Lace Shawl and a visit from Canada

KNITTING

Just a quicky today to show my lace shawl. its the one from Knit Today June issue. I've done lace on jumpers etc but never a lace shawl. I'm absolutely hooked and love it. I've put all my other stuff aside and keep telling everyone to shush when I'm concentrating! I talk when I'm on a pearl row!!!

I meant to say yesterday was as well as knitting hell, knitting heaven. Why the dicotomy? Three knitting mags arrived together!! Knit Today, Simply Knitting and best of all Interweave knits. I can t put links up. I havnt sussed it out, but all you kniters know about them anyway!!!

Canadian Visit

I'm so excited. my little sis arrives tommorrow from Kingston Ontario with my neice and nephew. Sadly her husband isnt well enough to travel. I havnt see my nephew for 6 years and my neice for 3 years. i cant wait!!! sis came over on her own last Nov to visit Mum who was having Chemo again and we had a great sisterly time, despite mum. This time she's over for much micer things, Mum and Dad golden wedding!! We are so grateful, we wernt sure this time last year, when we heard of Mums cancer returning that there would be a golden Wedding. Our house is going to be over run! and in the midst of having all these visitors Sams Girlfriend is staying, Plus Rachels friend is homeless for one night and needs a bed!!!! it'll be sleeping bags In the bath!!!!

hope my FM doesnt flare up.

On Monday we're having 4 days by the sea in St.Annes next door to Blackpool to show Zak and Talia(Neice and nephew) a real English sea-side. Blackpool, Yuk!!! dorty and common but the kids love it!!!I find it really tawdry these days. I'll sit on the front in St Annes with the old dears and knit!!!! weather permiting!!! I had to laugh Michelle my sister sent me an e-mail asking did she have to change for dinner at the hotel or could she go in off the beach in her shorts and tea shirt!!! Shorts and tea shirt!? I've got the heating on!!!LOL

Proud Mum

we're possitively Kvelling (yiddish for swelling with pride and crowing)in our household. We're so proud, Sam got his A level results yesterday- 3A's and 1B!!! he's got his place at Leeds Uni to study Electronic engineering with computer engineering. Cant beleive where the last 18 years have gone and now my big boy is going and leaving his mamma!!!! We celebrated by having his faveGrilled steak last night. we did want to open a bottle of bubbly but N was going to Tesco so we'll have it tonight.

Cinders had a bird in the garden yesterday. As it was already dead I just closed the catflap to make sure she didnt bring it in and left her to it!!! I just had to go and shovel left over bird body into the bin later so that the boys could play outside!!!

Josh had a Tuna jacket spud for lunch so Sox was on his usual tuna patrole . he managed to jump up and finish the left overs from the bowl when my back was turned!!!

FM

physically The burning has kicked in again. its very odd as it feels like I want to stretch all the time, like my muscles are itchy somehow. Most annoying.
I got very upset by Josh last night.I knew it was only a matter of time before he let rip, but its still not nice. he was tired and grumpy because he'd fallen out with his pal down the street again. they're like an old married couple! He was driving me mad. I said to him go and play on your own for a while. Sam could amuse himself for hours. Josh needs 24 hr entertainig. he fired off at me- 'well what am I supposed to do, you're lazy and just sit there . you do nothing with me.......etc' I went mad at him. How dare he accuse me of being lazy!! does he think I enjoy being in pain and immobile. he got sent to his room for the night and when he did appear I was very short with him. it really cuts me like a knife. I know I cant do what I'd like with the kids. he doesnt have to rub it in.

Knitting

Everything seems to be going wrong. I was doing my lace shawl nicely and then messed up. I got into even more of a mess trying to undoe it. Of course I have no lifeline. Big mistake. I'm going to try and tink as far as the 4 row garter stitch and see if I can pick up from there.

my camisole doesnt suit me. Its modelled, of course on a skinny size 0 model. well I may have a zero in my size , but its after the 2!!! I look an absolute bugger in it. so I'm going to take off the bra top and pick up and knit a vest top instead. I'll need to order some more yarn. Hee, hee!!!! I can feel a shop coming up!!!
The back of the lace cardi is wrong. After I'd finished it I thought the sleeve section dint look right. I realise dthat the pattern said knit until the top measures 22" then cast off. I knitted an extra 2 " on the lenght before the arm shapping and forgot to add it into the final lenght of the top!!!! so that will have to be undone . its a lace pattern again so I'll have to try and pick that up. GGGRRRRR!!!

