5 weeks

How To Enjoy Xmas

Enjoying Xmas is easy.

IGNORE it.

Years ago, we both realised that we did Xmas purely for other one's benefit. Niether of us enjoyed it. In fact we rather dreaded it.

I never did like Xmas except for when I was very little, before I was old enough to feel and see what was really going on.

Now, we don't do anything. No presents. Silly to buy presents when we get what we want thru the year anyway.

No decorations, no tree, no daft hats, no lights, no turkey( hate bloody turkey), no getting drunk, no arguing, no tears, no histrionics, no martyrdom, no prentending to like a really tacky present, no wondering about the cost. No insults. No family.

Xmas is BLISS for us every year.

BOTHER!

It still isn't right. On John, the hem is wonky. On me it isn';t cos it hugs my hips. John is skinny.

I have been playing around. On a test piece, the hem seems to work if I knit it then take off on waste and rehang but increase by 10 sts. I think for the body I' d have to increase by 20 sts.

I also figured out that it is not the design that is at fault. It is the yarn-merino/cashmere/silk mix. It has no spring....

Duh!

I was so eager to post that picture of the Norwegian that I failed to note that it wasn't dry yet!

Now that it is, the hem is fine.

Norwegian Attempt

This is my first attempt at a Norwegian style sweater. I did it on the machine(Brother 940).

The yarn is 50 % Merino, 30% Cashmere and 20% Silk.

It hasn't worked out quite as I had in mind. The hems are in doublejaquard, with EON in work on ribber. Although knitted much lower in tenison MB6 and RB 3, than the main part which is Tension 10 single bed, the hem is wider than the body and therefore doesn't hang correctly. I don't know why so will have to fiddle. I know it can be done because I have seen sweaters with such hems. I am pleased with the neck band though which is SB Fairisle with a st st backing.

28 days

Puppy Pile
Stormbreaker
Tenacity
Shameless
Bertrum Bear
Olga-the Russian Shotputter....
Finty, the mother is fed up! Now 2 years and a quarter.
Tilly is almost 5 years old now.
Not bad for a few months of 60 is he?(John) Nechung just turned 9.Life Behind Bars

Men In Tights

When it is cold, I have terrible trouble with my legs. The pain is much worse, mobility becomes even harder and they burn like hell.

Last winter a female person suggested I wore women's tights. I was not keen at all and didn't really believe they would help. However, after an especially bad time when out, I swallowed my pride and decided to give them a try. I bought some black 60 denier ones. They worked! Trouble is they itched. Really itched. I found them most uncomfortable. However, they did help muchly with my legs so I kept wearing them until the weather warmed.

This winter, I have avoided them but finally had to succumb yet again due to the cold. As I was putting them on, a thought occurred to me: How do women cope with these? They must itch even more. Although I tried to stop it, an image came to my mind....and then the penny dropped.....

You see, no one told me how to wear them and I had been wearing them Superman style - my underpants OVER the hose instead of under.

I am glad to say that I can now wear them without itching.

4.10pm sky today

I just quickly snapped this out of my bedroom window because I thought it looked beautiful.

Aran - incomplete

This is my own design knitted on 3.75mm needles using Berlaine by Bergere de France. It is a machine washable worsted weight yarn, 90m to 50g or 98yds to 1.75ozs.
I almost gave up with it. It has taken me ages to knit but only because I have not been able to devote much time to it. I have already started the first sleeve. It will have set in sleeves when completed.
I am especially pleased with this collar. Knitted in the round using 3mm needles and 2.75 for the st st roll.

16 Days

Boy 1

Boy 2

Girl 1

Girl 2

Girl 3

He is MY puppy!

And they are MY grandpuppies!

7 Days

Puppies at 7 days(01/12/06). Note that the two brindle pups and the brindle and white pups will be silver and silver and white as adults. The gold pup will be a paler gold as adult.

They are all doing very well and more than doubled their birth weight.

cashmere/nylon

Ladies 80% cashmere, 20% nylon.

Fully machine washable and tumble dryable.

