Keeping it in the Family

There's much more knitting going on in my family these days and I hope I've played a part in inspiring this. I'm certainly always knitting whenever I see them - it's important to set a good example you know. I don't tend to talk that much about knitting until some sustained interest is shown as I find it best to hide the true strength of my obsession from the uninitiated! At work this week though I came over all Pollyanna-ish and was extolling the virtues of knitting as the perfect winter hobby to a colleague with the January blues. Well it is isn't it? Something that makes staying in fun and creative (not that I'm averse to knitting in the summer either!) Look at one of my Christmas pressies from my auntie and you can see what a skilled lady with the needles she is and how handy knitted items can be for keeping you cosy whilst you stay in and get creative. I've been meaning to make a hot water bottle cover for so long now and this has been so well used in the last weeks.

My cousin (her daughter) moved to Oxford late last year and is becoming quite the dedicated knitter; Sunday evenings often find us side by side on my sofa clicking away. I do my best to help out and at least I normally know where to look to find the answers. The cats just like to make sure we don't feel lonely.

Tonight the Mr and I will be heading back down to Cornwall to see my parents. My Mum has had to spend a lot more time sitting down, restricted by a bad foot, this winter and what more perfect occupation for her time could there be than knitting?

Over the Christmas holiday she got going on her first socks and I hear that this one is finished already. She's made various other things including this oh- so- pretty -I- must- make- it- myself Jyri scarf from my NGV1 ( that must count towards the knitting more from my books resolution I think) and she finished off the scary monster gloves I made one of for use around the garden. Suited me as the only use I ever found for the single giant glove was to make my cousin feel better when her first project, some mitts, turned out somewhat on the small side. There's nothing like a another failed project to lend a little support is there now?

These are now officially known in the family as the Wallace and Gromit gloves.