Creative Hearts At Home Link Party

Between 2011 and 2015, I often joined Ginny Sheller’s Yarn Along posts—a lovely memory I’d almost forgotten until I began updating my blog archives after moving from Blogspot to this platform.

Revisiting these old posts has been a beautiful trip down memory lane. However, it also brought a realisation: since our move to Devon in 2015, much of what brought me joy gradually slipped away, including the time I used to spend here on my blog.

This realisation was bittersweet. I hadn’t fully understood how deeply moving to Devon had affected me—how my happiness and sense of creativity shifted, with lasting impacts. But I feel grateful to have kept this online diary for so long. It allows me to see those moments clearly, to understand what changed, and it’s helped me map a way back to the things that bring me true joy.

I hadn’t realised how much of my creativity had been set aside. Yes, I dye yarn, which is creative, but it’s also my business, and much of my time goes to that. Time for knitting, crocheting, stitching, writing, and nature journaling had nearly vanished.

I also realised that my reading has pretty much dropped off a cliff edge. This is largley due to having undertaking an undergradute degree followed by a masters degree. All reading was limited to academic reading. I have always been an avid reader, right from childhood, so this was another reminder of how much I have sacrificed over the last 6 years.

Going through the archives has reminded me of how essential it is to make time for these passions—things that have always been part of who I am. I want to fully embrace the person God made me to be: a creative, home-loving, simple-living wife, mother, and friend, with a heart for the Lord.

While Ginny has since moved on from her Yarn Along Link Party, I feel drawn to be more intentional about how I live, aiming to align more closely with God’s vision for my life. I need to slow down, spend time in nature and nurture my creativity. So, I’ve decided to start a Link Party of my own. You’re welcome to join in if you’d like—it’s my way of celebrating creativity in whatever form it takes!

At the end of this post I have explained how the Creative Hearts at Home link party works. If you want to join in the fun then please do add your link so that I (an others) can pop over to your blog and see what you are up to!

So now that we have covered all that, let me share with you what I have been reading and making…

What I am Reading

I do love a cozy mystery and I do love actual books! I’ve decided that I want to read more actual books rather than Kindle books. Not every book will be a hard copy but there are a few I’vehad my eye on so I will be treating myself to a few of those in the coming months.

I picked up The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman at Euston train station in London after a visit to my Inn of Court a few months ago. This is the first in a series of books (always a good thing because if you like the characters there will be more stories!) where a group of four friends who live in a retirement village have to solve a brutal murder.

I’m about half-way through and have to say that I am really enjoying it. It is well written and love how the author has portrayed his characters. Far from being willing to sit in their chairs at 70 years plus and while away their twilight years, these characters have lived interesting and varied lives and they show the reader that they still have plenty of attitude and curiosity to investigate some mysterious deaths that occured right on their doorsteps!

Off the Needles

I finished a pair of DK weight socks. I used one of my own yarns called Views from the Hayloft.

This is the second pair of DK weight socks I have knitted and both times they have turned out a size smaller than I would have liked. I’ve since bought in some Sock Rulers for my shop and I think that I will use that for the next pair.

I have not listed the Sock Rulers yet but basically, it is a rather nifty sock knitting tool which helps you to get accurate measurements of all parts of the sock, from the cuff, to the length of the leg and from the heel turn to the toe etc.

The socks do fit but not perfectly. So I will probably gift this pair and cast on another pair. I definitley want a few pairs of DK socks to wear under boots for the winter but so far I have not had much success with them.

On the Needles

I am currently working on the Avena sweater by Jenn Steingass. You can grab this pattern on Ravelry.

I’m using Drops Nepal for the sweater and I am using a skein of my own yarn called Autumn Gatherings. The Drops yarn is Aran Weight and Autumn Gatherings is DK. I was a little concerned that it may not work but it seems to working out just fine.

What are you working on at the moment? Have you started making Christmas gifts and what are you reading? I’d love to know.

Creative Hearts At Home Link Party

• The Creative Hearts At Home Link Party is not limited to one particular craft. If you stitch, crochet, sew or paint – whatever you do – you may share here.

• I think I will start off posting the link party every two weeks on a Friday. If I have a good response then I may move to weekly. I feel monthly is perhaps too long. I want to be spurred on in my creativity and motivated to keep on creating so I think fortnightly is a good starting point.

How To Add Your Link

1.  Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your blog post or your specific Instagram photo and not your main blog URL or Instagram page. Please be sure and link to your current Creative Hearts At Home post, and not a Creative Hearts At Home post from a previous week.
2. Include a link back to this post in your blog post or use the hashtag #creativeheartsathome so that others who may want to join The Creative Home Link Party can find us!