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Anyway, with money in short supply and not much babysitting available, my hobbies became confined to more homely pursuits. I took up my (t)rusty needles and began to tackle handicrafts of various descriptions. Determined to find a craft I could, if not master, at least be passable at, I tried sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet, tapestry, cross stitch and even had a go at macramé. Nothing, if not ambitious, I even found some old instruction leaflets for smocking and eventually managed to fashion a smocked romper suit for the Son-and-Heir. Unfortunately, the beautiful garment was not finished until it was about two years too late for him to wear it!
There was also the sad tale of the Aran sweater intended for Lord Alex, which after one wash magically transformed into a dress. I think it better to draw a veil over the further macramé attempts, as I am pretty sure that there is still a ball of string and a tangled mess lurking in the attic grinning evilly at me, challenging me to have another try at making that elusive plant pot holder.
These setbacks, however, have not deterred me and I am still to be found wielding knitting needles and occasionally an embroidery hoop.