Could Only Happen To Me

Not as much knitting done yesterday as I would have hoped due to a strange circumstance. I was merrily knitting away after dinner last night when I looked up and something flew into my eye. It landed right in the corner of my right eye next to my nose. I put down my knitting asap as this thing showed no signs of flying away again and I had to prise this little thing away from my eyeball. I then flicked it away and so didn't see what it was. My eyeball was stinging and it brought tears to my eyes. I was hoping that it wasn't a wasp or a bee as I am allergic to them. I looked in the mirror and could see no obvious damage apart from redness and a watering eye.

I went back and looked around but couldn't see any sign of this offending insect. I tried to continue to knit but gave up for a while as my eye was sore and watery. A little while later I saw the insect. It was a Ladybird! I kid you not. A Ladybird at this time of year. Now I know the answer to where do Ladybirds go in the winter - they come in my house and fly into my eye! It seems none the worse for hitting my eyeball and is at the moment happily crawling up the lampshade. I just hope that it doesn't want to launch itself off into flight again.

If you have followed my blog then you will know that I knitted the letter Y some time ago for a knitted poem. I got this notification today

The Knitted Poem Arrives in Manchester!

A rare opportunity, too, to see inside Manchester's Edwardian water palace - Britain's best-loved restoration project - a miracle of stained glass, emerald tiling and carved wood. The knitted poem will be on display in the former Ladies Pool. Look down from the fabulous balconies, or get up close, to see the woollen marvel that over a 1,000 volunteers created.

Poets Linda Chase and Vona Groarke will read poems at the Victoria Baths on 22nd November alongside the knitted poem. (3pm).

Poet Deryn Rees-Jones is coming down from Liverpool to see the knitted poem and promises to read some poems too.

This is a FREE event.

The Victoria Baths is on Hathersage Road Manchester and the exhibition is open from 12 -4pm

I was going to say that it is a nice sunny day today but obviously I should have blogged sooner as it is now raining again!

Thanks for your comment Lynn. I do, unfortunately, have plenty time on my hands to knit and crochet so for me I don't think that I work all that fast considering the hours at my disposal, If I had full health, or a partner to share my life, then I would be glad to knit and crochet less and live life more but one has to make the best of the hand that you get dealt. At least I can look back on a full and active life up until the last few years and God willing I will resume it again one day soon.

Time for a coffee and a knit whilst I watch Loose Women. Maybe I should wear my glasses for protection in case the Ladybird decides to dive bomb my eye again !

Ooh La La

No I have not gone all French (although I do have French ancestry amongst other things)) Ooh La La is the title of a Sirdar Baby book 347 that I am using to knit hoodies for Charlie and Finlay. I have also found out from the Internet that the jacket is not only in the book it is also sold as a single pattern 1813. The book has many lovely designs in it but as usual is a bit heavy on the girls patterns. There is a nice modern wide striped sweater in there that is nice and boyish.

I have now knitted the back and almost 2 fronts of the larger jacket and if anyone recognises the wool that I am using then please let me know as I have no idea what it is except it is too woolly feeling and not soft enough to be baby yarn. I will have to give the jackets a good soak in conditioner before I pass them on to the babies.

Today is "Hang on to your bonnet weather". As if it wasn't bad enough this week with torrential rain now we have got tree uprooting wind that is hurling small items around the garden and down the street. Brr. Think I will stay in, wrapped up nice and warm with my knitting.

Thank you Boltoncrafter for your lovely comment yesterday. I have to be formal as when I clicked on your profile there was no name there. As I have said before I do appreciate the comments that all of my blogger friends leave for me. It brightens up many a dull dreary day to know that someone actually reads my blog!

I am getting withdrawal symptoms from being away from my crochet hooks for so long but I know that once I pick one up again then my knitting mojo will grind to a shuddering halt and I still have many Christmas presents to complete before I can indulge in a bit of crochet fever.

Which Wood Is Best For An Ark?

I woke this morning to the familiar sound of the rain hammering down on my bay window roof.I seriously contemplated pulling the covers over my head and going back to sleep. I then remembered that next door's cat had come in last night to shelter from the rain and so would be in need of a toilet break so I reluctantly got up and let him out. He was less than impressed with me and stood quivering in my porch as if to say "Do you really expect me to go and wee in this?"

