back in the US of A

 

Arrived fairly weary at about 2.00pm local time yesterday. Not as weary as if I had been in economy! I have decided that Busibess Class and I should become better aquatinted ;0) It's pouring down right now, which is good for California, but being selfish right now I want sun! Sun! Sun! Still, it's quite warm rain, so I guess that makes a difference. We'll be having a lazy weekend to get ready for our fun-filled week in Costa Rica. The question on everyone's lips is: Will Twelfthknit get on that zip line. And, more to the point, will she be left hanging there for a week, too terrified to move?

HIbernating

 

This blog is hibernating. Please visit me at I heart Zurich

More knitting

 

Flikr is great, but I just don't understand it properly, so I have spent about an hour trying to get photos to appear on Ravelry. Grr. I hope that I now know what the problem was...

So, here is Rowan Jolien I did this just as the pattern stated, although I didn't add the 'bit around the right arm' I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this.

Following closely on it's heels is : Debbie Bliss Coastlines Collared Cardigan. Don't be fooled - it is not a baby's matinee jacket, which is what it reminds me of. This is not finished. I don't like the way the collar lies - if you so I am going to add more length.

Ok, that's it - MUST go and do something with the attic if I hope to do any sewing this year.

At last!

 

I know, not much is it? But it's what it represents - I now have a camera that is talking to the computer. More accurately, it is my new phone that is talking to the computer. Isn't technology great? Well, when it's working....

The yarn is from none other than Old Maiden Aunt, friend and dyer extrordinaire. We managed to catch up when I was back in the UK last week and as I had forgotten my knitting, I just had to buy another skein of her yarn :0)

And after that brief foray back in to the land of blogging-with-pictures, I'm off to tidy - my dear boy arrives tomorrow for a visit :0) :0) :0) :0) :0)

Coastlines

 

There has been some more knitting - the Collared Cardigan from Coastlines . On the whole I am please with the result so far, although I had to knit more length on to the collar. Instead of a buttonhole, I am adding a couple of buttons + loop. No matter how I did it, the 'buttonhole in rib' just looked messy.

I don't know if I will use Cathay . I like the yarn but it just splits too easily. I think it will catch too easily and I expect my knitwear to be real workhorses!

Hope to get the software downloaded soon so that I can show you some proof ;0)

love...

 

As you know, my son flew the nest a couple of years ago, but I still marvel at the fact that I no longer cry for three hours every day. How on earth did I manage to get over it when he moved out? My heart was bruised for so long. Even more amazing is that I managed to hide it from him. After all, he was simply progressing on to the next stage in his life, why make him suffer too?

But there is one reality that I just cannot bear, that I cannot just get over. One day, even though it will hopefully be many, many years from now, a world will exist without my boy... I know I'll be gone too, so I won't be around to notice, but...but...

And I thought Gaelic was bad

 

My head is reeling. I have finally realised that for some of the German 'stuff' I need to get into the 'zone'. A bit like Kitchener - too much, or too little thought = total screw up.

In addition to this, now that I am writing some Deutsch in my lessons, my English spelling is going to Hell in a handbasket...

Organising circular needles

 

It can be done. Let battle commence.

There has been knitting

 

First Swiss Knit nearly done - Jolien from Rowan Studio 3. I have used Felted Tweed Jolien and I am very pleased so far (wait until I have treid it on and then I'l see if I am still pleased).

I wasn't sure about the whole 'round the arm' thing - but of course maybe I am getting too old and set in my ways ;0) I also did the collar to about 13 cm instead of 17cm.

Fresh off the back of that, I have started a Debbie Bliss Coastlines pattern in a deep pink. I am not sure how I feel about the Cathay yarn. Again, it seems quite loosely plied and I wonder how it will stand up to general wear and tear.....

Off to tax my bike. That's the push bike, not motor variety.Yep, In der Schweiz one taxes ones bicycle.

3rd time lucky (or it's a felt job)

 

I really like Rowan Felted Tweed. In particular, I really like the Cocoa shade. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the garment I knit it in. Or the one that I knit after I frogged the first one. Since there are only so many times a yarn can be 'recycled', this is make or break. It will turn out great this time or it's heading for a close encounter with a pair of jeans at 60 degrees. The final pattern choice is Jolien . It'll still have the 'big' collar, but I am not so sure about the 'wrap around the upper arm' thing that's going on.

