summer

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 Week 6 & a bit!

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Knitting on the beach on the west coast of Scotland on the last day of our holiday

Well here we are, after the start of the new school year. That summer whizzed in the blink of an eye!

My summer craft challenge for 2024 officially came to an end last Tuesday evening as school bags were packed and the last minute checks were done. This year was my 8th Summer Craft Challenge, it started back in 2016 when I lived a completely different life over in Gibraltar….

I was a stay-at-home Mum of 3 young men and was staring down the barrel of a 10-week-long holiday and thought a craft challenge to do something crafty every day during the school holiday might just help me keep my sanity. It worked. It forced me actually do something for myself in the midst of beach days, household chores & attempting to entertain 3 young men in a non-air conditioned flat in the Mediterranean!

Each summer since then, apart from in 2020 when we moved back to the UK during the summer holiday and mid Covid lockdown, I have set myself the challenge. A few times a handful of people have joined in here and there but this year, I have a had a merry band of crafters who have risen to the challenge and taken part with me. It’s been an unexpected delight! Thank you to everyone who has joined in, with embroidery, crochet, knitting, baking, resin flower making, jewelry making and other crafts too.

A few of the lovely daily crafts shared during Week 6 of this summer’s challenge

In the final full week of the challenge there was slow stitching, crocheting for multiple grandsons, sock knitting and most exciting of all, a new grand daughter for Carol @nanaseamakes – huge congratulations to your family Carol on the most amazing make of the summer! 💕☀️

Thank you to this week’s featured makers : Carol @nanaseamakes Alison @alisonswoolnwalks Sandra @wilddaffodilwild Zeli @yarnstorms Marisa @mariwish & Kristina @catsy_crochet & to everyone else who has joined in with the Summer Craft Challenge this year, it’s been the best one yet without a doubt! I’ve loved seeing all your makes & meeting new people through the challenge.

So here’s what I got up to in the final week and a bit of this summer’s challenge:

Day 36 : Saturday 24th August

Day 36 of my Summer Craft Challenge was mostly spent on the road & on a ferry to a lovely spot in the west coast of Scotland.

I took a huge bag of yarn with me so I was hoping to get loads of knitting & crochet done while I was away. I was a bit tired after the long drive so just did a spot of knitting before bed!

Day 37/38: Sunday 25th August

So, as you can see, my brain went into holiday mode and despite it only being day 37 of the challenge I decided to call it day 38! Whoops! From here on in, I lost a day in the challenge (I’ll stick with what I said it was to avoid confusion but it actually lasted 46 days in total not 47 – I was telling a fib!).

What bliss, crochet & a view – a perfect start to the day! This is how I started day 1 of my holiday – first one up and with the house to myself…

Gazing out at the Kyles of Bute with a coffee & a granny square or two.

Day 39: Monday 26th August

I managed a little bit of al fresco crochet overlooking the water after being out for a nice walk!

Day 40: Tuesday 27th August

A bit of granny square crochet & blue skies on day 40!

Day 41: Wednesday 28th August

So, I thought it would be pretty cool to climb up the hill to the Tighnabruaich Ark which lies above the little town of Tighnabruaich close to where we stayed in Argyll. The ark was built by a local artist using timber which had to be felled due to disease. It was created to make a statement about climate change.

I had a couple of young men with me on the trip and asked Eldest to record me knitting so I could make an arty post for social media. You will be able to hear the wind and beginning of the torrential downpour which ensued.

It was a bit windy!

By the time we got back down the hill, I was wet through to my underwear! So much for al fresco crafting that day!!

Day 42: Thursday 29th August

Thoroughly dried out, on Thursday we had a wonderful (dry) walk in a woodland – it was blissful compared to the day before! Before we left for the day, I found myself with yet another quiet early morning with the house to myself and nothing but my crochet & the view for company! What a joy!

Day 43: Friday 30th August

This was our last full day in Scotland and I have to admit I was feeling rather melancholy about saying goodbye to this view. It was so lovely, just sitting there joining my squares and wondering when I’d next have the opportunity for such long unadulterated crochet time!

I took my knitting out with me to a local beach (you can see it in the top photo). My Mum sent me the following photo of me knitting on the beach… I have no idea what went on in the background – it looks like I’m knitting in a galaxy far, far away!!

Day 44: Saturday 31st August

I couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on my last chance to have some early morning crochet in my Scottish crochet corner, so I set my alarm a little bit earlier on Saturday morning ahead of our trip back home just so I could hook for a teeny bit more.

It was worth it! The sun was out and the view was magnificent- the best day of the holiday weather wise by far (typical!). After a very tiring 8-hour-long journey home (terrible tailbacks on the motorway in Lancashire) we made it safely home.

