Crocheted Aran Is Finished

I finally got around to sewing the buttons on Sylvia's aran. I was going to put a small border of double crochet around the bottom to stop it curling up but by the time I had stitched the jacket together I finished up with a mere 40" of wool left. The jacket took 20 balls of Patons beehive Aran and the pattern is from Glorious Crocheted Sweaters book edited by Nola Theiss.

My niece called this morning as I had a 9am appointment at the hospital for a review of my CPAP machine. I couldn't have got there on public transport at that time as the trams and buses are all crowded with commuters on their way to work. If I can't get a seat then I find it very difficult to keep my balance when the vehicle is in motion. Fortunately for me my niece is on half term holidays from the school that she teaches in and was able to take me.

When we came back she helped me to fill in my Disability Living Allowance renewal booklet. She knows me as well as anyone and knows what my day to day struggles are.I knew what I wanted to say but as my handwriting is big and sprawling and the places to write in on the form were very small she wrote out what I was trying to say. Better spelling and grammar than I would have done. I have photocopied all of the letters from the hospital outlining my problems so I hope that there will be no problems in renewing my claim. I don't get much per week but it does help with taxi fares and paying for my garden to be mowed. Things that I can no longer do.

My son rang today to remind me that I had promised to have Buster this weekend. I won't be able to go Tea Cosy knitting for Towneley Hall in Burnley this weekend which is a shame as I was looking forward to it. I can't leave Buster for hours on his own. He is getting older now has a weak bladder and it isn't fair to expect him to go for hours without a toilet break. I can leave him up to 4 hours and he is OK but any longer and he will have an accident and that makes him very upset.

I love his company. he is such a loving dog so I will enjoy my weekend with him. I looked in my Tunisian book and discovered that there is a DVD is there also. Amazon have e mailed me to say that my other learn Tunisian book is on it's way so I will see which is the easier book to follow.

The weather is cold today. Who would think that it is supposed to be flaming June?
My knees really do not like this cold weather and will no doubt keep me awake tonight. I have to monitor my oxygen levels tonight with a device that the hospital have loaned me. I monitors my heart rate, whether I stop breathing in my sleep and how much carbon dioxide there is in my blood stream whilst I sleep. I have told the technician that i will wake up several times with my knee pain so not only do I have to wear my mask and the device I will also have to remember to note down the times when I wake and walk about. Sounds like a really restful night for me then! I have got a new mask as I am increasingly tired due to my old mask leaking. My niece has to take the device back to the hospital in the morning for me. What would I do without her?

Sewing Up Stripes

Whenever I sort through my stash and find bits and pieces of compatible yarns then stripes always seem like a good idea. When I finally finish knitting or crocheting a striped garment then my mood changes. It has taken me most of today to seam together all the different colours trying as best as I can to exactly match the stripes. This sweater was a bit more difficult because of the wavy stripes. Hopefully it will look a little better once it has been blocked out to flatten the seams.

This sweater seems to have been on the needles for such a long time. Partly due to the fact that I started it twice as my first choice of colours was disappointing as the lilac was so pale it was virtually indistinguishable from the white. The pattern is Sirdar 8930 but as you can see I made mine with long sleeves and not such a long bottom ribbing. I didn't make the neckline as deep and stitched it down to form a doubled neckband rather than the collar on the pattern.

I used 4 balls each of green Patons Cotton Sahara 2323, Patons Linen Look in White and an unlabelled cotton ribbon (possibly Sirdar) in a mink shade. I christened this sweater mint choc chip as it reminded me of the colours of ice cream.

I have managed to find the pattern for my next crocheting project. I altered the pattern last time and so have been zooming in on photos in my projects to try to recreate the same style. I do wish that I wrote things down. I never do and as I don't have the jacket to look at and as it is a surprise for my niece's birthday I can't ask her to see the other one so will have to keep gazing at photos and winging it again and hope that it turns out exactly like the one I made before which she loves.

I changed my CPAP mask back to my old one which just covers my nose and although I am still a wee bit tired today I am much better than the last few days and have managed not to fall asleep as yet. In theory the newer mask should be better for me as it covers up my mouth as well as my nose but for some reason it doesn't work as well in my case.In order to work the masks have to be a good seal otherwise the pressurised air escapes and fails to keep me breathing when I stop. Sometimes I wonder if I still need to wear my mask every night and then a few days with an ill fitting mask prove that I do. I have been falling asleep without warning randomly all through the day which is what used to happen before I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea. It used to be embarassing when I fell asleep at work even in the middle of a coversation with someone.When friends came around for the evening I used to wake up in the dark on the sofa. My friends culd not wake me so just let themselves out and turned off the lights. I was always having to ring people up to apologise. I once fell asleep on the garden wall with a trowel in one hand and a fork in the other in the middle of weeding. My neighbour had to shake me awake as my front door was wide open and I was sleeping on the wall.

Hopefully I will stay awake this evening long enough to start my niece's jacket but as the wool is black I can see that not a lot of crochet will get done. I usually save the dark colours for daylight.

