Literally doing nothing..

I feel I ought to apologise for the paucity and lack of posting lately. The family stuff knocked me for six for a week or two - the continued winter encouraged the "black dog" a little. Luckily I am just too bushed to do anything really silly - the insomnia continues so I can't be bothered to think of ways to top myself. Well, it's nice to have SOMETHING ya can rely upon! :(

The thing about sudden deaths in the family is that, somehow, they bring back previous ones - my father, my aunty, Thomas the beloved cat and surrogate baby. One questions one's own situation and realises that time here is finite. I don't know why that is - when I go to a wedding or christening, I don't hark back to previous ones. I've been keeping busy, helping redistribute / dispose of Nan's belongings and collecting photos digitally to be used in a slideshow after the funeral. Debating on whether there's time tomorrow to bake some cheesy biscuits for the wake. Digging out HDMI cables and trying to figure out how to turn colour slides into digital pictures (luckily I've had some offers for that). Turns out it feels pretty weird going through someone else's stuff - vulture springs to mind. Most of the stuff I took to various charity shops. The clear out seemed pretty quick, but she was renting a lovely little retirement flat. On the positive side, we got her cat Tudor rehomed in about 4 days - because the alternatives for a 17 year old tabby weren't looking good. Bereavement is not an illness! He went to a friend of a friend and is doing very well in his new home, having spent four days mostly hiding behind the tv.

Anyroad, I'm 50% through making a simple Chanel-style jacket from some fabulous pink woven fabric I acquired some time ago for free. It's a beautiful woven check, but a very loose one - the fabric is threatening to dissolve at the edges, despite my zigzagging the edges in an effort to prevent it. Yes, I've given up with using the overlocker, it serges the edges fine but turns everything into ripply seaweed edges, which is disconcerting for a novice sewist. It's been kind of fun using the Brother LS14 - the teacher's machine - though my shoulder seems to have healed well so I am cautiously thinking I'd like to either go back to my own machine or buy a basic lightweight one for class. The LS14 has straight stitch and zigzag and not much else really - but like the very complex tumbledryer we bought (now depositing oil and eating shirts, thankyou Hotpoint for your Friday afternoon machine! Pah...), 14 different settings but you only ever need a few really. Straight and zigzag is actually more than enough. I think on my washing machine I use 5 (synthetics) turned down to 30 degs mostly. The only other setting I ever use is Bed and Bath, for sheets. And it's the same with sewing machines, as it turns out. I'm also using black cotton because (a) it was easier and (b) the fabric is so loosely woven that the stitches are disappearing into it anyway (and the fabric includes lots of colours, one of them is black, so...)

Anyway, that's all for now folks. It's 7.44 and I think I'm ready to wake himself and start some brekko...

Current mood: apathetic

Ouch

You know, you never realise that parts of your body have weight. You swan about with your fancy brain, doing stuff, kind of forgetting that without your limbs you'd be completely trapped and bored, and life would be completely different.

Yeah, I managed to tear something in my shoulder on the 17th, hefting my sewing machine into the boot of my car. It's a Husquvarna - it's pretty heavy, and I am an idiot. Because later on last week, I did a 4.5 hour stint on the knitting machine, and a gym workout, which has probably made the tear a bit worse - before I realised it wasn't just a sore muscle. Oops. Oops indeed.

So this weekend, earmarked for "end of January, bank account low, stay at home machine knitting" is going to be for something else. Tidying, maybe. Perhaps a jigsaw?

If anyone needs me, I'll be in the corner sulking...

Current mood: depressed and feeling dumber than a box of rocks

Health update

So I went for an EGM? OGM? on Friday, to test my nerve responses in both arms. Apparently there's only a slight delay. It has taken 10 or more weeks to get the appointment though. And I've not knitted a stitch in that time - I did try one row of crochet. The nurse who was doing it was Eastern European and was teaching a student nurse - she was rather offhand with me but I guess she knows more about this than I do. She said it was mild carpal tunnel and probably not worth operating on. The student nurse said I would just have to take up other hobbies. Yeah.... well, that's exactly what I HAVE been doing. It doesn't fix reading a book or driving, though - not about to give those up anytime soon. And I'm part-way through a sock. Argh! I did think about making a remark about how would she feel if she had to give up her hobbies, but then thought she probably doesn't get much time for hobbies so held my tongue.

On the positive side, I think it's gradually healing. I only got a twinge on the last Nordic walk. So fingers crossed - if I abstain for long enough I can maybe go back to my yarn crafts, although maybe I'll have to dial it back a bit. I've got two pieces of cotton drying in the bathroom (yeah, typical British summer - rainy and wet!) ready for making into a skirt and a dress.

Current mood: annoyed but with a side-serving of hopeful.

