Just a little

The days go by, and I don't do much. I read a lot, watch tiny seedlings grow and things like that. Try to rest my tired arms. Not much to talk about, couldn't find a thing to blog about the other day, when I felt like writing something.

Went to see the doctor, but there was not much to be done about them at the moment. Might need surgery in the future, to ease the pressure on a nerve, thought to cause the problem.

On the happy side, I manage to do just a little needlework every now and than. I made these little guys for a friend who's celebrating the graduation of another friend. They are supposed to look like an asparagus (wearing a graduation hat size tiny) and a water-melon. Nicknames my friends call each other. :) Not a great picture though, sorry about that.

Hopefully I'll have more to write about after the weekend. We're planning to spend some time gardening, which I'm really looking forward to. Maybe I can do just a little crochet too, that would be fun. :)

Trying to keep my spirits up, looking for hidden treassures when the days seem gray. And I usually find some! :)

One of those days

I'm on the couch today. Dressed in pj's and a fleece sweater, under a fleece blanket and my bed cover. Watching Stargate on TV. But the screen is facing south, so I can see the reflection of my window and curtain better than the actors... :)

I'm tired today. My back and my arms tell me they don't want to do anything at all. So I don't. I've been doing so much fun lately anyway. Knitting, crocheting, gardening... It was pretty cold outside yesterday, but the daughter and I went out to put some baby onions in the soil. I love growing some of my own food. I love to watch it grow. The tomato and basil seeds in the kitchen window are coming up now, tiny green plants. Lovely!

I called the hospital today, talked to a nurse about my hands going numb when I sleep. She would talk to a doctor and call me back. Maybe they can do something to help. That would be nice.

My hands are getting cold from typing, think I'll tuck them in and watch Richard Dean Anderson save the planet. Or at least I hope he will. :) See ya!

It's a bolero!

 I am so, so very grateful! I've been able to knit and crochet a little again, and I love it! My arms do get tired and a little achy, so I will be careful not to do too much, but I can do it! :)

So yesterday I sat down with Elsa's bolero, since she's been asking about it. Every time I've lifted it up from the basket, she's been asking "is it done?" with great expectations in her voice... And now it is done. And she seems to like it, wouldn't you say? It's made in a very soft cotton, so I kind of understand her.

I think it's really pretty, with those leaves on the back. And yet so very simple to make.

 It could be done with any pattern on the back, of course. If I ever make another one, I'm thinking about hearts. But we'll see... I believe it's rather easy to find this leaf pattern, I have it in two of my books. I'm afraid I don't have a pattern for the whole bolero, since I found it in a Swedish magazine...

But the basic design is really simple. It's a huge rectangle with ribbing in both ends. Then you pick up some stitches for the arms on each side and knit some more ribbing. To be specific, this bolero is approximately 60 cm wide and 54 cm high (without stretching it), the ribbing up and down is 11 cm (k2, p2). The arms are 23 cm wide and 4 cm long. It's a little big for my girl of seven, but not much.

 When you've come this far, you only fold it double and stitch it together. Both my husband and my daughter asked, "where's the hole?"... :)

Here it is! Do you get the design? So simple to make, and yet it looks really good on.

 I'm so happy I made this. The yarn was bought on sale, and I used up almost five balls (50 g each), which was all I had... Perfect project, I have to say! Very, very pleased with it! :)

A little more crochet

I worked a little on the shawl last night. Probably too much if you ask my arms, but I felt I had to. I was sad and really needed to do something therapeutic with my hands. It's a roller coaster ride right now, both the mood and the pain is going up and down, back and forth. Mostly going for the better though. The challenge is to stay positive. And not do too much, but I'm not very good at that. I celebrate the good days by needle working, gardening and house keeping. And pain follows the next day. As I know it will. But it's worth it, it keeps me sane. Right now, I feel that I can manage this. Or at least endure it. So I embrace this moment. Nobody really knows what tomorrow will bring, so embrace your good moments too!

Much better

I'm quite happy today. I'm stiff and sore, but it's because I did something yesterday. And that kind of pain is a lot easier to bear! I felt a little better yesterday, so I did some sewing. It worked fine, so I ran to get some yarn and a hook...

...and got started on a little shawl in love knots! Yay! I probably should finish some of my projects instead, but my little girl had asked me so kindly if I could make her some more shawls. She has one in purple, but it doesn't go with all her outfits so she thought she needed some in different colors. And I am so happy to be able to work a little bit on this one.

But the thing that really made my day was probably this. My garden, how I love it! It always makes me feel so much better. Just walking around, checking what is new and what is growing. It gives me such a feeling of well-being. 

Soon, really soon, I'll be able to make some nettle soup. I love to, both since it's tasty and healthy, but mostly because my son loves it. And he doesn't like vegetables or anything green, so I'm thrilled that he actually is looking forward to this soup. :)

Ah, I love these little beauties! I wish they would spread out faster. I just love those old gardens that turn all blue in spring, with the lawn filled with them. Lovely!

This isn't that lovely, though. I guess that roe deer came back when I didn't see her and had a good meal. I'm not too upset, since this is actually the first time they've eaten my tulips since we moved here seven years ago. Just hope they don't get at taste for it now... 

Well, what can I say? A little needlework and a stroll in the garden really lifted my spirits. I'm happy. And that gives me strength to keep going a little longer, even though it still hurts a bit. Today is laundry day, but I also hope to be able to plant the pansies that are waiting on the porch. It's hard not to do too much, once I have a better day... But I'll try not to overdo it. :)

Let it snow!

"April, April, doesn't know what it wants. It rains and snows, it freezes and thaws, April, April doesn't know what it wants."

A translation of a little song we used to sing in preschool when I was six. And it's been so true for this last week. Sunshine and birdsong, wind and snow, warmth and ice... I've been feeling it in my body, and I know I'm not the only one. I can tell when the snow is coming in most cases, and I can tell if the sky is heavy and gray before I look out through the window. I know, I know... I really should stop talking about pain in every post, but you see that's pretty much all that is going on in my life right now. Some days are better, I was able to get out and cut some old branches from one of my black currant bushes one day, and even do some house cleaning another day. But then there are days when it hurts whatever I try to do. I don't even think about sewing or crocheting these days, since it feels like I could never ever use my arms again. :) OK, maybe not that much pain, but it's exhausting to be soooo tired and a little aching all the time. It doesn't have to hurt much, if it hurts all the time.

I spend most of my time on the bed or on the couch, if you were wondering. Cuddling with my stripy crochet pillow under a lovely, warm blanket in granny squares from my husband's home, looking out through the window so long that the spring light blinds me and I have to feel my way around when I have to do something in the house. :) Maybe not quite, but almost. I love watching the birds out in the trees, and see the branches moving in the wind. And I love when the sun shines on my little plants. I try to focus on the good things, enduring this tired body of mine for a while. Just accepting the pain and not thinking about it too much.

My boy sold seeds this spring, which arrived in the mail the other day. Lots of lovely little bags full of flower seeds and vegetables-to-be. I long to get out in the garden and start growing them. But it'll have to wait. Hopefully the weather will settle soon, and hopefully I'll get better too when it does. I now there will be better days. There always are. Only, today isn't one of them. They say snow is coming, and I believe it! So let it snow, I say, so all of us rheumatic weather sensitive people can move around as we would like to again! Please!?