Steady Saturday

 

Since summer 2020, Chris has chosen to go into work on Saturdays and have Sundays and Mondays off.  Like many companies, they've had to adapt to the changes brought on by the pandemic. He is fortunate to still have a job and to be able to work from home at least 3 days per week.  Saturdays are now usually the day for me to do jobs, wash school uniforms/work clothes and get organised for the following week.  Unlike some parts of the UK, schools in Kent don't break up until 1st April.

Both of my teens are in exam years and one has GCSE mock exams going on at the moment and the other has A level coursework to complete.  It's all pretty crucial stuff and I think it's been especially difficult for them, missing so much in school time over the past year.  They will certainly be glad to have the Easter holidays and a break from travelling into school and wearing masks all day.

This morning I worked on my ‘petty harbour’ sock and I'm now ready to do the heel flap.  I have to admit that I find working in the brown a bit dull but I also know that I will wear brown socks more than colourful socks.  I don't tend to dress in rainbow colours anymore - I left that behind in the 90s - but I do love working in colour.  When I bought all this sock yarn years ago, I thought I'd be making an enormous granny blanket for our bedroom and so I chose colours that would work in that room.  Of course once I realised that this would indeed take years to complete, I quickly gave up the plan and frogged the few rows I'd done.  I now have lots of muted sock yarns to make socks with so I'm alternating a muted with a more interesting colour to work through it gradually.

To add some colour therapy I hooked up the next round on the ‘festival grannies’ (as I shall now call them).  They are very small and it will take many, many, many squares to make a top or a wrap….(already thinking top…) 

I don't have a blocking board so I do my blocking with pins onto a cork board.  It's a bit more time consuming but it works.  I think these are so small they might not fit with a standard blocking board.  I might invest in one but I just don't know if I’d use it enough for it to be worthwhile.

I really love them but now I know I would like maybe 2 other complementary skeins for this second row.  It will break it up a little bit and add more variety.  In no way will this garment be subtle - although saying that, I don’t think it's going to be too crazy either.

I managed to get the gusset decrease done on my 'Vanilla Latte' sock, before I had to start cooking the dinner. Perhaps I'm weird but I really love how the decrease looks as it develops. Sock knitting is very enjoyable to me but I have to concentrate and not listen to anything distracting. I find my mind wanders off very easily and so I meticulously write every row down. With crochet it's a different story and I don't usually worry about it going wrong, so I save podcasts and music for when I'm crocheting or embroidering.

Last night I couldn't face cooking so Chris stopped in at Tesco on his way home from work and bought some ready meals.  I know it's a shocking admission! Anyhow it was either that or a takeout. I do like Charlie Bigham’s ready meals which we discovered when self catering in the Lake District last October half term. They are just a lot better than most and I'm so grateful not to cook sometimes.  I do a lot of cooking and baking and I do it because I have to, not because I enjoy it.  My mum cooked from fresh ingredients 90% of the time and so do I because I want my family to eat well.

Tonight I made a ‘bottom of the fridge soup’ in my usual lob it all in method and some wholemeal cheese scones to go with it.

The soup contained:

Onion

Garlic

Spring onion

Potato

Sweet potato

Celery

Carrot

Chorizo

Sun dried tomatoes

Parsley

Vegetable stock

Smoked paprika

Splash of milk

It worked very well with the cheese scones and the family scoffed the lot.  I used to make them all the time for after school snacks but it's been months since we had them.  They're so easy so I must get back into the habit of it.

As soon as I've written this (whilst they wash up) we are going to watch a film, which is becoming more and more of a nightmare to choose.  We all like different things and as Tom is 15 we are a bit restricted on some of the films.  Gone are the days of Harry Potter and the next Marvel film.  I am actually the fussiest of the entire family as I've got to the point that unless I really fancy it then I don't want to waste my precious time. Right that's it - I had until 7.45 to do this and its now 7.42. Wish me luck - and thanks for reading along. xx