge to keep me company this week! If you want to join in, you can do at any time, just share what you’re making (any crafts welcome) over on Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2025 and we can all enjoy each other’s creativity!

Happy crafting!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2025 : Week Three

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Week Three of this year’s Summer Craft Challenge was for us a mix of being back at home and in work, traveling down to London to visit Eldest and entertaining friends back at our home in Manchester. Lots of fun times for us all and thankfully a few little windows of opportunity for me to get crafty!

Here’s what I got up to this week!

Last Saturday we headed off on the train down to London to visit Eldest. It gave me the perfect opportunity to get a good amount of crochet done, I couldn’t help but start a new project! I found the pattern for these ‘Orla Squares’ from @psicrochet on Instagram and fell in love with the multi coloured flowers. I only had a teeny amount of the off-white yarn for the centres so squeezed as many out of it as I could while on the train both ways.

Sunday and Day 16 offered me the chance to sit down and relax a bit after a very busy day of traveling and walking around London the day before. I was able to add to my collection of little Orla Square flowers before running out of the yarn for the middles.

Last day of leave for now and it was mainly spent cleaning, washing and ironing! I did manage to fit in a teeny bit of crochet time in the evening though to complete my third trio of hearts for the North West and North Wales Paediatric Transport Service. If you don’t know what this is, please find the full details here.

On Day 18 and my first day back at work after our holiday, I received some happy post to come home to – supplies of the yarn I need to turn my Orla Square flowers into squares – hurrah!

Yet another busy day in our household, once work was out of the way, we were joined by some lovely friends from our days in Gibraltar who traveled up today to visit us for a couple of days. Needless to say, there wasn’t much time for craft, but I did fit in a few moments of sock knitting in bed, before dropping off!

I’m so pleased with these little squares which are growing slowly but surely in number!

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our lovely friends on Friday, we had a really lovely time with them. As I sat in front of the TV after taking them to the station, I indulged in a little bit more of this embroidery project which I started in Scotland. Will I get it finished before the end of this Summer Craft Challenge? Somehow, I think not, but it’s proving a really cheerful ongoing project.

And that’s it for Week 3 of my Summer Craft Challenge from my side of things.

Huge thanks to everyone who has joined in with the Summer Craft Challenge this week, it’s been so lovely to have company on this challenge. Included below are some of varied Instagram posts I’ve seen including some embroidery from Kristina @crochet_at_holme, an ever growing crochet coral reef from Sandra @wilddaffodilwild. Also included below are a Making Stitches 2025 CAL July Square from @sarahsheehangib, purple mandalas from Mo at @mojo_5_yng, a rainbow wind spinner from @sarah.livelovecrochet, a beautiful rose covered blanket from @jothiquestcraft, a temperature embroidery from @crochet_at_holme, a brand new project from Ann Marie aka @crochetscot and a beautiful granny square in the making from Carol @nanaseamakes. Thank you all!

Some of the other Summer Craft Challenge posts from Instagram

And that’s all for this week, thanks again to everyone who’s joined in with the craft challenge to keep me company this week! If you want to join in, you can do at any time, just share what you’re making (any crafts welcome) over on Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2025 and we can all enjoy each other’s creativity!

Happy crafting!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2025 : Week Two

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Week Two of this year’s Summer Craft Challenge found us in Argyll on the West Coast of Scotland, such a beautiful place to visit and one which has strong family connections for us.

Here’s what I got up to this week!

I’m really enjoying this embroidery kit from Hello Hooray Blog, it’s been quite a while since I last did any embroidery so it’s been a lovely change.

Day 9 brought with it a new design, I have created a brand new bonus square design for my Making Stitches 2025 CAL, which I’ll be releasing very soon!

We had a busy day, meeting friends, having a woodland walk and then time for ice cream & a bit of sock knitting on the beach at Dunoon!

My second set of hearts for the North West & North Wales Paediatric Transport Service was finished today. To find out more about this important appeal, please check out my blog post here.

