In the Wood household summer is heralded by the onset of hayfever and exam stress. It is never the peaceful transition of one season to another and is received with equal measure of anticipation and dread, particularly so for me.
It's arduous watching my children gearing up for their academic battle, to be judged and hoping to be victorious. I listen to the postmortem as they berate their own performance in an attempt to lessen any disappointment they think I will feel come results day. This is ludicrous of course but non the less part of the vicious exam cycle.
My eldest son, Brett, has completed his first year university maths exams and already has his results, which he passed with flying colours. Although, in hindsight I think he seemed a little too relieved everything had gone so well. This begs the obvious question regarding his work-life balance, a tricky equation to master at the best of times. With youth, inexperience and parties at one end of the spectrum evolving into maturity, responsibility and tedium at the other. I prefer the party end quite frankly, however, I feel a pep-talk is perhaps in order.
My second born son, youngest child and equally talented, Jake, has completed his maths GCSE a year early which we hope will relieve the pressure next year when he is examined on the remainder of the curriculum. However, poor Jake has to be patient as the results are published in August, which is the case for all UK students at this level unfortunately.
Exam season finally abated we celebrate Brett's nineteenth birthday this month, like rock-stars. A fine fellow indeed and with such a determined chin.
Talking of seasons, Tara my eldest child and precious only daughter flounced in and announced that there where only 182 days until Christmas. Initially aghast at her announcement, which was followed by a wave of nausea as the realization that half the year has already passed. A cold sweat developed as I recall my promise to Brett of a throw for his bed this Christmas, as he had admired Tara's, pictured above for her twenty-first birthday last year. Fevered and agitated I comprehend the enormity of the task ahead, which is in addition to my Christmas ambitions for Raganory on Etsy. There is nothing else for it but to 'keep calm and carry on', gosh isn't that a big ask.
Incidentally, Tara's throw is the result of much admiration and inspiration from two of my favorite blogs 'Cherry Heart' and 'According to Matt'.
My yarn cache, which in the main is one hundred percent wool but does include the occasional silk blend. I do prefer natural fibres, the quality and depth of the colours are enhanced by the individual characteristics of the yarn. However, quality is often reflected by an increased cost, the only downside in my opinion. Therefore, to take advantage of any competitive pricing
I endeavour to make purchases throughout the year, necessary or not.
Following an inspection of my stock, I only needed to make a few discerning purchases. To add some much needed texture I chose several shades of Rowan tweed. For a vintage twist I selected two shades of gold, one bright and one dirty. Finally, a citrus spike of lime and orange, I am hoping that these additions will work together for that elusive dimension of interest, the wow factor.
Finding a crochet style that a young man may appreciate, whilst maintaining the traditional granny square values that Brett originally admired, coupled with my limited crochet experienced really was quite onerous. However, success came in the discovery of the 'Babette Blanket' not to mention it bearing a striking resemblance to the work of Kaffe Fasset and Liza Prior Lucy, who are personal favourites of mine. I enjoy the therapeutic rhythm of something repetitive at the end of the day and the relative ease at which these squares are created, especially considering my time constraints.
The completed squares so far appear to have a retro vibe about them, quite reminiscent of the seventies I think. I was hoping for a more antique, vintage look, but we will see how things progress.
I started knitting bear's twenty-two years ago, in fact since Tara was born. I wanted my children to have a something personal from me. My early attempts were admittedly clumsy even when using a commercial pattern. Thankfully with practice, patience and time my technique and hopefully sophistication have improved over the years.
I have noticed that as the years roll by the bear's get progressively smaller and I seem to be developing an uncontrollable urge to miniaturize everything, including: dolls, crochet, knitting and patchwork.
There are few requirements necessary for miniaturizing other than a pair of glasses, good lighting and an assiduous temperament. Although the latter is not imperative I find it helpful particularly with the more tedious aspects of the work.
In this case the fabric of the bear is knitted and fine knitting needles are required produce smaller stitches, which allow for a denser fabric and I find a superior overall finish.
However, knitting needles of one millimeter and finer are not readily available so I have mine custom made, which are then ground and polished until gleaming. A fabulous service provided by that fine fellow with the determined chin, Brett. He keeps me in a constant supply of good quality needles so that my passion can continue to grow and for that I am eternally grateful.
My yarn of choice was Rowan's Kidsilk Haze, with a fibre content of seventy percent mohair and thirty percent silk, which produces a wonderfully soft yarn with a subtle halo and lustre; the shade is marmalade 596.
The limbs are all thread jointed and attached and he measures slightly over four-and-a-half centimeters tall in a sitting position.
Finally, introducing 'Pumpkin', so named due to his rather obvious colour.
