By Helen

York’s very own Cat Walk…

York is a fabulous place to live, and visit, full of wonderful places to explore. York is an amazing place to spent time just wondering around, looking at the architecture and shops.  When we were looking for a grand day out, earlier this month, Si and I decided to stay in the city and do some exploring.  I should point out that we were also looking for a cheap day out.  There are lots of walks that you can do around the city, and through the years of living here, I think, we have covered most of them.  So, you can imagine our delight when we found a new way of exploring the city that was free.  That’s right FREE!  We decided to go on a Cat Walk.  All around York there are sculptures of cats…

Did you spot him: walking along the roof?  What can be better than walking around a beautiful city, looking for cats (my very favourite animal), pausing for coffee and doing it all (expect the coffee part) for free.  Here are a few of what we found…

If you want to go a cat hunt, you can pick up a map (for free) at the Cat Gallery, on Low Petergate….

Or, you can download a map HERE.  While looking for cats, Si also spotted this…

…okay, isn’t a cat, but we thought it was rather lovely!

So, if you are looking for a free activity, to while away a few happy hours, I would recommend York’s Cat Walk!  Did I mention that is was FREE!

a celebration of 2012….

As 2012 comes to an end, I thought that I would share with you, and celebrate,  some of my highlights form 2012, what a busy year it has been…

In January I started my New Year’s resolution, to crochet a different flower each month – something I hope to continue in 2013.  

In February the weather turned cold: and it snowed and snowed and snowed.  I love snow; nothing else can change the appearance, sound, smell and feel of your surroundings quite so well as snow.

With March came the promise of Spring, with golden Daffodils cheering-up much of York.  I just had to crochet a Daffodil…

In April I celebrated my first Blogversary.  A whole year of sharing all of my crocheting and crafting with you.  Thank-you for sticking with me!

May was a busy crochet month.  Crocheting May blossom and festival hats for my little friend I.

June saw crochet to the rescue with a quick fix for my hair…

I was sooooo very proud of July’s crochet flower of the month; I had to share it with you again.  It still makes me smile of dull rainy days!  The crochet pattern for it is here!

In August I was in for a real treat, making beautiful faabric flowers.  I hope to make bunches of these next year…

September saw Si and I start to get the house ready for re-modelling.  It also saw me fall in love with the most perfect yarn for crocheting flower brooches.  And I introduced you all to my favourite yarn shop. 

Crochet in October was given over to going out, to let the builders get on with finishing our home.  I did manage to sneak in a bit of Halloween hooky time…

Christmas started really early, in November, as I crocheted lots and lots of samples for my Crochet for Christmas course.

In December I found the cutest Christmas trees to crochet, and hung them proudly in by nearly finished home…

Yep, it has been quite a year, all good!  See you in the New Year for lots more crocheting and crafting! 

crochet for Christmas, part one…

I know it is only November, and it is early to be blogging about crochet for Christmas.  But, I am excited.  Very very excited.  Do you remember me telling you about Grace and Jacob?  Well I am going to be running a course there!  That’s right: I will be passing on my love of crochet and teaching people how to crochet Christmas decorations.  The course is on the 25^th November, and if any of you would like to come-along, you can book HERE.  For the last few weeks I have been busy crocheting samples and writing patterns for the hand-out.  I thought I’d share with you, some of the things that people will be crocheting on the day.  We will be crocheting, Christmas puddings, Starflakes (these can either be starts or snowflakes, hence they are Starflakes), mistletoe and Christmas robins….

I really, really, really, hope that people book on the course and that I can blog about crochet for Christmas, part two and share with you all the wonderful things we crochet on the day….

November, November, November…

Oh gosh: it’s November!  How did that happen?  Hasn’t October only just started?  I’ve been soooo busy through October: and I think that November is going to head the same way.  Still November is here: it seems to have blown its way in; along with rain and the cold.  It is cold.  I thought that we usually had a gradual introduction to the cold, the temperature dropping over the weeks.  No, not this year: it is like someone has turned the heating down (or off) and Winter is here.  I can’t really complain I love, loVE, LOVE winter; those cold, clear, crisp days when the world looks so beautiful - it makes your heart sing.

A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of building work, having to find things to do out of home so the builders could get-on-with-it; I stumbled on an art installation.  It was just perfect for the weather that we have at the moment.  I went on a visit to Clifford's Tower, an English Heritage property just ten minutes walk from my front door.  You might remember Clifford's Tower; it is the remains of one of York’s castles, which looks absolutely stunning with Daffodils each Spring.  Inside the tower an artist had hung umbrellas!  Lots and lots of umbrellas.   All gently bopping in the wind.  I thought this was a brilliant, an inspirational use of space and something that I just had to share with you all.

Hope you enjoy…

fabric flowers: going solo…

Do you remember the fabric flowers which I made, on a course at Grace and Jacob?  I finally found the time to have ago at making fabric flowers on my own; going solo.  It is one thing making gorgeous flowers with the safety-net of a tutor on-hand; to see you through your muddles.  It is quite another thing to make, equally, wonderful flowers in the comfort of your own home, with no safety-net, no tutor.  Fortunately, at the course, the very talented Bryony had given us hand-outs; so with those in hand and fabric circles cut I was ready to make flowers.  I started out by making the flowers which we made at the course.  And you know what?  They turned out rather well…

With confidence growing I decided to experiment, using different sized petals to make single flowers…

The one which I am the most proud of is this…

What do you think?  I just love this; I think that it is my favourite fabric flower to date.  I love its size: it is teeny-tiny small.  The flower is only just the size of a penny!  Yes a penny…

So, so cute.  I want to make more.  I want a whole florist full of fabric flowers!  The perfect excuse to but more fat-quarters! 

