Recovering

I am still not right since I got this virus.

I went back to work on Monday, because there were a few meetings that I didn't want to miss. Each evening, I've been just relaxing, to gather strength for the next day, but still in a bit of pain with sinuses, still have the vertigo and tinnitus that accompanied that virus.

Then today, two people mentioned that Neurofen is magic for sinus pain, so on my way home I stopped off at the pharmacy and stocked up.
 yes! Happy to report it is magic!

 So, with a bit of luck and a little more time, I will be fully mended. I hate being sick, and luckily it doesn't happen very often because I'm a terrible patient: totally impatient. I make an even worse nurse! 24 hours, that's it, can't stand any longer!

I have since knitted another two of the Haruha scarf, one for myself and another red one for a friend from school who stood in for me at two events while I was sick. Friends like that are invaluable, and I was thrilled to return with a little gift for her.
I found a small ball of this green alpaca, just enough for a tea cosy for my one-cup teapot. Good match too, though I think it would benefit from a few more crochet flowers. What do you think?

Scarves and Viruses

Scarves first!
I finished the white silk and cashmere mix one, and gifted it to a friend as part of her 60th birthday present. She was thrilled with it. I was also thrilled with how it turned out. It's so soft and silky! Didn't have the patience for blocking, so I just pressed it. I know blocking would have been better, but a cool iron, lots of water spray with a drop of lavender oil added, and a tea towel to protect, and here it is.

  I was so thrilled that I decided I would knit another with some lovely pure alpaca that I've had in stash for years. And that was a younger friend's part-gift for her birthday.

The indoor photo doesn't quite do justice to this lovely rich red, but going outdoors was out of the question.

Now to viruses. Oh my, I have been sick! A bad virus, this one, wish I could name it. I had my first meal in 6 days today, and spent a good bit of the day out of bed. Yes, that bad.
 There's an upside to everything though. I lost some weight that I wanted to lose, and I got reacquainted with my sitting room!

Part of the virus is a "swimming pool" head, dull headache and all noise seems loud. Oh, and the constant sound of a fan whirring, not too bad but I'll be happier when it goes. So, the sound of TV and chat is too much for me, and I've decamped to this room, which often goes unused. I bought new cushions before Christmas and they make for a very cosy space.

With the fire lit, and ignoring the Christmas decorations that still remain (blurred photo is good, doesn't show too much!), it's perfect for recuperation. That's grey bag daughter's tuba under the piano, not a bag of decorations!

I deleted a post by mistake!

I had just finished a New Year post last night, and clicked on the delete button instead of publish! Damn!

Happy New Year all, hope 2013 is great fun here in blogland. And healthy for us all so we can blog!

This is a photo Hubby took in the centre where we ate and went to the movie last Thursday night. It looks so festive!
I've been very busy, but in a really lovely way, doing projects that were put on hold before Christmas due to lack of time.

 One is this marmalade: I bought organic oranges in July, didn't have time to make the marmalade so froze them. It was a blessing, when I defrosted them, the skin was so easy to cut, and the inside seemed to be all juice and no fibre! I just chopped up the 5 oranges, added a mug of water, simmered for 15 minutes, added same weight of jam sugar, boiled 6 minutes, and DONE! I love the jewelled colour, especially at this time of year!
I often think about how foods and smells trigger memories. Saw a can of grapefruit segments in the supermarket and had to buy it.

When I was little, we always had grapefruit segments for Christmas morning breakfast, followed by a fry-up. The diningroom table was set, with best linen and china, and when I eat these, I still feel the excitement that I did as a kid. Many foods that we had at Christmastime, we didn't have the rest of the year, so it was very exciting, not like now, when all foods are available all year round.

I completed a knitting project, a hat for daughter for rowing.

It's a beautiful chunky alpaca, and she's gone off to the lakes wearing it. I had the tiniest bit left! See!

I'm still working on the lace scarf, hoping to get it finished before I return to school on Monday.

A hat!

I finally got back to a little bit of knitting!
I had seen this pattern on Stephanie's blog, Hookin', Knittin' and Livin', and thought it looked fun and, more important, quick to knit. Then daughter, out of the blue, asked would I knit her a hat. Lickety split, I pulled out 2 balls of alpaca and began, before anything could intervene. The double strand was to (almost!) tie in with the yarn used in the pattern (I knew it was still slightly thinner, so I adjusted the number of stitches), but also, as she will be wearing it for rowing practice, I figured the extra warmth will come in useful during these winter months.

