speeding up

My knitting is slowly but surely taking off again. Can’t even say too much, just in case some people read this! I frogged the sleeves of my dad’s sweater as one of them had an extra stitch and as I’d left it so long, I had no idea what stitch count I was aiming for. I have sat down with a calculatory and a pen and paper this time though, so fingers crossed.

The other part of my life that has sped up is my powerchair (electric wheelchair). I bought myself a second hand offroad chair. Camping was alot more fun in it. A pic of me going through the fields (on a bridle path!!)

me in my wheelchair, heading into the fields

Esvo Pyramide 4 Luxe Tent

bad blogger

I just had a comment on this blog about my owl sweater and it’s kicked me into updating. I am a bad blogger, I know!

Easter saw some sad knitterly news. I was visiting my parents and went to the loo. I got very cold feet. I guessed someone had been over energetic washing their hands and that I’d trodden in a puddle. No wetness on the floor. I turned my foot so I could see the sole and there was the problem. My first pair of socks I ever knit for myself (using my grandmother’s hand me down metal DPNs and short row toes and heels-oh yes, nothing like jumping in at the deep end)  had developed a hole on the pad of my foot. I know I could darn them, but they are looking remarkably thin EVERYWHERE! It does mean that my mum has taken pity on me and is currently knitting me a pair of socks, that is when I don’t interrupt her with my phonecalls!

That same weekend, saw me battling with a fried M.E. brain charting out and calculating the start of my dad’s Birthday Cardigan. I am doing a Saddle Shoulder Cardigan but without the pattern as I couldn’t justify the postage for one pattern from the states. I have EZ to hand and she is all about no patterns, so I hope Meg will forgive me. I managed to cast on and knit, and somehow twist the join, so had to restart!

Roll forward to now and this weekend I completed the body (I’m knitting this in DK-slowwwww) and have just joined the cuffs to start the sleeves. Dad’s birthday was beginning of May, but he doesn’t mind… I am attending a class in June at Uk Rav Day being run by Jared Flood on steeking. I am secretely hoping that I will have speed knitted this and steeked it before then, but as the workshop is weekend after next, I realise that’s a tad ambitious! I maanged to skein, wash and dry some more wool for the sweater, all in one day thanks to the gorgeous sunshine this weekend.

For dad’s birthday Simon and I joined my parents in Edinburgh for a week. I did NO KNITTING (except for maybe 2 rounds on my socks) but can see why so many knit designers are bred there. The city really inspired me. From stuff you see and think NO WAY why all of that in ONE thing, but some of it might be useful… to amazingly perfect things. I’m speaking of all things, art, clothes, buildings, scenery, even food… loved my time there. I will be emailing Edinburgh council about wheelchairy stuff though, I got stranded several times…

here’s to more updates.

shocked to the very core!

“Currently Disabled People have no legal rights to live independently or having the same degree of control which non disabled people have over their own lives. …  there is no requirement in law for social services departments to provide an appropriate level of support so that disabled people have a full life rather than barely exist.” (http://www.bcodp.org.uk/campaigns/Independant%20Living.shtml)

Yes folks, it’s the 21st century in Britain and THAT’s the state of play!

As a disabled person in this country I am SHOCKED beyond belief that I didn’t know about this and that there is not more of an uproar… No wonder I am currently battling to get any sort of care.  That does pale into insignificance when you look at the bigger and wider picture. Please please spread the word, ignorance was bliss compared to knowing this snippet of information, but without knowing, we can’t fight.

Travelling with a Wheelchair

New Year, time to think about a holiday?!

If you use a wheelchair, more specifically an electric wheelchair, the airline to avoid this year is jet2.com WHY? maximum weight of chair allowed is 32 kg, total weight, nothing removed! My wheelchair is a lightweight one, it weighs 66kg total. It comes apart and gets lifted in and out of the car, but no, the airline don’t want you to disassemble!!

In previous years there’ve been issues with ryanair, however it APPEARS they have their act together a little bit more. Wheelchairs carried free of charge (oh aren’t we grateful /sarcasm), no weight limit and they can be used until the gate in all but 1 airport. I wonder how they’d cope if I wanted to take my manual chair too? best not go there! This is also the airline who last time I flew with them, left me sat on the runway for half an hour as the pilot was sulking because he’d forgotten about me and then made me sit 12 rows back due to said forgetfulness he wanted everyone to sit at the back. So one girl in the front? No!! It’s also since then that my manual wheelchair veers to the left and clunks!

If only holidaying in the Uk were affordable/decent!  Or if you got a disabled holiday allowance! (wouldn’t we all love to fly with decent airlines, first class preferably and nice shiny hotels) Sorry, that’s a cheap shot and a “woe is me” comment. We are seriously looking at camping in the Uk, but wanted to look at all options…

I meant to make this journal available for search engines after the York taxi fiasco, but remembered to this time.

I think I shall forget about holidays for now and go and knit   much safer!

cinderella and a photo

Cinderella had major problems getting a carriage to the ball! We’d anticipated issues getting a wheelchair accessible taxi and planned in advance, but not even that helped! Instead we spent 50 minutes travelling by bus and walking. (would’ve been a 3 mile tripe by taxi!) York taxi licensing got another email from me and although they’ve replied, it doesn’t look like the situation will be resolved any time soon.

Cinderella then also had the indignity of having to be piggy backed (thanks to the bus issue, I’d decided to dress up my new pair of black jeans instead of wearing a VERY short dress) as the lift wasn’t working.  Now I’d had problems with the Castle museum’s lift when we’d been there for the “how to look good naked” filming and again had anticipated the problem. Sy had visited the museum with a colleague that day… alas someone had taken it upon themselves to do “maintenance”  and not switch it back on. I only allowed myself to be carried once they’d assured me that it would be working again by the end of the evening, as being carried by sober guys is different to inebriated ones. Hindsight I shouldn’t have let Sy do the lifting, “in case”… Got a bottle of champagne out of it, but…

So erm I was pretty knackered Saturday and didn’t get much knitting done. Sunday as I wasn’t feeling soooo bad, I decided to forgo knitting time for a nice winter walk along the river and a panini to warm up with. It did the soul wonders.

So, Christmas knitting was finished 10 am Tuesday instead of the planned Sunday night/Monday morning.

I made a start on Sy’s sweater last night, as I felt the need to bake ginger bread (of the cake variety, not ginger bread men sort!) read for the early Christmas at my grandmother’s Friday. They were baked in bread tins as I didn’t have a big square one and they’re brown, so I haven’t photograped them, but they DO taste good. Will taste even better come the weekend as they improve with time. I also haven’t photographed the socks as I like socks photographed on feet. I have a sunny day here, but odd sized feet and a self timer… they may need to wait until Christmas. Below is the pic of our mantelpiece. I have some more candles on the coffee table and some fairy lights hung from the curtain pole, but this is about as Christmassy as it’s got!

Just realised that in fact it has felt more Christmassy  because of the parcels that arrived. Mum had given me an IOU as part of my birthday present. A scarf turned into the knitpicks harmony interchangeable needle set!! They’re sooo pretty. Can’t photograph them well enough to do them justice. Also I got some wool that I ordered at the Knitting and Stitching show.  A ravelry link or if you’re not on ravelry and can speak german, click on Strickwolle and it’s the merino wool in dark grey.

Sy’s been hinting at knitting related Christmas presents =) have you got any idea what you’re getting??