Glad you like the beanie - not quite the snug chic image of the original but it is certainly good at keeping your head warm - it tucks down well over your ears as the band section is shaped to be a snug fit.

Today was supposed to involve trimming grass, but as it was a very strong wind I stayed indoors and messed around with some minor chores instead. The dishwasher was purged, and some of the pots and pans examined to assess their future use. Unfortunately the latter good intentions were sidetracked a I realised that throwing them out was a bad idea when I might want to use them for something crafty in the future (boiling dyes, melting beeswax, that sort of thing), so they remained in their shelves for another day.

I also rummaged in my knitting patterns, discovering to my great surprise that I had a duplicate of a 1930s pattern book for scottish fair isles (in 4 ply!!!). I took it into town to the local knitter to see if he could use it as inspiration for some of his designs. There is at least one pattern in there that I had previously knitted but I doubt my body shape these days would make them look quite as perky as they do on the models!

The strong wind seems to have blown the warmer weather away as predicted, and tomorrow we are heading for around 10 degrees, so I also cleaned up around the heater and installed a stockpile of wood to keep me cosy then. Today I suspect a jumper will be all I need to keep going for the evening.

And having packed up my sample bag for the Show, I gave the wheel a good oiling so it is no longer making dry scraping noises, and one push on the pedal keeps it going for a surprisingly long period of time (not that I am spinning, I just pedal away to distribute the oil in the more remote parts of the machine). I am told I should oil it every time I change the bobbin, and I am afraid I have been a little slack in that department.

We seem to have a new gallery opening too, which will house local products, so if I get ambitious and it is still open by then, I will see if I can sell some beanies through it as I work my way up to being a competent spinner - if I can cover the cost of tops, then I will be a happy woman.