Last week brought a change in the weather here – it's been getting colder and we've had such strong winds that most of the beautiful autumn leaves are now in puddles on the ground.
Friday was a bright day and I made the most of it by getting out into the garden to plant some spring bulbs – narcissi, muscari and bluebells and some hawthorne whips which will grow into a hedge to replace the overgrown leylandii conifers that we had taken out a few months ago. The front garden has looked very bare ever since but hopefully these new plants will fill in the gaps and provide lots of shelter and food for wildlife.
There's been knitting of course – bunnies as usual…
…and another pebble beach shawl in a paler shade of Walk delicate merino – a yarn that lends itself really well to wispy shawls. I'm only on row 20 but am not in a hurry so it will continue to grow slowly in between other projects. Here it is next to my lovely new mug which I bought this week from a talented potter on Etsy.
This week has seen me taking lots more pictures than usual because of joining instagram – my page is here. I've really been enjoying snapping away at whatever takes my fancy without necessarily having to think of words for a full blog post. Not that I'll be giving up blogging (this will always be my first home) but I'm wondering whether to do a regular blog post like this one, which is a kind of hodgepodge summary of my week using images that I uploaded to Instagram. The thing I can't decide on is whether people will be bored seeing the same images in both places. It probably depends on whether you look at both – if you have an opinion on the matter I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Well, have a good week, and Happy Thanksgiving on Thursday to everyone in the USA x
little cotton rabbits 
Lovely photos, I always like to see bunnies in progress. I don’t look at Instagram, so I’d be very happy to see all your pictures here as well. CJ xx
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I enjoy reading your blogs and as I don’t do Instagram would miss looking at your beautiful photos.
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I like to keep my instagram photos and my blog photos different. This is mainly because I only post photos I’ve taken with my phone on instagram and don’t think they are of good enough quality for the blog. I also feel people will not want to see the same photos twice, but as the previous commenters have pointed out not everyone uses instagram, plus your pictures look even more fabulous here on your blog than they do on instagram so maybe I’m mistaken about that.
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I follow you on both the blog and Instagram and will never tire of your beautiful images, Julie!
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Hou…
I hope you will continue to come here, most of the time, instagram account creation means “end of the blog”… Maybe because it’s easy and doesn’t take time, then the blog seems boring.
I hope not for you, because I think the other visitors like to hear you as much as me. We might have come here because of your creations, but we are happy to stay because of you sharing your thoughts, and became interested about your own person.
I hope you understand what I mean, it’s hard to translate in another language (I’m French).
Have a nice week-end !
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What a lovely pictures, I really love them
have a nice Sunday
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So cosy!
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Hi,
You might want to check out a blog that I love, Kellehampton.com Enjoying the Small Things.
Her blog is beautiful, about her life with her family, she has a daughter with Down Syndrome, and wrote the book “Bloom” about her daughters birth.
She does regular blog posts but also instagram. She has a link in the Blog that takes you to her instagram posts. Makes it easy for us folks that don’t know all the ins and outs of instagram.
Some of the instagram posts are doubles of the blog photos, but the comments are different and it is just a small snapshot of the longer blog post. Others are stand alone photos with just a little post from her.
I enjoy both since its so easy to get to the Instagram from the Blog.
I look forward to reading whatever you write.
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Oh those leaves.
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Please, don’t stop blogging! I enjoy reading it very, very much. I like to check what’s new here, I like your writing as much as your pictures!
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I’m enjoying seeing you on instagram. Blogging has its place too.
Love Leanne NZ
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I am a blog reader and not an instagram person. I love reading your blog and checking out life across the pond. It reminds me to take time and enjoy the small things in life.
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Instagram bugs me because you have to have a “smart” device to have an account, so that cuts out a lot of people. Yes, you can look without an account, but you can’t comment or follow people. So I rarely go to anyone’s instagram page. Even if I did see your images twice, it wouldn’t bother me a bit because they’re so lovely!
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Never bored by the beauty you share! 😊
I look forward to following you on Instagram as well! 🎉Yay!!!
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It is lovely to see your beautiful photos on IG Julie and if I see them twice then that’s a bonus. I agree that the beauty of Instagram is you don’t need many words, there is so much loveliness over there.
