Oh for goodness sake......

No knitty pics....just a bloggy post re things...anyway I will post about my darling Mum in a bit....so a couple of weeks ago I had my flu jab...well within 24 hours I had very mild flue symptoms....achy/headachy that sort of things....thats fine, never had them before with the jab so oh. Anyway 4 days later, a sort of cold type thingy affected me, nothing really came to a head just that feeling of stuffy and being off for the last9 days...then last night Sunday...flipping eck...thought my head was going to pop my 3am sunday morning...my throat was so constricted...face pain/earpain....a terrible pulsating pain in the roof of my mouth and back of my throat that came in waves....it hurt so much I'm not kidding you afraid to say I blubbed like a baby. Anyway took myself off to the docs this morning, even though hubby wanted me to stay in bed...so doc looks and just sees red mouth and throat...he said that I could have had a virus in my system waiting to emerge and the flu jab let it loose....add to that I have developed a red rash around my mouth...this could be from a change of foundation...anyway doc has prescripted me some cortizone cream....honestly I look like something out of halloween at the moment.

Ok....now to my darling Mum....last Tuesday they wanted to let her out of hospital as they said "medically shes fit"....urgh!!!!!!! are they talking about the correct woman...or has it been my Dad saying he wants her home. Anyway he hasn't been too good himself...so I asked him if he could cope...he said "no"...so I rang the hospital and asked if they could possibly keep her for another 24 hours or so....afraid that met with a rather angst reply....so I asked if she could be kept for another day on a "social basis"....erm no.....ok so I understand that Mum would be bed blocking. Anyway Dad has a wonderful social worker, she is young and so helpful...I rang her up and asked for advice....she managed to get my Mum to be allowed to stay and couldn't understand why they would want to release her anyway. So at the moment my darling Mum has tubes up her nose to help her breathe....they are taking x rays of her chest etc....they are attempting to help her get rid of the gas build up......she has a perpetual temperature...so they have a fan on her....I as yet have only managed to see her one in the last week...because of this cold virus thingy...I was going to go tonight...but then my throat thing happened last night...so the next few days are out....I would love to go and visit my Dad and spend an evening with him ...but he would rather I didn't so as I don't give him anything else, which I can perfectly understand...so lovely people who have sent me their virtual hugs...it really does help....I cannot believe how much...and I thank you sooooo much for your kind words.

Now on the knitty front...well we have to speak of it don't we....Lady E is coming on Ok...even though I am not making it so wide. I have just cast on for some mittens for my darling twin Grandchildred (one boy and girl) they;re a year old now....anyway what with colder weather coming, they will need them. Then for a big big treat for MEEEEEE!!!! squeeeeeee.. I just purchased two skeins of Malabrigo lace weight in the colourway Noviembre....I want to have a go at making a lace shawl...something which has eluded me so far....but....I really don't know which pattern to go for ...any suggestions? so will be off for now thank you for stopping by xxxx

First of all...

Thought would post piccys of current wips......the floral jacket is nearly half done......not enjoying it as much as Ivy League and starting to feel should have done next size up even though all measurements etc are correct....this is top left........then am knitting a no brainer vest top.....in the gorgeous red/autumn colourway...cost £13.....cheap as chips....and of course Ihave had the calling to do another Lady Eleanor...this time in Noro Silk sock yarn...which will be not so heavy to wear.

Ok on the more serious stuff.....well my darling Mum as been taken back into hospital again...after being out for a week.....she has developed a chest infection along with all the other things with the end stage dementia....she is sleeping a lot and being made comfortable and thats all for now.

Hope you enjoy the photos...take care for now.... me x

Hi!

No knitting to show even though I am still working on floral jacket, slowly. So strange that one starts off a wip keen and with interest and then half way through I seem to run out of steam for colourwork. I suppose it is so labour intensive and you have to concentrate so much. For now its on the back burner and I am working on a vest type thingy in sirdar in a beautiful red/brown colour...so simple even no shaping...straight forward stocking stitch. Mind you I am awaiting for some Noro Sil Garden sock yarn to come through from Yarn and Fiber as I fancy making myself another shawl...Lady Eleanor...my first one is lovely but at times a tad too heavy...so looking forward to postie coming. Will post piccys when get round to it ..

