I love new books

Charlie from the Salford Knitters came to visit me today and brought me 2 books to read by Stephanie Pearl McPhee (the name always reminds me of the film Nanny PcPhee) otherwise known as the Yarn Harlot. I am sure that I will enjoy reading these. She also brought me 2 skeins of sock wool and some chocs. The random is Stroud Wool Socrates 4ply Merino and the plainer is Knitspin Logwood Purple Grey Merino. I have been really good with my choccy presents and am still slowly eating my way through the Thornton's goodies that Eadaoin brought for me when the Knitty Noras visited me.

I had a good night's sleep so I have been a chirpy birdie today. Once I can crack the good sleep/bad sleep cycle then I will feel better I am sure. I am not the best sleeper in the world at the best of times but feel that my body does need sufficient sleep to recover. The pain levels are decreasing with every day that passes and I find that I am more supple as the days go by. I am still in awe of the fact that I can tighten my stomach muscles. I made the hospital doctor laugh as he coulmd't understand why I was showing him my tummy going in and out. I said you don't know how good it feels to try to tighten your stomach muscles and have them obey and actually move. For such a long time my tummy just hung there like a dead weight giving my back more pain. I will soon be working on my muscle skills to raise my bottom up from the bed whilst lying down. Another skill I had lost a long time ago. I used to be like a turtle on it's back wriggling about as I struggled to get up from a lying position to a seated one. The only way I could get out of bed was to do a sideways roll and hang on the bedside cabinet and heave. If the dog was lying at my side so I couldn't move I was trapped unless I could entice Buster to roll over as well!

Bernadette ny neighbour from across the road offered to get some ready meals and fruit from Tesco for me. Everyone has been so kind to me. I am going to ask Vicky J to show me the ropes of online Tesco shopping as it will be several months before I am allowed to push a shopping cart and kind as everyone has been I would like to do my own shopping. My neighbour Julie called to see how I was. She is still struggling to come to terms with her not so good news. The specialist is doubtful if they can remove the tumour that is on her pancreas and kidney. They will only be able to tell once they go in for a look. Such a lovely lady. Thinking about me in her time of trouble. This is Julie's nature, always thinking of others - as I said before a lovely, loving lady.

My son rang to say he is back home again but is still recovering after his rather wet holiday. Buster is apparently leaping about like a puppy. It is either the influence of 7 month old Skye, his holiday or his Glucosomene tablets which he has now been taking for 3 weeks. I am unsure of when he is coming home. I have missed him and am looking forward to seeing him again but realistically speaking, much as I love him, I don't feel ready to cope with him just yet.

My ex husband called around to see how I am. It crossed my mind that 40yrs ago today I would have been getting ready for my wedding day the following afternoon (10th). I would have been trying hard to convince myself that everything would work out and I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life. I feel so envious of girls today who on finding themselves pregnant have the choice of not getting married. I just got all the guilt, shame and remorse of letting the family down dumped on my head and so I did what I thought was the "right thing" in order to save my face with my family. My life could have been so very different had I chosen a different path. The swinging sixties were not very swinging for a northern working class pregnant girl. Free love and the pill didn't reach Manchester for quite a long time after the 60's.

I have finished off my retro style 60's inspired sweater and am stitching it up at the moment. The Russian squares incorporated in the design are still pulling and resisting being square so I think it calls for a lot of blocking to tame them into submission before I photograph it. Maybe tomorrow I will unveil my latest creation. I am still unsure if I like it but it is quite different to anything I have made recently. I have used unravelled wool and stash so it hasn't actually cost me anything if I decide to pass it on to someone else. Charlie said that she liked it but I always think - are people just being polite. I lack confidence in my designs.

I am off to finish my stitching and make the final decision as to what to start next with my big ball of aubergine wool. I am veering towards the longer Doris Chan car coat design but will have to weigh up if I have enough yarn to do it before I start. The pattern has a different coloured shawl collar and belt but I really wanted mine to be all one colour so I might have to compromise on the length.

One sock is finished

Last night I couldn't decide what I wanted to crochet next so I picked up the lingering sock knitting whilst I decided. I think this poor sock has been on the needles and unravelled off the needles twice and finally it has been third time lucky and I finished one sock. But I still have number two to start yet!

