Saturday, July 01, 2006

Losing Myself to Knitting




Thank you for all the comments on the skirt post. I loved reading them....


The above photo was intended as a decoy to detract your attention from the fact that I'm still posting photos of the pink socks. I planted that lavatera last July and it's now eight or nine feet high.



Losing myself? Well, not losing myself exactly, but completely losing all sensation in the top third of my finger (you know, the one your betrothed adorns with gold/diamonds). Seriously - I was working on the pink sock (sorry, you must be sick of photos of that sock) on Wednesday evening and not for long, either - and when I put the knitting down immediately noticed that my finger felt numb. Suffering from Reynard's (where the tips of your fingers and whole toes go completely white and numb due to something to do with blood circulation - it looks so weird when it happens), I didn't pay much attention, although the Reynard's usually wouldn't happen in the summer. An hour later I realised that there was no change, and on investigation I saw it was looking normal ie. still healthy pink. Weird, I thought. Must be a nerve thing instead. Well, two/three days later and it's still numb. It seems I've been curling it round the tiny 2mm needle as I knit and just knitting through the discomfort it causes, but why has it never happened before? How odd. I won't pay much attention to it unless my whole arm follows suit! Cripes.

Although I've knitted a bit of the foot on my notorious false-start pink socks, I still have quite a way to go but they should be finished next week. And I have been working on Ella but can't feel inspired about it, as it's too hot to think of shawls. Still have my eye on the beautiful Lady Eleanor but I just can't scrape together the money for the yarn (oh, poor me. But I do have flapjacks in my biscuit tin.) I forgot to mention on my skirt post that none of the skirts I made cost more than about £8.00. Isn't that just fab?

Here's something else I sewed last year, I think. Before the knitting took over. It's made in a lovely fine and stretchy jersey and is reversible (black on the inside). Very comfy and easy to wear.




I have sewn up quite a few items, even a lined jacket. But the funny thing is that in twenty years I've never made a buttonhole until now (it was easy). I wonder if I was subconsciously choosing garments without buttons. I don't know, but I certainly wasn't conscious of it.

Guess what! I have baked something delicious. It's a first. I can't do baking - for the same reason that I often ruin meat. I can't tell when it's cooked so I always leave it in a bit longer just to make sure and then end up with crispy offerings. Not this time. Jane Brocket's flapjacks did the trick and they are too delicious, although very, very sweet, which we're not very used to. Charlie won't eat them at all due to the sweetness (he is allowed sweet things sometimes but seems to prefer dried fruit or yukky healthy biscuits). I suppose I should be pleased Charles turns his nose up at them but I would have liked a family-consuming-home-baked-goods moment. This afternoon I'll bake some more of the healthy walnut things and some Toddler Borscht. Charlie's glands have been up for two weeks and he needs blood tests if they're still up in another three so I'm trying to boost his immune system.

I apologise for this convoluted post (no, that' the wrong word), ummmm, I'm trying to say that I realise this post is a bit disjointed, skipping from one subject to another. Maybe it's because I normally write my posts in the evening, as opposed to 8 in the morning.

More strong coffee.

Later on (well, the following day)..........I made some more of the putrid honey/walnut etc biscuits and they're delicious. I was correct in thinking it was the bitter honey that ruined them. Yeah, my baking is slightly improving (even baked another batch of flapjacks at 11pm yesterday, to give to the neighbours and the in-laws).

And since I adore those flapjacks I worked out how many calories/fat are in them (each one being one sixteenth of the whole). It's about 180cals and 10g fat. I'm not obsessed but I do like to know just how bad or good something is before I eat ten pieces!

8 comments:

  1. You are baking flapjacks in this heat? You are a braver woman than me!

    I'm not sure if this is helpful at all but I used to have real problems with hand pain when I was knitting socks. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and get really bad joint pains. I switched from addi metal needles to bamboo needles and found that I didn't have to grip the needles so hard to make them feel secure and was able to continue my socks fairly painlessly. It might not help with Reynard's but I just thought I would mention.

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  2. Mm, flapjacks, send some this way :-D

    Sorry your hand/finger is playing up. A couple of years ago my right thumb literally seized up, I could barely move it for the best part of a day, and any attempted movement was quite painful. The physio said it was down to things occurring in the neck area, nerves being pressured or trapped, etc. Seems to be a lot to do with posture too. I have slightly less grip in that area than my left hand now too, this sort of thing can make you paranoid! Take care and see a doc or physio if it doesn't improve.

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  3. Howdy, yes you are fairly nuts for baking in this heat yet I find myself having to cook and bake as well. Our bellies don't fill themselves, do they?

    I agree with Cherry, your nails are impressively manicured altho you could be one of those lucky women who a) just has nice nails and b) gets them done - or c) does them herself after Charles is in bed.

    Love the dress, I do mean someday to learn to sew... I know the basics of seams and sewing straight lines but get confused (poor little brain) with patterns. I'm somewhat hopeless but very determined.

    Sorry to hear about the Reynards. My MIL has carpal tunnel and complains but knits anyways. Actually even funnier is that when she chats with you and knits, that pain is mysteriously absent and she goes as fast as lightning, lol

    Keep up the good work!

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  4. Flapjacks - fabulous. I love cakes and I'm always buying cake recipe books but somehow never get round to making them. (But I did make a lemon creme brulee with roasted peaches on Saturday.Phwoar!)
    I hope your finger has recovered its feeling. I had a funny thing like that - although the numbness was in my thumb the cause turned out to be tension in my neck. (Which could I suppose be something to do with those 2mm needles?)

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  5. Frankie, no, it's still completely numb!

    But never mind that - I'm still thinking about your lemon thing!

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  6. This is a test to see if non-bloggers can comment
    Alice!

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  7. flapjacks sound delicious!
    sorry about the pain; some rest and change of projects, and some hand exercises might do the trick.
    keep cool. sounds like lemonade is in order.....

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  8. Oh that dress is so gorgeous, was it difficult to sew the jersey? Did you use a pattern?

    Love the lavatera, mine is in need of a good chop this autumn, but I do love all those flowers.

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