Catch Up Time

Catch up time. Where shall I start? I just haven't been in the mood for blogging for various reasons so took a break for a few days.

I will work backwards starting with today.

Today my friend and neighbour Julie is featured in the Sun newspaper being interviewed about her mis diagnosis of her ovarian cancer which almost cost her life.The doctors kept dismissing her symptoms as putting on weight even though her stomach swelled up so much she looked 9 months pregnant. This is one of the symptoms apparently but her doctors kept missing it. They kept telling her over the many times she visited them to diet and go jogging! By the time she got to Christies she had 5 large tumors on her ovaries and others on her pancreas, liver, womb and kidneys. Scary isn't it?

I am chatting online at the moment with an Athen's wool shop owner and trying to convince him to take some copies of the calendar when it is printed but he seems more interested in me than buying a calendar. Ah well at least I tried.

I need to go into the garden and take down one of the plastic greenhouses that is tilted over at a dangerous angle after the torrential rain and wind yesterday.

Yesterday I met up with Sylvia in Bolton to swop parcels. She had a parcel of wool for me to crochet some baby items with and I had a parcel of baby cardigans for her foster baby plus the surprise shawl that I had made for her. I had made it earlier but could not post photos of it on my blog as it was a surprise. It is, of course, the Blue Curacao shawl by Doris Chan from the Amazing Crochet Lace Book.

Sylvia and I met up with Deb and her daughter who were on a school bag and pencil shopping expedition and we all had a coffee and bun in the Costa. I made the mistake of wearing a pair of boots with a small heel and so my knee was very painful by the time I got back home again and I paid the price for trying to look a bit more elegant than my usual flat shoes. Vanity thy name is woman! My knee is still sore I just hope that It clears up before the weekend.

I had a compliment yesterday when a guy who lives in the Isle of Man contacted me on Yahoo and said "Is this you?" He had the link to the web cam photo that I took of myself knitting naked that he found on the Naked Knitting web site. I said yes it is and he said I was bloody gorgeous! Wow what a good way to start the day eh? I told him to buy a calendar so he could have me on his wall and he said I would rather have you!

Tuesday I looked after my next door neighbour's dogs,after my osteo appointment, as Sky News was coming to film and interview Julie about her ovarian cancer and her misdiagnosis. I didn't see it on Sky News as it was broadcast at 6am long before I was up out of bed but it can still be seen online if you go into Sky News and type in Ovarian cancer. It is under the heading of 80%.

On Tuesday I also got delivery of my new baby patterns. They came from a lady called Kay and she gave very prompt delivery as I only ordered them late on Sunday evening. As you can't actually see any of the baby cardigans in my photo I will put the link to her web site in my blog title. At £2 a pattern I think they are well worth the money. She also does online PDF's to save on the postage but I do like a proper pattern to work from.

On Monday the Bolton Knitting Noras were featured in the Manchester Evening News. I can't post a link to that as the paper didn't put us on their online web pages.

I went to the Kings Arms Knit Club on Monday night and had a good evening. I got chatting to a guy at the bar who turned out to be a reporter for the M.E.N. You never know who you are chatting to in a pub do you? I told him I had been mentioned in the article and he said he would look it up when he got hack in work on Tuesday. I said look for the bit about being the oldest model and he laughed and said but did it say a glamorous older model? Perhaps I should have removed his beer goggles.

Knit wise I am still ploughing on with my 4ply baby cardigans.Very slowly so I have started a cream baby blanket in crochet as this knitting malarky is driving me mad. I am so looking forward to starting the new baby crochet patterns but I must make myself finish this knitting first.

Hopefully I will be back to blogging as normal although I really do feel under the weather. Yesterday every bone in my body ached. I don't have any flu symptoms so it's not swine flu. I think it's just my arthritis reaction to all this wet weather.

