Extreme Knitting Redhead: Knit Today magazine

Friday, March 28, 2008

Knit Today magazine

I had a nice surprise in the post this morning. Janice had sent me a complimentary copy of Knit Today magazine which mentions what I'm up to at the London marathon and suggests people might like to come and have a Knit-Out at the Grapes Pub. Many thanks to Janice for publicising it and giving my fund-raising address.

I love these 2 photos. The one of me knitting and running was taken by a fellow runner (Ruth) on Tower Bridge and the one of me holding my Guinness World Record certificate was taken by Mike at the finish. Happy memories. Only 2 weeks to go and I have to try to forget just how difficult it was last year - the aching shoulders, pins and needles in my forearms for the last 10 miles, sore and stiff fingers, a permanent crick in my neck, sweaty hands trying to fumble with yarn, getting sprayed by a water cannon to "cool me down" which soaked all my wool and made it even harder to knit with!!!!!

Autumn Rose is making progress, albeit slowly. I am a slow knitter anyway and I can't spend hours knitting each day or my neck and shoulders seize up. I'm finding it very absorbing and once I get the pattern for each row into my head I'm fine.

It's very curly-wurly at the moment so I had to hold it flat to take the photo. Isn't my stitch marker cute - he's a 'yarnimal'.

5 comments:

monica said...: you are a superstar! I'll be watching FLM from the TV. I am sure I'll see you on there!; March 29, 2008 at 8:16:00 AM PDT
Susie Hewer said...: I doubt I'll be on TV again this year but thanks anyway Monica.; March 30, 2008 at 4:50:00 AM PDT
TutleyMutley said...: EEEk, April 13th is not far away! Good luck Susie.
And your Autumn Rose is looking wonderful. I love knitting fairisle and seeing how the colours effect each other and transform simple patterns into something so beautiful.; March 31, 2008 at 3:58:00 PM PDT
Jennifer said...: Hi Suise. I love what you're doing and would like to interview as soon as you're available about your marathon adventures for my CraftSanity podcast. (Check it out at www.craftsanity.com.) If you're interested, please e-mail me at jennifer@craftsanity.com. It would be great to chat before your April 13 marathon to give people a chance to contribute before the big race.
Cheers!
Jennifer; April 2, 2008 at 9:03:00 AM PDT
Heldasland said...: all the best, you are amazing I talk about you on my recent podcast http://londoncrochetcast.mypodcast.com/index.html; April 4, 2008 at 10:55:00 AM PDT

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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.