Crochet shawl is finished

The crochet shawl pictured in my last post is now finished. It was a joy to crochet. UK terms. Not one mistake or typo on the pattern. 1974 was a very good year for patterns! I can remember when I had a wool shop that the pattern distributors were horrified if they ever found one mistake on a pattern and rapidly recalled and re-printed the offender. Now we pay 10 times more for a book or pattern and accept it as the norm that we have to go and find the errata pages on the net before we start to crochet or knit. Personally I think it's ridiculous. We don't pay full price for a sweater only to find half the cuff unstitched so why should we accept second rate patterns? On the subject of patterns - has anyone managed to decifer the charts on the DROPPS patterns? I have tried with 3 different patterns and given up. I call myself to be an experienced knitter/crocheter but I have met my match with their patterns. It's a good job they are free is my opinion. It's a pity because they have such nice patterns and the yarn looks nice in the photos on the net but I don't feel inclined to order it when I can't make head nor tail of the pattern charts.

I have now almost made a shawl out of a beige hanked oddment I found in my stash. The yarn is rather scratchy so I hope it will soften up when washed. It weighed the same as my finished shawl but I had no idea as to it's yardage which has turned out to be very poor so I had to introduce some brown into it. It will be useful as a shoulder warmer for the winter evenings even though it hasn't turned out as pretty as I would have hoped - it's a strangely striped triangle at the moment. I hope it looks marginally better when it's finished.

I went for my MRI scan last night and was highly relieved to find out it was with the main machine so my claustrophobia was allieviated as I could see the ceiling out of the corner of my eye whilst in the machine. The last time I was scanned it was in a van with a small scanner and I kept running the scenes from 2 episodes of CSI through my head where Nick was buried alive in a small box. Quentin Tarrantino directed those episodes so they were so good they really stuck in my mind. My brother and my cousin ( 9yrs older) took great delight when I was a small child to lock me in the fitted wardrobe or shut me in the coal cellar. They would put pillows on my face or sit on me and almost smother me. My brother denies all knowledge of this but things like that stay in a child's mind forever. I KNOW they happened! I still panic if I get stuck in a sweater or a dress. You know the feeling when it is almost over your head and it's a bit tight and you can't get your arms and head out. I have literally torn garments in my panic to get out of them. Perhaps that is why I now dress "comfy". It could be that I am too lazy to wear fitted things but I like to blame it on my fear of getting stuck. Whatever happened to dresses with back zips? I loved those. Step into them and zip them up. Plus they used to be darted for the waist and bust so they actually flattered the shape I had. If I get back into sewing (and high heels) I will try to remake the Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn classic style of dress. Fashionable they may not be but flattering they certainly are to anyone with a bit of a waistline and a reasonable pair of boobs.

I got rung this morning from the X Ray dept at 8.45am. Apparently the card I had from the specialist that I handed in last night at the scan has asked also for X Rays of my spine so could I get to the hospital before 9am ! The hospital is a good half hour drive away even after the rush hour traffic to Manchester has calmed down, and the new car park is a 10 minute walk from the hospital, so I said there was no way I could get there for another hour or so. I will try later and just have to wait it out with the fracture clinic patients. I will take my crochet and maybe two balls instead of one and prepare for a long wait.

Gym ? Sorry I would rather be crocheting

Today was supposed to be my Gym day with the BEATS exercise programme but I got up late and tired and had no motivation at all. I am sorry to any gym nuts who might be reading my blog and are addicts but I would rather do some thrilling exercise than pedalling a bike looking at a wall. I could choose the bike with the view of 4 TV screens all with different channels and the sound turned down but I keep thinking any moment a pianist will come in and play as in the silent movies. Now that could be marginally more exciting! I look around and see the concentration on the faces of the others and then realise they are mostly plugged into IPods but as an IPod isn't high on my wish list I am one of the outcasts.

