Misty Mountain

Bank Holiday, F1, and Crochet

 
What more could a girl ask for?  How about not to be ill?  I went up to look after the folks because Father had been ill for over a week and he was really struggling.  Mother got the infection four days after he did, so he was trying to look after her whilst feeling ill himself.  I had planned to go up home two weekends ago anyway, so I went early and... twenty four hours after arriving I got ill too.  Unfortunately there was nothing I could do but soldier on.  I stayed an extra day to make sure Father really was on the mend when I left, which he was.  Once I got home I had twenty four hours at home before heading off to 'the Smoke' to meet with one half of the new CIO team who was over from the US.  It was a VERY successful three days of meetings but when I got home on Wednesday afternoon I was half dead... apparently literally.  My infection had turned into suspected pneumonia and I was very sick. I managed to avoid hospitalisation by a whisker provided I spent the next week resting properly.  I'd done everything I shouldn't have done when I got sick, and I knew it, but what choice did I have.  The folks only have me, and there was no way I was missing those work meetings, it was just unfortunate that it all coincided and I was so sick.  Yes, I should have stopped as soon as I knew I was ill, come home, rested, and got myself better, but who would have looked after Father?  Social services, yeah, I know.  *sigh*  I just do guilt far too well I guess.

Anyway, its a bank holiday Sunday, I have the next week off work courtesy of my doctors instructions to rest, and its the Turkish grand prix!  Like I said before, what more could a girl ask for.  Would be nice if my voice had recovered and I could breathe but I aint complaining.

Anyway, less of all this negative crap and on to the good stuff...

Lookit this!  You know how much I love gerberas, well Father bought me this one while I was up with them.  Isn't it spelndid?

I totally love it to bits!

And of course I have to show you this little lady, all done and given away...

Isn't she cute?  I'm so chuffed with the way she came out.  And irritated that I didn't take a picture that shows the shoe straps and the beads I used for fastenings.  Anyway have another picture of her.

 Guess I'll just have to make myself one now!  Just a reminder the pattern for Lucy Lavender is here at the lovely Flutterby Patch.

Finally I am hoping that this next week will see the finish to my Rocking Chair Ripple.

 

I'm kind of running out of steam with it a bit, but I'm determined to get it done, then I can start on one of the many other things I have the yarn stashed away for.  I think one of the problems with this ripple is knowing that so many of the colours are now discontinued and nigh on impossible to get a hold of any more. *sigh*  Once this is done I will complete the Rico Creative Cotton riplle cushion to go with and then probably make a couple of chair arm covers to complete the whole thing.

Well time to get dresssed and get settled ready to watche the grand prix.  Take care all.  Love O. xxxxxxx

 

Thank-you, journeying, wips

I just had to post this picture of my magnolia tree with all its lovely blooms.  Isn't it just absolutely fabulous?  I've been able to look at it from my bedroom window every morning for the last couple of weeks.  This pic was taken  week or so ago when it was in all its blooming glory.  It's fading now, but the azaleas are all out, in their incredible pink floweriness so I don't feel too sad.

Anyway, first of all I would like to say thank you for the concern and good wishes after my fall.  I am recovering okay now, although the knee is still bruised and swollen and painful in certain places.  At least now I am walking reasonably well again.  I took Phaolin along the bridle path at the weekend, the first time since the fall and it was okay.  We had a couple of moments and I cut about half a mile off the walk but we did it and I felt much better afterwards.  All this recovery of course is very timely as I have to journey north to visit the folks tomorrow.  I had planned to go back end of the week as usual but they are both ill and have been for a week now and father is struggling so I am going earlier to do the usual, fill the freezer, clear any ironing backlog etc.  *sigh*  At least going during the working week means I will miss all the religious stuff at the weekend.  I plan to return home on Friday afternoon.  Bad time for driving I know but I'm back in 'the smoke' next week for a visit from one of the US CIOs and I want to get a couple of days peace at home before being away again.  Think I'm gonna have to change the timing on the parental visits as they keep coinciding with work travels and I hate hate hate hate hate being away from home.  Absolutely hate it.

On other fronts I've managed to be quite busy...

The Rico Creative Cotton that I bought at Wonderwool is turning into a ripple cushion cover.

 
The colours are really gorgeous and they go together rather well.  I am experimenting with this cushion and making an envelope style.  Its a new departure for me because I usually make a front and a back and join them together so making it all in one piece feels kinda weird.  It will be interesting to see the outcome.