Ramshambles...

Often when I go shopping for yarn, I end up at Ramshambles.  So, I thought that it was about time that I gave you a proper introduction to the wonderful Aladdin’s cave which is Ramshambles.  For those of you who don’t know the fabulous city of York; Ramshambles, as the same suggests, is situated on one of York’s most famous street; the Shambles.  Once on the Shambles, who can’t miss the shop…

Pop inside the shop, and you are in for real treat.  The shop is quite literally stuffed to the rafters with all different types of yarn…

The stock changes regularly, giving you the perfect excuse for frequent visits!  Ramshambles has just opened a workshop, the Wool Rom, for classes and clinics.  Katey and all her staff are brilliant at offering guidance and advice for when things aren’t going quite to pattern.  Ramshambles is the perfect place to stock up on yarn.

Go on next time you are in York visit Ramshambles...

fabric flowers...

Do you remember that I mentioned, when I visited Grace and Jacob a few weeks ago, that I booked on a course to make fabric flowers?  Well that course was last Sunday.  It was brilliant!  No other word to describe just brilliant. Our tutor the very talented Bryony had made these to inspire us…

Then it was our turn.  The day started with a very difficult choice, of choosing three (yes just three) different fabrics to make our flowers out of.  The choice…

...was tricky, so many colours, so many patterns.  In the end I decided on my three…

All of the flowers we made started in the same way: by cutting out circles of fabric.  The circles were the folded in different ways and stitched together to make the petals of the flowers.  Then finished off with a fabric covered button. 

So, these circles…

Became this…

These circles…

Became this…

And these circles ….

Became this…

I am so, so, sooooooooo proud of what I made! Everyone on the course was so talented, are you ready for a group ta-dah moment?  Here goes…

The day was made even better when Aleksandra arrived with her Cake Pops…

They were almost too pretty to eat.  I did say almost, and they tasted just as good as they looked!

It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday: surrounded by fabric, making flowers, meeting other talented crafters.  Now for the real challenge making more lovely fabric flowers, solo: without the safety- net of Bryony!  I’ll let you know how I get on.

 A massive thank you, thank YOU, THANK YOU to Bryony and Fiona: for starting my love affair with fabric flowers. 

 Sorry Si – that does mean fabric in the house, as well as yarn!

sweet treat…

York is full of wonderful tea-shop; you are literally spoilt for choice.  If you only have time to visit one: then you would have to go to Bettys.  I can spend ages stood in front of Bettys' shop window, with their mouth-watering display of cakes, biscuits, breads and teas.  Yesterday as I was walking passed the window I spotted these…

Aren’t they the most adorable cakes you have ever seen?  They reminded me of the bees I crocheted last year, when I opened my back-yard.  The bee cakes had to be (sorry) Friday night’s sweet treat.  And, oh boy, they were good.  Chocolate heaven.  Inside the gorgeous chocolate decoration was a chocolate ganache, sat on a layer of chocolate cake.  Chocolate heaven! 

They did remind me that I hadn’t baked for a long time.  So that is how I am spending today: crocheting and baking.  Enjoy your weekend, and if you can make it to Bettys…

a grand day out in York...

Si and I were meant to go to the  Yorkshire Show.  I was so looking forward to it, seeing all the sights, tasting the food, thanking the sheep for giving us yarn.  Last year's show was soooo good: I was very excited about going again.  The weather had other plans; and for the first time in 154 years the show was cancelled because of all the heavy rain; think Glastonbury style mud with extra animals.  Si decided that he would go into work and take the day off later in the year.  My head was already on holiday, so I decided to take the day off.  A whole day off to myself: this is not usual as I work part-time, but my none-working days are usually full of other things.  This was a treat day; not to be filled with house-work and other stuff that is no fun.  The day was to be a fun day.  I decided to have a day out in, my home city of York!

I started the day with a visit to a friend who is very unwell at the moment.  Rather than walking through the streets, which I love to do – nosing in peoples’ gardens, I walked in the sun-shine (yes sun-shine) around the city walls...

After visiting A, I popped into Grace and Jacobs...

If you have never visited Grace and Jacobs, you need to.  It is a gorgeous little shop full of yarns and fabric….

It also has a small studio where classes are held…

I did manage to leave Grace and Jacob’s empty handed, something of an achievement!  I did book myself on to a course for making the prettiest fabric flowers.  I don’t feel too guilty, I like to have things in my diary to look forward to and this is just one of them!

Then I went to the Quilt Museum...

Again, if you have never visited: go.  I have the upper most respect for the quilters: as I stand in awe, I fully acknowledge that I will NEVER have the patience or accuracy needed to quilt.  The exhibition was fantastic: really inspirational.  I was instantly drawn to this purple quilt…

I loved the subject matter of this…

And thought this one to be very appropriate…

The best thing about the Quilt Museum is that the exhibitions change every three months, so there is always something new to look at.

I needed a pick-up up of coffee and cake so went to a new café, which I have wanted to go to for a while, The Flax and Twine...

The tea-room was sooo pretty…

And the coffee and cakes were AMAZING.  Another place you will have to visit in York.  Feeling full I mooched around for a bit, popping in to shops, saying hello to friends and taking more photos…

 

York’s most iconic building York Minster, taking the photo I realised that I don’t visit the Minster anymore.  I volunteer at the Minster as a guide showing visitors around, but I don’t actually visit myself.  By then my feet were getting tired, so I headed home for some serious hooky time…

I loved this day.  It wasn’t the day I was expecting: but it was a grand-day out!