My last full day on holiday in Scotland, and my last early morning sitting in my favourite chair enjoying the peace and quiet before everyone else was up and being creative with a beautiful view.

Long trip home today – my only opportunity for craft was a spot of sock knitting while sitting on the car ferry!

First day back at home in Manchester after our lovely holiday and I felt restless and unable to settle on anything. I raided my pattern library to look for granny squares and made a few to satisfy my need to make, I think there may be a new WiP in the pipeline!

Huge thanks to everyone who has joined in with the Summer Craft Challenge this week, it’s been so lovely to have company on this challenge. Included below are some of varied posts I’ve seen including some incredible sculptural felting from Sandra at Wild Daffodil. Also included below are photos from @sarah.livelovecrochet @sarahsheehangib @crochet_at_holme @nanaseamakes @jothiquestscraft & @yarnstorms. Thank you all!

Some of the other Summer Craft Challenge posts from Instagram

And that’s all for this week, thanks again to everyone who’s joined in with the craft challenge to keep me company this week! If you want to join in, you can do at any time, just share what you’re making (any crafts welcome) over on Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2025 and we can all enjoy each other’s creativity!

Happy crafting!

Lindsay x

A Postcard from June 2025

~ Making Stitches ~ 2 Comments

Hello there, how are we at 14th July already? Almost at the midpoint of the month! I hope it’s been a good one for you – it’s been a decidedly warm one for us, with temperatures in the 30s (which for those of you in hotter climes probably doesn’t sound too hot but we felt it was!).

Last month was a rather special one for me in my blogging life, this little blog celebrated its 10th birthday. Never in all my imagination did I think, it would still be going after all this time when I first started out. I can vividly remember going out for a walk one evening (about a decade ago) along the winding streets and passages of Gibraltar taking photos of bougainvillea to illustrate one of my earlier blog posts and thinking, ‘is there anyone out there who will want to read this?’. I’m thrilled to say there was, and I’m still here knocking out posts (a little less frequently these days due to work commitments) and you’re still out there reading them! Thank you!

That bougainvillea from 10 years ago!

Anyway, here’s a quick look back at June in my world:

International Stitch Day

What a way to kick off the month, and what an amazingly on-brand event for Making Stitches! I was thrilled to be able to attend International Stitch Day on 1st June at the opening of Woven in Kirklees Festival in West Yorkshire. It was a brilliant day hosted at Oakwell Hall in Birstall. There were stalls, workshops (including one I had a play at), lots of interesting things to look at, and the most amazing thing I have experienced this year so far, the Red Dress was on display in the old hall itself. 

I have been aware of the Red Dress for quite a while now through social media and blog posts I have read, but to be able to witness it myself in real life was quite something. As I arrived early at the start of the event, I was able to go and have a look once the initial flurry of visitors had been in and at one brief point, I was the only person in the room (apart from the staff standing discretely at the back). The atmosphere was amazing and I felt truly privileged to witness it for myself. 

To see the intricate stitching and the countless hours of work by 380 different embroiderers, both professional and amateur, and to learn about some of the stories of the people who have stitched onto the dress was just amazing. After seeing it for myself, I was able to go and hear the ‘creator’ of the dress, Kirstie Macleod, give a talk about how the project had come about and a snapshot of some of her adventures as she has traveled around the world with it. It’s just mindblowing how big this project was and the complexity of the logistics involved. 

I was delighted to be able to sit down briefly with Kirstie after her talk to record a short chat for a future episode of Making Stitches Podcast and I’m thrilled to say that she agreed to a longer chat with me for a special ‘Red Dress’ episode which will be out in autumn.

A weekend away

Unfortunately one of us had to take the picture – but there were 5 of us!

I was so lucky in June to experience not one, but two brilliant weekends – first came Woven and next came a weekend away with four very special ladies who I have known since University days (one even since primary school!)

One of them lives in the Lake District and we have been trying to arrange for us all to spend a weekend together at her house for years. Each time we thought we had a date in the diary, something would come up and we were determined to do it with us all there. Persistence paid off and we had the most amazing couple of days reconnecting, walking, eating and drinking.