After that drive, I was utterly zonked and incapable of adulting that evening beyond getting the car unpacked and cooking dinner for everyone so I just sat down and picked up where I left off that morning – same position but with a slightly different view – of my back garden this time!

Day 45: Sunday 1st September

Back at home on Sunday was a hectic day with shopping, unpacking, washing etc. but I did find a little window of opportunity to start sewing in some of my granny square ends.

Day 46: Monday 2nd September

Back to work for me, and there was just a little bit of time in the evening for some candy striped crochet.

Day 47 (actually Day 46): Tuesday 3rd September

My last day of the 2024 Summer Craft Challenge and my attention has turned already to Christmas. The striped crochet is a covering for a wreath idea I’ve been working on – I look forward to being able to share its progress with you in the coming weeks & months!

Thank you for joining along on my Summer Craft Challenge adventure and for stopping by to read my ramblings! Thank you again to everyone who joined me along the way too by finding a little (or not so little) moment of creativity during the summer!

Same time, same place next year?

Lindsay x

A Postcard from August 2024

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Ostell Bay beach, Friday 30th August 2024

Hello there, and hello September! Blimey that summer went quickly didn’t it?! And check me out posting on the first day of the month!

It’s been a funny kind of summer for us, as it’s been the first full summer of my current job – last year I worked 100% from home and that meant I was always around for the boys. They are now old enough to manage without me in the house all day every day, so for a chunk of the holidays this year, I’ve been out at work.

That led to the inevitable Mum guilt of not being around for as many days out as in the past but we did manage a few, and here they are…

At the start of the month we had a nice warm, sunny spell which was a relief after a particularly damp and grey time of it. We are very lucky to have the Cheshire countryside on our doorstep, so getting out into the green is quite easy. One day, when both myself and Eldest were off work, we all managed to get out for a lovely walk along the canal towpath towards Lymm and back again. I love this walk, whether in winter (with the reward of a bag of chips at Lymm) or as was the case this time, an ice cream in summer. It was so nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air!

A visit from special friends

Last month we were so happy to play host to a couple of friends who we’ve known since our time in Gibraltar. They moved back to the UK well before we did but we have stayed in regular contact and it’s so lovely to get together with them when we can.

They arrived in Manchester for a weekend with us and as their previous visit north had been during Covid times which rather restricted what we could do (although obviously not in lockdown though), we were thrilled to take them on a bit of a tour of Manchester.

As one of them is a newly qualified art teacher, I thought she might appreciate a trip to Manchester Art Gallery.

There was a fab exhibition on featuring outfits from a whole host of fashion designers from Balenciaga to Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood to Chanel. It was a real treat!

Also, while they were up visiting, we took them to do one of our favourite summer traditions; a walk around Marbury Park in Cheshire, followed by ice cream at Great Budworth Ice Cream farm. I even blogged about this tradition in one of the first ever blog posts on here back in my Postcard from Gibraltar days 9 years ago!

Teezels at Marbury Country Park

As well as having a dairy herd at the ice cream farm, there are several goats and a rather cheerful looking donkey, who stole the show!

Our final week of August was spent north of the border in Scotland, but I rather think that deserves a blog post of its own, so when I have the chance I will sit down and write that, watch this space!

International Granny Square Day

International Granny Square Day falls in August and this year I was in work on the day itself. I spent lunchtime at work scrolling through Instagram looking at so many gorgeous squares and feeling frustrated that I hadn’t been able to make any myself. So, when I got home, while making dinner for the family, I may have slightly overdone a few bits and bobs while I made these two podcast related granny squares of my own!

What I’ve been listening to

Well my audio book library card has had a fair bashing lately – I’m totally hooked. So much so, I’ve been having to catch up on my favourite podcasts! I have almost finished the four Thursday Murder Club books – I’m in the last few chapters now. I can highly recommend them if you’re after a light, funny and at times emotional read/listen. I can see why Richard Osman sits at the top of the best seller charts with them – he’s such an observant writer.

Podcast News

Dr Gemma McKenzie

There was just one Making Stitches Podcast episode in August – I decided to take a short break as it was proving difficult to keep up the schedule with the boys on holiday. In this episode Dr Gemma McKenzie spoke to me about the crochet exhibition she is planning to raise awareness about human rights around childbirth. It’s an area I admit to not knowing much about but I thoroughly enjoyed our chat and am interested to learn more because of it.

If you haven’t already listened, you can find our chat here along with details of how you can contribute granny squares to the Threads of Protest Yarnbomb.

Crochet News

I almost forgot to add this exciting bit of news which happened in August too – my second design for Inside Crochet magazine was published. I really enjoyed making this soft, textured book for toddlers to celebrate autumn.

