We've moved into autumn and now that Strictly Come Dancing has started on the TV that always makes me think of the run up to Christmas and the weeks fly by with each show up to the final the week before Christmas. With that in mind, it's time to be thinking about crafting things I hoped to make as gifts for the festive season. Oh no I've said the 'C' word.
Talking of gifts, today is the final day to get a GG post in for September. I have only a couple of gifted things I've worked on in September, no other craftwork happening here recently.
I finished the scarf DS bought me as a kit for my July birthday.
It's going to be nice and snuggly for the winter months and i'm looking forward to wearing it.
This sock wool has a little story behind it.
I saw some on the internet when browsing, a bargain I thought and ordered it. The details read Kroy Sock Yarn (sold as pack of 6). I could get 3 pairs of lovely socks for the price of 1 pair and a lovely colour too. It was coming from the USA so a little wait for it, but that wasn't a problem.
Three weeks later a parcel arrived - a small parcel - with only 1 ball of wool inside. Emails back and forth to supplier and they advised an error by amazon it shouldn't have read pack of 6 it was for one ball only. They offered a full refund and I keep the one ball supplied, but I asked if they would just keep the payment and send me a second ball so I could make a pair of socks and I didn't know any one legged people I could knit one sock for with the ball they had supplied! It wasn't happening, their emails were getting quite rude in the end so I emailed amazon with a little complaint explaining what had happened. A reply came back, take the refund and accept the free ball, you are better off and nothing we can do.
My brother works in retail so when he came to visit I was ranting about internet shopping and bad service etc and showed him my 1 ball of wool and then stuck the ball away with my other stash.
A few weeks later he came to visit again and gave me an envelope I wasn't expecting. Inside there were 3 balls of the same wool - he'd sent pics of the ball band etc to someone he knows over the pond and they had found some the same .... the serendipitous thing is that it is the exact same shade number and dye lot so I now had 4 balls. It was a gift, what a smashing brother he is.
Being a good sister I've been knitting up a pair of socks for him with 2 balls of the wool and gifted them to him when I saw him last week.
The craft group I belong to had some funds and the ladies who run it bought us all a little gift. I received an embroidery kit to try. It's uses organza for the coloured parts and you fix it to the backing using embroidery stitches to make a pretty country scene.
Thank you so much for the messages and emails I've received from some of you asking how I am. With my condition being so rare its a trial and error of what is the best medication to help and halt the progression and find something that suits and works for me. As well as the steroids, I started chemotherapy earlier this month and have been getting used to the effects of that. With lots of medical appointments and rest there is a different normal in our home right now. On a positive note, I have come into contact with a lady who was diagnosed some years ago which has helped me see things more positively recently.
Hoping to have a blog reading catch up session and stop by your blog really soon.
Love and blessings to all
Julie