Short and Sweet (but longer)

I am not sure what to call this now it is finished. Short and Sweet (but longer) or Long and Sweet? Whatever name it goes by it is basically the Short and Sweet shrug by Angela Best from the Happy Hooker Stitch and Bitch book but with longer sleeves and body. Oh and I should also mention that I made it in a finer wool so I have a lot more pattern rows to this shrug than on the pattern

As usual with a US pattern I am never sure what they mean by medium worsted 4 weight. The first time that I made it I used a UK aran weight and whilst it did come out nearer to the size on the pattern my niece found it to be far too heavy for a summer shrug. Since then I have used a UK double knit, crocheted larger sizes than I needed and just added more rows to the pattern.

I had to hold the shrug together with my scarf pin as it hasn't been blocked yet and kept curling under whilst I was trying to take it's photo. The pattern will spread when it is blocked so it will widen out and the bands will stop curling.

I had some good news today in the post. I got a letter saying that I have passed my pre operation tests. I am just waiting now for the confirmation letter saying that my operation will go ahead as planned in July. Just because I passed one bit doesn't automatically mean that I will get the operation. It is still up to the surgeon to make the final decision. I have been cancelled on the day of operations twice in the past. I once got to the operating room doors when they decided to cancel me. I never get worried about operations as I don't believe thay are going ahead until I wake up in the recovery room. When I was having my tonsils taken out I woke up still with them. When they started the operation they discovered that I had an ulcerated throat way down where they hadn't seen it so the surgeon cancelled the operation because of the risk of infection.

I think that I will start another baby jacket tonight. My niece is coming tomorrow to do my roots for me. I have left the roots showing on my hair longer than I would usually do because I wanted them to be done not only for my operation but that they would look OK for a few weeks afterwards when I am going to struggle to shower etc. I know that I have to wear surgical socks on both legs for a few weeks but I am not sure how long the dressings underneath will have to stay dry. Luckily my shower head detaches so at least I can wash one half of my body! Perhaps I can tape a large bin bag liner to the other leg?

It's a duller day today with signs of rain. I still have the patio door and the windows open though as it is quite a warm muggy day. No sign of Poppy today as yet but there is still time when they come home from work later. I must have missed her this morning. She has left me some scrabble marks on the patio door window to let me know that she was around.

Last night I was awakened by a yowling cat fight. I live on a street of cats who stay out all night. Sometimes they sound just like babies crying. I always have to get up and check that they are OK. I am nervous ever since my late cat was in a face off with a fox many years ago. Luckily when I opened the door the fox shot off and the cat came indoors. I am not sure what would have happened if I hadn't woken up.We live so close to woodland that we often get foxes prowling about during the night and I have seen them in my back garden regularly. They trigger my security light.

Time to decide what to make for dinner but I think I will choose my next project over a cup of coffee first. I am not that hungry yet.

Pre Op Test Day

Yesterday was the day I had to visit the hospital for my second set of pre op tests for my knee operation. I am now waiting to find out what they found wrong this time and even if there is nothing wrong then the weight issue is raising it's ugly head once more. According to the nurse the surgeons have said no operations ( unless urgent) for anyone whose BMI is over 40 and mine is 43. My tests show that apart from my weight my lungs and heart are perfectly healthy but apparently that doesn't matter. To get any help with my weight I would have to have a BMI of 50 or more, It seems that if your BMI is in the 40's then you are in no man's land. Not considered fat enough for help and too fat for an operation.

The nurse said she would let me know one way or the other but I have not had a phone call so far. I still might get a phone call this afternoon or maybe Monday. I cannot even think about the operation until I get told that it is definitely going ahead. It seems to me that if you have money and can pay you get things done. If they had given me a knee replacement instead of the arthroscopy then my BMI would have been OK. The good news is that I haven't put any weight on in the last 9 months even though I thought that I had. Unfortunately I do weigh more than when I had my last operation 18 months ago. I got very upset when the nurse said that my weight could stop me from having this operation on the date that I have been given. I told her that I am getting really pissed off and already on medication for depression. I must have shown how upset I was as she kept telling me to calm down and stop worrying and that everything would be OK. I said how can you say that when you have just told me that the surgeons won't operate on anyone considered to be overweight?

I travelled to hospital on the slowest bus 484 in Manchester. The good thing to come out of an hour long journey both ways was that I managed to crochet a back and two fronts of a very tiny blue cardigan on the bus. I have finished one tiny blue crocheted double breasted cardigan but now have 3 things on the hook and needle. The blue jacket I started yesterday just requires stitching together and the bands crocheting. The white crochet jacket only has a back crocheted so far and the knitted cardigan only has about 4" knitted. I think that I have some work to do this weekend.

I am hopefully going to visit the foster baby and take his jackets with me. I intended to go today but am waiting in for the phone call that probably won't come. I have decided to go now on Sunday which means I will have to set off earlier than I intended as it is the local Carnival and they will close off the main road for hours so that the procession can walk down the main road. I need to leave my house before the road closes around 12.30pm.

My little furry friend Poppy came to visit me this morning and fell asleep on the carpet for an hour or so. I think that she likes sleeping on carpet as her owners have laminate flooring. They came to find her after a while. I said she only comes to leave me a parcel on the lawn and for a sleep! I must remember to pick them all up before the gardener comes on Monday.

Time for a coffee and carry on with my baby jackets. Today is miserable and rainy. Quite a change from the lovely sunshine we had yesterday. I never know what to wear these days. I usually wear layers and then I can add one or take one off depending on the weather.

