And so to begin.......

My name is Elspeth Campbell, I'm 30, married, I have three children and I'm disabled due to M.E, Fibromyalgia and lastly bi-polar. I was diagnosed with the first two conditions fianlly in October 2009 after being ill for a few years and the bi-polar many years ago, with medication to help me and a wonderfully loving and caring family we cope together. I have a few good days where my symptoms aren't too severe, but mostly i'm in a lot of pain and always feel like i have flu without the gunk. I have to use a wheelchair when we go out and crutches around my home. My children cope amazingly well due to the fact we don't let them do any caring duties and encourage them to be like their friends and do clubs and activites so they don't miss out. I use knitting, sewing and other crafts to keep my spirits up and also for something to do which i love doing. My children light up and beam when they see me working on something new for them.
I knit for most people i know closely, like family, friends babies etc and for my immediate family and for myself.
My mum, who recently passed away, taught me to knit when i was six or seven, you know the basics of knit stitch and purl and casting on, i didn't really enjoy it much as we then had a lady who came to school about a year later who was very mean about my tension, so i didn't knit again until i was 16 once i'd left home. Now i have to knit everyday, even if it's just a few rows.
I find knitting and sewing very therapeutic because no matter how long it takes me to complete a project i'm 99% of the time happy with the result and how the knitted item recipient is always so happy.
Over the last eight or nine years i have gradually been getting more adventurous and i recently completed a Fair Isle jumper for my dad.
I intend to include photos of my various projects as i make them and also once they are completed.

I will also be starting a City & Guilds course in the spring so i can improve my knitting even more, also because one day i won't be ill any longer and it's the fashion /textile industry that appeals to me the most.

I love it when i get yarn orders through from online shops or when i actually get to my local yarn shop and get to choose from the new collections. I'm currently waiting to be able to buy the new Rico range from Debbie Bliss to make a couple of her newest projects. More details on that to come soon.