Hello Spring!

I'm very glad to say that the sun has actually been shining in my garden......yes, it occasionally makes an appearance up North :)  This has given me the perfect excuse to get out into the sunshine and to be inspired by the colours and scenic changes that happen as Spring arrives.

Not strictly 'my garden' but a view I am very lucky to enjoy :)

I really do love seeing the first Spring lambs and all the energy and life they have. It never fails to put a smile on my face. I'm very lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country.

What have I been up to?

On the making front, I've been continuing with some baby makes for my sister's little one (due at the end of June). I know my sister loves vintage style clothing and is specifically researching 'old fashioned' baby names - Millicent, Ada, .....the list goes on :) I'm sure she'd be grateful if any of you fancied posting some names suggestions below. I've sent her a few. The chosen name will only be revealed on the day the baby is born.

Here's a little picture of the vintage inspired cardigan I'm making for the little one.

Almost finished!

Making mission

I made a plan this year to make all the gifts I give to my nieces and nephews and thought - why not extend this to everyone I give gifts to? With that in mind, I've been busy researching patterns and gift ideas for friends and family. It's a very special friend's birthday soon and I'm hoping I can make something equally as special for her....... she'll also be able to read this .......no pressure! :)


I'd love to hear what you lovely people have been up and to and if you have any projects in mind. It's so much easier to think about making and creating when the weather brightens up.

Until next blog, take care :)

Best wishes,

KnittyNora xx



*All pictures included on this blog are property of Allyouneediscraft and KnittyNora. Please seek permission if you wish to use any of them.

Looking on the bright side.

The last year has been a rather busy and testing time for me. Due to ill health, I am currently unable to go to work and have been making regular trips to see my GP and consultant at the hospital. Being a person who is normally running around in the mountains and climbing things, I've found this rather difficult. However, I'd like to think of myself as an optimistic person and therefore have pledged to use this time, whilst taking it easy at home, to consider those things that are most important to me and to look forward to the many new adventures this year has to offer.

Home improvements

After watching the Great Interior Design Challenge on BBC2 I have been inspired to start adding some personality to my home. I'm planning to start simple - cushions, throws, etc, but would love to do a bit of decorating and inject a bit of colour to the place (once I'm well enough). My home is jam packed with outdoor gear and I would love to make more of a feature of this rather than just trying to hide it away in cupboards. My husband and I are both musicians too. His guitars have finally made it onto the walls but now I want more :)

Babies, babies, babies........

This year my sister will have her second baby. Her next scan is due on Valentine's day. She's planning to find out the sex of the baby this time which means I will get the chance to go out and buy some girl or boy specific yarn. Last time round I opted for safe white and lemon. This little hat (above) was one of the first gifts I gave my new little nephew. He's now nearly two and has a lot of handmade gifts from his favourite auntie :)

My best friend will also be planning her baby's christening for this summer which means finding a lovely outfit for me.....I may even try and make one if I'm feeling really brave! And of course, I'll have to make the little one something special to mark the occasion.

Developing All you need is craft

Whilst I have this time on my hands, I'd like to develop the range of things I create. A few people have asked me whether I sell the things I make. The answer - no. I would love to but with a full-time job I've had little time to focus on creating my own little business. I would love to increase my audience and know that there are people out there wearing something I have made.

If any of you have any experience of making and selling/setting up a small business I would love to hear your thoughts. I'm sure my other readers would also enjoy some of your words of wisdom.

A treat for you

If you pop over to my Facebook page you'll find a great little offer, especially for my followers/likers, from Pepper Ink. They make a fabulous range of temporary tattoos, including some new, craft inspired ones. 

You can find the offer here: All you need is craft

Wishing you all a good week,

KnittyNora xx

Sunny Sunday - crafting in the great outdoors.

Let me set the scene for you.............

The sun is shining, the husband is out walking up mountains and I'm home alone with my crafting goodies.

Sounds good....?! :)

As some of you will be aware, I have been rather poorly recently and so my ability to go out chasing my husband up mountains is zero. Rather than dwell on my lack of energy for the outdoor activities I love so much I've decided to make the most of today and my brighter mood by doing the following:

1. Writing an update to my much neglected blog
2. Get back to some knitting and finish a top I started a while back
3. Sit in the garden with a glass of cloudy lemonade
4. Eat dinner in the garden

Well......why not combine the lot?! 

Great plan, KnittyNora! :)

And so, I'm off to sit in my garden, finish that knitted top and drink cloudy lemonade. When the husband gets back I'm sure he could rustle up something on the BBQ....... sounds like a great day!

Speaking of my garden.........



.....here is a little pic of my 'developing' wild flower patch in the corner of my garden - my little contribution to encourage wildlife to come and visit my garden.

We've since added some wild and fragrant flower seeds to the patch and just waiting for them to grow

 

....and some pics of my brand new veggie grow bags :)

New veggie grow bags

Tomatoes just starting to pop their heads out

Carrots

I'll be heading south later in the week for another investigative operation.....wish me luck! 

Wishing you all the very sunniest of Sundays,

KnittyNora xxxx



 Some happy stuff:

I recently entered and came first in a competition run  by the lovely folks at 33Hearts (http://www.etsy.com/shop/33hearts) 

Here is just one of the lovely items I won

Please pop over and say hi to them. They are very friendly and make some very cute items :)

Hello and goodbye to Scotland, lovely new purchases and back to the real world........

Well, half-term has been and gone. In a flash my week in Scotland was over.....but what a fantastic time we had!

