Wishing you a very happy Christmas and new year season, if you celebrate it. It's the end of the working year here, and I'm off to spend time with family and friends and have a computer break for a few weeks.  Other activities I hope to fill these days with include reading, knitting, eating summer…

Geraniums are growing in the back garden – I have some pink and some white. Geraniums are trusty, timeless flowers that remind me of childhood (my sister and I tried to make 'beautiful perfume' from them on numerous occasions.) Also pictured: a Christmas present to myself: a new summer top I made from Nani Iro (the…

How are your holiday preparations coming along? I've been making a few gifts which has proved to be a happy antidote to the usual hustle and bustle that can be expected around these parts at the end of the year.  Here are a few recent makes: * A string of elephants, made from linen with…

One of my favourite things about the lead-up to Christmas is making sweets and baking. The kids have been helping to choose recipes, which invariably require abundant quantities of chocolate, and design cards and gift tags. This year we wrapped homemade sweets of all types for their teachers, and tried something new: rocky road. We found…

In a rather unoriginal move, I completely copied a dress I liked on Pinterest. It's this one. I couldn't find it for sale, so I made it myself. It took a really long time, because I didn't have a pattern – I realised how much more i enjoy sewing with a pattern. Because there are quite a few…

– This yarn was a gift from my Mum. She bought it while visiting my sister who lives in the Czech Republic. It's Rowan 'fine art' sock yarn in the colourway Chiff-Chaff. Isn't that a great name? The colours are smoky greys, and purples. Mum said it was hard to choose colours she would never personally want…

I made a set of pillowcases for a very dear friend who I have always associated with the colour yellow. I knew I had to source some Nani Iro fabric especially, to make sure they were really soft and light. (I bought it from my local shop Stitchbird). S.J.E has recently had a baby and I…

Would you like to make a few ornaments for your Christmas tree, or someone else's? Here's the promised tutorial for the decorations I wrote about the other day. Put on your favourite album, make a cup of tea, and enjoy some Christmas crafting. It's quite likely you won't need these templates or instructions, but I…