Loss, knitting and whatsit

Since my last post my mum passed away. It sort of knocked  me off my feet, and blogging about it or anything at all didn't feel like an option. This was in September, and since then I've gone through all the rather unreal and disturbing things one has to do after a parent dies. Holding the funeral, going through her things, clearing out her house and putting it up for sale. All very emotional and hard, and introducing me to aspects of myself I don't much like. Like impatience with family members, developing a temper and snapping at people. I've not seen that side of myself since I was a teenager, and thought it was gone. Not so. Rather embarrassing, really. It didn't last, but it's still nagging away at me.

My mum collected vintage ornamental plates, coffee grinders and cream and sugar dishes. She must have had between 50 and 100 of the cream and sugar sets, all neatly displayed in glass cabinets. She also collected table cloths and, well, all sorts of things, really. I kept a few things, let the family take whatever they wanted and gave the rest away to charity.The feeling I'm left with is I suppose not a new one, but it felt wrong to go through her possessions, divide them into things to keep and give away, and dismember her life in such a way. It also made me think about my own collections. My books, fabrics and yarn, my collection of vintage clothes and jewellery. Much of it I don't even wear, which is really such a waste. I've decided to do my best to give these things an airing, and keep track of the things I never wear. If I still haven't worn them in a year (this goes for everyday fashions and jewellery, obviously party dresses are exempt) they'll go to charity.

I've also started knitting up the things I've wanted for years. Why wait? It's not as if we're guaranteed to live to a ripe old age any of us.

With this in mind here's a jumper I finished around Christmas. I used a free pattern from Trove, and it turned out very well :)