Armhole Decreases

I COULD SQUEAL

....and jump up and down and a jig if I could.

This year started off really well.

Not only is our battle with the IRS over but THEY are going to give US a sum well into five figures. We still have the legal do do of having to get the legal claim on our house removed and also clear John's credit rating. At least though it will all be done.

Not only that, but the death of two people also gave us unexpected five figure sums each. Don't feel bad they were in their 90s and went peacefully.

My failed knitting business, because of my health, left me with a lot of debt. And I mean a lot. Anyone who knows how much brand-new silver reed machines with rivers cost etc. plus tonnes of cashmere and other fine yarns.
Fortunately the knitting business debt was paid off last year. This was a huge load off my mind because I felt so guilty about it. John never once commented about the thousands of pounds worth of machinery and yarn that I had that I now could not use to get my money back. He is really good that way. I beat myself up enough for the pair of us!

I am now in the very fortunate position of being able to knit what I please, as my body allows, and still sell the odd sweater and my hand dyed yarn.

John retires in 18 months and we shall be debt free! ( This also means I can marry him without my good financial history being ruined too.)

As I said 2011 is going to be a good year!

Our wedding is likely to be March 2012. Before our 32nd anniversary on 7/7. John doesn’t like to rush things, he needs to sure…..

FINE GAUGE SWEATER

I am very pleased with this. It is my own design. I am using DAK(designaknit) software with the SilverLink 4 and my XP PC. The pattern is one whole pattern of 250sts and 290 rows.

I have knitted it at Tension 5*, the gauge being 40sts and 44r to 10cm.

This is the shelving John is about to put up for me to store my DM's on.

Further down are photographs of my Brother Standard Gauge 940, with the iMac on the left. The other is my Silver Reed Fine Gauge 830 with the XP PC opposite it. this PC provides the patterning system for the SR8300, using a USB cable form PC to knitting machine.

EARLY LOSS OF SPOONS

It was a very sunny and frosty morning.  I discovered that my new car does something else that is really good – it defrosts within seconds! I just pressed the button and the ice on the windscreen started to melt and we were soon on our way to the train station so John was not late.

After dropping John off at the station I drove to the swimming pool where I did my swim.  It went well but I felt like I was trying to move through treacle when I stopped and tried to get out of the pool.  By the time I got home I was feeling very weak and was not even up to knitting.  It seems my spoons just disappeared.  I had a two-hour nap and have fed the dogs now and am about to bath Whitney.

I have not been to a dog show since Leeds back in July and am now quite itching to go to one.  It is still a few more weeks before I have a show to go to.  I needed the rest.

John and I both go for our flu jabs this coming Saturday. We were supposed to go on October 16 but I completely forgot!

I have ordered some new yarn all Blue Faced Leicester-based yarns, with nylon, which silk and cashmere, with silk, with bamboo. I am looking forward to dyeing these.

Both of my Passap machines with motors have now gone.  Although my knitting room is not yet ready there is now plenty of room in it.  I still have setup with their motors a Brother 940 and a Silver Read fine gauge.  I had to make a decision about which machines to keep and I reluctantly came to the realisation that the Passaps were just too much for me to use now.  I also realise that I tend to prefer single bed sweaters nowadays and if I want to do Double Jacquard I can do it on the machines that I have. Along with this machinery has gone 25 sacks of yarn.  I still have loads left.

I am feeling much better about it all now that it is done and I am looking forward to getting to work on some knitting on the two machines I have left.

I have been reading about the Paleo Diet, how our ancestors used to eat.  I already eat this way but it was interesting to have an explanation for why I cannot handle grains, beans and potatoes. And why I was so ill and fat when I was a vegetarian for all of those years! Simply put, there are proteins in all of these which the body has trouble in breaking down and they irritate the stomach and gut lining causing inflammation.  Very probably I have not explained it properly but that was the general gist.

Years ago, I mentioned on the latest I was on which had absolutely nothing to do with food, how I felt all the time, how I was hungry all the time, how I had the shits all the time, and how lethargic I was.  I  had four responses and all for suggested the exact same thing; a low carb diet.  NO WAY!  I was vegetarian.  I ignored the advice until I really decided I had to do something or die.  I stopped being a vegetarian.  I cut out all grains and beans and potatoes.  I started to eat only fish and poultry and meat and vegetables.  As I was warned I felt terrible for the first few days.  I had not told John what I was doing and when I went to pick him up at the station that Friday after I had been on the diet for seven days, the first thing he said to me was ’you look really well what have you been up to?’ I told him.I lost 100lbs in weight and even though I do not always stick to it I have managed to keep it off.  My big temptations are ice cream and bread.  Bread really does my gut in.

