Unemployment Beckons

 One of the joys of doing seasonal work is that at some point, you will be unemployed. Again. Last year I rushed into and forced myself to find a new job quickly, and I interviewed for a part time position but was offered and accepted a full time role at the same place. I ended up very ill very quickly, and quit after about five weeks – so I was unemployed again.

This year I am not forcing it or rushing. I have some money behind me so I can afford to be out of work for a month or so. I am very much looking forward to having some down time, and being able to truly relax.

I have a list of things I want to do whilst I am unemployed. I will be going back to my old weekly volunteering place. I will sort out the herb bed on my allotment. I will sort out all of my paperwork – and there’s a lot of that! I want to declutter, sort stuff out, clear stuff I no longer use, need, or want, and then hopefully my head will be clearer too.

The work I have been doing this year, and for the second half of last year, has been truly great and I’ve loved it so much, but I have been commuting nearly 127 miles a day, and spending a minimum of three hours in the car each day (most of that sat on the M42). I need to readdress my life/work balance (note I put ‘life’ first now; I used to write work/life), and I need to try and fix my back and foot as they have both suffered as a result of all the driving. I knew when I took the job that it would be a lot of commuting, a lot of money and time doing so, and I have been able to justify it for two seasons, but I just can’t do that for a third.

So I am unemployed again. I feel very much in control and I am going to keep busy. I have a lot of crochet to catch up on, some other craft things I want to do, and I have a lot of stuff to do on two allotments now. I am excited for what is to come; but I will be bored in about two weeks time…!

Here are a few pics I like that make me think happy things at this time of change :)

Crochet Blanket Inspiration; Spike Stitch

I made this blanket as a Christmas gift. Seven colours, lots of counting. I did three rows and did a spike stitch from the top row to the bottom. This is single bed sized, and I repeated the colours for the border in Double Crochet, and used glittery yarn too.

This stitch is simple, yet very yarn-consuming, but the effect is really good. My stitch count was multiples of five; each cluster of spikes is made up of [dc, small spike, long spike, small spike, dc]. The border was done in dc, and the corners [dc, ch 2, dc].

I am not a blocker.

5 stitches per clump - [dc, small spike, large spike, small spike, dc], rep.

You can read about my other blankets too!

A Day Out to Bridgnorth

Somehow David and I have managed to co-ordinate a day off together, so we spent a chilly and wet few hours mooching around Bridgnorth!

I have a map on Google Maps onto which I drop pins of almost everywhere that David and I go. Each thing has a colour coded icon, and now when we plan holidays we tend to consult the map and see where the gaps are – and then we start filling them!

We / I  eat a lot.

Despite the cold weather, I had two scarves on and my chunky woollen hat so I was quite toasty, we had a good day walking around. Personal highlight for me was the funicular!! I love funny quirky things, and I love funicular railways. They are SO COOL. So clever. It cost us £1.60 each, return, for a journey that took maybe 15 seconds each way, and it was totally worth it.

Bridgnorth is a geological mecca for me – all that desert dune bedded sandstone everywhere – and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of walls. I also found a small hole in a block on the bridge where it has eroded so much. On the riverbank is the biggest ginkgo tree I have EVER seen – another one of my loves – so I collected loads of leaves for an experiment I’m going to try (return later for the blog post).

Artsy, innit.

Highlights for David were probably the topiary’s in the grounds of Bridgnorth Castle ruins. Three shapes had been cut in time for the Remembrance Ceremony for the Centenary of the end of WW1. There was a spitfire aeroplane, a warship, and a tank. So cleverly done, and the knitted and crochet poppies on the fences were beautiful too.

Allotment Life: Onions!

I take back what I said in my previous post about not overwintering crops. This year in a break from tradition, and because I got excited when I was buying daffodil bulbs, I have planted two onion sets on the plot to overwinter and hopefully grow into nice fat onions next year. I’ve never successfully grown more than two onions so it’s a bit of an experiment and if I get more than two, I’ll call it a success.

