Sunday 5th February

I have had a happy weekend of online shopping - I am still not comfortable visiting shops due to my lung condition, so online shopping has been my way going about things.

Back in the old pre-internet shopping I used catalogues at Christmas time, as much for the joy of having parcels arriving at my home as for sourcing unusual presents. Now I enjoy online shopping for the same reason.

I've downloaded a number of free cross stitch patterns, so I have these already in my sweaty fingers. I also ordered a couple of small kits, when I was having a crisis of confidence on Friday night. What else? A a posy of flowers, some knitting needles, a packet of variegated embroidery threads... I'm looking forward to the post arriving this week! 

I spent most of today drawing out my plan for February's Cross Countyr Collaboration. Unfortunately, when I looked back from my chart to my chosen section on the fabric I discovered my chart was landscape orientation and the section is portrait orientation.  How did that happen?  

I have now photocopied the fabric on the printer, enlarging it to 140%, so that I can draw the chart directly on the copy. Much easier.

The forethought afterthought sock....

Here's how... when I the sock was 7 1/2 inches long, I used a contrast yarn to knit across the sole. That's the forethought bit.

I will complete the sock, and then use one needle to pick up the stitches on one side of the contrast row, and another needle for the stitches on the other side. Then I will carefully snip away the contrast yarn and start making the heel. That's the afterthought bit. 

I've been studying videos and it looks plausible. Possible even...

I'm reading 'The Running Hare, The Secret Life of Farmland' by John Lewis-Stempel. I tripped across the book while looking for pictures of running hares (no, there aren't any in my CCC crosstitch!). I started reading it on the amazon 'look inside' pages, and was hooked.

A possible contender for the book club list. I think I've got my selection sorted now; one weird and modern, one set in the 1940s, this one and maybe a Stella Gibbons.