Sadly, I don't think anyone took any photos even though Hats were popping on and off heads! Typical. We had fun! And it was nice to drag my family up to meet BabyLongleg's family properly for once, rather than surviving on fleeting meetings. Aran found himself in boy heaven with more trampolines and space hoppers than he'd ever dreamed of, as well as new playmates. Now that we know our bus fits in their driveway I think we'll be back again.

From Leicester we headed off to Stone in Staffordshire, to a gorgeous wee shop called the YarnGathering of Stone. Look what greeted me!

How cool is that banner?! I was blown away by the welcome - amazing.

One of things the lovely folks here asked me to talk about was subbing yarns, which is a good topic, especially for those unsure of how fibre behaves. It can take a while to get experience with the different yarns, how they behave and how their gauge affects things so I hope I helped in some way.

There was lots of trying on of Hats and plenty of book signing!

Knotty Artisan sported her Tudor Cap!

I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs B, who has knitted more than a few of my Hats. Here she shows us how she's knitted and decorated her ColdHarbour Twist berets:

Isn't she wonderful? And her knitting too! It just goes to show that Wormhead Hats work for all ages, and that a little bit of imagination can make all the difference in the finish of a Hat.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is another fantastic yarn shop. I really have been spoilt on this tour as I couldn't pick one shop over the other - each have been wonderful and so warm and friendly. The YarnGathering of Stone is a relatively new shop yet I've no doubt it will be around for a while to come yet. Their weekly knit meetings bring in big numbers, and if the response to my visit is anything to go by, they are a loyal customer base open to new ideas!

On our way out of Yorkshire towards Leicester we stopped at Eureka in Halifax. A totally bonkers, mad sort of place that would give any parent a headache after a few hours yet could keep any child entertained for days.

Aran spent most of his time either in the bathroom area upstairs - running taps, pressing buttons that made water gurgle, flushing the toilet (you get the idea) and downstairs in the car & mechanics are - getting in and out of cars, filling up petrol tanks, playing with mechanic type things.

Our campsite just outside Stone was, well, different from the rest.

Not that it was bad, not at all. It was basic, which is fine with us as we're all set up to handle a few nights without electricity and running water. It was cheap and behind a pub so we had options of eating out, which is all good and reminds me very much of the travelling we used to do when I was a kid in our caravan.

What they didn't tell us was that there was a Biker Rally that very weekend in that very campsite in that very pub. When we pulled up we were told we could park anywhere, so we found ourselves a flat spot at the top of a field containing a few tents at the bottom end. Within only a few hours we found ourselves surrounded by tents. They were mostly pretty friendly but any large group like that can be pretty intimidating.

Now, there's nowt wrong with Bikers or Bikers Rallies. But I do think the campsite should have at the very least reserved that area for them and told us to park elsewhere. Likewise in the Pub. When we went in for dinner we were happily told we could sit anywhere and being as it was rather crowded we found ourselves some seats in a section near the rear. Within no time at all we had a balding & bearded Biker telling us rather firmly to move as we were taking up seats... either that or stay and pay. All mighty uncomfortable but it could have been avoided if that area had clearly been reserved.

Still, it served us for the night! And the funniest thing? We Googled our camping neighbours and found them all to be policemen! We had nothing to worry about at all.

Next stop is Knit Nation this very weekend where I'm sharing stand 128 with BabyLongLegs, NicsKnots and Atomic Knitting. I'll be signing books and will have most of my Hats with me. Do pop by to say hello and if it's quiet, we might get started on the photos for the how to wear a Hat thing I mentioned in the last post, models permitting!

One thing that's fascinated me about each shop that I've visited is seeing how the personality of the owner brings out the best of their knitting group (and shop) and Verity is no exception. She brings in a busy, friendly and chatty crowd and if you're not careful they can wear you out! There were knitters everywhere, around the crowded table and spilling out in all directions, until even the floor at the rear of the room was covered. Even the main part of the shop stayed busy throughout the evening!

Needless to say, with so many folk it was a little difficult to get individual shots of knitters in their Hats but that's cool, group shots say just as much.

(not sure why we have such serious faces in this one... think they were trying to keep a straight face!)

As we'd done before at Fibre + Clay Hats aplenty were being tried on and advice was on offer for which styles suited who and how to wear them. There was one lady who swore she didn't suit Hats yet before long we'd found the right one for her and then it proved tricky getting it off her head!