I have planted a set of white and a set of red. I tend to use red onions more for cooking, I think I just like the colour better. They are in a well-dug bed which has had gravel and sand added this past year in a bid to improve drainage. I need to go back up and just cover them over with fleece to protect them from any frosts, and then I shall leave them be until around March time.

Five rows of onions. Not spaced properly. I don't do things properly.

In other exciting allotment news, a few years ago my Momma went on a guerrilla quince acquisition programme (she nicked loads of quince from a friends neighbours garden cuz we fancied some with christmas dinner & to make jelly from…), and we kept some seeds and grew them. For the last two years or so there has been a quince bed on the allotment with about eight little shrubs in it, grown from seed. We put them here as Momma ran out of room in the greenhouse at home, and they are spiky little things. They have flowered for the last two years, but this year now that all the foliage has died down we can see that… dun dun duunnnnnnnnnn… we have a quince! Our first quince! It is tiny and glorious and yellow and has been slugged but I am SO EXCITED – we didn’t think they’d actually grow and fruit so fast, I was expecting to wait a few more years for fruit off them.

Quince!

Now that we know the quince are happy there, I now have a new Thing for my To Do list – dig over, earth up, and fertilise the quince bed.

It’s never ending.

But I love it. It’s very satisfying tinkering around for an hour or so. It’s very calming and relaxing; I’m in suburban Birmingham but the plot site is generally very quiet. My company tends to be a robin, some long tailed tits, great tits, blue tits, a jay, a couple of woodpeckers, some pigeons and magpies, and sometimes I see the fox.  

I have a lot to do come December when I will be unemployed again!

Crochet Blanket Inspiration; Multi-Stitch Blanket

This blanket is wonky, colourful, clashing, weird, random, soft, cosy, nowhere near finished, an adventure, and a lot of fun!

I started this blanket to learn new stitches, to practice stitches and techniques I already knew, and to see first-hand how different stitches and patterns affect tension and stitch count. I am not very methodical at crochet, I like throwing caution to the wind and fudging it to make it work. I like experimenting and picking colours without thinking if they clash or look silly together. The aim of this blanket is to not conform to a plan, and to see where it takes me.

So far, the blanket is very wonky. The edges are all over the place, the stitch count varies wildly per row (the best one I had so far was 144 stitches short. The whole starting foundation row is only 217 stitches…) – I try to not let it get that bad now! I have repeated rows that I wanted to practice and I have even attempted broomstick lace which required the use of a 6ft curtain pole to hold the loops on – not easy.

This blanket is approx. double bed sized (see previous comment about stitch count, tension & wonky edges!) and I haven’t been sewing in ends as I go, so that’s something else to look forward too. I think I started this blanket a couple of years ago and only really add to it when I want to learn a new stitch. It is not a regular WIP.

I am using a 4mm hook and Stylecraft Special DK, as usual. The colour range of this yarn is FAB. Stitches vary wildly. I have used (UK terms): DC, HTR, TR, DTR, Shell Stitch, Bobble, Popcorn, Catherine Wheel, Dragon Scale Stitch, Broomstick Lace, Granny Stitch, Spike Stitch, Buillion, Tulip Stitch, WaveStitch, Star Stitch, Chevron… and who knows what else I’ll use. Click on the words to be taken to tutorials for those stitches.

The row of hot pink broomstick lace really badly affected stitch count and tension!

You can read about my other blankets too!

Allotment Life: Planning Ahead

It is nearly the end of my allotment year. I rarely overwinter crops as my plot is generally inaccessible during the winter as the bottom road floods and there is no point doing any digging as it is just slop. I try to do lots of maintenance over autumn/winter – digging out drainage ditches before it gets too wet (can’t do them in the summer as the ground is baked solid!), planting fresh bulbs, sowing wildflower seeds, removing the bamboo canes and pea netting, and pruning trees. I have been spending some time this past week doing my bed prep for the end of the year.

Plot 31.

My little plot is on a downward slope to a brook. Every winter, it floods. Sitting on top of Birmingham Clay doesn’t help either! Every year I start my bed prep early; turning them over, weeding, breaking up clods, adding more compost / sand / gravel (sand & gravel are to help the drainage in a very claggy clay heavy soil). I then cover the bed over with tarps, leaving them until spring.

