Colours

I'm in love with lime green at the moment, and moss green too. Along with my old favourite purple, of course. I own a lime green and turquoise glass window hanging (it's on my front door) and the combination of colours makes me happy. I love clashing colours. Bellydancing and costuming for the stage turned me onto how to use them to best advantage!

Knitting projects

I have so many knitting projects on the go, I can't list them all here just now (I still need to get to bed!) but will put up photos later...

Christianity

I am a Christian. I was born again in October 2003. Praise the Lord for my salvation! I'm praying on a way to combine my love of knitting, art and my faith. My biggest desire at the moment is to fulfill my God-given potential. Perhaps I will start a Christian blog and eventually link to it here.
Here's my favourite Christian link to Ray Comfort's site here.

Freeform

Freeform knitting and crochet is my latest interest. I'm hoping we'll get together at Rag Tag n Textile to work on it. I just don't have time to develop it on my own. Life is so full, mainly with work at RTT! We've got a copy of Prudence Mapstone's book after realising that she was here in the UK and doing workshops in Leeds. It was just a bit too far for this recovering ME person to travel for only a weekend, so we got the book instead. I can't wait to get started on it...

Late nights

are my downfall. Here I am up far too late when I intended - and wanted - to go to bed early. I blame Secret Pal 12 for keeping me up!

Dogs - and cats

I want a dog. It's really the last of my big dreams yet to be fulfilled - apart from the artist one, of course! I'm planning to take some time off work in June or July (or it might have to be August!) to travel through to Inverness to the dog rehoming centre there and chose a dog, or perhaps two. I worry a lot about leaving a dog/s at home on their own during the working day - though I'll come back at lunchtime to walk them - and feel that having two might help them keep each other company. I'm going to take advice on this...
The last of my four cats - and the first, being the mother of the other 3 - died in April. She, Bridie, was on medication for hypertension which the vet said would have helped cause problems with her kidneys, which is what appeared to be the cause of her final illness. She had a stroke last July and wasn't expected to survive. I researched on the internet and found lots of mentions of cat who'd survived strokes. I gave her two weeks to see if she improved and her progress was so marked, I gave her longer, and then longer... and then longer...! In the end she was disabled - problems with her back legs, a bit deaf and not able to see properly - but it never felt right to have her put down. She was back to her normal, stubborn self soon enough and seemed to be perfectly contented just sleeping, eating and... well, using the litter tray! I knew it was only a matter of time before she gave up the ghost but I don't think I really expected her to live another 9 months. Without her hypertension, she would likely have lived even longer. I don't have any recent photos of her but will post some of her last July. She was just a couple of weeks short of her 16th birthday when she died.
16 years...! What a long time to be responsible for an animal. And I want to start again with a dog?!

Rag Tag n Textile

I work at Rag Tag n Textile, a social firm supporting and training people recovering from mental illness in stitching skills, using recycled and discarded textiles and yarn. I started doing the admin on a casual basis a year ago, before we got the funding we've now secured. In January I started as part-time administrator as a "proper" employee. I still volunteer one day a week and am also currently working on a sessional basis as a trainer. Life is very busy!

Knitting

Knitting has begun to take over my life - thinking, spare time, spending. I've renewed my passion for it and have joined Ravelry, the social networking(!) site for knitters - yes, there is a social networking site for knitters. My Ravelry name is knittinggran - no guesses there!
I've joined several online groups and taken part in a KAL (knitalong) knitting an Orkney shawl by Liz Lovick, though it's far from finished.
Sock Wars III was fun, if a bit fraught with problems, and has given me a taste for international knit swapping! My target was/is in Colorado and my assassin was in Florida! So I sent a pair of socks to Colorado (above top) and received a pair from Florida (above bottom).

Onto post 4!

Secret Pal 12

Well, after the fun of Sock Wars III, I really want to take part in Secret Pal 12 and I need 10 posts on my blog so I'm getting started now!!
I can't believe it's a full year since I started this blog. A sizeable artist's block indeed.