Time to get cosy, Autumn is almost here!

There is a freshness in the air today and a change is on its way. Here in the UK we have had a very wet summer, however, the last two weeks have been very hot and humid. It has been lovely to see the sun and have some warmth, but I have to admit, I really dislike the humidity. It is stifling and I tend to stay inside and avoid it at all costs. Today was different – it was actually a bit chilly and there was a crispness in the air. I could see some yellow leaves across the ground too and all of a sudden I felt excited. Excited for the change of season, and the cosiness that autumn brings. Just like the feeling you get when you feel a warm spring breeze after a long winter, that crisp autumn breeze is as welcome after the heat.

Now you may disagree with me – perhaps you are a sun worshiper and you hate the cooler weather. I understand but hear me out. Autumn brings with it pumpkin spiced latte, hot chocolate, getting cosy with a blanket to watch a film, beautiful colours in nature and of course mushrooms. Mushrooms and toadstools feel magical and remind me of being a child and hoping to see a fairy sat on one if I was lucky enough. Obviously, I still hope I might catch a glimpse and I share this hope with my two daughters. Oh and another thing I love are warm jumpers, I am always trying to buy more!

I think I find this years change of season so exciting because it resonates with the change that I want to see for myself. Recently, we have moved counties, house and schools for the girls. The summer has been a time of sorting and organising our new home and getting our bearings. With the start of September, the girls have both started new schools- Freya into Year 2 and Hallie into preschool and they have both settled amazingly. My husband, Brad, is very happy in his new job and now it is my turn. I have made the decision to not return to teaching in a school as I wish to be more available and involved in my children’s lives. Being a secondary school teacher robbed me of time and my ability to be present with family life. I do still need to work to contribute financially, and so I am putting my all into getting my business off the ground. I have been talking about wanting to do it for years. I need to “just do it” and face my fears of failure!

So after a really long gap of not crafting at all, I picked up my crochet hook and some yarn I bought years ago and just started. I told myself to “just start and not worry about the end result”. It doesn’t need to be amazing, or perfect. The point was to just start crocheting again. It felt really good to be making something again, and of course I made mistakes along the way and had to remind myself how to add rows without adding in or losing any stitches. I realised that my 8 balls of yarn were not going to make the blanket I had envisioned but rather a lovely runner to go at the end of my bed. Perhaps slightly disappointed, I reminded myself that it did not matter nor did it need to be perfect. I completed my runner and wanted to add a fun boarder, and what is more fun than a pom pom boarder. I raided my yarn drawer and found some yarn I had had for years too. Perfect! once the first boarder was completed I also realised I would not have enough yarn to do both in the same colour. No worries, lets add in a blue! Reminding myself, it did not have to be perfect.

And this is the end result! I actually really like it and feel a sense of accomplishment with seeing a project through (in a short amount of space).

If you would like to make this super easy, chunky bed runner, here are the instructions:

1. Chain 82 stitches using the grey yarn
2. First row – double crochet into the third chain from your hook and continue double crochet until you reach the end
3. Second row – *chain 2 and double crochet into same stitch, continue double crochet to the end of the row
4. *Repeat until you have the desired number of rows
5. Final row – slip stitch all the way along the final row to finish
6. For the boarder – Insert hook into first stitch, chain 6, for the pom pom **yarn over, insert into third chain from hook, yarn over, pull through, yarn over and pull through 2 stitches repeat until you have 5 stitches on hook. Yarn over and pull through all 5. Chain 2 more stitches. Now insert hook into third stitch along the row from where you started. Yarn over, pull through, yarn over pull through 2. Chain 5 more and start the pom pom **
7. Complete the boarder on the two longest sides of your runner and you are finished.

I hope that you find some time in your day to think about what changes you are looking forward to and hopefully, if like me you have not crafted for a while, this is a little nudge to make something for yourself. It doesn’t need to be perfect or clever – it only needs to be for you and your enjoyment.

Bye for now

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