Welcome to the Briarlea Cottage Diary

 Hello Friends, 

Yesterday was officially the start of Spring and I think it's the perfect time to come back to my blog, re-start something new and creative. So hello everyone, I hope that you are well.

I've been living a more intentional seasonal and slow life, embracing the practice of wintering and I feel like it's done me the world of good especially for my mental health. My slow living practice and lifestyle sort of began last year in Summer but I wasn't yet aware that was what I was doing. I found myself spending less time posting on my Instagram account, lost interest in knitting with the sole intention of putting patterns out (yes I began designing knitting patterns), and I think I was a little burnt out. So I kind of just stopped. It was refreshing. I also began reading a lot more which has always been a favourite thing for me to do. 

Everlasting Union Socks - My Design (picture from a test knitter)

When I did pick up my knitting or my crochet hook, I didn't put pressure on myself and I largely didn't even share it on social media. It reminded me of when I first started crocheting in 2016 after losing my auntie, and using it to support my grieving process. I refound the simplicity of crafting and being in a creative space. Leading into winter I felt my knitting mojo return and it came back rather ambitious, I had this overwhelming urge to try my hand at colourwork knitting. It's amazing to think that in those few months I completed 3 colourwork projects; two cowls and a sweater! At one point I wondered who I was and what 'voodoo' was occuring because as well as completing those projects, I finished a shawl and I think it was a couple of pairs of socks too. (Project details at the end of this post). 

         

Astraelus Cowl 

by 

 

 

 Saltburn Sweater by The Knit Purl Girl                                     Woolsia Shawl by Ambah O'Brien 

At the start of the calendar year, I felt an itch to try another creative pursuit, English Paper Piecing (EPP). I've always long admired those handmade quilts that quilters carefully sew together. I told myself lies in that "I could never do that" or "it's too hard and I'm not good enough to even try". Well, you'll be happy to hear that I overcame those negative statements and I ordered some fabric, got my needle, printed out some one inch hexies, watched a couple of YouTube tutorials and I had a go. And you know what? Not only did I do it, I did it well, and I enjoyed it as well! I quickly became a huge fan and found to added a new layer to my self care, relaxation practice that was actually an enjoyable new past time. 

At the current moment I don't have a fully formulated plan of how I want these hexies to look, or in fact how I'm going to finalise their placement. I think I'm settled that I definitely want it to be a quilt, so I know I'll need to purchase the wadding and a plain (maybe) piece of material to sew the hexies panel to for the other side of the quilt (if that makes sense). Right now, I'm really anchoring into not putting too much pressure on myself and to simplify my thoughts processes so that I actually just enjoy the process of making the quilt - by hand. 

Another thing that has resulted in my new slow living practice is that whilst I love designing new projects such as baby blankets, face cloths and socks, I really do not thrive on social media. For someone who has trauma from childhood (discussed in therapy) especially around friend circles and being bullied for being a high achiever, I think social media triggers me a lot. There's a lot of pressure to perform, to be centre of attention, to form a 'clique' or be a part of a 'clique', and it's all too much "means girls" vibes if I'm honest. I hate having to force out patterns, I hate having to constantly perform and "show up" on social media. So, I'm going to try a new approach; 

- spend less time posting + scrolling on Instagram 

- focus on sharing more via my blog in a calm and gentler environment

- slow designing : no pressure on myself and to allow the pattern designing process to develop naturally and organically

- focus on my work, my past times, and enjoy the crafts

I'm very much a quiet, country girl at heart, and sitting out in nature in warmer weather, crafting, gardening, and enjoying the living aspect of life rather than "capturing an aesthetically pleasing angle" to post to prove myself to the world of how I'm good at what I do. I think sometimes we overcomplicate life far more than we honestly need to. I can see where I've done that and contributed to an unhappy Dawn in the process. So, I'm going to try out a softer, simpler approach to see if this works better for me.

I think that's enough rambling on for now, but I wanted to give you a general update and reintroduce the purpose and vision for the blog. 

