R U OK?

Today is "R U OK Day?" in Australia.

To take a quote directly from the website:

Connection is a crucial part of general health and well being to help in coping with issues such as stressful life events, mental health problems, relationship breakdowns and bereavement.

Staying connected and ensuring your colleagues, friends and loved ones do so as well is as simple as having regular, meaningful, conversations. So every day can be R U OK?Day.

As one who has suffered depression and lived with another who has suffered depression, this initiative is very important to me. Not all sufferers want to commit suicide but they certainly need to know someone cares - "get over it" and "it's all in your mind" doesn't help!

Please take the time to ask someone you care about "R U OK?" today - things are not always as they seem!

Aran weight - really?

Take another look at the baby blanket on the cover - the one that many visitors to the blog have been admiring. Does it look like Aran weight to you?

No, I didn't think so! More like 5ply wool [or similar] but hey, who am I to argue? According to the book, it's medium weight - Worsted, Aran, Afghan; or that which we, in Australia, call 10ply! The sample is apparently knitted in Bernat Satin which the company describes as "the perfect luxury knitting worsted weight yarn, ideal for all knit and crochet projects" and a "glorious yarn with a clean defined stitch" - it's 100% acrylic so I was right about the wool or equivalent!

So, this is the one I'll be knitting first because my brother told me on Friday that they are expecting a girl and I have lots of variegated pink, Aran weight Fiddle De Dee cotton to knit! I just have to finish  the lemon Tilting Blocks blanket I started for my little niece [before I knew she was a she]. That blanket will go to DD instead because grandbubby didn't want to reveal his/her sex just now!!

Here's the first public photo of Granbubby the First! DD and SIL have more up on Facebook but I don't want to turn this into Grandma's Brag Book!!

a postage surprise

Look what arrived in the post yesterday - a gift from my mother [the expectant grandmother and great-grandmother]! She thought I might like it!!