Sewing is also on the horizon. I've just cut out the fabric for a very simple dress (wish I could remember the pattern number - it's Simplicty, but that doesn't help much). Once again I was given a painful reminder about why it's best not to cut out on the floor.I plan to wear this dress with jeans. That should hide a multitude of sins.

Off to do some more unpacking - can you believe it, here for a month and still unpacking....

Where's the mojo?

 

Well, I think it is lurking just around the corner. I went back to that great yarn shop in Zürich, whose name escapes me right now. I am not sure what I think of the prices in this shop - the books that I saw were up to twice the cost of the same item in the UK. I think that Amazon may be a useful resource in the near future. This shop has some great yarns but I was frustrated by the pricing sytem - a sheet of paper in a polypocket, dangling near the relevant yarns. Of course, some of the sections didn't have said sheet...In the end I bought a Rowan Studio booklet and have plans for two of the garments. If only I could find my yarn.....

I am beginning my fourth week here, which seems so unlikely somehow. We finally had some snow here at the weekend so the view from my window finally looked Swiss ;0)

German lessons start in a week but I am managing to get by with the little that I learnt in Glasgow, adding a word or a phrase here and there as I go about my business. Just as well that I am not working, since the lack of car is definitely showing in terms of time. To get to the Bio (Organic) butcher I have to get a bus and then a tram. To be honest, it isn't bad, it's just that I now have to plan my outings a bit more. If I am going into the centre Zürich to meet up with Spooglers for coffee, I go and get any shopping that I can't get locally. Eggs are no problem - there is a farm close by and I just go there for free range eggs laid by the happy chickens that I can see as I walk by.

Today I am 'suffering' from some kind of cold virus. Taking my recycling into the town to the recycling centre has just about wiped me out. Guess I'll just have to lie on the sofa and look at the view !

11.00am

 

There I was, siitting at the bus stop, reading a book, when the bus came. I realised it all too late....but then a strange and unexpected thing happened. The bus driver must've thought - 'Hmm, woman sitting at bus stop reading. Chances are she has come to catch a bus, not to sit and read. I'd better pull in and wait until she realises I am here.' Now, those of you who have had no experience of UK public transport may think that I am being sarcastic. Nope. not a bit- go and try the buses in the UK, then you'll understand exactly why I was so amazed...

Can opener mission completed and I managed it without too much of the 'Rabbit in headlights' feeling. I have discovered that being in a city as a tourist allows one to retain an element of insulation from the realities of being an Auslander. Now that I live in Zürich I am all too aware of my handicaps. Take currency, for example. I have to check every coin when I am buying something. I feel really stupid, not being able to just look at a coin and know its value. Or, when I'm on a bus/tram and they start making announcements about problems with the transport system....

Never mind, I'm sure it'll all fall into place. In about 3 years!

Still here....

 

....just surrounded by boxes.

Shetland Traingle - again

 

My mum gave me some money for my birthday, so of course I was going to spend it on yarn. Three skeins of Jitterbug to be exact, which grew up to be another Sheltand Triangle

This isn't a 'soft as down' shawl, given that it has been knit out of a firm sock yarn, but I am happy with the results. I knit it on 4mm Addi lace and used just over 2 skeins. What you can't see in the picture is the diffence in dyelot, but again, I am happy with it. That's one of the great things about knitting for oneself - I was more than happy about the dyelot difference, but if I was knitting for someone else I probably would not have been.

Who'd've thought it?

 

Thre I was, browsing through the Blue Moon Fiber Arts site when I saw : this . Silk. Spun in Switzerland! Shame it'll have to go to the States and only then will I be able to get it in my new home ;0)

Remember all that snow we had almost 2 years ago? Makes me feel chilly just looking at it. Mind you, last winter was wierd. And disturbing. I don't like cold weather, but when it's meant to be cold and it isn't....still, this year had seen a few bitterly cold days, so that's ok :0). Wonder what it's doing in Zurich?

16 days to go. Did you get that? SIXTEEN DAYS!

