In this post, I share 5 of my favourite online places to get inspired and most importantly access knitting patterns all year round. Please feel free to share these with any of your knitting, crocheting or general crafty friends, 'gate keeping' is out and 'gate breaking' is in.

I have, and continue to teach beginner knitting lessons in some of these cafes, and continue to head to them for, rare but gorgeous, solo knitting dates. This year, being back to teaching knitting lessons in person alongside my online knitting classes, I thought it was time to share some of my favourite cafes to knit in, in case you find yourself in Bos en Lommer with your knitting and some time to savour.

Hello and welcome fellow knitters of all levels, to my knitting on a budget top tips blog post. We are all here because we love to knit, or want to learn to knit but the current price increases of...everything (!) may be impacting your knitting choices.

I started knitting at the age of 22, it was meant to be a fun way to pass the time while waiting to be called onto set - I was a TV and Theatre actress in the UK. However as soon as I started learning to knit, I was hooked. I literally could not stop. My first scarf was ridiculously long, un-wearably long because I couldn't stop...I also didn't yet know how to cast off until a friendly crew member on a BBC drama took pity on me and showed me.

Becoming a knitter puts you in very good company...and I don't mean mine! Firstly you will be able to easily find fellow knitters all over the world to knit with at Knit Nights in local yarn stores (pandemic restrictions dependent). This is something I would do often as my work as an actress took me travelling to places like Lithuania, Romania and New York. It proved to be a lovely way to meet new people and learn about a city from the people who actually live there by turning up to knit beside them and share stories, both knitting and life experiences. Plus think of the local yarn you can learn about!

I discovered knitting initially as a way to pass the time in trailers and dressing rooms while waiting to go on set as an actress. The repetitive action, the feel of the yarn and the time spent productively helped me calm any adrenaline or anxious energy that had been building in my body. Knitting helped me calm my mind, focus my breathing and concentrate on something simple and peaceful.

One of my oldest and dearest friends recently had her first baby, a gorgeous little girl. We never got to see each other throughout her pregnancy or her move from London back to Northern Ireland and that felt tough. Big life changes witnessed from afar.

For me yarn is inspiration. The feel of it, the colours (as many of my students will know, I am partial to some hand-dyed delights), the weight...it all spells out exciting knitting potential.

In the midst of a day of toddler madness, constant supervision, picking up the weirdest of things in the weirdest of places (why is a bottle of shower gel on the kitchen floor??)...my knitting gives me a daily dose of much appreciated peace.