I don't know about you but I am finding it hard to believe we are now three quarters of the way through the year (and our temperature blankets)! I'm finding it quite enjoyable having the visual representation of the year growing alongside me and I'm managing to stay up to date with my squares. We won't talk about ends though. Emma will be pleased to see that the initial neatness of my temperature charts has long since fallen by the wayside too! 

I quickly snapped a few photos before I came out this morning. Copper and saffron have featured quite heavily over the month but now the temperatures are dropping off slightly, Buttermilk and Lime have been welcomed back into the mix. We had a very random 27 degrees in the middle of September which led to the round of Raspberry appearing somewhat randomly but I think it's likely that will be its last appearance for the year. 

I've just done a very quick search on our socials and found this gorgeous image of a blanket at the end of August, by @scotlimes over on Instagram. It's just lovely, those greens! Thank you for sharing, Fiona. 

So, without further ado, I should do what I came on here to do in the first place, and that is provide you with the link for the October temperature chart! Here you go:  October Temperature Recording Chart

See you next month! 

As we head into the autumn we have been busy getting ready for lots of shows and events as it is prime crafting season! The Knit & Stitch Show at Ally Pally in on the horizon in just a couple of weeks time and yesterday we travelled up to Yorkshire for this weekend's Yarndale festival, which is one of our favourite shows of the year. If you are coming to the show be sure to come and visit us on stand J21-24 to say hello!
 
Although I am usually the last to admit it, it is definitely sweater weather here now, so I have been rummaging around in the boxes from the loft to find warm clothes and boots! I have also done a marathon yarn winding session to get my projects ready for sofa knitting through the longer evenings - one of the good things to come as a result of the changing seasons I suppose! 
 
We have a few things to tell you about this week, including information about a new UK based workshop I will be tutoring with Stitchtopia next year, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news.

I'm very excited to tell you about a new Stitchtopia holiday that I will be leading in July 2026. It is a six day crochet retreat entitled ‘In the Footsteps of William Morris’ and, as well as including two full-day crochet workshops, we will also visit some of the places that shaped William's artistic vision. The Emery Walker house, where we photographed the Spirit of Flora project (shown above) and the National Trust Red House, where we shot the images for Climbing Rose Wrap (shown lower down), will be among those we will go to. 
 
I'm really looking forward to this trip and am particularly excited that West Yorkshire Spinners have agreed to collaborate on this one, which means we will be using their new range of Morris inspired yarn for the project.
 
There are just 4 places left on this workshop now, so click on the image below, or click here to find all the details on the Stitchtopia website. 

If you have been waiting to get your hands on the Sandalwood colourway of Persian Tiles, I'm pleased to report that the kits are now back in stock and you can find them here.  ​

​We have drawn one huge conclusion from our social media postings recently and that is that everyone loves a blanket drop! 
 
On both Instagram and Facebook our followers loved the reel of me dropping a wide selection of my blankets, with lots asking for the names of those they weren't familiar with and telling us their favourites. 
 
If you missed it you can find it here on Facebook and here on Instagram. 

If you don't already follow our social media channels, you can find links at the bottom of this email. Do come and join us! ​

The wonderful crafting charity Woolly Hugs is looking for craft contributions for their Christmas Craft Sale 2025. This year, as well as raising funds for Woolly Hugs' own projects, the sale will be supporting The Christmas Dinner Project, a charity founded by the poet Lemn Sissay OBE, which brings communities together to provide a Christmas Day for care leavers, aged between 18 and 25. For many young people leaving care they may be facing their first Christmas Day living independently, and alone and the charity aims to give them a day they will never forget. 
 
You can find out lots more information here including a list of suggested items to make. The last posting deadline for donations to the sale is the 31st October. 
 
You can find out more about all the different projects that Woolly Hugs are currently running by clicking on their logo below. 

Yarnstravaganza, the celebration of yarn shops, is taking place across the UK from the 27th September to the 4th October. It's a great way of showing support for your local yarn shop and it's well worth getting in touch with them to see if they have any special events planned. you can check on the UK Hand Knitting website here to see if they are taking part. ​

Gemma's chosen book this month was ‘Gnomes to Crochet’ by Val Pierce. This book contains 20 colourful gnome characters, with almost every occasion covered. There is a bridge & groom, a baby gnome and a birthday gnome among others. If you are a fan of amigurumi (and gnomes) this is the book for you! ​

You can read Gemma's thoughts about the book within her Book of the Month blog post here and if you the look of this book too, head on over to the Search Press website. If you're in the UK you can get a 20% discount and free delivery by entering the code DD88 at checkout. ​

This week Gemma recommends a recipe from Dale Pinnock, aka The Medicinal Chef. It popped up on her Facebook feed and it was a welcome suggestion among all the unwanted stuff that appears on a daily basis! The recipe is a White Bean and Aubergine Bake, which you can view by following the link to Facebook. You can see it here on Instagram too. 
 
Gemma reports that it was absolutely delicious! All the family enjoyed it and asked for seconds, so it comes highly recommended. As with all dishes involving aubergine, the prep time takes a while in order to make sure the aubergine slices are well cooked before assembling the dish, but other than that it is straightforward and most of the ingredients are store cupboard staples.

