Extreme Knitting Redhead: Knitterly things

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Knitterly things

I haven't done much knitting this last week as my neck's been sore and very creaky which I put down to the wet weather. Instead of knitting or crochet, I've contented myself with some needlework using my tapestry frame on a stand which minimises the angle at which I hold my head.

Anyway, last night I couldn't wait any longer as I'd been itching to cast-on for Torirot's January mystery mittens KAL over on Ravelry. I'm trying to be good this year and use only yarn from my enormous stash so this project is ideal as it requires only small amounts of a few colours.

My first attempt at the rib, which is a twisted rib with little 'rosebuds' on either side was not at all to my liking (it just looked as if the red stitches were pulling out of shape) and so I started experimenting with my own version which also helped to fine-tune my colour choices.

I decided on a 3 colour cast-on

This green was too pale

A brighter red & darker green but I didn't like the line of red stitches on every column

So here's my solution - staggered rows of red

I'm happy with this ribbing now and so will continue to the next clue which is the start of the thumb gusset and main mitten. I expect there will be some more tweaking of colours then too.

Of course I've still got my intarsia cardigan to work on but I always like to have a cardigan project to dip in and out of as and when I feel like it.

The weather

I could hardly not mention it now could I?!

What a vile start to the new year it's been. There's been rain and wind ad nauseum and I don't think my feet have been dry this year. We've had 2 days when the sun peeped out for a short while and I managed to get some more cheery photos:

This glorious sulphur-yellow bracket fungus looks as if it's been crocheted it's so frilly

Cheerful catkins

One of our beautiful old oaks set against an azure-blue sky and the rusty bracken - heavenly

Hellebores looking pristine

A view of the valley taken from the outskirts of the village - the floodwater looks like a reservoir

An over-wintering guest who seems to alternate between my office and our bedroom. I nearly trod on her just before I took this as she was sitting on the carpet under my desk

No comments:

Post a Comment

Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.