The past week..

has looked a bit like this ...

Knitting, crochet, snuggles with Flo, fresh air at our local Parkrun, good friends, festive treats and lots of time for reflection. xxx

Wrapped in love

I was on the receiving end of yet more kindness this week. Unbeknown to me, some of my dear friends on Ravelry decided to make me a special blanket to show me just how much I was in their thoughts following Mr JK's death. Almost 50 wonderful people, mostly from the USA, but also from Canada, Australia, the UK and Europe, secretly knitted away on a variety of blocks in all my favourite colours, posting them to Hattie, who did an amazing job finishing the blanket off and putting it all together. Each block was knitted with love and good thoughts, sending me a knitted hug from each and every one of them. There were lots of tears as I unwrapped the blankets - yes, blankets, because they knitted Flo her very own one too! (Although she thinks the big one is hers too, naturally!) The blankets are absolutely beautiful and I will treasure them for ever. Whenever I'm feeling sad, I can wrap myself up in these wonderful glowing jewels and feel loved. Thank you to each and every one of you who took time to join in with this wonderful woolly hug. I have no more words so will leave you with photos, lots and lots of photos. xxx

Kindness

Since Mr JK died, I have been on the receiving end of so much kindness from people - not just my closest friends who have been brilliant, but also friends and acquaintances from Blogland, Ravelry and Instagram. My postie has been kept busy again this week with several packages arriving from both home and across the Pond - all from people I've never even met. Yarny folk are, it would appear, a lovely bunch who just want to give a virtual 'hug' in some way or other. I've received yarn, books, chocolate, candles and lots of other treats from people just wanting to brighten my day a little. And not just mine either - Flo has been in the forefront of people's minds too, and she has lots of new toys and treats which will see her well into 2017. I have been so touched by all these gifts and cards, I cannot tell you. Thank you so much for your kindness. 

I had a 'first' this week - my first birthday without Mr JK. Although I felt sad, I did manage to have a nice day, thanks in part to my dear friend Snoopydog. I visited for tea and cake in the afternoon and was spoilt with lots of lovely gifts. I took along my mini balls of Opal sock yarn from the Advent calendar so Snoops and I could compare. So far, we only have about 4 balls the same, but I bet we end up with the same set by Christmas Eve! 

I've decided to make two granny squares to make a cushion and then knit semi-matching socks, using half the ball on each sock. It might mean at times that I don't get through a whole colour repeat on one sock. I'll see how these work out and then perhaps try an alternative approach for the next pair. I'm also picking which ball I want to knit next, which is probably breaking some unwritten rule of Opal Advent calendar sock knitting! 

I'm three balls in so far, and I think sunglasses will be compulsory for future knitting, don't you?! The colours are a bit off because I took the photo this evening in the kitchen. But they are BRIGHT!! Time for me to go and pick my next ball to knit and give Flo some lap time. She keeps coming in and almost drumming her paw impatiently! xxx

Sitting comfortably - Stylecraft Advent Giveaway 2016

Today's my turn to donate a prize for the Stylecraft Advent Giveaway. Lots of the Stylecraft Blogstars are taking part. As my patterns are all available for free on Ravelry, I decided to do something a bit different. If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that I've started sewing and particularly enjoy free motion stitching. So I pulled out my stash of fabrics (yes, I have a fabric stash now as well as a yarn and fibre stash!) and started to play. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon and before long, I'd assembled the fronts for two cushions. One has a knitting theme and the other is for crochet lovers. It was my first time stitching a granny square and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Take a look for yourself ...

A few close ups to see more detail ...

And finally a few more sofa shots ...

I have kept Flo well away from them, much to her annoyance as she thinks that any cushion is fair game for her! To be in with a chance to win one of these, you'll need to check out the details on the Stylecraft Facebook page or Instagram page to see when the giveaway goes live later today. Good luck! xxx