True old friends are just the best. They hold you up in the worst of times, share the best of times and, no matter how long passes between your meetings, when you are back together it’s as if you were never apart. 

I feel truly blessed to have them in my life.

10 years of this blog

Back in June 2015, after years of reading other people’s blogs, I decided to have a go myself. I thought the chances of anyone reading it were slim, but I thought I could use it as a kind of diary to record our life as a family living in Gibraltar. In its first iteration as Postcard from Gibraltar, it really surprised me – I found people around the world all reading it and sending me lovely messages. 

In the intervening years, our family has changed, has moved back to the UK, I’ve gone from being a full-time stay at home Mum to a working Mum Postcard from Gibraltar morphed into Making Stitches and the Making Stitches Podcast was born too! If you missed my post about the anniversary, you can find it here.

First strawb of the year!

I don’t know what happened to my strawberry plants over the winter – but I went from having about six containers full last year to just having three weedy looking specimens. My parents felt sorry for me and sent me over a new container filled with healthy plants and this was my first strawb. I am giving the new pot a lot of attention – especially during this very hot and dry weather so that it survives beyond the first month in my possession!

Soccer Aid

Honestly, trips to Old Trafford are like buses, you wait for years to go and then get two trips straight after each other! After going to the last match of the season for Manchester United in May, I went back with my Dad and Youngest to watch Soccer Aid on Father’s Day.

It was a great evening’s entertainment and really quite funny at times. There was even a musical interlude at half time which included a grand piano on the centre circle!

Making Stitches 2025 CAL : June

Summer Solstice Square
Bonus Birthday Square

June saw not one, but two new squares for the Making Stitches 2025 CAL. The main reason for me doing this CAL this year is because of the special anniversary, so it seemed appropriate to mark the occasion with a bonus square in addition to this month’s main square. The Summer Solstice square was launched on 1st June and the Bonus Birthday square pattern was released on my blogiversary. 

I am thrilled that I have managed to reach the mid-point of the year with people still discovering the crochet along and joining in along the way. The more the merrier! If you would like to have a go at any of the Making Stitches 2025 CAL patterns, you can find them all here!

Podcast News

There was just one episode of Making Stitches Podcast released in June as series 9 drew to a close ahead of the summer break. My guest this time was Micah Clasper-Torch a punch needle designer who has taught thousands of people the craft through her online platform. She has a new book out and is hoping to reach an even wider audience through her wearable punch needle designs. You can listen to the episode with Micah here.

Before I go…

This Postcard is almost at an end but before I head off, just a couple more things…. I have been so busy with crochet designs and recording new episodes for the next series of Making Stitches Podcast that I am well and truly ready to have a bit of a breather as life shifts down a gear and we hit the soon-to-be-upon-us school summer holidays. 

Before the holidays hit though, I am looking forward to sharing a bit of lovely news with you very soon. Keep your eyes pealed for that please – because I am going to need your help with something very special and worthwhile. 

Also, when my boys break up for their school summer holidays I will be launching my Summer Craft Challenge 2025 when I do something creative every day during the school summer holidays. I would love it if you would join in too! I love doing it each year and carving out a little bit of time each day to do something creative (it’s a real sanity saver amongst the chaos). As one of my boys finished for the summer on Friday this week, so I am going to be starting day one on Saturday (19th July) and posting a social media post each day to share what I have done, which will keep me focused on maintaining the challenge. 

