Huge Apologies Folks.......
I've been so ill since Christmas that i've not been able to do the blog at all, but now although i'm just as ill i'm at a point where i can't really get much worse so.....

I will be writing a catch up along with current events as often as i can.

Ok currently I've got a huge number of projects on the go, WIP's. As well as lots of UFO's from before and since Christmas, you know you get to about 90% and the love leaves your creation because it just seems to be taking forever, then you pick it up a couple of weeks or months later and I'm like "wow almost done, i can do thet in a day or two!!!" Hence the Fluffy on the right now. Really simple pattern from a quality knitting magazine but done my way. It's actually got mohair in it which knitters amongst you know is a pain if you make a mistake, I ended up tinking about 40 rows as i'd not paid attention and had made two back pieces, OOOPPPPPSSS!!!!!! Ah well a few blue words and many many hours later i'd done it correctly. Yey me.

On my Ravelry notebook I have over 30 projects, yes folks that's a lot for anyone, but I like to mix it up and have projects for different moods and physical and mental states, as well as for intended knitting location and time of day. For example I have Christmas knitting for my daughters which has to wait until after they go to bed, or a sock for hospital waiting rooms, a stocking stitch Noro Cardigan for knitting whilst watching films etc...

I've been making a few designs of mu own too and shall include a picture or two as i do the back history. For now i've got 'should have kept my mouth shut' disease. My middle daughter Keira has benn invited to a party on sunday, it's the first invite since changing schools and well i'd just starting knitting her a cotton lace yoke and hem dress. She says "mummy that's so pretty, I can't wait to wear it" I say "I'll get it made in time for the party on sunday if you like!" she says "yey, thankyou mummy" SEEEE!!! I'm less than halfway through and have another 50 cm of the length to go. So top picture down: THE dress for sunday, Keiras Christmas jumper, my hat i designed called 'Woodsprite' knitted in Five Moons 4ply, My Noro hat, and the soaps....well Dave my husband bought them for me as a little pressie for my birthday cause i saw them in a magazine and they're really cute, smell lovely too and natural product. Just makes me smile.
Anyway, I've got a dress to knit and once i've done a good chunk of it today i'll be rewarding myself with knitting on my green Fyberspates shawl. Picture of that when it's finished and blocked. Beautiful shade though.
Take care everyone and remember knitting uses both sides of the brain so it's good for you. x

Knit for joy....

Hi Folks,
I am currently working on several projects. A scarf for my hubby, a cream sleeveless hoody for my middle daughter, a thigh length over jacket for myself, a deep red/pink cable jumper for myself, my daughter bought me the wool for my last birthday, it's bamboo and cotton, feels amazing to touch and so nice to knit with. I'm also knitting a multi coloured fluufy jumper thats slouchy and a green mix cable cardigan for myself for the spring. Also a long 36'' length brown cardigan with alpaca yarn, its so soft and cuddly that i can't wait to finish it :-)
My latest yarn order arrived yesterday too, Debbie Bliss Riva shade 2 to make the scarf in her magazine, and some lovely balmoral for a plain sweater for cosy days.
Over the last three and a half, four weeks i've had a cold which turned into flu so i've been absolutely rotten and only done a few hours knitting each week. I have though managed to start on my middle daughters christmas stocking which is great hey!!! Again it's pink but she's very girly.
Right so I'm off to have a good solid day of crafting, I'll post some more photos over the next few days so that you can see what i've been up to.
Bye for now,

An Update

Here are some of the items i have made recently. Loving them, the scarf i made for my mother-in-law for christmas, the hat and mittens were for my middle daughter and the christmas stocking is for my youngest daughter.

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.