White Knuckle Knitting

Last week, I was pleased to be teacher, to some lovely friends who wanted to learn to knit, and we were all so excited!

When I arrived, the fire was being lit and lunch prepared, as well as scones being popped into the oven. I set up the folders I had pre-prepared for my students, as well as a selection of yarns, needles and swatches of various stitches for them to look at. After the other two arrived, the table was cleared again, to make space for the delicious warm scones and warming pot of tea.

Then, enclosed in the lovely warmth of low ceiling light, the smell of the woodsmoke and cats curling around our legs, the lesson proper began. Their folders contained the lesson plan of twenty or so terms and processes we would be looking at and explaining throughout the day; a notebook and pencil; a couple of patterns - one for an easy scarf and the other for a dishcloth; a laminated sheet, showing how to cast on, knit, purl and cast off; and the most important piece of equipment, on which I based today's lesson - a gauge/tension measure.

Now, I had a surprise to expose to my petit enfant pupils! Upon receiving my copy of the new knitting magazines this month, I had espied an ad by First 4 Yarns and their scrumptious Peaches and Creme cotton yarn - to be used for dishcloths - Perfect! So, I'd bought several colourways (which almost arrived before I'd placed my order, thank you) and the girlies were able to choose their favourite colour. After some oohs, aahs, and ouches, cast on their 26 stitches.

With tongues sticking out we chose a (my) way of casting on - the cable method of poking the needle between the next two stitches, etc and so we were, until some were able to move onto purl stitches. We even got to drop some, too! Which was exactly what I wanted to happen, so they could learn what to do next. Brilliant.


They were the most clever of students, all three of them really put in a hundred percent effort and, I feel, got the very most out of their day. I really enjoyed employing my previous teaching experience into two things which give me great pleasure - being with friends, and Knitting!

And, we all went home with either a completed, colourful dishcloth, or a nearly one.

A little bit busy

Well, it seems time does go by, and stuff does calm down. Thank you so much to all of you who left kind comments, either here or to my email. This support is so valuable to me.

I don't feel as if I've done too much over the last couple of weeks, though I have been to work, seen friends, had a Rural committee meeting at my home, with cake and everything, and sent my bezzie mate a nintendo ds cover that I knitted from eco 100% wool and then felted, thus;

The first piccie shows the inside and the second, the outside.

And, my bezzy mate, kind woman that she is, sent me a great big parcel full of things for me and my grand-daughter - some half chaps and jodpurs for nanny's best girl, and some knitting patterns, bolster covers, and a tray cloth made by an auntie of hers for me. This is in amongst her moving her mum to be nearer to her, and supporting the rest of her family. A star, that what she is. x

Damn Back Dog

I want to write 'funny' or informative, deep even, with pictures. But, it's difficult as the back is not feeling good and the black dog again approaches. I can feel the depression setting in. This does have something to do with the time of year as well, but the back just doesn't help it.

I've been awake again, in the night, worrying. I'm not sure how long I can keep up with my current work of housekeeper. I finally came to the conclusion, last week, that I simply cannot do the job alone. This is the first time I had to do this without the help of Mr T or our daughter, and it was a wake-up call, really. Now, in my main job I'm really just paid a retainer to be there 'as and when' and this seems to work okay. But, my second job, the one I really like best - and get on exceptionally well with the owners - is the hard one. We were talking about my taking over all the bookings as well as the general running of things, which would be brill for me. It's just the cleaning of the changeovers that I struggle so much with. Though, one option could be that I get paid help to deal with this, if/when Mr T or our daughter are unable to be there. I'll think about that one.

The other big worry is that if my back is getting worse, or I'm falling into the realms of last winter's episode, then I just don't think I can take things as they were then. We are going to have to move into one of the spare bedrooms, that is next to the bathroom. Our house has a strange layout - downstairs there are two rooms with, on the outside, a large shed either side. Upstairs has three bedrooms and bathroom, set above the two rooms + sheds - our bedroom the largest and one we are most comfortable in is at the opposite end to the bathroom. Bloody, bloody long walk when in agony.

If we can't live in this, our tied house, then we'd have to move from here and our jobs. Now, we could manage financially, but I've always worked and always intended to until well past retirement. Ooh, you can see the whirly-gig of my mind in the night, can't you?

Added to this, because I am worried and trying to work it out and not be upset, I feel I'm kind of 'nippy' with people? And, people don't take it. They just say, 'bugger you, then!' and go away. And, I don't want that, so I have to try and be 'up' and 'funny' and just 'okay.'

Well, it's just gone midday. Saturday Kitchen is long finished. I'll go and get dressed.

Don't worry, this is just wallowing in self pity and working 'stuff' out. Thank goodness, this is all I have to worry about. My family are all well, Mr T has been painting windows for me this week - he must love me as he just hates painting!

Where does the time go?

I just don't know where all the time goes lately. Suddenly, today's Wednesday and it's the first of October, and probably nearly Xmas, if I know anything, grumble, mumble.

