More Deliveries

More deliveries today. The machine cones were delivered to me via Royal Mail. I bid for them on EBay as I am having difficulty finding anyone who stocks machine cones that aren't single colours. I am sure that there must be an online shop somewhere that I am missing. I have tried the usual machine knitting cone outlets but everything is either in plain colours or in very thin shiny viscose. I just have to keep looking out on EBay but unfortunately for me that all seem to have been put on the site this week. As I have been looking so long I dare not let these go at these prices. These are not for baby things but for shawls and scarves later in the year..

Two more patterns arrived, or rather one did and the other one I had to pick up from the Post Office. The same thing happened yesterday. Yesterday someone had re-used a stamp and so I had to pay the postage and today there was no stamp on it at all. I have had patterns from both of these sellers before and nothing was wrong with the postage then so I won't name and shame them. I just hope that it doesn't happen again as I am getting fed up of the ride to the sorting office. There is no room to turn the scooter around and today I got stuck on an kerb and must have accidentally knocked the manual switch on my scooter. I couldn't understand for a few minutes why it wouldn't go.

Another little jacket finished. This time it is darker coloured so I made it larger. I didn't use a pattern for this but I did write it down in shorthand so hopefully I will be able to follow it again should it be needed.

I made a baby hat from the pattern that arrived yesterday. I think that the Quickerknit specified on the pattern must have been more of a chunky as this hat has turned out to fit a premature baby. I am not over fond of the bobble stitch. It is hard to keep the bobbles all the same size and also I feel that little baby fingers will pull at the bobbles and stretch out the strings of the stitch. I have a feeling that it will look tatty in a short while. I will have to adapt this pattern if I make any more. I like that shape so will have to improvise.

More hats to make tonight, I think, but I am probably better at hats when I make the pattern up myself instead of using a pattern. It's just a matter of getting the shaping right at the top and then it's all improvisation after that.

A Summers Day

This is more like it. I awoke to beautiful sunshine. I was up at 6am and I am so glad otherwise I might have missed some of this glorious day. Never mind the housework I have been sitting out in the sunshine most of the day. Underneath my parasol of course as I didn't want to get sun burned. My skin hasn't got acclimatised to the sun so far this year. I have still caught the sun today. I only have to look at the sun for 5 minutes and I go brown. My niece finds it strange that even though I don't actively sunbathe just by being outside in it  my skin gets a tan. I usually wear shorts and a vest top when the weather is nice so any tiny amount of sun seems to catch me. My late Mother used to call this way of getting a tan as weathering. My knees love the warmth. They have had a really good day

I have had my feet up and have been crocheting most of the day. The sun has now gone off the back garden so it's time to sit in the front room and enjoy the rest of the sunshine albeit through glass. I have been making some more  cardigans for the new foster baby. I should have at least one more to show you by tomorrow. I am using some James C Brett baby Marble DK that Sylvia bought from Bury market a couple of years ago. It was to be for her then new foster baby which was supposed to be a girl but when it arrived it was a boy. She told me to keep the yarn as one day it would come in useful. Now it has with the arrival of baby M.

This is a cardigan that I finished off yesterday. I used some white baby quicker knit that my friend Sue gave to me. I used a double knit pattern by Kay Jones Number 166. The cardigan was coming out a bit smaller than the pattern as the yarn was finer so I made the 2nd size instead of the first.

It is the first time that I have used this pattern but it was so quick and easy that I have no doubt that I will be using it again in the near future.

Today I had another little visitor. Poppy, the little dog from next door. When I am in the garden she often comes to visit me. This caused a bit of a problem though as my little black cat visitor decided to hop over the fence to see me too. Luckily the cat spotted Poppy and leapt back over the fence again. I have now found out little black cat's name. Her Dad was mowing the lawn so I asked him. She is called Lily. If she comes back tomorrow I now can call her by her name.

I was trying to sort out the mess of papers on my desk today. I have a habit of putting things that need to be dealt with on my desk, I only usually file away once a bill is paid. It's lucky that I did as I was convinced that my left knee scan was in the middle of July when in fact it is on Tuesday. Whew I might have missed that if I hadn't tidied up my desk today.

It's on days like this that I wish that I still had the small barbecue. I am not cleaning the big barbecue just for one small piece of chicken for my dinner. It's a waste of charcoal. I will put it in the oven instead. It's a shame that no-one in the neighbourhood has a barbecue going as I could have asked if I could pop my bit of chicken on theirs. Nothing like being cheeky is there ;-)  I haven't bothered giving the big barbecue a good clean this year as there hasn't been the weather for it.  I don't have a posh one. Just an open brick one that my ex built at the bottom of the garden and being open to the elements it gets very dirty over the winter. I bought a tiny portable one but left it outside and it all went rusty. There just hasn't been the nice weather to tempt me into buying another one. I would have to ask someone to get me one from the hardware store as it is too far away for me to go on my scooter. Local shops have almost disappeared with the advent of all these out of town DIY superstores.

