I'm not doing too well at this blogging caper at the moment, am I? I do keep meaning to get down to it, but like the fibre crafts, I'm not being very successful!

So, a bit of a mixed bag coming up.

To the usual chaos, add a filthy cold! I was supposed to be joining the DSM on the visit to Cornwall, but had to cancel, partly for DMIL's benefit, partly mine. That was over two weeks ago and I am still not completely free of it' which seems very unfair. Still, it did mean that I could really buckle down to the Landscape shawl and get it finished. In the end, I only managed three stitch patterns with the amount of yarn that I had, but it looks ok and is a generous enough size. It is washed, but would be better for a light steam press which I suppose means that I should do the rest of the ironing, too, dammit.

So then I cast on the Spiral shawl with the gradient three-ply. Quite how I managed to make a fundamental error in such a straightforward pattern within twenty rows I really do not know. But I did - suddenly the repeats weren't working, the DSM had a look, and seemingly I had achieved ten repeats instead of the eight that the pattern called for. Oops. I got back on track last night and so far, so good, but until I start to see the colour changes and do enough to get on a circ instead of dpns, I won't be able to really know if I am going to like it or not. But I think I will, ok?

So, the great big thing........well, two little ones. Yes, crazy old cat people ride again. Two more snowshoe brothers were collected last weekend. I was really quite worried by how Barni would be, but in the event, he is actually being very good, with very little display of bad temper. Ferdi has taken to them immediately - I had rather thought that he might - and they are already quite friendly. They arrived with toys, including some catnip ones. We have shared these with Barni, but we have to ration his exposure or he goes too completely doolally. A little nip has helped to reconcile him to the interlopers, though.

They are of course, monsters. In one week they have learned to jump up on to the kitchen counters and one of them can get through the inner cat flap with ease. In all other respects they seem totally at home and as if they had lived with us all their lives, which I suppose is a compliment to us as well as their breeders. Just as soon as I can find my camera, I will put up some photos - the ones I have done with phone or iPad are not very good, the shutter delay is too long and the beasts move too dam' fast. Oh - Bruno and Madoc, by the way.

One very nice thing that has happened is that at last the UK copies of Ply magazine arrived, having been delayed in the Christmas posts. So at long last I got to see my Worstead article in print. Very nicely laid out, with some of the photos that I took, it looks very well. I feel very proud - Ply may be fairly new, but it hit the ground running when it came out and has since gone from strength to strength. Now I need to watch for another opportunity to pitch an article!

What I really need to be doing now is to get stuck in to putting words down on paper, so to speak, for our Summer School course. It is all in my head all right, but not all out there for all to read. I do know it will not take me long once I really get down to it, but that part really needs to be done before gathering the actual materials. There is a lot of really good buzz about this Summer School, I am looking forward to it, and I do enjoy the planning stage, too. Of course, I still have a fair few samples to do as well.....please can I have a bit more mojo and a few more hours in the day?


OK, the cancer bit.
So, we had something of an alarm and excursion a few weeks back when we heard from my sister that she had gone to A&E. The side effects of the chemo got rather worse and she had to have a transfusion of platelets. After having her next regular appointment with the oncologist her dosage was reduced, and the next round went so much better! And the other piece of good news is that her scan results came back, and her tumour has reduced - from what was said, not massively, but satisfactorily. The chemo this week is the last one, after which things should revert to something quite comfortable for a while, and we are all hoping that she and we and have some good times as the Spring comes on.

And I should have said - our snowdrops are out! one of my favourite landmarks in the wheel of the year.