Aproximately 21 ins(53cms) armpit to armpit, 20.5"(52 cm) long, and sleeve approximately 22.5"( 57cm)from shoulder socket to hem.
Single thickness 2 x2 ribbing neckband.
Fully fashioned shaping. Note hand sewn invisible seam.
This is the new dyson DC16 - hand held vacumn. Excellent for cleaning the machines. So glad Mr Dyson thought to make one.

Do or Die?

My doctor and the consultant both say I should excercise as much as I can. Walking will do.

So Monday night I walked the dogs. I have been without severe pain for a couple of days so I thought, right, now I shall go for a walk. I managed the walk, no pain, just weakness in my legs which although they didn't feel as they would, did get me home.

I felt rather pleased with myself.

However, I did feel very tired and retired early. I awoke needing a pee and felt completely exhausted and assumed I had been asleep for a couple of hours. In fact I had slept for 8 hours! I felt as tho I had run a marathon. I was too exhausted for most of yesterday to do anything except what was needed for the dogs.

I went back to bed at lunch time. Whilst there, I thought to myself that it was all well and good to exercise but not if it was going to exhaust me like this! What was the point of being healthier and living longer if I was too knackered to enjoy it? So I am not going to do as suggested anymore. I shall go for short walks around the block when I can, about 10-15mins. It is important for the dogs to get out, especially the young ones. I will always make sure they get socialized well. But as for the 30 mins twice a day suggested, no way!

I did feel better by evening time and I knit the back and two sleeves of a ladies baby pink cashmere sweater. I will finish it later today. I still feel tired and aching but nowhere near as bad.

Oh and before I knit, Nechung needs a bath. She will be happy. Not!

New Puppies

New puppies born 24th Novemeber 2006. 3 bitches, 2 dogs. 1 gold dog, 1 gold brindle dog, 1 gold brindle bitch and two brindle/white parti bitches.

Puppies

Finty produced 6 puppies between 10pm and 4pm today. One boy was not viable at only 2ozs. We have 3 healthy girls and 2 healthy boys.(all between 6 and 7ozs) Will post a picture tomorrow.

Finty was excellent and just pushed them out with no trouble at all.

Unfortunately for me, her temperature dropped and she started getting restless and nesting on Wednesday so I was up two whole nights waiting for her to push them out!

I have only ever had one bitch that started to nest and gave birth all in the one day time slot!

The usual chain of events is temprature drop, nesting, and birth, usually starting early evening and finishing by dawn.

None of my recent births have been 'usual'. Dogs do not read books so do not know what they are supposed to do. ;-)

I used the time to catch up with some tv I had recorded and watch some dvd's when I could no longer manage to knit!

Rowan's Tapestry

I saw this yarn in John Lewis on Wednesday. Lovely yarn and I was very tempted. I particularly liked the grey/charcoal mix one.

Then I saw a sweater made with it in the Rowan winter book. YUK! So glad I didn't buy the yarn. Knitted up, it just comes out as bogstandard stripes.

Perhaps they will decide to produce the same yarn in solid colours?

I pod

John has been off this week. If you recall, we were supposed to go to Germany but my illness prevented that.

Wednesday we went into Peterborough for the day. I love shopping, even if I don't buy anything. John hates it but knows without someone to help me get around in the wheelchair, I can't so he bears it for me.

I had been toying with the idea of buying an Ipod for some time. I really wasn't sure I wanted one. Until that is I found out this:

1. I can get all my cd collection on it. 100's of them.

2. I can hook it up to my amplifier in the living room.

3. I can use good headphones and not just ear pieces which hurt my ears.

So I bought a black 30gb 5th generation one. I also bought the docking thingy which comes with the necessary cables to hook up to the hi fi amp and the tv. The tv is needed in order to see the Ipod menu and make selections.

The headphones are Bose. Very good sound and fit. Also rather expensive. I don't think John realises this. I kept him distracted whilst the sales person totted up and did my card!

Anyway, I have about 900 songs on it so far. I am slowly working through my collection. Very slowly as I can't be at the PC for long enough...