At last

 

I have found a way of getting pictures from my camera to the pc. It involved using Picassa, which somehow enabled Nikon View to then see the files...but...then I had to reformat the card before any new pics could be uploaded. It's a real pain, but at last I can show off Gretel

.....ok, quite a long time has passed simce I typed the above [paragraph. Of course, I can't find the pics when I want to upload them, so I found out how to upload them with Picasa. But it is a long drawn out process, since I am not familiar with it.

What you can see is the second Gretel that I did (I like the pattern so much!).

 

This pic shows the pattern

 

While this picture is a bit closer to the actual colour (and as you probably guessed - I hope!- that is Number Guy, not me in need of a serious facial).

The yarn was spun at about 12 WPI from some Crown Mountain Farm fibre which is just scrumptious. I think there will be more Gretels to come ;0)

Book to swap

 

I have Veronique Avery's new book.I've looked through it and it isn't for me. Anyone want to swap some sock or laceweight for it???

Result

 

Today I received the reply to my complaint about the recent treatment that I received recently. While I would rather have not had the bad experience, I am delighted to say that my complaint has been upheld.

Now, I have to admit that I am so tempted to scan the letter and print it here.....however, that would not be appropriate, so I shall refrain except to say that I hope both staff members concerned have enjoyed 'reflecting at length with their line managers'.

Stich'n'B Zürich

 

Last weekend we were in Zürich finalising a few bits and pieces. We had a great time and I managed my first Zürich knitting meet, 10 - 12 in a Starbucks Schaffhauser Strasse(or something likfe that). There were four of us all together and I had a great time - looks like I'll be passing on some of my spinning know-how when I get back ;0) . More info on the trip is to be found at I heart Zürich

There has been some knitting done of late, but the camera and computer are really not cooperating - I'll try to get the pictures downloaded onto CD at some point. I finally finished my mum's birthday present (only a couple of months late) and am speeding along on her Christmas shawl. Number Guy has also had a hat knitted for him in 'man colours' - I think he might even wear it....

Where is the time going?

 

Not the weeks - they seem to be standing still at the moment (despite the fact that I am freaking out about the move which is in less than 7 weeks ) but the hours are just flying by. I had to cancel coffee with D&T today because there is so much to do that I am just not getting done - but I am no longer in paid employ, so what's the crack?

True, there have been a couple of days that have seen me in bed until 1.00pm hangs head in shame - but this is a side effect of my new meds - honest ;0) but here we are, it is 16.33 precisely and *all* I seem to have done is sort paperwork, iron and tidy the house. You can always tell when I have deadlines that I am avoiding because I develop a deep, intimate realtionship with my iron.

The house tidying was kind of essential - my folks are housesitting while we go to Zurich this weekend to finalise the lease. The ironing was also kind of important - I don't want to appear as a complete slob until my new neighbours get to know me a little better ;0)

Speaking of moving, the movers come to do an estimate next week - I have to have all of the rbbish thrown out by then - I really do mean that I HAVE to get it done. I have that strange feeling that when I get back from Zurich there'll be no knitting until it is done ;0(

And as the camera and pc still refuse to recognise the existence of one another, here is a gratuitous kitty pic.... ....stop laughing at her ears - you wouldn't like it!

bits'n'bobs

 

As the title implies, there isn't much of a theme to this post...

On Monday I took the train to Edinburgh to meet up with Eleanor, a friend from my nursing days - you know the type of friendship, where you might not see each other for months, years sometimes yet it is as if you last met up the other week. We treated ourselves to lunch at Harvey Nics, and a very fine lunch it was too. By way of a gift before I depart these shores, Eleanor presented me with a beautiful Oxenburg Scarf. EDIT: There should be a picture of the scarf here, but my camera is playing up again...Grrr!

When I haven't been gadding about I finally got started on the clearing out that must be finished before the movers come - honestly, it is quite scary just how much rubbish there really is.

Inbetween times, there has been a fair amount of both knitting and spinning. I decide that I did not like the singles that I had spun for Icarus and sunsequently plied it with a Tencel singles. I now have the beginnings of a shawl which is a bit of a contradiction - the summers are definitely summery, but the weight is inherently that of a winter shawl... The Hourglass Sweater is coming along. I have had to frog it back to the joining round, since it was too short along the raglan. And of course, having increased the depth from armhole to neck means that I neede more yarn. Let me tell you, having practised spinning more consistenly of late it was rather hard getting the slightly 'slubby' effect of the original batch - another reason to make sure that enough yarn is spun before the knitting begins.