Sox and Cinders

SOX

CINDERS

How can I have been so remiss as to not mention my 'babies' Sox and Cinders. They're 4 years old now. we got them as rescue cats when they were approx 8 months old. Sox is the male, black and white, with white feet ,hence the name! Cinders is pure black. Cinders is a lady. she is shy and hides most of the day. She seems to know when I feel rough as she will come on the bed and sit on my painful legs and nudge me and lick me. Sox is a grredy cat! he drives me mad to feed him all day and can be miles away but If I go into the kitchen he comes flying through the cat flap!!! I cant leave any food around as Sox pinches it. he's been known to sit on a burning hob to get at a pan of bologneses sauce!!! he's shuddered eating a hot curry rather than give in and leave the chicken! We cant turn our backs for one minute, he pinches chicken legs off your plate and growls under the table if we try and taske it away!!!! They love us so much we get live mice , half eaten mice, birds, bits of birds and a hall of feathers and blood!!! I wouldnt be without the cats.

FM

On the fibromyalgia front I'm in alot of pain and burning lately. its waking me up at night again. I'm getting very fed up of waking up every morning in pain. I dont think this is anything to do with the Statins. its just a flare. What has upset me is that I picked up a wheelchair from my cousin on Saturday so that I can get out and about for long trips. A strange thing happened on Sunday night. I have been priding myself on how well adjusted I am to the FM and how I've adapted to the drastic change in lifestyle. I'm not in the least sporty and have always disliked climbing, long walks etc, anything too strenuous so here I was watching Gryss Rhys Jones programme on mountains and watching him huffing and puffing up Ben Nevis . I started thinking,'i cant do that any more' i started feeling very down and very sad for the life i lost and the one I have now. it surprised me a bit. I found myself doing it also watching Coast. Odd how the way ones mind works.

On the knitting front, I've finished knitting the cami. it just has to be sewn togehter. I ripped up the Lace shawl. Rowan Kid Silk Haze is murder to knit with. I've abandoned it and got an ordinary wool laceweight out to do the shawl!

W.I.P's

KNITTING

It seems a while since my last post, but I've finally managed to photograph my current W.I.P's and new stuff which arrived 3 weeks ago!!! Shows how long its taken me to get round to it!!

I'm on the left boob of my camisole ! nearly finished. I'm beginnig to wonder if pure cotton will lie right. the pattern I think calls for a cotton with lycra or something in it!!. The lace cardi is coming on slowly. I dont like knitting with the yarn, Noro Ganpi Abaka Surabu. When I read about it it sounded really intruiging , mad from paper, so when I saw it in a Get Knitted sale I had to have some. its got a hard texture. I originally started to knit the cami in it but it would've been to hard on the skin. I managed to get into my local town centre last week and found a brown cotton skirt with green flowers in of all places Bon Marche. (i'm showing my age if I find things in there!!!). The skirt matches perfectly , so I'm trying to finish the two tops in 2 weeks time for my parents golden wedding anniversary, not alot of chance of that happening I dont think!!!

I also wanted to do somemore lace so i started the shawl from last months Knit Today. I had 4 balls of KSH in my stash, the pattern calss for 5, but as its a shawl sewn in 2 halfs, when I get to the end of my second ball I'll know how far up to knit the second half!!!! I'm not sure that the lace pattern is correct yet, I cant tell!!!!

The blue is my mindless knitting, a vest top from Sirdar knitted In Sorrento from Knitwells sale (£9.00) the lot!!!! I'm making my londer and not sewing up the rib so it'll be like a tunic.

my last stash enhancement parcel. Noro silk garden for a Clapotis and 2 balls of merino Laceweight from Yarn treehouse on E-bay -I havnt sussed out how to make links yet!!!

