If at first . . .

. . . try, try again. And I did - many times.

 
My mother taught me to knit when I was very young and so I have knitted almost all my life, although the actual output has not been too impressive, as I soon get bored with it. I had a big gap when I just couldn't deal with the tedium of knitting big things and I'm afraid there have been quite a few unfinished projects over the years. I started again when baby grandchildren came along and I could knit small things. At the same time my youngest daughter got interested and we started going to the Knitting and Stitching Show, which is very inspiring. Then my knitting got even smaller, but more intricate, as I started knitting toys.
 
I did think that I was a fairly proficient knitter, but the one thing that I have never got to grips with was - knitting in the round. How could anyone cope with four needles - it was quite beyond me.
 
So, what did I buy last week? A book of doll patterns that are all made by knitting in the round. Having invested and really liking the dolls and being assured by the two lovely designers that I would be able to cope, I purchased the set of needles and wool and got started.
 
Well - five (yes five!) tiny, tiny needles and not many stitches and I was struggling from the off. Several YouTube videos and many, many attempts later and I eventually got the hang of it. I even turned the foot and did the heel - very tricky.
 
So here is . . . a foot and part of a leg!! Don't look too closely as the tension is not good - it's getting better though. It's more straightforward at the moment, as I am down to four needles, but of course the problem with dolls is . . . they have two feet!!
 
And these two lovely guys came again, as they do every year. They had a wonderfully scenic journey on the train to Appleby. It is always a real delight to see them.