That’s all for this time. Thanks so much for stopping by, and until next time, take care!

Lindsay x

August 2024

Summer Craft Challenge 2024: Week Five

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Hello there! I hope the summer’s treating you well. I’m writing this sitting in an armchair overlooking the water and across to the Isle of Bute on the west coast of Scotland. The picture above shows how I started the week (on a walk in Cheshire) and how I ended it (on a ferry from Gourock to Dunoon). Just look at the colours in those two photos – they would make a fab blanket don’t you think?

Anyway, back to the challenge for this week…

Day 29 – Saturday 17th August

Day 29 meant just a little time for a bit of knitting & a beer after a fun day with friends including a visit to Manchester Art Gallery & one of the nicest pizzas I’ve ever eaten in Manchester city centre.

Day 30 – Sunday 18th August

Crochet while playing monopoly can be dangerous… like missing when someone lands on your property and they keep quiet about it…

Day 30 of my #SummerCraftChallenge2024 an evening of playing monopoly after a lovely day with friends including that walk in Cheshire I was telling you about before.

Day 31 – Monday 19th August

Back working on my #MagpieMAL this evening after work. Completed section 6 and attempted to begin section 7 but had too many people talking to me to be able to count stitches, so ended up frogging that bit. Shall wait for a quiet moment before trying again!

Day 32 – Tuesday 20th August

I realised as I was writing this post that although I did take this photo on Day 32 I forgot to post it on Instagram at the time – whoops! I did find that quiet moment I was seeking the day before and managed to restart that section I had to frog. Hurrah!

Day 33 – Wednesday 21st August

As of lunchtime on Wednesday, I was officially ‘on holiday’ hurrah!

I spent a very happy hour playing with my @stylecraftyarns Special DK stash in the afternoon, so I have a new WIP to play with while I’m away with my family on holiday.

I’m hoping this means I will be able to share a few more inspiring al fresco crochet and knitting photos while I’m away!

Day 33 of my #SummerCraftChallenge2024 completed in an array of colour! 🌈

Day 34 – Thursday 22nd August

Day 34 of my #SummerCraftChallenge2024 was mainly dominated by GCSE results in our house. I’m pleased to say it was good news – phew! Sending best wishes to everyone else who was involved in such things. It’s an emotional time whether they bring positive or negative news.

Aside from that there were Granny Squares a plenty and the start of a new WIP for my holiday project.

Day 35 – Friday 23rd August

I had a very happy half an hour knitting at the hairdressers getting my holiday hair cut and to hide the silver which keeps appearing.

Do you take your craft projects to the hairdressers? I always do. They’ve stopped asking if I want a magazine to read now as they know I always have something in my bag ready to whip out!

The Summer Craft Challenge 2024 at large!

My word what a creative week it’s been for those of you joining me with the Summer Craft Challenge this year. There’s been slow stitching, sock knitting, blankets and plenty and this stunning embroidery of summer 2024 memories!

I’m still so thrilled that I’ve got company on this creative wander through the summer and so it’s so inspiring to see such lovely work! Thank you all for joining in Marisa @mariwish, Sandra @wilddaffodilwild , Carol @nanaseamakes, Kristina @catsy_crochet, and Alison @alisonswoolnwalks.

If you’d like to join me with a little bit of creativity every day this summer, please do. Just take a photo of your moment of creative fun and upload it to Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2024 – there are no rules, just fun! Post once, occasionally or everyday – it’s up to you! 

That’s all for this week, I hope you’ e enjoyed my creative meander through the past seven days. I hope your week ahead is filled with fun & creativity!

Take care,

Lindsay x

A Postcard from July 2024

~ Making Stitches ~ 4 Comments

Hello there! I hope you’re doing ok. I had been hoping to get this post out weeks ago, but hey ho. The juggle of life, family, work, school holidays, podcasting & a craft challenge meant that craft challenge posts took priority and I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to stick to those each week so far! Gold stars all round for that I think.

As I write this, these memories from last month feel very distant, we are currently entering the 5th and penultimate week of the school summer holidays locally and it feels like it’s gone full steam and whizzed ridiculously fast. It’s hard to believe that we had a General Election last month! So much has happened since then.

I had the morning off work this morning to take some lovely friends who have been staying with us this weekend to the station and am feeling very chilled about life which is lovely. I’m back in work this afternoon so taking this sliver of opportunity to get this post written and out to you before I need to start thinking about my Postcard from August!! Here goes…

Greenhouse update

Looking at these little baby tomato plants they look rather tiny compared to the monsters I now have (you’ll have to wait until the August edition to see them now). However this was taken at the start of last month as my new-to-me green house became operational. I have 3 types of tomatoes, all cherry toms but different kinds and teeny sweet pepper plant too.

