Coming to the end of my first year ‘back in the loop’, so to speak, my Christmas projects are nearly complete and ready for wrapping.  It’s a great feeling, having produced gifts that are appropriate, useful, fun!  And they’ve kept my hands busy during the past few months, reducing my nibble intake – chocolate and cotton don’t mix…

These cloths have proved a diversion, a way to relax while still doing something, and a great excuse for searching the net for ideas, patterns and expertise.  I’ve learned a good few things on the way:

– how to block so that the designs really stand out and look their best for giving (apologies to those I gave in my pre-blocking days), and for photographing (you’ll see what I mean)

– that designing your own patterns is harder than it looks

– that the knitting fraternity is so generous with its time, skills, ideas and free patterns.  Thank you to everyone who has helped and inspired me this year.