If you've enjoyed reading this, please subscribe and ensure that you are notified when I next post. Thank you for stopping by, I hope to see you again soon. 

Dawn-Tracie

XxX 

Pattern Notes ||

As promised here are the names of the patterns with their designers and links of where to purchase them.

Easy Peasy Cowl by Karolina Adamczyk

Astraelus Cowl by Bad Wolf Girl Studios

Saltburn Sweater by The Knit Purl Girl

Woollsia Shawl by Ambah O'Brien 

Everlasting Union Socks by Briarlea Cottage Crafts (formerly known as MyCalmHappyKnits)

Country Home Knitting | My Newbie Knitters Journey

I seem to start so many of my blog posts with the line "it's been a while since I last posted" but it really is a long time since I last shared anything with you on here. It's not been that way intentionally I promise!
How have you been? What's new in your world?

I've been having a ridiculously busy time at work lately as some of you may know that I work part time in a primary school and I happen to work in year 2 (6-7 year olds). We've just gotten over the SATs and are enjoying the start of our week long half term break.
Work usually comes with drama - or at least it does where I work unfortunately - that's why I've not been actively posting on here.

However I have been working my through some crochet projects and I've even started to learn how to knit! If you know me then you'll know that I began crocheting because I couldn't grasp the art of knitting. I will do an additional blog post on How I Got Started With Crochet, but for now, I'll say that for 3 years I've crocheted on and off - the last year more so. Evidently because I've recently taught myself to knit! 

In hindsight I think that crocheting has actually helped me to pick up knitting easier and wonder now why I didn't try this way year ago. To think of all the projects I could of created :) Still I get to enjoy making them now! 

I'm going to share with you my very beginners journey of knitting with a few pictures I've taken to document the journey. Initially I had this idea to create swatch squares of all the knitting stitches I learn -complete with all their imperfections because they are a HUGE part of my journey also. Then I was going to sew all these swatches together to make a complete blanket in a patchwork style. I still might do this but will have to remember that this is my plan because I might end up choosing colours of yarn that don't compliment each other very well otherwise :/ 

This was my initial attempt of the Alternating Welted Leaf stitch - if you manage to zoom in on the picture you'll see that whilst there are some shapes resembling the welted leaf within the small sample, it actually didn't quite work out very well. So I frogged it and went back to the drawing board - or knitting needles as it was in this case. 

Next up... 

This is the Staggered Eyelets stitch, and although there is a couple of tiny mistakes in the swatch, I am very pleased with this and fell completely in love with the pattern, and with knitting. This swatch actually made me go an order knitting needles, and look for patterns and work out pattern ideas for blankets and shawls - and that was it, my mind was running away into knitters heaven. 

This stitch combines the following stitches; Knit, Purl, Knit 2 Together (K2TG), Yarn Over (YO). It's worked in multiples of 4 + 3 but you'd need to add extra on for creating a border for each side. This is a project I'm going to be working on so I will have the pattern written up for you on here hopefully soon, once I've gotten my yarn in either Mint, Lemon or White. My intention is to knit a Mint or Lemon baby blanket, put it away for when I have my first born to go with the cardigan my Auntie Tracy knitted for me in time for when I was born! 

At the moment I'm working on a basic Knit stitch - otherwise known as Garter Stitch ombre inspired blanket. I'll share more when there is more to see because at the moment there is only about 4 rows, so ultimately not much to see right now. 

I'd love to know if you've ever tried to knit and if you are a seasonal and experienced knitter, what was your first ever project? 

Country Home Lifestyle | The Art of Keeping Promises

Hi Lovely,

How are you? I do hope that you are well. I'm currently sat here with my little cup of lemon tea (it's one of my favourite drinks aside from tea, coffee, and a nice cup of Ovaltine - chocolate of course) and I started thinking about all the promises we make not only at the start of a new year but in general. Each year. Every day. For our entire lives. Do we actually keep them or most them? Or do we become so overwhelmed in life that we tend to let things slip and slide even though it's the exact opposite of our intention to do so? (This lemon tea has a lot to answer for!). So I just wanted to explore this a little with you here. I'm not sure I'll come to any conclusions but it's something I want to discover a little more. 