Also in my garden was this stunning white passion flower. I bought it as part of a deal at the supermarket (3 plants for £12 I think) and the photo label showed a traditional blue and cream kind of flower but this appeared and I love it, if the slugs stop eating it – I will be happy – I hope it survives!

[In slug news – after a particularly damp and rainy day last week we counted 32 in our back garden. 32!! Yuck!].

Back to the Lake District

Our first weekend of the summer holidays was spent back up in the Lake District with our lovely friends up there. We had such a brilliant time. We had a couple of walks – one which involved a kayaking expedition in the middle of it and another which had a fabulous pub Sunday Roast lunch at the end!

On one of our walks we passed these stunning nature-inspired gates. Aren’t they beautiful? They reminded me of the Lord of the Rings films – there are definitely Rivendell vibes in this part of the world.

The view below was from our walk to the pub lunch. The lake in the distance is Grasmere. The photo doesn’t really do it justice, it was so beautiful up there despite the moody skies.

And after that climb, we dropped down into Elterwater (below) where we had a gorgeous lunch. Guilt free after that strenuous climb!

My friends have a fab VW Camper which they’ve owned since forever. I wanted to make them a gift to thank them for their hospitality, so made them a squishy cushion version.

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to finish it before I arrived with them and didn’t take enough stuffing to fill it, so had to bring it back home to fill it properly (see below). It’s now back where it belongs up the Lakes.

Closer to home, we’ve had a few walks on nice days – the picture below is of a local park just about a mile from our house. I do so love that green colour you get as the sun shines through the leaves!

What I’ve been listening to

I have recently discovered that you can borrow audio books from my local library for free! How amazing is that? I’ve listened to Michelle Obama’s Becoming, Richard E Grant’s very moving A Pocketful of Happiness and am currently smashing my way through the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. I really enjoyed Andrew Ridgeley’s Wham! George & Me which was read by him. For people of a certain age who had Wham posters on their bedroom walls – I can highly recommend it!

Podcasting news

Emma Varnam

Last month, there were two episodes of Making Stitches Podcast released. The first with the fabulous Emma Varnam. I was so lucky to be invited to visit Emma at her home and had a lovely chat about how she began designing crochet patterns, how (like me) many of the people in her closest circle have hand made gifts foisted upon them and the joys of creating. It was so lovely to meet Emma and I have our mutual friend Christine Perry aka Winwick Mum for introducing us – thank you Christine! You can find our episode here.

My second offering featured a chat I had with Jen Simonic from the Loose Ends Project which matches volunteer ‘Finishers’ with craft projects which have been left part made by crafters who have either died or are unable to complete because of health reasons. It’s a truly remarkable project and mind blowing in how quickly it has spread around the world. You can find out more about this here.

Kasey & Jen from The Loose Ends Project

In case you missed my Summer Craft Challenge 2024 so far…

And that just about brings this Postcard from July to a close. I hope you had a good month and have been able to find a bit of creativity to unwind and relax as I have for the past month. You can read all about what I’ve been up to craft-wise in the last few weeks in the four previous posts.

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 Week One

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 Week Two

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 Week Three

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 Week Four

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 : Week Three

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Week 3 of my Summer Craft Challenge has truly whizzed by! I can’t believe that a week has passed since I was sitting in the sun in my back garden with my bee mug of tea & my MagpieMAL crochet… We’re almost half way through the school summer holidays now for our family which means I’m almost halfway through the Summer Craft Challenge too! Sniff, it’s going too fast!

Here’s what I got up to this week:

Day 15

We had such lovely weather on Saturday – we went out for a lovely walk in the Cheshire countryside then headed home for dinner. I took the opportunity have a quiet sit in the garden for a while when dinner was in the oven.

You can’t beat a bit of Al fresco crochet and feeling the sun on your face!

Day 16

Had a bit of fun on Sunday trying to perfect a sprout pattern – I know there are patterns already out there, but wanted to come up with one of my own… still working on it!

Day 17

Day 17 of the Challenge and time for a bit more progress on my #magpiemal shawlette.

Day 18

It was a knitting mindless rounds in front of Olympics kind of a day… busy, busy, busy. And relax…

Day 18 of the #SummerCraftChallenge2024 done!

Day 19

Day 19 of my #SummerCraftChallenge2024 and there was time this evening for a spot of work on a pattern I’ve been sitting on for quite a while. Can you tell what it is? I got a couple of correct guesses over on Instagram which is reassuring I’m on the right path!

Day 20

Day 20 already on the #SummerCraftChallenge2024 and it was back to the #MagpieMAL for me. No work the next day so it felt like Friday already!

