Emma Varnam’s blog – Knitting, nattering, crochet and craft

Light as a Cloud

30 Jul 2026

As I sit here writing, in the relative cool of the morning, I am wearing an undignified combination of my pj’s and my newly finished Cloud Cardigan. It is so soft, so light and utterly mesmeric in its stripes and tones. I literally can’t feel I am wearing it, that’s how light it is.

It’s been a VERY hot July here in the north of Britain. Worryingly so. Jumpers, scarves and waistcoats are stuffed unceremoniously to the back of the wardrobe. (Yes, I wish I was better behaved/organised with my woollens. But I am not).

You might think that this rather cuddly cardigan wouldn’t get much of a look-in during the hot summer. But honestly this has been a glorious addition to my early morning mooching around the garden.

The colours match perfectly the flowers I am inspecting in my pots. The soft peachy tones of roses, cosmos, zinnias and even dahlias. I seem draw to the blushes and the peaches at the moment. They are appearing in most of my making.

Thank goodness I spotted this cardigan on Niamh, a co-owner of one of my favourite yarn shops, Tangled Yarn. If I feel a bit creatively stuck, I find that a little trip out to Poynton will give me the nudge or creative shove that I need. Chatting with Rachel and Niamh is like visiting a yarn therapist.

‘I don’t feel inspired to make anything… it’s a bit discombobulating…’

‘What do you fancy? Knitting or crochet? have you seen this? Do you want something easy? Or challenging? Niamh has just finished this. She has loved making it.’

And just like that, I am choosing new yarn, taking note of the pattern and driving away with the compulsion to cast on. That is the maker’s sweet spot. The 30 seconds between opening the front door, putting on the kettle and riffling through the needle collection. There is nothing quite like curling up in your favourite spot with a steaming hot cuppa and the frisson on casting on that new project. Love, Love, Love.

Now for the details: The pattern is: The Foolproof Cardigan by Wemade Wardrobe. I chose Lang Yarn Cloud in colourway 02 – which I bought from the very pretty Tangled Yarn.

I think this is going to be an Autumn favourite. When I have worn the cardigan out I have had ALOT of people ask where I bought it from (R-E-S-U-L-T) plus a fair few involuntary strokes of my arm. So be warned. But honestly this impromptu purchase has been a surprising delight and far too enjoyable to keep to myself. Thank you Niamh and Rachel, yet again you have inspired me.

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Sitting and Knitting

5 Jul 2026

Have you ever watched one of those tv programmes or perhaps a meme on social media when someone is asked to open up their handbag or rucksack and decant the contents? ‘Oh, my phone obvs… some tissues, hand-cream, SPF, charger, lip balm, lipstick, small hairbrush…..’ I could go on.

I realised this morning (far too early) that I have never ever seen one of those clips and someone delves deep into their bag to grab a smaller bag of knitting. I have never seen it… how weird.

Now while I have a variety of groups of friends. But there are only a few that I can guarantee are packing a project tote. They will have on them a smallish project – enough yarn to get them through a journey, plus some planned sitting time. They will have with them a small pair of scissors, a tapestry needle. They might have a folded pattern. They might have some stitch markers, a tape measure. They might be working on an ‘emergency sock’ – don’t be fooled these are not socks for an emergency. The emergency is having some knitting to do and the answer to that dilemma is ‘socks.

Now it occurred to me only yesterday that I could really do with a few more small bags. An organza bag which I readily receive when I order wool online suits this purpose. But really a small cotton bag is far more jolly.

Yesterday I had a joyful day in the city with my pals Lucy and Christine. Both very famous yarn people and the kindest of friends. It was simply taken for granted that on a day full of adventure we would spend some time quietly chatting and crafting in company. We would never question that each of us was packing some wool. In fact, if for some reason one of us wasn’t justly occupied there might very well be a quizzical frown of concern…’you alright hon?’

As the notional host yesterday, I had a bit of a panic as to where we could find a lovely place to position ourselves, relax and get out the projects. Luckily, I remembered that the old Aviation Hall of the Museum of Science and Industry has now become an artisan market place. This is very bad news for the boys in my family who have fond memories of large aeroplanes and various motor cars. However, the new Campfield Market was really busy yesterday and we found a lovely upstairs table and some very comfortable leather chairs. Perfect simply perfect. Plus, if you want detail, the bar was very heavy handed/generous with the measure of St Germain for a Hugo Spritz. (Good to know).

We took turns to go forth and forage for provisions. The range of cake was astonishing. The projects came out almost immediately. We then got down to business. Proper catch ups, wise advice and general encouragement.

I thought this morning; I never looked up once to see anyone staring at us. It now doesn’t even enter my head that crocheting in public is weird. It would be a strange day now if I didn’t pack projects for a day out. You never know, one day I might get asked…’What’s in your bag?’… I will be able to answer, ‘Oh I am so glad you asked!’

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A cut above cat

20 Feb 2026

I am a firm believer that Stanley (our cat), is in essence a cowboy. He barges into rooms as if he is opening swing salon doors and announces his presence. It’s as if he is saying, ‘Right I am here… what’s going on? Everything can stop now… oh and get me a drink (dreamies) pronto!’

It frequently crosses my mind that I could really be more ‘Stanley’. I think at least once a week. He has happy high status…he knows who he is and is confident that we will be more than delighted to see him. He then sleeps wherever he likes in utter peace. When not comparing him to a gun-slinging cowboy of an early Western, I think of him being George Clooney. And oh…. Stanley is photogenic – very, very handsome.

He appears on my Instagram feed on a regular basis, mostly because we have a little weekend ritual of a morning cuddle, cat, crochet and coffee. A perfect combination.

I do realise that cats are not everyone’s cup of tea and I am biased but Stanley is very charming.