My idea of exercise is something that involves fun. I used to love my belly dancing until my back forced me to give that up. Horizontal dancing would be nice if I could find the right partner. I do get offers of the sexual kind but as the guys seem to think that because I have been without a partner for a long time that I am therefore gagging for it and they are doing me an enormous favour by asking. I am old fashioned. I want a bit of romance guys, someone who will ask me out for a drive, a picnic (well when it's warmer), the theatre etc. What I don't want is the furtive offers from other women's husbands for a roll in the hay when she isn't looking! As my father used to say "You don't look at the mantlepiece when you are poking the fire". I have no illusions that it is my beauty (ha ha) that draws them to me like moths to a flame it is more the fact they perceive me as being available at any time and they think they don't even have to pay for a room as I live alone! I am not flattered by this attention. I said to one guy "Please don't insult me by asking me and he actually did look shamefaced and admitted that was all he wanted from me - no relationship - nothing - just straight sex"

There must be some women who accept this kind of attention. I used to have a friend who had lots of different guys all the time and thought like a man. She called me a prude but I don't think I am. I just value myself a lot higher than that. I did try saying yes for a while thinking these encounters would lead to dating etc but I got very disillusioned. I even tried the Internet dating and got a wide selection of other women's husbands on that offering to come around to my house on first contact. One actually said "Why put an advert on a dating site if you don't want casual sex?" Needless to say I cancelled my subscription to that shortly afterwards.

Whoa - back to the crocheting topic that I am supposed to be writing about on here. I started another shawl, different pattern, last night. This one is crocheted from the narrow part upwards. I found it in a 1974 crochet/knit magazine (60p) when crocheting patterns were written simply and had no charts and no squiggly diagrams. Most of all, Bliss oh bliss, UK CROCHET TERMS. Yeah! Plus the added bonus of the fact it is a UK pattern so therefore no Mistakes or Typos. Hands up all the crafters out there who are sick of all the mistakes in the modern patterns. I wonder who proof reads these US crochet books I pay £12 plus for? Obviously no one who crochets that's for sure. The photos show my WIP, the finished shawl, and the front cover of the magazine.

Today I am going to try my hand at a pair of crocheted fingerless mitts as I gave up completely on the pair in the Stitch n Bitch Happy Hooker book. I am sure there must be a way of making a pattern with less ambiguous rows and a better fit. I could have crocheted 2 pairs in the time it took me to read and then re- read every pattern row. My poor yarn was almost threadbare with all the frogging I did even then. Other people have crocheted them with no trouble, I think I have trouble with her style of writing crochet patterns out plus having to always convert every line to UK terminology is annoying.

Oh by the way any guys reading this I have lost touch with my nympho friend so am unable to supply a phone number for her!

Crochet cotton from Lidl - I couldn't resist

I broke my promise to myself not buy any more yarn for a while until I had whittled down my stash. (As if that was going to last anyway - I only lasted 3 days !) I went into Lidl as they had sent me a newsletter saying they had cotton knitting/crochet yarn for £1.39p for a pack of 3 x 50 gram balls. Well a bargain loving person like me just had to go in to satisfy my curiosity. Surely it would be rubbish and I wouldn't like the colours so I would be safe just taking a quick peek. Wrong! It looks really good value and the colours are nice as well so at that price I just had to buy it. I did limit myself to just 3 colours though. The only problem was I wanted 12 balls of each colour and they only seemed to have 9 balls in each colour of the same dye. I bought 3 balls of each in the different dyes so I will have to juggle if what I decide to make takes more than 9 balls. I can always do the edgings different, They do look very slightly different in daylight so I must remember to keep the odd balls separate. The photo on here doesn't do the colours justice. They are far nicer than they seem on here. It gives a recommended needle size of 3 - 4 mm, 100 metres per 50 gram ball, so I think it's a fine double knit/thick 4ply. Tension swatching on different hooks will be a must before I decide on a suitable pattern.

