It’s been a strange, strange year.

To start the year, not long after releasing “The Child” pattern, I had an accident with a kitchen knife that led to months of recovery as I couldn’t knit (or even brush my own hair for a time). I’d announce I was recovered now, except I broke the same finger in August… which is slowly healing…

And then we finished building the house… and moving in. But definitely not in that order 😂

This pandemic and lockdown hit us all in different ways. We rushed to move into the house… unfinished… before we went into lockdown for 5 weeks… which was followed by another 4 weeks before returning to my job as a high school teacher.

I teach Drama, theatre and performing arts technology. In a pandemic. Where we can’t perform to live audiences. The learning curve and changes of practise have been… steep. But not unsuccessful at least.

Somewhere in the middle, the husband had a mysterious tumour which… while fine atm, is still a worry in the distance and a struggle as I can’t sit in on most of his appointments. I take my hat off to hospital workers at this time… but it sure is hard as a patient or support person to get through our personal struggles with the new rules and regulations.

Anyway… I’m finally feeling human enough again to make things. This has been a deep dive into historical costuming (and I think I’ll end up mudlarking before too long 😂).

I got back on the bandwagon by knitting for my friends and family. 3 pairs of slippers… 3 hats… 2 jerseys… and a long list of repairs along the way. It’s strange to be knitting happily again. I have also hand sewn a medieval corset, made a cape, embroidered an apron, and make a floofy petticoat. Clearly I have watched a lot of Bernadette Banner!

I feel like I’ll be writing up teaching units and knitting patterns for release in the near future. I had a bit of a run of giving away knitting patterns during lockdown – though it was unadvertised- just sent free patterns to anyone who purchased one while I was stuck at home.

So watch this space for future endeavours of creativity 👍