Going purple soon ...

I had my hearing reassessed this morning.
This was the first time since my digital aids were dispensed in 2002.

Now I know that I am not slowly going mad when I can't make sense of the world, just slowly losing more of my hearing.
The best thing was that the level 10 dB in my right ear that I have lost in that time, could be corrected by plugging me in to the computer.

No, they couldn't reprogramme me, just my aid!

The improvement has been tremendous.

Even better news, I hope.
As the aids I have were early digital aids and haven't been dispensed in Nottingham for a couple of years or so, I shall be getting new aids.

The best bit of this was that I was able to choose the colour of the casing, and I have gone for purple, my colour.
No more dirty "skin coloured" (= pink/beige) plastic soon.

I've never understood why such a dismal colour has been produced, let alone whose skin it was supposed to match.

Progress

About a month ago, Good Kharma Bunny asked for evidence that winter was over by sending her photos showing "Signs of Spring".
In a fit of enthusiasm I took several pictures, and sent her seven.
They were mostly taken in our garden, but one was taken near the end of our road.

Derbyshire County Council sends someone out with the yellow spray paint can towards the end of April.
Potholes get marked up.
Then we wait for action.
This one is in a seriously inconvenient position just after you turn into our road.
It was marked, but not contained.
It grew!

Then rather miraculously these men turned up one Friday morning.
Here they are seen just opposite our house sorting out an insignificant, but marked, pothole.

Shortly afterward I cycled down the road passing a marked but unmended pothole before catching up with the workmen.

I mentioned it, and was told:
"Ooh I don't know, we'll have to check our schedule".
It seems it was on their schedule, and has been neatly mended.

It seems a bit pointless to walk down to prove that it happened.

I stand corrected!!

As you will see from the comment posted below, I forgot to mention that I won a prize for the funniest image.

Al sent me some cords so that I can do some ply-split braiding.

That might have to wait as I am currently involved in the Online Guild silk spinning workshop.

"Bushfire" amended

Back in the autumn when I was at Harrogate I bought a couple of balls of Kaalund Classic 2 wool.
One of these became a scarf for my youngest sister.
Following not quite so hot on its heels is this scarf.

This is designed for Iris, my mother.
Previously I have knitted mostly blues for her.
At Christmas she borrowed a scarlet sweatshirt from my sister, and that inspired this scarf.

The Bushfire colouring is a combination of maroon, red and a hint of caramel.
Knitted up on its own I found it unispiring.

I sampled a lot and came up with this combination of yarns.
The multicoloured irregular yarn is cotton or synthetic based.
It was ideal for a loose cast-on that would look attractive, and could be duplicated as a cast-off.

The scarlet 3-ply wool, and turqoise Rowan 4-ply completed the ingredients.

Quite a lot of the knitting was just garter stitch. However to add a little interest, I made some simple lace rows.

Occasionally I introduced a k5 p5 row. This allowed me to use a colour from the other end without changing the double sided effect.

It went in the post to Finchley last week, and arrived today. The weather was sufficiently cool for it to be worn this morning.

Now to find a colour combination to suit myself!

SP7 reveal

Finally I can tell you all about my secret pals.
The delay is all due to my slowness in embroidering.

I was being spoiled by Brandy, and was in turn spoiling Sharon.
As I found out recently, Sharon was spoiling Brandy, so we had a cosy little trio going.

This then meant that I had to hold back on some comments I would have liked to make as I still hadn't finished off Sharon's final parcel.
If you go over to her blog the bag is there for all to see.
Above is a close-up of the embroidered pocket.

I am much happier about embroidering now.
Yet another thing to add to the many I do already.

Secret pal 8 questionnaire

1. What is/are your favourite yarn/s to knit with? What fibres do you absolutely *not* like?
I like fine yarns made from natural fibres. I do not like eyelash or other fancy yarns.
I do not use artificial fibres for clothing.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Some needles are in cardboard ex-whisky bottle containers. Circulars are packed in a box.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I could knit before I started school aged 5. I am advanced in some techniques, a beginner in others.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Not at the moment

5. What's your favourite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Rosemary, but I rarely use any of these items.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favourite candy?
I only like plain chocolate, preferably 70% cocoa or higher.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin sometimes. I attend pottery and enamelling classes.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I have an eclectic taste in music, but usually listen to the radio rather than CD's.Bach, Arvo Part, and Jan Garbarek are favourites, along with jazz.

9. What's your favourite colour? Or--do you have a colour family/season/palette you prefer? Any colours you just can't stand?
I like purples, magenta and other similar bright colours, and (in small amounts) the acid greens and ochres that complement them.I don't like pale pastel colours, particularly yellows.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
The goldfish all died of old age, so that leaves me, my husband, and nephew (17) at home.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves - yes
Hats - rarely, as they flatten my curls too much
Mittens - I prefer gloves
Ponchos - never have and never want to (they wouldn't work with a bicycle and backpack)

12. What is/are your favourite item/s to knit?
Whatever takes my fancy at the time, currently 4-ply socks

13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks, a laceweight scarf, various experimental pieces in fine wire

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?Most certainly

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminium, plastic?
I use circulars or dpns, as I often need to get to the other end of a piece if I am not knitting in the round.I never use straights.Ebony or other hard woods for dpns.I do like the look of the Susan Bates sock needles, all colour coded for size, which I assume are coated aluminium. They go down to quite fine sizes.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Both twice over, I don’t know why.

17. How did you learn to knit?From my mother and paternal grandmother as a very young child

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
Quite likely from the ‘70’s. I’d have to dig around in the loft to look.

19. What is your favourite holiday?
Any break from the norm

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Any small thing that takes my fancy, and that might become jewellery. Recently this has been small seed beads and sequins in single colours.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Opinionated Knitter".

I subscribe to "Spin-Off" and “Simply Knitting”.

I haven't yet tried spinning ingeo. I'd like to give that a try.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
No, I’d rather invent them.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I am an avid 4ply sock knitter. I take a size 39 (UK 6)

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
06/12

Cornucopia

It really is terrible that I have taken so long to take and post these pictures.

On the 20th April this cardboard box arrived at my door.
Upon opening it I found this sari silk bag, beautifully hand knitted for me by my secret pal.

But wait! The box is a veritable cornucopia. Not only did it contain the bag.

That on its own would have been prize enough.
All these were in it too.

And hidden away at the bottom were these books. I had a quick look at "Crochet with wire" at a recent show, and couldn't decide whether to buy it. I'm so glad that I havered on that occasion.

Brandy revealed herself as my secret pal.

She showered me with e-cards right from the start of the exchange, and couldn't have got the colours more right in this bag.

Now I just have to find the occasion to flaunt it.