Productive sick time

The only good thing about being off with back pain is that it means I have a bit more knitting and stitching time. I'm still sleeping a lot more than usual due to the painkillers, which have also had the less desirable effect of causing me to have a series of nightmares last night. I think I might have been knitting too much as the nightmare I could remember involved being trapped under lots of yarn . I was watching Heroes before I went to bed also and that seemed to be in there somewhere.

Anyway on with the knitting. I've finished the second sock of two pairs of socks.

The first one is in Lorna's laces shepherd sock in Liberty.



The second ones are in Opal feelings.



I've also finished the first of a new pair in Lorna's laces shepherd sock in Georgetown. The pattern is No purl Monkey, which is a variation of the Monkey pattern by CookieA where all purl stitches are knit instead. I'm rather fond of this pattern.



Most of my stitching time has been spent on an Anniversary piece for my parents, who were married 40 years ago next week. Its M designs Celtic heart combined with their intials. Thankfully I'm on the final stretch with it.


Now I've finished this post, its time for me to head off to the gym for some more therapeutic exercise.

Exchange update

I can now share what I stitched for the Here's to Ewe exchange on the SBEBB as its now arrived with Carol.



Its A Lamb's egg by Shepherd's bush stitched on 40ct linen finished into a little ornament/fob. I must confess that I now quite like stitching on 40ct. I don't think I want to stitch a big project on it but I love stitching small things on it and smaller versions of things I've already stitched are really interesting to me.

The rest of this week has been a little trying for me. Sadly the back problem that I first experienced last year has flared up again and last weekend at work, I was really struggling. I've been to see my GP this week with some new symptoms - altered sensation and tingling in my left leg plus an increase in pain. The visit has resulted in some x rays being taken, me being signed off work for 2 weeks and some strong painkillers being prescribed. I've also been advised that I should change jobs in the long term, which is something I've been looking into anyway. The strong painkillers have codeine in them which have been helping me to sleep in comfort for the first time in a while but have the side effect of making me sleepy for a long time - around 12 hours at a time. So unusually for this night owl, I've been asleep before 1am the past couple of nights. Hopefully things will settle down more quickly this time as I don't think I could take another 3 months on sick leave as I went a bit loopy the last time.

Exchanging and knitting

Most of my stitching time this past week has gone into stitching an exchange - the Here's to ewe exchange from the SBEBB. I can't share any pictures yet as its not reached its destination.

I have however received my exchange from Simone



On the knitting front, I've finished my second ever full size adult cardigan. I've mostly just knitted socks so far.



I'm fairly pleased with it. It does gape a little at the front and I think it would sit better if the buttons were smaller with more of them too. Now I just need to get stuck into my Central park hoodie which has been neglected of late.

I finished another pair of Cranford mitts last night after I got home from my knitting group. This pair have the same colours as the first pair but in reverse.



Finally I have finished stitching something that I can share since my last post.



Its a Country companions design by DMC. I haven't stitched many of these designs lately but this range was thing that started me stitching in the first place in 1990. I've stitched 66 of the designs within this range over the years and I own almost all of the Country companions ever released. So I guess thats a little obsessive but I doubt I'll run out of things to stitch.

I'm off now to watch more Doctor Who. I am so happy to see it back again. The first episode was really fantastic and its going to interesting to see where the story will go. The second series of Torchwood has just finished and it came to such an amazing sad ending. I cried so much with the last episode but then again I do tend to be a bit of cry baby with sad films/tv shows.