Saturday 28 May 2011

Where Do I Begin?

I will begin by praying that my Internet connection stays on long enough to post this blog. As I posted earlier I have been having intermittent problems where as soon as I have been connected I get disconnected within a couple of minutes. It's been very frustrating as I didn't realize how much I used the Internet. Anyway I will try to recap what has been happening to me over the last week.


This is now my little family of dolls ready for use as models for my crochet. The bigger doll on the left is a relic of my shop. She used to model baby dresses that I had in my window for sale. My niece said the she reminded her of Chucky as she has creepy plastic eyelashes!


I am still in the reorganizing mode. I got some more of the pop up laundry bags and sorted out my stash room once again. Everything is now contained in tubs, pop up bags or on the bookcase. As the bags and boxes are all see through I don't have to take ages rummaging for something that I know is in there somewhere. I also managed to pick up two more bags and a couple of very small storage boxes to use to keep my sewing needles, stitch pins and stitch markers and all the various bits and pieces that get lost in the bottom of my work box. I have also ordered a plastic drawer system (similar to the ones in garages for holding nails and screws) for all my little rosebud  trims and tiny buttons etc. I am getting so organized that I won't recognize this house soon. It's funny but I don't mind tidying I just hate housework but maybe once the clutter is organized then I won't feel as bad about that.


I always say that my local charity shops never have any wool. I passed by one yesterday and found these  goodies in the window. The Red and the Blue are pure wool. The red is DK and the blue is Aran. The lilac colour is pure cotton and I got them all for £15. Great bargain as there are 20 x 50 grams blue, 12 x 50 grams of red and 9 x 50 grams of lilac. They had lots more wool there but I didn't have much cash in my purse which is probably as well otherwise I would have bought the lot !!! I am sorely tempted to get on my scooter and have another browse there today.



This is the bread that I got from the Farmers market last Sunday. I gave the cheese bread in the centre to my son and all but the very small loaf, which is in the freezer, has now been eaten. The danish pastries were delicious. The circular ones had raisins in and the long ones had chocolate and a sort of vanilla custard. It's a good thing that the market only comes quarterly or I would be even fatter than I am. I also stocked the freezer with some lamb.


I finished off this top for my elder niece. I am really pleased with the way that it  has turned out and I believe that it fits her really well. She has promised to take photos of her wearing this top and the Doris Chan sleeveless top that I made for her also in the same colour.

This top took 6 x 50 gram balls of Sirdar Silky Look  DK in Chalky pink and the pattern is Flutter Sleeve Top from the Fabulous Flirty Crochet book by Katherine Lee. I did have to alter the pattern slightly as although my niece likes a low neck when I worked it to the pattern it was far too low of a neckline and would have shown all of her underwear. I changed it to start the V of the neckline on the same row as the armhole shaping and made the shoulders slightly wider than on the pattern. The tighter band under the bust makes it a flattering top to anyone with a good bust line.

My washer is broken. Two repair men came almost immediately after I phoned them. Hummed and haahed over it for about an hour and them left saying it required some parts which they didn't have and would have to be ordered for me. I got a phone call this morning saying that they would be coming back on Tuesday but not next week - the week after!. Luckily I had just bought some new underwear so I have plenty of everything to wear until then. It's a good job that there is only me to wash for or I would have a pile reaching up to the sky by the time they arrive.

I am now crocheting a top for myself. I only have a ball to crochet into it so hopefully, Internet willing, there will be photos soon. I also have some knitting and crochet photos to show you from a second hand baby book that I bought last week.

Yesterday I went to the hospital for the results of the 2 scans. I might has well have saved the £22 that I spent on the taxi. I saw the 'big' man himself but he was in and out of the room in about 2 minutes. He didn't seem to know that I had scans for infection and said Oh they must have been OK. Told me that what I needed now was a course of physiotherapy of heat and massage to get rid of the swelling in my knee. He then went on to say that their physio department didn't do that any more due to cut backs so I should consider a physio in the private sector or get a friend to massage my knee daily !! Since I don't have the £35 per visit that it takes to see a private physio maybe I should advertise on Match.com for a man with hot hands and massage techniques. (And we all know what kind of replies that I would get with that ad !!)

The specialist then went on to say that I should invest in an exercise bike and not the set of exercise pedals that I already have. Where does he think that I have money for something like that? They have massive salaries and don't seem to understand how the rest of us live. He blithely dismissed the purple legs as having varicose veins. Unless they are well hidden I wasn't aware that I had any. Is that something else I have to  worry about but that wearing surgical support stockings wouldn't help. I came out of the consultation more confused than when I went in. I was hoping for some explanation and answers and all I got was more theories. I am now supposed to be having a scan on my other knee as that isn't functioning properly. Watch this space. Maybe I will finish up like Long John Silver and just get a wooden leg.

I am going to pray that the Internet stays on long enough to post this long blog page. As for tomorrow keep your fingers crossed that the cosmos keeps me connected.

5 comments:

Beansieleigh said...

Hi Jan! I love anything that helps me organize! And now I've really done it! I doubled the NEED for space, as I not only crochet now, but scrapbook too; and I don't know WHERE I think all this space is coming from! (sigh)... Love the top you made for your niece, and all those baked goods from Farmers Market look delicious! I've been wanting to bake here at home, but the weather is getting so warm, that I'm afraid to make it any worse by firing up the oven! So, as soon as it DOES cool down, sometime, I'm going to take advantage while I can and make some homemade goodies like breads and cookies.. Sorry to hear the problems you're still having with your legs, and THEN your WASHER. Wishing you the best on both issues.. Have a great weekend! Enjoy! ~tina

Anonymous said...

What a week you have had. After all that you deserve a treat. Get on that scooter and head back to the yarn shop. You can't have too much yarn when you can get it for that price.

crazymotheringchick said...

The bread looks yummy. I eat way too much bread, I'm sure it's a big part of the reason I am not slim and trim.

That top is lovely! I'll bet your niece looks gorgeous in it. The stitch pattern is very nice.

I put a nice shelf in my bedroom, thinking it would hold my books. Ha ha. I am constantly putting more yarn in/on it, and will need another one, I guess.......

What an ordeal with the leg, yes? I was thinking about you yesterday, wondering how it was going. Hope it heals well.

Can't wait to see the new top you're making.

Becks said...

Ok, where's that charity shop? Great bargain!
Lovely top, I bet it looks great worn.
Boo to the washing machine, and the consultant. They live on a different planet don't they?
Hope things get sorted soon.

marg41 said...

You have been having a rotten time of it! I can only guess how frustrated you must have been with your 'big man' as you say they do not live in the real world. Love the top for your niece, she is a very lucky lady. What a bargin with your supply of wool from the charity shop, you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Last week I was lucky too, I managed to pick up a ball of wool, still with the band on, for 50c (about 25 pence)I had a couple of balls of this wool, but not enough to make the shawl I wanted to make! It was the same dye lot too!
Best of luck with the washing machine, we take these things so much for granted when they are working!! I have been in the wars too - last week I managed to dislocate and break my little toe!!! It is now taped to the next toe. Have to keep it elevated as much as possilbe, which means I am doing a fair bit of knitting. Just finished a shawl and now in the middle of making bed socks for a friend. Enjoy your weekend.