Undefeated

The title is from a Def Leppard song - actually I think it's about boxing - but hey I like it and it's a catchy tune. Well, I am an Aries ram, so will continue to craft as long as I have breath in my body (or unless told otherwise). Call it stubbornness, call it bloody-mindedness.. call it what you will.

This weekend I swapped the SK860 out for the KH260 (midgauge for chunky) - it was like saying hello to an old friend really. I cast on for "Lucy", a large cardigan/coatigan pattern from Karabee Designs in bold stripes of plum, grey and cream. So far I've done the back and one front. Can't wait to knit the rest (maybe Monday night?). No, I didn't both to swatch, naughty me - it's a one size pattern anyway and I presume it'll be an oversize hug of a cardigan. I hope so! Alas, Karabee doesn't seem to have a website, nor even an email address. I wonder if they've heard of Etsy?

I'm also working on my second commissioned machine-knit for my friend Y - another cardigan, but this time not such a long one. I've only enough yarn to knit the second sleeve so need to pick up more on Wednesday. I've been pleasantly surprised how well DK (in this case, Mercia Wools DK Merino Crepe) knits up on the standard gauge knitting machine at T7. I didn't swatch it on the midgauge, I think it would have been too loose even at T1.

I've not really resolved the RSI issue; other than just sewing up in small bursts and avoiding any hand-knitting or crochet completely, I don't see there's much more I can do. Did find some useful exercises on Youtube though - I need to find them again and practice. I'm wearing a splint on my left wrist at night, so at least being woken by a dead left hand has stopped.

I am debating turning my attention towards weaving/kumihimo/sewing/cross-stitch for a while. The first sewing project would be making myself some simple fingerless wrist tubes, to wear under the splints (I admit, I bought both wrist splints, but have only worn the right hand one once). The splints work just fine, but I find the velcro bites into the base of my thumb somewhat, so have been wrapping my wrist with a handkerchief first.

I've also still got a plan to weave a table runner - and this time I've got some lovely slinky mercerised cotton in mind for it.

Current mood: energetic

FO: Autumn sweater

This was knitted at T7 on the midgauge, King Cole Twist Aran, a yarn I picked up at the NEC in 2015 (suspect it might be discontinued). Garter stitch bands and lace hearts worked by hand on the machine. I need to either get a garter bar, or knit that bit by hand next time. It was very tedious! There are bits where the yarn was less marled and more a plain colour, which was a bit annoying. I have quite a bit of this left to knit up. Debating whether to add fringe to the hem and neck - it was the original plan, but perhaps it's too much? Will fringe the swatch and see if I like it.

Have finished all the parts for a cardigan for a commission, it just needs sewing up tomorrow night and then some buttons. The pins and needles seem to be easing off a bit; have tried to stay away from too much hand-knitting lately but it's not easy when I've got things to finish. There's a limit to how many things I've got that need frogging. Thank goodness for machine knitting - I'd be climbing the walls otherwise!

Current mood: relieved

Carpal tunnel, not carpe diem

Lately I've been waking up at night quite regularly with a dead hand. Now it seems to be happening when driving, and this weekend when nordic walking - ie my arm was definitely not stationary! Left hand seems to be worse than the right. Started again last night so I stopped working on a sock and will give knitting a rest for a week and see if it improves. Alas, I don't have a lot of frogging to do.

Isn't it always the way - you've got lots of things on and your body suddenly says "Nope! Not happening!"

Of course, it's proving impossible to get an appointment with my local GP thanks to the gatekeeper receptionist who clearly doesn't like sick people littering her waiting room. Grr.... Nah, it's fine, love, I'll just wait until my hands cease to work permanently. I'll have to give up work, so no taxes to pay for your job. Sorry to rant but I'm fuming - I've never met a less helpful woman. The fact I get heart palpitations just at the thought of ringing up the surgery (for which I have to psych myself up for!) speaks volumes. I rarely go - in fact last year I put up with six months of agony (every time I got up from a seated position) until I finally caved and discovered, hey ho, a slipped disc. It's come to the point that I'm actually seriously thinking about changing doctors. Apparently there are these mythical advanced appointments, and even online booking, but you'll never get offered them. Clearly I'm (a) not sick enough or (b) somehow not deserving enough - despite being a hard-working tax payer, who is probably supporting quite a lot of the elderly locals.

Current mood: bitchy

Diet

This is a knitting blog, but someone asked me how come I was losing weight earlier, so I posted something on my personal blog here. 2st 2lbs down and I'm about 50% done :)

Might be some more knitting to report next week, but probably not before the 25th now. I've had a week of social events plus a nasty head cold I'm still getting over - there's been no time, and no will. Everything is pretty much ready for Christmas, except the final food shop, and a few last minute purchases of wrapping items.

Hope your holiday is happy and fun, and here's to a healthy and peaceful 2016.

Current mood: thoughtful