I decided while I was movement challenged that I had far far too much cheap acrylic DK toy yarn in all the old Robin colours.  I do knit toys still, quite a lot of them, for the hospice etc but I bought the yarn wholesale and it is taking up almost the entire drawer space in the front porch and needs to get used.  I can always get Robin DK on the market in town and some of the new colours are much better now.  So... what to do with all this not so soft acrylic yarn in rather neon shades.  I spent a day thinking about it and then inspiration struck after an hour or so sculling around Flickr.  I spend a small fortune on cheap fleecy throws for the couch in the small sitting room so that Phaolin can sit on it with his Dad without getting mud, and general dogginess all over the actual couch covers.  I buy the fleece ones because they are easy to wash and tumble dry.  Wouldn't it be much nicer to have lovely home made crochet covers sometimes instead, made from equally washable acrylic yarn.  And... why not hark back to the seventies and make a granny blanket in brightly coloured squares surrounded by black borders or white borders... like so...

I thought I would hate it, but actually I love it.  Really really love it.  This is the one I will take up to the parents to work on while father watches endless sport on TV.  I am making it in sections because I want to try and make it big enough to cover the entire couch rather than having to use one blanket for the seat and back and one for each of the arms.  Will see how it goes.  If I get fed up of the squares I can always make a pair of ripples for the arms or even a pair of huge grannies.  I have to admit I'm enjoying this project far more than I thought I would.

I also got a lovely delivery of some Drops Paris yarn that I love love love love love to bits.  The colours are fabulous so I set about some hexagons because I've always fancied a hexagon blanket but never ever got around to making one.

I am totally besotted with this yarn.  Sooo many people give it a bad press for being too splitty to work with, but I've hardly had a problem at all and the colours are to die for.  I actually prefer them to the Rico.  However, although it isn't obvious on the picture I have a definite tension problem with these hexagons so unless it is corrected by blocking they will have to be frogged and redone :(  I don't mind too much because the yarn is lovely and not silly money and I have plenty of it.

Finally, at the weekend I managed to get started on this...

Lovely Lucy Lavender made from the pattern created by Flutterby Patch.  Isn't she a total cutie?  I love her already and I will have to give her away next week :(  Guess I can always make myself another one!  How I wish I'd had children then maybe I'd have lots of grand children by now to make lovely toys for.  Anyway, she's nearly done, just the back of the dress and the apron to go, Oh, and the straps for the shoes.

Well that's about all from Oran's Place today.  Hopefully I'll have time for a visit between travelling jaunts over the weekend.  Take care.  O. xxxxxxxx
 

Beltaine vacation and a ta-dah!

So... I am on holiday again, for Beltaine.  Sadly the sunrise wasn't exactly visible on Saturday, and we didn't go to the sea because the idea of trying to get a very elderly husky with a wobbly back end into the car quietly at 4am in the morning was too much for all of us.  So we stayed home and saluted the sunrise in the garden.  It was just as good, then we retreated to our sacred space in the big sitting room to listen to music and complete our ritual.  I know, something of a cop out but we had a good excuse!  Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  :) 

Unfortunately Sunday proved to be a bit of a disaster.  I had a very nasty fall at the start of the bridal path while I was out walking Phaolin.  I can't even blame the dog either because he was behind me sniffing some grass, so I can't say that he pulled me over or anything because I managed this one entirely on my own.  I have a very badly damaged knee and a somewhat sprained ankle as a result so have had to spend the time since then being quiet with my crochet!  And what a hardship that is - not.

The pastel afghan is now complete... I still don't really know how I feel about it, but here it is, in situ...

And laid out on the sofa in the big sitting room

 I admit that it's pretty and all that and it is very soft and cosy so I suspect it will 'grow on me' so to speak.

Anyway with that blanket complete I decided to had a go at using my Rowan Handknit Cotton.  Many of the colours that I love in this yarn are no longer available and I have been scouring ebay to get replacements when I run out but I can't keep on just gathering it all to my bosom and looking at it now and then so I got started on the below late last week...

It's a classic Attic24 Neat Ripple but not as big as the monster Biggan one and it seems to be growing apace, despite the fact that the fall left me very tired for a couple of days and I kept nodding off whilst crocheting.  I have a horrible suspicion that when it's done I'm going to be left with a load of Rowan Handknit in colours I really don't like.  Ah well they'll come in handy for something I guess.  So have another picture while I'm in the mood...

Yes there's another wip in a yarn I don't like lurking ont he back of the rocker. *sigh* I also want to make the lovely doll I got the pattern for from Flutterby Patch I've had the yarn for weeks now but never got to it yet.  So many lovely things to make and so little time to actually make them in!  So very frustrating. And the wonderful people at the Natural Dye Studio sent me a mail telling me that my order for the rest of the yarn for the triangle blanket has been shipped. I really can't decide what to make next!

Anyway, himself is in the garden playing with the new shredder we bought last week and I fancy a cup of coffee, so ttfn.  Love O. xxxxxx