Black Duster Coat Finished

My black version of the Pink Duster Coat by Doris Chan is now finished but as you can see is still wet and hanging in the washing line. The pegs around the bottom edge are my version of blocking to get the bottom edge to stop curling upwards. I cannot block anything large on blocking boards as I have to use up all of the bed and I still need to sleep in that as I can't crawl around the floor these days due to my knee problems. I just hope that the weight of the pegs will do the trick for me. If not I will just have to try to block just the bottom edge. The yarn still hanging from the edge of the sleeves is just in case I have to undo a row when the coat has dried. The sleeves seem a wee bit long so I haven't darned the end in yet.

I have made this version in a double knitting and I think it has taken 600 grams but I will have to count the labels to be sure about that. I have used an acrylic yarn as a) I can't wear wool and b) it is not the kind of garment I can envisage getting a lot of wear out of so am not prepared to spend ££'s on something that will get worn now and again. I have altered this coat from the one I made previously. I used a smaller sized hook for the waist area to give the coat some shape and have used 6 small buttons to close it from bust to waist should I desire. I also started the bottom pattern slightly lower down so that the bulk did not land on my hip area. Although I am a big girl I find that shapeless garments add to my bulk rather than detract so am endeavouring to give things I make a bit of a shape. (Have I been watching too much How to Look Good Naked?).

I will try to get some better photos taken of the Duster Coat to put on Ravelry and Flickr but it is so hard to take photos of oneself wearing things like this. I shall have to grab a passing neighbour when the coat is dry.

I'm Back

Sorry that I have been missing in action lately. No excuses really except that I am just so knackered all of the time.I had my blood tested which shows that I am anaemic and am now on ferrous sulphate tablets but I have also been getting bad headaches when I wake up. These are similar to a bad hangover and are a symptom that my blood is not oxygenated enough. As I have mentioned before I sleep with a CPAP machine as I have sleep apnoea. Yesterday I went to have the machine checked and last night I had a mini sleep study strapped to a meter that measured my SATS levels and heart rate. I have to take this mini machine back on Monday for them to analyse the results, It could be something simple like turning up the pressures on my machine.

I have managed to keep crocheting on my black version of the Pink Duster coat, despite falling asleep over it most evenings, and am well on my way with it now. I hope to have it finished so that I can wear it, if I wish, to the official launch of the Naked Knitting Calendar this Tuesday. It is being held at the Blundell Arms on Chorley Old Road Bolton from 7pm so if any of you are close by then please drop in and say Hi to us. Ambermoggie and Mr Mog are hoping to come to the launch and it will be lovely to see both of them again.

We are hoping that the local press will grace us with their presence for some more publicity. The Calendar was publicly launched at I Knit in London but as most of the members could not get there we decided to hold a local launch organised by Deb and Jen so that more people could have a chance to attend and show support. The landlord of the pub is being very supportive about this launch which helps immensely. I hope to take many photos to post on here next Wednesday. Thanks and well done Jen and Deb for all of your hard work in organising this launch and the sterling work that you are putting in addressing and posting off the calendars.

I have posted photos from the Natural Crochet Book by Tina Barrett today to fill up the spaces where I have not much to write about.I bought my copy from Amazon.co.uk last week.

Lisa on the Plinth in Trafalgar Square

This is Lisa a member of the Knitting Noras and a Calendar Girl on the plinth in Trafalgar Square last night. I watched it via my PC last night hence the poor quality of the photos.It's not easy taking a photo of a PC screen. She was promoting the calendar and speaking about After Adoption, Home Education and also reading a poem about Knitting. In between she entertained the audience with a display of poi twirling. I must ask her is she was ever in one of those dancing troupes when she was younger or a cheer leader as she twirled those poi like a professional baton twirler! If you click on the blog title I think you can still view Lisa on the plinth. Look for week 14, Tuesday 6th and the time of 9pm and Lisa B and that should find her. I found that I could barely hear her at times despite her home made megaphone. At least it didn't rain on her.

Today I am in the middle of a cleaning frenzy. Luckily it is fine and so my bedding is on the line hopefully drying in the small amount of sunshine that we have today. I am in my old cleaning clobber, no make up and hair in a pony tail so I bet I get visitors today. Why do people always call when you look a mess - or does that only happen to me? When the house is sparkling ( a rarity in my case) and I am looking tip top (another rarity) no one calls.

I have progressed with the black duster coat. It now has one arm. I always crochet the sleeves before I finish off the main body of the jacket as there is less weight to heave about when going around the sleeves plus it gives a better idea of when to stop crocheting for length if the sleeves are already in place. I have took a close up shot of the pattern merely to show you what I am up against trying to crochet with a moulting dog around. I will have to wash and hoover the coat before I can ever wear it. I feel like Nitty Nora and not a Knitting Nora as I pick over everything with tweezers to get rid of the stubborn dog hairs that resist a wash and hoover.

Time to return to my scrubbing of the cream leather sofa and my hoovering of absolutely everywhere once more. Time for a bit of cleaning music I think. Something with a beat like a bit of reggae or electro. I can't clean to anything with a slow beat! I will re- load the washer, peg out some more washing and have a cup of coffee first though.

Zip a de do dah Zip a dee ay, My oh my what a wonderful day, Plenty of sunshine coming my way, Zip a de do dah Zip a de ay!

Crafty Crafty Calendar Support

The Crafty Crafty blog has given the Naked Knitting Calendar a mention. If you click on my blog title you can read the article. DeadlyKnitShade contacted me on Ravelry and said that she was doing a write up about the calendar in Crafty Crafty and also for Stitch and Bitch London.The write up on Stitch and Bitch will appear on Monday so I will try to remember to post the link to it then. She says that as a cancer survivor she is all for kicking the a*se of cancer a sentiment most of us share.

