What did you do today? I hope you made yourself a drink, grabbed some cake or a biscuit and knitted something beautiful for a little while.

I didn’t do any of the above, not in the morning anyway; at 11am I got together with a few knitting friends. Before anyone calls the authorities, this was a virtual meeting using Zoom, a rather brilliant video conferencing/meeting platform. I tried it out with just a small number of participants to see how it works and it was easy to use and great fun to do. I plan to get as many of our knitting group as possible to join next week and then every week for as long as we aren’t able to meet up in person.

So, we are now in lockdown and confined to our homes, going out for essential purposes only. The government’s mantra is:

Stay home, Protect the NHS. Save lives.

Staying at home might not be such a hardship for those of us with large houses and plenty of outdoor space but it’s not so clever for families living in tiny cramped flats with no garden to escape to. Actually, it’s going to be really hard whatever your circumstances.

I spent this afternoon enjoying the sunshine in the garden crocheting a blanket that I started around 4 years ago and then doing a bit of gardening. The blanket is for a grandson and I chose colours to match the colours in his bedroom. The bad news is that he moved 18 months ago and the colours in his new bedroom are not the same as they were in the old one 🙂 Never mind, he can always decorate his room to match the blanket.

There are lots of online activities springing up to keep us sane and entertained in these trying times. I mentioned one in an earlier post – a virtual kitting group that was being trialled at first but is now up and running – one session on Tuesdays at 11am and another on Thursdays at 7pm. Look for the UK Hand Knitting Association’s facebook page – they will post a link on the day before each time.

Something interesting that I came across recently is the twisted yarn blog written by a young British designer who also happens to be a clinical psychologist. I love her writing and it’s not just about knitting. She has tamed a robin to eat mealworms from her hand – amazing! And, she is currently offering her patterns for free! What’s not to like?

See you next week!

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