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About Me





Hi, I’m Amanda, the face and name behind The Calm Nook Crafts.

My love of writing is what brings me here to the blogging world again.  I’d forgotten over the years since my children were small how much I loved to write.  My 3 kids are all old enough to fend for themselves.  Two still live at home but are old enough that they have their own interests and consequently I have a lot of time that isn’t taken up by picking up toys, making beds and lunches.

I also have gotten over the PTSD, severe depression and lack of self worth that came as a result of a very violent first marriage and lasted almost 10 years. Those experiences, when you come through them and rediscover yourself lead to an amazing awareness of the things you love to do, the things you had forgotten about yourself and you embrace them.

I was taught to knit and crochet as a wee, impatient little thing by my Mum, Nanna and a neighbour, Auntie Joy.  There was something about knitting needles, crochet hooks and horrid scratchy acrylic yarn that I just loved!  I knitted scarves that more resembled crochet with all the holes, and crocheted the most beautiful lopsided granny squares.  At some point in my childhood, books, make-up and boys became way more important than knitting and crochet so the hooks and needles were replaced by mascara wands, lipstick and Nancy Drew mysteries.

As I grew older and took up crafting again, my Mum loved watching me create things but she would very rightly look at the latest ‘thing’ and say “Your work is beautiful, I don’t know why you don’t finish anything, you never finish anything you start!”.  In 2014 my Mum passed away quite suddenly and it was in those 10 days between her death and her funeral that an unfinished crocheted blanket started taunting me.  I had been my Mum’s carer for 18 months before she passed and suddenly my days were empty of ongoing appointments, medication management, and generally just spending time with her every day. I needed something to fill my time, something that I could do whilst I processed, grieved, planned a funeral and dealt with family issues.  

I finished the big blue blanket, and 3 more after that. Now, 2 years on, I have taught myself so much.  I’ve taken part in CALS, made countless shawls, amigurumi and discovered a love for fine thread doilies. 
2016 saw a shoulder injury force me to put down my crochet hook and take up the knitting needles again.  These days I’ll pick up the crochet hook to pattern test for friends but the inevitable pain it causes means I can’t do nearly as much as I would love to do.

I live in a small country town right beside the ocean, I have beautiful beaches just 5 minutes from home in one direction.  In the other direction I have great expanses of wheat fields and farms.  Small country towns are beautiful to live in but they don’t provide for a great crafting network.  Over the past 2 years I have developed amazing friendships within the online crafting community. This inspiring group of online friends, knitters, crocheters, designers and bloggers who encourage, teach and learn from each other are such an important part of my life.  It’s through these beautiful women that I find inspiration. It’s through them that I rediscovered what was an enjoyment of knitting that has now become a passion.

I’ve recently test knit for Canadutch, Tammy has become someone whom if she lived closer I’d consider a best friend.  She pushes, encourages and inspires me on an almost daily basis.  She gives me the confidence and gentle shove to try things I never imagined I could do because I perceived them to be difficult.

With that gentle, or not so gentle in some cases, encouragement I have just submitted my first commissioned knit design.  I can’t say more than that, but you can be sure that when the time comes there will be a lot of very excited posts on my social media pages in probable spam proportions.

It’s a great life when your days are filled with the people you love, time to indulge in your passions and surrounded by truly inspiring women.

Thanks for stopping by to read about me, I hope you’ll come back regularly to see what I’ve been up to.  I’d love for you to comment and be a part of The Calm Nook Crafts community.


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