What strange times we are living in...

 ... it looks like we are going into Tier 2 again, so no more meeting with anyone indoors. I can't say that at this point it makes much difference since with the Rule of 6 it was virtually impossible for us to meet anyone anyway - we are, after all, already 5 in the house, so meeting up with another family was impossible.

We are coping, but it's been a sad kind of a year, really. I feel for the kids too. The teenager in particular is struggling since all this has come just at the time when he was starting to spread his wings a bit. After 4 years of CFS he's finally back at school and making friends, and you can see there is so much he'd like to do, when right now so little is possible. 

But enough moaning, I do realise we are lucky, really. We have each other, we are healthy, and we even have a big enough place that we don't feel too crowded and, most importantly, an outside space. I really felt for people living in flats when we were in proper lockdown, that must have been so difficult. I've lived in plenty of flats over the years, and being able to get out is so important. 

I've been crafting. Nothing too sustained, since live has only become more busy since Covid, and even though I'm supposed to be part-time I've found myself almost working full-time in recent months, but as ever the crafting has kept me sane and happy. I've not had a chance to photograph a lot of the things I've done in recent months, but in no particular order here are a few:

A circular needle holder - I was getting sick of having to dig through a big bag of tangled up needles. Just have to label them so I know what's in each.

The obligatory face masks. These are made with vintage Amy butler fabric, mainly. I was glad to find a use for all those little bits of fabric.

The Throwback Cardigan. I'm so in love with this. I opted for cheaper yarn, as I really can't justify spending something like £150 on yarn for a single garment (no matter how gorgeous the proposed yarn might be). I opted for slightly cheaper yarns, but still quality, and the main colour is a Rowan yarn so this is such a pleasure to wear. I just have to figure out some sort of button arrangement so I can close the cardi. The original pattern seems to just leave it open but I'd like the option to button it up.

Audrey in Unst. Again, this is been a real success. It came out too large so I've been ruthless and have sewn and cut it on both sides. Initially it came out a bit wonky but I've fixed it and it's now neat and absolutely lovely. I'm getting a lot of wear out of this one. 

I'm currently working on Engi. The last couple of years seem to have been mainly about colourwork and Icelandic-inspired knitting for me. I love colourwork, it's such a joy to see a pattern emerge while you are slowly working on it.