Chunky. Knickers.

In which some knitting actually gets finished.

health:
same old, same old. Had my scans done this Tuesday, nothing new to report. oh - the nodule on my right elbow needs looking at apparently, it is becoming more pronounced in the scans and is a sod when I am trying to get comfy in bed. I am back at hospital towards the end of the month, presumably to see if I am going to be part of the RoActemra trial.

Usual aches and pains, plus absolute exhaustion thrown in for good measure - I think being more tired than normal is the result of the Norovirus. I am doing a lot of snuggling in bed with my leccy blanket on, usually for a couple of hours early afternoon - even if I don't sleep my knees in particular are very grateful for the warmth and comfort.

But until I hear about this trial it's just a case of plodding on.

What's that you say - you want to hear about theFinished Knitting? Oh go on then.

 I am so so happy with this - tis a Christmas pressie for my daughter, she tried it on last week and I needed to redo the sleeves as she likes them really long. She rang my mum later on to say how fab the jumper is, so I am really happy.

Highly recommend this pattern, it is extremely quick and very easy, yet I think it looks much more complex than it is.
It is a James Brett pattern, in mega chunky wool. I would love one but I am too chunky as it is ....

Have also amlmost finished Christmas knitting gift #2, piccies to come asap.

Am typing with one eye on the window as it is blowing a gale and I have washing out - my knees don't want to do a sprint start to grab anything that flies off!

I am slowly but surely turning the living room into a REAL living room as opposed to a junk shop. Furniture has been moved (slowly, carefully, and with price paid the following day). Inside one cupboard I found a depressing sight:

Books, lots of books
How can books be depressing, I hear you think - easy. The majority of these are simply too heavy for my hands to hold. Bugger. And I know a Kindle would be a huge help, but I like BOOKS! REAL BOOKS! Pah.

Anyone fancy tidying my sewing table for me please? I have the urge to make myself some knickers.

Truly.

I love this pattern:

Love the vintage styling but even as a lover of larger pants, I suspect the pattern as it is would have the bow somewhere near my chin!
I plan to cut them down a tad - and if anyone thinks I am in danger of getting old before my time with granny pants, I am making them from skull fabric. So there.

I don't have an overlocker sadly, but am hoping I can still manage - I have knicker elastic aplenty, an assortment of fabric and a black teeshirt to chop up for - ahem - gussets.

PS the word 'panties' should be banned.

Never thought I would get the word 'gussets' into my blog. My life is now complete.

So watch this space for my knickers.... you have been warned.

Trippy pills.

My Dr agrees that I seem to have all the symptoms of Fibromyalgia, as well as the ME and the RA etc etc etc. Joy.

Although it's a depressing addition, it certainly explains a hell of a lot of the things that don't quite fit with the RA - plus I have had a dreadfully painful neck, both sides, for ages now. Anyway, she topped up my usual tablets, added in amitriptyline and stronger anti-emetics and I started them last night.
Slept like a baby, apart from some bizarreness involving Romney and Obama, I know not why - BUT today I have been so spaced out and zombified! Not totally unpleasant until the shakes started - I think the amitrip didn't like something I am already taking, so will have to experiment until it's more workable.

Apart from that -

Whilst sorting through the horros of upstairs, I dug out a dress I must have cut out a year ago. I still like the pattern and the fabric is lovely, so was chuffed to bits - cutting things out is the hard part with sore hands. Have started sewing it, done the back, and need to mark all the pleats at the front neckline - other than that it's a very fast, simple job - a day's work if I had thought to mark everything in advance.
Should be nice with tights and boots and a cardi for Autumn. Could even work for over Winter if I find a nice knit fabric.

I also dug out this:

which is destined to become part of a 40s / 50s style dress. The skulls are a slightly odd colour, a creamy peachy shade which I wasn't too keen on but it has grown on me and not as in yer face as pure white.
I love sewing - have left my machine set up on the table as I cannot lift it out every time I want to sew, and might get my daughter to help me cut things out so I have plenty of things ready to sew.

