Knitting and Nattering

Yesterday was quite a busy day for me. It was a nice day so I did some washing and then my niece came to turn my roots into the same colour as the rest of my hair. We had a bit of a natter (chat) whilst she was doing it.I wanted to be ready for when/if I go into hospital as I didn't think I would be in the mood for hair root dyeing for a week or two afterwards.

In the afternoon I was getting ready to go to the Islington Mill Knit Out. I had decided to go as it was such a lovely day, plus I had left my cardigan in Rachael's car when I went to Towneley Hall, and it might be my last opportunity to go for a few weeks if the op goes ahead.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Knit Out had to be cancelled. The cafe where we meet up was closed as the people who run it had gone to Glastonbury and not left the keys. The courtyard where we could have met up was like a builders yard due to renovation work and the wind was blowing the dust about Instead Rachael and Marie came up for an impromptu knit out at my house. It was lovely to have some company and have a bit of a natter. There is nothing like a spot of company for raising spirits. Rachael and Marie had been up to Woolfest in Cockermouth on Friday and so I was waiting to hear what they had bought and what Rachael thought of it as I don't think that she had been there before. Both ladies were remarkably restrained and just came home with a couple of things. When I went the year before it was all so overwhelming that I didn't actually buy anything except a Ewe ice cream. The wools are all very beautiful and some of the fine shawls were gorgeous but my pocket doesn't run to all of the gorgeous expensive alpaca and merino wools. I have a good excuse for not breaking the bank as I am allergic to wool. I have been told several times that alpaca and merino aren't supposed to be as itchy as sheep wool but my skin doesn't believe it. I must be a cheap girl at heart as the only thing that doesn't make me itch is acrylic.

Today I was supposed to be going to my other Knit Club in Bolton but as they made the4 trip up to Woolfest yesterday I doubt if a lot of them would be turning up for the Knit Out today. My knees are behaving themselves at the moment so I don't want to upset them by trailing them on a metro tram and a bus journey up to Bolton. I discovered by accident a few days ago that if I stay barefooted all of the time (well in the house) my knees and back ache far less. Maybe I can balance myself better as I walk i don't know but although I have to scrub my feet every night it is worth it just to have less pain. Obviously if I am in the garden or shopping I have to put some flat shoes or sandals on but that is when the back and knee ache starts up in force. Maybe it is just a matter of finding the right shoes that keep my feet in the correct position. The pain is also less if I wear laced up hiking or Doc Marten boots but of course I can't wear those in the summer or around the house.

I am sorry that I missed out on the trips to Woolfest but after last year I decided that it wasn't worth putting myself through all the pain just to see everything. It is a wonderful experience if you ever get a chance to go. Maybe next year I will feel up to it once again.

I am trying out another of Rindy's easy crochet designs but this time in a larger size. As I have mentioned before she makes all of these jackets for charity and shares the patterns as free downloads on Ravelry. She has been asked to try to up size the pattern to fit larger children so is working on making them up to 2 yrs old. I am trying out one of the next size up patterns for her and I think that it has turned out quite well. They are very plain and very easy but that is the beauty of them. When you are making things for charity then quantity is better than intricate designs. I have jazzed this cardigan up with a few crocheted flowers. I think that Rindy has posted the larger sized patterns on Ravelry. If not I am sure they will be there very shortly. This cardigan is destined for a friend's foster baby girl.

Today is quite hot and a bit sunny. At the moment I am too hot to even get dressed. I am looking like a female Demis Roussos floating about the house in my brightly coloured Kaftan. I suppose that I should make some effort to don a pair of shorts and a vest soon. I plan to crochet in the garden today provided that the threatened rain doesn't arrive. I have already started another or Rindy's patterns this time in a pink random. The only problem with crocheting random is that the colours sometimes bunch together and this cardigan is looking like a pink dalmatian. Photos of that will follow tomorrow.

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend.

Crochet Flower Corsages

As I am still sorting out the ribbons and buttons from the loft I haven't had much time for crocheting. I have just been making some little flower brooches for the raffle. I have ordered a book from Amazon about crochet and knitted flowers. I had seen the book at the last Knit Out and thought it was a good idea and then got an e voucher from filling in an online survey so I put it towards the book. It should arrive early next week. Then I can make some more brooches or corsages as I grandly called then in the title. The ones I have made so far have been adapted from free pattern that I found on the net. I think that I would rather wait to see the better ones in the book before I make any more.

Sorting through the boxes from my loft has brought back many memories as I keep coming across things that remind me of my parents. Happier times when we had the shops and everything in the world was rosy. Sad times when I remember the utter misery that I felt when I realised that I had no choice but to close the last shop.I felt that I had failed my parents by not being able to carry on financially with the shops after their hard work over the years.I had thought that I would be in the shops until I retired but some things are not meant to be. Things like divorce, having to remortgage the house, family illnesses, visits to nursing homes and subsequent deaths got in the way.

If I could have weathered the storm during the last knitting slump no doubt the credit crunch would have got me now. My bank manager refused me a loan on the grounds that I was an unsupported woman with commitments a thing he would never get away with saying now. Who knows which way my life would have turned out if I had been granted that loan to rescue the business that I had neglected during my Father's final battle with prostate cancer. We never know what life holds for us and it's probably as well. My mother always used to say that knitting would revive and be as big as it ever was. I am just sorry that she didn't live long enough to see her prediction come true. Sorry that I am not still in the family business to be part of it.It breaks my heart to try to search about in shops, that carry less than a quarter of my stock, for things that I stocked and now cannot find anywhere except online where the P&P costs more than the item.

The sun is shining and I will probably sit in the garden with my crochet for a while if it's warm enough. I have got the rest of the wool now for the crocheting that will form the mermaid tail for the calendar shoot so I will be doing a bit on that if I can remember where I am up to with the pattern as I started the first ball several weeks ago.Vicky called around today to deliver the rest of the wool for me but could not stay as she was off to the Trafford Centre.

First it's a spot of lunch and Loose Women on TV before I decide what to do next.