This helps me in lots of ways. It makes the plot look tidy and looked after; it significantly reduces the amount of vegetation growth I need to deal with in the spring to get a bed ready for planting; it offers somewhere for frogs and toads to hibernate – and by encouraging them I hope they enjoy what I have to offer them (an endless supply of slugs). It also allows me to try new things with the beds. This year, one of them has been turned, weeded, dug over, raked, and then has had a layer of corrugated cardboard put down, and then the tarp put over that. Hopefully the cardboard will break down but it will also suppress any vegetation growth. Three of the other beds have been turned, dug over, and covered – I have purposely left the plant material to rot down and fertilise the bed over winter.

Digging and turning the beds now also helps me to plan into the new year. What can be left, what do I need to do next, which beds are the priority. It helps to clear my mind and to work through my anxiety issues. Turning and weeding is very methodical and peaceful, it is a good few hours work and the difference is incredible. I feel very productive and like I know what I’m doing, and the result is a tidy plot which keeps the site manager happy.

So far this year I have done six beds. I have another three to do but I have run out of both tarps and bricks! One of the beds still has a crop in (sprouts, yummy!), and the other has garlic so it won’t be covered. I also don’t dig and turn my herb patch, though that will be getting an overhaul this winter and will also be the subject of a future blog post.

This years fallow bed; overgrown couch grass chaos!

Same bed, now dug over and covered for the winter.

I have a lot of couch grass and creeping buttercup on my plot; both can be a nightmare and my compost bins are full so I try to manage how many beds I prep as I also need to dispose of the plant matter. Previously when I have turfed the area to initially make the beds, I turned the turf over and piled it under the plum tree. Three years later and I am now digging out some lush compost made from the rotten grass clods, but this is now running low… Next on my to-do list is turning the actual compost bins and seeing what is usable, as I will need to use it in the new year to build up the ground level.

I have been trying over the years to build raised beds purely so that my crops and the ground level are higher than the water table. It is taking a lot of time / money / effort / compost so I am doing it one bed at a time. I’m also incorporating different things into the soil (see above; sand & gravel mainly) to help build up ground level.

So next on my allotment list are: do the herb patch, and sort out the compost bins. Watch this space!

Froggo

Shield Bug

Momma Pat has taken on a new allotment plot on the same site, and this is painted on the shed door. I like it. I want to copy it. 

Crochet Blanket Inspiration; Cosmic CAL

Next up in my new series of Crochet Blanket Inspiration is a WIP I am currently doing. I started this back in April. I got so far and then put it down for about two months and now I generally only pick it up when I’ve got a week off work to devote to smashing through the pattern and getting a large chunk made.

At the moment I am on part 6; there are 9 parts in total.

This pattern has been very challenging and even frustrating in parts, and there are lots of sections that I’ve had to frog and redo. I have learnt loads of new stitches and although I have had stressful times, I am really enjoying it and have loved developing my crochet skills. The texture on this pattern is beautiful and it really is most unlike anything I’ve ever made. I’d never really thought about doing popcorn stitch and other complex techniques but it is a lot of fun.

There is an active, brilliant, and super supportive Facebook group for this CAL, and there is also a Ravelry Page, and lots of digital downloads available. Helen also has a very informative blog and lots of video tutorials!

Parts 1-5; using Stylecraft Special DK acrylic & a 4mm hook.

You can read about my other blankets too!

Making the Seasons; Autumnal Wreath

Making a wreath is not a regular occurrence for me. They are time consuming both physically and mentally, and they take a lot of planning, faffing, deciding, thinking, rethinking, more faffing, and then generally lots of time to put the whole thing together. Saying that, I am absolutely loving the one I’m currently making. It is autumnal, and the colours are glorious and I’ve been collecting natural materials to stick on it, and raiding tat shops to get bits and pieces.