Inside Crochet Issue 7

My copy of Inside Crochet number 7 arrived from Pavi yarns this morning. I only ordered it from Pavi yarns a couple of days ago so that was really fast service. I also ordered a plain black shawl pin as I have seen them advertised on line and this was the closest version of what I was looking for and about half the price of the others that I had seen. They have these pins in a variety of colours but I can't afford one for every shawl so just stayed with black to match everything.

Once I have finished off the second version of the crochet Baby Surprise jacket I am going to settle down with my learn Tunisian DVD and a hook and have another try at learning the technique. Tunisian crochet and broomstick crochet seem to be making a comeback and I need to learn both skills for Doris Chan's new book and also for the broomstick crochet cardigan by Sarah Sutherland on the front cover of Inside Crochet.

I took a close up shot of the broomstick lace cardigan to show how pretty the stitch when it comes out right. I have a wooden broomstick but it might be too large for learning crochet. My needles dates back from when broomstick knitting was all the fashion back in the 60's and 70's.

The purple Trefoil scarf by Robyn Chachula has ribbon threaded all around the edges making it making it look very feminine with the lacy pattern as well as the ribbons.

The belted tweed jacket by Melissa Horozewski is a warm looking jacket with it's wooden beads threaded on the edges of the belt. I would make it with long sleeves id the jacket was for me.The pattern calls for Rowan felted tweed which would put me off as I would be doing the twitching dance if I wore anything like that.

The flower cardigan by Sian Brown is a fun idea for summers. I like the style but am not impressed by the huge flower motifs that have been used. I have a book with hundreds of crochet and knitted flowers which are far nicer then those flowers.

I can admire the broomstick crochet stitch on the cap and cape by Helen Jordan. I would call it more of a capelet than a cape myself.

The blue organic stole by Annette Petavy. It uses two different crochet stitches to make a wide pretty stole. I think that I fell in live with it for the colour as much as anything as I do love the rich jewel type colours.

The Plum blossom shawl by Dora Ohrenstein has a pretty openwork pattern almost like a pineapple in design. Once again I think that the colour attracts me as well as the pattern stitch.

The little girls Pretty Pastel tunic by Nicki Trench is a pretty stitch but is very openwork and would have to be worn with trousers as shown or over another dress as an overlay.

The book also has a bag, slouch beret and small shrug along with photographic how to do broomstick crochet instructions. My one complaint about this magazine is that it has far too much padding in the way of articles. Pages and pages about fibre farms, book reviews, artist interviews and articles about different expensive wools. Some people might like reading all of these articles but to me I see them as written adverts and I would far rather see more patterns and less of these page filling articles. 14 patterns for £4.99 is rather expensive compared with the Interweave Crochet and Crochet today magazines.

The hospital has just rung me about attending another pre op assessment. This is when they found a water infection last time so lets hope that my course of antibiotics and all the of the cranberry juice and cranberry extract tablets that I have been taking every day since have kept away any more infection from my waterworks.

I had quite a good sleep (for me) last night so I can;t understand why I am so tired. I have fallen asleep at the desk twice whilst typing this blog and the phone call from the hospital woke me up last time. I discovered that I had filled the page with hundreds of full stops as I must have fallen asleep with my fingers on the keyboard! Time for a reviving cup of coffee I think.

Two New Knees

No photos today as I have been at the hospital most of the day and so didn't get much crochet done. I did, of course, take some crochet with me but as I was hopping about between departments most of the time I didn't get a lot done.

I had gone prepared for a fight about my knees as last time I was deemed too fat for a new knee. I took a taxi there as I was afraid of being late. My knees were painful and I was feeling a bit cross due to my being awake all night in pain. I need not have worried about being late as the clinic was already running an hour behind when I got there about 10-15am.

To cut a long story short I had more X rays and both of my knees are basically buggered. I knew something was wrong when the big cheese specialist came in and shook my hand. He said something inside my right knee has shunted and needs to be operated on soon. The arthroscopy hadn't worked. I think that I told him words to that effect shortly after the last operation but was told to go away and exercise and all would be well! The left knee will be done as soon as the right knee heals.I had a bit of a laugh in the X ray dept when they asked me to stand on one leg with the other one raised bent behind me. I said Hey I gave up the ballet as a teenager. If I could raise my legs up there then I wouldn't need new knees! We had another giggle in the cardio dept. I am naughty I know but I don't tell them beforehand that I have arrhythmia. I like to watch their faces as they watch the beats. I kinda like the odd rhythm that I was born with. It has a funky beat when I am linked up to a heart monitor!

The specialist never mentioned my weight except to say that I should try my hardest to lose some so that my recovery will be better as the less weight on it as it heals the better. I had all of my pre op tests done whilst I was at the hospital and am on the waiting list. The wait is around 3 months at the moment. I have been wearing my hospital nighties so I will need to get a couple more. I have some but they are sleeveless and it might still be cold if I go in hospital around April/May. Maybe this time I will get to wear the bed jacket that I made and didn't wear after my spinal surgery as the week that I was in it was a heatwave.

I have an appointment to see my GP on Tuesday as my eczema on my lower calves and ankles was really bad today and the specialist commented on it and said that I needed to get some help with it before it becomes infected.

I am hoping that this news will lift my spirits as I have been a bit depressed of late. Prone to floods of tears for hardly any reason. I think that my situation was just getting me down and so hopefully now that I have something to look forward to (well as much as one can say look forward to an operation). I just feel that at last I will be moving forward and this time next year I will be prancing about with two artificial knees. Corps de Ballet here I come - well maybe that is stretching it a bit!