Confinement & Freedom Spirit

Arrggghhh! I am feeling crappy again, laid up with another chest infection (I have so little chest to infect..cheers bad bacteria!). However, it's all in hand..antibiotics,paracetamol,vitamin C,cough syrup and Vicks vapourub are all in the mix!!

Comforting things...the Mister bringing me soup, the dog curled at my feet and.....delivery of wool..lovely wool!

This pretty, pretty wool is Freedom Spirit by Twilleys of Stamford. I love the colours and being 100% wool its very soft. I bought it online from Edinburgh company MCA direct and thoroughly recommend them for speedy delivery and free p&p for orders over £10!! (easily done!). I knitted up a swatch of sorts to see how it looked and now hope to try my first attempt at a cable hat. watch this space!

Birthday & Paying It Forward

Since my last post I've had a birthday. A day for celebration perhaps or for the emo pessimists out there..a day closer to the grave!! Why is it birthdays give cause to reflect on the year gone by and the things you have not yet acheived? Or am I just one of those miserable sods whose glass is continually half empty? To avoid the birthday blues (yes, I get them almost annually..I know there is no need for them and its sheer self indulgence and self pity!!) I told myself in a calm and authoritive manner than I am "not a year older, but simply a day older than the day before". It had some effect.

In the past year I have become a volunteer Play Assistant on my local Children's Ward which gives me great joy and some sense of worth. I have watched with pride as my Other Half did a charity abseil off the Forth Rail Bridge. I am getting on much better with my Mother, who I love. I have become an Auntie. I have travelled to Paris with my beloved and had lunch up the Eiffel Tower with him and some friendly pigeons. I have become a member of Ravelry which has opened many doors to me in the knitting world including penpals who send me the most wonderful letters and gifts. I now attend Loving Hands meetings and have been knitting like a demon for various charities. I began keeping not 1 but 2 blogs which assist my motivation (or were meant to!!)

Birthdays aside, but presents still forthcoming..yesterday I got a fab package in the mail from Sarah after she posted Pay It Forward. A cute little hat in the most fabulous Manos Del Uraguay wool. See pic above for super hat/silly face. So, now its my turn. It’s based on the concept made famous in the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness pass it on. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet (I am going to try and knit them ) but it will be sent within 6 months and that’s a promise! What you should do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. Any takers?

SUN!!

Today I have been enjoying the sunshine here in Fife, with highs of 16 degrees. Unfortunately due to a sore knee I didn't get further than my back garden but it was very pleasant all the same. Our second consecutive day of sun gave the optimisic vibe that summer is indeed round the corner. Things are at last starting to get leafy or bloom in the garden. I even took a quick snap of my pots anenomes and starflowers.

I had intended to sit out and leisurely write some letters but my knitting caught my eye and 'that' as they say, 'was that'. I am trying to complete at least 10 baby hats for 'Save the Children' charity appeal after seeing it on the Paul O'Grady Show last week. Apparently, 1 in 10 newborns in Tibet die of hypothermia and something as simple as a little knitted hat could save a life. I'm on hat number 7 and intend to take them along to my first 'Loving Hands Charity Knitting Group' meeting next Monday. The ladies there have vowed to send a package of 200 of these hats as well as all the other charity knit challenges they set themselves.

I'm making very slow progress with my 2008 vow to knit something for myself. Having chosen the Angelique pattern from 'Lets Knit' magazine (I've posted a pic so you can at least see my intentions!!), I have the wool and required needles in so all ready to get started on my summer cardi. Once the baby hats are done I will crack on..not looking forward to the 400 sts cast on though!

Just incase you think I've jinxed the prospect of more sunshine by mentioning it I've just checked BBC weather. They predict rain for the rest of the week...typical!!