Ana Luisa - The Crochet For Babies book should be available in the US as it uses US terms. The number is 70217 by The Needlecraft Shop, I got mine from Amazon.co.uk but I am sure that Amazon.com will stock it. I think that I first saw it advertised on a US blog or web page.

Yeah - Almost There

I am almost at the finishing line. I have 6 more rows to knit until the last sleeve is cast off. I have, of course, still got to stitch it all together but I am heaving a huge sigh of relief as I can now do some crocheting without feeling guilty. I am not one for having too many WIP at any one time. I try to limit it to one or two at the most. Once I put something down I tend to leave it down and then don't go back to it - ever. When I was younger I used to have bags full of half finished things scattered all around the house but as I have a limited attention span these days I find one or two things are my limit.

I am posting some more photos from the Crochet For Babies Book. These will be the last ones even though I have only photographed about half of the book. The book has 40 patterns in it and almost every one of them are usable patterns which is rare in books these days.

The purple jacket and crown hat is labelled Prince Charming as is by Darla Sims. I do think though that the outfit is more suited to a girl than a boy. I would never have dressed my boy in anything like that except to maybe make the hat as a birthday crown.

The Sailor Baby jacket by Svetlana Avrakh would make a lovely jacket for a boy. It is a simple design but just adding the embroidered anchor motif and the sailor collar makes it more unusual.

I love the Seaside Cardigan by Nanette Seale with a fish motif. At first glance I thought that it was Tunisian crochet but it isn't. I think that I will have to practise the pattern stitch first as at first glance it all sounds complicated to me. Perhaps the penny will drop once I get some wool and a hook in my hand. Sometimes merely reading a pattern puts you off starting it as the way it reads isn't quite clear. I am determined to master the stitch though as I think that the jacket is a good solid non openwork stitch well suited to a boy.

Little Boy Blue by Laura Gebhardt is very similar to another double breasted jacket that I have made a few times. I think that the stitch is different to my older pattern but the style is the same and has proved very popular with mothers of boys as the stitch is close and non lacy.

The Sassy Style Sweater by Tammy Hildebrand is what I would describe as a long sleeved bolero. There are several pretty cardigan styles in the book that I haven't photographed and as this bolero fits from 2 - 6 yrs I think that it could possibly come in useful for my great grand daughters this summer along with a couple of other pretty cardigans in the book.

Color-Play Sweater and Beanie by Tammy Hildebrand could be a useful way of using up all of those one balls that we accumulate in stash. Again it fits from 2 - 6 yrs and works up quite chunky as the stitch is rib effect made by working around the posts.

The Get -Up and Go Shirt is a simple little T that could prove a popular top for the kind of summers that we experience in the UK. Once again it isn't too lacy so would cover a little girl's modesty without the need of a T or vest underneath. This only comes in 20 - 24" sizes but as it is worked side to side I would imagine that it is relatively easy to add a few more rows and make it a bit wider.

Yesterday I went to Tesco for my big shopping in the rain. Last night and today I keep falling asleep. I think that I will go back to my old CPAP mask as this tiredness has only come on since I changed masks. I keep falling asleep for ten minutes here and there which is just what I was like before I got diagnosed and given the mask. If I swap masks and this carries on then I will know that it is my medication and not the mask. I was woken up four times last night with the pain in my knees so I don't get good quality sleep anyway. I was downstairs before 7am this morning but fell asleep over my coffee and then again over my Sunday newspaper. I even fell asleep half way through my breakfast which could have been dangerous as I woke up with a mouthful of food that I hadn't chewed and swallowed.

My knees are a bit painful today but they ache more when there is a change in the weather. Today it was very misty when I woke up and it is very dull and drizzly.

My Internet crochet friend June went to the Olympia Craft show in London and from here description it sounds far better than any craft shows that we get here in Manchester.I didn't go to this year's show in Manchester as I was disappointed with last years show. It was full of card making items and cross stitch and embroidery and so few wool stalls. June is saying that there is another craft exhibition at Alexandra Palace in October and I know that she really enjoyed last years show. Maybe next year I will be able to go down to London. I will probably have to give Woolfest a miss this year as I could be in hospital for my first knee op in June.

The fish motif sweater photo appeared on the blog in the wrong order but I am sure that you can work put which description fits it.

I Feel Pretty - Oh So Pretty

I often get asked why I am still single. I think that the top photo speaks volumes.I might be able to attract a man but he would have to be someone really special to want to sleep and wake up with me wearing my new CPAP breathing mask that I got today. Not only do I look absolutely fabulous wearing it the CPAP machine that it is attached to hisses and blows air and manages to sound as if someone is hoovering next to the bed. As you can see I am altogether a luscious package. Not much point wearing a sexy negligee when any poor man sleeping next to me would think he was in a force ten gale as the air whistles past his ears. Perhaps I should make potential suitors wear a balaclava helmet and ear plugs in bed?