It always seems to be the way that berets suit more women and that's pretty much all everyone reaches for when faced with a pile of woolly Hats. Or at least in my experience. So you can imagine how chuffed I was to see an adult version of Tinker! It pleases me no end when I see WW kiddy Hats on grown-ups :) (and yes I know, Tinker does come in adult sizes but who doesn't see it as a Hat for little people?)

If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, do go visit Baa Ram Ewe. It's an amazing shop with a really lively atmosphere and ultra friendly staff and customers. Honestly, they couldn't do enough for me. Verity has worked hard on the shop and it's environment and she's created a vibrant place which welcomes all knitters.

Thank you guys for having me!

As you'll know by now, we didn't want this tour to be all work and no play! Whilst here we visited the Abbey House Museum, which is set up to not only show the history of the local area but also be pretty kid friendly, too.

Aran got to play at having a tea party:

Whilst Mummy got to play at being a Mad Hatter:

Accommodation wise, we found ourselves a nice little site in Bardsey, north of the centre. Now, we had real trouble trying to find a campsite that would take us. Not because they had a ban on bus dwelling travellers with wool dreads, but because most of the ones we found online that were within a decent distance from the shop were over 18's only. Be warned if you want to camp in this area and you have little people - your choices are limited.

Most of the campsites were for static caravans and mobile homes, with a few pitches for tourers and motorhomes. The site we stayed on, Haighfield Caravan Park, were really friendly yet you could tell that they weren't geared towards tourers. That said, I'd say they were thinking along those lines, as the toilets and facilities were very clean and very new. What was lovely was the amount of green space we had to play with - we pretty much had a 5 acre field all to ourselves and Aran could run around without a care in the world!

All this Hat talk has got me thinking - would you be interested in a blog post or 3 or an article of some kind, on how to wear Hats and how to choose a style that suits you? Quite a few folk have expressed an interest but I think I may need your help in putting it all together - there are a lot of styles and different shaped faces and heads to cover!

We've spent the last few days in Cheshire visiting the truly lovely Fibre + Clay shop in Knutsford. When I say it is truly lovely, I mean that. The shop, the owners, the hospitality - everything. We couldn't have spent the first part of the tour, my first ever tour, in a better place.

Saturday was all about Hat Design. I love teaching this workshop, as not only do I get to talk Hats all day but I also help knitters understand how to take their own measurements and make themselves a Hat that fits. We discuss different styles, shaping, incorporating stitch patterns and more. It isn't a prescriptive workshop - we cover the basics and then I go with the flow of the students and cover their needs. The need to be flexible can make it more intense to teach but that makes me love it even more - everyone comes out with a Hat that they want.

Image copyright Fibre + Clay

Tuesday morning is one of the weekly knitting meetings at Fibre + Clay and they asked if I'd visit and talk Hats with them. And talk Hats we did!

People are always telling me how Hats just don't suit them, so one of the things we focused on was how to wear a Hat. It's true, not every Hat suits every person but people who don't suit any Hat at all are very, very rare indeed. Picking the right style and shape to suit your face is key, but how to wear it on your head is the secret to being a happy Hat wearer.

Most of the Hats shown here are berets, and this was the most popular style by far in both the design workshop and the 'show and tell' yet that doesn't make them all the same. The different elements that make up a design, whether it be yarn choice, weight or drape, the different types of brim or how a stitch pattern affects the fabric all make a subtle difference in how a Hat looks. The most noticeable differences come from the brim choice (rolled brims are softer on the face) and how far down or back the brim is worn. Don't be afraid to experiment when trying on Hats!

I really did have the loveliest time - thank you Riana and everyone at Fibre and Clay for making me feel most welcome :) If you find yourself in the area, do pay them a visit. It is a beautiful yarn store but it's more than that too - it's full of beautiful ceramics and buttons, gorgeous hand made textile jewellery and other such gems.

Whilst I was at the shop on Tuesday morning, Tom took Aran to see the Jodrell Bank and I was a little sad that I missed it. Still, Tom tells me that Aran absolutely loved it, and was especially entertained by the 3D cinema. It would seem that planets flying out of the giant screen directly at you don't scare our boy.

We stayed at a couple of different campsites, as we made visits to my aunt & uncle in Sandbach (hi Janice & Graham - I know you're reading!) and to Just Call Me Ruby in Southport, making the most of our time. By far our favourite campsite was a little site called Strawberry Wood, just outside Knutsford.