The thing about a Summer Craft Challenges is that it’s always better when you’re not the only one doing it. So… please do join in and share your makes this summer on social media with the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2025 so I can see what other creativity is going on – just like the Making Stitches 2025 CAL – it’s better with friends and it would be great to build a Summer Craft Challenge community!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

Lindsay x

 

A Postcard from Scotland

~ Making Stitches ~ 4 Comments

Hello there, it’s been a while since I’ve posted about any travels and when I looked back at my posts from last year I was surprised to see that my family’s trip north of the border for our summer holidays didn’t make it into blogland. I’m not going back as far as last year for this post, just a couple of months to this summer’s trip up North!

image of Welcome to Scotland road sign

I spent so many holidays in Scotland as a child. My Mum is Scottish, so almost every school holiday, my parents would pack up the car and we would trundle along the 200+ miles from our home in Manchester to my grandparents’ home in Glasgow. We wouldn’t just stay in the Glasgow suburbs though, we’d go to the west coast for day trips to places like Largs, up to Loch Lomond and further afield to visit my Gran’s cousin ‘Great Aunt Daisy’.

Aunt Daisy lived in a tiny place called Tighnabruaich in Argyll. It took hours to get there from Glasgow – almost as long to get there as it did to get from Manchester to Glasgow in the first place in those days with the roads as they were. I have often thought of Tighnabruaich and my childhood trips there in the intervening years but never found a way to return (in no small part because we moved to Gibraltar for 11 years!). Anyway, last year, along with my parents, we made the trip back to Tighnabruaich after many years and it was so nice we went back again this year for another holiday!

View of calm water and a boat at dusk
The view from our rental holiday home this summer

Rather than taking the long way round this time, like we did in the old days with a stop off in Glasgow en route, we drove directly to Gourock, which is on the River Clyde, just west of Glasgow. There, you can catch a ferry which, in less than half an hour lands you on the outskirts of the lovely town of Dunoon, just an hour’s drive from Tighnabruaich.

View of the water towards Dunoon from the ferry
The view from the ferry

Just like last year, the excitement of actually driving onto the ferry (something I’d never done myself until last year) was just magical. It felt like the holiday began as soon as the handbrake went on and we got out of the car to have a look at the water!

View from the deck of the ferry heading to Dunoon

Once we docked in Dunoon, we took a drive to the local supermarket to load up on supplies (this is the nearest supermarket to where we were staying and a 2 hour round trip to pick up something we’d forgotten was not something we wanted to be doing!). Once fully loaded with edibles, we set off on the drive to Tighnabruaich. It takes you through some stunning scenery, much of which is on single track roads with passing places (think Skyfall – I channeled my inner Daniel Craig as I motored along the winding single track roads – not that I was in an Aston Martin I hasten to add). These roads can be a bit high pressure when you suddenly have a large farm vehicle or logging truck bearing down on you out of nowhere – but it’s all part of the experience!

There are climbs and descents throughout the journey between Dunoon and Tighnabruaich, the most spectacular of which has a lay-by with a viewing spot to look along the Kyles of Bute and Isle of Bute – just stunning.

View of the Kyles of Bute from above
Looking south across the Kyles of Bute

Not long after that stopping place, you find yourself entering Tighnabruaich itself.

image of Tighnabruaich roadsign

Tighnabruaich, which means ‘house on the hill’ in Gaelic is a small village which hugs the coastline of the Cowal Peninsula overlooking the island of Bute.

This view (below) taken from the next village along called Kames, looks towards Tighnabruaich. The land on the right of the picture is Bute and the waterway in between heads towards where that viewpoint picture was taken (further above).

View over rooftops to Tighnabruaich

Last year, we stayed in Tighnabruaich itself, but this year, we went a 5 minute walk down the coast to Kames. The two villages are pretty much separated by a shinty field so almost run into each other. [Shinty is a sport played in this part of the world, which involves sticks and a very hard ball].

image taken from the coastal road in Kames looking towards Tighnabruaich
The coastal road at Kames looking towards Tighnabruaich

It was such a quiet and tranquil place to have a break. This year we were a 15 minute walk into the centre of Tighnabruaich if we headed one way out of the front door, if we headed in the other direction, we came to this deserted spot.

panoramic image of the Kyles of Bute

Up above Tighnabruaich itself, you can find the ‘Ark’. It was built by a local artist to make a statement about global warming and rising sea levels. The structure itself was created using local timber which had to be felled because of disease. It’s really quite a thing of beauty and is striking when you spot it from the road. The view from the top must be amazing on a clear day, although the day we chose to climb up to it, there was a very heavy rainstorm which blew in from nowhere when we got there and before we knew it, visibility was severely reduced!

