A New Year, A New Blog

It's been a long time since I've posted here, I'm not really sure why. I think after five years of on and off writing, I've outgrown Happy Daisy. Stranded is something that's been in the back of my mind for about six months, a new blogging space for to me focus on the things I'm most interested in. They'll be knitting and yarn obviously, alongside countless new things from the adventures that 2015 is going to bring. I'd love it if you'd hop on over and join me on the journey.

A ♥

Beauty

I had what I guess you could call an epiphany recently, in the girls toilets at university - the nice ones on the first floor that hardly anyone seems to use - I was standing at the sinks looking into the mirror and I realised that I am beautiful. I was wearing one of those loose T shirts that ties up at the bottom so you can see a bit of your stomach and jeans from Marks and Sparks that might have at one point belonged to my mother. The point I'm trying to make here is that I didn't look particularly flashy and I hadn't spent a lot of time or money on my outfit. It was as if a switch had been flicked, all of a sudden all the years of self doubt and self depreciation, of worrying about my skin - I had terrible acne as a teenager, my weight, my thighs, my hair being too frizzy or too greasy and sometimes managing to be both at the same time, my skin being too oily and my nose being too big, didn't matter anymore.

I'm definitely not perfect - I've yet to meet anyone who is, but I don't want to be bigger or smaller or more or less of anything anymore. I want to my shirts tied up at the bottom so my stomach's on show. I don't care that it's not the flattest stomach, it makes me feel good and I like it. My waist is one of my favourite features and if I want to show it off, I will.

While this may not be a particularly exciting revelation for anyone else, I feel it's an important one. Someone I care about pointed out a photograph of me a few weeks ago - I'm not wearing any make up and my hair is blowing about in the wind - and they said it was the most beautiful photograph of me they'd ever seen. I think it was that comment that started this thought process and I'm very grateful for that. I feel as I've been set free.

Knitting Adventures: How Cold Is It? Mittens

These mittens were a Christmas present for a friend, knitted using this pattern from Drunk Girl Designs on Ravelry. Emma hates the cold, and loves this particular curse word, so it was a perfect pattern for her - and she seemed to like them!

They're knitted with secondhand machine coned yarn and took me a lot longer to make than they should've done! I'm blaming schoolwork for that ;) 

I added a crochet foundation chain to join the mittens - so they can be threaded through jacket sleeves (like you do with toddler's mittens!) so they don't get lost!

A ♥

If you don't like curse words, I apologise, but hey it's pretty snazzy colourwork, no? ;) 

Fourteen

This is my friend Emma and I, on Boxing Day - my parents live by the coast, so we thought we might as well have a swim! It was freezing.

2014 is for knitting a Kaffe Fassett sweater and visiting the Shetland Islands. It's for knitting baby clothes for a dear friend of mine and reading more books. It's for going outside more and going on walks without having a proper destination. For cooking more meals from scratch and eating less things out of packets. For learning to dress make and sewing skirts from flowery fabric. It's for travelling and seeing old friends. It's for hosting more dinner parties and laughing more. It's for learning new skills and trying to have less and be more. It's for growing more vegetables and trying to eat less cakes. It's for sitting on my fire escape wrapped in blankets. It's for swimming in the ocean and braiding my hair with threads and beads. It's for wearing red lipstick and hand knitted jumpers and being with the friends with whom I feel most at home. It's for recording everything more and blogging often. It's for photographing things on film and going to exhibitions. It's for listening and for watching and for understanding. It's for staying in contact with friends that are leaving. It's for embracing change and not being scared. It's for forgetting the things that made 2013 so hard and trying to start over.

Knitting Adventures: Katniss Cowl

I'm a big Hunger Games fan - the first thing I noticed about the Catching Fire movie was Katniss' amazing one-armed cowl and I instantly knew I wanted to make one similar. I used this pattern combined with a couple of modifications found on Ravelry. Try and excuse my windswept hair ;)

The neck is woven - like that of the actual garment in the film, but the rest is knitted in Herringbone Stitch - it was the first time I've used the stitch and I love it, it's really simple yet looks effective. 

It's far too big - apart from the armhole, which is pretty snug, but it's great for wearing over jumpers, like this amazing secondhand one given to me for Christmas, both on the beach at my parents' or in my own freezing cold flat!

If you're interested in more details about this project - have a look at my Ravelry page - I've started using Ravelry properly in the last six months or so and it's so useful!

This is one of two projects I've finished over the Christmas break so far - yes, I have an essay to write, and a Christmas project to do, but a girl must prioritise! I'll share the other, a Christmas present for a friend, later this week.

A ♥