Some the sites we've stayed at have been set up for statics, with space given for tourers and tents. This site was different because it was all for tourers and motorhomes and had plenty of space for each pitch.

That awning hiding behind the tree and foliage to the right of the photo? That was our neighbour. All the pitches around the outside of the site are separated by dense greenery and trees, giving you complete privacy. Even the pitches in the middle, where the trees where less dense had more privacy than just about every other site we've stayed at. There's no shop and my internet dongle struggled to get a signal (and I suspect most mobile networks would have virtually no coverage as it's slap bang in the middle of the woods) but other than that, it was perfect.

Well, that's all so far - what a great few days! And as suspected we're now parked up in a campsite in Bardsey, Leeds, ready for tomorrow's visit to Baa Ram Ewe.

I have to say that the response to them overwhelmed me a bit. Made me blush even. And now I don't know what to say again! You could say I'm a bit useless at accepting compliments. Thank you for all your wonderful comments, I really am chuffed that you love them as much as I do.

Tutorials will follow, I promise, and I'll share everything we've learnt about making and fitting such lovely woolly babies. They are so comfortable to wear and so, so light; quite refreshing after the natural dreads.

Tha madness has been continuing here - I've been trying to fit in what work I can around visiting family and friends with varying degrees of success. It's been lovely to catch up with people, to have long talks on the phone or sit and natter over cups of tea. Lovely. I do miss my woolly friends muchly when we're away.

Sorting out campsites and final routes for the tour has added to the madness. Would you believe that most of the campsites around the Leeds area are 18+ only? Or that a small bus-come-self-build-motorhome may be too large for some campsites? (Ok, that's more believable) It hasn't been as easy as you think trying to find somewhere to park up, given that it's peak season. On mainland Europe it doesn't matter so much as there are plenty of free places to park for the night and our solar panels and batteries can keep the fridge running for a couple of days so we can live wild happily. But not so in the UK where that kind of thing is either illegal or expensive. Nonetheless it's all sorted now and tomorrow sees us hit the road again, heading off for the first leg of the tour!

Keen to have some lovely things to offer along the route I've had these badges printed:

And let's not forget the limited edition Business Card Pattern that's exclusive to the tour:

Do come along and visit one of the tour venues and grab yourself some little goodies. Go on, you know you want to.

Despite the bribery goodies, I would love to meet folk and share knitting talk and try on Hats and take photos and meet more knitting folk and try on some more Hats and eat cake and drink lots of wine tea and generally have a really, really good time. I'm excited and nervous all in one!

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I've been lusting after new dreads. Not that I regret cutting my old ones off as they were in a bit of a state and they just weren't giving me the happies anymore. Still, I don't feel myself without them so when the idea of wool dreads struck I had a little happy dance.

There will be tutorials on how to make, dye and fit these babies but in the meantime here are a few rare shots of me sporting my new locks. I love 'em. They're not real dreads and they won't be around forever (although I hope they last long enough for natural dreads to start to grow) yet they're letting this lass be a real Woolly Wormhead once more.

The felting & dyeing was my handiwork and my step-mum fitted them. Although she's trained to various levels in hairdressing she'd never done braids or extensions before - hasn't she done a fantastic job? They are tight at the roots hence the scalp being visible, and so they should be to start with. Once my hair starts to grow and the extensions settle in they'll look a little more natural. Well, about as natural as 122 deep aubergine felted wool dreads can look, anyway.

So, my list of things to do include (in no particular order):

1. Read Knittgrrl's Guide to Professional Knitwear Design (from the e-book - the print version will meet me sometime in England)
2. Reknit some samples from Going Straight. I've been meaning to do this forever and since I was very good the other week and sorted out my yarn stash, there's a few balls put aside purely for this purpose. I'm thinking Strudel, Windward and Dulcie and then whatever else I fancy.
3. Finish reformatting both Wee Woolly Toppers and Going Straight. No wait, I need to start reformatting both of these first. That also means I need to finish redrafting all of the remaining charts for the patterns in GS. Hmm. This one may be a little on the optimistic side.
4. Get on with the design in progress that my brain hasn't had enough time to think about this week. This one is more achievable, and out of interest, it's one of the mystery designs for the now annual Mystery KAL in November!
5. Tie up the loose ends on patterns that are nearly ready for (re)publishing.
6. Entertain the design ideas I've been having lately for toddler Hats, yet at the same time safely push the new book idea (of toddler Hats) into a dusty corner of my mind where it may be forgotten for a while.
7. Get the workshop notes in order. Most of them are done yet there are a few new workshop topics for me this year, giving me the perfect excuse to get all geeky about increases & decreases & cast-on techniques and what not.

