Thursday Chat: Meet Emma!

This week it's the turn of Emma, from the beautiful blog Winging It. Here is how we got on!

What got you into knitting and/or crochet?

"Ever since I can remember, my Mom and Grandma have knitted. Since I was constantly watching them knitting away, it didn’t take long until I was determined to learn. My mom taught me to learn to knit when I was six. Six-year-olds don’t exactly have a ton of patience, so it took a few years until I really caught the knitting bug. As for crocheting, I’ve tried it a few times, but it’s never really caught on the way knitting did. For now, all I know are a few simple crochet stitches."

 We all have a weakness when it comes to buying materials, whether it be yarn, buttons or stitch markers, what is yours?

"I definitely have a weakness for yarn. I have enough yarn to fill up a closet, so I’ve been trying to avoid buying yarn. Despite the guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach, I always have an urge to buy more every time I see another skein of yarn. I also have a weakness for fiber, especially those gorgeous hand-dyed braids that every Etsy shop seems to sell."

Is there any item you've sworn to never knit again?

 "I’ve had a couple of bad experiences with sweaters and socks, but that didn’t scare me off for long. I’m pretty persistent when it comes to knitting new things, and I like to keep trying even if I’ve had trouble with a certain item before. I do try to stay away from lace shawls, though, because they tend to take a while and I end up finding several mistakes after I finish."

Which pattern, that you have designed, is your favourite and why?

 "I’ve only designed a few things, so I can’t say I have a clear favorite yet, but I really love how my Viridescent turned out. Viridescent is a unique fingerless glove pattern featuring a cable pattern on the back which blooms into leaves. I designed this pattern as a fresh idea for spring and summer. Although it’s been a challenging pattern to chart and write, I know that it’ll be worth it when the pattern is finally published. At the moment I’m still preparing the pattern for submission to KnitPicks, but it should be available soon!"

When you're not knitting or crocheting, how else do you spend your spare time?

"I’m a big fan of the arts, and I normally end up writing, drawing, or crafting when I’m bored. At times when I just can’t keep still, I like to jump on my trampoline or go ice skating. I spend a few hours every week doing gymnastics, which is my main sport. I have a busy schedule, but it’s worth every minute."

 Which is your favourite hank of yarn that you've spun or dyed yourself?

"I’m not big on dyeing, although I’ve always wanted to get better at it. Mainly, I do lots of spinning. My favorite skein is normally the one I’ve just spun up- I fall in love with each new skein that comes off the bobbin. I’m also getting more consistent at spinning, so my more recent spins tend to look more professional than my first few thick, uneven skeins of handspun. I have to say my current favorite is Brick and Mortar, a red roving with a touch of turquoise that I just finished spinning."

Any other hobbies other than knitting?

 "I have lots of hobbies. My hands always have to be moving! I’m into a lot of activities involving the arts, such as writing, playing piano, spinning, making jewelry, drawing, and photography. I’ve always wanted to trying dyeing, but it’s been a slow process to learn the works. Thankfully, I have so many other hobbies that I’m hardly ever bored."

Thank you so much to Emma, for not only letting us learn more about her, but letting us look at her beautiful photos!  

G is for... Gardening

I'm hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome!

I have good news! First of all, as you can probably tell, I am feeling so much better. It was nice just to take two weeks off and not have to worry about posts and comments, interviews and the like. It gave me time to just rest, which I did, and it has paid off. Thank goodness. 

Before I start todays blog though, I need to give a shout out to the wonderful Natalie over at Misadventures in Craft for hosting Learn Your ABC while I was away, it was really kind of her and amazingly helpful.

So today, I decided that G is for Gardening. 

I like gardening. I'm no good at it, but I like it. I love the final result more than anything, just to be able to sit in the back garden with my knitting and say 'look at what I made'. 

My favourite thing about gardens, ultimately, is flowers. And what I love more than sitting and looking at flowers, is photographing them. And over the years, in my opinion anyway, I've managed to get some nice shots! So today I thought I would share them with you, enjoy!

I took a snap of this daffodil down at Cotehele house in Cornwall. It is apart of the National Trust, so everything there is kept in tip-top condition, and the flowers there are absolutely gorgeous!

The next few are ones I snapped while at the Eden Project (again in) Cornwall. The Eden Project is a global garden inside and out of these amazing domes. Which look a little something like this:

I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area, and make sure you go for the entire day as a couple hours will fly by! Here are a few of the flowers I snapped while there!

This photograph was taken down at Buckland Abbey in Devon, which was home to Sir Francis Drake! It was amazing walking through both the house and the gardens, my friends and I even got to dress up, and of course I was stuck as the blind peasant, (they made me take my glasses of, there argument being 'they didn't have them in the olden days')

So there you have it. If you'd like to find out what others reckon G is for, click the links in the Mr.Linky below!