I like to think that I'm good at keeping promises, I know I keep secrets when people ask me to but does that mean I'm good at keeping my promises all-round? I think I'm in honest here and that's the point to all this I'd have to say I'm not as good as I'd like to believe that I am, or that I'd like to be. 

I make promises probably just like you all the time, I think I must make at least 2-3 a day! that's like over 1000 promises in a year! So, at 30 years old, and let's say I started making promises at 3 years old - you know to eat my food, to go to sleep, to be a good girl, to stop trying to chew paper (yes I had a thing for paper - now I'm a book worm and stationery addict!) then that's roughly 27,000 promises and counting! Have I kept those 27,000 promises I made? 

I doubt it. 

As an overachiever and a recovering perfectionist (control freak!) - Mr R really helps me to let go much more often and easily than I ever did before. I should feel really disappointed with myself for not keeping those promises - you know all 27,000 of them that I can't even remember 27 of them let alone 27,000! But I don't. I've learnt to accept that despite my mum calling me an Alien (because everything I did was perfect and I was the perfect child - Making up for it now ain't I mum?) I'm just a normal human being that isn't ever going to be 100% perfect at everything in life. We all are in the same boat here.

That has to be my hardest lesson to date. Always achieving highly at school meant I entered adulthood with so much self imposed perceived pressure to do everything with perfection. The promise to be perfect. The perfect student, the perfect accountant, the perfect daughter, the perfect friend, the perfect teacher, the perfect work colleague, the perfect employee, the perfect blogger, the perfect crafter, the perfect crocheter and oh my word are you as exhausted as I am right now?! It's just not possible.

Accepting a degree of imperfection in our lives, I believe can help us to accept that we're not always going to be able to keep promises we make. Promises that could be as simple as writing up a blog post when we say we will (I'm sorry - I'm a creative and I tend to work best when I'm inspired - not pressured), sending the photos of your crochet projects + home reno inspiration you promised to send (I'm sorry Mr R - I don't forget and I always remember to send you the photos - eventually!), or even to pick something up from the shops when you go only to go home and realise you've forgotten even though you told yourself a million time all day long "Do NOT forget to pick that thing up!" (Sorry Mum!!). 

We're so overwhelmed these days with information and our lives is it any wonder we forget these simple yet deeply meaningful acts of community and togetherness in the form of promises? Not really, and I've come up with 3 simple steps to The Art of Keeping Promises and I promise I will get to those in a minute. But first, we've discussed the promises we make and keep and don't keep for others, but what about ourselves? How many times do we let ourselves down? And what about the impact that has on our own sense of self esteem and self worth? 

I am the first person to prioritise keeping promises to others and to forget about the ones I made to myself. I'll put off a workout session in order to ensure I've done things for mum, I'll put off writing a blog post in order to chat to my friend, I'll put off reading in bed to calm me in order to fuss and cuddle Magick (my cat!) I'll even put off my NEW practice of bedtime yoga for the same reason. 

But why? Why do I think it's okay to treat myself with such a lack of disrespect and treat everyone else with the utmost respect? It's definitely something I need to look at more and work on - writing this has really made me "See" it. Isn't it strange that I feel shame for admitting my faults? It's that acknowledgement that I'm not perfect, and having to realise that again, it's an unrealistic expectation to have - to be perfect 100% of the time. 

So... the bit you've been waiting for (Thank you for following my waffling thoughts) - the 3 steps to The Art of Keeping Promises; 

1) Cliche - but don't make promises you can't keep! 

Seriously, don't set yourself and anyone else up for disappointment and failure by making a promise you know you either won't be able to keep or are unlikely to keep. This does you own self esteem no good, and it does nothing for the person you made this promise to - they will feel let down, not good enough in your opinion to have a promise kept, they will likely (if this is a long term letting down constantly) not ask you for any help and it could damage your relationship. 

