New year, new projects

I started writing this post at the beginning of last week, but  getting used to a new routine at the start of the new school year and sorting the house out after the summer holidays took up much more time than I expected! So, no blogging, but I did have some time in the workshed creating - some of which I can show you later (new designs to go in my Golden Collection!), some of which I can't show you yet (Bead Soup!), and some work by the students I had last weekend.

To me September is always the start of the new year, not January. That's what comes of going straight from school to university to teacher training to teaching I suppose. I've only had just under three years away from organising my life according to school terms since I was four, and that was in between leaving teaching and Ben starting at preschool. So, to me September is a time of fresh starts, of making plans, an excuse to go and buy stationery in cool colours - and for starting new projects - as if I haven't already got plenty on the go! Ben started back at school last week, excited at seeing his friends every day again. He's in Year 1 now so I'm bracing myself for lots more homework, and also for him being very tired by the halfterm holidays, especially as he started swimming lessons on Sunday and has his first football club session this afternoon after school. He had no worries about moving into a different classroom with a new teacher though - his school are very good about preparing the children for changes, and he spent a couple of days with his new teacher before the summer holidays. My boy is growing up!

So, my plans for the new term so far .....

• teach myself Tunisian crochet someone I was chatting to at a craft group I've been along to a few times now (and would go more often if it didn't clash with hospital appointments etc ) was enthusing about Tunisian crochet, saying it was almost twice as fast as knitting, and faster than "normal" crochet, and great for blankets. I want to make a new blanket to snuggle under on our new sofa (which we haven't ordered yet) in our newly decorated sitting room (which we haven't decorated yet). Yes, I am planning the blanket before I've even stripped the wallpaper! Which leads me to... 
• decorate the front room we painted the front room (which actually runs the depth of the house) when we first moved in ten years ago and I am desperate to again, this time getting the walls skimmed first. It's going to look great when it's finished but it's going to take a lot of work. 
• make stacker rings for some reason I really want to make some simple rings at the moment!
•  knit myself a new scarf and I've found the perfect pattern with cables that look just as good front or back!

I think I'm going to keep it at that for the moment as I'm also going to start teaching evening classes at college again, I've got some more private tuition dates coming up, this term is always busy for orders - and, oh yes, I've got two boys (well, three if you count T!) to keep me busy - and I usually write lists that are so long I can never complete them and that makes me feel bad!

I have, of course, bought myself a lovely new diary to help keep me organised!