Different Problems

Thanks for all the messages, my ghosts have left me to get on with things for a while, I can usually cope when they visit individually but en-masse is too much !!

I've been busy. I went down to a small village the other side of Cardiff and learnt to spin properly with Ruth from Winghams as a most wonderful tutor. She taught us how to spin fine (and consistent) and thick and ply them together. I can now rescue my badly plied and make then usable yarn (hooray!!)

Then I went down to Ally Pally for a couple of days as a person not working on a stall (even though I did hang out at Knitwitches and Touch Yarns). I was a bit confused but the 'new bridge' I saw in the sky when I drove in along Hanger Lane (we were going slowly, I could read the signs, otherwise I would have just been in London !!) On the way home on Friday night I realised that there were signs for Wembley (we were going even slower) and what I thought was a bridge was in fact the new stadium roof (doh!!).
My journey home was not a good one, I thought it would be a good plan to wait until the local traffic had died down and then get to North Circular and then M4 letting all the traffic go in front of me... Got to M4 without much problem, it was slow but moving... then the trouble started it took me about 2 hours to go 35 miles. Reading services was gridlocked, as was the motorway. I sat and ate M&S food in my car, tried to knit (deep wine coloured yarn in the dark not good idea). 1.5 hours later I left the services, took a while to catch up with the traffic. Saw someone being stopped for hogging the middle lane (I loved those police, they made me very happy!!) and eventually got home at 2am over 7 hours after I left London...
I slept for two days ...


we had a problem yesterday.
I picked up Chivi to say hello to nextdoor over the back fence - we both looked down, saw a hole and missing fur/skin. We had a family outing to the vets.
Goodness knows how he did it, but an inch long deep hole inside his back leg. They made his sleep, stitched him up, woke him up and sent him home.
We have to go back on Wednesday. I haven't looked at the damage properly, but from what I could see while he was backing round the living room trying to get out of the collar (it would have been funny if he hadn't have been panting so much) it doesn't look nice...
So the sickly boy is sickly again, more tablets and got to be kept in (he really doesn't like that bit) His brother is confused that the cat flap just opens inwards and he has to ask to go out... He is not bothered too much at the moment he is asleep on the top of a sofa..

Whilst at the vets I was knitting this - it is a sort of February Sweater (Why is it called a sweater when it is a cardi - I'm confused...)

I lost the instructions for the lace so found another pattern to use - I've nearly finished the body, if I get the chance I might get onto the sleeves later...

I'm known for knitting whilst waiting for Chivi they even ask me what I'm making ;-)




And I cast something else on recently.
Yes - the return of the Wedding Ring Shawl !!

I wont bore you with many photos of this as it is growing, but this is the first half of the first pattern repeat, with stitch counter for scale...

I'm enjoying it and hopefully I can manage to get the central panel completed this year - there are 350 rows of pattern and 6 of garter stitch...


now I really must try and get myself organised for going down to Devon later. If you are near to Bovey Tracey do come and say hello tomorrow afternoon - there will be lots going on, knitting, spinning, crochet and shopping opportunities, and Jane Sowerby with some of her shawls..

Please stop messing with my head

I went up north a few weeks ago. I had a day & night in Sunny Southport and on my why back to the Wirral for a birthday party I thought I would stop at Antony Gormley's Another Place.

I'd seen photos of it but never realised exactly where it was.


Many many years ago my Gran was in a nursing home and we used to take her out once a week for a cup of tea (made in the car, in a teapot, not free flowing in the car, that would be silly!) and an icecream. We stopped at a carpark overlooking the river Mersey where there were some loos (just in case).

As I pulled in to the carpark (that has changed a lot in nearly 30 years) The loos are still there, but you have to pay to use them now. I'm sure the coastguard station was there but I cant remember...

This was my first thing of the weekend that rolled around in my head.

I really should have read this sign before going on to the beach !!



Luckily I had my wellies in the car otherwise I would have got very wet feet ;-)








I did have a sock with me, and this was the only man I found that would hold it for me !



I started on the heel flap of the second one this morning..

Much to the amusement of several old dears in the village...








Some of the men had nothing growing on them, whereas others were covered with 'things'



This is one of my favourite faces, having a bit of a bad head day me thinks !!










And a clean man looking out to sea,













And this is what he has just seen, a boat going past the wind farm.



I remember watching lots of ships, getting very bored with the same conversations each week, the smell of tea filling the car (this might be one of the reasons why I dont do tea).

I nearly had a icecream from the van, but thought that would push me over the edge and make me very late...



More photos are here including jellyfish, crabs, footprints...



And then there was the party in the evening. I did have knitting with me but was not allowed to take it out of my bag :-(

It is strange when you meet people that you last saw over twenty years ago at their wedding. Talk went to how the photos are not the same as people had died. The bloke sitting nearest me then thought it would be interesting to see who had the worst count. He could only get to a couple (his wife kept saying, no dear they are still alive...). Then I started counting up, at nine he told me to stop as I was scaring him, the bad thing was that I'd only have been married 16 years this week, and that I dont know what had happened to over half the guests (and there were less than 100) and that most of the nine were family...

Then there was the usual divorce talk... getting into a sleeping bag at 3am, ticking clocks, a long drive home when feeling very dehydrated (I should know that I need to drink a lot of water when travelling..)


All these thought of people that are no longer around has been pulling me down into a deep hole.



I have had some wonderful parcels in the post that have helped. Martha sent me a lovely amazing lace swap parcel from the States..

The tops might have to be spun up as practice tomorrow...

And these have been keeping the postman busy as well...

Ebay is a wonderful place on a Saturday night when there is no one else bidding on old books !

And the lace weight is a well received thank you present.

I do have good things to look forward to this week. The lovely Anne phoned me earlier to tell me about Wingham being in town and Ruth holding spinning classes on Monday - Morris is going on his travels :-)

And then on Thursday & Friday I'm going to Ally Pally. For the first time in years I'm going as a person, not working on any stand (apart from covering for friends if need be). I've got my tickets and show guide and a new camera. Hopefully I will have time to look at the exhibitions and not get too lost on the way (or on the way home - the North Circular is not good if you go East instead of West...)

I also have a car of ferrets (if you see Gill from the Woollyworkshop do ask her why)

And I have been knitting whilst I've been gone - I do have a Wicked jumper, a back of another, and the collar of a cardi, and most of a lace shawl.. I stupidly cast on something that will keep me busy for a long long time, I'm using this in forest green, no photos for a while as there is nothing to see yet (only 8 rows). I really want to try and finish it before I go here