small miracles

Whether I realised it or not, I've probably been quite stressed thinking about spending Christmas with my parents (yes, both mother and father) for the first time since I was 6. My parents are not fans of each other. Well, my dad is very apathetic about my mum, but I'm sure there's active hate on the side of my mother. It's been constant drama in my life for years. 

Regardless, Christmas was very civil. My beau has organised tickets to see my favorite band (elbow) and a trip to Amsterdam to see Jools Holland band. He is so thoughtful and just generally gorgeous. Christmas with warring parents is worth it when I have him in my life.

In general, my family fed my love of crochet as presents this year. Dad bought me Tunisian crochet hooks. I'm looking forward to learning on that one as I like the idea of making fair isle clothing. Mum bought me a wool basket and some very lovely and practical house stuff like duvet sets and pillows.

I still didn't really get any Christmas spirit. Perhaps a sign that I need babies! It didn't help working right until the end of Christmas Eve. Won't be making that mistake again. Still, I'm grateful for the love in my life, my health, my friends, my family. And the small miracles that I see everyday.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas spirit

I'm really struggling with Christmas spirit this year. I think it may have something to do with the exceptionally good summer we have had. Plus it's still very mild, I'm not really even dusting off my winter coat yet. I'm hopeful as time passes, the excitement will build and I'll be back to feeling like a kid again by Christmas Eve!

We decorated the house last Monday. The tree especially looks very... interesting. We have a large amount of psychedelic colours on our tree. There is no theme, just gifts. I do love it, but I will admit sometimes I do think it looks like a 5 year old decorated it! I'm especially proud of the stocking hanging up this year. I made it a few weeks ago, during a sewing workshop. I love it.

As I'm almost done with the ridiculous about of wrapping of presents, I've started crocheting for me again. I've done a huge about of crochet recently but all of it has been for someone else. Presents etc. This one in really looking forward to seeing it coming to life. I've chosen the Shetland Shrug pattern out of the Simply Crochet magazine issue 11. I love both Simply Crochet and Inside Crochet magazines and have subscriptions to both.
The pattern is lovely and modern. I've chosen aran yarn also to make sure the gauge shouldn't be too far off, but instead I've chosen a lovely mustard colour (otherwise known as haystack), it's by Sirdar and I think I'll match it to a pale grey.

It's obviously very early days, but I'm looking forward to wearing such a great colour.

The hat for beau is complete but I'm very behind on the scarf. Beau is always around! I'll have to send him shopping or something equally suspicious to him!

belated thanks

Finally completed work last Thursday with a huge smile on my face. I had a delightful long weekend ahead of me and no idea what was going to happen. 

Beau and I had a shaky start to our long weekend on Friday, when I had to deal with yet more estate agents to try and rent my flat out. I would love to sell my old place but it's just financially not viable yet. Regardless, once we were done we headed to one of our favorite cafes for breakfast while beau teased me regarding my surprise weekend away.

At about midday, we pack up the car and head out. It takes me all of 10 mins to realise we're heading north and my first thought shouts 'Kielder!'. I'm blatantly wrong. An hour and a half later and we drive over the Scottish border. We arrive at our destination late, in pitch black and apparently in the middle of a field. In the light this is what our gorgeous accommodation looked like. 

Surprisingly spacious, Indian themed, a Romany caravan. With a view of this:

Our weekend was so relaxing. I managed lots of crocheting and finally finished my black hole cowl for a friend's Christmas gift. I ended up using very reasonably priced yarn, it has given a lovely texture and I'm absolutely in love with it. Shame it's a gift! 

With the weekend coming to a close, I started to reflect where we are at this point in our lives. We're so lucky but we forget it sometimes. Here's hoping the new year means our greatest desire are realised. 

anticipation

So following on from the last blog update, mum had the all clear from the lump in her breast but unfortunately has had not so positive news regarding her smear. It looks increasingly likely she may have to have a hysterectomy. She seems to be taking it reasonably well though. She'll hear more within the next week or so. Still keeping fingers crossed.