Sometimes the NHS makes my blood boil

I went for my long awaited follow up appointment for my knee to the hospital today. What a waste of time. I saw a nurse practitioner who hadn't the faintest idea what I was talking about. I asked her why I was in so much pain still after the operation and she said did they not tell you what they did? I said they did briefly when I was in the theatre but nothing since. She prodded my knee and said had I not had any anti inflammatory pills , stronger pain killers or physio. I said no because my GP would not prescribe anything until I saw the specialist again as I was still under his care. She then said my knee muscles were weak and needed physio. I said will having a course of physio take away the pain and she said possibly. I said what happens next and she said the specialist has no plans for any further treatment on you. I said Oh that's great he will leave me worse off than I was before the op then? After standing my ground she decided to refer me back to the specialist and after an argument an appointment was produced out of thin air for this Friday.

I then toddled down to physio as instructed to be told there that as my doctor does not have a practice in Salford then I can't have my physio there I have to be referred to another hospital. She mentioned my local hospital whose idea of physio is to give you a sheet of exercise instructions on a piece of paper and send you home to do them! I said I am not going there and I will have words with the specialist on Friday. I had my operation here and should have my follow up treatment here and not at some hospital where they don't know what I have had done. It's just so stupid in my eyes. Suddenly she produced an appointment for me at that hospital for tomorrow. Amazing isn't it. One minute they have no spaces and the next one gets pulled out of a hat. Salford Royal has a huge physio dept with a hydro pool and all the latest equipment I am not being fobbed off to some second rate hospital where they offer nothing in the way of treatment. I fell for that once before and they did more harm than good and made my back problems far worse with their mis diagnosis. They had me doing the wrong exercises and damned near killed me so can you wonder I am not overanxious to go back there especially as I wrote in to complain about them.

The photos are of Poppy, the dog from next door, who is only happy if she comes in at least once a day for a nosy around and a tummy tickle. Julie has tried planting shrubs and putting boards along the hedge but she still manages to burrow under every day. We will have no hedge left soon. I have told Julie that we should just put a gate in the fence as she is one determined doggie. This shows her finding the waste paper basket that Buster keeps his tennis balls in and tipping them all out. Not satisfied with all of those she tried her hardest to get a "ball" from underneath the sewing machine but as I kept telling her it's a round candle. I had to move it in the end and hide it.

Yesterday Deb was kind enough to give me a lift up the the Sunday Knit Out and we had a great time sitting chatting in the sunshine outside the Cafe. If only every Knit Out Sunday could be like that. When we are indoors we are more spread out and tend to split into groups but when we are outside we are grouped together around linking tables.We had quite a good turnout considering how glorious the weather was. I won't be going to the next Knit Out unless my knee behaves itself and I can get there on the bus as Deb is going to a concert. Let's hope this physio works wonders or my appointment with the specialist gives me hope as at the moment I fervently wish I had never let them touch my knee.

Swirls Cap

This is the Swirls Cap by Sophia Kessinger. For those on Ravelry it is available as a free download. When Lisa gave me the bag with wool in to make her the Granny Takes a Trip jacket there were two balls of Rowan RYC Soft Lux in the bag. She had admired the cap that I had made for Jen some time ago from the same yarn (different colour) so I decided to make one for her.

I expected to race through the pattern as I had made it once before but for some reason my brain was not reading the pattern right and I was the queen of unravelling yesterday. I finished it off eventually but I am convinced that it isn't exactly the same as the one I made for Jen. It seems a little bigger in the crown. Lucky for me Lisa has quite a lot of hair so hopefully her hair will pad out the crown and it will look better on her than it does on me with my baby fine hair.

I am on my 12th square for the jacket. It takes me longer to work out which colours to use for each square than it does to actually crochet them. I am trying to make as many as possible without repeating the exact same colour changes.

My knee is more painful today than it has been all week. I expect I am too impatient but I really expected to be up and running about by now. I have to walk up to the village today for some food and my prescription, I didn't make it to Tesco yesterday. Luckily I always have enough things in my freezer to cover such emergencies.

