Friday catch-up

This has been one of those weeks that started out with good intentions and lots of lists, then I accidentally blinked and it was Friday. I honestly have no idea what happened to the middle of the week, I suspect some sort of fault in the space-time continuum. Which might explain why I’ve made very little progress on any of my knits in progress.

On the plus side my eldest son got his A level results back and was thrilled to get onto his first choice Uni course. Huge sighs of relief all round and huge, grateful thanks to all his teachers - not to mention all of those up and down the land who put such amazing time and effort into nurturing our next generation of inspirational folk. And if your young person is awaiting GCSE results next week - you have my solidarity and sympathy.

I did manage to make progress on my Woolly Waffle hat - a reversible DK pattern from Stephen West. I picked two skeins of yarn from Cat & Sparrow - two fab shades that came home with me from the East Anglia Yarn show in the spring and were looking for the perfect project.

And the recent focus on Uni places has made me acutely aware of a certain crochet striped blanket in colours picked by my son, for his room. At present it would only reach a third of the way up the bed - if you stretched it hard - so this weekend I need to add some serious inches to it.

Oh yes, I had a birthday this week - that probably explains why the middle of the week vanished as I have been all out of my routine.

It’s not how old you are. It’s how you are old - Jules Renard

I came across this quote the other day and it really made me think. I’m 52 and I vividly remember my Nana’s 50th birthday party. She was a grandma at 40 and so I was almost a teenager - helping to serve Babycham and Campari and soda to her friends from a fancy glass drinks cabinet. No judging - it was the 80s after all.

But it made me think how very different my life is to hers. Not better, or worse but very different. When she was 50 I remember her making comments about ‘old bones’ and she very definitely thought of herself and defined herself as old - whatever that meant to her. Me - I still think I’m in my 20s and it comes as a shock to catch a glimpse of my mum in a shop window and then realise that it’s me. Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this.

Age has obviously been on my mind a lot, and so I wrote part two of Knitting and Ageism as a follow on piece to last week’s article. Do have a read and let me know what you think - I’d love to know.

Making me smile this week:

• This amazing Moon Moth sweater pattern. Definitely one to add to my fantasy knitting list.

• I’m doing some serious decluttering at the minute and I found this article really helpful.

• Getting son’s Uni place sorted means I can finally make plans for September - hooray - so I’ll be off to Unravel in Farnham with a bit of luck.

If the prospect of a bit of yarn squishing and chatting with yarny folk doesn’t make you smile then, quite frankly I don’t know what will. Speaking of which, I’d better crack on and knit some of the yarn I bought at the last show I went to.

Happy weekend.