 Today it has been lovely and peaceful in the garden. The only noise was the young children playing in the paddling pool but I don't mind that kind of noise. Luckily I was up early this morning as the local small boys decided on a noisy game of football on the street about 8.30am which didn't please the neighbours who were trying to have a Sunday morning lie in!

Time to put the chicken in the oven and see what delights are in store for me on the TV tonight. Hopefully I will have another baby jacket to show you tomorrow.

Baby Crochet Jacket

Crocheting a baby jacket is like a holiday to me. I should have been starting knitting my niece's jacket but as I was going to my friend Sylvia's house for the day I didn't want to take anything with me that I could not concentrate on or work with pointed needles when there are babies running about. I left the jacket with her but this time Sylvia reminded me to take a photo of the finished jacket. I usually forget when I finish things off at her house. The pattern is Princess from the Crochet Babies book. If you are not sure which book this is then it is in my library on Ravelry. It took 200 grams of Wendy Beach Babes DK which although it is acrylic it does have a cottony feel to it as it has a twist to it making it feel more crepey rather than woolly looking.

Yesterday was a good day but I did come home rather knackered. Sylvia's friend, who also fosters, was there with her two babies so we had 4 kids under 4 in fact it may have been 4 kids under 3 LOL The bigger two are boys and they went a bit mental chasing each other around and generally demolishing the toy boxes. I might have been able to cope with lots of kids when I was young but not now. It was OK for a day but my hat goes off to those who deal with it on a daily basis. I think God gives us babies when we are young for a reason. I was only fortunate to have the one baby. None of my other babies got past the 3 month pregnancy stage so I am grateful that at least I got one. I never wanted a large family but another one would have been nice. Maybe that is why I love making things for babies.If I had a few of my own then maybe the baby crocheting bug would have passed me by.

The postman has just knocked and brought me another old book that I ordered online. It cost me 1p plus £2.80 postage so if there is only one pattern in it that I like then I have still saved money as single patterns can be up to £3 each or more if they are downloads through Ravelry. I have paid $8 and $10 for some of those. I will post some photos tomorrow when I have browsed it.

Time for a coffee now, feet up and looking through my crochet book. What better way to start the day. I am going to Knit Club tonight so it will be a good day all around today. It doesn't take much to keep me happy. If only the sun would shine! Still I can't have everything.

Hurray for Mondays

I don't usually like Mondays much as a rule but today has been a good day. The sun shone. OK it wasn't warm but at least it wasn't raining!

I had a few phone calls in the morning, did a bit of washing and then had a visit from an old friend who brought me a knitting machine and ribber which belonged to his late mother which I am passing on to another friend. We had a chat outside and another friend who knows both of us joined in the chat. These are the things that you can do on a sunny day. It's no wonder that I feel better on a sunny day than on a wet rainy miserable day. I miss days like this when the weather turns cold and everyone huddles indoors.

I have finished a crochet baby cardigan. The pattern is number 173 from Kay Jones If you click n my blog title and scroll down it is the last pattern on the page. She is UK based and therefore writes her patterns in UK terms which for me is far easier to understand. I have to make another cardigan in the same colour and pattern but I am going to wait until this one gets tried on to see if the second baby needs one bigger or smaller than this one. The wool is Robin Bonny Babe DK and is basically white with little flecks of pink.lilac and lemon. The little flowers have pearl beads in the centre on the pattern but the person I am making these cardigans for doesn't want me to put those on. It has taken 100 grams.

I am now making another of Kay Jones baby patterns. A sweater in cream lustre. It may be finished tomorrow if I have any time to crochet during the day.

Tonight I went to the Kings Arms Knit Club. I was lucky enough to get a lift from Pam as I really don't like waiting for buses after dark. There were not as many there as usual. Nine if I counted right. Jane was there and for the first time since I have been going to the Kings she wasn't knitting her plarm (plastic yarn) bags. Her niece is having a baby so she was busy knitting baby clothes. Rachael is going to do a residency in Germany with her art for 3 months soon so I hope that the Knit Club will continue to be as popular whist she is away. It is the second anniversary of the start of the club soon and she is thinking of what to do to celebrate it this year. Last year we went to an Italian restaurant in Monton but I hope we choose somewhere more central this time.

Iced Knee Anyone?

I went to the physio/osteopath yesterday. I limped in and almost walked out which I will take as a sign of improvement. He read my hospital letters and then examined my knee and deduced that there is a lot of inflammation in and around the joint which has to be got rid of before I will feel any significant improvement. He did a lot of gentle massage with a bit of subtle pressing as if he was trying to manipulate something in my knee back into place although I didn't feel anything move. He then did ultrasound waves on it for 5 minutes. I have had this treatment before many years ago on my hip. It doesn't feel like anything is happening but it breaks down things inside I presume inflammation etc. He then did a bit more massage followed by 5 minutes attached to a machine that sends mild electrical impulses through the muscles.

