Well maybe 'here' was a bit of an exaggeration

But still alive and doing OK.  Life's jogging along at its own pace!

I'm knitting again though!  About three quarters done on my rogue which you can find on <a href="http://www.girlfromauntie.com">the girl from auntie's website</a>.  Having lots of fun with it and will be back to post pics when I finish it.

Love to you all, I feel you thinking about me and sending me good wishes so thanks very much.

xxxx

I'm still here

 Still alive and all OK.

Sorry for being absent for so long.

Life's been a bit of a rollercoaster for the last few months but the children and I are finally settling into a routine without Mark living with us.  He's still visiting them every day so they're not missing him too much.  And they are all doing great, growing into beautiful little people.

I'm feeling good about myself.  Have reached my pre-baby weight at last.  Amazing what stress can do!  Have started training as a Bowen Therapist and am loving it!

Love to you all.

x

Tagged by Joyce http://joycevance.typepad.com/

#1 Is it about the finished item or about the process of knitting?  Some of both?  Has your focus changed one direction or the other over time?

Definitely some of both.  I still only make useful objects so it's definitely about the finished object, however I do adore the process of knitting and my focus is definitely beginning to evolve.  I'm even contemplating taking on more adult sized projects lol.

#2 How do you view mistakes?  Do you think they give your project character?  Is it important to have one, as my Aunt says, because only God is perfect?  Or would you rip all the way back to row 5 of your husband's finished sweater knit on size 3 needles to eradicate a mistake no one else would notice?

If it's a mistake on an item for sale or gifting to another then I'll go back and correct it.  If it's for me or my children then I'll decide based on how much I think the mistake will bug me.  I also try to correct mistakes by dropping back individual stitches rather than ripping back rows and rows as often as possible lol.

#3 Would you rather knit a project that is comfortable for your skill level, or do you prefer a challenge that requires you to figure out new things?

Depends on where I'm going to be knitting - if I'm watching the kids or travelling then I want stuff I can do with my eyes closed.  If I have time to concentrate then I want to be pushing the boundaries, learning new things and challenging myself.

#4 What is something you really want to make but haven't yet?  What holds you back?  Is it money, skill level, time, fear of the unknown or something else?

I am on the verge of starting a lace shawl for my mother.  I tried to swatch for it the other day on holiday with the kids but after making mistakes in the third row of the swatch I decided I needed not to have the kids on my own while I do it lol.  I also have yarn here to make at least a cardigan and a sweater for myself, I'm just not brave enough to start them yet.

Millie has slept through the night for the last three nights in a row!!!  That might be it now, I've always followed the principle of three nights to change any sleeping pattern so keep your fingers crossed for me.  That will help me a lot on the road to weaning her since she only nurses at night anyway!  Willow only woke up once the night before last but last night she had a temperature and woke up hourly just like she had been for the 4 nights before .  Hopefully she'll be better soon and might start sleeping through - I'd get my first full night's sleep for 3 years if that happens!!!

I pulled Millie out of preschool today.  She's been going since Christmas and at first she was happy to go but then the woman who owned it, who I've known since I was a kid because her son was at school with my brother, left.  She was a fantastic woman with a really touchy feely, loving approach to preschool - education was secondary to play and learning to cooperate with other children in a caring way.  She bought a sling from me to carry her grandson in and advocated cloth nappies too.  Basically she was exactly the kind of person I wanted to take care of my kids if I wasn't and her staff were the same.  However, the woman who took over from her is almost the exact opposite.  She's come in there with reading targets and organisation plans and all this trying to impress people with how well educated their kids will be!  What a load of bollocks, they start school here at 4 anyway so from 2.5 to school should be all about play unless the child expressly asks to learn to read.  My favourite member of staff there left not long after and the other original staff are extremely unhappy.  She's increased the number of children so that the staff to child ratios are rubbish too. 

So every time Millie's been supposed to go for the last few weeks she's cried all morning and said she doesn't want to go (she only does two mornings a week).  Tommy went through phases of not wanting to go in the morning but whenever he was there he'd settle down and enjoy himself so I thought this might be the same thing.  But she hasn't settled down.  They had to peel her off me screaming this morning and by 10 o'clock they had called me to come to her.  I went and picked her up and said she's not going anymore.  Helen said she thought maybe she's too young.  I said no I don't think so, she's nearly three and fine to be away from me for 6 hours a week.  So I told her straight that I believe it's the change in atmosphere and ethos which has upset her and I won't be bringing her back and will be looking for somewhere else to send her.  So now I've got Millie at home full time until September, which will be tough but much better than sending her somewhere where I wasn't sure she was happy.

I lost another two pounds this week too.  I haven't posted about my weight loss for a while because it didn't exist lol.  I got to within 0.5lb of my target weight, but since christmas I've been yo-yoing up and down and at worst got to 10lb away from target again .  But now I'm back to 5lb away and still losing again - yay. 

Women can change the world