Saturday 24 September 2016

Being a Dutiful Big Cousin


The last 3 weeks have been insane. There is no other word for it. When I signed off my last post saying see you in 2 and a half years I was kidding but seriously! When I get home from work I am doing well to cook dinner and get the washing on, let alone anything else! So knitting has been more or less confined to the weekends unfortunately. Having said this, every week has been a little bit calmer than the last so I am hoping I will find my stride. 

Last weekend all I wanted to do was take to the sofa in my big cosy dressing gown and refuse to move. It didn't turn out like that. On Thursday evening Aunty R rang to ask me a "Massive Favour". Cousin P, who is currently applying to study medicine at university, had booked herself onto an open day in London and Aunty A couldn't get the day off. 

Cousin P said she was going anyway. Cousin P said she had traveled through London loads of times. Cousin P said she is 17 now, which is basically an adult. 

Cousin P has traveled through London loads of times (with her mum). Cousin P is 17 now and is basically an adult (sometimes it feels like she is more grown up than the rest of us). 

But did I like the thought of my little cousin (yes she is technically taller than me but whatever) travelling through the underground, finding London Imperial College, getting herself registered, finding where she needed to go, having lunch on her own, locating the campus tours, getting back to the tube, getting back to Paddington, getting on the train home, all by herself? 

No I did not. 

Not because she isn't capable - she is totally capable, just as capable as I am - but because I wouldn't particularly want to spend the whole day doing all that by myself, especially not if I could spend it with my big cousin!   

So, would I go with her? 

I stare longingly at my cosy dressing gown.

Of course I would go with her.   

And we had a lovely time. Cousin P insisted on meeting me at the tube nearest the University rather than me coming across London to pick her up from Paddington, then retracing my steps back again. Ironically, despite me getting up at 6am and living much nearer to London than she does, Cousin P got to the station 45 mins before me and had to hang around for ages (See! - she's basically an adult now!). We then missed each other at the station and spent a further 10 minutes marching up and down this long tunnel looking for each other. We must have walked straight past each other at least twice! When we eventually found each other we raced off to the welcome talk giggling at our uselessness like school girls.

The talks were brilliant, really useful for Cousin P but also a great help for me as my second years will be applying for university courses this year and I picked up loads of tips on the application process.




At midday Cousin P went of for the medicine talk and tour so I settled myself down in a cafe for a couple of hours and made some good progress on my current project. I loved the cushion cover I made for Knitphomaniac so much that I started one for myself as soon as I had finished hers, but I have decided to extend mine some what - into a blanket! 


I am just doing the stripy side as I liked that a lot more than the patchwork. It is also giving me an opportunity to practice my colour changing. I've found I have been pulling my knitting too tight at the colour change which takes all the give out of that side of the knitting, leaving my work really rather wonky.

I do find it hard to trust that my knitting won't just fall apart if I don't pull it super tight but I think I am getting there. At the moment both sides seem to have the same amount of give which is exciting!






Now that I've decided to make a blanket I have come to the realisation that I am running out of wool - and fast. So I had a root around in my stash as I had a feeling the lady I bought the yarn off, Eliza Conway, had given me her email address and offered to send more balls should I need any. In an unusual turn of events I actually found her email address. 

(Lizzy 1: Storage Beast 0) 



So I've sent off a request and will await the response!


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