Sorry not to have posted sooner. Poor old Toby is unwell yet again and has been off school since last thursday. He's just been lying in my bed and wants me to sit with him every waking moment – which is actually rather lovely as I get to look after my boy and have the perfect excuse for doing nothing but knitting and reading. H has been doing all the cooking and housework and keeping Amy occupied – I'm very lucky as he's great at stepping in at times like this and is my perfect team-mate in the parenting game!

Anyway, I wanted to show off the beautiful gifts that were hidden inside those lovely delicate packages in my 7 days of specialness swap.

Chloe Patricia was so thoughtful and chose such lovely items: a beautiful Japanese handkerchief, delicate note-lets and postcards, 3 little packets of aburatorigami (I had to look that up – they're incredibly efficient, tissue thin sheets of paper for gently absorbing oils from your skin. I've never come across them before but they were invented in Kyoto over a thousand years ago and they work brilliantly) and lastly I was thrilled to find four of Chloe Patricia's exquisite handmade silk thimble pincushions.

Each one has a different complex and beautiful design and when you hold these in your hand you are staggered by the perfection of the intricate and tiny stitches. I love all of my gifts, especially as they represent a culture very diverse from my own and I will treasure them, thanks so very much Chloe Patricia.

I don't always have the time to take part in as many swaps as I'd like but when I do take the plunge I'm always thrilled that I did. Back in December Ali came up with the wonderful idea of a '7 days of specialness swap' to take place in February. The idea being that we'd be paired with a partner, make or buy 7 small items for them and that they should be opened over the course of 7 days. I'm especially excited about this swap as my specialness partner is Chloe Patricia of Ma Mercerie all the way across the world in Japan. Chloe Patricia is known for her beautifully intricate traditional japanese silk thimbles and her attention to detail is clear in the wonderful little packages that she's sent me, each one encased in a beautiful, delicate handmade paper envelope.

I can't wait to open each one and will post again with pictures of the gifts inside.

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!