With my latest crochet items including a couple of shawls plus the wrap that Amber made for me I needed some way to fasten them and stop them sliding off my shoulders as I usually wear them in the evening whilst crocheting or knitting. Brooches and pins tend to get tangled in the threads and I dug around and found an old leather hair clip from way back when (possibly 60's as I don't throw anything away) and used that but it was a bit cumbersome. I then remembered that my mother had bought me a silver kilt pin from a trip to Scotland when I was a teenager. I was suitably unimpressed at the time as I didn't wear a kilt and so it has stayed in my jewelry box blackening happily away for many years. I have given it a good clean and at last it can be used for almost it's original purpose. Thanks Mum who would have known I would like your gift, and find a use for it, 45 years later. It is hallmarked silver so has cleaned up lovely. I should have taken a before photo as it was completely black before cleaning.

I have a couple of ideas about what to crochet next but as usual I am either uninspired by the choice of yarns I have in stash or there is not sufficient wool in the right colours for the projects I have in mind. I could always get the crocheting out from the drawer that I started a couple of years ago and went off making it. I still can't drum up enthusiasm for it even though I have almost finished the cardigan back. I like the colour and I like the pattern stitch but there is just something about it that I am not happy with and every time I reach it out and do a couple of rows I put it down again.

I will have another coffee and decide what to make next. Maybe another Doris Chan - maybe something different for a change. By the way if you look on my Ravelry projects Doris has left a comment on my Farpoint Topper. So nice of her to notice it,

Socks and more socks

I am still on top of the world after yesterday's good news. I went to water aerobics and it felt so good to be able to answer the question "Any news yet?" with "Yes - I have a date" Everyone is so happy for me. The phone rang a few times last night in response to the texts that I sent out telling my news.

Doris Chan still continues to dog me. I have managed to sort out the Jewel sweater. As you can see from the photo it is progressing nicely. Last night I took my Interweave magazine to bed with my Horlicks and was reading Doris Chan's article on shaping whilst leaning on my elbow. I suddenly got the most excruciating pain through my back and couldn't move. I think Doris is getting her revenge on me for calling her instructions hard to follow. This morning my shoulder blades were still very tender. I suppose this is proof that I am too heavy for my elbows these days. I am trying to lose some weight now that I have a date to aim for.

My niece Vicky came last night and brought her unfinished socks. I knew that there was no way that I could replicate her tension so decided to bite the bullet and unravel what she had started. Not an easy decision as she had almost finished one sock. The wool is Regia 6ply and quite thickish so should not take long to knit. The second pair she had only knitted about 3" but she could not find the pattern that she had used or the label. I think it is self striping fair isle Opal so any sock pattern should be OK to use. My niece wants plain stocking stitch socks as the toe socks that I made for her had the pattern on the sole and she finds them uncomfortable if she walks on floorboards.The wools she has bought are bold and stripey so do not need a pattern stitch to show it off.

The third photo is a sock that I started from the wool that my friend Vicky gave me at Christmas. Those will have to take a back seat until I have finished Vicky's socks and the Jewel sweater. I also have another purple Sweet Pea shawl to make before I go into hospital.

Eye has a stye and I want to cry

I woke up this morning with a very sore eye. To be honest it has been a bit sore for a couple of days but I kept rinsing it in Optrex and hoping for the best. I rarely wear make up these days and I had put some on Monday as I was going to the Biobank. I woke up Tuesday morning like Alice Cooper on a rainy day. I had completely forgotten about the eye make up and had gone to bed without removing it. Big faux pas. I presume this eye is a consequence of this. My GP says I am probably run down and it's a stye.

I used to get styes (or poukes as my mother used to call them) regularly when I was a youngster and they didn't come from eye make up so maybe the whole make up thing is just a co-incidence. I am talking about the late 40's and 50's and young girls were not so precocious in those days.

I waited about 45 mins in the pharmacy and when the pharmacist came out she ran through the instructions for my ear drops. Ear drops? Hang on it's my eye! She disappeared again and re-appeared some time later with eye drops. Apparently it is all this progress and computerisation. The doctor types in the brand name and it brings up the drops which are the same name but different strengths for eyes and ears. It's a very easy mistake so I am told. I will forgive him as he did see me at very short notice and it is a bank holiday weekend as well. Luckily I have a very diligent pharmacist who insists on telling me exactly what to do with any new drugs and so the mistake was rectified immediately.

The doctor said he couldn't understand why I had not heard about my op since I have already had my pre op testing done but when I mentioned the CPAP machine and my need for high dependency or intensive care he said - Ah that's why. They will be trying to co-ordinate the two together and that is almost impossible to do as no-one can predict a space on those wards. Doesn't sound very reassuring does it?

