The first sign of spring around our way is the arrival of snowdrops. They are such delicate little flowers, held aloft on a single slender stalk above smooth, narrow leaves they shimmer in the cold late winter breezes. And yet despite their fragile appearance they are tough little plants, breaking through the frozen earth with their tenacious green shoots and unfurling their pure white petals in patches of dappled sunlight.

There’s nothing quite as uplifting as the sight of drifts of them spread beneath the bare trees, clustered together as though huddling against the cold weather. The February landscape is still dull and brown and appears dormant but snowdrops signal that a change is gradually gathering pace. I’ve been feeling a little low of late and was in need of a little natural pick-me-up, so today I wrapped up warmly in lots of woolly layers and braved the frosty morning and cold winds to go on a snowdrop hunt. There are quite a few places to find them locally but my favourite is a tiny patch of woodland sandwiched between a quarry and the tiny hamlet of Westmill – just a few pretty red-roofed cottages clustered around an old medival mill.

I’ve arrived back home with muddy knees; a few nettle stings around my ankles (I managed to kneel it a patch of them and didn’t notice until it was too late) and cold, red cheeks but I’m feeling cheered and invigorated. I’m now warming up with knitting and a cup of tea before heading out to pick Toby up from his after school club.

If you’re also feeling a little down I hope you find a little something to lift your spirits this week. If you have time let me know in the comments what’s brightening your days at the moment. See you soon with a little of what I’ve been knitting

J x

 

 

Out in the woods most of the trees have shed all of their leaves now, but those that do still cling to the branches, mostly on the oaks and birches, have been burnished by the early morning frosts and shine like gold in the low winter sunlight.

There is something so very peaceful and calming about the woods at this time of year and when I’m walking alone I rarely see anyone, though I did meet a lovely lady and her dog the other day and we compared fungi pictures and best places to spot different kinds. But most of my wood walks are anti-social affairs, where I walk alone slowly, quietly and almost reverently, trying to attune my senses to the woodland world so that I can hear the rustle of falling leaves, smell the damp, richness of generations of decaying leaves and notice the subtle shift in the colours of the leaves, each one slightly different to it’s neighbour.

Coming home I always feel a sense of cleansed calm and a peaceful stillness that quiets my mind and I try to hold on to that as long as possible by sitting with a warm cup of tea and my knitting. Inevitably though the waiting chores call me back to the busyness of the day and life speeds up again. Are there things that help you find peaceful corners of your busy days? Do tell me about them in the comments if you have time.

 

Well, I have some ‘thank yous’ to say today.

Firstly, Thank You so much to Andrea at Fruity Knitting who recently invited me to be on one of their shows. Unfortunately for me the timing didn’t fit, and with everything that has gone on with Toby this year I currently feel a need keep things here as simple and flexible as possible, so I didn’t feel I could commit to an interview. But it certainly was a great honour to have been asked. I’m sure you already know about their 60 minute fortnightly shows featuring interviews with various fibre artists ranging from knitwear designers, sheep farmers to yarn producers – they are one of the most popular, well produced and informative knitting shows on You Tube, so if you’ve not come across them before, they are well worth a visit.

Secondly, a big thank you to Verena at BaerReport for the article about my knitted bears in the November issue, I was very flattered to be included in this lovely magazine all about hand-crafted and collectable bears.

Thirdly, Thank you to Sarah at Yarnologie magazine, for featuring my hedgehog pattern in the festive summer issue, there are some really cute projects to make in the issue and the front cover is so sweet!

 

Finally, before I go I wanted to share another wonderful you tube channel with you, Talasbuan. I started following Mathais and Tova on instagram because Mathias takes the most beautiful photographs and I quickly became enchanted by their off grid life in Jamtland, Sweden. They both have such intergrity and dedication to living a simple life that honours the animals they raise for food and they are inspiring in their hardwork as they begin to restore a much neglected small holding in a clearing in the northern woods. Their beautifully filmed vlogs centre on their daily life: caring for their animals; building a log cabin, root cellars and shelters for the animals from the surrounding timber; growing fruit and vegetables and preparing nutritionally dense, ethically produced, organic food. Recently they produced a short film to announce an exciting event – watching it is a beautiful way to spend 2 minutes of your life, and gives you a taste of the magic that they share on their channel, please take a look and if you are as moved and inspired as me, perhaps follow their channel or become a patron… New Beginnings, by Talasbuan

Well, that’s all from me today. Like most of you, I’m up to my ears in lists of things to do in the next two weeks. I hope your preparations for the festive season go well, that the queues diminish as you approach all checkouts, that you find the perfect gifts for those you love and that you have a little quiet time to yourself in amongst all of the craziness, J xxx