Slower Autumnal days ahead...

Hello lovelies...

Gosh what a blustery 'ol weekend.

Storm Brian seems to have had his say on things as he sped by here in the Cambridgeshire Fens. The flat landscape surrounding my little home is a perfect place for fast spiralling winds and howling gasps that are often so ferocious they can take your breath away as you step outside.

At this time of year things should be slowing down a pace or two but, with all the storms and hurricanes of late, we seem to be in a continual whirlwind of daily life battling with Mother Nature.

As the days start to begin to get shorter concentrating on slow living is more appealing.

It's a time of year to take stock of what is happening all around us, what I want to 

get done in the following months and a  good way of filling my days with sunshine 

in a creative way.

As the crimson autumnal hues line the Fenland horizons they help to bring us a

beautiful ombre of golden gems that sparkle in the dimmed evening light.

A glory of gold

And russet and grey

The tree-tops old

Glow in the day

And, one by one

The dry leaves fall

And the Autumn sun 

Smiles on them all

Every Autumn, I usually like to have a few things 

on my 'To Do' list to keep my fingers busy over the dark grumpy months ahead.

Alongside my usual slow stitching that keeps my little Fen digits tingling 

I love to have a couple of warm snuggly yarn projects on the go at the same time. 

I'm a lover of both crochet and knitting. 

I'm quite excited as this year,

 as I thought I'd re-visit a style of knitting that I loved doing many years ago 

when my boys were young.

Fair Isle Knitting

Fair Isle knitting is a magical world of glorious designs

dating back to a golden vintage age.

If you've never dabbled in the world of Fair Isle you'll be amazed

at the beautiful patterns on offer.

Intricate patterns closely woven together with just two needles

create a gorgeous marriage of colour and textures..

The secret ingredient is patience...

So as time is slowing down,

 my mission for Autumn is to find some beautiful vintage patterns to use for inspiration

and create a few snuggly designs with all the wool from my stash.

I find myself purchasing the odd ball of yarn here and there,never knowing what project they will end up in and at times they seem to gather nothing more than house dust,

but, every now and then I get a burst of enthusiasm to get

started again on a new project...

Is anyone else inspired by a love of Fair-Isle knitting?

I'd love to hear your tales...

What projects do you like to create?

Did You Know?

Fair Isle is named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, 

that forms part of the Shetland islands. ... 

Watch this space to see how I get on...

I wonder if I'll actually manage to get something finished before the 

harsh wintry weather sets in?

I will let you know!

Will chat again soon my lovelies.

Do leave me a comment below if you have five mins

as I'd love to know who pops by my little door!

Toodle-ooh for now...

Speak again soon

Tilly 

x x x

A Festival Of Creativity, Craft & Colour...

Hello lovelies...

How are you all?

I've just returned from a beautiful weekend in Yorkshire...

The reason?

Wool... and lots of it!!!!

Let me explain....

have any of you ever visited Yarndale before?

You haven't?

Not sure what it is?

Well my lovelies, go and grab a cuppa and take five mins out of your day and let me share all the details with you....

Yarndale is a festival of creativity and craft that prides itself on promoting British & handmade products with the emphasis based on highlighting the wonderful artisans out there designing, creating, making, producing and selling products which support British Wool.

If you love crocheting, knitting, wet-felting, needle felting, spinning, weaving, mixed media. rag rugging, or even quilting with woollen textiles then you will absolutely adore this event.

There is something for all ages, all abilities and for all interests.

Exhibitors range from small artisan designers, producers of  beautiful hand dyed products, individual textile artists, as well as manufacturer's of yarn and patterns.

Having never visited before, I was super excited I have to say!

I always love visiting any event that encourages and celebrates creativity and Yarndale certainly disappoint....

It was really wonderful to see so many people wearing or carrying their own creations and proudly sharing their love of all things handmade with each other.... scarves, shawls, cardigans, hats, bags, gloves, even items of clothing. 

All were admired with lovely smiles instead of the often skeptical or be-littleing glances I sometimes see at events which always make me feel sad. The fact that someone has spent hours making something special and then has proudly worn it out to have someone scoff at their design 

is simply atrocious in my eyes. 

We can't all be the next Christian Dior or Monet!

(*old woman grumble on soap box moment* - sorry!)

For me personally it is the first festival/ show/ event that I have attended where everyone embraced their own individuality. It was simply wonderful to be able to be a small part of that even if I was only a customer!

The Yarndale team had clearly put in alot of thought to the customer and their requirements and speaking from experience I can definitely guarantee the important things....

• Parking - Huge thought had been given to this and free car parks were offered with a regular shuttle service courtesy of a London Red Bus
• Meet & Greet at entrance - Lovely smiles from everyone involved! A free catalogue was included with your ticket price...again another bonus :)
• Toilet facilities - Loads of AND regularly maintained!
• Food & Catering - Excellent facilities....none of this corporate rubbish that costs a fortune for some plastic cheese. The food was simply good honest fare that hit the spot when you needed a much needed rest with a huge choice of options AND with seating unlike at other events where often I see people having to sit on the floor to take a break
• Rest areas - Spare spaces were left empty with chairs provided for a rest which I think is just fab as it shows Yarndale has total respect for their customers and values the fact that all that walking around buying goodies is important but looking after their guests is more important!
• Learning Lounge - A lovely relaxed area to learn new skills...
• Exhibitors - A fab range on offer which provides interest for everyone whether you are an experienced yarn lover or simply want some help to get started on your journey. Artisans were all so willing to offer advice and share their passion with everyone which I think is just lovely. 
• Visitor participation - displays of visitors donations could be seen all over the event which again added to the friendly atmosphere!

Overall I was super impressed at the really lovely atmosphere Yarndale offered (can you tell?!!!)

There really was too much to showcase in just one post so I will be doing a couple more posts focusing in on certain aspects of my weekend...

So keep an eye out folks for my future piccies!

Tilly

x x x