Stanley has been the inspiration of many projects – not least a front-cover star of my most enduring and loved toy book – Cute Crocheted Animals.

However, as a Mews (forgive me) he does rather like to get involved. I think cats are never very co-operative, they march to the beat of their own drum. But they know how to get our attention. This weekend I have been really enjoying a bit of collage.

When I did GCSE art, I made a couple of tissue paper collages which I really enjoyed. Their existence is long gone, and I had almost completely forgotten them. However, 2 weeks ago I popped to Harrogate with my two dear yarn friend Lucy and Christine (if you know, you know they are FAMOUS yarn people). We had a lovely time and on the Saturday, we swung by the aching gorgeous Toast. I love that shop…. Fullstop. Anyway, in the window was a collage by the artist Andrew Pierce Scott. He has done a number of collages for the shop – some in paper and others in fabric. Their simple yet energetic quality spoke to me. My mind was taken back to evenings and weekends spent at the kitchen table cutting, ripping, gluing scrap paper.

This weekend I had a few unplanned days and so set about collecting my old magazines. I knew what I wanted to make, a scene from our kitchen table. It would have my treasured delf jug, a cup and saucer, a pleasingly round Zauberball sock yarn and…. Look who strode into view. The main man.

I’ll be honest I made quite a few mistakes on my first go. Rather unfortunately I used a blue glue stick. I thought it was one of the glue sticks that dries clear. I was wrong and for a number of hours I despaired at the mistake I had made. Determined not throw the whole project into the bin I decided to have a go at dissolving the worst of the blue residue with a little water and miraculously I worked.

Luckily with a free weekend I was able to keep my project out on the kitchen table for two days. With music playing in the background the hours rushed past in a haze of cutting, drawing and sticking.

Hilariously Stanley sat on the image I drew of him, in exactly the same profile pose I had mapped out. Everything was exactly how it should be.

I loved every minute of this little project. The mistakes, the working out the problems. The whispered memories of projects of my youth. It is fun to dip into some thing a little different. I’m so grateful to have spotted the image in Toast and the artist Andrew Pierce Scott. I wonder how many more window shoppers have been inspired to get out their scissor and glue sticks

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Colour Crush – seeking inspiration in bright makes

29 Dec 2025

Since late Spring of this year, I have found it difficult to find inspiration for my yarn crafts. I’ve chatted about this in my last few blog posts. It has been rather perturbing if I am honest. I know there are worse things at sea, but when your main relaxation is noodling around with the needles, it feels upsetting that the crafting spark has fizzled.

Six to nine months on, I think there may be a new blanket design emerging in the little grey cells, but until then I am distracting myself with a little useful making. I’ve attempted a few novel ways to keep my crafting joy.

Whether its in the house or what I wear, I really do like bright colours. I wear A LOT of navy – always have done – probably always will. But I know that putting on a cheerful colour will lift my spirits. I thought it might be nice to make myself a cowl using Stylecraft Special DK from the stash. It took me a while to choose which pattern to make, but in the end I went for one of my own designs. A ripple pattern that features in How to Crochet. For this version I made the length twice as long so I could wrap it round my neck twice. So cosy! I have been wearing it this week on long mountain walks, and I’ve loved it. Firstly it’s bright and easy to spot, secondly I love the fact a cowl never unravels. Very practical. This should take me very much into Spring.

In the last two years I have reignited my patchwork and quilting love. Just as some non-crocheters love to learn a new hobby and pick up hints and tips from Instagram and YouTube, I have been really inspired by quilting channels. It has been lovely to enjoy a craft just for the making. I have made about 4 machine sewn quilts in the last 2 years. All of them have been pressed into immediate use. I never thought I would try to attempt hand quilting, mostly as I didn’t feel my handsewn stitches were neat enough.

However following the lovely account of Jennifer at Penelope Handmade I felt inspired to make a ‘whole-cloth’ quilt. This is really just hand stitching into a single fabric (or two fabrics). Shamefully I already have a ‘stash’ of quilt batting – the middle woolly fibre which creates the soft bouncy texture. I sewed two pieces together to make up the quantity I needed. You will understand when you see it that it was the fabric that drew me in. I chose this glorious woven fabric by Fablesim. Soft sherberty colours. My choice was the Swedish Holiday – Midsummer Check. Of course it is.

It seemed so obvious that if I was going to jump into hand sewing a quilt I should use a check to help me out. I thought i had enough fabric for the reverse side. I was wrong and had to pop out very quickly to my local remainder fabric store. Luckily for me they had some left over Tana Lawn from Paul Smith. I love tana lawn against my skin. It always feel silky and slightly cold. A good contrast against the soft open weave check.

I’m here to tell you that quilting in not as portable as crochet – but it is a snuggly craft and if the light is good enough, perfectly possible on your lap of an evening. What I hadn’t expected was the calming noise of the stitches as they pass through the fabric. The pop of the knot and then the soft swoosh of the thread as it passes through the fibres. No wonder people love to hand quilt. I found myself turning off music and podcasts just so I could enjoy the silence.

The colours of this project and the joyful simplicity of hand stitching have been so enjoyable. I have even rationed myself to a line of stitching per evening, just to eke out the process. So far I have finished the quilting part, but now need to choose the binding and complete the project. The stitching is not perfect or that regular, but it doesn’t matter, there is a joy in gathering new skills and witnessing an improvement.

Certainly distracting yourself with colour in fabric is good way to break through the crafting stalemate.

The humblest of tasks get beautified if loving hands do them
Louisa May Alcott

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Shop - buy Emma Varnam crochet patterns and books

Light as a Cloud

Sitting and Knitting

A cut above cat

Colour Crush – seeking inspiration in bright makes