Cosy Days

It always surprises me how brief autumn is. About two weeks ago we had a hard frost, that same day the tree at the end of our drive dropped all of its leaves. I couldn't believe how quickly it happened. 

Autumns beautiful golden glow is slowly falling to the ground and it is beginning to look decidedly winterish around here. As I sit in on my sofa typing up this post, I'm looking across the fields at the treeline in the distance. The colour that was visible at the beginning of this week has all gone, instead, there's a new beauty, the trees bare branches are reaching up into the clear blue sky. The next few months are the best time to really appreciate the structure and beauty of a tree.

I managed to finish my Russian Winter sweater before we went off to Iceland last week (pics to follow), only thing is I put it on and hated it! All that knitting and I can't stand the end result. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. Think is the round yolk does not suit my body shape - at least I don't think it does. Anyhoo, I've packed it away and perhaps I'll feel differently about it in time. I think I'm going to stick to knitting smaller items that are pretty much always a success and always in use.

I've been reading 'Making Winter' by Emma Mitchell. It's a lovely book full of simple crafts to fill slow winter afternoons. It's a book that pretty much reflects my families own winter days. We love nature and the 'skeleton flowerheads' left behind. Slow crafts of all kinds, some that are cosy some that help our little-feathered friends during the harsh, cold days. A lovely little book that is a delight to have on the bookshelf.

After what seems like months of hectic running around I'm enjoying slipping back into some of my comforting routines, like taking a bit of time to stitch, sew and create. These little decorations that I stitched a few years ago have been sitting in my mending basket for months after the little hanging loops came loose. It took minutes to fix and I wonder why on earth I left mending them for so long. 

It's the same with the quilt top pictured above. It has been at this stage of completion for about two years now. All I need to do is put on some of the border strips then send it off for quilting. I contemplated quilting it myself but this is one BIG quilt. It fits our King size bed. Having half-finished projects lying about is so annoying but surely part of a crafters reality 😂

Do you know...I feel like it's been ages since I have connected with that creative part of me. This year has been such a 'mad' year. So much change to process and adjust to that I have neglected that little part of who I am. As the days draw in and life returns to normal...whatever that is...I'm beginning to pick through those unfinished projects and fall in love with them again. 

With our unseasonably warm temperatures set to return to 'normal' from tomorrow, I'm looking forward to lots of cosy fire lit days with a good stitching/knitting project in hand. 

Blessings to you all my friends...