I had started my niece Vicky's socks but as the pattern is a travelling spiral lace lattice I doubt if much will get done over the weekend with my dodgy eye. I am struggling with the pattern somewhat anyway. I don't know why but I have a moveable 1st stitch start. The pattern only has 4 rows but when I come to restart the first row again the beginning of my row as per 1st stitches on the needle is wrong for the pattern and yet I ended up right at the end of the 4th pattern row. I have unpicked it several times, counted stitches on every row until I am dizzy and cannot find out why I keep going wrong. I am now just going with the flow, keeping the lace pattern correct and moving my stitch marker back and forth to compensate for the wrong starts to the rows. I hope it all works out well when I get to the foot part and I have to keep a panel of lace at the foot front and stocking stitch under the foot! Argh. It could all go horribly wrong.

The photos are of the sock wool that Vicky brought for me on Sunday. She is the lady who finds me all the bargains. If anyone wants any specific details about any of them Vicky is the woman to tell you. I have the memory of a goldfish as you have probably guessed by now so would be of no use to you.

The first photo is of skeins from the Natural Dye Studio. Top one is Alpaca/silk mix. Middle is Nino Merino and the bottom is Mirage Marino/Tencel. The middle photo is Fyberspates 75% Marino/nylon and the last photo is Opal Neon on the left and Schoeller Fortissima Colori on the right. As you can imagine all of these added to my stash will mean that I have enough wool for lots of socks when I am recuperating.

My niece's best friend is supposed to be induced today so I am waiting to see if she gets a boy or a girl. She will text me when the baby is born. I think it is so lovely that they didn't want to know the sex of the baby before birth. It makes it far more exciting for all of us who are waiting to hear.

My diet went out of the window today as I had waited so long in the pharmacy that it was 6.30pm and I was really hungry and I had to pass the chip shop on my way home. The smell was wafting out onto the pavement saying come in you know that you don't want to stand with your painful back and cook when you get home. I gave in to temptation and the dog and I shared a lovely hot freshly cooked fish with a few chips. Bang goes the diet for another day!

I am off to put my drops in my eyes and take my antibiotics. Hopefully the eye will be less sore and more open tomorrow and I will stop winking at everyone . Maybe I should crochet a fetching eye patch? I could use the crochet hook with the light in the end that Zuleika kindly sent down from Scotland for me.

Loads of sock wool goodies

Vicky came to visit today with the sock wool goodies that she had ordered online for me. There is quite a variety - some Opal and Lana Crosse. A mix of wool ones and cotton ones and some stretch as well. I think they are from Get knitted although the rather yummy one in the second photo is a gift to me from Vicky and I think it's hand dyed Merino by Debbie Tomkies but I am sure Vicky will add a comment as to it's exact make up for anyone who also likes the texture and colour. I am getting very forgetful these days. She did tell me and I have forgotten already! I couldn't resist winding it up from the skein even though these supplies are for my after op recuperation knitting. I just wanted to know what it would look like in the ball.

I am a real dummy at looking for bargains on the net. My experiences of ordering yarn from Angel have been less than wonderful and it has put me off from trying again in case my bad experience gets repeated. Vicky seems to find all the bargains online so I am grateful to her for searching these out for me. Loads a wool for my sock stash. I will let my niece choose one colour for the separate toes socks she has requested. She can have any colour except the last one!

I am so happy with all of the colours and can't wait to start although I am considering getting a full set of Knit Pics needles if Vicky is ordering from Get Knitted in the future as I keep puncturing my finger end with the bamboo set I am using for the tiger coloured socks. I have read good reports about them and the Addi Turbos so would like to try them out.

Vicky bought her sweetheart sock in progress with her and it looks much nicer in real life than the photo on her blog. Lovely pattern and colour. She also bought me a crystal thumb stone in rose quartz to aid my recovery which I keep playing with as it is very soothing as well as having healing properties

I have quite a lot of things to finish off before I start any of these new sock wools. I have worked another couple of balls today into my niece Vicky's crochet jumper so it now has 2 sleeves and it's neckband done. I am working my way down the body now (it is started from the top down) so it should be finished in a couple of days. I then have to finish Anna's soakers, start Nikki's hat and a shawl for my sister in law. I also must start the second Tiger sock and break the second sock syndrome and finish off the second pair of thicker purple Classic Kid socks. Boy I am going to have a busy month. Maybe I can find time to sleep in between the knit and crochet I have planned. I shall definitely try the chocolate before bedtime theory to chase away bad dreams as suggested by Mattenlou. I shall buy some tomorrow when I do my grocery shopping.

Zuleika (Life in the Zu) has kindly offered to lend me a crochet hook with a light built in to see if I can use it. It sure would come in handy with all the black wool I have been crocheting lately. These old eyes are not what they used to be. I am borrowing it as I have bought bamboo and Brittany birch crochet hooks and can't use any of them so don't want to buy any more hooks until I have tried them out. I also like the look of the Clover hooks with the wider handle but Zuleika has said they make her hands ache so I would like to try before I buy on those as well.