I'm sure there's more but I reckon that's enough to be getting on with for now. Not that I'm overloading myself or anything. Honestly, I'm not, this is planning. And most of it will get done (except the new book idea which I mustn't entertain or reformatting the old books)

Tom's fitting the new bike rack to the back of the bus as I type, Aran's out there helping him after having fun at his farewell party at nursery (where they had lots of healthy cake and gifted him with mini Tonkas!). Meanwhile, I'm practicing patience.

We'll be on the road for a few days and we'll likely be without internet access during that time - most of Europe is without free wifi. Bear with us if you email and we don't get back to you straight away.

See you when we arrive, we're looking forward to seeing friends & family again and meeting folk on the tour!

It's great to see the finished Hats emerging and everyone is so welcoming and encouraging of each other - simply put, it's fab. In the spirit of sharing here are some of the finished projects for this month:

Above - a subtle colourway from Cottonon makes for a gentle spring beret.

Below - a solid colour from JeaninMaine shows the pattern in a different light - the structure is more visible.

Above & below - the stark contrast of a black & white colourway from MandaR shows the chevron pattern in striking detail.

These Hats from missizii (above) and coopknit (below) show just how well this pattern works with such different yarns. Whether it's a longer colourway or a shorter or more random dye method, or even a plain dye, Symetrie accentuates the colours perfectly.

Isn't it great to see all of these fnished Hats together, and aren't they wonderful? I'm hoping to be more organised and post finished Hats from my patterns more often - it's cool to share the love. Thank you to these lovely ladies for not only knitting these Hats but also letting me use their photos.

Voting for July's KAL is in progress as I type (organised by the lovely BabyLongLegs) - and it's looking like a close run between Vernalis and Ivydene. If you fancy either of these Hats and like the idea of knitting along with your fellow Hat lovers, then you know where to go. See you there!

You won't need to have been following for long to know that our lifestyle is somewhat different. We live in a bus, travelling when we can and staying put on a commune the rest of the time. We live a simple life - we live cheaply and without many of the material things common in general society. Our priorities can often be very different - that's not to say that anyone else's are wrong - simply that this is how we prefer things, it's our choice.

It has been mentioned before that my earnings, from book and pattern sales, supports our family. It puts food in our mouths and fuel in the tank. But I think it needs reminding that that doesn't mean I'm earning a lot. Ysolda's amazing donation to Hiati a few months back was more than I net in a year; whilst my donation was much smaller it was nearly a months' income. My business isn't big and doesn't yield an income to match. We simply don't have the outgoing expenses that most have and we can live comfortably on a low income.

We also have Aran, and we like to spend as much time as possible with the wise little dude. My working day is on average around 4hrs, sometimes more sometimes less but that's a typical amount. Tom doesn't work at a paid job, he builds our home and keeps things ticking over. If something breaks he fixes it. If we need new furniture he builds it. If the plumbing goes skewwy he sorts it. We share our child care and we deliberately keep my business and our working days short so we can spend plenty of time together.

That said, I do work hard at my job and try to maintain good customer service - and I'm pretty sure you know how important this is to me and this aspect takes up a lot of my working day, around 25%? Anyone in this business will tell you something similar especially if they work at grass roots level as I do. You'd be a bit delusional if you thought designing & writing knitting patterns was all about the yarn fondling & knitting ;)

Trying to maintain a business on short working hours and juggle that with a family and down time isn't easy. All too easily I reach burnout and need to be mindful of this. Deadline work doesn't fit in too well around here and for all the obvious reasons self publishing fits perfectly. I also need to make decisions about how much time I devote to each aspect of the job - if I spend my day answering emails nothing else gets done and if I don't design I have no product to sell. This means I've spent a lot of time investing in skills that cut down on the amount of queries I receive and that's worked really well - the customer is happy with their product and I get more time to devote to new things.

