I have been hand-knitting since I was 7 or 8 years old, taught by my mother. I knitted my first Aran jumper when I was 15 years old and had it for years. My then boyfriend asked for one, and as I wanted a new challenge, I knitted his in the round on double-ended needles.  I didn't try traditional Fairisle until l was in my late teens/early 20s, when I was looking for something to relax me after a long day on the wards.

I was given a 'learn to crochet' book when I was about 13 years old - either for my birthday or Christmas - and taught myself the craft. I never did as much with crochet as I did knitting, using it mainly for edgings and borders. However, I have made quite a few hats and scarves, and have recently started to teach myself Tunisian crochet.

Machine-knitting became part of my skill-set in the early 1980s, when I got my first Brother punchcard machine. One of the first things I knitted on it was a christening gown for my eldest son, and that was a challenge. Over the years, I knitted a lot... fairisle, intarsia, tuck... you name it, I did it. I bought accessories as I could afford them, but then my work pattern changed and my free time was often away from home in a hotel room. Back to hand-knitting for a while (you can't take a machine with you). I retuned to machine knitting just over 15  years ago, and am more passionate about it now than ever.

Yarn-based crafts have been a constant in my life, even with things getting in the way sometimes. I still practise all three crafts, but machine-knitting is now my main passion, with hand-knitting following a close second. I'm gradually teaching my grandchildren to knit (some like knitting by hand, others using the machines) as I feel it's a useful skill to have in this fast-paced and stressful world we live in.