I shall make a Horlicks and go to bed now as it is a little late to do any more crochet although CSI is on the TV and I can't resist if it's Gil Grisham (William Peterson) on the TV. Such a dishy man. Swoon.

Crochet short sleeved cardigan in Gedifra

I finally finished the short sleeved cardigan in the bargain Coats Gedifra Linen yarn I bought. I had about three attempts at it before I found the right pattern for the yarn. The first things I started had all the appeal of dishcloths. Seems that the yarn has a mind of it's own. My yarn was riddled with knots and split when I was crocheting it. I would finish a row only to find loose strands on one of the stitches so back it came. I did an awful lot of unripping before I finished.

The pattern I ended up making was from a Hayfield pattern book 7127 called Crochet Variations an old book I have had for some time. I will probably use the same book to crochet the other colour but use a different design.

I am still pleased with the finished effect but am taking a break from Gedifra (I still have one more colour left) and am back to sock knitting and making a knitted bolero with long sleeves for my friend's birthday in October. I am making it from a DOPPS pattern and that has been another trial as it is very loosely translated and their charts are very vague to say the least! I finished up looking closely at the pattern picture with a magnifying glass and making my own version of the pattern stitch!

I collected some yarn yesterday that has been donated for the project the Knitting Noras are involved in (making outfits and blankets for the local Premature baby unit). As yet I haven't started anything but I have sorted through my patterns for suitable ones and will probably share the yarn out at our next meet. The first lot I have picked up is mostly pink which is OK for the girls and very dark colours which I have re-donated to my neighbour who crochets animal blankets for the local animal sanctuary. I have still to pick up the second lot of donated yarn but the lady I spoke to on the phone said there is some white in there so the boys will get a look in!

I have ordered a couple more balls of Opal sock yarn in the Sale from Angel Yarns but as yet they haven't arrived (nor has the ball my niece ordered for me!). I will give it a few more days before I enquire where the order is. I have started the second Jaywalker sock with the ball and needles that did arrive from Angel a couple of weeks ago but as I find I am a looser knitter on 5 needles I am waiting for the smaller set of needles to arrive before I start another pair of socks. My local yarn store only stocks a few sizes of metal needles in sets of 4 which are no good for the US patterns which use 5. I also prefer the "give" I get from bamboo and wood needles.

Crochet sweater was too small so I improvised

I haven't caught up with my blogging for various reasons. I have done something to my ribs on the right hand side. Had an X ray but that revealed nothing. Got antibiotics in case it was pleurisy but then another doc said no it wasn't that. So here I am still strapped up with my neoprene back support without which I am in a great deal of pain. With it I am in pain but am able to function to some degree.

I finished my 3 coloured sweater crocheted in Patons cotton I had started many moons ago and discovered that I am now a couple of sizes larger than I was when I started it and as cotton in a solid pattern has very little give in it. I felt disinclined to pull it undone as it had taken so long to crochet so I had a brain wave. Using the ball of cream I fortunately had left over I crocheted a panel of cable and inserted one panel either side of the sweater under the arms and made the sweater into a split sided top. Success! A garment that now fits me. I am quite giddy with my designer skills!

I have also managed to crochet one colour of the Coats Gedifa (see previous post) after many false starts. Photos will follow once I have sewn on the buttons. The yarn had all the charm and consistency of a dishcloth on a couple of the patterns I started. It splits like mad when I was working with it and was riddled with knots. No wonder it was reduced in the Sale! I have managed to make a short sleeved cardigan in the end.

I have also been knitting. I have made a shrug from some left over chunky from a free pattern I found on some one's blog. (See there is a point to reading other people's blogs!) and whilst it is looking quite loose on 8mm needles it was one way of making something with 200grams of chunky other than a scarf! Photo of that to follow once I have sewn in the ends.

I have finished one Jaywalker sock (free pattern on Knitty.com) from my Opal sock wool from Angel yarns sale and today I managed to find 200grams of some obscure 4ply wool in the charity shop for 50p that will make 2 more pairs of socks for my dog walking and I also managed to get a pair of brand new walking type boots from the same charity shop for £4.50p so well worth my trip in there today. The dog and I will appreciate those on wet days. On the way back from shopping my old car broke down yet again so maybe my trip out will not turn out to be such a bargain after all. I have to phone the mechanic back after 2pm. Oh to win the lottery and get a decent car that goes!