I've always had a fascination with how things are made, whether that be by hand or machine. As I child, I remember watching milk bottles being filled in a factory; it was quite mesmerising! Recently, a group of us went to Birmingham, which is Britain's second largest city. For many…
Sweet Dreams socks Every year I go to a quilt festival in Malvern. Over the years I have perfected my strategy for seeing all the quilts, taking photographs of those that inspire me and browsing the stalls. So much so, that for the last few years I've managed to venture…
Santorini by Marie Wallin I first saw a Rowan Knitting magazine when I lived in Glasgow in the early 90s. One of my flatmates was a fashion student at the Glasgow School of Art; she was making an outfit comprising knitted shorts and a vest top with swan's wings (not…
I learnt to sew years before I learnt to knit, and I still enjoy hand-stitching. It's meditative and I love how the feel of the fabric changes as you stitch. Over the years I've done many different types of hand-stitching from free-style embroidery to cross stitch to needlepoint to blackwork…
As the years have passed, I've grown to look forward to the seasonal changes we experience in the UK. I love the promise of spring, the abundance of summer and the colours of autumn. Winter is my least favourite season. Although Christmas time wouldn't be the same without short days…
Happy New Year! Endings I've just finished a throw that I started almost exactly a year ago. The colours (green, yellow-green, terracotta and brown) were chosen to coordinate with the sofa. The throw is 225 stitches wide and was knitted in rows on circular needles with a long cable. This…
Loughborough is a large town in the East Midlands. It has an excellent university (HQ for Team GB during London 2012), several fantastic markets, lots of Victorian terraces, many Art Deco buildings in the town centre, a small medieval area, one of the few working bell foundries in the UK…
With some yarns it is love at first sight, while others take longer to appreciate. As you might imagine, loving colour, I find it hard to resist Noro Yarns yarns, although, I’m trying, since when I buy one, I usually just look at it for weeks (even months) because I cannot decide what…
Hydrangea macrophylla - mophead hydrangea I've been inspired by nature from an early age. In particular, I love plants and have fond memories of helping my father with his allotments. He taught me to identify common plants and to grow vegetables from seed. Knautia arvensis - field scabious The success…