3 W.I.Ps, 2 are from Beads Buttons and Lace

YAY!!!! I managed to move the photographs !!!!! I'm getting better at this computer lark!!!

FM;

On the FM front Ive not been too bad. I'm in 24 hour pain, but I think prt of you get used to it. I tend not to notice it too much as my pain releif works fairly well. I had this conversation with J, a friend I made over the FM website forum. (see very first post, i must put up a link). We met for lunch and we both agreed that if you spend so long being in chronic pain you tend to learn to live with it and not notice it too much.
My back keeps going into spasm which is hacking me off as \i walk or stand for so long then whamo I seize up, am in dreadful pain and have to sit down to ease it.

I've asked for a wheel chair from the NHS so at least i will be able to go on days out with the family or Josh can push me round to the fields so he can play football. That'll keep him happy.

Wher the pain does drive me mad is in the middle of the night. Despite the water bed if I lie on wither side my shoulders hurt, then my elbows , then my hips, so I end up sleeping on my back. But I snore if I sleep on my back!!!-old git!!! I'd like a nights sleep where the pain doesnt intrude on my night.

General musings

What are we going to do with Josh? An over sexed 11 year old!!! by accident I pressed the computer history to find some rather 'interesting' sites listed!!! Manga cartoons , only porn cartoons!!!! Yup, our son had been browsing!!! Since when we have added a better parent filter!!! I get cross with him as he takes advantage when I'm not so good. I needed a sleep so he thought 'great. I wont get caught'!!! he's been told time and time again not to play football, cricket, anything involving a ball in out tiny garden or on the road. it upsets the neighbours. Does he pay aNY ATTENTION? nO. EVERYDAY ITS THE SAME THING. MY NEIGHBOURS KNOW NOW THAT HE IS BANNED SO IF HE HITS A BALL NEAR their car or window they just confiscate it off him. he wont learn .

The other 2 are lovely. Sams been paid his first wage and has bought a new all singing all dancing computer. it arrived today, so we know what he'll be doing tonight!!

His girlfriend leaves for Israel in 2 weeks so he's going to be like a bear with a sore head

Rachel, as ever is lovely, chatty, helpful and so very mature for her age. we discuss alsorts its lovely.

Childhood musings

I was posting on my GL forum,http://www.dietfreedom.co.uk/ about books I loved as a child. it brought back all sorts of memories.
I lived and breathed The Famous five and truly beleived I too could have an adventure like they did!!! I was very put out that nothing happened in middle class suburbia!!LOL.
I also loved E. Nesbits five children and it and tThe Psamead. I still like reading victorian and edwardian novels for some reason. of course I enjoyed The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe too. But couldnt get into the others. I was too old for Roald Dahl!!


In my teens I stopped reading until we did To Kill a Mockingbird for 'o'level. its still one of my favourites today.

FM front

I've not been to bad the last few days. perhaps its dying down again. I went to the GP's today and got some slow release Tramadol in the hope that they may even out my pain releif. its too choppy at the moment and I have too long periods with no pain releif available. I also asked about getting a wheel chair. its not pleasant , but it will hlep us to go on days out . At present as I cant walk to far even a walk in the park with the kids is out.

KNITTING

I havnt photographed anything today, but I've opted for some brain dead or 'mindless' knitting. A plain vest top that I'm making longer. Just Kand P , no complicated instructions.

My brain is suffering from the fibro fog and so i cant be bothered challenging a complicated pattern. I'll change my mind in a few days no doubt.I have spent far to long on the Angel Yarns website Forum today. its so adictive and then people put up their blog addresses and I divert from what I was doing, then go to another link, then another etc!!!! Such fun, but detracts from the actual knitting.

GLing

its going well, B- fruit and fibre cereal,
L- out was a turkey subway
D- mushroom and artichoke Barleyoto. This is like a rissotto but using using barley instead of rice.

