Hi @LBJ10! Indeed, nice to see that people are coming back again ^_^

@Bam: let’s see if uploading the pic works. This is my current project, it’s going to be a triangular shawl for the LARP club. Luckily I found some thick needles which are easier to handle. These are so long that the ends can rest on the sofa on both sides of me, so my hands don’t have to support the weight of the project.

I learned a new 3D-effect stitch which was on my wishlist for quite a while: the basket weaver’s stitch. It only consists of knit and purl stitches, but you alternate these in the pattern. Between each 8 rows there’s a knit row which gives the effect of braided strips.

@Bam: It looks like another skill just has been added to my wishlist 😉

Thank you for the well-wishes! I’ve recently started with a series of treatments in the hospital, they have a department which specialises in hand and lower arm rehabilitation. My physio was happy that I could get an appointment there so soon, she has good experiences with them ^_^

Our winter was pretty weird: for the last 8 years we’ve rarely seen snow, it was mostly cold slush and constant rain. Around Christmas we even had spring temperatures. Suddenly the weather changed and we got snow storms twice. After the snow it remained dry but cold for several weeks, and I actually had less pain as long as I stayed in with the heater full on. My main problem seems to be moisture.

During one of these very cold periods there was a constant buzz of excitement: maybe we could have an Elfstedentocht!!! The “Eleven Cities Tour” is a legendary ice skating race which happens only a few times per generation. There are waiting lists for it, and some people train for it for 40 years in the hope to be selected.

It’s almost 200 km long and goes through all cities in Frisia. It’s a huge achievement if you make it, in some years over 80% of the contestants dropped out. Our king did it in 1986 during his time with the marines. He used a fake name and only declared himself afterwards.

It’s an event that everyone watches, it’s not uncommon for an office to put TV’s everywhere so people can watch. The buzz of excitement in the weeks leading towards it is called Elfstedentocht-fever. When the committee leader says the words “It giet oan!” (It’s on!) in Frisian, the whole country goes into a frenzy.

Sadly the thickness of the ice fell short a couple of cms this year, and it couldn’t support thousands of contestants. It also couldn’t be organised because of Corona. Still, some experienced skaters like the previous winner of the Elfstedentocht skated it on their own.