Tuesday 14 July 2009

My new hooks and patterns have arrived from Purplelinda




My order from Purplelinda has arrived. I think it was really fast service as I only ordered them late on Saturday night and as most places are closed on Sundays I didn't really expect them until later this week.

For my birthday last year Kath and Sylvia gave me a set of 11 coloured aluminium crochet hooks and I have enjoyed working with the different coloured hooks so I decided to treat myself to a full set as I didn't buy anything at Woolfest.I know I now have several hooks in each of the sizes but I do find that certain hooks work better with certain yarns and so I can't always use the same hook all of the time. For some projects I like a sharp point and others a more rounded one. The only hooks I cannot use are the wooden ones with the long curved handles. They are too long and uncomfortable and upset the balance and the flow of my work. The ones that I bought have now got a new home. I have got 3 Clover hooks thinking that with the wider handle they would be better for my arthritis but I find the crochet area too small and the handle too large. I must crochet quite low down the hook and not at the point. It's funny how we all have our own style of crochet. I see more variations of technique when people crochet than I see with knitting.I think we develop a style that suits us. I usually tell people when I am teaching them to crochet that there is no right or wrong way to crochet. You will develop your own style. The only time I ever show people a different style is when I see them knitting the wool over the crochet hook as that takes so much longer to do and makes them slow crocheters.

The baby bootie pattern that I ordered is one that I have been looking a long time for. I have seen it many times on projects on Ravelry and Flickr but as it is a Leisure Arts pattern not many places in the UK stock them. I took a deep breath as it cost almost £5 but I am sure I will get a lot of use from it. I also ordered a ball of the cotton to go with the pattern so that I could see what the thickness is for future purchases.

The last 6 patterns are some new baby patterns plus two adults ones. A couple of the baby patterns are closed stitch patterns and so suitable for any boy babies and small children. Two patterns are very girlie but I know that one baby is a girl so I can make her these before she arrives later this month. There is also a practical pram blanket done mostly in trebles. A little boring to make perhaps but if I chose a pretty wool then that will add a bit of interest.

My knee is very sore after hydrotherapy. I had a young physiotherapist who seems to have a bit of a sadistic streak and the exercises she made me do were very vigorous and OK at the time in the water but when I had to walk back to the bus my knee kept giving way on me as well as being extremely painful. The last few yard home were a killer.I am very tired today as I have been awake in pain most of the night. Will someone convince me that this hydrotherapy is doing me good as I seem to be worse now than when I started. Everyone medical seems to be convinced that exercise is the cure whereas I am convinced that something is not right inside the knee and exercise is only aggravating it.

Not much progress on Kath's sweater as last night I finished up watching Liz Smith (Nanna from the Royle family) Takes a Cruise on catch up BBC on the PC. Someone mentioned on Ravelry that she was crocheting a hat whilst on the cruise (which she later wore) and so I watched it to see. She is certainly an eccentric old lady with some strange opinions but I enjoyed watching it. If you want to watch it then click on the blog title for the link. The hat is brightly coloured with a huge flower.

2 comments:

Debbie T said...

Oh my! Not sure what to say except that Liz's hat certainly is a colorful one!
Jan, my mom has arthritis so bad in both her knees (needs replacements) that the doctor has told her he does NOT want her exercising or going for walks as it is bone on bone at this point. However, my doctor told me I have the start of arthritis in one of mine and that I need to walk, but it would be better if I could swim. I guess the best thing to do is whatever your doctor tells you, but have you maybe considered pre-medicating with an anti-inflammatory before you go to therapy? Just an idea....in any case, I hope you're feeling better with the arrival of your new goodies!!!

Zu said...

Wow Jan you got a lot of stuff! Lol I think you need to be banned from that site in the future. ;)
I find the prym hooks are my fave along with those double ended Japanese hooks I got. They have a rounded end which I find makes my crocheting smoother.