I was first inspired to make crochet wreaths by Lucy over at Attic 24; I think both of our brains work in a similar way. I love colour and piecing things together. I love being outdoors and using that as inspiration. Planning and thinking about what colours to use, things to add on, what else I could put on, how much is too much, do I add dangly twirly bits, do I add pompoms… the list is endless.

So this is my wreath at the moment! I am just about to start fixing things to the wreath base. I use fabric tack glue because I hate sewing. Some of the bits will be glued and then fastened with small fencing staples.

I need to make more bits for it; I want toadstools, more leaflitter, maybe another pumpkin or two. I also want to incorporate more cones and catkins. I could keep making and it’d never be enough!

For the base I have used a 30cm polystyrene flat-backed ring from Wool Warehouse, and then I made the cover using Stylecraft Cabaret in Rainforest. I used star stitch; it is very wonky and a bit ruched up in places so I won't use this stitch again for a wreath cover. It isn't very even and although it is pretty, lots of the actual cover will be, well, covered, so you won't see the star stitch detail. 

The wee hedgehog was made from a pattern book I got with Crochet Now magazine, and the leaves are made from an Attic 24 pattern. This is a seasonal project that will probably be finished when the season ends!

Allotment Life; Compost Bins

A quick blast up the allotment on Wednesday in between showers and torrential down/side pours!

Earlier this week Momma Pat and I tackled the compost bins. These were made years ago with wooden pallets stood on their side, and they have been very useful. However every year they get completely overgrown by brambles, nettles, bindweed, and dock. So every winter we clear it all off and chop it all back, and I also spend a day digging them over, turning, moving stuff around, and generally faffing. 

I tend to leave the back of the compost bins to grow wild during the year as it makes for a very good habitat for bees, wasps, the fox, hedgehogs (we’re not sure if there are any but I like to think there are), butterflies and their caterpillars, beetles, and of course all of the birds. The patch behind the compost has a half built brash line/dead hedge made using bits of plum, red currant, black currant, dogwood, and other woody bits we can’t compost. It has made a good barrier between the plots and a good base for the brambles etc to grow over and cover. There is also a good clump of thistles which come up every year here.

Whilst we were clearing I uncovered lots of offcut downpipe and some rotting wood pallet, so these were all relocated further under the nettles/brambles to make a rotting wood pile for wee beasties, and the tubes should provide shelter for varying things to live.

A good hour or so of work; this week I also need to get on and start digging over some of the beds and get them weeded & covered for winter.

In a couple of years time I think I need to seriously consider sourcing some new pallets!

Rotting wood pile and offcut downpipe

A little clear path at the back of the compost bins for access to cut stuff. I'll leave it all to grow back now.

Robin came down to inspect the works

Walking Adventures; Cannock Chase

David and I like going walking. We have walked a lot, we have walked in a lot of places across the country, we have walked through lots of areas, and generally our walks don’t end in disaster (except that time I slipped on snow and ended up in some mud).

Walking helps me with my anxiety and it helps me to refocus my mind and to just be. I like the rhythm of my feet on the floor, the crunching of leaves, and watching wildlife. Our most recent walk on part of Cannock Chase yielded a sighting of five fallow deer!

The colours of the trees at this time of year are hugely comforting and soft, yet ablaze in yellows, oranges and reds. Some of the purple heather is just starting to flower, the grass is still green, and the sky is often blue… My creative soul loves it. Such inspiration abounds, and being able to bounce ideas off David and get his feedback is invaluable.

I love our walks, not just because we often end up back in the nice little café (or the chainsaw shop). I love being outside with David and spending time with him. I love not being restricted to my house, or to my worksite, or the allotment. I love exploring new areas and reading the world with him. He has taught me a lot about tracking animals and looking for other signs of them. We look at a lot of poo when we walk.

Self care sometimes doesn’t mean lighting a candle and having a bath with a facemask on. Self care is sometimes going for a walk, getting sweaty and smelly, tromping through mud, and seeing deer. Being outside in nature is great for us anxious souls. It helps to soothe and calm us, and in my case it offers so much inspiration for projects and colour schemes.

Living where I do makes it very easy to be in a good walking spot within an hour, but I just don’t do it often enough.

