I’ve been sitting on the sofa knitting socks quite a lot this week. Nothing very momentous to report other than that they are nearly finished, and that they seem to be taking ages!

Which got me to thinking….

Skipping around the internet and reading some of the blogs that I follow regularly I am amazed by the level of productivity, not to mention creativity, that some people manage to achieve. How do they do it? Moreover how do they manage to create so much and still have a functioning life? I mean when do they do the laundry, the cleaning, the shopping, not to mention when do they go to work?

I’m not sure if there are lots of people out there doing snippets of lots of projects, but finishing none – which would make for bright and varied blogging, but a heck of a lot of UFOs, or if I’m just REALLY SLOW. Trying to get stuff actually finished is clearly a slow process. How many times have I subjected you to photos of the same pair of socks? Too many probably – feel free to tell me if that’s true!

If anyone out there has a tip on how to find several extra creative hours in the day and still have a functioning life, I’d love to hear it!

To change the subject rather….last night two of the teenagers and I went to see this French film. It’s the story of a quadriplegic aristocrat and the black ex-criminal guy who accidentally ends up caring for him. If you get the chance, do check it out. It’s breaking all records as the most-viewed film ever in France. It’s based on a true story and is wickedly funny, but poignant at the same time – 17 million French people are not wrong.

Have a wonderful – and creative weekend!

Helen

Over the last couple of weeks I have – rather under protest – morphed into a couch potato, albeit a reluctant one. In my real life I am probably about the least couch potatoey person you could imagine. My bottom barely ever touches a seat or stays there for long. I am a flibertigibbet of the first order and if I’m honest I don’t think I actually even know how to stop and do nothing.

Of course the knee has rather put the kybosh on my normal antics – and with a great deal of effort I have put my be sensible hat on – and hence the prominent role in my life that the sofa currently plays. I am reading, knitting, listening to Radio 4, dreaming up ingenious ways to avoid having to go up or down stairs and developing a highly effective barter strategy with my children. The latter has been a real eye opener…

“I will drive you (at great distress to my knee) to your tennis lesson if you will put all the recycling into the car and put it in the recycling bins by the supermarket on the way back”. “Muuuuuum I don’t want to do the recycling”. “Fine, but then you’d better get going if you’re going on your bike”. “Oh all right then”.

Highly effective. I can recommend it even if you don’t have a smashed up knee.

On the other hand, the downside of sitting on the sofa with my leg up all day is that I can see how much housework and general chucking out needs to be done. As I anyway want to simplify my life and my home and have a good clear out I am taking it very slowly, but plodding through it. Today I’ve hoovered under all the sofa cushions….finding teenage son’s missing wallet as I did so (which to be honest makes the whole thing worth it anyway just thinking of the hassle I have saved myself in not having to get train passes and IDs reissued) and have started to make a ruthless – but slow – move on the kitchen cupboards. I seem to be in a chucking out mood – which is good and the bits I’ve done look massively improved ie. drawers can now be opened and closed and the baking ingredients drawer is no longer swimming in flour that had escaped from a bag with a hole in it. I’ve even liberated some elderly and never used gifts, which I have no doubt will make someone happy at the church bazaar.

All in all, my occasional gentle forays have had the effect of preserving my sense of sanity.

I really need to feel that I’ve done something, that there has been a forward movement in my day. Even if it isn’t a very big one. There is also something about having a few tidy, uncluttered kitchen drawers that makes me feel insanely, euphorically happy.

Which, if I wasn’t feeling so happy against all the odds, would probably mean that I was a sad individual!

Helen

Yesterday was a big black funk day. Boy was I out of sorts. I didn’t blog because, well frankly, you wouldn’t have wanted to read what I would have written. I fell hook line and sinker into the feeling sorry for myself hole. My MRI results weren’t great, the report from the hospital was full of errors and did anything but give me confidence and my own doctor wasn’t very convincing either. Enough to say that no operation is necessary, but I will be out of action for a minimum of 3 months and yes, the pain will continue for that time too, but I will gradually get more mobile. The fact that yesterday (and today too) are perfect cold clear winter days when I know my heart would sing if I was out in the woods enjoying them has not helped.

But.

I got up this morning and decided that this was a ridiculous state of affairs. I am not dying. My leg will heal. In the grand scheme of things it is little more than a minor irritation…..and I should grow up, get on with it and try to see what positives I can get out of it.

So here we go…

• 1. It is the middle of winter. Today is a beautiful day, but tomorrow probably won’t be. In fact between now and the spring there will be a lot of horrible days, when it will NOT be a joy to be running in the woods.
• 2. It is not the summer, when I would be feeling worse about being housebound (although I could always sunbathe 🙂 ) and when I would have a jungle of a garden growing up and not be able to do anything about it.
• 3. My children are old enough to fend for themselves reasonably well and contribute to the household – they will learn how to do  more and maybe, just maybe,it will give them an insight into and appreciation of all the things I do for them that they don’t notice.
• 4. I can take the time when I would be doing all the things I love (running, pilates, yoga) to try out new things, so I’m doing something, even though not as actively as I’d like. As soon as I can get myself to the yoga studio reasonably easily I’m going to go to a meditation class. I’m also going to try to discover what it is about swimming that other people love (and I up till now have not!).
• 5. I’m going to heed the message that maybe this is telling me to slow down and behave responsibly and sensibly in my advancing years – in future there’ll be no more skiing in ridiculously bad conditions, no more running until my body conks out.
• 6. I’m going to use my time to follow the goals I’ve already set, use my fabric and yarn stashes, read my book backlog, watch my DVD backlog.
• 7. I can still carry on with clearing out and simplifying my home – I just have to do it a little more slowly, but little by little I can do it.

With all that in mind I’m feeling a lot more positive. I’ve also washed my hair, put on my make-up, ditched the sweat pants, put on my ‘good’ underwear and something I feel nice in,  and I’m ready to face the day and make something out of it.

Oh and I finished my PJs…

I love them and they mean that the fabric stash situation is into the NEGATIVE for 2012. Yaay!

So have a nice day out there. I’m going to!

Helen

No, I’m not wearing PJs, I’m making them! I haven’t done much dressmaking for a while and the cut out pieces of these pyjamas have been sitting next to me looking doleful (them not me!) for a couple of months.

I can finally bend my leg enough to sit at the sewing machine for short periods and it feels good to be back! The pattern is by the Paisley Pincushion and I bought both it and the fabric in Texas when I was there in the autumn. Isn’t this Sweetwater fabric just gorgeous – it’s called PURE. Now there’s a surprise! Pure & simple, pure happiness, pure excitement, pure grace, pure love – all sentiments I can wholeheartedly endorse.

The sewing machine is being a bit temperamental today, so I’m not getting on as quickly as I’d like to. I thought I’d be finished by now, but the Bernina is clearly protesting at me continually switching threads between white for seams and brown for top stitching. If it carries on I’ll be pulling out my old Pfaff.

I can’t be doing with a lack of co-operation today!

Helen

There’s been a little knitting going on here this week. Not as much as I would have thought considering the amount of time I have to sit with my leg up, but I supposed that’s always the case when you don’t feel great. Even managing the little things necessary to keep the show on the road seem to wear me out. By early evening a wet dishcloth is beating me in the beauty stakes.

Anyway, here is my modest offering… (0.5 in the 12 in 2012 challenge)

one Twisted Fate Sock (Lisa Ellis Designs) in Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop Yarn (hand dyed and hand spun merino).

The colorway is Dreamer, but to be honest with you I’m finding it a little too moody to be a dreamer. There’s some darkness lurking here – it’s subtle and delightful, but it’s most definitely moody.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Helen