The cats are settling well into their new homes, I have been too busy today to dwell. Mind you, it has been a bit emotional transferring the last picture that I took of them.

Failing to keep it all in perspective

 

...the cats, what else????? It's ridiculous, I know it, I tell myself this at least 10 times a day. No one has died. The cats are having a ball. I've come to the conclusion that this is just like the break up of a relationship - wait a minute, it IS the break up of a relationship...

It's true that my 'relationship' with my cats is all in my head - after all, as long as they are warm, dry, fed and treated kindly it matters not to them who is providing the creature comforts. I, meanwhile, have even found myself dreaming of them - you know the kind of dream where they are lost, I find them but then am not allowed to take them home....

So, no matter how much I berate myself, the fact remains - there are 3 cat-shaped holes in my heart which just refuse to close.

Diagnosis delight

 

First up - thanks for all the support re the cats. In some ways I almost feel that I have no right to be upset since Number Guy and I made a decision to go to Switzerland which ultimately, despite our plans to the contrary, meant that they couldn't go. Still, they do have great homes and that is the best thing (well, best after being with us, of course....).

I saw the GI consultant today. He really is a lovely man and the fact that he gave up some of his time to see me before his over-full clinic began makes me like him even more. And even better - I now have a firm diagnosis. Put simply, the pressure in my oesophagus is too high. When this happens further down the the GI tract, one has Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which I also have symptoms of, as it happens. This was all shown by the manometry tests that I had 2 weeks ago. I also had a pH test done at the same time and this was also worth the trauma and having it in situ for 24 hours since this has shown that I also have acid reluxing into my oesophagus where it just shouldn't be.

So, treatment options. First is lifestyle - I have to contimue avoiding the things that make it worse. Mr X said that chocolate and cheese before bed really is a bad idea since they containe tyramine which has adverse effects. The good news is that he has said that I don't have to avoid tyramine-containing food completely, just be sensible about what I eat and when. I also need to continue with the positive changes inr espect of stress reduction. He feel that in cases such as this complementary treatments are potentially of benefit.

But he said something else which made me like him even more - just in case I was worrying that he thought all in my head he said emphatically that this is a very real problem and is not 'all in my mind'. Now I also want to point out that I am not denigrating psychological/psychiatric problems, which are also real in every true meaning of the word. It is simply that that since others health professionals could not come up with a diagnosis I had to suffer their condescension as a result - there was no acceptance of the fact that my problems were real and that they simply couldn't find out the cause - so I just feel better being able to wave this in their face. It would be great if others' prejudices/assumptions about different types of illness didn't exist, but they do.

As well as the lifestyle I will continue to be treated with what is actually an anti-depressant. Again, Mr X pointed out that this is not due to the psychiatric properties (I am 'scunnered' but definitely not depressed) but for the side-effects which act on the autonomic nervous system, affecting the muscles of the GI tract. It can take several months for the full effect to bcome apparent so this is a bit of a long haul. I will also need to take a Proton Pump Inhibitor such as Nexium to deal with the ongoing acid reflux.

And....on the cardiac front, the medic that I saw on Friday is fairly sure that the SVT is caused by the meds I take for the migraines.....so, bit of a viscious circle going on with this.

Isis and Athyr

 

They left tonight for their new home - they're going to be thoroughly spoiled by their new owners - lovely couple with an adorable daughter (anyone who knows me knows I don't say this about many children, so that will give you an idea of just how lovely she is!). Many tears shed....

...and just to take my mind off it, I have to have an x-ray tomorrow to see if I have a kidney stone. Tell ya, I'm sure getting my money's worth out of the NHS before I leave these shores.

Blue

 

Gone to new home today :0(

knitting

 

In time-honoured fashion, instead of getting on with whatneeds to be done, I have been knitting and spinning. Here is the knitting: It's the Hourglass Sweater in my Blue Faced Leicester hanspun - I'm at the exciting, nail-biting stage - will the 178 yds that are left be enough to finish it.....? Fortunately if I reun out, I do have some more fibre left to spin up some more. I'm completely in love with BFL - so soft and squsihy. This yarn looks very homespun is quite slubby. I like it, don't get me wrong, but I am trying to become a much better spinner - I want my next garment to be smoother so that #slubby' is a n option not the default ;0)

I think I will knit this jumper/sweater again but next time I think I will make it longer. I may well do it in the next BFL hanspun - I have ordered some in Natural, and depending upon the exact 'shade' of natural, we'll see what colour it ends up.