The Black Dog

This picture is in the wrong place !!! I havnt a clue how to edit this blog!!! This is MY LACE STASH!! mostly undyed waiting for me to play!

This picture has come out in the wrong place! but at least I managed to get it uploaded!!! Its my SOCK STASH

The Black Dog;

yes like 'Winnie' i to have suffered from depression. at its worst its a place I never want to visit again. Even with the most understanding family and wonderful supportive husband its a horrid, dark, lonely place.

I liken it to being at the bottom of a dark, deep well where you cant see the light at the top. Yuo're totally isolated and people around you are reaching out to you , but hitting the brick wall of the well.

recovery is like someone dropping a bucket down the well and you sit in it. You're pulled up a fraction , you still cant see the top of the well and the light. You slip back down again, but not as far. This is the pattern for recovery, a few feet up the well in the bucket, a slip down, but noot back to where you were. Slowly you are heaved up the side of the well until one day you can see the light , a tiny speck to start with, but it gets lighter very slowly. One day you find yourself at the top of the well, out in the fresh air. well! its easy to slip back at times, but I never, ever want to be back in the dark at the bottom again.

FM

On the fibro front, i managed to get out yesterday which pleased me no end. We went to the Trafford centre shopping. I hired a scooter for the first time. it helped me enormously. otherwise I couldnt have walked. But you become invisible on a scooter. people barge into you and push past, and getting down isles is a squeeze. Still I changed my tops in Evans so I was happy.

I've been in terrible pain, although so far today its not as bad and my spirits are up a bit.

GL_

I think I have to accept that the weight isnt going to come off. In fact I have put 3 lb on in one week just by upping my Pre-gabilin. its damage limitation at the moment.

Diary today;

B- tofu/sunflower smoothie

L- 1/2 tub soup with melted cheese in it

D- dunno yet? tinned salmon and salad.

Knitting.

I've managed to upload some photos, but they're in the wrong place!!!.

I'm carrying on with my current project, I'll try and photograph it. The camisole from Beads , Buttons and Lace. I'm up to the 'boob' bit, a bra type top and as I am not little in that area this should be interesting!!!

Arnt kids funny?

Josh, our youngest , who's 11, did really well on his SATS and got 3 level5's which is abouve average and surprised us all. (teachers included I think!!). he wanted a present for doing so well and apart from a cheap computer game chose Aftershave!!!LOL at his age. Hubby had to take him to Superdrug where he tried every spray imaginable, much to the amusement of the shop assistant, and came home with some Calvin Klein something or other!!!! I found this hilarious. he's after attracting the girls at his age. it took us until Sam was 14/15 to persuade him to wear anti- perspirant, dirty bugger! We used to fight tooth and nail to get him in the shower everyday. its only in the last 12 months and since he discovered the opposite sex thats he's started showering daily. YUk!!!!

FM Front.

Things have been a bit rough the last few days. After doing the gardening for 10 whole minutes monday, I was set solid and in pain Tuesday and I had a mild headache at the front. yesterday I woke up with a migraine. it was quite a bad one and I spent the day in bed till 4pm. I was fuming coz the sun was out and I missed it. I managed, very drugged up, to pop my head out of doors for 2 mins last night. days like that infuriate me . its a lost day.
Today I wanted to go out. I've got cabin fever. but I'm not confident enough to go out on my own at the mo. I cant drive so it'd be a taxi, or was I able to walk to the bus, and what if my legs gave way?? all these questions. it got me down. I wanted to go to Evans to change some tops. but its too far to walk on my own. So I'll have to wait till the weekend then Hubby can drive me around.
its just so frustrating and its days like these when the FM gets me down.
its typical that I've been discharged from psychology and immediately hit a bad patch, but I have to learn to cope on my own and some days are going to be rough.
I started to go for a walk and noticed my nextdoor neighbours car door open with her bag on the floor, so I shouted over the back gate. She was in the garden with a friend and young toddlers. She invited me in. I was so grateful for a chat I didnt even mind the kids. mind you they were very good and not shreiking.
Theres another thing. mine have grown out of that phase and i should be more understanding. They made one hell of a noise themselves, But I'm sensitive to noise and in pain, it lowers your tollerance. I've been there and done that and dont particularly want it now!!! I'll make a great grandma!!!

