A while back I found this piece of pale pink linen- I think it was probably a placemat in a past life. It had a good weight to it, and an embroidered woven pattern worked around the edge in dark grey and white. Like I did back here, I got inspired by the previous stitches…

Thought you might enjoy a quick flick through my newest book, Knitting 24/7, which was a gift from my Mum. I don't knit nearly as often as I would like to these days but I continue to buy yarn and bookmark patterns for some utopian knitting future I have in my imagination… it will happen!…

I've had a fear of sewing with fine knits for ages, but decided to conquer that fear recently by sewing up this striped dress. The fabric is a fine navy and white jersey knit that I was lucky enough to find at the op-shop in one long length. I took a risk and just cut…

Just channelling a bit of summertime here from a frosty little place at the bottom of the world. These cushion covers were made from my small collection of vintage poppy-printed fabrics. They're part of my shop update today.  Dreaming of resting against one of these on a garden swingseat, lemonade in hand and accompanied by…

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from a kind blog-reader letting me know about a fabric sale in a private home nearby. An elderly woman had moved into a rest home and her family were clearing out her house for sale. She had loved to sew and knit and they were looking…

I've just finished reading the memoir Toast by Nigel Slater at the moment as his cookbooks are among my favourites. There's a brilliant bit in there about how his stepmother made gorgeous lemon meringue pies, but jealously guarded her recipe from the young Nigel who longed to learn to make one. He would creep past the kitchen…

This winter was the one in which Keira finally outgrew the coat I'd made for her in Norway. We got a pretty long run from it, really. So I dreamt up this new one for her and finished it last week, just in time for the cold snap. I used some vintage wool plaid for…

We had a really lovely break away- very rural and quiet. The children played all day long with their friends, while the parents drank coffee and sat by the fire. We even drove through a night-time snowstorm (very exciting, as snow is very rare in these parts), went looking for penguins, and went running over…

We're heading away for a short mid-winter break with some friends. I'll be back here again in a few days, but until then, I'll send you over to the lovely Anissa's blog, where I feature as part of her 'creative mama' series. If you leave a comment on that post, you enter the giveaway I…

It was with a heavy heart that I said goodbye to some good friends this week, leaving for the other side of the world. Actually, quite a few friends have been taking long plane journeys or are planning them for the near future, so I've found myself making them these 'eye-masks' for use on their…