The spinning involved the plying of the Crown Mountain fibre that I spun up for Icarus. I decide that I just didn't like it as a singles yarn. Not wanting to Navajo ply, but wanting to maintain the coulours as they are, I spun some Tencel and have plied it together - much netter - pic later once the camera is recharged.

New blog

 

I have decided to separate my move to Zürich from this blog. So, info about the move will be documented on I heart Zürich . I am not promising complete separation, but the basic nuts-and-bolts will be over there.

Mixed emotions

 

It is a huge relief to have found all of the cats a good home. I obviously do not wish to give out someone else's private details - suffice to say that a youngish couple with a lovely daughter are going to spoil our girls rotten.

One of the couple grew up with Siamese (her mum was a breeder) so they know what makes them special. They came to our house to meet the girls first and then we visited them at their place today. We are both devastated to have to do this but are delighted that they will be much-loved where they are going.

I have only one concern (which we have discussed) - the lovely leather sofas. Our cats are not destructive, but I am sure that most cat folk would agree that there is something irresistable 'moreish' about the scratchabiity of animal hide.....

One down.......

 

So, this morning I made the final arrangements to rehome Blue - ulp. She is going to a very good home. She will be with one of her litter sisters, Alice, and an older full-brother. We have not taken any money for her, but as she is on the active register she can have some kittens (there will be no more than 3 litters, spaced well apart). So for every kitten which is sold her new owner will make a donation to the Scottish Rex club. That seems fair all round.

Still feel like Judas, Mind.

Why the cats can't come

 

In Switzerland, if someone decides that they would like to rent a property they have to fill in a form with lots of questions, get employer references etc. I guess that is pretty much like the UK. However,as I understand it, this is not the actual application - passing at this point simply means that one goes forward to be considered.

When the accomodation was marked as 'pets allowed' I think that mean one cat, not three. Last week we were in the situation where the accomodation at the top of our list simply decided 'no pets' - it could be that there was someone else who didn't have pets, I am not sure. One of the other places said we could have two cats, somewhere else that we could have one.

This was a real dilemma- we weren't guaranteed any of the places, whether or not it was 0, 1 or 2 cats. We obviously couldn't split the Siamese girls up, they have been together since the were about 3 and 6 weeks old. If they both couldn't come, then none could come. Then Friday, just as I was still struggling with this ( and still no accomodation) a decision was taken for us. The rabies vaccine for the 2 girls had failed. Now, the blood test can only be taken 21 days after vaccination. It can take 4 - 6 weeks to get the result. Christmas is coming up, that slows things even further. That meant that even if we could take them, we faced the prospect that the re-vaccination still wouldn't take ...that would mean that we could be 2 or 3 days from going and 2 cats to rehome. Of course a good home cannot be found on that time scale. Added to this,Isis had been particularly traumatised by the blood test. She was unhappy all day afterwards and I didn't think it fair to put her through that again when the chances of her coming were slim. So - difficult, but the decision had been made for us.

Blue - I was given a little hope on Monday - her vaccine has worked. Maybe, just maybe, we would get one of the other places. But no.

So, we are expecting Blue to go to someone who has one of her litter sisters, which is nice (will they have forgotten each other?). We have some people coming about the girls later this week - they have been warned to expect a very heavy grilling. That's before we even see their home. Believe me, if we don't think they are suitable, they aren't getting the cats...

So, heavy hearts. Don't get me wrong, this is a fabulous opportunity for us. The cats will get a fabulous home, but it is still a wrench

Every silver lining has a cloud...

 

So, we have just had accomodation in Zurich confirmed. This is great. But the cats can't come....they've been put through rabies vaccinations and blood tests but they just can't come.

Handknit socks and Mary Janes

 

Some things were just meant to be....

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm sure I've has this kind of title before, but now it is ARGH! +++++++

I'm sure that many folk are the same as us - there are things that need doing to the house, that would have been much better done at the time so at least you get the pleasure of the completed work. But life gets in the way. Before you know it, 3 years have passed. And you're moving. Not necessarily to Zurich, mind you, but THOSE JOBS still need to be done.

