1. Where are you based?I am originally from Dorset where I grew up by the sea. In my mid twenties I fell in love with a Yorkshireman and after travelling abroad and moving around the country a bit we eventually settled down in Yorkshire. That was almost twenty years ago, and although I do miss the sea I’ve come to love living in Yorkshire. My home is in Skipton, a historic market town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. There is a strong sense of community here, with uber-friendly people and stunning countryside all around.

   

2. How long have you been blogging? I’ve been blogging for almost 9 years now, in fact my blogiversary is coming up on 12th March 2017 : http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2008/03/the-beginning.html

   

3. What’s your blog mostly about? I describe my blog as a “creative lifestyle” blog, as I mainly write about my everyday life, things that inspire me and things that make me happy, with a strong emphasis on colour, creativity and seasonal living. I treat my blog as an online diary, where I enjoy chatting about the weather, outings, holidays, my home, my studio and the things that I am creating. Over the years I’ve been blogging, I’ve become well known for my crochet designs and patterns which I love sharing for free on my blog. It gives me such a buzz to inspire creativity in others and to pass on some of the joy that crochet, colour and yarn gives me.

   

4. Do you have a favourite picture on your blog? What a tough question! I must have many, many thousands of images on my blog as every one of my blog entries is picture heavy. One that springs to mind is a picture of a stack of my crochet blankets – blankets are my passion and such a vital component of my life. I love designing them, making them, using them and filling my home with them.

   

5. What’s your favourite post? The posts I love most on my blog are generally the ones that are about the little details and observations of everyday life. I think it’s so important to recognise that our days are made up of a huge amount of small pleasures and visual happiness and all we need to do is slow down, open our eyes wide and appreciate everything around us. I love to use my camera to capture the small things that make me happy, whether they are at home (a small jar of home grown flowers on the table) or out and about (the reflections in the canal). These are fabulous posts for me to browse back through, a visual diary of ordinary life which reflects the seasons and the way in which I see the world. These posts reflect gratitude, which in turn creates happiness.

   

6. Have you heard of hygge? Do you think your blog shows hygge? Well who hasn’t heard of hygge??!! It’s become such a trend of late and the word is everywhere on social media. There are books and blogs and recipes and creative projects and hashtags galore! And yes, from what I understand of the word’s meaning, I do really think my blog shows hygge. It shows in the way I add colour, texture and cosy comfort to my home (a crochet blanket must surely be chockablock full of hygge, no?!), but also in the deep gratitude I feel for all the simple goodness in my life. For my home filled with love and family, for my colourful and creative life, for the simple holidays we take in the English countryside, for celebrating each and every season and the way my life is gently inspired and influenced by all things seasonal.

    

   

7. Who are your blog heroes? Can you share one or two of your favourite blogs with us? My favourite blogs are those which are honest and true to their authors, with photographs which delight and inspire. I love our blogging community and the talented and creative folk who take the time to document their lives and share with the world. It’s a wonderful thing to feel inspired, and my favourite blogs give out inspiration by the lorry load. One of the first blogs I ever started following is Alicia Paulson’s blog “Posie gets Cozy”  and it was her blog that inspired me to learn to crochet (along with Jane Brocket’s Yarnstorm blog ). I love Alicia’s friendly writing style and her photography always makes me sigh with pleasure. Many of my favourite blogs are no longer active, but I still hold a soft spot for the delightful ladies who inspired me back in the day when I was new to blogging – Jane, who wrote as Posy and Vanessa of Cocoa Rose textiles spring to mind. There is crochet inspiration in these blogs, but mostly I love them for the whole package – the appreciation of visual pleasures, home comforts and seasonal living.