GLing

i'm struugling. I think I've put weight on. this is because my Pre-gabilin for pain has been upped by 50mg at night!!! hardly anything. But it interferes so much with your metabolism that i only have to look at a biscuit and I put a 1lb on!!

Todays food diary;
B- bowl crunchy nut cornflakes at 4.30am for pain releif;
Tofu, sunflower smoothie at 10.30am to take other tabs.

L- 1/2 bowl tesco mediteranean soup with cheese on top.
apple

D- I'm not sure. I've taken some bolognese out that was in the freezer for the family, but I'm finding mince meat too hard to digest at night. I may have another tuna steak.

Knitting

I've frogged Kia-Kia-Boo, hoo!!!The boarder said to undo the knitted middle so it was lace looking. But I've gone wrong somewhere on the boarder and the whole boader undid!!!! So its frogged and put away for another day. i'll see if I can upload pictures


I cant figure out how to upload photos, but i will

http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/kia/kia.html

here is the Kia kia pattern. its lovely but very tedious to knit.

my backs hurting now so I'm off.

My first entry

Hi,
I'm Cinders, and I love to knit, Im a Yarnaholic. I also suffer from Fibromyalgia, a very painful, disabilitating illness which has altered my life drastically, and seeing as though I'm 3 stone over weight I'm trying, LOL, to loose it following the GL diet

see linkshttp://www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org/

http://www.dietfreedom.co.uk/


I decided to create a blog to write down my daily thoughts and feelings., chart my progresss, or distinct lack of , in the weight loss department , and cheer myself up with all my knitting acheivements. I can be my very own Bridgit Jones, except I've already found my mr Darcy! 20 years ago to be precise!!

Fibro
Today I was supposed to go to art class. i over slept and missed it. but I'm in alot of pain today, my legs in particular are driving me mad. I'm creeking avout the house like a 90 year old!Mind you I did try and do 10 mins gardening yesterday!! well I'm sick of the garden. with the weather hubby hasnt beena ble to do it and the weeds are having a party!!! Soon we'll have to machete our way into the front door!!!


Pain levels 9 out 0f 10!
mobility 2 out 0f 10

Mood- average, mind you the weather doeant help!


GLing
Hmmm, I'm not doing too well here! I've struggled the last 2 days to say the least!

Today,
Breakfast- tofu sunflower smoothie, made with 1/4 pack tofu, 1 apple, handfull sunflower seeds, squirt of Agave syrup and soya milk, oh not forgetting, heaped t- spoon of Cocoa!!

Lunch- havnt decided yet, probably soup.

Dinner- sweet and sour chicken-homemade. I cant cook too well these days. I used to love cooking , but the depression and Fibromyalgia (FM) put paid to all that.
Hubby cooks and enjoys it although the S&S sour chicken is some breasts chopped up with a jar of Sharwoods sauce chucked over it! some pineapple added. still its tasty.

Kniting

The sock yarn I dyed on Sunday usinig my first ever go at acid dyes. is dry and ready to be wound into a ball.
My KiaKIa jacket from Berrocco is coming along slowly. its very tedious to knit, having knitted 800 rows of boarder and picked up 400 stitches I'm now doing an 18 row repeat lace pattern. i'm on row 7. my camisole and jacket from Beads Buttons and Lace is on hold . But I do , in times of brain foogyness, which happen often FM again!, Pick up the cami as its plain stocking st.
I've just won some lace weight yarn on E-bay, Pure wool, 1700yards for $5 thats £2.50. With P&P from the States its coming too £5.60!!! I cant buy undyed pure lace weight wool for much less than that here!!!! Batgain. mind you I'm going to have to hide it from Hubby. I'm not supposed to be buying any yarn!!!OOPS! must take some photos and upload them.