a quick trip out

Hi,

My foot is out of the boot and I've abandoned my crutches in favour of a walking stick. The foot is still painful and getting back into my work shoes isn't an option. I'm due to go back to work on Wednesday and part of me wants to but I haven't made up my mind as to whether I can cope physically yet.

To help me decide we went away at the weekend to the Cotswolds, dual purpose trip really as we had problems with the leisure battery not charging whilst on hook up at Christmas. We had the battery checked out and thought that we would give it another go and monitor the battery level over the weekend depending on what we were running off it. Once again ,not charging so we will be going back to the dealers to get it checked out.

This time we were more prepared for any problems having packed electric and battery lights in case of emergency. Although we have now encountered the low gas pressure that you get when a cylinder is running out, nearly an hour to cook a prepared meal (Tesco £10 meal deal, it includes a bottle of wine) I recon that we will have one more chance to boil a kettle and it will be empty.

We headed off for Broadway, a small village in the Cotswolds and Saturday was murky and wet so we indulged in our favourite pastimes.

We headed to the pub, it took us a while to find a pub that was a PUB not a restaurant with a bar attached. Eventually we settled for the Horse and Hounds and sat in the window watching the world go by as the fire crackled. The music was every 80/90's hit that you never wanted to hear again but sadly remember every word but a decent pint and a fine hot chocolate.

Yes, that's me knitting in colour ! a while ago I dyed some hand spun yarn a while back and its been sat around not doing anything. Some of it is grey ryland and the other is the Norfolk/Suffolk cross. I think that this may be a hat for me as I don't have a beanie hat and I fancy something a bit different to where when we are out in the van.

Next we hit the charity shops, only three to choose from but I acquired a DVD, an old Rowan magazine with a couple of interesting patterns in it and a cardi.

Please note , this is NOT something that I have knitted up whilst being off work. It cost me the grand sum of £3.00 and is 3/4 sizes too small for me.

But it will provide inspiration and as I have lost 12lb in the last couple of months, it may just spur me on to carry on until it fits !!

I'm not usually a girly girl but this is quite pretty :-)

Anyway, the campsite was just as you would expect from the Caravan and Motorhome club although I am so looking forward to the better weather when we can sit outside a bit as at the moment everyone seems to just be sat staring at their TVs in the evening. I did spot a brown rabbit near the van but it took off before I could grab the camera.

I will be back soon with a knitting update and maybe even some spinning :-)

Speak soon xx

still knitting !!

Hi,

I'm slowly recovering, still need my crutches and the big boot outside the house but managing better inside with my stick ( plenty of things to hang on to )

I've been knitting mainly as still not really go my spinning mojo going ( missing my manual wheels) but I will have to bite the bullet again soon as running out of yarn.

completed so far...

and still on the needles are my kep and this hat.

So at least I am keeping busy!!

That's about it for now, we have family visiting at the weekend and hope to get back out in the van at the end of the month.

Speak soon

xx

update (and a little knitting )

Hi

I still have the big boot BUT I can now start to put weight on my foot :-) I've chipped a bone and torn the ligaments so now its a case of gently getting back to walking normally and hopefully the pain will die down as well.
Enough of the medical!!

I've been playing again with the e-spinner, it's not my best friend and I'll be glad when I can use one of my wheels again. I'm finding the constant speed a pain! I'm used to spinning fairly consistently  but being able to slow down to pick out straw etc as I go. With this its stop then try and find the speed you were using and any movement on the brake band slows it up considerably.

I've spun two skeins, more because I need them than as a form of enjoyment but I'm not ruling out the idea of some sort of e spinner in the future as it helps with plying and it was pointed out to me that it would be good for using in the camper but it would have to be an Ashford or Hansen or other more substantial  machine.

Stash diving in the fleece has come up with this Shetland, quite short and a bit of a pain to process and the photos do not quite show the right colour which is quite a rich brown.

I may wait and wheel spun this with it being a short staple I don't want is to run away from me.

On the pins and nearly off them is another hat. This time its all Shetland and really quite soft.

Another outing in the camper is planned  for later in the month but we are not sure where and it will depend on the weather.

So that's about it for now, speak soon x

well, this is different !

Hi,

I'm still hobbling round on crutches with a big boot on my foot !! xrays last Friday were inconclusive so they will be checking them again this Friday to see if there has been any change in the alignment of the bones.

This means that both spinning wheels are now packed away and my good friend Pete has dashed to the rescue with this.

I had a play with an e-spinner a couple of years ago so had an idea what to expect. Its really quite awkward in as much as when I spin its a subconscious matching of treadle movements to fibre being spun, I really don't have to think about it too much. With this its back to basics again and its quite a learning curve but I think I've spun enough to finish the kep and I will have another play with it tomorrow.

I will report back in my next post.

speak soon xx