Something for the guys

As you know I have been crocheting things for the raffle so last night I decided to try and include something for the guys. Anything as a novelty to sell more raffle tickets. The pattern for this warmer can be found on Ravelry although I amended the pattern slightly. I was using different wool and so had to work more rows. I also altered the end to make it more realistic (well if my memory serves me right) If I make any more then I will crochet them using the knitted one as a template as I wasn't keen on knitting in the round with so few stitches. Perhaps I should make different sizes to cater for all egos.

I have come to a stop with the white and pink crocheted granny square shawl. I have run out of the white wool. I have other white wool in my stash but none of them match the one I have used. I can probably get another ball if I go up to Bury but I didn't go there today as not only did it never stop raining I was waiting for the water meter men. They arrived to inspect everything and said if I had one fitted in the pantry then I could get it fitted today otherwise I would have to wait for a gang to come and dig up the pavement to fit one outside. The meter isn't that big so I have had it fitted in there. At least if there is a burst in the street I won't be paying for the water flowing down the street. This is a scenario described in the leaflet. I could, of course, take out insurance against this happening but I am trying to cut down on monthly expenses and not add to them.

I have finished the pink lacy hat and scarf as you can see. I have started another hat with the pink wool left over but there won't be enough to make a matching scarf.

My knee is still sore. Every time the weather turns colder I get more aches and pains and so it hasn't helped the healing of my knee. It is still swollen and it's a week since I hurt it. If it doesn't improve soon I will have to seek some other help. Possibly a visit to the physio although these days all I would get is a piece of paper with exercises written on it. The days of heat treatment, massage and manipulation are long gone - unless you have the money to pay for private treatment.

Pumpkins for the knitted garden

Some time ago I mentioned that the Knitty Noras had made a knitted garden. This has been on display in various venues since it has been finished and more items have been added to it since. Lisa asked if we would make some pumpkins to make the garden seasonal. My little pumpkins are crocheted but I don't suppose it matters. They look a little sad at the moment as I only had enough filling for one small pumpkin. I will take them with me to the Knit Out on Sunday and hope that someone will finish stuffing them as it will be a little late by the next Knit Out. I would have gone up to Bury for a bag of filling but my knee is still swollen and painful. It has now started clicking when I walk which is alarming me somewhat. I have had to disregard the hospital's advice not to strap it up as I cannot put any weight on it without support.

The tree is still languishing in the garden. My son has cut the larger branches and trunk into logs for his friend who has a log burning stove. He has not had time to come back to move it for me and is working this weekend although he has promised to try and come tomorrow to take it to the tip. The problem is that my local tip just around the corner has a barrier and my son has one of these 4 x 4 vehicles and it won't fit under the barrier.

I still haven't decided what to make with the pale pink wool but have started some crochet granny squares using various shades of pinks, maroons and white which will turn into either a shawl or a pram blanket depending on how many I can make before the colours run out. I have until October 24th to make other things for the Breast Cancer raffle so may feel up to visiting Bury market to see what pink bargains they have on offer at the wool stall.

I must finish off Vicky J's shawl but as my knee is so crock I haven't been able to crochet around the shawl. I have pinned the squares into the right colour sequence on my blocking boards but I usually sit on the floor to crochet them together in strips and then put them back on the board in the right order so I can then crochet the strips together. Maybe I could do it if I place the boards on top of the bed.

I am washing bedding at the moment but finding it a little difficult to peg it out on the washing line due to the tree branches taking over my garden. The sunshine streaming through into the garden and house is worth all the mess on the lawn. This room is no longer dull and gloomy. I used to have to switch on the light many times during the daytime to see what I was typing! I have to limp up to the village to get a bit of shopping next. I need to have my flutter on the Lottery. I rarely win but I still believe that one day I will win the big one. I have to have some dreams and illusions in my life. I know the odds are stacked against me but as my Dad used to say "You have to be in it to win it"