Is it 2023 already?

Like many other people, I suspect, I am emerging shuffling and blinking into the light out of the the fog of the last two weeks. Not Covid, thank goodness but this dreadful, horrendous cold which has been doing the rounds, which developed into bronchitis. I’m still coughing and wheezing, but this week I am pleased to report I think I shall live, unlike my frame of mind over Christmas and beyond!

cyclamen
Little sparks of joy in the garden

I feel being so ill has focused my mind because I am feeling a lot more determined to put my creativity front and central to my life. It’s taken a long time to allow myself to step away from the ‘Magic Mummy’ role I assumed for myself. My children are grown up with children of their own, for heaven’s sake. Why do I expect myself to find an answer to all their problems when they aren’t asking me to? Why do I then beat myself up because I can’t? And the heap of metaphorical baggage which I have carted around for years and years has meant I’ve let this feeling of being responsible for everyone weigh me down to the point where my own wants and needs became irrelevant.

No one know how much time any of us have left, so it’s up to us all the make the most of every day. It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the news, every day another problem or disaster, the cost of living, the climate… All we can do is fight our own little corner, be kind and find joy in the little things.

So, I’m kick starting things with the fabulous book which I bought a day or so ago and which I’ve already read from cover to cover.

Power_up_your_creativity

Well worth looking out for if you are in a similar position to me, it’s like having a hand to hold! Rachael Taylor’s writing is down to earth and accessible. Buying the book means I have access to a Facebook group so I shall have like minded people to keep me motivated.

One thing I have struggled with is picking up the threads now that Planet Penny as a business is no more. I made the decision to close given the way things were changing after Brexit, and I know it was the right thing to do. Then the pandemic and lockdown did for the very successful local needlefelt workshops I had just started running. So I think something in the stars was telling me to stop!

I have to lose the mindset of failure. It happened to me, not because of me. Planet Penny was my brainchild, I made it happen and it worked. It was a success. And now it’s time for something completely different.

You might have guessed this is somewhat of a pep talk to myself, but I think I shall be sharing my thought processes much more as I try to build on my intentions.

I would be really interested to hear if any of what I have said resonates with you. Is the ‘Magic Mummy’ role a generational thing? I certainly remember that I was brought up that way and despite being the despair of my poor mum with my arty, emotional ways, it rubbed off!

I’ll be back soon, Happy New Year…x

Blogtober 2022 – the end, with free mice!

I can’t believe how quickly the month has flown by. Compared to a lot of people I’ve been seeing out on social media who have been blogging daily, I’ve been pretty rubbish! But I’m actually counting my efforts as a personal success. I’m getting back the blogging mindset, and it’s lovely to have contact with people in this way. I’ve been digging around in the archives, very dusty and cobwebby with a lot of mice scurrying around!

So, I’ve decided to celebrate by sharing the mouse patterns today. The crochet mice pattern is the one which started me off as a business, over ten years ago. A complete fluke, but I ran with it!

clock_with_crochet_mice

At the time I had a shock when it was discovered by an American craft site and 7,500 copies of the pattern were downloaded for free in one day! After that I put it on my online shop. But since I don’t have the shop anymore, I’d still like to share the pattern, so here it is.

And by popular demand I later created a knitted version so the knitters among you can have their own mice as well…

Knitted Rainbow Mice made with Planet Penny Cotton

which you can find here…

I really hope you enjoy them. Although I can no longer supply the cotton yarn there seems to be a lot of rainbow packs available online these days. I wonder, did I start a trend?! When I was hunting for yarn thirteen years ago it was impossible to find all the colours I wanted from one brand, which is why I ended up finding a European supplier and starting my own business. There are lots of colours available from Love Crafts and also Hobbii to name just two.

I’d really love to know if you use the patterns to create your own multicolour mischief of mice, they make great stocking fillers!

I’ll be back soon…x

A crochet sweater for Autumn

crochet sweater without a pattern

As the days grow shorter, and the clocks go back I am revisiting this pattern from 2015.  I loved this sweater and wore it to death so I think it’s time to make myself another one.  It might be unseasonably mild just at the moment but I’m sure it won’t be long before we need to wrap up warmly.

crochet sweater crib sheet - crochet a sweater without a pattern

This crochet sweater is inspired by a Frank & Olive Crochet pattern. However, I had different yarn, I was making a different size, I wanted a different neck and longer sleeves and so I had to basically make it up as I went along!

The yarn I used for this version was Merino Blend Aran super wash wool by King Cole in a gorgeous shade of Aubergine, bought from the Wool Warehouse.  Sadly, this seems to have been discontinued, but a quick search has revealed a gorgeous selection of different colours, and tweedy mixes.  I have no idea how I will choose! 

Also, looking at it I might try an alternative stitch. In fact, it might end up being a completely different sweater altogether, but that’s the joy of freewheeling with your crochet hook!