Deer!

Celebrating 30; Getting My Ears Pierced

My momma and my sister both have three holes in each ear lobe. I was late to the piercing game; I didn’t get my first holes done until I was 21, and then the second holes at 22. I have recently had my third holes done as part of my ongoing Turning 30 celebrations!

The first two holes were done with a gun – so simple and quick. The third holes were done somewhere else and the lady used a needle. I fainted. 

I have been a blood donor for a few years now but I recently had to stop – because I kept going faint. I should be used to needles and jabs by this point; it wasn't a bad pain, it was just sustained and I don't particularly like people faffing around my face or neck anyway! 

I am trying to look after myself better and to do things that make me happy. Self care is a huge thing for me and it includes many different things. I’ve wanted my third hole done for a couple of years but I have never gotten around to it, so I went and did it! Not sure I'll be rushing to get anything else pierced any time soon though.

Medicinal Giant Donut.

Crochet Blanket Inspiration; Drop in the Pond

I love making blankets. They are simple yet complex; they can be put down for years and then carried on when you feel like it, they can be taken pretty much anywhere when they’re little and pretty much everyone likes getting a blanket as a gift. If you ever want to make something but aren’t sure what, casting on a blanket is always a Good Thing.

I use blanket making as therapy, to challenge myself, and also to learn new stitches. I have a scraps granny square blanket Work In Progress (WIP), a multi-coloured, multi-stitched, tension-all-over-the-place, wonky-stitch-count WIP, a Cosmic CAL WIP, and a 30^th birthday celebration temperature blanket WIP.

Over the last six years or so that I’ve been crocheting I have made a multitude of blankets. I tend to make double bed sized as that’s the bed I have and I like to cover it. I’ve made one single bed sized blanket, and a few baby blankets.

I have decided to share some of my blankets and hopefully they will inspire you to pick up a hook and cast one on yourself. The stitch and colour combinations are endless, and the result is always something cosy.

The first blanket I’m going to share is my Drop In The Pond blanket, which I actually reverse engineered from a photo I’d seen. I made it big enough to cover the bed comfortably, and I used (as usual) a 4mm hook, and Stylecraft Special DK acrylic yarn. I used granny stitch throughout.

The pattern for this can be found here on Ravelry.

Drop in the pond; also a view of my yarn stash & plant collection

Allotment Life: October 2018

In August 2018, I had my nine-year plot holder anniversary. 

I’ve had lots of times where I just wanted to chuck in the spade and give it all up. I’ve had lots of times where I’ve loved every second and thought ‘I never want to give this up!’, and I’ve also had lots of times where I’ve done my best to ignore it for a good six months.

Glorious lush & green - looks like spring, not October

My plot in Birmingham is on the downward slope to a watercourse, and being Birmingham, is atop clay. My plot floods. A lot. Badly. Often. Dig 6” down and you hit clay. Over the years I have started to build raised beds, and every year I attempt to raise one or two up to about 8” above ground level. Every year it never seems to work as well as I hope – allotments it turns out eat a lot of money – so it is a never ending battle to raise my growing beds and improve the space.

Part of my Turning Thirty Pledges included spending more time at my allotment. It is a lot of work and it does eat money and sometimes it feels like more effort than it is worth, however, I love it. It is good for me, mentally and physically. It is my little haven – I saw the first painted lady butterfly I’ve seen at the plot site this summer – and pottering around doing little things is satisfying. Growing my own food and eating an allotment dinner makes me proud, and sharing advice and tips with other plotholders is also good fun. So with all that in mind, I am trying to spend two hours a week at the allotment.

Painted Lady on the right. This year has also been amazingly good for Common Blue butterflies.

Last week Momma P and I spent a few hours in the sunshine, sorting out the sprout patch to protect against pigeon damage, cutting down a rampant raspberry, and building up the soil level of a flower bed.

Next on my to do list is to dig out & turn over my pumpkin patch, weed & turn over this seasons fallow bed, and turn & cover the leek bed.

Sprouts with anti-pigeon cage

Flower bed; now with fresh daff & tulip bulbs