On a more positive note. Today I left work and will not return until Tuesday. Why? My lovely beau has planned an early Christmas surprise. A long weekend somewhere. I have no idea where. I'm so excited. He has plans for us all day tomorrow; little trips before we'd get to our final destination and I'm such a child sometimes I think I love the anticipation more than the actual! I'm looking forward to taking a little time out this weekend as I feel like beau and I have sometimes passed like ships in the night recently. I'm also really lacking Christmas spirit. Apart from presents for beau I've bought next to no presents for anyone else. Part of me I think is still in a little shock that summer has passed! It seems to have lasted so long this year.

So yes, excitement builds.

Last night, the university girls and I went to a local tea room which holds wonderful craft workshops in the evenings. I do declare I made a lined Christmas stocking! Oh we were rubbish. But it was such good fun. We were chatting too much to pay proper attention to the instructions, hence a need to unpick numerous seams and a few slaps of the hand. We were supposed to be done by 9pm but finally left at 10pm. Thankfully our course teacher didn't seem to mind too much. I keep looking at the stocking. It might, in the new year, encourage me to get my own sewing machine out again (it's the threading of the cotton that puts me off), then again it might not - bloody crochet it's still the craft for me I think!

full of vintage happy

Today has been a good day. A few weeks ago there was an offer for afternoon tea on Living Social. The offer was at a local, newly opened, vintage tea shop. I bought one of the vouchers and decided to invite my best friend J as it has been a while since we've caught up, and cake is as good as an excuse as any other!

                           

Afternoon tea at The Vintage Powder Room was delicious and it was so nice to catch up. We talked about everything and it was lovely to just relax and chat. It made me even feel slightly festive!

What with it getting colder and few shops being open it was so quiet and relaxing walking up and down the streets after we'd stuffed our faces. I ended up in a charity shop and bought some old CDs for the car, for when I get sick of the radio (Norah Jones, Coldplay and a folksong compilation specifically). It was pennies. I also bought a lovely serving dish which is in the shape of a Koru (Maori fern), which is significant for the beau and I as we got engaged in New Zealand and we have Koru's on our wedding rings.

Finally, J and I discover this old fashioned sweet shop. They have these gorgeous boxes inside which have different sweets from the different decades. I ended up splashing out buying my brother sweets from the 80's and my university friends sweets from the 70's (I guess this gives some indication of my age!). J was very excited as this means one is for her.

I should be putting up the Christmas tree tonight but I don't know if I have the inclination. Instead I fancy a bit more crochet, candles and cosying with the beau!

quiet worries

Approx 5 years ago, my mother found out she had secondary breast cancer. Thankfully after months of chemotherapy and radio therapy she was given the all clear and life could continue, though perhaps with an ounce more thankfulness.

About 3 weeks ago my mother informs me she has found another lump. I'm slightly frustrated as it transpires that she found it in September. She was awaiting her yearly mammogram what was due the same mouth, but the NHS had decided to move her to 18 monthly without actually informing her. Hence the delay in going to the doctors. Following her latest smear, they have also found cancerous cells there.

In the next two days, mum is having appointments for both. I'm nervous of the outcome. I'm not mentioning this to mum of course. Mum and I have a difficult relationship. I love her as she's my mum but she has a tenancy to be a bit of a drama queen and I don't have a lot of patience with that. Regardless, in my logical, scientific brain I'm adding up the symptoms and assuming, rightly or wrongly, that things could clearly go very badly over the next few days. I have everything crossed that things go well and that my quiet worries are unfounded. Here goes everything.

relaxation is here

From a work point of view this week has been insane. I find relaxation is becoming more difficult to achieve. All my thoughts last night, even after leaving work at a reasonable time, were mostly on things that still need doing. Only now, at almost 9 in the morning on a Saturday, am I starting to feel calm. Candles are burning, Christmas spirit starting to twinkle, the thought of new crochet projects and lovely soft yarn filling my thoughts. I love this time of year.

Last night, the beau and I took his parents food shopping. It's a strange dynamic as my parents in law had him late in life and so they remind me more of grandparents. My father in law (who is 80) had a stroke about 3 weeks ago. He finally got out of hospital on Tuesday. The difference in those three weeks is quite startling. He's talking fine now, walking fine. In fact if you didn't know he'd had a stroke, you would never know. There are no remaining physical manifestations. It's lovely to see him doing so well so soon.

