Strange Times....
Posted on April 10 2020
My last newsletter was about rain and flooding, in total ignorance of the health tsunami that was about to land on our shores. Hindsight is a wonderful thing....looking back it is totally obvious that what was happening in China was going to affect the rest of the world. However, even with hindsight, I don't think any of us would have anticipated the total shut down that has taken place. My children are both back from London and working from home and as we sat and watched 'Contagion' , it was quite scary how accurately the film depicts the events happening now.
I hope all of you are managing to stay safe and keep in touch with your family and friends. For those living on their own, I know that this is a particularly difficult time so, if you know anyone living alone then this is a good time to pick up the phone and make a call. It is always good to hear a friendly voice and feel that someone is looking out for you.
I don't want to make this newsletter all doom and gloom because I know many of us are struggling anyway. However, I received a message from the 'Knit for Nowt' charity and I just wanted to quote from Clare's email
"During these troubled times the children who are living in families with violence, abuse, neglect or drug and alcohol problems will be in even more danger than before, owing to the fact that tensions in their homes can only get worse – many families will now be struggling economically and this adds pressure to the situation they’re in. If there is violence within a family, one can only imagine the situation where the whole family is closeted together in an atmosphere of fear.
Here’s a quote from the Daily Telegraph this week:
“Domestic abuse has risen by 30% during the coronavirus lockdown, data suggests, as the victims’ commissioner warned there was a danger of an “epidemic” of violence in the home.”
I am told that many social workers are still visiting and working directly with children who are at risk, albeit with precautions in place, - their visits are now limited in time, and they are instructed to use social distancing from the children. I am prioritizing the teams where your items will get used now wherever possible".
Many of you will have children or grandchildren who are around the house potentially bored and with parents who are themselves coping with working from home. I received an email from Rowan today with information about their 'Kids Knit' project which is a mini series to get them started on knitting projects. The site goes live on Wednesday 8th April at 10.00am.
Rowan has also released a series of free patterns to keep you all occupied over the coming weeks. I will be releasing these on our Instagram, Facebook and our website pages and I hope that they will give you some inspiration to pick up your needles. Knitting is a great stress-buster and can create a meditative state which could be very welcome in today's current climate. If you are looking for a new project then we are still sending out yarn and Royal Mail is operating extremely well in the circumstances.
With the past few days of warmer weather, some of you may be thinking about putting your woollens into storage. If so, this link will provide some useful information about moth prevention as provided by Woolmark.
The daffodils are out.
The blossom is appearing on the trees.
The sun is shining - even in North Yorkshire.
There is some joy even in the most difficult scenarios.
Wishing you good health over the coming weeks.
Stay safe.