So there isn’t a pattern as such, but if you would like a crib sheet of how I worked it out I’m very happy to share so please let me know if you are interested.

crochet sweater detail - side slits
detail – side slits
crochet sweater - Planet Penny

It’s exactly what I need for cold winter days in the studio, and there’s just about room for Higgins too!

Do leave a comment if you want to know more.

See you soon..x

link to the crib sheet here

Blogtober 2022 – From the Heart

dandelion_clock

Returning to blogging for Blogtober has been a light bulb moment for me. I realise that despite all my optimism about posting every day, just putting pressure on myself to perform doesn’t work. In fact, it has the opposite effect entirely.

I’ve not made any secret of the fact that I have suffered from M.E./C.F.S. for many years. However, I’ve been shy of discussing mental health, especially my own mental health. But pretending to be someone I’m not, constantly feeling that I have to make everyone else feel better by not acknowledging what is going on in my own head is not healthy, or helpful.

I dread people thinking I’m looking for sympathy but soldiering on and trying to live up to expectations just makes a slide back down the black hole inevitable. And the expectations are all mine as well!

toadstools
Sleepy_mini_dachshund

So today I’m taking things a step at a time. When I look back at old posts, I see I spent a lot of time walking. When Higgins was younger, we’d go off for long treks. I was really in touch with nature and the changing seasons. These days Higgins is pretty lazy, and fussy about being too hot, too cold, too wet…he’s a grumpy old man now, I can’t believe he’s thirteen! And since the lockdown I have struggled not to be, not quite agoraphobic, but finding it difficult to leave the house.

The last few days have been a struggle. I know I have to change something; I can’t rely on anyone else to do it for me. So, instead of trying to behave as if I’m in a position to reduce my meds, I’ve upped them to what they ought to be, and already feel brighter and more positive.

The sun is shining today, and I’ve been for a walk. I’ve taken photographs. I came home with a pocket full of autumn leaves. Baby steps. I’m not feeling pointless.

I’ll keep on blogging but I’m taking my foot off the gas…I shall cruise! There will be knitting and crochet and everything else, and hopefully your support, my lovely readers. I wouldn’t be here without you…thank you.

See you soon xxx

Blogtober 2022 – Crochet Mini Mice

Way back when I was selling the Planet Penny yarn I created a pattern for some teeny tiny crochet mini mice. I still get enquiries about them to this day so I thought it was time to dust off the pattern. It’s been lurking in storage ever since I closed the Etsy shop!

mini_crochet_mice

They are a really good way of using up oddments of yarn and make great Christmas tree decorations, ornaments for hair slides and pins and as I originally intended, fridge magnets.

yellow_crochet_mini_mouse
Mini_mice_fridge_magnets

They are fun to make and very quick and easy. I’ve updated the pattern and turned it into a PDF so it can be printed off.

I also have a question. There is still some of the Planet Penny yarn left in storage. Not the full colour range so no rainbow packs. I’m not going to be able use up half of my other yarn stash let alone this one! I wonder if there would be any interest if I make balls available to buy on this website. I’m afraid it would be UK only since the whole process of sending things abroad has been made so difficult these days.

It would take a bit of organising so it would be good to know if anyone is interested first. Please leave a comment if you are.

crochet_mini_mice_circle

You can find the free PDF here…I do hope you enjoy the pattern!

See you soon…x

Blogtober 2022 – Sutton Hoo

sutton_hoo_exhibition

This week we went to visit somewhere that’s been on my bucket list for a long time…Sutton Hoo. As a family we have always been interested in fossils and bones and buried treasure! It starts off with dinosaurs, doesn’t it, when they are really tiny? All my children, and then grandchildren were the same. Eldest son still comes back from the beach with pockets full of exciting bits and pieces. My daughter-in-law is very long suffering! So far he hasn’t dragged a mammoth tusk home, but that’s not for the want of looking.

Sutton Hoo doesn’t date back that far, a mere 1,300 years, but is a fascinating and exciting historical find. If you have watched the 2021 film ‘The Dig’ you will know quite a bit about the story, although it was inevitably romanticised. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth a watch.

What made it especially interesting was that the person who organised the visit, a member of the walking group to which my husband belongs, actually had first-hand knowledge of the excavation work done in the sixties. Her archaeologist father was co-director of the dig and as a child she spent quite a lot of time there. This, combined with extremely knowledgeable National Trust guides, made for a fascinating and informative visit.

I’m rather embarrassed to say that I was ridiculously excited to be taken through a door in the house which was marked, ‘Archaeologists Only!

Higgins came too, of course, and just about managed to keep up with all the walking. There were plenty of people to give him a cuddle though, when necessary.

Back to the present day now, and the frogging of a bit of sock. You’d think by now I’d be able to do it off by heart but knitting in the evening when it’s past my bedtime is not a good idea. (No-one has a foot that shape!)

I’ll be back soon…x

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