Hi Fellow Knitters,

Here comes Mother's Day weekend. I am sending my good wishes to you all, my sisters in knitting. If you have children/grandchildren, I hope you have some contact, physical or virtual with them. It is also a time for remembering our own mothers and grandmothers and sisters.

Let's be positive. Most Australians are coping with the pandemic regulations by finding creative ways to fill the gaps made by social distancing. How about you?

I have finished knitting two blankets. I was so pleased with the green Domino Pattern rug, that I posted it on the Gallery Page. It is for someone's mother for Mother's Day. The other one, Blue Lorraine was inspired by a photo in the Gallery, submitted by Michelle of Galston. She used two greys teamed with red to give  a new interpretation to Lorraine's Rug. I used two blues and white. I love the cross-fertilisation that occurs when we share. I'm sure some of you have also finished a few blankets. How about sending a photo so we can feel connected and also be inspired. Email us via  Contact Us at the foot of each page of our website. Send one photo and I will share it on our Gallery page along with your first name and your town.

Ferg has also been busy enhancing our website. He has added a video demonstration of the Three Needle Join-up to our Tutorials. He is also adding mini-videos to a few of our products on this website and more will come. We participated in two virtual Great Australian Craft Shows for which Ferg filmed me showing our wares. The video-editing takes longer than the filming. We also participated in Canberra's Handmade Virtual Market.

I initiated Zoom sessions with The Knitters' Guild - Epping Group. These replace our regular Monday meetings. This week I shared excerpts from Fruity Knitting's Shetland podcast 87. I mentioned this episode in November's blog. I am now snipping excerpts from Fruity Knitting 96, The Swiss Yarn Festival, ready to share next Monday. If you are looking for connection with other crafters, make a cup of tea/coffee, take your knitting/crochet to your computer and Google and enjoy Fruity Knitting. I also join in with a Zoom meeting on Tuesdays with the Castle Hill STYK (Stick To Your Knitting) knitting/crochet group.

Staying home so much has highlighted for me the importance of Companion Animals. As I sat knitting (in the chair shown in the photos above), with the curtain pulled back and the Autumn sun streaming in, I realised what would make the morning just perfect - a cat strolling in through the cat flap, coming to rub around my legs then curling up to snooze in a warm spot. Our cats never slept in the basket provided; they always preferred a soft  chair or a lap. We have had many cats over the years but after we retired and began caravanning regularly, our neighbours almost saw more of our cats than we did. After our last cat Nudge had died, and our good neighbours of 40 years had moved away, we did not get a new cat.

l have toyed with the idea of a small dog for extra companionship. It could be taken to one of our daughters' houses to be looked after when when we are away, but I still like cats best.

Knitting Snippet

*  The record for the most people knitting simultaneously happened September 2012 in Royal Albert Hall, London, when 3,083 people knitted together for 15 minutes

*  David Babcock entered the Guinness World Record when he finished the Kanzas City marathon in 5 hours 48 minutes 27 seconds—all while knitting a scarf measuring 12 feet, 1¾ inches long. He eclipsed the previous Guinness World Record, held by Britain’s Susie Hewer. To be eligible, competitors must complete the marathon in less than six hours_.

*  The longest French knitting is 16.36 miles (26.33 km) long by Edward Hannaford in Sittingbourne, UK. He has been working on the French knitting since 1989 and is working on it still.

*  These snippets must be true, I found them on the www. (Te, he)

Happy Knitting Everyone and STAY SAFE,