This way of eating is not hard at all at home.  Preparing food is quick.  It is fast food! one can cook a really nutritious and healthy meal very quickly like within 10 minutes.  However, it is not quite so easy when away from home as all food suppliers seem to think that we all want pasta! Try buying a ready-made salad that is not stuffed full of pasta or potato! It really pisses me off. often one can find cooked chicken and if one is really pushed then just buy a Whopper or two and just eat the inside and throw the bun away. Nuts are a reasonable option as well.

STRANGE FOLK

Whilst I was away three people decided to choose then to upset me!  It is bad enough that they would choose to do this let alone whilst they knew I was on holiday.

One of them wrote on my Facebook wall how I should stop thinking that everyone is out to get me! Writing such nonsense on my wall is inappropriate enough but to do so when she clearly does not know me was just offensive.  Anyone who reads my blog and my e-mails know that I’m a positive optimistic person.  Quite what possessed her to write this I do not know.  I deleted it and I also de-friended her. For my trouble I then got an indignant e-mail from her! No, of course she did not look at what she’d written and thought she may have been wrong!

And then another Facebook person who got rather offensive.  Quite what a person with such bigoted religious views is doing following me I have no idea since it is clear where I stand.  One of the things that she berated me for was the use of Xtian instead of Christian. X is a symbol for Christ and has been for a very long time! The rest of her diatribe was equally based on her ignorance. She seemed completely unaware that we in Britain have been subject to terrorist attacks for 40 odd years, both from Muslims and the IRA.  She also seemed unaware that the IRA were supported financially by fundraising in the USA! This paid for the weapons they then used against us!

Finally, another person insisted on sending me anti-Muslim rhetoric which I had asked several times that she stopped doing.  She had no respect for me as was clearly shown by the fact that she continued to send me such posts.  I took her off my Facebook list, explaining why.  I had hoped that that was the end of it but then she started to harass me via my private e-mail.  I then remembered that I could block e-mail from people that I do not want to receive e-mail from.

This last person is the one that I feel regret about.  Do not misunderstand me I did the right thing in blocking her.  I just regret that she became irrational and that I had to block her.  I know that her health is not good at all.  We spoke quite a lot about her health and I tried to help her as best as I could regarding drugs.  She was prescribed drugs that I take and she was frightened to take them and I tried to reassure her.  I am sad that it had to end the way that it did.

I still am most surprised that all three of these people chose to attack me whilst I was on holiday.  I do not like to think so but this seems to me that it may well have been calculated.

One thing that irks me! I am generally a positive and optimistic person.  On the odd occasion when I have had enough of my physical pain and fatigue, and I choose to bitch about it in print, it almost always results in me being told off and having someone tell me I should not be so negative!!! WTF is it with some people? I am quite certain that if these people experienced 24/7 pain and fatigue we would not hear the end of it! Grrr!

I believe that I’m an easy-going person and I tolerate quite a lot.  However, I will not be disrespected and I will not be abused.  I have not come out of the dark hole I was in with the same willingness to accept abuse and disrespect! HTF do you think I got out of that hole?

I was asleep by 11 PM last night and I did not get up until eight today. I slept really well and painlessly. I cannot recall the last time I slept like that.  To day I have been knitting John’s cashmere/silk sweater.  I think I am going to have a period of machine knitting.  I have not been into it for quite some time and I realise I need the change from handknitting in order to get my Mojo going again.

KNACKERED AGAIN

For American readers or other people not British, Knackered is the word posh people, like the Queen, use to describe a state of tiredness.

Yes, I am knackered. I have come to realise that I cannot be putting up yarn on Ebay every day. So my initial estimate of it taking about two years to sell my stash is now being revised to three.

I have put up more tonight on EBAY (click on link). There is some lovely Todd and Duncan yarns; lambswool and merino/cashmere.

When I got back from swimming this morning I began to weigh and pack. By the time I had finished and sent off it was mid afternoon! I went to bed and when I got up again, bathed Luque and ate and then put more yarn up. Phew.

I am already finding I have some rude customers. Those who don't pay in a timely manner.I fnd it really annoying. So now I have had to add a 'please pay within seven days' on my listings. ALSO I have discovered that sellers only have the option of leaving positive feedback for a buyer whilst they can leave positive, neutral or negative! In other words they have us by the balls which is most unfair. Already I have buyers who have had not had the decency to leave feedback, even one or two who have written to say how happy they are privately! My only option is that I do not leave feedback until they do.

People also seem to think that I decide how much postage is!!! I don't. Royal Mail do. How can one blame the seller for the charges made by someone else?

Anyway, so far all the yarn I have auctioned has gone so that is a good thing. One cannot see any benefit within my home yet but that will take time. I told you I have a HUGE stash, more than many shops. John was getting worried about upstairs floors caving in.

Then of course there are 16 or so machines.....