Not Much Crocheting Done Lately

Not much crocheting has been done over the last couple of days. I am still in the cleaning and tidying up mode. So much of the house has been ignored or glossed over for the last 12 months since I had my spinal operation and subsequent knee operation even now it is not being cleaned to my satisfaction. It will not be up to my pre op standards. I am still limited with what I can do as my knee, although thanks to the physio/osteo and the ice packs is slowly improving, I still can't clean as well as I would like. It's difficult to get to places when my knee won't bend properly and I cannot kneel. Still at least I have started and albeit very slow progress the house is getting cleaner by the day.

Yesterday I had time off from cleaning and mowed the lawn instead. The lawn had grown like a meadow with all the rain we have had lately and it took me quite some time as my poor old lawnmower kept cutting a bit and then stopping for a while. The grass was still wet underneath and I had to wait for it to dry out layer by layer. Eventually I got it done although I must confess that my knee didn't like it one bit. Still it has to be done. The hedge could do with a trim but I decided not to try to do too much in one day.

My two nieces came to visit me yesterday. My younger niece lives in London so I don't get to see her often. The had been visiting Garstang where my Mum and Dad used to have a caravan. They said it was beautiful there and hadn't changed much at all.

Today is my son and daughter in law's wedding anniversary. I hope that they have a good day. No doubt they celebrated at the weekend. I have sent them a congratulation phone text but didn't ring as they will probably be at work.

I have finished crocheting the baby cardigan but as you can see if needs stitching together and buttons added. I have started the hat. I have not enjoyed doing this pattern with this wool. The wool has a silky thread which keeps snagging up as I make the bobbles. I think the yarn is more suited to being knitted and not crocheted. The black crochet is the start of another Doris Chan All Shawl.

I have been icing my knee whilst writing this blog and my 15 minutes is up so it's back to the cleaning. I will take a break and shower soon as my niece is taking me to the Knit Club tonight.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions

Necessity is the mother of all inventions was one of my Father's favourite expressions. What has that got to do with my blog you may ask. In the wee small hours this morning I woke up in extreme pain as per usual when even the duvet was causing more pain to my knee with it's heaviness. I have tried over the last couple of weeks to make a nest for my knee using pillows and nothing seemed to work. Last night I got up for a bathroom trip and to try to walk the pain off when my eyes spotted the under washbasin tidy. Brain wave. It's circular and could make a cage for the bedding to keep the weight off my knee. I threw all the contents off it and limped in the bedroom with it. Eureka. Instant leg cage. It must have worked as I slept the rest of the night and work up in a lot less pain than usual.

My niece came today to do my roots ready for her sister's wedding next Saturday and had such a laugh when I showed her the new use for the bathroom tidy. She said it doesn't matter how silly it looks as long as it works. She then made me feel better by saying that her work colleague had the same op and felt worse for a few weeks but is now glad that she had the op done as all is fine.

The jacket is progressing slowly and I have high hopes of it being finished to wear for the wedding.

The first photo is one of the promotional photos taken for the Knitting Noras Naked Knitting Calendar. Lisa, Vicky and Bev are shown wearing nothing but shawls and I presume big smiles as by all accounts they had a whale of a time taking the photos last week. I am proud that 2 of the shawls used in the photo came from my hands. The adaptation of Blue Curacao by Doris Chan worn by Lisa on the left and the Sweet Pea shawl from Stitch and Bitch worn by Bev on the right. I hope that you are all following our blogs and if anyone wants to pre order a calendar then please visit the TKN web page (no money required at this stage) and show us some support. The Naked Knitting blog is updated regularly to show which stage of the calendar we are up to presently. Follow the links from my favourite blogs on the right hand side of the page.

Another of the Knitting Noras has ventured into blogland. Eadaoin has her own blog and I will post the link on my favourite blogs links. Eadaoin has a dry sense of humour and always makes me smile with her quirky comments. She always has a quick come back comment whereas I think of my comments much later when I am alone and in bed. It's amazing the funny things I say then, I even make myself laugh. I must have a delayed response.

Today is sunny but rather chilly. I can hear my neighbour Julie's lawn mower whirring away making me feel rather guilty that my grass is similar to the verse in Oklahoma where they sing the grass is as high as an elephant's eye! Maybe I can totter the mower down the steps after lunch.