Buster went home today and so I will have the task of de hairing the house and washing everything in sight tomorrow. He didn't go home until almost 5pm and I had to go and collect my prescription after that so have decided to leave the big clean up until tomorrow. I will miss having his company but I must admit that I found him really hard work this time and my knee suffered badly because of all the walking. Despite cleaning him thoroughly after a walk I have a rather grimy looking cream leather sofa which will be the first thing that I clean.That and washing every cushion in the house as well as every throw and all the bedding. I hope it is a nicer day tomorrow as today has been rain coming down like stair rods all day.

Lisa is on the plinth in Trafalgar square between 9 - 10 pm tonight and some of the Noras are going around to Bev's to watch her live on either the TV or the PC. I am not sure quite what she is doing except she requested some knitted daisies but I didn't have any time to make any and am not sure if anyone else did either.

I have started the Pink Duster coat by Doris Chan in black for myself. After I made the pink one that is featured on the front cover of the calendar I promised myself that I would make it again but in black. I am using a double knit this time and so the effect will not be as thick or as heavy. I have used a finer hook from the bust downwards to give the coat a bit of waist shaping which the pink one doesn't have. The photo is as the coat was yesterday when I first started it. It is too dark now to take more photos so I will take more tomorrow. It will probably take me another hour to pick off Buster's hair from my crochet! I will be crocheting away tonight as I watch Gok Wan on How To Look Good Naked and look if he has used any of the calendar photos in tonight's programme. Lisa got asked to submit 3 photos but we are not sure if they are going to be used yet. It would have been nice if they had made a film of us as they did last week with the Naked Mountain Rescue team but the production team only wanted photos.

On Monday night I went to the Kings Arms Knit Club. Rachael was there for the last time for 3 months. She is off to complete a 3 month residency at Artists Unlimited in Bielefeld, Germany. She is thrilled to have been given this opportunity but we will all miss her at the Kings. We will keep the Knit Club fires burning whilst you are away Rachael and remember to put the books out! I am sure that she will find a Knit Club (or start one) whilst she is out there. We did suggest her using a laptop and web cam to join in and Knit with us at the Knit Club via the wonders of the Internet.

A bit of dog minding

I had the pleasure of looking after Buddy this morning. Buddy is my neighbour Julie's dog so is quite used to me but he had never stayed at my house before. He was as good as gold and played quite happily for an hour or so. It felt nice to have a dog about the place again. He took over Buster's spot as sentinel and guardian of the street on the brown chair as he gazed out of the window.

My crocheting is continuing nicely. I now have two sleeves in the Pink Duster and am back to crocheting the body. This will take some time as the coat is almost a full length one.

Today I had a telephone interview with a reporter from Yours magazine about knitting. We spoke about the knitting clubs that I belong to. The Kings Arms Knitters and the Knitting Noras. She wanted to know a little about me and how I had found out about the knit clubs. I managed to get a quick plug in about the Naked Knitting Calendar and she wants to be kept updated as to our progress and when the calendar will be up for sale.

I have got my appointment for a Bone Density Scan for next Tuesday. I will be interested to know whether I have inherited my bone problems from my family or whether it is from accidental damage over the years.

I have been catching up with blogs and we knitters seem to be an unhealthy lot of late. Me with my bones and my racking cough, Ambermoggie with her excema rash, Jam and Jerusalem's OH and his asthma cough, Vicky's sore elbow and Lisa's sore hands. Is the knitting community falling to bits? Let's hope we all get well soon!

Doing it my way

Here I go again. Well it wouldn't be me if I actually followed a pattern as written would it? As usual I am crocheting the sleeves of the Pink Duster Coat by Doris Chan before I crochet the body. I don't like having to turn the weight of the completed body whilst crocheting the sleeves and prefer to make them whilst the garment is lighter. When I read the pattern it is supposed to have bell shaped sleeves. I am a clumsy person and if my sleeves are too large then I tend to "dust" everything in sight from tables and shelves not to mention getting hooked up on every doorknob and protruding object that is in my path. I have, therefore, decided not to increase the sleeves and keep my sleeves straight. I will be less of a danger to the general public (and myself) that way.

I haven't made as much progress as I would have liked due to nodding off in front of the TV last night. I can't remember what I was supposed to be watching but it can't have been that riveting.

Tomorrow I am looking after my neighbour Julie's dog Buddy for an hour or so and will take his photo so there will be some nice doggy photos for tomorrow's blog.

I have got a date

No, not that kind of date. I wish it was that kind of date but sadly Prince Charming is still nowhere to be found. I have got my hospital date for my knee op. March 24th so it will soon come around. I just hope that I can get rid of this blooming cough before then!

Rewselene (aka -laurie) said in my comments that she would like to see photos of the bedroom that I described yesterday. Sadly most of it is now dismantled. I am sure that I have a photo somewhere showing everything in situ, including my late cat if I remember rightly, but I can't quite put my hands on it at the moment. That is not a surprising thing in my house as filing things away neatly is not one of my virtues. Discovering things in drawers and cupboards months later is part of my life these days. It adds a bit of excitement to my hum drum life! I have taken one photo of a bit of wallpaper and some of the gold leaves and one of the pile of brass bits and bobs that used to reside in my bedroom and is now waiting to be taken to the charity shop.

My pink duster has progressed a little although I am undecided whether it is a bit on the large side. I think I will try tapering it in towards the waist by either going on a smaller hook or omitting one of the chain between the shell patterns. I like things roomy but as this is a long length coat I don't want it to turn out too loose and baggy. I may decided to unravel and re-do it all on a smaller hook. I am not a lover of things too openwork despite it being the fashion these days.