I have been missing for a couple of days. I have had a busy social life for a change. Today wasn't so good I was out on public transport going to and from the hospital. I thought I had found a better way to eliminate the walking.It was a success as far as that was concerned but I had an unguided tour around Cheetham Hill along streets that were never designed for a bus to travel down them so there were a few hairy moments as it squeezed past cars almost taking of the wing mirrors.We went past where I first worked for the Jobcentre and it is no longer there. The people of Cheetham Hill must all be in work or else they now make them travel more miles to make a claim.I suspect that the latter is the case. I left my house at twelve and didn't get back until after five but I did call at Marks and Spencers on the way home. Thoughts of cooking dinner fled from my head and I settled for something for the oven. I went into the hospital cafe after my appointment but my sandwich was so disgusting that I left it. I had asked for a baked potato and the guy said he didn't have any. Two minutes later three people walked past me with baked potatoes. When I was on my way out I gave him a piece of my mind. I bet he won't forget me in a hurry. I told him exactly what I thought of his service and how rotten his sandwich was.

On Saturday I met up with my friend Sylvia and her foster baby and we went to Bury Market. I bought some black Jarol Heritage DK. It has 55% wool and is lovely and soft. I used some for my niece's Christmas present and she said it has washed really well. Unfortunately the stall holder said that it hasn't sold as well as he hoped so I guess that he won't be restocking it. He sells it for £2 per 100 gram which I think is extremely reasonable for something with so much wool. The aubergine is a mystery yarn without labels. As it was only £5.50 for the whole bag I bought it. If it only lasts a little while I don't mind at that price. I am going to make another Doris Chan sweater with it. I find that I really do wear them every day whereas I have a disgusting amount of fancier crochet items that languish unworn in my wardrobe as I consider them too nice to wear in the house. Sylvia bought some gorgeous fluffy chunky in muted random colours. I was very tempted but I made myself resist as I still have loads of wool in stash yet to work up. There never seems to be the colour that you fancy in stash though does there - or is that just me?

I have put some photos from the Vintage Baby Knits book by Kristen Rengren. I am still disappointed with the book. I was hoping for actual vintage patterns as I do love them but these are nothing like any vintage patterns that I have ever seen with the exception of the pink matinee jacket. The cape wouldn't be so bad if they had chosen a smaller baby to model it and the coat would be better if they chose a slimmer baby as the buttons gape badly. On first glance the red pram set looks OK but in the close up the collar is so big that it swamps the child and wouldn't keep it warm unless it was wearing a scarf underneath it as there is such a gap betwixt neck and collar. I will post some more tomorrow but don't hold your breath for anything wonderful.I have far prettier actual vintage patterns in my stash although I did "lose" a lot of them when a friend borrowed them and then denied she had ever borrowed them. I was and still am heartbroken about that loss. My charity shops never have any loose patterns for me to browse in - nor do they ever have any wool either. I keep asking on the off chance but it never happened. Other people who live in different areas seem to find lots of vintage patterns at car boots and charity shops.

My son and daughter in law visited me yesterday for Mother's Day. I was supposed to be getting a plant that they had chosen for me but Dillon the youngest dog decided that he was a herbivore and ate it! I got a box of emergency chocolates as most places were closed when they discovered the eaten plant. That dog is a real handful. I think that they are trying to re home him as he needs someone with lots of patience and no other dogs or cats. They saved him from going to the dog's home when they got him originally and are trying to re home him. Several people have shown interest in him so hopefully he will have a new home soon. He is a lovely dog but just too full of energy and mischief as he is still a young pup. Unfortunately he is teaching my son's other dog to be naughty and she was really well trained before he arrived. Buster tries to ignore him most of the time but eventually he loses him temper with the pup.

I have almost finished the second piece of the striped knitting. Once I have done the neckband then I will only have the sleeves to make and as the sweater is drop shouldered they shouldn't take as long. I need to start the black wool as it is for a gift but ideally I would like to finish the sweater off first before I start crocheting.

Watch this space. No bets on whether I give in and start to crochet tonight.

I love packages in the post

I love packages that come in the post. I was about to write today's blog when the doorbell went and there was 2 packages for me on the doormat. The first was the books I ordered from Amazon with the e vouchers that I earned filling in questionnaires online. I was going to read them in the garden but it seems to be blowing a gale outside even though the sun is shining. I hope this is not the end of the sunshine. I will let you know my thoughts about the books tomorrow.

The second package was not quite as exciting as you can see from the last photo. It is my new mask for my new CPAP machine that I got the other week. I go to bed wearing this every night so now you know why my single status is not about to change anytime soon. Not exactly alluring night time attire is it? I have asked for it in black leather but so far I have had no success and just get boring blue stretch fabric straps.

The other photos are of Charlie's little jacket. Although crochet I hope that it looks suitably boyish. I am going to make a matching beanie with the wool that I have left over. The pattern didn't have one, just odd looking huge mitts which I doubt any baby would ever wear, so I will have to wing him a hat to match.

I have been making some adult beanies for my friend in London and have almost finished them. I will photograph them later. I had intended to photograph my sock wool stash for Ravelry yesterday but the sun distracted me and I sat around crocheting instead. I knew the weather would change soon so I am glad that I didn't do it.

The housework continues to stay undone. I don't care if my house is a little messy. we have so little good weather that I intend to make the most of it. Chores can wait for a dull day. There is only me to please and Buster doesn't care if I don't hoover and dust for a few days.

The wind has dropped a little so I am off into the garden with a coffee to read my new baby books.