The first thing I ever knitted

At school I had a foolproof strategy to avoid needlework.

At the beginning of the lesson, I would thread up my machine wrongly, ram my foot down hard on the accelerator, and join the queue to see the teacher to sort out mistakes, courteously allowing the other kids to push in front of me up until ten minutes before the end of the lesson. In my first year of comprehensive school, I managed to sew less than one seam of a gathered skirt. Thereafter, I took Latin and got out of needlework and home economics entirely.

I was always deeply suspicious of the stereotypically feminine image of needlecrafts, and while I have done a small amount of sewing as an adult  including cushions, curtains and alterations, it wasn’t until a year ago that I finally learnt to knit, while suffering from a bad cold that saw me marooned at my mum’s house. I knit a couple of scarves, and then  put it aside for the summer, but had the urge to try again just before Christmas, when I started a scarf for myself, and one for my niece (my first lacework). Now I have several on the go that I’m making for myself and my family.

Scarves are one thing, but what I really want to make are hats. I have no end of beanies, but have problems finding more stylish hats that fit my largish head – I’m tall, and I guess my head is more or less in proportion, but the majority of women’s hats are too small for me. And it’s always nice to have something unique, isn’t it?

The knitwear is the only thing that gets me through the winter.