I have to say the Ipod is an excellent buy. So small and light. About 1cm thick and as long as two credit cards side by side and as wide as one card.

I am now listening to music again, something i love to do, and don't have to keep getting up to change the cd! Now that is just brilliant.

I love technology and gadgets.

Having A Moan

This last couple of weeks I have been the worst physically since my problems started. Normally, if I sit or sleep I am okay but not this time. I just can't get comfortable. Even sleeping at night is disturbed becasue of the pain.

I haven't been able to knit. I can't sit at the PC for very long either!

Of course, I am still doing what I have to do with the dogs. Thanks to them, I can't wallow.

Last night, I dreamt I wa sat some resort somewhere(where I would NOT be in real life)and it was full of old people. Except they were not physically impaired. I got into an argument with someone because my getting around was being impeded by all these people getting in my way. I said somehting like, 'yes they are in theri 80's and I am only in my 40's and they can move around so why are they getting in my way?'

I guess this is the first time since all this started I have felt anything like resentment about it. Won't do any good, won't make it go away but it is really pissing me off right now. Pain I can deal with, usually, but I hate not being able to do what I want to do.

Yes, I know, it could be much worse.....

Arthur and Maude

This is Arthur (left) and Maude. They will be 8 weeks old on Wednesday 22nd November, 2006.
Arthur has been sold, but is still here till he is older. It looks as if Maude(solo picture below) will stay as she is showing great promise as far as being a show quality dog.

Oh S**T!

Well, have hardly managed to walk since Wednesday. Going thru a bad patch. We were supposed to be going to Koln, Germany tomorrow for 6 days but that is out of the question now.
John is just getitng over a bout of bronchitis. Silly sod went back to work with a heavy cold, they sent him to Berlin and he came back with bronchitis. At least he kept the Dr's appointment I made for him.

I am knitting my friend Deborah a pair of socks in Opal's wool/silk. At least I can manage that but have had to leave the knitting machines alone. Frustrating as just before I relapsed, I had knit up a load of swatches ready to knit this week.

Trouble with relapses is I have no idea how long it will last-days, weeks or months. Guess time will tell!

Just 6 weeks

This is Finty at just 6 weeks pregnant today! I think she may have a soccer team!

Naturelle

Click on pictures for larger view.
Made with Forsell's Naturelle. 4 colours used in a 2 colour double jaquard. Knitted on the Passap E6000, no electronics used. Tension 4 on FB and N, 4.25 on BB and DX. I set the BB pushers to 2x2. I used 4 colours, set to change every 2 rows. I set up the colours as grey, brown, dark grey, darker brown. I started with the 4th col(darker brown). For the hem I used N on FB and BX on BB with pushers set to 1x1. No pushers on FB. Simple dropped shoulder shape.

Polo Neck

3x 1/15's knitted at tension 6(36sts and 56 rws to 10cm) on the fine gauge 830. It is 90% merino 10% cashmere. This is the first Polo neck I have made that fits the way I want it too-hugs the neck. I made the neck 17cm wide, 2cm deep at back and 7.5cm deep at front. It could not have been knitted smaller as this just goes over my head. The cast off is very loose.(This neck is called a Turtle neck in the USA I think. A polo to them is the collar of a Polo shirt.)

Yak

This was knitted using the garter carriage on a Brother 940. The yarn is 100% Yak hair, 2/14's used double. I bought the yarn in Hamburg, Germany. It has set in sleeves. I am especially pleased with this sweater. It is very soft. It fits me perfectly. I am particularly pleased with the collar. It fits just as I hoped it would. Hugs my neck. Also the roll is at it should be. The trick is to knit it on as low a tension as you can. This was knitted on tension 4 whilst to main pieces were on tension 8. I have washed and tumble dried on hot. The shrinkage was taken into account before the sweater was knitted. I washed and tumbled the swatch before measuring.
The washing machine now needs to be cleaned out as this did shed a lot! However, the sweater is now very soft and fuzzy. A bold garter stitch pattern was designed for this reason.