Image of the Tighnabruaich Ark with the Kyles of Bute beyond
The Tighnabruaich Ark
Image of the Tighnabruaich Ark

Also above the village, in a different direction is this fabulous coffee pit stop called Wild Kitchen. I have to give it a mention, because we became regular visitors (the photos here were taken last year when we had much better weather). The coffee beans used here come from the building next door, which happens to be the Argyll Coffee Roasters the coffee there is amazing AND the cakes…

image of Wild Kitchen, Argyll
Wild Kitchen, Argyll

…well, I will let you see for yourself….

image of slice of chocolate cake with caramel on top
Yum! A homemade cake from the Wild Kitchen, Argyll.

One place we visited both last year and this time was Puck’s Glen. We were looking for a woodland walk and found a leaflet advertising it. It was about an hour’s drive from Tighnabruaich, back towards Dunoon. It was so lovely last year, there was a special request from the younger members of the party to return again this year.

image of woodland

There’s a free car park and then you just follow the signs up the hill and away from the main road. Before long you can hear just the sounds of the woodland around you, creaking trees moving in the breeze, birds tweeting and in the distance the sound of water running.

view of path disappearing into the trees

There are different ways to attempt the walk but we followed the path up quite a steep climb through the woodland and eventually ended up on a rough forestry road.

View of path through woodland

At the road, you take a left over a concrete bridge and then begin your descent down the Pucks Glen gorge. It is a magical place. The path, a Victorian walkway, follows the path of the river past waterfalls, over bridges and down lots and lots of steps. It wouldn’t be a great walk for someone with who wasn’t too steady on their feet and I’d not want to do it with very small children either but it is really worth a visit.

View of walkway at Puck's Glen
The beginning of the path into Puck’s Glen

If you are due a dose of vitamin tree or need a refill of greenery, this is 100% the place to go!

View of waterfall at Puck's Glen
One of the many waterfalls at Puck’s Glen

It is so beautiful there, you feel like you have slipped into a magical world of fairies, or should I say Kelpies?

View of Puck's Glen

It’s like something out of Lord of the Rings – just wonderful!

view of Puck's Glen

Down at the bottom of the gorge, you pick up a footpath back to the carpark to complete the circular route.

image shows sign pointing to Dunoon pier with woodland in the background

Another walk we made was to the seaside rather than into the woods. We visited Ostell Bay or Kilbride Bay as it’s also known. You get to it along a countryside path alongside fields and wooded areas, then you come to a large area of sand dunes.

image shows country lane with field at the side

Wherever we went and except for when we were in the midst of heavy rain, the views in this part of the world were stunning.

image shows view over fields with a pond

We did get a lot of rain though this year, which of course resulted in quite a bit of mud….

image shows large muddy puddle

It was worth getting through the mud though, because on the other side of the dunes was this amazing beach which although it had other people on it, is huge, beautiful and so so quiet.

image shows sand dunes with a beach beyond

It’s the perfect spot to have a sit down and watch the clouds pass by!

image shows a deserted beach
Ostell Bay

It’s not a bad place to knock out a few rows of knitting either!

Image shows close up of knitting with a beach in the background

On our final night in Scotland, we were treated to a light show. Not quite the spectacle that many people witnessed in Britain this week, but it made our day!

Image shows a pale hint of pink Northern Lights in a dark night sky
A hint of the Northern Lights

On our last morning, we woke to bright sunshine and the best weather of the entire week – never mind! It was hard to stay goodbye to my adopted crochet corner when we left…

Image shows an arm chair facing a patio window looking out over the water

The weather also meant for a stunning trip back over on the ferry. My word, what a beautiful place!

View looking out over the back of the Western Ferries ferry towards Dunoon on a sunny day.
Looking back towards Dunoon on our homeward voyage

Goodbye Scotland, and thank you for having us!