2) Keep a note of your promises

Just a simple note in your Google calender, a corner of your diary, a scribble on the kitchen/home office noticeboard, a post it to the mirror (my favourite) of what it is you've promised to do, when, and for whom. As long as you don't overextend yourself and make a promise to everyone you know multiple times a day, and they are realistic and doable you should be able to handle this! 

3) Admit When You Can't Do It

This can be the one that trips us up on so many levels but it is probably the MOST important one to do. If there is something you can't do, admit it. It's not a weakness to admit that you can't do something, despite what some people in this world will have you believe. For instance, Mr R and I regularly have dates and things planned, can we both keep to the scheduled events? Most of the time yes, but when we can't for one reason or another we ALWAYS let each other know. If he can't make it because of training for work or a disaster at the house then he tells me, and yes of course i'm disappointed, so is he! But he told me, I was aware of having to change plans, and honestly, having the person in your life who is honest with you to the point that yes you may feel disappointed for a short time, but you get over it. And you do feel that bond of trust grown between you and the promisee - is that a word?! 

There you have it - my 3 steps to The Art of Keeping Promises. I hope you've found them helpful, given yourself a little reprieve from self punishment for failing so much to keep every single promise you make, and of course I'd love to know which one of the three steps you're going to try and be mindful of more often in the comments below. Honestly, I'd just be touched if you read this and survived the long post! 

Thank you for stopping by, I shall speak to you soon, 

Love Dawn xxx

Country Home Teaching | Half Term Teacher Goals

Hello my loves, 

It's finally half term here in the UK and whilst parents are probably wondering how they're possibly going to keep their little ones occupied over the week off school, I'm one of those support teaching staff who is only too glad to be able to have a bit of a break.

I do sympathise with parents when it comes to keeping their little ones occupied and engaged. It can be surprisingly difficult to ensure your child doesn't utter the "b" word - for those who don't know the word is 'bored'! 

However, as I'm "on my holidays" as some of my little ones in my class like to say, I'd like to focus the attention on me and what I hope to enjoy this half term. This is my list of 5 half term teacher goals for October 2018

1) Firstly, I just want to relax and do absolutely nothing! I know the reality is that this is unlikely to happen as I'll find something to do even if it's scrolling Instagram and Pinterest for crochet and craft creation inspiration (that can take ALL day long 😁) but I'd like to complete this as closely as I can.

2) Also, I want to spend some time completing, planning and starting crochet projects that have been neglected lately. During term time it can be hard to fit in time to crochet due to the intricate detailing with some of the stitches. When you come home from work and are exhausted the last thing you want to do is something that needs your full attention. This is something I can work on and perhaps spend 15-20 minutes an evening just crocheting to relax?!

3) One of the most important things I want to do this holiday is spend time relaxing.  I just want  to take time out and spend it relaxing, doing something fun and not in work mode.

4) READ A BOOK - the last book I read was a young adult fantasy novel called A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas and it took me almost 13 weeks to read it! 🙄 It was largely because I was too tired to read at in bed after coming home from work. So, I really really want to read a book from cover to cover this week!

5) Reorganise my wardrobe - it's time to put the summer clothes away and get out the cosy autumnal/winter jumpers, cardigans, and scarves! Hooray! Lol 😂 I do love the cosy seasons when you can layer up your clothes and wear cosy socks. I'm also itching to give the wardrobes a good clean and refresh with Zoflora. It's also a really ideal opportunity to clear out any clothes I no longer want, fit (as I've lost weight), or are just faded.

So, I think if I plan this with precision I might be able to pull it off! I'm looking forward to seeing what I achieve this week and what I simply enjoy! 

Right my loves, I'm off to watch Strictly Come Dancing now as its Halloween week and I always love the spooktacular performances. 

