Nights are longer, mornings are colder and rugby’s back on the telly. Yes, it’s autumn – the season I reach for the knitting needles and attempt to achieve something constructive while watching Tom Taylor kick up a storm for the Crusaders.
Every year I pick some crazy project to brighten up the cold months. I’m not a skilled knitter. Sadly, I lack the concentration to create a Fair Isle masterpiece and my tension is variable to put it mildly. I once knitted my husband a jersey that had one short arm and one very long one. He did try to wear it, bless him, but the comments he got were so derogatory it ended up as the dog’s favourite cuddly. However, given all this, I still love knitting. There’s something about the warmth of wool, the fallen leaf colours of the skein and the quiet repetition of the task that attracts me time and time again. I pick simple projects and do a lot of them. In 2010 I made a dozen scarves, last year I filled the couches with cushion covers and this year I’ve discovered mittens.
I haven’t got the hang of circular needles yet, and I know the thumbs are going to be a bit of a challenge but I should be a master by the time spring rolls round again. What’s more I’ll have lots of funky presents to give my nieces and nephews as they hit the ski slopes. Knitting – it’s a great way to warm up winter.