We Have Snow

We have snow. Not the kind of snow that most of the people in the US get but the 2" of UK snow that sends everyone into a frenzy. The UK is always so unprepared for even the slightest bit of snow.I am glad of my quite well stocked cupboard and stash of wool as I am going to be holed up indoors until the snow passes. I may finish up eating tinned peaches for dinner if the snow doesn't go away soon but at least I won't starve. I do have very good neighbours who will get me bread and milk if I run out.

I should have gone for my last physio appointment today but I wasn't surprised when the transport didn't arrive. The crew probably took one look at my snowy hill and decided not to bother. I rang the hospital and the physio said unless I felt the need for another session that she could discharge me over the phone. I think that now my knee with improve with time and normal usage so I didn't feel like I needed any more exercises.

A lot of my Blogger friends have been ill lately. I hope that all of you feel better soon especially Beverooni who is having a bit of a rough time of it lately and to Marge who has recently had an operation. Get well soon ladies.

I didn't finish off the hood on the long on the needles baby jacket. Instead I started a cardigan from a Sirdar pattern for Charlie. this is a bigger size and so will fit him. I do find though that Sirdar patterns have a very long body length and so have cut an inch off the length. I am using James C Brett Marble DK.

I am going to tuck myself up in the mohair knitted stole/wrap that Ambermoggie made for me when I had my spinal op and settle in for a bit more knitting.

Christmas Ornaments

These are just a few of the crocheted Christmas tree ornaments that I made using the book that I ordered from Purplelinda. Whilst I was at Knit Club on Monday night at the Kings Arms I made another couple but I didn't take photos of them. I made another wreath with a different pattern and another mini sweater in red with silver trim. People in the pub were quite interested in them and wanted to know if they were for sale. Rachael is thinking that maybe really near to Christmas we could sell the ornaments and put the money in the box that we have for Breast Cancer donations. I am going to try and make some more in and between my other Christmas projects and have bookmarked quite a few free patterns from Ravelry to try.I also want to try a snowflake pattern with some of the white or the silver metallic yarn that I bought.

The tiny Christmas Pudding with the holly trim on was one that I got given by a friend. She bought it at a craft fair. Inside it is one Ferraro Roche round chocolate. My niece thought that they would make table decorations for the Christmas dinner table and so I tried to copy it. My attempt is the one without the silver leaves. I will have to search to get something similar. Someone suggested a shop that sells card making stuff would have something like that.Meanwhile I will continue to knit a few more. they literally take minutes to make.

I have started work on a Christmas project so I can't show you that. I am still working on the grey knitted scarf for Louise's birthday on the 8th Dec and it is now around 50" long. I measured my niece's scarf and hers measured over 100" so I have still got a lot to knit before I can fringe it. From now on I will only be able to show you the things that are not destined for people who might read the blog.

Today I went to the hospital for my physio exercises. I am doing so well that I don't have to go for 2 weeks and then will possibly be signed off from the exercises. I tried one of the pedal machines. They are not an exercise bike (which I can't yet pedal all around) they are just a set of pedals to use whilst seated in an armchair. I managed to pedal these and the physio thinks that I could benefit from getting one to use at home to increase the mobility in my knee. My son was asking what I wanted for Christmas and so I think that I will tell him to get me one of these. It would be ideal as the pedals take up very little space and are quite inexpensive compared to an exercise bike. I have nowhere to store an exercise bike. It would be just something else to fall over once the novelty wore off.

The physio put on some music for us all to exercise to and I think someone has a bizarre sense of humour as one of the tunes was the Can Can! I might be improving on my mobility but I am not ready for the Can Can as yet.

I have just had a phone call asking if I want Buster for a few days as my son and daughter in law are going away for a long weekend and their daughter can only manage to look after the other two dogs. It will be good company for me and might encourage me to try walking that bit further to take him for a walk. He is used to my walking very slowly so that will be OK.

My Knitting Head Light

My newest Knit and Crochet aid came today. I am not modelling it as I do look like a miner who has lost his coal pit but it will be very useful when working in a dim light. I love going to the Kings Arms Knit Club but the lighting is a bit dim in there and my eyes are not what they once were so I have bought this light to wear when I am in there. I just hope that I don't get too many giggles when I am wearing it and that Rachael doesn't have her camera handy! I have bought a wind up version so there is no having to go out and buy new batteries, I just wind the little handle of the blue box and I have light for another 30 minutes or so.

