Wednesday 29 December 2010

Coughing through a Crisis

So that is that. I have just been ill and coughed my way through the whole of christmas and the whole of the 5 days I was supposed to have volunteered at Crisis for Christmas. I am so annoyed about it I could spit. I am bored but mostly too knackered to do anything and about once an hour I have a coughing fit. Nice.

As I tweeted a day or so ago, it is a terrible idea to cast on your own design when you are ill. Because you'll do something mindnumbingly stupid - like casting on the waist measurements instead of the hip measurement. And when you have my kind of figure, that's the kind of negative ease you would usually only see on a Beryl Cook painting. 
beryl_cook_lady_of_marseilles
So this is where I'd got to...
004
That's about 3 inches in sock yarn on 3mm needles. All now ripped back and an extra 20% of stitches cast on and 2 rows done. So fecking annoying. The garment itself is destined to be a raglan ripple cardigan using left over sock yarn, of which like all sock knitters, I seem to have endless amounts. The ripple is a very simple one like that for Jaywalker and is just *kfb k5 sl2k1psso k5 kfb* alternated with a purl row.
002
I quite like it and going bottom up means  I'll have time to contemplate how exactly I'm going to do the raglan bit. Time will tell. Bodging will no doubt come into it. 

Although I haven't been able to do much around the flat because of being so exhausted, I have put the advert up for a flatmate online. It was pretty upsetting to do because it seems like another great big nail in the marriage coffin, to get all maudlin about it. Pooch has several times said that I've clearly made my mind up and am convinced it is over between us and in one way that is very true. I do not think there is any way it can work out between us now, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it, and that there isn't an irrational part of me that wishes things could be different. But there are no time machines, and such thoughts are just a kind of internal torture that I guess affects everyone who has ever grieved for the loss of anything.

All in all am trying to remain positive but as the year comes to an end it's all a bit miserable, and with no plans for new year it could be a very quiet start to 2011.

Sunday 26 December 2010

Ill

By now I should be at the Crisis Ops Centre half way into my second day of volunteering. Instead I am half way into my 4th day of flu like thing. Haven't seen anyone since got back from work on thursday afternoon. Have barely made a dent on my Quality Street.
Quality Street 1
Although I did have a bit of a play and make them into a spiral. 
Quality Street Rainbow Spiral
Bit sad really but gave me something to do on one of my brief stints out of bed. 

It's nearing the end of 2010 and so I've been thinking about my blog book. 
Blog Books
It'll be my 6th and probably the one with the widest ranging contents. I've used Blurb for each of them. They have a tool that slurps the blog posts and some years the pictures too into a basic format and then you just take it from there. I always used to look forward to reviewing all my posts and going back through photos but this time it's going to be a tad upsetting. I spoke to Pooch yesterday which was nice but also very sad. There he was with his lovely family and here I was in bed feeling like death and on my own. Bit glum making.

Ah well. 

Before I completely run out of puff (I know this blog post is boring but I am literally too knackered to think of anything remotely interesting to say) let me show you two FOs. The first is a baby hoody for a little one due in January. 
Baby Cardigan
Exceptionally simple pattern and free too. On Ravelry here. The second is my dad's christmas jumper. 
Dad's Jumper - close up
I used a standard raglan pattern but added this lovely saxon cable up the arms. Sadly, it's still here with me since I was supposed to be meeting up with that side of my family on thursday but had to cancel because of my cold. 

OK, enough misery. Back to bed.