I have finished off the Sweet Pea shawl from the Happy Hooker Stitch n Bitch in record time. I started it at 2pm yesterday and finished the main part before I went to bed. It has only taken 200 grams of black DK acrylic so it has turned out to be a very cheap shawl. I didn't fancy a fringe on the edge so I edged it with a 7 treble shell and double crochet pattern. I had bought 4 balls so I am starting another shawl tonight but a different pattern as I will probably give these shawls as gifts and don't want them to look alike. I like to give something handmade to go with any family and friends presents that I buy for Christmas. Last year the ladies all had chunky long ribbed scarves and matching hats.

I have spent an hour going through my patterns and books to try to choose my next project. I got a filing cabinet through Freecycle and have asked my friend to buy me hanging files for my birthday so I can organise my patterns better instead of having to keep searching through them in storage boxes as I do at the present. She was amazed at my choice of birthday present but as I said to her that she had said "Choose something that you really want" - so I did! I want to sort out knitting patterns from the crochet ones, adults from children etc. and so cut down on my searching every time I want to start something new. Crafters must know the frustration of trying to find THAT certain pattern that you know you have and you know it's in there somewhere but you just can't find it.

Ravelry - mind boggling stuff

I have just joined Ravelry and spent an hour trying to figure out how to add things to it. Flikr is easy peasy in comparison. maybe I was just tired tonight and not in a techno mood. I am quite technophobic even on a good day. I will try again tomorrow when my little ole grey cells have had a long sleep!

The main trouble I have with it is that when they ask me to choose a yarn weight they are all in US terms ,of course, so I have no idea if UK double knit is worsted, 8ply or whatever. Why does life have to be so complicated. Why can't yarn manufacturer's world wide use a number code for ball bands. They could still use the names we know but put another code on it relevant to other countries indicating a thickness. The Internet has made patterns universal so why can't yarn manufacturers realise this and adapt to this so that US can use UK patterns and visa versa without all the tension swatching and yarn thickness guesswork we knitters and crocheters go through at the moment.

I have just finished knitting a pair of fingerless mitts from a free web pattern called Fetching by Knitty.com. I have quite small hands so used 3.75mm set and double knitting instead of the aran that was recommended. They turned out quite well but I added another cable set before I cast off at the palm as they were rather short. If I make another pair I will finish off with 4 rows of K1 P1 rib before casting off as they curl and roll down at the moment. I must confess I didn't use the picot cast off method as described on the pattern as I thought that would make the cast off even more frilly than it already is.

I started to crochet a pair of openwork fingerless mitts from Stitch n Bitch The Happy Hooker but was not happy with either the pattern or the tension of them as you can see in the photo. They are more decorative than warm which is not what I wanted so I pulled back what I had made and will knit some instead. I saw a finished pair on Flikr and they looked far closer in tension than my mitts so maybe the 4ply I tried is too thick for the pattern or maybe I am still having a problem getting crochet tension tight enough after my carpal tunnel operation. They may have turned out OK had I continued with them but I lost patience with the pattern. I don't find Stitch n Bitch a book that I can follow easily. I have been crocheting for 40 plus years and I struggle with some of the patterns in there.

I am going to start the Sweet Pea shawl tomorrow in black from the book so I hope there are no mistakes in this pattern as I am in the mood for some easy type crochet especially as I am using black yarn.

My niece came today with her newly pregnant friend but she hasn't got the nesting urge yet so could not decide on anything she wanted knitting for baby to be. There is plenty time as baby is not due until April.

I am trying to decide whether I feel energetic enough to go to the gym on Monday morning. Walking the dog, having breakfast and then going to the gym eats into all of the morning. I don't usually get back home until after 1pm and keep missing Loose Women on TV. Plus my knit and crochet time is depleted just at a time when I am trying to get a speed up for Christmas.