I absolutely adore Scotland. The beauty, isolation and peacefulness of the west coast is like something from Lord of the Rings (minus the nasty monsters). I love wrapping up in my winter kit and heading out into the mountains. During this trip I managed to find some time to walk alone. I love walking with my other half but this was quite a rare and welcome change. Walking alone down into the valley (that I'd earlier walked/climbed up with my husband and a friend) was something quite special. In the silence I could clearly hear the running water of the half melted falls and the sound of the ice and snow cracking and crunching underfoot. It was one of those moments when you just have to stop and and take in the beauty around you. In that moment I felt very lucky to be able to enjoy such an experience.

Below are some pics to give you a taste of what I got up to.......

Beautiful day for a walk in Scotland

Scrambling up some very icy rocks

Reaching the plateau - taking in the view of the climb ahead

and what better way of testing my makes............????
 

Checking out the lower falls of Falls of Steall in multi-colour, multi-purpose snood

Of course, we had to have at least one rest day :) Off to Oban we went...........and I found not one but TWO lovely wool stores to mooch around. Purchases were made...... some new 10mm knitting needles, a beautiful hat for me (it even has bells!) and some knitted wrist warmers for an impatient husband :)

Back to work today for me......which means less time on the fells. Thankfully the nights are getting lighter which allows some cheeky trips out after school to make the most of the lovely weather we appear to be having here this week.

Love to hear from some of you soon....... 

KnittyNora xx

Happy half-term!

After a very long and busy half-term, I'm glad to say the half-term holiday is here. I love my job but I also need a little rest once in a while :)

Making the most of this time off is so important. Hope of a little trip to Wales is now off the cards thanks to the poor weather so I'm making the most of the beautiful hills on my doorstep and taking every opportunity to get out during breaks in the weather.

Here are a few pics of my scrambling trip on Saturday....unfortunately my camera died after the first couple of pictures.... :(

Up at 7am this morning and making the most of this early start to catch up on my blog, facebook page and making plans...

Thanks to the Cath Kidston booklet I came across recently I now have a new jewellery project to work on. Stay posted for pictures :)



Lots of love,

KnittyNora xx

Crotchet = new hobby!

I have another new hobby - crotcheting. Since first picking up a pair of knitting needles two years ago I have some how managed to avoid learning to crotchet. Well, that was up until recently when a pattern I was following advised a crotchet edging on a neckline. I'd never even tried to crotchet before and didn't even have a crotchet needle(!). Thanks to my favourite Oxfam shop the latter issue was resolved. I now had no excuse....well, apart from not knowing how to crotchet. Thanks to my lovely, crafty friend Emma (of Emma and Emmie fame - http://emmieandemmaathome.blogspot.co.uk/) and some very helpful tips from my Stitch and Bitch book, I finally started crotcheting this weekend. I've had lots of fun making it up as I go along and now have lots more ideas for my jewellery range.

I'll upload some pics later of the brooch design I've created.....very usual - just the way I like it! :)

Enjoy the sunshine - don't forget your suncream!

KnittyNora xxxxxx

P.s. I've also been busy scrambling up mountains this weekend. Stay tuned for more details.....

Making the most of the sunshine

The sun is shining! Well, it is where I live :)

I always like to make the most of the good weather when I can, especially when I work inside all day. This weekend was no exception. After being busy all day Saturday with music making and attending a village celebration, I wanted to make the most of my Sunday. I was feeling rather tired yesterday but a phonecall from a friend helped me and the husband decide what to do - go climbing!

We packed up our climbing kit and lunch and were taken to a really beautiful climbing spot that we'd not discovered yet (I love it when that happens). The area was perfect for relaxing with a picnic and had a great range of climbing routes for me to try out. Shortly after arriving I soon forgot about being tired and grumpy and had a really good climb (if I do say so myself) :) Days like yesterday make me realise how lucky I am to live where I live, surrounded by beautiful landscapes, mountains and an array of wildlife.


I hope you've all been doing something equally enjoyable. I'm looking forward to finishing work and going outside in the sun. I'm thinking cold coffee in the garden as an after work treat :) (yes, I'm really spoiling myself!)

Please let me know how you'll be making the most of the nice weather.

Much love and craftiness,

KnittyNora xxxxxx

Rain, rain go away....

What a miserable day?! After a week of glorious sunshine I have awoken to lots of rain this morning. Although this means no BBQ for me today, I'm sure my garden is very grateful for the drink.

My husband and I have been busy planting lots of lovely things in our garden. It has been a blank canvas for a year and a half as we settled into our new home and were busy out and about, exploring the beautiful countryside. This year we have decided to give our little patch of green some much deserved TLC and have started with some beautiful young trees and Rhododendrons. I've also purchased some fruit bushes to plant - blueberry and raspberry! Perfect for making jam and for decorating homemade cakes. Hidden under the compost are some herbs I planted a week or so ago and some sunflower seeds (left over from my Wedding a year and a half ago). I really hope they grow! I'll be sure to post some photos of our progress soon.

On a crafty note, I'm currently making some soft toys for my new nephew, George. He was born two and a half weeks ago and he is just beautiful. Both baby and mummy are doing well and this auntie is delighted to be able to shower little George with lots of homemade gifts. He has already received his first little knitted cardie and booties (see pics below - left: baby elephant teddy and right: George's first hand knitted Cardie and booties)

This half-term (once the planning and marking is done) I plan to spend lots of time outside enjoying the beautiful countryside and mountains that surround me. I've been out this weekend and feel so lucky to have such beauty on my doorstep. Climbing, walking and crafting.......what a way to spend a half-term :)

Lots of love and crafty hugs,

Knittynora xxx


P.s. All photos are my own. Please ask for permission before using these elsewhere. xx

(Outdoor pics - top left: climbing Red Pike, bottom left: some scrambling on Middle Fell - Iron Crag)