Speak soon lovely, 

Dawn-Tracy xx

Country Home Teaching | 4 Ways to Control Anxiety at Work

Hello my loves, 

This week I started back to work with my fancy new title of "Specialist Support Practitioner" and "HLTA". I really wasn't ready to go back - who is? But I do welcome to routine as I failed during the summer holiday to stick to any routine - I think I was just so happy to not have to complete any more assignments I kind of rebelled against routine and consistency. It did me good though. 

Starting a brand new routine or going back to one you had previously can throw the best of people, but when you have anxiety it can make that experience so much more tiring with the cycle of adrenaline rushing through your body and then the crashing down when the adrenaline wears off. It's that Fight - Flight - Freeze reaction to situations that we perceive as a threat to us (and our sense of safety).

This past week has brought a reintroduction of my work routine, as I've mentioned I work part time in a primary school, and this year I'm spread across two key stages (year 2- KS1 and year 5- KS2) so with that brings the need for me to use different vocabulary, have different expectations for the pupils and my own performance and role, different relationships with staff and pupils, different struggles for pupils (and myself!) and a whole load more besides. 

I'm not ashamed to say that I've really felt it this week, with the added workplace stress induced problems, friends and colleagues feeling vulnerable due to personal circumstances, I've felt the need to preserve my own mental wellbeing as well as support others with theirs. One thing that you can guarantee working in a school is that things change from one day to the next, and most often throughout the day as well. I'm quite good at adapting to these changes especially so with whether I have to cover lessons last minute, but the changes that come to us from Management can be a bit harder to cope with. My friend and colleague, let's call her 'H' has found this week rather difficult, and no doubt there will be weeks when it's my turn to lean on her. 

'H' has recently been promoted to Assistant Head of Key Stage 1 and this means she's got an increased workload and spends less time in class teaching and has to rely on myself and another staff member 'D' (in fact there's actually three of us 'D' 's working in Key Stage 1), and she's also had some personal news that's understandably upsetting for her. 

So, having had anxiety myself in the past she knew she could come and talk to me and ask me for help. Asking for help is the important thing to do when you feel any form of your mental health and wellbeing is challenged, and it's also often the hardest step - but I honestly encourage you to reach out to someone! 

Some key strategies I've used personally and encouraged my friend & colleague H to use this week, that you can use too included;

. ✔️ Positive self talk - things like 

✨"I'm calm, centred and in control",

✨ "I can handle this, whatever happens, I'll handle it",

✨ "my routine will soon become natural"

✨ "it's all going to be OK"


✔️ Breathing

✨ Breathing in for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11 (5/9 can be a great starting place)

✨ Taking five minutes in the toilet to breathe, breathing whilst sitting marking books, typing lesson plans on the laptop

✔️ Talking

✨ Find a friend / colleague in work that you feel safe talking to and who you know won't judge you 

✨ Talk to them about how you're feeling, discuss your struggles, your worries, what's not feeling right

✨ Listen to each other as you will learn about other strategies that may work for you,

✨ Know you're NOT alone - if you're feeling stressed, worried, anxious, overwhelmed or unable to cope - someone else will be feeling the exact same way (my DM box is always open if you want to chat!) 

✔️Be Present

✨ Be present in the moment. If you find your thoughts drifting towards your anxieties whilst your doing a task bring them back to the NOW.

✨ Focus on what's in front of you on the wall, on the desk. Ask yourself questions to enhance your focus such as; 

• what colour are you wearing?
• what colour pens are in front of you? 
• what's the weather like outside? 
•  who's in the room?
•  what time is it? 
• what can you hear?

The idea of asking yourself these questions is to distract yourself from your anxiety and give your brain something else to focus on. It doesn't take away the issue that you're worrying about but it does help you to self-soothe. 

Above is just a pocket full of tools you can implement into your day to help you control your anxiety at work, there are of course many more. Please try them, and reach out and tell someone. You can even reach me on Instagram and send me a DM if you feel talking to someone who doesn't know you will help. There are also professional organisations you can reach out to; Mind UK, Samaritans, and of course, if you feel that anxiety is becoming a life limiting struggle for you - please, please visit your GP because it was honestly the best thing I did when I lost my Auntie to cancer and I wouldn't be half the woman I am now if I'd not asked for help. 

