Under An English Sky Yarns – Literary Inspirations

Hello Lovelies, I hope that this post finds you all happy and healthy. 

We moved into our new home two weeks ago today, right at the start of lockdown. But we are in and mostly unpacked. I’m grateful that this move was only a 10-minute drive from our rental house. It feels so SO good to be in our very own home.

These lockdown days are being spent pottering about homemaking and I’ve been restocking my Etsy Shop with lots of lovely yarn. Dying up old favourites and creating some new ones.

We are settling down into our new home quite nicely. We have a fourth bedroom in this house and it has been made into my studio. It does require a complete makeover but with the total lockdown that will have to wait until DIY stores open up again. I suppose I could buy paint etc online but I do like browsing and sometimes paint swatches on a computer screen can look different in real-life.

The studio gets the morning sun which I love. The sunlight dances through the windowpane and settles lightly onto my desk and windowsills, pooling in sunny puddles on the floor which the cats love. I can’t wait to prettify it up and make it a cozy and creative space.

I’m taking advantage of my furlough days. I’m really hoping to get my yarn label resurrected and doing well. I’m hoping to be able to negotiate on my hours when things return to normal. I’ve signed up to study two modules of my law degree from October and there is no way I will be able to do it and work full time. Of course, in an ideal world, my yarn would provide enough work to be my part-time job rather than working outside of the home. We shall see what happens.

I’ve created a new colorway for the shop. It’s called ‘Miss Poppy Eyebright’. The inspiration comes in the form of a wee mouse called Miss Poppy Eyebright who sits under the Kingcups embroidering her wedding dress. She’s one of Jill Barklem’s delightful characters from the Brambly Hedge series, a favourite of ours during my daughters’ childhood. Even now I use these books to display as part of my seasonal decorating. I love the speckle in this yarn and look forward to seeing it knit up.

Another newbie is ‘Tales from End Cottage’. I can’t tell you how many times we read this book when my girls were small. My youngest, in particular, was just obsessed with Mrs Apple and her pet family. It’s a fabulous gentle read following Mrs Apple and her pet’s daily adventures through the seasons. It evokes a strong sense of simplicity and country living. With the book being such a firm favourite it deserves a yarn to capture its place in our family.

I’m sure you have noticed that I have quite a few literary-inspired yarns in my collection which I can only attribute to our Charlotte Mason homeschooling days. I love reliving my memories through this artistic medium. The very inspiration for my yarn label is everything British. British literature, traditions, countryside – all of which is such an intricate part of our lives. I hope that those who buy and create with my yarns get that inspiration too.

Anyhoo lovelies, I shall be back on Saturday with a peek at our Easter decor this year… can you believe that it is Good Friday already tomorrow?! 

Have a lovely evening. Blessings in Christ…