Pattern by Heather @kcaco.uk
Yarn by Kitey @the_yarnwhisperer
Cute Stitches Marker by Amanda @MrsGMakes

Day 21

Had rather a lot of fun yesterday hooking up some sausages – doesn’t everyone?

There’s been a bit of a food theme this week… I feel a project coming on – watch this space!

Join in!

Nothing says #SummerCraftChallenge like a bit of al fresco crafting, sock knitting by a loch in the sun, crochet by a tree in Norfolk and embroidery on the beach in Sardinia! Here’s a little snap shot of some of the fab creativity which has been happening this week.

Thank you so much to everyone who has joined in with the #SummerCraftChallenge2024 this week, including @catsy_crochet @mariwish @nanaseamakes @merkducrochet @yarnstorms & @alisonswoolnwalks

It’s so fun knowing so many people are joining in with my challenge this year!

If you’d like to join me with a little bit of creativity every day this summer, please do. Just take a photo of your moment of creative fun and upload it to Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2024 – there are no rules, just fun! Post once, occasionally or everyday – it’s up to you!

Happy Summer Crafting!

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 : Week Two

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Hello there and welcome to the second weekly round up of my 2024 Summer Craft Challenge.

It has been a very busy week for me doing the juggle of work, school holidays and podcasting too. It’s made me realise that maybe I’m doing a little bit too much. I’m going to have a look at what I can reduce to allow for a bit more down time!

As a consequence I haven’t had much concentration space to allow for much creativity as my creative juices have been consumed doing other things! There has been a lot of mindless knitting happening as a result so my photos this week aren’t the most inspiring – apologies for that.

Here goes…

Day 8

After the struggle I had last Friday getting in a tangle with my yarn winding for the Magpie MAL by Heather from Keep Calm & Crochet On UK (Yarn by Kitey of The Yarn Whisperer) I decided to take it nice and slow and really enjoyed sitting quietly winding yarn cakes with the rest of my yarn for this project on Saturday.

Day 9

The MAL began in earnest for me on Sunday morning accompanied by a cup of coffee enjoying the peace and quiet before the rest of the household woke up!

Day 10

Back to work and after a busy day I sat down to enjoy a few rounds of my long term project – a top down sweater by Tin Can Knits. I’m loving this section as you just go round and round and round and don’t need to think too much!

Day 11

Tuesday and more continuous rounds of knitting….

Day 12

On Wednesday I had to double up on the creativity – knitting while editing my podcast episode for Friday. (Normally I have my episodes edited further in advance but the juggle meant it was a bit last minute this week which doesn’t help with the stress levels). A lot of the editing process involves listening back to sections so I used my hands to knit while doing that.

You can catch my latest episode here, it features a chat I had with Jane Abraham, who is also known as The Cornish Knitter on YouTube. I found our chat fascinating as she talked about the challenges faced by more mature crafters – please do have a listen!

Remember these cushions I made in week 1? Well they went into a gift I was making for my good friend whom I saw on Wednesday evening – they were the stuffing for a….

…. Cuddly VW Camper Van. I can now share it as it’s been gifted and gone off to its new home up in the Lake District!

Day 13

Well Thursday was a day and a half. Full on, in person outdoors in the sun for 8 hours meeting and chatting to people all day long with work. My batteries were a little flat by Thursday evening so a teeny amount of knitting was all I could manage.

Day 14

A good night’s sleep was just the medicine to be able to get back to reading a pattern again and trying something more exciting for Friday’s crafty moment – back into the Magpie MAL and loving it!

Join in!

A few of the other Summer Craft Challenge Instagram posts this week!

This summer, more than on any of my previous Summer Craft Challenges (dating back to 2016) I’ve been joined by quite a few other crafters and it’s been fabulous to see so many other people enjoying a bit of creativity every day. It really helps me by encouraging me to dig out even a teeny bit of quiet and calm when I’m super busy, I hope it’s helping everyone else too.

There’s been quite a bit of variety of crafts too this week – did you know it was International Embroidery Day on Wednesday? I didn’t! There was quite a bit of slow stitching on the IG squares this week along with plenty of crochet, knitting, a fabulous doggie outfit ready for a Rock Choir event and a resin dipped flower!

If you’d like to join me with a little bit of creativity every day this summer, please do. Just take a photo of your moment of creative fun and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2024 – there are no rules, just fun! Post once, occasionally or everyday – it’s up to you!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2024 : Week One

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Hello there, well that’s the first week of the school summer holidays done in our house and that means week one of my Summer Craft Challenge is done too.

