Friday 6 March 2020

Back to blogging!

Hi all!

I used to be a regular blogger, and, man, I enjoyed it. Often, I would write one post per week, documenting my crochet journey and life in general. When I started working for my own coaching business next to my regular full-time work, time became scarce, and as a result, blogging became less. Then, in 2018, my husband and I relocated to the Netherlands, started new jobs, and bought a house. If I thought I was busy before, I was wrong! So, my blogging “career” mostly stopped. I am still active on Instagram, but I miss blogging. In fact, whenever I talk to my husband about what I would like to do more blogging pops up within my top 5. Yet, even though I talk about it a lot, I never actually do it. It is so hard to pick up a routine after it got lost, isn’t it?

Anyway, with this post, I am trying to bite the bullet and start blogging again! Fingers crossed, I will stick to it…

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Life in the Netherlands is… wet. There has been so much rain over the last couple of weeks! Combined with grey clouds, it is sometimes hard to remember that there is a sun out there (somewhere…). Yet, the first signs of spring are here. In our (very) little garden, crocuses have been popping up for some weeks now, and I think the first daffodil is getting ready to bloom. 


In February, on a dry day (yes! We had these, too), we even planted new lilacs and a couple of other plants, which will hopefully be loved by bees and other insects. The decrease in insect numbers is incredibly worrying, and we are trying to do our best to help them find food. Gardens in our area tend to be desgined to require as little maintenance as possible. As a result, a lot of gardens are made out of stone only with a couple of flower pots (if at all). When we bought our house, our garden had very little in it that might appeal to bees. So, we have made it our task to transform our backyard. This project will, of course, take time, but I guess little steps are better than none. You should have heard my squeals of delight last summer whenever a bumblebee visited my newly planted lavender! I hope that this year, my little bumblebee will bring a lot of friends…


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My crochet adventures over the last couple of weeks/months have been focused on Bargello crochet. Michelle has three (!) new Bargello patterns in the pipeline, which I have tested/am busy testing (one of them is in the naughty corner. Not because of the pattern, but because I made a mess counting stitches). I have finished one big blanket, and am working on an even larger one at the moment. The latter one is my favorite so far – it uses two strands of yarn, which means it a. is super-soft and b. works up quickly! 



I hope to have finished both blankets by the time Michelle comes to visit me in April! YES! Michelle is coming to visit! We have not seen each other in person since my trip to Australia in 2017, and, man, I can’t wait to see her in person again. Plus, I finally get to meet Allie! So exciting!



Next to the blankets, I have also made some owls. I forgot how addictive the pattern is! I have the feeling that there will be more turning up in our house soon... 

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Okay! I made it through my first blogpost in 2020! Hurray! 

Hope to see you again next week!

Take care,
Anne

4 comments :

  1. Wow! That blanket is one staggering piece and the little owly is just adorable!

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  2. Hi Anne,
    How nice to see you back here on the blog. Sometimes it's just hard to keep up with these things isn't it. Your garden starts to look lovely with the flowers. yeah, the weather is really wet, more than normal I think. I live in the east of The Netherlands. Have a lovely weekend. Enjoy the sunshine today.

    Sweet greetings,
    Emily

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  3. Welcome back to blogland Anne!I totally know what you mean when it comes to busy lives and trying to fit in some blogging time. I love the bargello blankets and getting into the garden is such a joy. The bees will love you for having a garden full of nectar-filled food sources. You may be interested to know there is a group dedicated to butterly habitat. There may be a similar one in your area to inspire you further.
    https://bbbutterfly.org/about/
    I look forward to watching your garden grow through your blog.
    I hope you are happy and well and safe. xxx

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  4. I am so happy I found this blog:) I am new to crocheting and very excited. It’s my sister and I’s new hobby. That’s a beautiful blanket!!! I hope to make that kind of work one day:) hopefully going to try the owls as well. Thank you for posting!!!

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