I'm often thinking of ways to expand the business and up our income without compromising my health or my family whilst at the same time, continuing to offer the best I can. One step forward was rephotographing & reformatting all of my single patterns last year. It took a huge chunk of time, 4 months or more? Yet was one of the most worthwhile things I've done. Not only did it massively improve my work and the product but it also allowed me to branch out into print and reach entirely different markets in both the US and the UK. Many indie designers print & distribute their patterns themselves as it allows them greater control (primarily over quality) and no doubt earn more per pattern. This just isn't practical for us - we don't have the spare money to buy a printer, nor do we have the space to store a printer and the printed patterns and nor do we have the time to organise the distribution and collect monies from accounts. That, to me, is one giant headache I can do without! Instead, I work with distributors who do all these things for me. Not only do they do a better job but they also have distribution networks I can only dream of. Sure they get paid for this service but that's a good compromise for me. Besides, my distributors are indies too and I'm happy to support them this way.

When I published Going Straight, my first ever book and the biggest project I've taken on to date (looking back I was a bit of a loon for tackling it, but hey ;) I wanted to publish in both print and PDF format. Before then I'd only worked with PDF's and as mentioned in the previous paragraph the single patterns took a couple of years to catch up and reach print status. A lot of time was spent researching the best way to do this, and eventually I went with Lulu, a print on demand (POD) service. This have changed since then but more about that in a bit.

Whilst researching printers & publishing possibilities many self publishers suggested not using POD and instead front up the money to pay for bulk printing. Sure, POD does make the unit cost slightly higher and the royalties perhaps slightly lower (depending on how you balance things) but POD allows many books to see the light of day that wouldn't otherwise just because their author is poor or doesn't fancy the restricting packages from mainstream publishers. I found myself having the same conversation that I'm having now (which is one of the reasons for writing this rather long post). The suggestions I received just weren't an option and POD was the best fit for that situation.

As you know now my books are published by Arbour House - an independent publisher who can produce small print runs if needs be and offer better opportunities than Lulu or other POD companies. The books are still available as PDF's and they always will be, yet they come from a different source - the printed books from Arbour House and the PDF's from me.

There's a new trend in self publishing, where the PDF is offered as part of a package with the print book. I find this quite interesting - when Going Straight was available in both formats on Lulu customers buying both were rare. When we were getting ready to launch Twisted Woolly Toppers myself and the lovely Susan discussed the option of offering both as a package but came to the conclusion that it just didn't suit our business model. First and foremost it would be a logistical nightmare trying to set it up and work out a royalties base. Secondly, how would it work for wholesale or books purchased at shows? It would be impossible to track individual sales. One of the reasons we work the way we do is that it simplifies the different options available to us - we can both do what we are best at which creates a good working harmony. Although we haven't dismissed the idea all together and it may be something we can rethink about at another time when both our businesses are better suited, it's not something we currently offer. As previously said, everyone works to a different business model with good reasons.

Now, as much as that doesn't sound like a big deal it appears to be to some. I have had emails 'politely suggesting' that I follow other indie designers' business models and offer the PDF free with the book. I was both amazed and annoyed by this and I really hope not to have to explain myself like this again. The PDF is a valuable item in itself and I'm concerned at this expectation to give it away free. If others are in a situation to offer products differently, and it works for them, then that's fantastic. But it doesn't work for everyone. As much as I try to accommodate everyone's needs there are always going to be people who are disappointed. Such is life.

One of things at the very core of me and how we live and how I work is simplicity. That and being true to ourselves. We eat, sleep, cook and generally live in a 15.6sqm space because we choose to and we love it. We like living small and my business suits us well, for which we are grateful. The business has been kind enough to afford us a new home (the double decker cost £2K, plus £1K to get it here and another £2K to fit it out - most people spend more on their new car than we spent on our new home!) and that's good enough for us (thank you for helping us buy it!). Sure, we'd like business to expand and afford us a few more things (me? I'm dreaming of our own little plot of land somewhere in Spain ;) yet we won't be compromising ourselves to get there. The business will continue to grow as we do. Maybe when Aran gets to school I'll be able to manage a longer working day but until then we'll carry on as we are.

And now it's time to get on the bike and go and collect the little dude!

So I came home with some of their 4ply and DK in solid colours (amongst other things - that was a show for collecting buttons and yarn!)

After some swatching and playing around with stitch patterns and shaping, 2 new designs were born. The first of these is Ivydene and is knit in the Jamie Possum DK.