Crochet update

In my crochet world, I am working on two special projects. All for Christmas of course. The first is a scarf for my mother in law. Using a vibrantly coloured autumnal yarn with a hint of sparkle running through it. The yarn is Moonlight Sonata It's not the easiest of yarns to crochet, pulling out mistakes trends to break the fine tinsle running through it. However it's very reasonably priced and is looking especially lovely as I work it up into a "Maureen's Scarf" pattern. I'll post pictures when it is completed. Hopefully only a couple of days!

The second project as a secret one for my beau. I'm using the most wonderfully coloured yarn. Very wintery and manly! I will post pictures of the final item but for now I'm keeping it under wraps in case he reads this!

Catching a fire

The first time a heard about The Hunger Games was by reading a blog about books imminently being turned into films. I have a huge soft spot for dystopian novels, and so this trilogy felt oh so appealing.

The beau and I were on a long weekend staying in a yurt in the Lake District when we nipped to a local town to visit the shops. There was a deal to buy all three books and so I greedily bought the lot and proceeded to spend the majority of the weekend tucked up in the yurt, with a wood burner firing and losing myself in the world of Katniss and Peeta.

Oh how I loved this series. Yes some of it is far fetched, but also for a young adult series, it felt very real and raw. I was engrossed.

Fast forward to the films. It's been awhile since I got so caught up in a film, i thought Jennifer Lawrence was a brilliant cast for Katniss. Less so for Gale and Peeta. But I stand corrected. I love the characters. I love how the story had been told. Who would think that a story about child torture and governmental oppression of the people would be so appealing.

In honesty the appeal in these books is the central love story and the belief in love conquering all.

What do I think of when I think back to these books? Low light, warm blankets and kisses with my beau in front of a fire. Perhaps these books are just personal nostalgia of my own private love story.

Blogging life

I had the insane notion that putting together a blog would be a cinch. Insane, because I've spent more time looking at images, colours and fonts than really coming to grasp with what beauty I plan on putting on these pages.

Today has been a tale of two extremes. My gorgeous husband didn't have to go into work today. I had the lovely experience of cuddles in bed this morning before going to work, and I come home to a clean house and tea being cooked for me. I am truly blessed.

Having moved roles in my 'real job' just a couple of months ago, I find myself so much happier if not a little overwhelmed. I find myself laughing throughout most of the day, likely through delirium vs anything else. I can see how this role could become stressful but I plan on appreciating all the good things and surrounding myself with  positivity. I spent a lot of time prior to my move deciding how I could decorate my cubicle. It sounds very superfluous but I wanted to feel differently about this role. Let's face it we all spend so much time at our place of work, I think sometimes it's important to find and pursue your own happiness. Anyway, I found these lovely images by Katie Daisy. I bought next year's calendar to have something pretty and new to look forward to every month.

Aren't they just divine? Oh such prettiness.

My latest beauty

This beauty took me two days to crochet up, though I spent plenty of time trying to decide on a pattern. This beautiful cowl, made with Rowan Big Wool, is a gorgeous hot pink colour that will suit my mother a treat. It is a gift for her upcoming birthday. We are wildly different in that way, hot pink is not a color I would contemplate often! 

This cowl had worked up to be bright, soft (thanks to the merino) and pretty darn lovely to look at. Very proud. 

I am atlaswood

And welcome to my blog.

I've considered a home for my thoughts and my love of craft for a while now. I feel a desire to make something beautiful, chronicling my life and that of my family.

atlaswood is me. A girl who grew up with two wishes. To go to university and to travel the world. University was the start of my life now, and for that I will always be grateful. It opened my mind, made me life long friends and enabled me to get a good job (read: well paid, but not necessarily good for the soul). Travel began in earnest at the age of 22. There is so much beauty in the world, but I'm also aware, as I get older, that beauty can also be found at home too. I want to find this beauty.

atlaswood is my family. We are a family of two, my new husband and I. He is the most loving and giving person, he is my sunshine. One day we would like little acorns, though we're aware it may not be easy for us. I still have hope.

atlaswood will also be the name of my business. Needless to say I don't have a business, but it's a gentle dream, full of potential and wildly different to my current career path. Hence, quite appealing! I'd like the business to be organic, made with hands and passion. My current passion is wool, or more specifically, crochet. I'm slowly getting better and finding inspiration everywhere.

Welcome. I look forward to getting to know you.