Life likes throwing curved balls doesn’t it? The academic year started off reasonable calmly, but since October it feels a bit like we’ve been hurtling along somewhat out of control, whilst hanging on for dear life. All three kids have encountered various hurdles, I tried to take on all the training needed for a career change, and then a family bereavement on the day that the kids broke up from school for Christmas meant that none of our festive plans really went where we expected them to. For the kids sake we went along to the festive light displays and the panto, but it was very much a case of going through the motions rather than enjoying it.
In the start of 2024 things again felt on hold until there had been a funeral, but even on the first day back at school for the term a totally different curved ball came in, and it’s only today about six weeks later that that has finally been resolved (waiting and patience are not my strong points at all!) and finally I feel like I can breathe again and make plans going forwards.
What has kept me as calm as possible though has been picking up my knitting needles again, and also losing myself in books.
I made a pact not to buy any more craft supplies or books in 2024 until my birthday in July. So far I’ve only managed to keep half of that! What I am successfully doing though is finally working my way through some of my craft stash. One thing that I realised I had a stupid quantity of was sock yarn. So, my 2024 sock challenge was born. A sock a month. That way by the end of the year I should have 6 pairs of socks to wear.
Nearly two months I’m I’m delighted that this is a challenge that I’m actually ahead on. The first pair of socks were completed in early February and are already keeping my feet toasty and warm. The yarn is something I picked up cheaply in Lidl last year, and the pattern is one from John Arbon Textiles that came with some alpaca sock yarn that I mush have bought about 8 or more years ago. I finished the alpaca socks in 2023 and discovered that the pattern gave socks that fit perfectly, and in particular gave enough length to work really well with the DMs that I wear 99% of the time when out of the house. The piece of paper with it on is now getting a bit tatty and so I really do need to type it all out again with the couple of small modifications that I made after the first pair.
For now though sock number 3 is on my needles and I’m just working the short row heel and hoping I didn’t make a mistake when trying to do so whilst also listening to a British Sign Language demonstration at WI last night. Anxious about making sure we woke at 4.30 the morning for B to head off for a long work trip I needed something to calm my hands until we started signing ourselves, I just hope I’m not having to unpick it when I pick it up again this evening!
The book reading is a little behind where I wanted it to be by now, but I’m hopeful I can pull that challenge back into shape over the next couple of months. I’m also hoping I can make the time to write about what I’ve been reading over on Penny Reads too. So far I’ve only managed to document one book since Christmas, but there is so much more I want to say for some of the others that have been transporting me to different places this year.
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