Knitting-wise, the dress of madness is coming on nicely - the bodice only needs about another inch or two then the sleeves. The skirt - yikes! For some reasons I had imagined it needing maybe 20 crochet motifs but 80+ - arrrggghhhhhhhhh! Erm - so far I have done 4....

Good job I don't mind moths (well I do mind if they are scoffing my wool, but I don't loathe them like I do buggerflies) - this whopper was perfectly happy in the living room the other day.
I like moths - I like the dustiness, the colours, the furry fuzzy bodies and the general chunkiness of them - there is something earthy about them. Buggerflies - shudder, I cannot stand them!

And to finish with, after all the furore on the news about Kate Middleton being naive enough to whip her kit off (this does tend to be a technological age with long range lenses etc - surely there are plenty of places to sunbathe topless othere than a country where Diana, Charles, Fergie have all been papped - not at once cos that would be puke-inducing). How many of you have actually had a peep online at the naughty pics?
No?

Ah yes - you at the back, thought you would!

But for those who have resisted, would you like a sneak peek at Kate's tit?
Yes?


Here ya go:



ready?

sure?

hehehe

And now for something (slightly) different ...

1) excuse the ever changing layout, I have the fidgets.

2) yes I do seem to be on blogging / photography overdrive.

3) here, have some rather nice things to look at. Skip this post if you aren't interested in antiques or clothing!

Not many people know that I have always had a bit of a thing for vintage clothing - by vintage I don't mean 60s and 70s crimpelene and Primarni type static attacks, but more antique.
Where I used to live there was one tiny antique shop, perfectly set inside a very old end building - the clothes were upstairs and it was great not to have to duck like anyone else to avoid very low ceilings! This is going back to my yoof, so I certainly didn't have much money and would rummage to find anything I could afford - I suspect it was usually birthday or Chrimbo money.

Anyway, I still have a few of my beloved antiques and dug them out of hiding the other day - I plan on framing them all, ideally in box frames so they don't get too squished. It's a shame to have them out of sight but I don't want them in the air as they will just get damaged or scoffed by moths.

So here is one of my beauties - an Edwardian jacket. I had the skirt too but no idea what became of that sadly.

'Scuse the piccies / background, I will have to get some better photos before I frame this.

From around 1901.

I love this - it is totally handsewn except for the longer side and sleeve seams - by hand sewn I don't mean on a hand cranked machine but stitched with a needle and thread. It's very small (maybe a UK size 8) with a larger bust, very much the silhouette of its time.

The material feels like a lightweight wool, in a deep blue, with what feels like silk for the cream piece at the neck. The entire jacket has an underlayer, also handsewn with tiny hooks and eyes to fasten as has the jacket outer.

There is a small area of patching which was done before I bought it - I must have had this for around 30 years. The lining itself feels and looks like a soft cotton.
The embroidery sections are heavy and intricate - I am sure they have specific names but I don't pretend to be anything near an expert! If anyone knows more please do shout out, I would love to know.

The jacket is boned inside, again by hand - it certainly isn't the neatest or tiniest stitching around but this would have been everyday wear rather than something spectacular for evenings. Tis maybe the equivalent of me throwing something together for myself on my machine ... The larger hooks were to fasten the matching skirt so that it hung like a dress.

I love the detailing on the back, again stitched by hand - tiny pleats.

The sleeves are very full and taper to slim fitting cuffs which also fasten with hooks and eyes.

Amazingly there is very real damage to it - it has literally been 'stored' in a carrier bag. There is some fraying on one of the front edges

and the aforementioned patching inside.

There.

One of the few things I own that is of any monetary worth, but very precious in terms of personal interest.

I suspect this post will have been utterly boring for those looking for SCKC gossip ;-)

(pee ess - is this layout and font bearable?)