​As usual I really don't know where the time has gone since I was last writing an email update. The weeks fly by so fast and it is amazing to think that some of our autumn celebrations, are not actually that far away. We now have seven fairly good sized pumpkins growing in the garden (as a result of surprise seeds from our compost bin), so we will have a nice display (and some tasty soup) come Halloween! 
 
We will be travelling back from Yarndale on Monday and then next week is all about preparing for the next workshop trip, which is to Morocco in just over three weeks time. I have designed a knit and a crochet project for the trip, but liked the crochet one so much that I went a bit overboard and made an extra project with the motifs. this means that I am now playing catch up a little to get all the projects finished in time, but that really isn't a bad situation to be in given that in means I have to allow even more time to do that extra crochet and knitting! Living the dream…..
 
I hope that wherever you are, and whatever you have planned for the next couple of days, that you are safe and well. 

Welcome back to our monthly book feature. I've decided to stick with the fun side of crochet this month as I know how popular amigurumi is. I find it tricky but would love to be more comfortable making those tiny parts as some of the patterns available now are just amazing. 

Without any further ado, I can reveal that my chosen book for September is 'Gnomes to Crochet' by Val Pierce (Search Press 2025 ISBN: 978-1-80092-217-4). 

There are 20 patterns in the book, for an eclectic mix of characters, from a mini Daffodil Keyring Gnome, to a Scandi Shelf-Sitter Gnome. There's even a gorgeous little fluffy Lamb Gnome made from lace weight mohair and silk yarn. There's almost a gnome for every occasion, with a bride and groom, a Valentine's Gnome, Santa and Mrs Santa, among many others. 

The book is laid out in a very clear way. There is a short section at the beginning with a list of all the equipment you might need and some helpful suggestions of yarns that work well. Although these are, once again, great projects for stash-busting. The book uses UK terms throughout but there is a key showing the equivalent US terms in the info section.

Each pattern chapter lists yarn, equipment and notions needed at the top of the first page. The written instructions are in a simple font, that is easy to read, and are laid out in a logical, neat way on the pages. There is nothing superfluous on the pages and the photos are large and clear, and provide a great visual guide to how the item should look from different angles and in close up. 

I'm determined to have a go at one of these patterns and given the time of year coming up, I think it might well be the Halloween Gnome. I just love his stripes. Despite having an extensive stash of yarn, I realise that eyelash yarn is something I don't have any of, so I will be paying my local yarn store a visit to see what I can find. I know, any excuse! 

I adore the fun mix of characters in this book. They would make great gifts and, needing only tiny amounts of yarn, would fit well with stash-busting (although of course if a trip to a yarn-store is a necessity that's fine too). 

If you would like to welcome some of these adorable characters into your home you can find the book on the Search Press website here and if you are in the UK you can get a 20% discount and free postage by using the code DD88 at checkout. 

Next month be prepared for a complete change of direction as my book of the month is a work of fiction! 

Until then, I wish you many happy hours of crafting.  

I have finally had to admit that it is time for a few extra layers of clothing as the weather has taken a definite turn here over the last couple of weeks. I am still not ready to fully embrace the autumn vibe though and am definitely not buying into the pumpkins and spooky vibes just yet! As for the very premature references to Christmas that I am already seeing in my inbox and in the shops, all I can say is Bah Humbug! It is only September after all! 
 
As the days get shorter and the breeze is cooler, I cannot help but think about starting some cosy projects. I am still working on a couple of small cotton projects for my workshop trip to Morocco at the end of October, but am already looking forward to working on some bigger, woollier, projects that will keep me warm as I do so. Adding edgings onto blankets is the perfect project for me as the weather gets colder and I have a couple of new baskets in the pipeline, so that's all good!
 
As the Autumn equinox is still ten days away I am making the most of every last bit of summer that I can, in between the showers at least! The garden is looking better for the rain and we still have quite a lot of flowers and veg busy thriving, so I am a happy bunny this week!
 
I have a few things to tell you about, so I hope you can spare a couple of minutes to catch up with our news - hopefully glitch free this time, unlike our the last email that went a bit wobbly in places! 

I frequently look at surface pattern traditions from other countries as the source of my designs and have been incredibly fortunate to visit quite a few. Tutoring workshops for Stitchtopia means that I have been able to travel more over the last few years and I am really proud of the relationship I have built with them, which means I get to work closely with them to plan new trips.
 
We already have the Turkey trip fully booked for next October, but I have also suggested a couple of workshop tours closer to home including the trip to Northern France which will take place next June and I am also looking forward to giving you more information about a UK crochet trip within the next few weeks.
 
There are still a couple of places left on the trip to France. We will be travelling by Eurostar to Paris and will then go on to Versailles and Rouen. We will also visit Monet's famous gardens at Giverny - a destination I have wanted to visit for many years.
 
The trip will be sponsored by West Yorkshire Spinners and you can find more information by following this link and you can look at all the other amazing trips that Stitchtopia have to offer by following this link.

