Hello and welcome.
I’m Vanessa, a fifty-plus woman from North West England. I grew up in Liverpool, so I’ll always be a Northern girl at heart.
My greatest achievement in life is being Mum to five sons. Watching five brothers grow up together, sharing their endless banter, loyalty, and laughter, has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Motherhood has shaped who I am more than anything else.
For much of my thirty years of parenting, I was a single mum raising my family on a low income. Those years taught me resilience, creativity, gratitude, and how to find joy in the simple things. They also taught me that happiness isn’t found in having more; it’s found in appreciating what you already have.
I still live in my little rented council house, and I love it just as much today as I did when I first saw it. In many ways, it’s the house I used to draw as a child: square, with a door in the middle, four windows, and even a tree in the garden. The only things missing are the white picket fence and smoke curling from the chimney. The moment I saw it, I knew it was home.
I am a lifelong writer, creative soul, and passionate advocate for self-love and self-acceptance. As a child, I filled diaries with the musings of my busy mind. Later, I became editor of a vintage, burlesque, and tattoo magazine, wrote extensively about chronic illness and mental health, and contributed to a variety of online publications.
Professionally, I trained as a Registered General Nurse in the early 1990s and later qualified as a Complementary Therapist. Although chronic illness eventually changed the path my life would take, those experiences deepened my belief in caring for the whole person: mind, body, and soul.
These days, creativity plays a central role in my well-being. Crochet, especially traditional granny square crochet, became both a comfort and a form of meditation during difficult periods of illness. The rhythm of each stitch brought calm when life felt uncertain. What began as a hobby became a source of healing, purpose, and joy.
Through this blog, I share my love of crochet, slow living, creativity, self-care, and finding beauty in ordinary moments. I believe there is magic in handmade things, in colourful yarn, in quiet afternoons, and in learning to be gentle with ourselves.
I also believe that women become more valuable with age, not less. Every laugh line, every lesson learned, every challenge survived adds to the richness of who we are. I am proud to be a midlife woman. I’ve earned my stripes, and I wear them with gratitude.
When I’m not crocheting, writing, or drinking tea, you’ll usually find me spending time with my family, cuddling my dog, appreciating nature, or finding inspiration in life’s small everyday moments.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing a little part of my journey.
I hope you find something here that inspires you to slow down, embrace your creativity, and remember that you are worthy of warmth, kindness, and joy exactly as you are.
Wool Goddess 