I still haven't showered as I am debating whether to just stand in the garden with the shampoo and body wash or go to the shops first, get wet through and then shower after that. Decisions, decisions. Whilst I decide I will eat some breakfast and hope that the rain decides to give me a break and stop for a while. I need to collect a prescription otherwise I would not venture out plus I don't think that my daughter in law would be too impressed with me if I don't buy her a birthday card.

I try to keep up with other peoples blogs but I must admit that I tend to do it in fits and starts as I follow so many so if I don't comment on yours then it's probably because I need to catch up on my reading. I did catch up with The Crochet Therapy and yesterday she put a link to a song by Michael Buble called I Just Haven't Met You Yet. I think that I will adopt it as my anthem song. If you want a nice peppy song then click on my blog title and it will take you to Bea's blog for a listen. One day I will work out how to add Your Tube links to my blog but I am completely technophobic.

I spent a lot of yesterday trying to ignore the rain and catching up with friends via phone chats so not much knitting was done. I have started a cabled jacket for Charlie from a Sirdar book delightfully called Ooh La La. I will try and find a photo of the front cover for another day.I have no idea what the wool is as it was donated to me in unravelled balls without any labels. It feels like it is either wool or has a wool content so I will try a wash patch test before I pass it on. I would hate to make two jackets and then find out that it is not machine washable without warning the mum first. The pattern has either got a hood or a collar and I have not decided yet which version to knit for the boys. Once again this modern Sirdar pattern is coming out huge even though my tension is correct. Do Sirdar have larger models? I am knitting 1-2 yrs and it looks like it will fit Charlie at pre school!

My niece has decided on a pattern and so I am ready to start once my other niece gets me some wool from the Yarn Barn in Shaw. I found out yesterday that my local Habi Knit in Bury which I though had closed down due to redevelopment has in fact re sited to the Millgate in Bury so I will have another place besides Bury Market to buy supplies from.

The rain has stopped momentarily so I will grab a quick breakfast and hope that it stays away until I can return from the shops. Referring back to my blog title which wood is most suitable for building an ark as I really think that I should put woodworking and ark building on my list of things to do in the future.

Two Striped Baby Sweaters

I have finished the two baby sweaters destined to be Christmas presents for Finlay and Charlie. I used a basic drop sleeved sweater pattern, striped it with 4 rows main and 2 rows contrast. By reversing the colour combinations I managed to get both sweaters from 2 balls of Hayfield Bonus DK. 100 grams of Camel and 100 grams of cream made both sweaters which is economical in my eyes. The worst bit about knitting is the making up. It has taken me most of today to stitch the sweaters together. I heave a sigh of relief when I have cast the last bit off, patting myself on the back for another completed garment and completely forget that I still have to stitch it all up. I have been spoiled recently as in crochet there is far less stitching up to do, and in the case of Doris Chan no seams to sew up at all. Is it any wonder that i prefer crochet?

I have got a couple of things to start whilst I wait for wool and instructions for my niece's Christmas knitting. I am torn between crochet socks or starting some more knitting for the babies.

Thanks for the lovely comments about my other niece's chunky jacket. I think that I might make one for myself in the future but I think that I will make the shorter version and maybe add buttons as even though I don't always fasten a jacket I do like the option of being able to button up if I want to.

I haven't been outdoors today as the weather is once again wet and miserable plus my son wanted me to shorten his new trousers that he needs when he starts his new job tomorrow. He is quite tall but they were inches too long. Perhaps the company he is going to work for normally employ giants? He should be getting another pair or two so I will be on standby with my needle once they arrive.

Update on my request to the Universe. No response to my plea so far but as I didn't specify a time limit perhaps I am being too impatient.

I am not going to the Kings Arms tonight as I don't have a lift so I will have an individual knit out in my front room with my TV instead. I do hope that the pub has got the heating repaired for the ladies tonight or they will have a chilly knit out. It took me a while to warm up my fingers after last week's freeze.

Cable and Textured Coat Finished

My first Christmas present is completed. This jacket is for my niece. It is from the booklet 339 Winter Glamour by Sirdar. There are two versions of the pattern, one long and one short. This is the longer version and took 18 balls of Sirdar Click Colour 0126 Merlot.We bought the wool from the Yarn Barn in Shaw. As you can see the sleeves are a little long on me but my niece has much longer arms and is a couple of sizes slimmer so it will fit her better than it does me..

I am still knitting the striped sweaters for Charlie and Finlay. I have finished the larger one but not yet stitched it together and have now started work on the smaller sweater.