I shouldn't complain - my mum and I had a very pleasant weekend - yarn shopping, lunching, having coffee, driving by lochs, more coffee, more driving, dinner at Kember and Jones , visit to Jennifer, going to the Tramway for knitting ......

Meanwhile my dad and Number Guy were installing a new bathroon suite.

This morning the thrill of having heating and hot water palled just a little when I realised that the house looks like 10,000 Gremlins were doing their worst.

So apart from telling myself to get a grip and appreciate that I don't have to do a 10 mile round-trip to carry water home eaach day, I'm doing the other obvious thing. Leaving it all behind to buy a pair of Mary Janes

Yarn

 

I think I'll need at least one more, if not two, if Icarus is to become fully fledged.

I forgot to put something next to the yarn for scale. It looks quite thick in this picture but in fact it is more like laceweight.

Emergency Survival Kit

 

Here are the bare essentials:
Large milky coffee
novel
knitting
Gimble- essential for knitting whilst reading
Scrabble
Sudoku puzzles
Relocation information

Believe me, dear reader, when I say that these are things which make a six hour (yep, SIX hour)stopover at Luton bearable... Fying with budget airlines is all well and good, but as you will probably know if you miss a connecting flight it's too bad, so sad. Hence the four hour stopover going, and the longer one coming back. All in all, not too bad - I even managed without any diazepam - yay!! And that was even after I reported an unattended bag (I know, Iknow, the bag was in the airport, not the plane....but when you are scared witless by flying like I am, these little hiccups really matter).

So, where was I last weekend? You mean you really have to ask? I was here, of course. This was the first of our days with a relocation agent, looking at properties -we saw 10 in all and have so far said we are interested in 4. Now we have to wait for a week since in Zurich the landlords are very particular about tenants. We have chosen two houses and two apartments.

Whether a flat or a house, there are things common to all: underground parking space, cellar space for storage, nuclear bomb shelter, open wood fire...Sorry? What was that? Nuclear bomb shelter? Yep, you read right. They are mandatory. Most of them have been divided up into compartments for storage. They make great wine cellars, it would appear.

Of the 10 places we saw on Monday, only 2 were rejected out of hand. The others were all great but the commute was just too bad for Number Goy. It isn't really the time - he wants to do no more than an hour door-to-door - but the way some of the commutes would be organised. eg 15 minute walk, bus to station, train to main station then tram for the final stage.

The Swiss aren't keen on discussing money, but let's just say that some rents seem to be the equivalent of the GDP of a small country. As people who are used to mortgages it is a little painful to part with lots of money for rent instead.

Before we had our day with the relocation agent we spent two days travelling all over the city to get an idea of places we did and didn't like. Will it surprise you to know that I stumbled upon one of the best yarn shops I have ever seen? Right up the street from an organic food shop :0)

Due to the season, we saw lots of this: I explained to the chap that since men in kilts in Scotland have to put up with tourists taking their picture, it was only fair that I got a shot of Mr 'Marroni' And since we had just bought some chesnuts, he seemed happy to oblige. But you know, roast chestnuts are in the same category as honey - I was about 18 before I had my first taste of honey (deprived childhood) and although I love it now, at the time it was such a disapointment. Nothing at all like I thought it would be. Same with roast chestnuts - they were great for keeping my hands warm, yet.....hmm, just not what I was expecting.

Now I'm off to strip - wallpaper, that is. Now that we are leaving, we are doing all those things that we've been putting off for the last decade - typical, eh?

How to finish your singles yarn....

 

First you gently soak if for a few brief moments of time in some lavender-scented wash. Then you lovingly envelope the skein in the finest Egyptian cotton cloth, soaking up the excess water with the tenderest of caresses. Then, having paused for a few heartbeats of time, you grab it by the throat, thwack it soundly against the bath until it begs for mercy, before stretching it on the rack.

Now I've calmed down enough...

 

I've written the letter.

I thought long and hard about my motives. I've decided that they are the right ones. I am not being vindictive, nor do I want I want 'revenge'. There is one simple reason - such lack of professionalism and lack of care towards a patient has no place in healthcare.

If the two 'professionals' involved can't see that, then maybe they need to reasses their career paths.

