crafts & knitting

Easing into the new year

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)

Thanks so much for all of your kind wishes for the New year. I hope that 2019 has been good to you so far and that you’re doing better with any resolutions or plans for the year ahead than I am!

We did have a lovely Christmas with Amy back here. Every time I opened the bathroom cabinet I smiled at the sight of 4 toothbrushes inside rather than 3 and it was nice to have her company curled up on the sofa in the evening and to see her so animated as she talked of her adventures so far. Toby was definitely pleased to see her too, he got very excited and playful when she arrived back and they had lots of lovely tickles and cuddles over the two weeks. She’d lost a bit of weight and arrived here with a stinking cold so I made sure to feed her up in the hope that it will help her immune system function a bit better throughout the next term. And she was so pleased with the new bedroom. It’s not easy to know how someone will react to having their old, familiar comfy space obliterated and I wish I’d taken a picture of her face because it was an image of utterly delighted surprise, which is just what we were hoping for. After 2 weeks she was itching to get back to uni though, which I’m pleased about because it shows how well she has settled in and is enjoying being there, so I dropped her back last Monday and we spent the afternoon looking at some properties so that she can start planning where she’s going to live for her second year. It’s a much more complicated process these days and the contracts are 20 or more pages of legalese, so it has taken most of last week to read through and make a list of questions, which the Uni housing team have been really helpful in answering.

Anyway, after a delayed start I’m hoping to get back to knitting activities this week. I did treat myself to a long lie in yesterday – tea and toast and sock knitting in bed on a Sunday morning is, in my opinion, as good as a holiday and so I’m feeling refreshed and ready to get to work on pattern writing again. I have lots of ideas rattling around my head, so it will be good to get some of them down on paper and free up a bit of brain space. I’m very much looking forward to being able to share them with you.

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The socks pictured are being knitted from Helen Stewart’s Fragment pattern, published in issue 4 of Laine magazine, with Madeline Tosh Twist light yarn in ‘well water’.

 

26 thoughts on “Easing into the new year”

  1. Happy New Year Julie! Beautiful knitting as always. It’s lovely to welcome our grown up children home and makes the time we spend with them even more precious. Hearing that you have lots of new ideas makes my heart leap with joy 🙂 and I’ll be keeping an eye out in anticipation of these! Wishing you and your family a peaceful and prosperous year. xx

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  3. Happy New Year Julie. Lovely blue color (my favorite) for your socks. Do you use a magic loop type method on the circular needles? Do you have any posts specifically on sock construction? Thanks. Just trying to get better at making socks.

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  6. Hurrah for happy children! Always a good start to the year.
    I do love that blanket with a passion. If you ever decide to write a pattern for it….I’ll be clicking “buy” in a flash! It’s sheer perfection.

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  7. It sounds as though Amy had a lovely visit home, and I’m so glad she loved her room. You made a beautiful job of it. Tea, toast and knitting on a Sunday morning sounds blissful. CJ xx

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  14. It really is Vivienne – I have been a bit too anxious about the whole thing but have felt more relaxed now I can see she’s happy and settled 🙂
    thanks so much for visiting with me, I always appreciate that you take the time to leave such kind messages xxx

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  19. I’m so glad that Amy loved her room. Sounds like she and Toby were happy to see each other and I’m sure she was happy to be home with all of you. We raise our children to be independent but it’s oh so hard for me to have them leave too soon. I miss my grown girls every day. I’m so happy you had a lovely holiday and look forward to seeing what comes off your Needles next.
    Fondly,
    Bonnie

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  20. Julie I know what you mean about second year accommodation contracts – I even had to be a guarantor for my daughter as she came back after her first term over Christmas wielding contracts – wasn’t like that in my day! Love the WIP by the way, am very tempted by it! Just need to keep focused and get the chunky jumper finished to send to eldest back at uni!! Ali

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  22. Hi Bonnie and thanks so much for your kind words, I knew you’d understand seeing as you’ve fledged your own lovely girls. No matter how well we prepare ourselves for what we know will happen we can never really know how it’s going to feel until we’re living it – I’m still adjusting 🙂 Knitting, as always helps too! J xxxx

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  25. It is so wonderful when they come home from college, the hard part is after they leave and their room isn’t full of messes. I miss those messes so much. I have been working away at my knitting skills because I am bound and determined to make your bunny pattern! I have been dreaming of them for so long. I seriously cannot think of a more perfect pattern than yours! Love your blog and that we share having a child with special needs as well!

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