I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad to see the end of dreary old January! February always seems to usher in brighter days – today being one of them, with the first blue sky we've seen in weeks. The promise of the first spring flowers, the planning of the veg garden for this year and a little bunny cosy knitting in preparation for Easter are all making me happy at the moment!

 

True, I have stalled a little on the shalom cardi (those big chunky needles are really making my thumbs ache); I'm still way behind in catching up with emails; Toby still isn't sleeping through the night (although he is much better – thanks so much for all of your good wishes) and the housework has been neglected lately but who cares? The sun is shining and spring is around the corner!

Toby has been quite poorly over the last week and a half. He's gone for days without eating and has not been sleeping much but it's been hard to know what is wrong – no temperature, no sickness – just lethargy, paleness etc. Of course he can't tell me how he feels but it's been clear he's not the little chap we are accustomed too. Still he seems to be on the mend now – he's now eating a little and hopefully the sleep will follow soon!

Anyway, this coupled with the murky, dull weather that has followed the snow melt has left me feeling a little blue and so to cheer myself up I'm making myself a cardi.

It's been over a decade since I knitted anything for myself other than scarves or mittens and I'm quite excited at the thought of wearing it. The pattern is Shalom – a generous freebie from Meghan McFarlane and is a quick and simple knit made with nice chunky needles and knitted from the top down. I'm also pleased as I was able to use up some of my attic stash – a bag of Annabel Fox Chunky Donegal, vintage 1993!