I woke up this morning to an email from the National UK Blog Awards 2014 telling me that this blog has been shortlisted in the Arts & Crafts category! Whoo-hoo! What a way to start a Monday?!

I’m so extremely happy and grateful to each and every one of you who took the time to vote for my blog. Getting shortlisted can only happen if the public voted for you – no amount of smooching judges or even luck, can make it happen: you guys voted for crochet and made it happen! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So what’s next? The ten blogs in each category will by judged by industry experts from 4 to 24 February. In the Arts & Culture category those experts are Claire Barlow, Regional Manager at Arts & Business North West and Richard Moss, Editor at Culture24.

Below are the other nine blogs in my category. They cover really interesting topics ranging from urban culture, to unsung musical heroes to Victorian literature. I’ve already signed up to follow two of the blogs. (Before you ask, no it has nothing to do with “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, the blogs are just really interesting. Honest!)

The Secret Victorianist http://www.secretvictorianist.com
The Glamour Cave http://theglamourcave.blogspot.co.uk/
Sci-Fi Drama Queen http://www.scifidramaqueen.com
The Taylor Trash http://www.thetaylortrash.com
Simon’s 10 Q Interviews http://www.simonduringer.com/blog/
Interesting Literature: A Library of Literary Interestingnesshttp://interestingliterature.com/
Skyliner     http://www.theskyliner.org
The Music Manual http://laurenmusicmanual.blogspot.co.uk
Urban Kultur Blog http://www.urbankulturblog.com

Good luck to you all, fellow shortlisters. I know it’s corny and lame but I’m going to say it anyway: I think it’s a huge deal and great accomplishment just to be shortlisted. Well done everyone!