Needlework What Next

In normal times Friday morning would find me at Learning Disabilities North East’s Knit & Natter group for older ladies. 

One of our ladies knits lots of squares: it helps her cope with anxiety.

Another lady, Tina, enjoys dressing dolls and has noticed that I dress dolls too.

Tina is actually a very good knitter but we volunteers have to write the patterns out for her line by line, or row on row.  This can be quite challenging because she doesn’t buy the simplest patterns;  I’ve seen my fellow volunteer, a retired book keeper, retreat to another more silent room so she could concentrate.

Due to circumstances far beyond my control I haven’t been to Knit & Natter since the start of February.

The day before lockdown I managed to get into LDNE’s building and picked up the bin bag full of knitted squares intending to make things out of them.

Since lockdown started LDNE’s staff have organised Zoom meetings on Wednesdays that anyone who uses their service can join.

Ferretfingers joins in at the start, appears pleased to see some different but familiar faces, says hello to his friend and after a while wanders off for lunch and I take his place to see if any of our ladies are there.  I like saying hello to the staff too.

Yesterday Tina took part in the Zoom meeting and said she wanted to speak to me:

I told her what I’d been doing with the knitted squares.

So far I've made 3 cot blankets (12 squares each), and a single blanket (36 squares).  

There are 22 orange creme coloured squares left, an odd colour for baby stuff so I'll probably start another single and finish it when this present unpleasantness is over.  

There are also a couple of dozen white squares.  

I wondered aloud whether I should make another cot blanket or bunnies or snowmen. 

It seems a bit much to be making Xmas decorations in May.

But as the ActingCEO commented “It might be Christmas before we’re all out of this.”

“I’ve got lots of dollies for you to dress” said Tina

It never ceases to amaze me how many people can find things for me to do.

It’s not as if I can’t find enough for myself.

As well as the squares, I’m part way through a twiddle muff.  

I currently have 2 dollies to dress: one of them is a Princess Moana and I’m trying to work out what might be appropriate or otherwise. 

I want to make myself a cardigan and/or pullover. 

I’ve a yen and the yarn to make another dog-coat. 

There’s a tablecloth partly embroidered by my late mother-in-law-that-would-have-been-if-she’d-lived-to-see-it that I’d like to complete.

Then there's that pile of stuff on top of the sewing machine cabinet to repair, upcyle or make.

Meanwhile there's the garden and indoor tomatoes to water most days and the every day domestic godess stuff to neglect.

And books to read in the sunshine ...

If the devil finds work for idle hands he’s onto a loser with me.