Tuesday 19 February 2013

Meet the Maker: Lynsey Hall

Following the abandonment of my virtual world, I would like to re-enter, not just with a birthday blog post, but with another maker for us all to meet. 

So here is what today's maker is sharing with us.
Our first and most important questions then, to kick us off.

Tea or coffee? 
Coffee in the morning but tea from then on. I had a chocolate truffle tea at knitting group last week and it tasted lovely, as though a chocolate digestive had been dropped in it but minus the lumps!

Biscuit or cake? 
Biscuit, I love the crunch. I don't have a favourite as such, I do like chocolate ones and have a brill recipe on my blog ;-)

So before we talk about your make, tell us a bit about yourself. 
I'm Lynsey, I grew up in a little village called Woodnewton in Northants but moved to Nottingham for university where I have remained and now live with my boyfriend and two cats Edith and Sophie. I don't have a business but I have considered setting up a shop on etsy (if I can stop knitting for myself). I do keep a blog and it can be found at www.thediaryofanovicecrafter.blogspot.co.uk 

 ...and what about the item that you are sharing with us? 
I have made some socks! I have always wanted to learn how to knit socks because in my experience there is nothing nicer to have on your feet. I was told by a lot of people that they are very difficult but this made me more determined. I enrolled on a workshop and decided they would make a great gift for my boyfriends Father for Christmas. I used a neutrally shaded yarn as a lot of the options were very bright and therefore not the most manly. They took a lot longer than planned to knit but alongside a cardigan and a multitude of other projects I had them finished within a month, I probably could have had them done in a week.

How long have you been knitting and how did you learn? 
I learnt to knit when I was little but I only knew about the knit stitch so could only really knit squares in garter stitch. I started again in April 2012 after finding a half knitted scarf in a cupboard. I loved it and so with the help of colleagues learnt how to purl and knitted a lot of practice squares. Since then I have had a lot of help from Eleanor Burke who owns and runs Knit Nottingham, the most amazing little yarn shop.

What inspires and motivates you? 
I'm inspired by other people and things around me, I see things that have been knitted and get so excited about the thought that I might be able to do the same. My motivation oddly comes from suffering with anxiety, knitting and crochet offer a lot of comfort so I am motivated to keep going knowing it will help my mood. I am also motivated by the sense of pride I feel when I complete something, I love knitting and crocheting things as gifts and the responses I receive from the receivers just makes me want to make more.

Any crafting heroes? 
Mrs B! It was her blog that got me started again and my journey has been amazing. Forever grateful.

Do you have a crafting space?
I do, I have recently commandeered the spare room and created a lovely and cosy space. I got a desk from eBay and some cheap shelves and before I knew it I had a beautiful area to sit and relax whilst crafting. It is currently being used by my boyfriend though who is working on a history project.

What other projects are you working on? 
This will be a long list! I have nearly finished an Aran cardigan, a tunic I have been knitting for yonks (it's boring to knit), a stunning shawl, a blanket, a picture knit cowl and there are plenty more balls of yarn for a number of other planned projects.

So can we join you in your virtual world? 
You certainly can. I can be found on twitter @lynseymhall and also on my blog www.thediaryofanovicecrafter.blogspot.co.uk 

Finally, some quick fire questions that we are dying to know the answers to.

Favourite colour? 
Purple (at the moment)

The best season? 
Spring

Your favourite food? 
Salt and vinegar spiral crisps.

The best day of the week? 
Sunday (good excuse for a roast dinner and channel 5 have films on all day)

What is the best word?
discombobulate - just fun to say, I had to google it to see what it meant.

Favourite place? 
My home

Your biggest achievement? 
Keeping my head above water!

I'm certain that most would agree, that for someone who only re-started knitting less than a year ago, this is a pretty impressive make! Thanks for your time Lynsey and I hope lots of you head on over to Lynsey's bloggy space to follow her crafty antics!

Lots of sunshine,

Mrs Crafty B

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