Thanks to Bev for her pattern suggestions for my other niece's jacket. I have forwarded them on to her along with a couple more suggestions and am awaiting a reply as to which,if any, she prefers. Until them I will continue with my smaller knitting and perhaps start a bit of crochet.I believe that she wants a neutral colour this time which will be a welcome change from her usual black.

Yesterday my son met me at the supermarket and helped me to choose a new TV. My old TV decided to give up on me. Hardly surprising as it was about 15 yrs old. The picture was fine but the sound went and so it was like watching silent movies. I haven't gone mad and got one of those cinema sized screens. In fact my son informed me that the one I have bought is the same as the one they had in the caravan! Ah well small is beautiful so they say. Anyway I read that the large flat screens are a magnet for thieves so if they see my small TV they will hopefully feel sorry for me and leave me alone. My son bought me a Freeview box for my birthday, which is later this month, and he decided to give it to me early and set it up at the same time that he was sorting out the TV.

Pattern Suggestions Please

I am on the last stretch of the chunky jacket for my niece. I have one front band still to pick up and knit but I need daylight to pick up the stitches evenly and neatly. Tonight I will knit the sleeves of the baby sweater that was intended for Finlay but I think will fit Charlie. I do find that the modern Sirdar patterns knit up a lot larger than my old designs do. I have finished the sweater body and knitted the neckband and it is blocking out as you can see. The striped have not gone weird the szweater is inside out in an attempt to stop the edges from curling when I come to sew it together.

Ny other niece would like a jacket knitting and as she lives in London I asked her to find a photo of something similiar to what she wants. She sent me this link to an Marks and Spencer jacket.I have searched my patterns but all of my double breasted jackets have a V neck similar to a blazer. Has anyone seen a pattern on the net that is a similar shape to this? If so I would be grateful for a link to it. It doesn't have to be identical to this jacket it is just the shape that she likes. My other niece thinks that she might have a pattern that I can adapt but I will kee on searching in the meantime.

I stil haven't done my ironing and as I am expecting a friend tomorrow I guess that I wil have to stuff it all back in the ironing basket and fold up the ironing board once again. I thought that by leaving it out it would jog me into action but it hasn't. Ironing is one job that really hurts my back even though I sit down to iron. The other thing that makes my back hurt is washing the dishes. I often get my sleeves wet through as I lean on the sink to wash up and so my arms trail in the water. I tried sitting down for that but I have to sit on an angle which also hurts my back. I definitely need a houswork fairy to live in my house.

Zap Tingle - What Was That?

Today I decided to practise being domesticated and decided to give the kitchen floor a good mopping and not just the customary swipe with a wet mop that it usually gets. I inherited a Hoover electric floor scrubber/carpet cleaner from my mother so I guess that you could call it vintage. Admittedly I store it in the garage but it has always served me well whenever I have blown the dust off it although I must admit that one of the brushes doesn't clip in properly. Anyway I digress as I am wont to do most times. I was merrily scrubbing away today when I noticed the brush had worked a bit loose, I leaned down to click it back into place and leaned on the radiator for support. Not a very bright thing to do with an elderly electrical appliance whilst it is still switched on. Zip, Zap I got such a shock from the radiator that I almost felt my hair curl. My scrubber must have a short somewhere but as the handle and everything is covered with rubber I hadn't felt it until I grabbed the metal radiator and earthed it. The last time I had a jolt like that was in intensive care when the paddles hit my chest many years ago.

I think I shall feel energised for the rest of the afternoon now. Nothing like a quick jolt to kick start the heart and nerve endings. I think that it's time that I retired my old scrubber and stuck to the less elderly scrubber (me) By the way I didn't have a heart attack years ago I had a virus that attacked my heart and gave me a racing heart beat and so they shocked it to restart it in a normal rhythm. They were very concerned afterwards until I recovered enough to tell them that I was born with arrhythmia and my heartbeat sometimes dances the Tango and occasionally misses a beat. I love watching the faces of the nurses when they take my pulse before I have chance to explain. Naughty of me I know!

I am still knitting the long chunky jacket and I am on the last stretch of the right front. I have another couple of inches to knit and then I have to block it before stitching the jacket up and picking up and knitting the front bands. Last night I was watching Piers Morgan interview Ronnie Corbett on TV so I decided to have a break and knit something easier. I have started a baby sweater but I think it is going to be too big for Finlay but a bit small for Charlie. Never mind I am sure that Finlay will grow into it before the winter is over.

Time for a cup of coffee or have I had enough stimulation for one day?