About me and about the Liebster Award

Last week I had a message from my friend Corine in The Netherlands, nominating me for a Liebster Award. Oooooh I thought, an award!!! But its not really an award, more of a way for bloggers to reach out to new readers and to tell the blogging world a bit more about themselves.

Corine writes a lovely blog, Corine24, which describes her everyday life in The Netherlands and showcases her many crochet projects. I’ve been following her for a while now and enjoy reading her posts very much.

The idea behind a Liebster Award nomination is to ask another blogger 11 questions about themselves. I’m going to tackle Corine’s questions and then I will nominate five other bloggers to play along too.

Question 1: In which country do you live?

I am in the UK and I am a northern lass through and through. I was born in Pontefract in West Yorkshire, a market town in which my ancestors have lived since at least 1644. For the last 15 years I have lived in a small village about 10 miles east of there, in a renovated farmhouse that dates back to about 1750. The land around here is very flat – a bit like The Netherlands – but we are close to the city of York, the North York Moors, The Yorkshire Dales and Sheffield and The Peak District, where there are plenty of hills and crags and some pretty wild countryside.

One of my favourite walks is along the canal, which runs past the village and which provides an ever-changing canvas for the different seasons.

I love my home and live and work here, having been a freelance medical writer for over 21 years.

Question 2: What is your favourite craft?

Oooh that’s a difficult one… As a teenager I learned to sew, knit and crochet but it was crochet that captured my interest the most. I did some dressmaking with my mum in my 20s and then did some cross stitch when my children were small but then they and continuing my medical writing took most of my time.

About five years ago I developed an interest in jewellery making and have since done classes in metalsmithing, so I love that. I made these silver earrings just before Christmas…

I’ve also rekindled my interest in crochet since my mum died in 2013. When clearing her house I found all my crochet hooks and also inherited all her craft making equipment and stash. I think creating things has really helped me over the 18 months since and I enjoy trying out new things and developing my skills. If I could spend all day, everyday crafting, I would!

I took part in the recent crochet-along with Attic24 and find that I really enjoy crocheting blankets…

Question: What would you do with ten million dollars/pounds/ euros?

£GBP please 🙂 as that’s the most money!! I am not materialistic, so would not want lots of expensive things and I would certainly not move. I would use the money to provide me with an income so that I could spend my days just doing what I wanted. Crafting would feature heavily and I would go on as many courses as I liked. I love being by the sea, so some sort of beach house not too far away might be nice too.

My children would no doubt benefit, as it would be good to give them some financial security but I would also give some of the money to Marie Curie Cancer Care, my chosen charity. I hope to raise more money for them through my blog when it gets more established because they do such good work.

Question: I want to swap a day with …., because ….?

Enya… I love her music and I read once that she lived alone in a Scottish castle in a remote area. I think that sounds magical and I would love to have the experience of being musically creative and enjoying the windswept drama of a castle as a home.

Question: what is your favourite book?

I am sidestepping this question a little bit… my favourite author is probably Iris Murdoch. Her novels are of her time but provide an insight into that time and her life but also a glimpse into a brilliant mind. I love re-reading her books and find something new in them each time.

Question: how many animals do you have?

I share my home and my life with three lovely but very messy cats. Two girls, Maia and Magic, and a ginger boy called Mango. He is very handsome, and he knows it.

Question: What skill would you like to learn?

How to make a lot of money very quickly – then I could spend all day being creative. (Yes, there is a theme going on here…)

Question: Tent, caravan or hotel?

I don’t mind really. I would love to have a caravan to be able to trip off for weekends but the thought of driving with it puts me off! Traffic here in the UK can be a real nightmare and summer trips can be plagued by jams… What really interests me is renovating the inside of a caravan, so maybe a future project will involve doing that and then selling it on.

Question: What is the worst item you have ever knitted, crocheted, etc… (but still makes you laugh)?

This was something I did recently. I’d seen on Pinterest the idea of using a cord to make a basket by coiling the cord and crocheting around it. I bought some cheap washing line from Wilkinsons to see if that would work. It was a bit inflexible but worked reasonably well. The problem was that the washing line was made from plastic and it smelled very strongly of noxious chemicals. After a few rounds I couldn’t stand it so pulled it out, put the yarn away for something else and three the washing line in the bin. It was only £1 so no great loss. What makes me laugh is that the ball of yarn still smells after three weeks, so maybe I won’t even be able to reuse it. What of my most daft ideas to date.

Question: What was you first job?

I was in biomedical research and my project involved looking for molecules on the surface of the bacteria that causes gonorrhoea that could be useful as a potential vaccine. At some university function I was asked what I did by a vicar who then spat out the gulp of tea he had just taken when I told him…

Question: You cannot live without your… ?

Home. When I first walked into my house 15 years ago this month, it was love at first sight. The house wrapped its arms around me and I felt immediately at home. Its still my favourite place to be, whether I am here on my own with the cats, or whether the house is full of my two children (19 and 21) with their friends. But it if had to be one thing in my home, it would probably be my wood fired aga. Just love, love, love it to bits. Specially if I am enjoying a lazy weekend afternoon in front of it with tea and curd tart…

My five nominations for The Liebster Award

 The Little Red Beach House

RosiePink

Nero’s post and patch

Quilt obsession

Nic’s crochet corner

And my questions

1  What made you want to start a blog?

2  What creative activity do you enjoy the most and why?

3  Where in the world are you?

4  Are you a morning person or a night owl?

5  What three things would you take if you were stranded on a desert island for a week?

6  What have you made that you are most proud of?

7  Which is easier for you, crochet or knitting?

8  Which artist from history inspires you?

9  Where would be your ideal place to live?

10  Which social media do you like the most/hate the most?

11  Coast, mountains or city for a short break?