V x
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That’s a gorgeous leaf photo! And it looks like wee cotton rabbit photobombed a lovely composition of yarn and basket. What a cheeky fellow–making it a TOTALLY adorable photo. I am enraptured by your rabbits. Regarding digital media–I love emails that bring me to blogs. I avoid Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, smartphones — basically anything other than emails. I have so many thousands of unread emails that I don’t dare start down any more rabbit holes that keep me glued to my seat. Is it possible it is a conspiracy of Little Cotton Rabbits to pull us all down these rabbit holes of delight and fascination so we will not notice they are in the garden nibbling the lettuces?
A weekly roundup in an email is perfect for me. I will only ever look at your emails, on my desktop, so duplication is no problem for me.
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Some really lovely photos and I do so love seeing little bunny heads in the making too xo
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happy to see a lovely photo twice! x
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I love your photographs Julie, you have an amazing eye for beautiful things, I don’t use instagram, but I would make the extra effort every now and again to go and look at your gorgeous snaps as I already do with your flickr, to see if their are any different ones, 🙂 xx
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I’m a Spanish follower of you, I enjoy reading your blogs and as I don’t do Instagram I’d probably miss looking at your incredible photos. But if it would be necessary I’d do Instagram in order to follow you
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I never look on Instagram so having the same pictures on your blog wouldn’t be a problem for me. The yarn for your shawl looks really lovely. We had some very cold weather at the weekend. Looks like the last of the leaves all dropped last night.
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If Instagram is just pictures, which I assume it is, then definitely keep blogging as I like to read what is happening in your world as well as seeing.
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I don’t do Instagram, Twitter, like so many others here. I love blogs that inspire me with the visual as well as the written content. Yours is on my top ten favorites list. Please! Don’t ever stop blogging. All your postings are full of lovely little creatures, photos, knitted lovelies & crocheted beauties too. So much beauty in the place you call home.
Looking forward to seeing what you’ll be knitting or making during the winter months. I’m not able to knit or crochet due to hand cramps that make it impossible to do. But I still love seeing what others make, so please continue with your blog postings.
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Please don’t stop blogging. I don’t Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or any social networking, but I do love a good blog. Yours is only one of 3 that I follow regularly and would miss your stories and pictures.
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I’m not on Instagram much, so I hope you keep posting your lovely photos here!
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I always forget to get bulbs into place for the fall, but it’s so worth it in the spring! And welcome to instagram, I’m definitely following you, I love your photos. 🙂
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I love seeing what you see and reading about what you’re doing and thinking. Your world is so different than mine. Please keep blog and Instagram separate–it takes something away from both to have duplication. Love to you from Hawaii!
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I don’t have any smart products so would really miss you if you moved to Instagram.
I appreciate all the time you take to share with us so many facets of your life, and so beautifully presented. Keep up the wonderful work for as long as you can 🙂
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Lovely to see your photos on both platforms. Instagram is certainly growing on me though. I love the speed. I think I will always enjoy blogging too but it feels as though it needs to be more considered.
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I so enjoy your blog, the words and pictures complement each other beautifully. When I sit down to read it there’s a moment of calm, and I love seeing your world through your pictures. I can only just cope with blogs and Facebook, so I would ask that you maintain your blog for as long as you feel able! What a lovely leaf picture x x
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I don’t do Instagram, so please don’t give up your blog! With images like that first one of the leaves, who could complain about seeing them twice?
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Have you thought about selling your photos? They are often really beautiful, and I’d gladly buy that top one of the wet leaves. So lovely.
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The photos are really wonderful! I like them so much! If you are interested, you may take part in the competition at http://freelancehouse.co.uk/ on a photography topic. They are looking for good quality and interesting ideas. I think you may win.
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Please don’t stop blogging, I love to keep up with your happenings, I don’t do Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc – just enjoy good blogs and yours is certainly one of those. Love your pics and patterns and can’t imagine anyone would be unhappy at seeing them twice (at least!).
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I don’t do Instagram either. I love your blog and whatever you post I am happy 😀
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Your pictures are wonderful, but please don’t give up the blog because it’s the words that make everything up close and personal. Love everything you create and hearing about your children, etc.
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Whatever makes you happiest is the best because your creativity flows then. Best wishes and thanks for the sock pattern, I’ve been knitting on my DPNS in the round making red and white baubles and these will be a complimentary project.
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The leaves photo is amazing. I love looking in on your blog. Your thoughts, your pictures & your bunnies are like a story book. Please don’t stop.
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