More knitting than crochet

I have been doing a bit of knitting this week as a change from the crochet. Some garments I feel are more suited to knit than to crochet. I made this baby jacket from a free pattern I found on the net. It is a great pattern as by altering the needles you can use the same pattern for all sizes of baby. The only fault I found was it gave the same sleeve and body length for all sizes although I think they recommend you make one up as is written and then adapt to fit. I was only making for premature babies so I just took 1" off all the lengths and hoped for the best. I made mine in double knit using 3.25 mm needles. It did make up very simply as it is worked all in one neck down so the only seaming is underarms. The web site has the wonderful title of Wishing I was knitting by the lake! http://wishingiwasknitting.blogspot.com/2007/07/baby-jiffy-knit-sweater.html

I am in the middle of a pair of crochet fingerless mitts from Stitch n Bitch The Happy hooker but am not too happy with them at the moment. They look rather loose and open. Perhaps they will look better when I have finished and stitched them up. I think my 4ply is thicker than the yarn used in the pattern even though I have dropped 2 hook sizes to adjust for that. That is the only problem with US books. Some of the yarn does not have UK alternatives. 3ply only comes in baby yarns unless you order from specialist on line outlets. I am too impatient for that when I am only wanting a ball or two. Plus unless you are making a largish order the postage is a king's ransom.

I am back at the gym 2 mornings a week and one morning of water aerobics. Dog walking twice a day also and this has really cut into my knitting time just when I was starting Christmas presents as well. I won't be able to post a lot of my projects on here although I doubt if any of my family reads this blog so I am probably quite safe!

I finished up covered in mud yesterday after sliding half way down a slope in the Clough. There was an owner less Staffordshire Bull terrier that decided to pick a fight with Buster and when I met up with it a second time (I managed to pry it off with the aid of my walking stick the first time and make a getaway) I did a detour off path to escape it but lost my footing and went ar** over tip on wet leaves. Mud head to foot even on my face! I found out later that the same dog had gone for 3 other dogs and bitten a lady's leg. She only got the dog off her leg with the help of local school children which doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened there! She phoned the owner (number on collar) but got no answer and the local dog warden but neither seemed particularly interested. They managed to tie the dog up to a railing and went back later and but had gone. The dog warden actually said to her " Where did you say it happened I don't know that place" It's only the largest dog walking area in the district so that says a lot for our dog warden doesn't it. I have rung him myself in the past and left a message on his answerphone but he has never got back to me. The police are not interested. I got told unless a dog bites a human then they won't get involved. I am sorry but if quite a few owners report the same dog for anti social behaviour then it is only a matter of time before this dog bites a human. Surely it is better to act first in the light of recent horrific injuries to children from dogs rather than wait until it does bite a child. I know dog's will always fight but there are one or two local dogs whose owners seem to think it's OK for their dogs to just run up and attack without provocation. if it was my dog then it would be muzzled and on a lead at all times.

Crochet , more crochet and a bit of knitting

I have finished yet another wrap over crochet tie fastening premature baby jacket. This one has turned out slightly larger so it will be for a bigger baby. I am sure it will get used though as not all prem babies are really tiny. I am also knitting a matinee jacket as a change from crochet to give my hands and wrists a break. I am wary of too much repetitive work as it is only 12 months since I had my right hand carpal tunnel operated on so I try to alternate from knit to crochet in my leisure time. The photos show the work in progress and the finished article. If I am using a stitch that does not have an obviously up and down then I can make it all in one and so alleviate some of the seams that may chafe on a tiny baby's skin.

I have got my MRI scan date. October 11th at 7.20pm. It is good that it is in the evening as maybe I can get my niece to accompany me. I have a bit of a problem with claustrophobia and the MRI scan machine is rather like being threaded down the barrel of a cannon. They pipe air down the barrel but I still feel I cannot breathe whilst I am in it not to mention the horrendous knocking and banging noises that you hear even through the ear muffs they provide you with. Anyone who comes in with me has not to have any metal in their body. I had better tell my niece in case she has a belly button ring as I don't want her to be pinned to the machine by her stomach! This will be my 4th scan so I am hoping finally this time I will get some answers and maybe an operation after this one. The MRI scan machines are designed to fit people up to 19 stones. How on earth they fit in it I do not know as I feel that the sides of the tube press against me and I have to fold my hands across my chest as there is no room for my arms to be down by my side.