It’s been a really rather special one for me – I’ve been doing this every summer since 2016 (except during 2020) and occasionally other people have joined in here and there. It was primarily a way to give me a focus during the long summer school break (10 weeks long back then when we lived in Gibraltar) with 3 young men to look after and entertain. It had the benefit of reminding me that being creative is good for my mental health and it’s so easy to become overwhelmed with all the things which need to be done at the cost of carving out a little time for yourself.

Back when I started, I invited people to join me and never before has it been so whole heartedly done – thank you so much to everyone who has tagged along with me!

Here’s a little look back at this week in craft..

Day One

This time last week, we were in beautiful Grasmere in the Lake District visiting our good friends who live up that way. School finished the day before and we headed straight up to Cumbria that afternoon. We woke up, had breakfast and headed to the Mere for a morning out on the water. We all took a turn kayaking and while I waited for mine, I sat on the shore hooking! We even had a visit from an inquisitive duck!

Crocheting by the water at Grasmere

Day Two

Still in the Lakes, we hiked to Elterwater for a wonderful Sunday lunch in a hotel – it was delicious and all the more tasty thanks to our walk to get it! I took my yarn and hook with me to get some more al fresco crochet in – it ended up being crochet on the move as we caught the bus from Elterwater to Ambleside after lunch.

Elterwater

Day Three

We traveled back home on Sunday and I took Monday off seeing as it was the first proper day of the holidays. There were lots of jobs to do, as is always the case after a trip away so the first chance I had to sit down and do something creative was after dark! I’m hoping to finish this Tin Can Knits top down jumper I’ve been working on since before Christmas at some point this summer. I’ll keep you posted!

Day Four

Another busy day. Back at work but did manage a bit of knitting while there was still light in the sky!

Day Five

I ditched the yarn this evening and blew the dust off my sewing machine to repurpose an old unwearable school shirt into something new – a couple of little cushions for a project I’m working on.

Day Six

That project I was making the cushions for is finished. It’s a gift so I can only share a sneak peak and this is it. Once it’s been gifted, I promise I’ll show you what it is!

Day Seven

Today, I thought I’d crack out a new project I’ve been saving for this very purpose – the Mischievous Magpie MAL (Yarn by Kitey from The Yarn Whisperer & pattern by Heather from Keep Calm & Crochet On).

I got over excited and went a bit hell for leather on the yarn winding and got myself into a bit of a pickle. I was unraveling hours later as I watched the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games! I’m pleased to say I got there in the end…

Join the challenge!

So, as I said before, quite a few people joined me this week. You can see some of that creativity above – what a thrill! Thank you to you all for tagging along.

If you fancy joining in, please do, there are no rules. Just take a photo of your moment of creativity and post it on Instagram with the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2024

Until next time, enjoy your summer crafting!

Lindsay x

A Postcard from June 2024

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Hello there! I hope you’re doing ok. True to form, here is a ‘Postcard from June’ coming to you two thirds of the way through July.

Back in the day, when I first started this blog under the name of Postcard from Gibraltar, I was a stay at home mum of three young men. Now I am a working mum of three young men with a podcast to make and crochet commissions to complete too, so despite my best intentions, time can run away with me. It frustrates me sometimes when I realise I have failed my own self imposed deadlines, but then I stop and think about the fact that there are only so many hours in the day and I can give myself a break every now and again.

So, without a guilty conscience on my part, here is a little look back at June in my world.

Talking of giving myself a break…

Langdale YHA first thing in the morning…

The top photo is of the calm before the crowds arrived at a very good friend’s 50th birthday party at the start of the month. They moved from our home town of Manchester a couple of years ago up to the Lake District, a dream of theirs which they decided to just do rather than thinking about it any longer.

They live in a little slice of gorgeousness and love to share it with family and friends, hence the invitation for a jolly good knees up to celebrate the significant birthday. The party spilled out into the driveway which they share with lovely neighbours (who also came to the party) and a brilliant time was had by all – even the weather behaved. It was a truly brilliant celebration.

I went along without the young men in my life in tow and spent the whole time chatting to old friends and having a good laugh. That night, as we all made our way to our various overnight lodgings, I headed over the (rather large) nearby hill to Langdale YHA, my bed for the night. The photo immediately above is the view from the youth hostel first thing the following morning. I got myself a coffee and sat out on the veranda admiring the view and the peace and quiet while I waited for breakfast.

What bliss it was, a mini 24-hour-long holiday in the sunshine with lovely friends. I caught a lift down to Windermere later that morning to catch another lift back to Manchester and my boys. While I waited for the second lift back home, I sat on the shore of Lake Windermere with my crochet… it doesn’t get better than this!

What a place to sit an crochet, while contemplating life!

Such a beautiful place to visit…..