This beret uses a garter stitch base and a defined lace pattern which works it's way up the body towards the crown, where a star like pattern is formed as the decreases integrate with the pattern. I like the contrast of the garter stitch brim and strips with the lace panels - it gives it a strong, geometric structure that is complimented well by the softness and slight halo of the yarn.

The pattern is provided in 3 sizes, and is charted throughout as well as having written instructions. By that I mean the stitch repeat for the body is charted and the crown shaping is fully charted, which is the way I prefer to work for this sort of project - it helps visualise how the shaping works. I don't think I'd be able to design these types of crown shapings without fully charting them (and you know I'm currently obsessed with pretty shapings so that means a lot of charting)

Regarding the yarn - I love it. I do have a fondness for yarns with a slight halo and by that I mean yarns with just enough so as to hint at their luxury and softness, not the hairy course stuff (you know I can't help my fibre snobbery, yes?) If you've never felt a possum (blended with merino) yarn the best I can compare it to is an angora/merino blend. It's harder wearing, in my opinion, than angora and doesn't shed as much, although I haven't used the possum in any heavy use projects. But it's that soft and that desirable and I'm pretty sure you'd love it.

With the 4ply I went for something a little softer in it's patterning. With the DK I found the gauge was easily adjusted with needle size without really affecting the fabric, and the gauge for Ivydene isn't the usual DK gauge. With this 2nd pattern, Vernalis, the gauge is much more typical of a 4ply yarn.

Although the stitch pattern repeat for Vernalis is shorter than that of Ivydene I'd rate this pattern as more complex. It has a non standard cable mixed with some lace and this combination makes some rounds fiddly. The cable isn't one that is easily worked without a cable needle, and will need a little practice, but it isn't especially difficult once you get into the flow.

The crown for this one is worked differently - the shaping is worked as precisely but isn't integrated into the stitch pattern - rather the stitch pattern is fitted into the shaping. I could have worked the shaping into the pattern but it wouldn't have been as pretty.

The name for Ivydene came quite readily - whenever I see names that interest me I jot them down in my notebook, and that was one such name. Yet there wasn't anything that suited this design. I posted the above crown detail shot on Twitter and received lots of great suggestions! Most of the names suggested where spring or plant like, and from there I decided upon Vernalis which is Latin for "of spring". Kinda fitting huh?

I'm chuffed to be publishing these 2 designs, their detail presses my Happy button. I would happily work with the Jamie Possum yarns again too, so all in all it's worked out to be a great venture.

The pattern has been reformatted and re-tech edited so that it fits into my pattern style & layout. And at £2.50, it falls into the lower price range too. The brim is knit sideways on straight needles and grafted for a seam free finish. The body is then picked up from the brim and worked vertically. As always, it's available in 3 sizes and has both written and charted instructions (chart shows the brim stitch repeat)

I was really pleased with these photos when we took them last summer - my step sister brings a different perspective to the camera/photo compared to Silvia or the others. Though it struck me that they both have strong European features; Silvia being Italian and my step-sister being Ukrainian, and I'd never really thought about that before.

Having the rights revert back after a period of time is something I both appreciate and respect. After all, the shelf life of a magazine or book is only so long, even with digital formats, yet single patterns can live on for much longer. Don't ask me why, that's just the way things seem to be. Allowing the designer to continue to use their own work keeps the pattern alive and working relationships happy.

We're getting closer to leaving, as the plot gets tidied up and Barp gets prepped for her long drive. Having spent the last few days knee deep in accounts and admin, it's now my job to give Barp a thorough internal clean and move everything out that we won't be taking. Thankfully the latter task won't be a heavy one, as much of what we didn't take last year is still in the spare trailer.

At the moment, I'm not adding any more dates to the UK tour. It's tricky trying to fit everyone in, and match up locations, and as much as we'd love to we simply can't get to see everyone. I've had to admit to myself that I need to be a little more careful with my health too. The CFS has crept back again, I can feel it, and this isn't something I can ignore; tried that before and it took several years to get my energy levels half decent again. I'm not taking on any deadline work, so once my summer jaunts are done, that'll be the last of my commitments until I can see an improvement in my health. I always seem to be saying that I need to lighten my workload and this time my body has given my a big hint to do just that.

Before I dash off and get cleaning, I must thank you for the wonderful response to the Business Card Pattern! The idea seems to have gone down rather well - am so chuffed you like it :) I have knitted a Hat from it for Aran.. I'm waiting until we get back to England to get a photo of him wearing it; it's way too hot here for the wee fella.