I do love Autumn. For the smokey smells, morning mists and mellowing colours. But, I get so tired at this time of year as well. I have also begun to take my painkillers for the 4 x per day, as prescribed which, while it helps me not to be awoken with the pain during the night, makes me a tad sleepy during the day. Hey, ho.

But, while the last couple of days have been non-productive on the craft front, it has on the dolly-lollypop front. Since mum goes to work I have the delicious pleasure of looking after baby in her absence.

'Couldn't you just watch a baby all day long?' asks my bezzy mate, in joyous wonderment. 'Most certainly, yep.' Is the answer.




Speaking of bezzy mates, I started a project for mine some time ago, which I presented to her during her visit. It is this elephant pouch, the pattern for which I got from a lovely inspirational book, The Crafters' Companion. Made with love and giggles for my lovely, inspirational mate.





ps. there is something more on its way to her, shhh!

Back, safe and sound from shoe-ing around

As you'll have seen from one of my previous posts, Mr T has been trolling his way around Europe on his motorbike, with his mates. This was namely France, Germany, Lichtenstein through Switzerland, Austria and Italy, and from Italy, he returned via Switzerland and France, with this company (there is sound!) He went with several of the mates with whom he used to work, and this trip was to celebrate the last one of them having retired. So, a bunch of hairy-arsed retired police officers were let loose on a boys' jolly, which has been years in the arranging. Well, as I understand it, all the 'meetings' that were held in various pubs here in middle Scotland and in middle England were 'planning meetings', apparently. Yeah, right.

Anyway, he has arrived back today, k-nackered but having had a ball, on the holiday of a lifetime. It has done him a power of good and we missed each other so much. This is despite talking on the phone each day, as well as sending texts night and morning. We have been married well over thirty years and, apart from a few days at a time when I was in China last year, we have spoken to each othere every day, from the day we became a couple, aahh.

And, he was well impressed with the shoe bag I made for him to take his 'evening shoe attire' with him (his trainers) which is pictured above. I printed a photo of his motorbike onto trasfer paper for fabric, ironed it on so some lining fabric and then stitched it onto a denim shoe bag and voila! And, it made a change from doing girly, pink stuff for my granddaughters!

Those who know me ...

... know I am a sensible woman. One whose feet are firmly on Terra firma, despite flights of fancy and, well eccentricity, sometimes. Yes? Quite.

So, when grand-daughter number three, 15 month old nanny's lolly-dollypop, had failed to git hersen onto her feet and walk, nanny wasn't really too worried, despite, lots of jokes and pushing, nay just encouraging, her to Walk.

But, I have now changed my mind. Since the other day when, lolly-dollypop took up a crayon in her right hand. She didn't like holding it upside down and in that hand, so she put it on the floor and, turning it round to the right way, picked it up in the fingers of her left hand and DREW with it!!!

Well, you don't need to be walking about to draw things, do you?

and it's bezzy mates and blog-swaps for me!

Yep, I volunteered myself to get involved in a Christmas Blog-Swap. My first - o0h, how exciting! It is being run by the lovely Jo over at French Knots and I have been paired up with another Karen. As I've said before, all my life, there are usually several Karen's around me, which is brill as I, unusually, love my name! I am just waiting for Jo to send Karen's details to me, while I have a little think-y about what to make. Brill.


And, Brill is just the word for the time I have just been spending with my bezzy mate, Flick! Mr T is currently away overseas in Europe, trolling about the place on his motorbike, with his bezzy mates for a well-earned holiday. So, Flick and I took the opportunity for her to come up and visit and have a great 'girly' time.

And, what a time! We both, ahem, have a little plumpness to wish away, so we decided (rather Flick suggested and I agreed!) that it would be a good idea for us to use the Low Gi Diet and to take out the dog for daily walks. This firstly involved us getting dressed and supping some tea first thing, even before washing, but of course, getting dressed! Our daily morning walk grew longer and longer each day, in my local, beautiful countryside, as we became fitter and, yes, slightly thinner, wow! It has done us both a power of good. It hasn't helped my back though, and made it quite sore. I have gone back to taking my pills 4 x per day and that seems to be helping.



We also had a time which we called 'First choose your Wasp!' after another pal had a glut of plums, which she allowed us to go round and pick. We then spent the following afternoon making our 'Plumtious Plum Jam.' Which tastes absolutely delicious but, as we didn't bother to peel the plums (perleese, life is just too short) when cooked, the skins could be mistaken for dead wasps! But, my aren't we clever?




Also, of course, we had to partake of lunches out, didn't we? Well, one of the best we've ever had was at the Lands of Loyal Country House Hotel where we chose to have the Stuffed Sole thus,

We just kept saying 'Yum. Yum. Yum!' All through such a beautiful meal. Sadly, Flick has returned home, but thankfully, plans to come back again next Spring. Yay!

Oh, and Mr T will be home again with me on Sunday!