Extreme Knitting Redhead: A little bit of crochet, a fingerless mitten and an abandoned project

Sunday, September 16, 2007

A little bit of crochet, a fingerless mitten and an abandoned project

I've been busy playing with ideas this past week and having a rummage in my stash. I came across 2 balls of Rooster aran weight yarn that I got from Laughing Hens last year. They make a lively colour combination so I thought I'd just do a few granny squares to use them up together. Here's what I've done so far. I love doing them as a break from knitting as they work up so quickly and are easy to do whilst watching TV. Here are 3 I've completed so far and I've probably got enough yarn for a couple more. They aren't blocked yet but have quite a good shape.

I was using this book, 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans for ideas. It really is a super book and I've had it for ages and not used it. If course, now I've started I want to keep on with them so I'll have to see if I've got any more aran yarn lurking.

Here's the first of Mike's fingerless mittens. The pattern is from the Rowan magazine 40 and is for the Ana Fingerless Mittens but I have altered it slightly as they were way too long. The yarn is Rowan Kid Classic and is lovely and soft to work with and will keep him toasty warm on winter walks. I like the longer length as you can wear them scrunched up around the wrist.

Barney is lying on a project I have abandoned because I just don't like it! It was a boxy cardigan full of pattern (cable, diamonds and textured bits) but it simply doesn't show up well enough in the dark chocolate colour to justify the work so I've cut my losses and undone the 2 front pieces and given the back to Barney as a blankie for my office. He doesn't seem to care that the pattern doesn't show up!

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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.