The colour doesn't look as good here as it actually is, but these days the motto is "just do it", because there are too many things intervening and if I wait until conditions are better, chances are it won't get done!

Back soon, hope you're all having a nice weekend!

The Socks, and needing advice.

finished my first pair of socks!

The pattern is Wise Hildas Basic Ribbed Sock, and it's on Ravelry. I think I got the lead form Jane at WT knits. I loved knitting them, though they turned out bigger than I expected- I had too-big needles, (and on looking for the link I've discovered these are for men! though there is a women version) but they are so soft!

As soon as they were finished, I thought of the perfect recipient for them. Someone who may be relaxing from time to time, someone who needs to be pampered, and who could use tactile luxury. I sent them to Ais, hoping that she'll wear them when she's relaxing between physio sessions, or on her weekends at home.

Now to a dilemma I've been ignoring for more than a couple of years.

This is a really beautiful pattern, and the cables were intricate, but you know that feeling when you keep knitting something even though you know it's not quite right? Yes, too big, much too big, but don't want to rip it and start again.

What would you do?

The Juggling Act

I feel I've been such a terrible blogger recently. I promised to post the knitting projects, and I'm way behind in doing it.

Normally, even if I haven't time to post, I can get around a few of you and leave a comment, but even that seems to have been too much this week.

Since I went back to work full-time 3 years ago, I find that life is a juggling act. I know I have too many things going on, but if I think about what I would drop, iI realise I can't bear to give up any of those things I enjoy. Playing the French Horn does take up a huge chunk of every week; when you add up lesson time, orchestra and practice, it's a total of about 9 or 10 hours, including travelling time, but I just couldn't imagine giving it up. I love it!

Walking is another of my "pasttimes", and again, even though it takes up chunks of time, about 3 hours a week, I don't want to give it up, because I enjoy it and it's good exercise.

Blogging is fairly new to the mix, but I enjoy it so much, love meeting new people and there's no way I would consider giving it up.

And going out is yet another pasttime that I enjoy, whether with Hubbie (we try to go out once a week for a couple of hours), or meeting friends for a cuppa and a catch-up.

No, I couldn't give that up either.

Then there are the runs to bring the kids to their activities, (though thankfully there are not too many of those, most things happen after school and they're great at making their own way back), and Hubby does a big chunk of all this work too. Also there's aromatherapy, and last but not least, the boring things like washing, ironing, housework, yawn!!

So, each day, something suffers, and I try to alternate the thing that suffers!

And now knitting has been thrown into the mix!

The scarves for the 3 kids are finished, and worn regularly, and I started on socks with the beautiful yarn in the first picture. It is a joy to work with, and I look forward to wearing them when(ever)they're finished!

We have a little "study area" beside the kitchen that turns into a laundry area every weekend, and this is what it looked like 20 minutes ago! I've tidied it up now, and folded the laundry, but that means that I'm typing this post at 00.52! Agh!

Any suggestions? Am I just disorganised or is it just this stage of life with 3 kids? And I can't afford to go back part-time!

Finished Product

Finishing off took a bit longer than I anticipated, but the alpaca scarf is finished now. The colours are really beautiful- the light in this photo doesn't really do them justice at all.

I enjoyed knitting the scarf so much, and had some yarn left, so I made matching mittens

s.

I had completely forgotten how to use double-pointed needles, and how to make a thumb, but it all came back very quickly. I decided to do a deep cuff to make them really cosy.

So eldest daughter is proudly wearing them, and I'm now started on a set for younger daughter, with son waiting in the wings for his scarf. This knitting is addictive, I may not have time for blogging now!!

This is the yarn I used: it's alpaca, DK, imported direct from Peru

by a friend who used to live there.

I'd say it has lived in my attic for about 16 years!

I wondered if it would still be available, and I went on Google to see- it is!

This is probably bad news for me, cos I'm fairly sure I'll be on that site buying up more.

Anyway, here's the link to the site, just click on either of the yarn pictures here.

Llacta

Ruby Tuesday

Guess what has come down from the attic?

and along with that, this too made its way down,

and, in the wintry January evenings by the fire, clickety clack, something is being created, and it is almost finished. I love the colours, but the feel of that alpaca is also wonderful. And I had forgotten the satisfaction of feeling something grow between my fingers, something unique, something that is moulded and changed as the mood hits, that I am creator of.

Tomorrow I will post a picture of the finished work, when all the loose ends have been (tied up) darned in.

For more RUBY , or to join in , go to Mary T by clicking on the ruby slippers at the top of this post.