Anisette Vest - take 2

This is the 2nd version of the Anisette vest from the Amazing Lace book by Doris Chan. My first version turned out really small. It's amazing how differently the same yarn and the same hook can turn out with different patterns. The Drops one turned out too large, in my eyes, although the finished version was supposed to be 42" which to me isn't S/M! I think that the Anisette will turn out fine once it is blocked and stitched to resemble the photos from the book. I will leave that joy to Vicky J as I haven't got any blocking boards yet. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it! She will know how much it has to stretch to fit her anyway. It just gets stitched up under the arms for about an inch once it is blocked to size.

Today my neighbour Julie drove me up to Tesco and pushed my trolley around so that I could do a bit of shopping. After than I walked up to the Post Office to post off a parcel to Ambermoggie. She admired my purple granny square shawl and I decided that I probably wouldn't wear it myself so I posted it off to her. I am always making things that I finish up not wearing and so have decided in future if in doubt pass it on instead of cluttering my cupboards up with things I may never wear.

I have finished off the 3 colours of the granny squares for Vicky J's shawl and am awaiting the 4th colour so that I can make the last 10 squares in order to finish it. Last night I started a red version of Rah - Boom - Dee - Ay by Doris Chan as a bit of a fun item for my wardrobe. I will probably chicken out and not make the edges so frilly in the end. I will try it and see. If too elaborate when finished I shall unpick the edging and go for a more conservative one. I know - I am such a boring old chicken but I really can't picture myself in flowing lacy sleeves dripping in the water whilst I am washing the dishes!

My niece Vicky is coming tomorrow to re-gild the lily (do my roots) and on Friday I have been invited to a birthday house party at my neighbour Julie's. I think she has got so fed up with all the negative news she has had lately on the cancer front that she has decided to throw a birthday party to cheer herself up. I must enquire if it is her 40th. I have just bought a normal birthday card. I don't want to depress her even more by giving her a card saying Happy 40th and she is only 39! It will be good to get out of the house but I will probably only stay a couple of hours as I can't really drink and can't get very comfortable unless I am surrounded by my cushions. My back is still very tender and ordinary clothes annoy my back. I have only been able to wear sweat pant type trousers that are soft and baggy as I can't bear anything with a back seam. I have to cut out all the labels even though they are nowhere near the scar. It's like all my nerve endings in my back top to bottom are still raw and jangly. I am sure everything will improve with time.