Oof

Indeed. Where has the last month and a bit gone?

Oh, but first, fair warning, practically zero fibre content in this. It has been like that. I have knitted, often in a state perilously close to slumber (and therefore immediately frogged) and that it about it.

What has happened? My sister moved out of her old house and then in to ours temporarily. We took her for her third chemo. Huge fun. Because of some adverse reactions she is infused at half speed, and as they are often very late starting, it isn't finished until early evening. Then she moved in to her own house in HB at long, long last. Then it was Christmas - everybody to us, which was lovely. Then it was the next chemo, an even slower and longer day. We are all in recovery from that at the moment.

It has been almost impossible to think much at all about fibre, spinning and whatever. But slowly, it has begun to happen, a bit like the shoots of the first snowdrops. First of all, a few things previously scheduled decided to rearrange themselves. A non-fibre trip to Cambridge, off again - on again. A workshop cancelled at a month's notice, about which I probably should have been cross, but am not as they couldn't help not getting the numbers and it gives me some extra unexpected time.

And Woolfest. We have with great sadness decided to withdraw our application this year. Too much family stuff around, with part of it centred pretty much directly on the fortnight in which we would have been in Cumbria. We could have left it awhile to see how things went, but if we had cancelled down the line it seemed to us not to be fair to others, like the show, the people we rent accommodation from and so on. If things work out ok, we will try our damndest to get up there for the two days of Woolfest itself. After all, I shall need to replenish my stash!

I did spend some time over the holidays having a very good look at the Knitsonik book on inspirations and techniques for working out colour schemes for stranded knitting. It is fabulous and indeed inspirational, so much so that I have brought it down to the studio together with a coffee table book of David Hockney paintings and a book on Fairisle patterns to get working on some samples. I lighted on Hockney because I love his use of colour, and the Yorkshire woodland series of paintings in particular. Anyway, if I can get you-know-who to ever stop wittering when we are here, I hope to start on that very soon.

And yes, we are in the studio today for the first time since the beginning of December. I knew I had to do it soon, or I would lose the habit, and not really start doing anything very much at home either. First few visits will be a case of Keep It Simple Stupid, no high-flown ideas of anything grand, it is getting back into the groove that matters. Hence this blog post as first on the list (nearly time to tick!) And I have a huge bobbinful of gradient yarn that I finished spinning ages ago on my Hansen, and could not face winding off on a niddy noddy. So it is down here to be done on the skein winder, much easier. Then I shall just spin - such simple words, but they do sound good.

In a couple of weeks time, we are going down to Cornwall to see DMIL for a couple of days, then when we get back, there will be an announcement, and finally some photos, I promise. I am not making resolutions, intentions or whatever exactly this year. Principally just one foot in front of the other, but maybe also to do what I am doing that little bit more mindfully. (Sorry about the buzz word du jour, but it works.)

Onward, eh?