I watch the Trevor McDonald programme on ITV last night about people being refused surgery because they are considered to be obese when their body mass index is over 30. The hospitals are saying this isn't the case but I personally know it is as I was refused surgery 2 yrs ago because I was 13 stones. I know that is overweight but I didn't consider myself to be morbidly obese as I was described. I have a letter from the hospital giving the reasons for my delay in being operated on and in it's 4 pages my BMI of 34 is mentioned at least twice on every page! They say it isn't a cost cutting measure but I know that if I had the money to pay for an operation it would have been done 4 yrs ago. I feel as a cost cutting measure it doesn't work as I am now having to claim my pension and DLA when I would still have been at work until 65 if I had my back sorted out.

Crochet and knitted wrap overs for premature babies

I am still crocheting and knitting for the premature baby unit at the local hospital. So far I have made 4 blankets, 4 jackets, 2 hats and I have 2 more WIP crochet wrap overs almost finished. The blue crochet one pictured is one of my own designs but the pink knitted one comes from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight. I used finer needles to make it smaller but I ran out of pink ( Pattern said 25 grams) so I ended with white on each front. The sleeves on the knitted one are rather short so if I make it again I will adjust when I get to that part.

I will do a few more jackets and blankets and then take a break as winter is suddenly rearing it's head and I have only got 2 pairs of warm hand knitted socks for my dog walking so I am in need of using up my 3 balls of sock yarn and making another 3 pairs asap. I have one pair on the needles but it is still at the 4" leg stage. I think I will make these next pairs with a shorter leg length anyway as I tend to roll the mid calf length ones down so no point knitting more rows than I need. I may as well stick to ankle socks with a slightly longer leg.

My knit/crochet time has diminished as I am now back at the gym on the BEATS programme a couple of mornings a week after a 6 week lay off when the doc was waiting for my X Ray results on my damaged rib cage area. I also go to water aerobics one morning as well. I will be fit and slimmer soon (wishful thinking?) as the diet alone does not seem to be working. I seem to have perfected how to stay the same weight for weeks on end but not to actually lose any more. Sigh! All these weeks of depriving myself of chocolate, cakes and biscuits has not made one pound of difference to my weight. Neither has 2 walks a day with the dog for the last 7 months. Everyone said when I got the dog " Oh the weight will come off now" Wrong ! I have changed shape and definitely feel fitter but the scales stay stubbornly at the same spot. ( I did check they aren't broken)

The gym instructor showed me 2 new exercises using a large exercise ball. Have you ever tried one? Attempts to stay ladylike failed dismally as I flayed about like a beached whale in an attempt to not only stay balanced but to do stomach crunches at the same time. No wonder it works your muscles. Sitting on it and lying back was not too bad but the lying over it was definitely dodgy. The ball wants to roll all around the gym with me on it. I now have great sympathy for those poor hamsters in those balls. It's a good job the gym ball was in a separate room as it limited damage control for the other gymnasts. The instructor did suggest I bought one for use at home. I didn't have the heart to tell him I used to have one that I used to prop my feet for months on under my PC desk until the dog decided to pop it. I did try it out once and fell off it and banged my head almost giving myself concussion thus ending my home exercise routine.

My knitting group are pumpkin carving at one member's house I think on Saturday ( I must check the date) If my dodgy car will make it past my gateposts I might try to get up there as it sounds like a fun afternoon. it says BYOP (Bring your own Pumpkin) and I presume a few cakes or buns would be a good idea as well as we can't expect her to provide snacks as well. I haven't seen any pumpkins in the shops although I must admit I wasn't exactly looking. I have a habit not seeing large displays so I could quite easily have walked past dozens of bright orange pumpkins piled high.