It has been a very odd couple of weeks. Aside from being insanely busy with a thousand different projects, I’ve been feeling very introspective lately. It seems to happen once a year or so – almost like a mindful spring cleaning.  I wrote on my music blog about why I walked away from my primary career, and it stirred up some toxic feelings.

To escape my own mind, I went for a walk with two of my favorite people: my wife, and my close friend and fellow creative named Sue. As soon as we left the car, I knew it was going to be a fantastic walk.

That’s right, there were sheep. Everywhere.

It’s lambing season, so the sheep were huddling around their babies as they grazed. It was incredibly calming to see nature at work and to be reminded that life is more than must-haves and to-do lists. Like many people, it’s easy for me to get caught up in the mess of adult responsibilities and forget why I do what I do in the first place.

I’ve said it before, but I’m just a Creative. I make things. I design patterns, I hand-dye yarn, I write music, I photograph the world around me, and I intensely appreciate the work of other Creatives. Sometimes I forget that I make to share and inspire, and get lost in the red tape of deadlines and schedules.

So, we walked. We discovered many things, and with each step I felt more like myself. I felt myself unclench a little more, every time I put one foot in front of the other.

We saw trees that bloom red in the spring – I later learned that these trees are probably crabapple trees; they are very hardy and can adapt to most soil conditions. This obviously means that I want a yard full of them someday. Walking through these trees felt like I was walking around in the fictional West Midlands town of Yaughton, as featured in the game Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture.

We crossed over the sheep fields and into the bright sunshine, among miles and miles of rapeseed farms.

Living in the London area, sometimes I forget how beautiful southeast England can be if you just give it a chance to shine. I’ve lived in many places, each with their own beauty, and there’s no exception here.

As we left the rapeseed fields and headed into the forest, we stopped for a snack (of course we did, this is me we’re talking about). I marvelled at this weird looking tree, that looks like it blew in one direction during a storm and never returned to it’s previous shape. There’s a life metaphor in there somewhere, about not recovering from some traumatic event – but I think there’s a different metaphor that says we are who we are because of how we’ve survived through life, and that’s what makes us beautiful and unique.

After we crossed through the forest, we turned right back towards the fields to make a loop back home. I decided that I have a desperate need to live in this house:

It’s just perfect, isn’t it? I don’t even think it’s a house, more of a fancy shed or small barn structure – in which case, I’ll use it as my creative studio and become a reclusive hermit that no one ever sees, except at local yarn shows.

As we wound our way back to the car, we stopped in the sheep fields again to quietly observe them in their habitat. The sun was high in the sky, I was thankful for the invention of deodorant, and these guys were chilling out in the shade.

I think it’s safe to say what I was thinking about…!

(Yarn. The answer is almost always yarn.)

Hmm, what could I be working on today?

Long weekends are always shorter than they seem, especially for a creative freelancer. This isn’t a humblebrag, but I literally don’t know how to take a day off. I’m always working on something new, whether it’s a new pattern for my readers, freelance work for knitting and crochet magazines and blogs, or spending time with the musical half of me.

This weekend, I worked every day, putting together blog posts, getting photography done, coming up with a super awesome new project (that will launch soon, I promise). Don’t think that this is complaining – I love my job and what it lets me do. Coming up later this week is the promised tutorial for these rainbow granny squares – if I’m brave, maybe I will put it on periscope as I film it. I plan to have a beginner’s version, because so many knitters have asked me to help them, and an intermediate version of the tutorial for those of you who are old hat when it comes to a granny. Hopefully everyone will be appeased!

Sneaky peek of a blog post that’s coming up: a #rainbow granny square tutorial! I made these with some scrap yarn from my stash. Stay tuned for more rainbow-y goodness, coming up later this week (when my yarn arrives to finish the project)! #craftastherapy_bitsandbobs

A photo posted by Gamer Crafting (@gamercrafting) on Apr 26, 2016 at 12:05am PDT

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So stay tuned for some big announcements in the next few weeks, as GamerCrafting moves into the world of video tutorials. EXCITING!

I’ve been working on more #rainbow granny squares before I launch the tutorial for them – I have to say that I love them more every time I weave the ends in on another finished square. Not long before I have enough to start sewing them together to make a bright summery blanket! How is your weekend going? 🌈

A photo posted by Gamer Crafting (@gamercrafting) on Apr 30, 2016 at 3:08am PDT

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In other news, lucky for you all, the limited edition “Rapture” shade is still available in my Etsy shop. I ship internationally, and in the UK there’s just one flat shipping fee. If I know you in real life, drop me a line and we can do an in-person exchange. Get it before it’s gone for good, when this month’s shade gets released in a few weeks. (Click here to see this yarn on Etsy!)

Click this awesome caption to buy some of this awesome yarn! <3

What were you up to this weekend?

Don’t miss out on the free tutorials, inspiration, and giveaways – like GamerCrafting on Facebook and follow me on Bloglovin‘. Happy crafting!