Try these strategies out, and please let me know how you get on. 

Look after yourself lovely, 

Speak soon, 

Dawn-Tracy xxx

Country Home Books | A Whiff of Scandal

Hello again my Loves, 

Today it's Book Lovers Day and as I already have a beautiful Book Blog - A Page of Fictional Love I thought it would be a lovely occasional feature here on Our Country Home Comforts. 

So, today I'm sharing with you my thoughts on a lovely book I read by Carole Matthews, and I also get to showcase some of the essential oils that I use in my own daily life to complement this post. 

Image Copyright of Our Country Home Comforts

A Whiff of Scandal was a book that I almost put down and back on the shelf, but something about the blurb, the cover and the way the characters in the village were behaving convinced me to continue on and read their story. I am so glad that I did. It has been such a long time since a book has had me laughing out loud in the bath, on the sofa, in the park, ... basically anywhere I could read. I laughed so much that it was almost ridiculous (my laughing that is) if it wasn't so entertaining! 

The book begins with the nosey neighbours across the road spying on the newbie, Rose who is an aromatherapist from London. They are sisters whom live together and are the stereotypical old ladies whom have nothing better to do other than to spy on their neighbours and spread rumours, typical village life as it's portrayed on the tv. Rose gets a reputation as a "lady of the night" thanks to one of the ladies, even writing this now because I remember the gossip in the book so vividly is making me chuckle, but then Rose is later supported by the other sister who changes her mind after visiting Rose for an aromatherapy appointment. 

There's something you should know about the people who live in this village - they all have names connected to aromatherapy; Basil, Melissa, Rose, Anise,...etc. The dishy man of the village is Dan (Spikenard) who lives at Builder's Bottom ( the name of his house) with his long term girlfriend Gardenia. Dan and Rose have several encounters, one even involving being dressed like a Viking! But do they get together? Well Rose came to the village to run away from her past - we all do that or at least wish we could, or we dream of it - but Rose does it! But what is she running away from? Cliff Richard? NO! That's one of those nosey old ladies' rumours again LOL. Don't believe everything you hear. Even Mr Patel at the local shop gets things wrong from time to time. 

What about Rose's stalker? Calling her and breathing heavily down the phone?Reading this part of the story did put the shiver sup me a little - because as a woman we can all imagine how it must feel to be on the end of the phone and have that happen to us! Does she know her stalker? Who is it? And what about when her once dream guy finally offers her the world? Don't you think they always come when it's too late? But is it enough? Can you really mix your past with your future? Is there such a blend for an aromatherapist? 

Rose is very skilled at what she does, so much so that she regularly blends together Passion oils for her new best friend Melissa who is married to the local policeman - but what's Melissa hiding, and is Frank (her husband) the last to know? 

And what about the building development proposal to build apartments? Will it cause uproar or will it be welcomed? Will the villagers pull together or will it cause a divide? Then there's the proposal - who is it that is made a romantic offer of marriage? And what will the neighbours say?!

There are more Whiffs of Scandal in this book alone than there ever could be in a year of Corrie! If you want a thrilling laugh out loud, comedy romance, and a reason to smile everyday, then you really must read A Whiff of Scandal. I'd love to know what happens after A Whiff of Scandal, and what becomes of Builder Bottom, and do those old ladies ever stop spying on their neighbours with ladders and binoculars? I guess that's a scent of the future I must simply ponder on... for now... maybe ;)

Have you read this book? What book have you read lately that has absolutely made you laugh out loud? I'd love to hear all about your reading pleasure. 

If you'd like to read more about books I've read then please visit me over on my other blog by clicking the picture below; 

You can find me on instagram at: Our Country Home Comforts

Looking forward to chatting soon,
Dawn-Tracy, 

xxx