My knee felt much easier after the session was over. He advised me to get some hot/cold packs and put them in the freezer. I have to use them for 15 minutes 3 times a day. I am wearing leisure pants today so I have had to sit in my panties (which is not a pretty sight) whilst wearing them. I think that I will wear a skirt tomorrow as I doubt the neighbours want my legs inflicted on them if they glimpse them through the bay window as they walk past! The physio asked me if I had taken glucosomene. I said I had but not noticed much improvement so he said to buy some Devils Claw. I asked for this with some trepidation at the pharmacy and although they don't sell it they can get me some for today. The lady behind the counter said her friend swears by it as it is a herbal type remedy specifically for swollen knees. I am at the stage where I will try anything once so I will call and get my tablets today and give them a whirl. If conventional medicine doesn't work then I am all for trying the age old remedies.

I have another appointment for Friday. I have decided to give this treatment a fair crack of the whip even though to be honest I cannot really afford to have many sessions. I am just at the stage where I am so glad that someone is taking my pain serious and doing something to try to help me. The physio said that he cannot understand why the NHS no longer do physio properly and just hand people bits of paper with a list of exercises on. He agreed with me that the list of exercises should come once the treatment stopped in order to keep the knee flexible over a long term period.

The crochet has hit a bit of a stop as I was out most of yesterday. I did get to the Salford Arms Knit Club last night courtesy of my niece who kindly gave me a lift there. It felt so nice to be back there as I haven't been for quite a while. Not as many there as usual but we had a good time and it was one of those laughing type nights where we all had a really good time. There is nothing like a good laugh for making me feel better. Apparently the pub has a laughing club that meets in another room every Monday but we didn't hear much laughter from them last night. I think the Knit Club out laughed them! Rachel met them a couple of weeks ago and said they looked a very sombre lot for a laughing club.

The crochet photos today are of a turquoise cardigan that I have crocheted for Sylvia's foster baby from some of the wool that I got from my Freecycle donation bag. It is another of my very old Sirdar patterns. I have put a photos of it just in case it is still in production under another number.

The child's bolero has finally dried which to me proves that it is either all cotton or has a high percentage of cotton as it has taken almost a week to dry on it's blocking boards. I will put some photos of it tomorrow.

Floral Fantasy Pullover finished

The Floral Fantasy Pullover from Lion Brand is finished. I can't model it as it is for Kath and she is considerably smaller than me I don't think that she would appreciate it if I stretched it out for her. I haven't blocked it out so it looks a bit jagged and uneven where the squares are stitched up. I will leave that for Kath to do if she needs it to be any bigger. The arms look very long to me but her mum assures me that Kath has long arms and that sweaters are usually too short for her. I don't think that this sweater's sleeves are too short. I didn't keep count of how many balls of mohair I used and when I asked Kath she wasn't sure how many she gave me. I think that it has probably taken 8 x 50 gram balls, I had to change the hook to 7mm to get the tension right so I think Kath's wool was thinner than the one specified on the pattern. If you want a copy of the pattern then click on the blog title to take you to the free pattern.

I knitted a few hours on the baby cardigan yesterday and have completed about three quarters of the back but the lure of my new shiny crochet hooks (especially a red one)and patterns tempted me away from it last night.I can resist chocolate and alcohol but not the lure of the hook. When I think of how much I used to knit it amazes me how long it seems to take me to knit anything these days plus with my wrist problems my knitting tension is very uneven which gives my stocking stitch a strange ridged look which I am not really happy with.

I started the crochet hooded baby jacket from my new patterns with some left over wool so I doubt if I will have enough to make it with a hood. I think that the wool I am using is thicker than the pattern but it will give me an idea of how the pattern works up before I buy some new baby wool to make it. I am sure it will be worn by Sylvia's foster baby if it fits him. If she likes it I can always make another in better colours and softer baby wool. I managed to make most of the back in just a couple of hours. I think I love the instant gratification of crochet although if I am honest I do like the look of knitting for babies. It's smoother and softer for them to wear.

Buster is coming again this afternoon for a couple of days whilst my son and his wife pack up the caravan and bring it home again. I just wish that my knee enabled me to walk him as I used to. He is very patient with me whilst I hobble around but it can't be much fun for him.

My knee isn't too bad today but then I did nothing yesterday. I don't know what the answer is. I understand what the physio is saying and that I should exercise it but I have been going down this exercise route now since March and the exercise does not seem to be improving the knee at all. As Knitnurd said in her comment her mother has been told not to walk on something that is bone on bone whereas I have been told that exercise will help with my arthritic bone on bone. There are so many different opinions and whilst I don't want to sit all day and do nothing I am finding it really hard lately to force myself to exercise every day and then lie awake in pain all night. There must be a happy medium.