Back

Although "back" seems a strange thing to say when I don't think I ever said I was away. But we went to France on 24th or so of March and came back last Thursday, so we had three weeks away from the stresses of home....But I really missed dd3 and her three little ones, after all they've been living with us now for seven months - long enough for the two youngest children to not remember living anywhere else and anyway the stresses of home seem to follow. Rachel's maternity leave finished this week and worryingly her childcare provisions fell through at the last minute so guess who's looking after the two youngest three days a week? Yes. Those are the days when the eldest goes to nursery so I'll "just" have the younger ones to look after.

My first day will be tomorrow and I'm finding the prospect quite daunting. How on earth did I used to manage it when mine were all little?? Hmm, yes, well I was thirtyish years younger. And I'm not at all sure how I'll cope in an emergency now.

Back to the holiday....I took lots of sock wool with me - and although one or two are started I brought most of it back unknitted.

I did manage to complete "Skinny Empire" from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits. This is such a great book - I can't wait to knit some more from it. You'll see I've made mine with longer sleeves - and they would have been even longer but that's where the wool ended. I used 8 balls of RYC luxury Cotton DK, shade 254 on knit pick options 3.75mmand KSH for the neck. I did mainly size 2 but any changes - well I can't decipher my pattern notes.






DD2, her husband and three children came to spend the middle week with us - this is the youngest



Isn't he a cutie? I think he must be 6 months old now.


My most exciting knit of the holiday was a test knit for Laura. In the Summer Shade. I couldn't block it until I came home so pics and the details soon.

In that excitement I nearly forgot the one little bit of holiday nature.

What do you think this is?



I haven't shown you this before have I?

Here's another



Now you know don't you?



They are processional caterpillars and travel in this convoy to look like a snake and so not be preyed on by birds. Unfortunately the track they are on is used by lots of tractors and they don't last long. I don't think the French ones are as unpleasant as these Spanish ones here



but they live in cocoons at the top of pine trees and we always see them on the track at Easter time.
From further "research" it seems they are just as bad.