Immersed in making in my Scottish hideway

Since I began my Scottish sojourn (let's call it my maker's retreat) I've been busy coming up with ideas and projects for my new book Vintage Vacation based on my travels in the Mobile Makery. It sounds idyllic I know - far away from the madding crowd - cutting, sticking and stitching. I  realise you won't believe me but it does have its drawbacks! It's chilly and a bit lonesome and I'm not quite sure how long I can afford the luxury of not earning day-to-day. I'm lucky in that I have a very kind brother letting me stay with him for a while. But, I need to sort out the cash flow - fast! 

My 5am starts for shifts on the foreign desk at the BBC in London seem a long time ago already, but I miss my friends and colleagues enormously. The day-to-day dramas, deadlines and banter do give you an energy and focus that you can lack when you're working on your own with no reason to hurry. It's all too easy to become disconnected from what's going on in the world. For instance,  I've not been listening to the Today programme at all. Shock Horror! It used to be my regular wake-up call but now I switch it off if my brother puts it on. I've come to realise that being hit with bad news on a global scale every morning isn't necessarily the way to stay upbeat and positive! I'm not saying you should cut yourself off entirely, but pick and choose your moments, curate your listening, viewing and reading. Too much information can be a bad thing.

But onto more creative matters....!

Here below is a sneak preview of some of the makes I've been working on. I'm using largely recycled materials to create a host of projects that I hope will please both stylish nomads and home-loving hoarders!

Anyway - time for lunch so I must be off! Food is always a deadline worth sticking to ! x

Knitting natter - or not a natural knitter!

Now folks. People who know me, will know that I'm not a natural knitter. I'm pretty bad at enjoying the process, too often thinking of the result and wearing the thing that I've just made. I'm getting better, but I'm not there yet. Thus it is that knitting is generally too slow for me. However, as I'm currently sojouring in Scotland where it's pretty cold, I thought I'd try again. I've been yearning for texture and heathery colour and I needed a scarf, so why not just relax into it and make one?

I had bought these rather pleasing wooden needles for a previous hat project (I am averse to knitting on small needles) and headed to Liberty (on a recent trip to London) to buy some wool. I figure if I'm going to make something it's better to use the best you can afford and create a luxurious item that you wouldn't normally buy.

I purchased four balls of this lovely Rowan yarn and was assured by my friends in the Liberty knitting department that a scarf would not need a pattern. I therefore plucked a number out of the sky and cast on 40 stitches. A brief bit of research on the internet delivered 'moss stitch' which looks lovely and nubbly and is achieved by alternating knit one purl one on the first row, with purl one knit one on the second row,  and so on. I figured that even I could manage that (although if you can spot the mistake here - there's a prize....!)

Two endless coach journeys on National Express and a couple of quiet vintage fairs later, I had almost knitted half a scarf. I realised to be honest, that if I had cast on just 20 stitches to start with, I'd actually have almost finished my scarf! But I resolutely carried on, piping up every now and again to ask anyone who would listen, "am I nearly there yet?" Each time I was told that I needed to knit at least another few inches. So, to encourage myself to finish the scarf I ordered 20 wool pompoms on ebay - made to order in a range of colours that you can choose for yourself. Yes, I know I could have made them too, but I wanted a quick-fix incentive to finish!

The carrot and stick approach worked well, and yesterday I finished my scarf and attached my pompoms. I hope you'll agree it's worked well! I only used 3 balls of wool, so I have enough to make a matching hat too. I'm actually glad I made the scarf 40 stitches wide as it can now double as a wrap or indeed - a rather lovely throw! If I can knit a scarf, then anyone can. Go on, give it a go! You'll feel so proud of yourself when you're done, and you'll be warm  and stylish to boot!