The longest day…

This photo was taken after 11pm on 21st June, the longest day of the year. Despite being on this planet for 50 years already, it never ceases to amaze me that within the matter of a few months, we can go from living in near darkness from around 3:30pm in the depths of winter to still having light in the sky so late on in the middle of summer.

Having had lots of holidays north of the border, I am aware that the days are much longer up there, but this still impressed me!

I have a greenhouse!

One of my oldest friends is having a garden rejig which includes upgrading her mini greenhouse to a full sized greenhouse. That meant her old one needed a new home. So imagine the scene as, along with the help of my two eldest boys, we walked the greenhouse round from her house to mine (some of the journey was spent with me actually in it holding it up – arms above my head – in a Fred Flintstone feet through the bottom of the car style with one son at the front walking backwards and another son taking the weight at the back) it must have been quite a sight for the neighbours between our two homes. On a ‘normal’ day the walk is just over 5 minutes. It took a bit longer than that with a few breaks to rest our arms along the way. I had a giggle, even if the boys died a little bit inside at their crazy mother’s schemes….

Anyway, it is now happily residing up the side of our house (where the sun reaches in the morning and again, mid to late afternoon) and is home to three tomato plants and a sweet pepper plant. I shall keep you posted on any updates on their fruiting – fingers crossed!

A trip down memory lane

At the end of the month, Keele University celebrated its 75th birthday. It’s the place where I spent an incredibly happy three years, meeting life-long friends and the man I married. There was a special open day to celebrate the milestone and former students and local residents were invited along to wander round the campus. I took two of my boys down to see it for the first time. It was lovely to retrace the footsteps of my much younger self!

Keele Hall, where I spent many hours studying English Literature

My design in print

In a month of lots of lovely things, this was probably the most exciting… for the first time ever I got to see my own design in print in a magazine. I designed and made this canal boat art inspired bottle holder for Inside Crochet (my first design for them) and it even made it onto the front cover!!

It was such a thrill to see my design photographed by a professional and presented so beautifully – thank you so much Inside Crochet!!

Podcast news

Two episodes of Making Stitches Podcast made an appearance in June. The first one, in time for the D-Day commemorations featured three of the people involved in creating The Longest Yarn, an 80 metre long display featuring significant moments which led up to, during and immediately after the D-Day Landings.

The second episode featured a chat I had with Claire Reed, who specialises in helping small creative businesses with their Etsy shops, you can hear the episode here.

And that brings, this latest Postcard to an end. But, before I go….

Anyone fancy a Summer Craft Challenge?

As I mentioned at the top of this post, my time is tight right now. I remember back in the summer of 2016, as my boys’ schools in Gibraltar broke up for the long summer break, I wondered how I would survive with three young men for a 10-week-long ‘holiday’. I decided to set myself a challenge that no matter how busy or hectic or tiring a day was, I had to carve out a little bit of ‘me’ time to be creative. It didn’t matter if it was just 15 minutes of crochet late at night when everyone was in bed, or a lazy afternoon hooking some granny squares sitting on a deck chair on the beach.

Each day I took a photo of my little creative moment and wrote a blog post each week to talk about what I was making. It really worked you know, rather than spending weeks too busy to ‘make’ and getting grumpier and grumpier as time went on, I managed to carve out a little bit of creativity and it worked wonders.

Tomorrow, school comes to an end for my youngest, and this year, for the first time since being a Mum, I have a job which takes me out of the house to an office and I have a bigger juggle than ever to fit everything in. No better time then surely to make sure I have a window of creativity each day to keep me on an even keel. So, I have thrown myself the gauntlet of attempting to create that space each day and document it as I go along. Summer Craft Challenge 2024 is a matter of hours away.

Care to join me? If so, please post the photos of your summer creativity and use the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2024 and join the creative fun! I’d love to have your company on this summer adventure!

Until next time, look after yourself and enjoy your creativity!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2023 : Weeks 4, 5 & 6

~ Making Stitches ~ 2 Comments

Well, I didn’t do too well with keeping my Summer Craft Challenge posts up to date and consistent did I? Life got in the way and all of a sudden we’re over half way through September! So here is a whistle stop dash through the last 3 weeks of my summer craft challenge for 2023 because if I don’t post it, I’ll feel like I failed! I did, however post most days to Instagram so I’ll cut myself a bit of slack!

Here goes…

Week 4 : Saturday 12th August to Friday 18th August

This week began whilst still on holiday in Scotland (Glasgow to be precise) knitting socks, and after a long drive back home (without knitting or crochet that day) I ended up crocheting circles back at home in Manchester!

It was Granny Square Day on 15th August and I shared this Daisy Granny Square I designed while sitting next to some daisies beside the water in Argyll the previous week…

I hope to be sharing more about this square, along with some others I’ve come up with in the coming months.

