I love my Knit Picks Needles

The sun is shining. My back feels so much better than yesterday so all is well in my world. I have quite a few photos of finished articles and new sock wool still to post but today is all about my new needles. I had heard about Knit Picks needles on several sock blogs and how sockers loved them so I asked , well more like sweet talked and coaxed, Vicky to order me a set when she next ordered from Get Knitted.com. Vicky being the good friend and trouper that she is promptly ordered for me. I really must learn how to order online. But then again maybe not as I would order far too much and have the screaming hab dabs when the credit card bill came.

Anyway I digress as per usual. I got the Knit Picks needles on Sunday and was going to use them when I started my niece Vicky's socks (2 Vicky's it's very confusing at times) but of course I could not wait to try them out so swopped the long term ever lingering Tiger socks onto them and am so impressed with the speed at which I can knit on them. I had managed to knit an inch or so on the second sock at the Knit Out using the bamboo US1 needles and on Sunday evening I progressed so fast on the Knit Picks that I actually turned the heel. Wow. They are though a tad slippy though and last night at the Knit Out in Salford I lost a stitch off the end of one needle and as the lighting in the pub is very dim I had to stop knitting as I could not see to latch up the slipped stitch. I am using the size US2 and not the US1 as when I tried the needles through my gauge they are slightly smaller than the same size in bamboo. I had already read on someones blog that they are slightly finer than the wood or bamboo which is why I tried a needle through the gauge first. I have done more inches of knitting per hour on the sock in the last 2 days than I have in the months they have been on the needles. I can't wait to start Vicky's socks now.

I have started crocheting a smaller version of the Sweet Pea shawl for Perran. I chained 20 sts less and that gave me 18 repeats instead of the 20 as the book. I have also dropped down to a size 4.50mm hook instead of the 5mm I would usually use. I know the book says 5.50mm hook but I tend to crochet slightly loosely so always drop a hook size for most things. I think that this will be a better manageable size for her.

The middle photo is some treasure trove that I found in the local charity shop. I always look and am rarely lucky but yesterday I found 2oo grams James C Brett Marble chunky, 200 grams of Patons Symphony and 400 grams of Patons Fab DK in a mix of colours all for £5 so I have plenty of hat yarn ready for my next hilarious attempts to make myself a wearable hat.

The electricians have just turned up to put a light and some plug sockets in my garage so I have to stop Buster from menacing them. He is not the best dog in the world where tradesmen are concerned. he takes it all very personally when they need to come into the house.

I think I came back from the Biobank with more than I went in with. I hardly ever get a cold and yet today I am sneezing like mad and my nose and eyes are running. There were a lot of people getting tested at the same time as me so there were probably a lot of germs lingering about. I can't take any cold remedies other than honey and lemon as the pain killers I am on have paracetamol in them and over the counter cold remedies contain it and so would overdose me. I have had flu jabs over the last 5 years and so rarely catch anything. I can't remember the last time that I had a bad cold. I have had two freshly squeezed oranges and will eat some more fruit today in an effort to boost up my Vit C levels.

I met my neighbour Jean today. She had a similar back op 6 weeks ago to the one planned for me and says she has never felt better. She is walking quite well and has hardly any pain now. Her X rays show that the bone fragments are knitting together nicely and everything is well. I feel more hopeful of the outcome of mine now although my op is more involved than hers it still shows me that things can only get better.