life at te mo is a tad busy and a tad sad....a long long time ago in my blog I wrote about my Mum having Altzheimers...anyhow she nows weighs about 4st and evenmore so a total ...well I don't wish or want to use the word but if I say everything apart from her breathing she cannot do I'm sure you will get the picture. Her stomach swells up enormously as she cannot pass her gases, so food ferments inside her....my Father is in total denial regarding her he is 81 and Mum 85...she has just been in hospital...where I thought the angels would come as it is becoming increasingly sad to see her in such a total skeletal state...her potassium levels had dropped way low and I thought they would just make her comfortable...they decided to give her an endoscopy...now if I can explain my Mums body will she is rigit as a board, cannot bend her neck her body is stuck like a zig zag and I thought no way would they do this to her....so they managed to release the gas and her stomach has gone down a tad...albeit she was passing blood and black stuff...(sorry to be so descriptive and I'm sure I am writing this for myself...I find it therapeutic...but then I suppose this is what blogs are for as well).....they sent her home to Dad with bottles of sodium...potassium and heavens know what else for him to give her...basically to try and keep things going....I am starting to well up with tears writing this as I really don't want my darling Mum to leave BUT....when is enough enough....she was in such a deep sleep in hospital that at one time it took me 20 mins to bring her round from it.....now she is home I am having to deal with my Dad...who seems to think his wife will go on forever...and he thought that them releasing her gases would make her poo solid again.....he;s now back to all his everyday washing etc....he has brought all their daily/weekly food and just feeds her and feeds her...mind you that is when he can get her to open her mouth......I know the whole round will start again in a few days when the gases start to build again. I said to my darling hubby about it and he said to me "its obviously not her time yet"....part of me feels that she is waiting for her hubby. The other week he was rushed into hospital with terrible chest pains again (he has 3 stents) and they found that things were OK and he had obviously terrible stress..he came home and had a panic attack...that is something quite frightening to behold...so he is on valium. I cannot and do not even try to talk to him about Mum because of his total denial and when he talks to me I just jolly hom along...what elese can I do...he is and has done such a wonderful job with Mum and I wonder how he is going to be when the time comes....I feel he will go either one way or the other....its so sad when you see your Mum and Dad who have been together 56 years....that their prsonal life chapters of their life books will change.....anyway lovely people who have read this and stayed with it...thank you for stopping by.

Long time again.

Hello......hope all who pass by here are well and that summer has been sunny for you unlike here in the U.K......a total washout...thank goodness me and DH managed to get a week away in Italy...Lake Garda in a resort called Riva, absolutely wonderful we had such a laid back total relaxing week, we sat walked drank ate and totally chilled. Theres one thing that the continent does well and we don't...beautiful laden with flower boxes...wonderful.

Anyway on the knitting front the first piccy is of a lovely jacket that I am currently knitting called Floral Jacket is it the one from the summer issue of Vogue Knitting, being knitted in Rowan Pure Wool....the stranding is shall we say time consuming but very enjoyable...I always look on this type of work as painting with wool. The second piccy which I have just finished knitting in between doing Floral Jacket is called Valour from The Colour Collection in Kaffe Fassetts new yarn called Colourscape...if you want something that knits up really quickly a no brainer will be lovely and warm to wear...then have a look at this book...there are quite a few wearable items...and the yarn is 100% lambswool....the pattern called for 4 skeins and I did the small size and only used 3...another lady on Ravelry has knitted it using 3 so be aware as the price at £10 is not cheap...also have been waiting for ages and ages for my fall issue of Vogue Knitting to come through...as am wanting to do the Druid Mittens and a couple of other knits in there....must be patient. Anyway thats all for now...be back as and when. x

Raw fleece aaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!

So thought would dive into the start with the raw fleece side of spinning...OK!! so sent off for a fleece from our wool marketing board, a blue faced leicester, it came opened the box...what a bleeping!!!! mess they'd sent me nothing was useable, so it was binned. Then tried a jacob fleece, unfortunately this fleece was soooo coarse, the only best thing for the fleece was to stuff pillows....and then I found a lovely lady in Wales who keeps her own 200 flock for her and other spinners fibre needs. I received a beautiful cross bred fleece a bit of shetland/icelandic and something else....couldn't wear the yarn next to skin but great for a jacket...anyway am in the middle of spinning this up bulky weight. so piccys of progress so far

Long time no blog.....

I have been a very naughty blogger, in fact haven't blogged in ages, mind you lots and lots has been going on. First off on the knitting front, knitted a lovely shawl in my own hand spun silk/merino mix, very pleased with thius, the pattern is called Lemon Squeezy as in "Easy peasy lemon squeezy".

Top left picture is of a beautiful knit and I mean it is so nice to knit "Opelia", knit in gorgeous soft malabrigo in emerald colour. This was a joy to do, sorestful, knit in one piece all the way up, the only seams to sew were the shoulders.

Also I am waiting for my Forsyth Mini combs and clamp to arrive, can hardly wait for this, It seems to be the next episode in my spinning, doing the raw fleece bit. Have ordered a blue faced leicester fleece, which I shall wash etc and the comb and spin and then dye....such a great exciting process. Nought much else to report, will try not to leave it so long next time, hope alls happy in their knitty spinning worlds..byee for now xx

Hello

Hello fraid I didn't succeed in finishing entirely the Swedish Heartwarmer shawl, the yarn I used drove me to distraction as it kept on plying back on itself, where for some reason industrially it had been overplied..but...anyway I suppose what I have ended up with isn't too bad.

Hello sorry its been so long since I posted but not much to post about really. Went away to Scotland and stunning scenery...up Ben Nevis where we watched the skiers and played snowballs....visited Shilisdair Yarns on the Isle of Skye....found beautiful beach with white sand...it was a lovely break and the weather was very kind to us. How gorgeous is the double rainbow and the bottom right is the bridge used in the "Harry Potter" films.