The Louet Victoria

 

Now that I have had the pleasure of Béatrice's company for a week I thought it time to give a preliminary assessment.

While somewhat petite, she seems nonetheless to be more than capable of anything I ask her to spin. Well, ok, that's an exageration - all I have tried so far is some laceweight. Want to see? I started off on the highest ratio - 14:1. As noted in the information leaflet, the highest ratio can be a bit harder to treadle, so I opted for the middle ratio of 9:1. When I began treadling the action was a bit clunky and I felt a little disappointed. However, as Béatrice and I get to know each other, her action is becoming more and more smooth.

The orrifice features a plastic bush which can be removed if a bulkier yarn is required, but that remains in situ at the moment as I am trying to spinning the laceweight that you can see in the picture above. At a later date there will be a high speed flyer available, which I may order, depending how I get on with 14:1 ratio.

The wheel came with three bobbins and a lazy kate. And it also comes without the need to lubricate - ever, which is handy. Well, if you really want to you can apply a little Vaseline to the bobbins if they get a bit stiff*

You might notice the yellow paper behind the bobbin? Well, as you know, B is a portable wheel, and I intend taking her all over the place with me. I can, however, foresee one little problem....the tensioner for the Scotch tension is quite pronounced, more so than the leather carry handle - to the extent that it looks like this may well be the way the wheel should be picked up. I have visions of some helpful person trying to move my wheel when I am away for a coffee. Hence the yellow 'This is not a handle' notice....

The fibre that I am currently spinning up was brought over by an international enabler from Canada (yep, Lilith's mum. As I still can't spin finely enough to get a really fine plied laceweight I have decided that this yarn will be a singles. To help it hold together in any weaker spots, I am going to whack the living daylights out of it - when it is wet from it's soapy bath, I'll whack it really hard against the bath. This causes a very slight 'felting'. Should be just the job to knit the Icarus Shawl in. *wow, can you imagine what kind of hits I'm gonna get - orrfice, lubrication, Vaseline.....

That's the weekend that was

 

And a blinkin' 'orrible one it was, too.

I was admitted to our local hospital on Friday and was discharged today. I now have to take the decision on whether or not to make a formal complaint.

When I was a student nurse, it was drummed into my head that 'A patient's pain is what they say it is, when they say it is.' Sadly, one of the nurses seemed to have missed that lecture. And so had one of the doctors.

I don't know about you, but when a patient who has just been discharged (and delighted to be going home) finds herself rolling about the floor in agony, I reckon that what is needed is another assessment. What I overheard between one of the junior doctors and this nurse was 'Leave her in there, she'll get fed up soon and go home'......Well, that was the final straw. Suffice to say, one snotty, crying, pain-ridden India ended up collapsing in the corridors and had to be brought back yesterday afternoon.

Having politely, if somehwat tearfully, told the doctor what I thought of his comments, he surprisingly couldn't look me in the eye today.....

Number Guy and I spoke to one of the senior nurses in the hospital yesterday after my pain had settled but I think I am going to go ahead with this complaint. Ironic, isn't it, that a couple of nights previously I had told the night sister how impressed I was with one of the other nurses on the ward,a young male staff nurse. He didn't tell patients what they 'wanted to hear', he 'simply' took the time to listen and to give the best answer he could. And he took time. He was just great.

Unfortunately, this other nurse was a different story. Right from the beginning I new she thought I was a timewaster. The problem at the moment is that the endoscopy didn't show any damage - this is good news, but it doesn't mean that there isn't a problem. She, however, has obviously decided that the GI consultant can't see a malingerer when one jumps up and slaps him in the face. I have had to endure her sarcastic tones and resistance for the past 3 days. So certain of her own 'diagnosis' was she, that even when I was in agony in the hallway and with Number Guy present, she continued with her very bad attitiude to me. Although I know myself that she has been treating me as a malingerer I am so glad that I have witness to it.

Having decided to stay last night so that they could do another test today, I did something I thought I would never do - I asked that I not be 'cared' for by this nurse. Never thought I would ever do that, never.

I had a CT scan today to check the blood vessles around my stomach, and they are fine. I have to have pH and pressure tests in a couple of weeks - involves wires up my nose (Yikes!!!) and down my throat. Not looking forward to it, but hopefully it will help.

