START IT WITH A SMILE !

I shall start with a beautiful smile,taken this afternoon in the rather cold garden. I think he looks gorgeous in this brick red,don't you Polly ? I'll see how far I get today. I still have overspill from last month's pink for project spectrum ! I feel I must apologise for the sparce blogging of late. It's been a rough year,what with one thing or another. My G.P. is still trying to kill me - I've just stopped the ninth med I've been prescribed over the last year that I've reacted really badly to. My poor joints always seem to get worse,so I'm feeling achey,tired and decrepid. I'm so looking forward to my next Dr.'s appointment. NOT !
On the subject of doctors : Allan and I are both suffering with thumb joint pain. Those joints really take the strain when you're constantly shifting someone's position or lifting them. We've been offered a hoist but have declined. It wouldn't help with the constant position adjustments that cause the problem,we haven't reached that psychological place yet,our space is limited as it is and this is a home,not an institution. So,Allan developed trigger thumb,which restricted movement and caused pain. Off he went to the joint and ligament clinic for a corticosteroid injection.
An aside : I told him it would hurt ! After the injection the phone rang.
Pathetic voice : "OWE !" x 150.
Me : "Hurt then,did it ?"

The Dr. offered Allan a piece of advice to save our joints.
"Keep him lean.",referring to Oliver.
WTF ?
I am so astounded and appalled that I find it hard to know what to say. When Allan said Oliver wasn't fat he replied that one had to be cruel to be kind ! How cruel do you think a formal complaint might be ? Allan doesn't think it's worth it. Me ? I'm up for it !
What makes it worse is that most children with cerebral palsy tend to be very thin. He'd never met Oliver,so doesn't know how strong and well muscled he is.

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Moving on. I've finished the Dresser Scarf socks from the Spring 2003 Interweave Knits.

[A great picture of a lovely pair of these socks can be seen here if you scroll down.]
I started these as a Christmas present,but threw them aside in disgust after I'd finished the first sock. Despite going down a needle size,knitting to a smaller guage,these are loose socks. I'm hoping the recipient is right and the Fixation shrinks after washing and drying. There is another problem. Although the yarn was the same colour and dyelot the two balls of Fixation were different. One is thinner,stretchier yarn,slightly darker navy than the other. One sock is slighly bigger and denser than the other,despite my knitting exactly the same number of stitches and rows. Can't say I'm thrilled. Still,they'll be fine for stuffing into boots or mooching about at home.
I now feel compelled to knit a better pair !

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I've started spinning the beautiful Clementine tussah silk . It's a joy to spin. Tip : pre-drafting is vital with silk. I'm spinning it long draw,to about 4ply,when plied,weight. A tad thicker than the merino/silk/angora blend I plied to clear the bobbins for it ! No link as the page has disappeared, It was one of Kim's gorgeous blends.

It's laceweight,spun long draw. I'm not too fussed about producing ''perfect'',even yarn. There are machine's to do that. I wanted yarn with air and bounce,yet tightly spun to avoid excess shedding of the angora fibres. I also like the little slubs of colour,and silk noils. An interesting and lively yarn. I really hope the recipient enjoys knitting with it.

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My friend Chris has started a new yarn shop ! It fills a gaping chasm in the local yarn market,i.e. the supplying of good quality yarn ! It's small,but perfectly formed,inside Darlington's covered market. She sells Rowan,Jaeger,Coats and Opal sock yarn. Here are a couple of pics.


I'm thrilled for Chris,and wish her all the luck in the world. You get one chance at this life,best to go for your dreams.

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Finally,a gratuitous shot of Oliver demonstrating the raise feature of the Hippo,with added tilt ! [Both very costly additions to the standard price,in case you were wondering.]

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That's all for now. Next time think pink !