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The clocks have gone forward and we now have an extra hour of evening daylight. Yay!! This means more crafting time in daylight. And for me as a crocheter, its important because lamplight makes a big difference to colours, as anyone who has ever tried to use black yarn knows. Not just black, Ive spent an evening crochet with what I thought was white yarn to discover in daylight that it was cream.

British summertime also means the official start to Spring in our house. My Spring Wreath has gone up on the door, and our Spring postbox topper has gone up. What’s a post box topper I hear you ask? Except you probably don’t as this phenomenon has taken over in the UK as the yarn bomb of choice. Someone, or a group of someone’s, frequently secretly, creates through various mediums, a round top for a postbox and decorates it on a theme. The post Office don’t object as long as the slot is left clear. We started doing them for the late Queen’s Jubilee as a one off but our village love them. The latest one features bunnies, Easter eggs, birds, spring flowers, all the symbols of Spring we look forward to. To see more postbox toppers, join the Facebook group,UK Postbox Toppers and More.

The extra light wont just make a difference to my crafting but my pocket too. We recently had solar panels fitted and they are amazing. Up to now we haven’t quite got to grips with the best way to use them (we’ve inly had them a couple of weeks) but there is great satisfaction in seeing the power produced . I can now use my power hungry electric appliances without worry and feel the satisfaction of helping the planet and not paying the utility companies.

The month of march certainly lived up to its reputation, in like a lion out like a lamb. After the late blast of winter with snow over most of the country, the last week has been more typical sunshine and showers. The garden is blooming, my magnolia is flowering (almost) and birds are singing. Bring on the crocheted Easter Bunnies.

Are you a crafty dog Mom? I am . As I have a passion for all things crafty and love my dog to bits, it is inevitable that I combine the two. So, Wee Jack the Shih Tzu has become my model for various projects and I couldn’t resist adding to my collection of craft books with DIY for your Dog. Its full of projects to make things for your dog from treats to bathrobes.

My previous dogs have not been amenable to dressing up, not even a bandanna, it would be torn off in seconds. Wee Jack is an affable chap who is quite happy to wear a coat or a jumper.

After a trawl through Pinterest (of course) I also found instructions to make dog collars and harnesses and I was off!

First things to make were crocheted jumpers. During the cold snap in December, these were very useful for Jack to keep him cosy. Dora my sons older collie really appreciated them too. I worked on a couple of prototypes then refined the pattern to make these beauties.

Then I moved onto Dog collars. Using webbing and clips it was quite easy to make on and then I mode slip over covers in different fabrics to get one collar several looks. You can even add a bow tie or flower to it.

Ive made several dogs beds, one for each room in the house, as Jack likes to follow us around and then get comfy. As always in my crafting I like to reuse and recycle, so old pillows or cushions become stuffing and fleece jackets make a cosy bed.

As for toys, denim, t shirt and fleece fabric are ideal, tough, hard-wearing and non fray.

So, go on treat your fur baby to some handmade goodies.

Ive always loved to crochet, I learned as a child from my Nana and like all beginners I started with a granny square. Granny squares are great! They are simple to make, and can be used to make almost anything else. But, they are most used for blankets, and I love a blanket!

Ive made so many blankets over the years from a tiny car lovey to a king size bed blanket. I soon started making them on commission for other people as well as having a pile for myself. There’s nothing like snuggling up with a home made blanket on a cold winters evening.

So how do you go about making your own blanket. First decide on the type of design you want. Are you going to make motifs and join them together? Start in the middle and work in rounds or from the botton and work upwards.

Once you have made this decision, next step is to find a pattern . There are many,many patterns out there. You can buy blanket packs for your chosen pattern with the yarns in that you need. Or you can decide on your own colours and choose and buy your yarn. But if you want a truly unique item, design your own.

Ive made so many blankets over the years that I can look at various design inspirations and come up with an idea. This blanket was inspired by a tiled pattern on a wall. I knew I wanted to use granny shapes, and that I wanted to incorporate an ombred effect. I also knew it was to be double bed size.

I started with a plan. Anyone familiar with quilting will have done this before. My plan was very rough. All the blocks were to be different sizes but had to fit together. So this was my plan.

Pretty rough I admit but usable. The next step was deciding on yarn. I always go for an acrylic yarn as it is washable and hard wearing, and cheap considering how much you use. I like to keep samples on the yarn im using on wooden pegs with the maker and colour written on for easy comparison.

Then its time to get to work.

The ombre effect in the blocks is achieved by starting with the lightest (or darkest ) shade and changing evenly over the rounds in the block, then edging in your main colour.

Once your blocks are made then its time to lay them out in your final arrangement. Once you happy, join them. Joining and weaving in ends are my least favourite parts of constructing a blanket. But its worth it to see the finished article.

So, next time you make a blanket, take the bull by the horns and design your own.

This week has been Mental Health Awareness Week and this year they have focused on the power of nature to help maintain your mental health. Who doesn’t feel better in the fresh air and sunshine, it has a beneficial effect on our physical as well as mental health.

But so many of us rush through our time outside, going from one place to another trying to pack in as much to the time as , when what we should do is just stop and breathe. I love to sit in my garden with my eyes closed and try to distinguish one birds song from another. By trying to concentrate on just one, you focus your mind away from all the other distractions and you have the satisfaction of being able to identify that song again.

I’m quite a keen gardener and find feeling the earth between my fingers does wonders for my stress and anxiety levels. A stroll around the garden of an evening, just checking on my plants, calms me and gets me ready for sleep. But there is a growing trend away from gardens where plants grow to ‘outdoor living spaces’ where sometimes there is no living thing except the humans. I have to hold my hand up and says this is one of the things that really annoys me. Fake grass, composite decking, weed resistant membrane, artificial plants, how can this be called a garden when every living thing has been evicted. The move towards these sterile spaces not only upsets the balance of nature but also your mental well being. How can you get in touch with the natural world when even insects don’t visit your space​ Most people will use maintenance as an excuse for their choice but really, a small square of grass doesn’t take much maintenance and a few pots of bedding plants or herbs or even hardy shrubs will encourage nature back into the garden.

This weekend I am going to combine the two things that can really help you unwind from the stresses of daily life – nature and crafting, I’m going to make a crochet plant hanger!

I’m a big fan of upcycling, recycling, make do and mend. I have always been a bit reluctant to throw things away but since I became a craftaholic I am positively evangelic about it.

I grew up in the throwaway eighties, where wild consumerism ruled and we were all wanting the newest and best. The nineties was an era of throwaway fashion and tech changed so fast it was out of date in months. In the new millennium, we wanted bigger, better, smarter, faster. But we soon came to realise that our throw away culture was ruining the planet just as readily as our carbon emissions.

I had an epiphany when Sky started their Ocean Rescue campaign. Suddenly, I was painfully aware of how much plastic we were using and knew I wanted to do something about it. I emptied bathroom and kitchen cupboards, and decided what I didn’t need and what I could replace with a non-plastic version. Old towels were cut up and used as cleaning cloths, same with t-shirts past their best. I bought non-plastic brushes and paper bags for storing food, single use plastic was used only when their was no alternative.

I started to mend clothing, cover small stains with embroidery, remake long trousers into shorts. I started to realise that there was a vast store of readily available craft materials when I worked in a charity shop. So much fabric in clothing people were giving away. Lovely buttons on garments, beads and gems in old costume jewellery, it was like a treasure trove. Now, I try to include at least 50% recycled material in everything I make. Yarn is the only thing that there isnt a readily available supply of second hand but you cant have everything.

So, my mission is to encourage everyone to make one small change in their habits, because every little bit helps.