​We currently have a good stock of kits and yarn packs and paper patterns. You can find download patterns available via Etsy and Ravelry.
 
If you have been waiting for stock of our West Yorkshire Spinners kits, we now have both Persian Tiles Original and Peppercorn back in stock.
 
If you are a fan of natural yarns, you can also find kits made using Yarnsmith's Superwash Merino DK on the Wool Warehouse site here. 

I felt very honoured to attend the UK Knitting & Crochet Guild Convention at the weekend, where I tutored a crochet with beads workshop and gave a keynote speech about my work and passion for crochet. I had a really fabulous time meeting new people and chatting to members.
 
If you want to know more about the guild you can find their website here and their Instagram feed here and, if you fancy having a go at adding beads to your crochet too, you can find free video tutorials on our YouTube channel by following this link.

Whilst at the convention I met Kelly Ferguson who has a company called Way Out Crafts. Kelly is an expert at making Yorkshire buttons, a skill I had not come across before, so she explained the process to me, whilst she also instructed others within a workshop who were busy making their own lovely buttons. I think the buttons are super cute and am planning on making some soon using Kelly's nifty templates.
 
I asked Kelly to send me some words about how she came to be such a Yorkshire Button expert and this is what she had to say:
 
'I first came across Yorkshire Buttons about 18 months ago when a small group of friends travelled to Northumberland for a yarn shop visiting weekend. Each group member was tasked with running an activity in between our trips out from the cottage. As soon as I started to weave the threads around the spokes we created on the button template, I knew I was hooked as the possibilities were endless. As well as decorative buttons, I was envisaging pin cushions, necklaces, Christmas decorations, brooches and so many more uses for these little sea urchin type buttons.

On return home I challenged my husband with making a template using his 3D printing design skills, which has led us to where we are today. We now have reusable templates available in seven sizes ranging from 3cm to 10cm, which are available to purchase individually. We sell the five smaller sized templates as boxed set that can also hold three needles, this is great for on-the-go projects. 
 
Our template design has a centre circle in a contrasting colour to show the size of the finished button, making the choice of template much simpler. The rule of thumb is that the button will be half the size of the template. Once complete, it can be filled with toy stuffing, an existing button, yarn ends or beads for example, depending on how you want the button to look.
 
Our template and storage box design are registered to our small business, Way Out Crafts and are available via our Web Shop and at yarn shows. I enjoy passing on this heritage skill at workshops across the North, having attended yarn shows such as Spring into Wool and Threads Festival, and I continue to support Knitting and Crochet Guild events, such as branch meetings and the conventions.

We are really looking forward to exhibiting at Yarndale again in a few weeks time. It is amazing how quickly the show comes round, year after year, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be getting ready to be there again in 2025. It really is a fabulous show and we love it! 
 
You can find more information about Yarndale, including the details of tickets still available, by following this link.

Emily Littlefair, of the Loopy Stitch has recently launched a new website called Made into Magnets, where you can turn your treasured photos into beautiful keepsakes. Each photo is carefully crafted into a high quality magnet – a simple, heartfelt way to capture memories and keep them close. Perfect for gifts, fridges, and craft spaces.
 
Emily is currently shipping within Australia only, so if you are there and fancy taking a look you can find a link to the new website here.

I haven't been one hundred percent well this week with a bit of a lurgy making itself apparent at the beginning of the week. I went into battle with Vick's First Defence spray (which is full of zinc I think) and it has been a little better thankfully. Getting poorly when you are self employed is always a bit of a worry, but I haven't been unwell in a long time, so I guess it was my turn!
 
I am hoping to be back to normal by tomorrow evening when Andy and I are heading out to see the final show of Tina the Musical in London's West End. I have seen this show twice already in the last five weeks, so you could say I am a little obsessed! Having never seen Tina in concert when she was alive I feel that seeing Karis Anderson play her in this production is the closest I am ever going to get! The show is set to tour the UK and North America and you can find more information here. 

My talented niece is showing some of her excellent photographs as one of the artists featured in the Borough of Ealing Art Trail this weekend. If you want to find out more about this event and see which artists and venues are taking part, you can find more information here and you can find Helen's fabulous new Instagram account, where she show-cases her brilliant photography skills, by following this link or by clicking on her images above.
 
I am really hoping to find some time to sit and crochet this weekend, but I am also planning on finding some of the almost finished projects I put to one side in the spring! I am also hoping to rediscover some of the yarns and patterns I bought at yarn shows over the last six months or so too! I know I have the yarn for the Utility Two cowl, by The Knitting Shed somewhere and feel like this would be a great project to lead me into the colder season over the next few weeks, so I have my fingers crossed that I can find it in my stash! 
 
If you are a fan of adding beads to your knitting and fancy embarking on a good old stash busting project, especially one that you might complete over a weekend, you could take a look at Jeanette Sloan's fabulous new Rae Beaded Scarf project (shown below). The pattern is available via Ravelry here and Payhip here. I just love it and will definitely be trying to find some DK weight yarn that will work for this project in my stash.