A Few of My Favourite Things

I'm a huge fan of mittens and I love the snuggliness of my fake sheepskin favourites. I have to say that there is nothing quite like  pair of warm woollen mittens on a cold wintry day, especially if you've made them yourself. And the mittens that I've just made are possibly the snuggliest pair of mittens I've ever worn. They're like having a hand-hug and I am not kidding. I've been wearing them with pride since finishing them this weekend and have forced quite a few of my work-friends to try them on so that they can share the experience.

What makes these mittens so particularly great is the thrums. "But what on earth are thrums?" I hear you ask. Well, they're a phenomenal Norwegian invention whereby you wraps strands of wool roving around the wool you're knitting with to create a fluffy interior to whatever you are making. The thrums trap air which heats up, giving you the toastiest mittens, or socks, or hat, in the world - ever.

I've also ticked another crafty thing off my New Year list and made an embroidered handwriting card for D for St Valentine's Day. It took a lot longer that I was expecting, and the first word is a little bit ropey, but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Luckily, I won't be needing my lovely new mittens for very much longer as I have the feeling that spring is finally on its way. This weekend has seen the first real sunshine of the year and I've made the most of it by spending a little bit of time out in the garden. I've cleared the veggie beds, cut back the rose and the clematis, pulled a few weeds and generally tidied the place up a bit.

I've bought some seeds, sown some broad beans and started three varieties of potato to chit on the kitchen windowsill. D and I have made a list of all the fruit and veg we fancy eating this year and I'm really looking forward to growing our own. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I do love it!


Away from the garden, I've been doing quite a lot of running - trying to get in shape for the Bath Half in two weeks' time. I'm feeling okay about it, but reckon that another couple of months' training would not go amiss. I've also seen my adorable godson and had a lovely day out in Bath. I've been taking heaps of pictures on my Instagram feed, so thought I'd post some of the highlights here on my blog. I'm excited that Instagram is now available from my browser - if you're not already already on it - head over to instagram.com and check it out. I'm off to Unravel next weekend, which I'm incredibly excited about. Come back next week and I should have posted about my day...

Currently reading: The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig (a re-telling of the Cinderella story and a great gift from Lesley in my book club's Secret Santa) and Grey Gardens by Sara Maysles, Rebekah Maysles, Dan Murphy and Albert Maysles (an eclectic representation of two remarkable and eccentric ladies).