Extreme Knitting Redhead: Snow, Tiles & Training

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Snow, Tiles & Training

The weather forecasters said that it wouldn't snow on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

They said it wouldn't freeze.

I believed them.

Wrong!

No sooner had I put the horses feed outside on Sunday morning than it started to snow and I had to dash out and move it into their shelters. As for it not freezing, well I had to stand on their water butt and jump as the ice was so thick!

This also meant that a run along the lanes was impossible and Mike wasn't happy at the thought of me going across the fields and so I ended up doing my 15 mile run on the treadmill. I'd already done 7 miles on it the day before as the lanes had been too slippery so it was really hard to make myself keep on with it; but I did. At least I have the option so I mustn't complain too much about it being boring (but it is!!!).

As a break from weaving in ends on Oregon I decided to make Mike a scarf using some Rowan Tapestry yarn in shades of grey.

I knew he wouldn't like anything too fancy so I searched through my stitch library and found this simple tile pattern which met with his approval.

I'm using the yarn double to make it nice and warm and I'm pleased with the way it's coming on. I'm now about 18" inches into it and have just done 4 rows garter stitch to start and added a row of garter stitches at each side to give it definition. It's looking quite manly so I think he'll like it.

Later on Sunday the snow stopped and the sun came out and I noticed how beautiful this succulent looked in the porch.

It's a Rhipsalis pilocarpa and I love its growth habit and the way its stems are covered in hairs.

At this time of year it has the added bonus of these pretty little flowers.

No comments:

Post a Comment

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.