Another pink crochet blanket finished

I think I am getting a bit fed up with the colour pink. I finished the basket weave blanket but as I ran out of donated yarn in that brand and colour I had to give it a white and green border so I am not really pleased with it. I think it would have been far nicer all in pink. I have cast on a knitted 4ply ballerina jacket that I found in Erika Knight's book Simple Knitting for Cherished Babies but I am getting a bit bored with it already as it is garter stitch which is not my favourite stitch. I feel that I am knitting 2 rows for every row the garment grows in length. Plus the fact I am on smaller needles to make it small enough for a premature baby. I will make this one and then adapt it for stocking stitch and try using the correct size needles and scale down the stitches next time. Guess which colour I am using? You guessed - more donated pink. I will have to change colour for my next knitting before I go mad even though I still have quite a few more balls of donated pink yarn.

My friend Vicky http://web.mac.com/vhjeffery/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html who I was helping with her crochet has had a mention on Debbie Tomkies web site. http://www.dtcrafts.co.uk/gallery/gallery12.html

Vicky is far more adventurous than I will ever be and has dyed her own yarn and I think has actually spun some yarn as well. She describes this on her blog if you click on the link. I am pitifully pathetic in that department and will probably continue to buy my yarns ready dyed and balled. Maybe one day I will get the urge to get some Kool Aid and have a go myself. Vicky is also getting involved with knitting miniature jumpers and handbags to be attached to key rings to be sold to raise funds for Breast Cancer. If anyone is interested I (or Vicky) could pass on details of who is running it if you are interested in making some to aid the charity.

My hospital appointment didn't go as well as planned. I was greeted with - Oh you are the lady with the tingling in her fingers!! I looked at my niece and she at me in disbelief. No I am not the lady with tingling fingers - that was dealt with last year by a different hospital thank you. I am the lady who got forgotten in the system for the last 2yrs the one with the bad back. He then said he needed another MRI scan as he can't work on one more than 6 months old and mine is 2yrs old. I am now waiting for my 4th MRI scan and X rays to see what he can do for me. He said it is quite possible that with my spinal stenosis and osteoporosis it would not be beneficial to me to have an operation as it could make matters worse ! Argh! I felt gutted to think I have been pinning my hopes on an operation that will cure the crippling back pain and now I get told that it may not be a feasible idea. I can have an immediate operation to stop my legs going numb but it will do nothing for the back pain. I am going to wait and see what the results on the MRI scan are first. I am carrying on with my diet even though he said there was nothing wrong with my weight, he said that once before and then at the 11th hour said he could not operate because I was morbidly obese ! I guess will be just a question of keep on dieting, keep walking the dog and wait and see.

I finally got the results of the rib X ray I had done 6 weeks ago (different hospital) and there is no rib fracture so I am free to resume my exercise programme with BEATS at the local gym. Tomorrow I will go back to my water aerobics class - car permitting. It must have been a deep muscle tear or sprain in the chest and rib area. It certainly was very painful for about 4 weeks but thankfully the pain has now gone.

The evening has galloped past and I haven't done much knitting or crochet tonight. I will try to get a couple more hours in before bedtime.