More stuff.

Really yummy colours - hand dyed Wensleydale, sadly I can't remember where from - I have been saving this for a rainy day, and decided to try to prove to myself that I can still spin finely (especially after the overspun nightmare from last week). Much better this time - really lovely to spin with long, fine fibres. Very pleased with the result:



Not as pleased with how it looks plied - I used some grey cashmere that I have on a cone (must be thousands of metres on it)and of course it dulled the colours right down.In hindsight I should have used a purple and really made the colours pop, but it's done and can't be undone. It is drying in the bathroom at the moment, piccies to follow.Not perfect but definitely not a disaster.
Especially from soneone full of snot.

And a couple of piccies to remind me that I have nmot always loathed my job.
The glorious blossom was outside school, in the carpark, and would fill the place with its scent every year. The kids loved the way it blew in the windows, really lovely - not quite so lovely for our cleaner every day!



Tiny Miss W is nice, I like her eyeliner - what more could you ask for, from a couple of teenage boys, excluded from mainstream for violence, who can hardly read or write. Lovely stuff.



And what I think will have to become my mantra, when I return to work. Seriously I don't know how or if I will cope. But such is life ... enjoy!

Stress and my missing mojo

I half plan to make something like this gorgeous jacket, for the spring, If we ever get a spring ...

And this lovely photo (taken from one of the upcoming Louisa Harding pattern books, which I love) is my incentive to keep growing this damned fringe out. It's driving me mad at the moment - doesn't help that a lot of my hair at the front has been falling out (due to stress), can't bear to think about it. (insert sad face here)

And I love this skirt - in black, with big blousy pink and red flowers, lovely! Can you tell I am trying to get my sewing mojo back? I think being off work so long has made me become a bit too lazy ...


I am off work with stress (work related) at the moment, and have been since November - I have not been off work for such a long amount of time in ages (0nly once, after having my wrist broken by one of the lads at work), and it's a very odd space to be mentally.

Had a major meeting at work this morning, and without going into too much personal detail , it went better than expected (I was utterly dreading it, dreading going back through the doors, the whole thing) and people were very kind and supportive. The biggest shock was the assumption and acceptance - by those in the meeting - that I might not return for several months.

So ...

Happy New Year

And I hope it is going to be a good one for all of us.
Looking back, 2009 certainly wasn't the best of years -nobody died, nobody was seriously ill, nothing disastrous, just not the best of times, and ended with me being off with work related stress, and pondering what to do and where to go next ... time to move on, both for my physical and emotional health I think. Teaching still maybe, but not necessarily, and ideally by the coast somewhere, or in the country. NOT the city. Uh huh.

There were good parts - some great parts - work was fun, until things all changed and went belly up (long story)(ok, not long, just probably dull), had a lot of laughs with the usual bunch of reprobates and ne'er do wells (staff) and as usual, when these children work they REALLY work. Tough getting there, but inspirational when they do.

Had my first flight that I can remember (I was 6 last time, can't remember a thing), and it was bonkers - the tiniest plane, I spent both flights crammed against the window with my camera, grinning like a loon, especially on the return flight when we hit spectacular turbulance - I ended up wearing most of my drink, loved every single second. I could be a pilot! Sod teaching, fly planes!
Went to Orkney for an interview (went to Orkney twice, again a long dull tale), didn't get the job and didn't feel it was quite the right one for me, its been a long time since I taught in a primary school and I felt a touch out of my depth, but had a fabulous time (NOT the second time, that has been consigned to some of the Craptastic Events of 2009).

Rediscovered my sewing mojo, had fun making this for a Christmas Stocking swap on Ravelry, crammed it with 25 goodies of assorted worth, and was lucky enough to receive a fabulous stocking in return, full of beautiful hand crafted loveliness. This was a good swap, one of those where it just all goes right.

And managed to make some knitty things I am not at all shamed of, this was a present for a friend's birthday and I loved it.

This was only a month or so ago, seems like ages - as for the summer, well - I know we had one because I spent plenty of it on the beach soaking up the sun (yes, here, in Yorkshire, we DID have sun!). And I know the bulbs will start sprouting soon, and spring will - er - spring. And then it will be summer, truly it will. But it all seems too far away! It's fairly bright outside today, and the birdies are all clammering as they attack the feeders, but bright sunny days and a bit of warmth that's not from the fire would be nice!

Happy 2010.