Week 5 : Saturday 19th August to Friday 25th August

Work was nearing completion on my Potato Field Shawl this week including whilst watching the Lionesses in the World Cup Final. Plus I discovered this haul of Granny Squares when I opened a bag I hadn’t looked though for a while. I think I feel another project coming on!

Week 6 & a bit – Saturday 26th August to Tuesday 3rd September

And we made it! Schools went back for my youngest 2 on Wednesday 4th September – we survived the long summer break with creativity along the way. I also managed to completely finish my Potato Field Shawl. I’m really pleased with it. You can find the pattern details for it here my rainbow colours stripes were made with yarn bought at Yarndale last year from Cuddlebums Yarn.

By this point I had just turned the heel of the sock I was knitting – I’m pleased to say I got it finished in time for Eldest to take away to university with him. I used yarn by West Yorkshire Spinners in Peacock and followed Winwick Mum’s Basic Sock pattern. This is my third pair to date…. I know there will be more!

I’m not sure whether he’ll wear them in public but at least they’ll keep his feet warm in bed if he needs them!

Thanks for following me on my annual Summer Craft Challenge. It’s been fun and much needed respite in this my first summer ‘holiday’ back in structured employment. It’s been a juggle at times balancing work, children and sanity, but we just about got there. Creativity is almost always the answer for me when things get tricky – failing that there’s chocolate!

I hope to be back again soon!

Lindsay x

Summer Craft Challenge 2023 : Weeks 2 & 3

~ Making Stitches ~ 6 Comments

Hello there, this time last week I was driving north to Scotland so didn’t get round to posting before now… so here’s a look back at my last 2 weeks of crafting.

Day 8 : Saturday 29th July

It was Black Sheep Wools’ 40th birthday party yesterday & today, so I popped along to join the celebration.

Eek, there I am… I may have made one or two purchases while I was there…

It didn’t leave much time for making though…

Day 9 : Sunday 30th July

I just felt inspired to make a daisy, can’t say why – it just leapt off my hook!

Day 10 : Monday 31st July

I ended the month on a high, almost exactly a year after I started it, I finished my Dragonfly River MAL shawl by Heather at Keep Calm & Crochet On and Kitey The Yarn Whisperer. Isn’t it lovely? I have no idea why I left it almost finished for so long!

Day 11 : Tuesday 1st August

Sticking with the circular theme…

Day 12 : Wednesday 2nd August

A very uninspiring circle was all I managed today…

Day 13 : Thursday 3rd August

A very busy day today, work, housework and preparations for a family holiday (yay!) meant not much crochet time…

Day 14 : Friday 4th August

I’m trying and trying to square my circle but my brain won’t work and I’m not giving in and looking up a pattern. That’s enough for today.

Day 15 : Saturday 5th August

I didn’t manage much ‘craft’ today it was a long day of driving from Manchester to the west coast of Scotland. It was a day of firsts as I drove onto a car ferry for the first time!

Day 16 : Sunday 6th August

My crochet corner for the afternoon

I felt inspired by the Scottish sunshine in the garden of our holiday let to make a sunflower. What a fabulous spot! There’s a very good chance I won’t want to leave…

Day 17 : Monday 7th August

Sock knitting with a view today… our holiday let had the most amazing views.

Day 18 : Tuesday 8th August

It was such a beautiful day, I felt inspired by my surroundings and wanted to create a little crochet square to celebrate it. It also gave me the perfect excuse to visit a lovely yarn shop called Jinty & Baa in the village of Kirn near Dunoon to buy some yarn to make the water/loch section of my square.

If you ever find yourself in the area, I would highly recommend a visit. It’s really well stocked with yarn, fabric and other needlecraft supplies.

Day 19 : Wednesday 9th August

Sock knitting at Tarbet Castle

Nothing to see here… just an embarrassing mother sitting on a historical monument knitting socks 😂. A cruise on the Waverley Paddle Steamer brought us to Tarbet, and we climbed up to see the castle.

Tarbet Castle

Day 20 : Thursday 10th August

Sock knitting on the beach at Ostel Bay

Beach day meant sock knitting on the beach – ignore the grey sky – it was deceptively warm even the water was! It was beautiful.

Day 21 : Friday 11th August

Sock knitting at the Shinty pitch!

Our last full day in the Kyles of Bute before heading onwards to Glasgow. The boys decided to have a kick around on the neighbouring shinty pitch near to where we were staying (I managed a few rows before being roped in as goal keeper). I imagine this will be last of my spectacular backdrops for a while!

That’s it for this week, I look forward to sharing more summer craft adventures with you soon.

Lindsay x