A Comfort Blanket

by

Dear friends, thank you so much for all your kind words.
Dexy Day came and went without too much trauma this week, but we still have the crash to come tonight and tomorrow.
One day at a time.

Meantime… I have been thinking about what I value.

My resolution to “do things for keeps” this year hasn’t come to much so far. I have been hesitant to start a long-term project, preferring to fritter my time away on quick projects, for instant gratification. But I know in my heart of hearts that these sugary treats will not have long-lasting value. I really really want some sense of creating permanence. Home-comforts, if you like.

Until Wednesday evening, we hadn’t had hot water coming out of our taps since early December.
We haven’t had proper seasoned logs for weeks.

The cold has been a physical ache in my bones. I cannot imagine what FL is feeling like, but he will never admit it, since the organisation of utilities (water, fuel and the tradesmen who provide them) is a task he guards jealously.

Having hot water again feels like the height of luxury, but I can’t actually stand with my hands under the tap until the boiler runs dry in the evening.  So now is as good a time as any to start work on a blanket or a quilt. If only so that I can cuddle up underneath it with my book after FL has gone to bed with his hot water bottle!

How much better to spend my crafting time on something that will make a real difference to my quality of life, instead of a flimsy frippery of a garment that I cannot imagine having the courage to wear in this climate?


There were some pictures on Stephen West’s blog recently which caught my imagination. There he was, the rock-star knitter, huddled under a pile of rugged blankets. Not a crocheted ripple in sight! No flowers or granny squares. And I realised that the femininity of so many blankets has been inhibiting me. I want to make something more… utilitarian. Rustic. Tweedy.



Picture copied from Stephen West’s Ravelry pages
And I remembered my Japanese knitting book and the wonderful combinations of fair-isle and cables and textures in the garments, not unlike Mr West’s latest designs. And I realised that I have the answer right there in front of me: make a multicoloured blanket that celebrates my favourite sorts of knitting.
Stop struggling with incy-wincy barn-raising squares made of sock yarn. Don’t even think about footering about with cotton and a crochet hook. Instead, I hatched a plan to gather together a great big heap of woolly sheepiness and make myself a blanket to enjoy for years to come.
So you can imagine my JOY when Stephen West released sneak peaks of a pattern from the Westy’s Besties knitalong, going live next Friday – a tartan blanket!  The Kex Blanket

That’s me sorted for the next few knitting weeks / months / hopefully not years!

P.S.  If anyone has any unwanted Rowan Scottish Aran Tweed or Rowan Harris Tweed Aran, please get in touch – I will pay a fair price for your odd balls!