I have ordered a plug in craft light but that hasn't arrived yet.

I went to physio at the hospital today and I have graduated from crutches to a walking stick. They wanted me to start going to classes every two weeks but as I have a hospital appointment on that particular day I am going next week and then starting to go every 2 weeks after that. I have reached my goal with the angle of the knee bends but I still need to work on the leg straightening. Slowly but surely I am getting there and I am pleased with my progress. I still can't pedal all the way around onthe exercise bike yet. I did one revolution last week but pedalled backwards. This week I could not even do that.

I took the scarf knitting to the hospital with me and managed to knit almost another 100 grams into it. I have gone well past the half way mark now so it will get finished in time for Louise's birthday, I have finished the back and two fronts of Eve's jacket and have now picked up the stitches for the band. I still have both sleeves to do but the band will take far longer so I thought I would do that bit first. Hopefully the jacket is on target for being finished by Sunday.

I have been trying to make my list of things still to do for Christmas. As usual I should have started knitting and crocheting far earlier than I have. Every year it's a mad rush and every year I swear that I won't let it happen the year after. Good job I work well under pressure. I will have to get serious about my crafting this next month and stop messing about! I will have to make it like a job and have set hours for knit and crochet and set hours for housework and shopping etc. I am just not a very organised person and time just seems to slip by while I wool gather (not literally) and daydream.

Time for a bit of dinner and then back to the knitting. I will have to find my whip and give myself 20 lashes every now and again. I just wish that I could stop nodding off in the middle of the day like some old biddie!

First Physio Class

I have just been for my first physio knee class at the hospital. My knee now aches so much I want to scream. I know that I have to do the exercises but they were so hard and most of the class had their knee ops weeks before mine. I didn't feel quite so much of a wimp though when I realised that a lot of people were still struggling with the knee bends that I find so hard when I would have thought that they would have been further advanced than I am. Apparently I have to concentrate on getting the muscles to work behind my knees when the swelling goes down. When I asked for ideas on how to move this swelling which is stopping me from bending my knee they didn't give me an answer. I asked my specialist after the op if it would go down and he said that he didn't know.Maybe it would , maybe it won't. No one seems to know the answer to this question. It is this swelling that is stopping me from bending my knee properly. I have tried ice packs as the hospital suggested and today the physio suggested to use heat so I am none the wiser.

Today I managed to finish the band on my long jacket. I have the sleeves and the tie belt ( if I decide to make one) still to make. I think that the jacket is a bit on the small side for me but then I am supposed to be losing weight and crochet always 'gives' a little in wear. Apart from it's snugness it looks quite nice even though it doesn't yet have it's sleeves.

Today I went to the hospital via the appointment ambulance. It means waiting around for it to call for me and then waiting around for it to pick me back up again but I just don't feel confident enough to face the lurching of the buses and trams until I can get rid of the crutches. I am now allowed to walk about the house without them but still need to take them out with me if I go for a walk. I didn't mention that I have a scooter as the range that it does would not take me to the hospital and back again . Walking up to Tesco and carrying shopping is something for the future anyway so I will continue to use the scooter when I need to shop and save the walking for around the block where the pavement is more on the level. As I have mentioned before I live on a hill and I don't feel up to walking up and down inclines just yet. I have been told never to carry heavy shopping bags after my spinal operation so when I can walk again it will be back to the trusty old shopping trolley.

The weather today is nice and sunny but quite cold. My neighbours cars all had a coating for frost on them when I woke up. Last night I had to bribe the neighbour's cat with chicken to leave the house. Every time he stuck his nose outside in the cold he dashed back in. He must have needed the loo as he had been in most of the day. He is sleeping on the spare bed as I type. He doesn't like the cold weather at all.

My knee has now stiffened up so perhaps I will try that heat and massage.. I feel muscle bound like someone who has been in the gym too long for the first time. I hope that this feeling passes soon as I didn't sleep last night and so I don't fancy another night of wakefulness.