A Nice Spring Morning

It's a lovely spring morning - well it is when the sun stays out. Buster is making the most of it and wants to play ball. When I have finished washing the dishes I will put my jacket on and play out with him for a while. I feel so sorry for him not being walked but there is not much that I can do about that. People have offered to walk him for me but he just won't go with anyone else. It will soon be Tuesday and he will be back at home with the other dog. Thankfully the pup had now gone to a good home so the atmosphere in the house will return to normal. Buster has recovered well and apart from a few scars and a bit of tenderness he is almost back up to strength.

I put the two shawls side by side to show the slight difference in the size. I mad the second shawl on a 6mm hook and the first shawl on the 5.50mm hook as recommended in the Blue Curacao pattern.

I have started an All Shawl from my oddment stash. As usual when I get anything given to me it comes without a label. It is some sort of mohair or imitation mohair and has faint flecks in which you might be able to see in the close up photo. I only have 6 x 25 gram balls so the lacy edging will have to be a mix of different colours but the warmth will be at the shoulders which is the mohair. This shawl is probably destined to an old lady who Sylvia knows as I have run out of old ladies in my family and friends. I have already made shawls for people that I know. I don't make enough to donate them to an old people's home although it is an idea for the winter months in between when I start making homeless peoples hats again.

Today I got a first class letter from the hospital and my heart skipped a beat as I thought that it might be my call up for my operation. When I opened it the letter was recalling me for more tests following my mammogram. It was a bit of a shock but I am thinking positively. I have lumpy breasts which is why I started having mammograms in my 30's so I am hoping that it is just something like that. My Dad always used to say don't worry about anything unless you get told that it is bad news so I am trying to put it put of my mind until my appointment on Thursday. My mother had a non cancerous cyst removed and we both had cysts aspirated so I am keeping that thought in mind. I have no symptoms and can't feel any more lumps than usual so fingers crossed all will be well.

Buster is waiting patiently with his ball in the back garden so I had better do some dog amusing and leave the dishes for a little while.

Are They Meant To Be Flat?

I have just been for my routine Mammogram at the aptly named Popham Centre at Fairfield Hospital.I felt as though they were trying to pop them. Although I have always had a fair sized bosom I would never say that I was big. The thought crossed my mind as they tried their damnedest to iron my boob as flat as a pancake, and in doing so it spread my boob across the X-ray plate in a manner mimicking pastry being rolled out. What if I had bigger boobs? Would they have to use an X ray plate the size of a tea tray?

I met up with a former neighbour in the centre who I haven't seen for some time. I didn't like to say that she looked dreadful but I was shocked by her appearance. it turns out that the poor lady has been very poorly with cancer and has had not only chemo but a bone marrow stem cell transplant from her brother. He travelled from Sweden and luckily he was an exact match for her bone marrow,He is younger than her and very fit and healthy so I hope that all goes well for her. She is a really lovely lady. She and her husband offered me a lift back to my home town as they don't live too far away. I was really grateful for the lift as my knees ached from the trip up there via metro and bus.

I called in the charity shops as I usually do for a browse. I am always on the look out for wool and today I was lucky. I got this pink double knit for £3. I am not sure how much there is as some of the balls are not full balls but I will be able to make a pram blanket with it once I hear of a little girl baby. I don't know if you can see from the close up photo but it has little flecks of different colours in it.

I have started another jacket for my elder niece for her birthday at the beginning of April. I made her this jacket at Christmas in pale blue with short sleeves and although she loved it she said could I make her one with long sleeves. As I said in a previous blog the market stall didn't have much choice of colours in the wool that I bought last time. I chose black as it is a general colour that will go with a lot of her outfits. I would have liked to have chosen a brighter colour but there wasn't much choice. She doesn't know about this jacket and I had already promised to make her a couple more so next time she is on school holidays she can nip over to the Yarn Barn in Shaw and get some brighter coloured wool for another jacket.

I altered the pattern considerably so I am winging it once again as I cannot remember how I made it last time. Fortunately I took many photos for Flickr and Ravelry so I keep referring back to them for guidance. This time I am going to write better notes!

Time for a welcome cup of coffee and put my knees up for an hour or so. I am going to do some crocheting. I have loads of housework to do but my knees say no at the moment. Maybe later when I have had a rest....or maybe not ;)

I am so envious of the ladies who manage to find crochet books at their libraries. My local library doesn't cater for anyone who knits or crochets. They have a few tired old books and even when I look on the central library list there is nothing any different in there. I am always having to order books just so that I can read what is in them, Needless to say I have lots of books with only one item in that I like that I probably would not have bought if I had browsed it first. I have ordered a couple more crochet books and they should be delivered this week. I do hope that I like something in these as much as I like the last baby crochet book.