So, a really cr***y weeked. But thank goodness for great nurses and consultants who can spot a genuiunely ill patient at 100 yards, blindfolded on a foggy night in the blackout.... <

You may want to call her 'Victoria'.....

 

But she tells me her name is, in fact, Béatrice*

* And she's very sniffy about pronunciation,let me tell you.

Blue about Blue

 

Well, we sure are feeling a little down here...we have come to the conclusion that we may have to rehome our kitten :0( :0( :0(

The other cats still seem to be feeling more than a bit frazzled and let's just say that they have been staging a 'dirty protest'.....

If we were staying here, it wouldn't be such an issue as we would be able to ride it out for the long haul. But given that we are taking the ladies on a plane. to a smaller place, we have very real concerns about what it would be like for all concerned.

Everytime Blue looks at me just now I feel so bad....

Current favourite

 

Hey there Delilah , Plain White T's

AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!

 

Davimack was asking if I'm excited about Zurich. At this particular moment in time I am at bursting point, but not with excitement.

Trying to arrange shipping for 3 cats is not easy - since 9.30am I have been on a rollercoaster, but one which seems to be heading inexorably downwards, doomed to come to a halt amongst the tangled and twisted wreckage of my sanity.

About half an hour ago I thought I was looking at getting the cats to Heathrow. Logistical nightmare. Much 'phoning around, and speaking to a very helpful chap at KLM, has left me with a teeny-weeny bit of hope....

Random entry

 

My mind is all 'go' at the moment and I can't seem to settle to anything. However, we did have a nice weekend, Number Guy and I. We got out and about and saw lots of the Scottish countryside.

And amongst the beautiful scenery on The Isle of Arran we spotted not one, but two, of these rare delights: I have previously only seen one squirrel, on the east coast. Squirrel number 3 was nearly an ex-squirrel - the wee blighter ran right out in from of the car. I didn't hit him/her. It was close. Too close.

In the meantime, when not seeing some sights for what may be the last time (ulp...) I've been working on The Bee Stole. I'm getting a bit jaded, though, so I'm giving it a wee holiday. It's such a lovely stole that I don't want to become sick of it.

I think Ma and Pa will be coming to house sit at some point in the next month - we'll be heading off to Zürich (where else ?) to check out prossible places to live.

In the meantime, I'm trying to motivate myself to do some Gaelic and a bit of German - at the moment all I want to do is laze about.....

Going to see...

 

RUSH.

Whadayamean you haven't heard of 'em? Go have a here

It's all sorted - I can move now !

 

Look what I just joined

Lists, lists, lists....

 

What to take
what not to take,
rabies vaccines for cats,
blood-tests-to-check-efficacy-of-rabies-vaccine,
letters from doctors,
subscriptions to cancel
appartments to locate
vets in Zurich to locate
Catteries in Zurich to locate......
and so on, and so on

As you can see, my head is spinning. It's just as well that I will not have to hold down a job in the next few months because I seem to spend a lot of my sleeping time not sleeping. Still, I am putting the time to good use - I managed to make some progress on the Zurich cat boarding problem.Well, to be more accurate, I have managed to find an 'animal hotel' with an animal shipping company. That would solve the initial problem but not the ongoing one - where do the cats go when we want to go on holiday? I think that part of the difficulty is that I am searching with the wrong parameters. I think I am going to try 'pension aux animaux' - or rather, the German equivalent.... when I can find out what that is, of course.

If you look closely..

 

You just might see the bees.

I am past the first 'hive' section, which ends at the green lifeline (I usually 'fly' without a safety net, but believe me, working lace like this with three mad moggies leaping around makes lifelines essential. Don't ask me how I know - just take my word for it).

Apologies for the bad photo (I keep promising I'll do something about my poor photography skills, but I guess I'm all talk...)but I did want to share this awesome bit of knitting design. When you look at the chart, the bees just don't seem that obvious. And if I hadn't knit this myself I would assume that each wing must be made from a double yarnover, but no - it is merely (!) the clever placement of successive YOs.

The swarm section arrived just in time - I was getting to that stage where I was 'done' with the hives. The bees should be fairly rewarding to knit - I love the way they magically appear, so I guess that'll keep me going for a while - it's a bit like knitting with variegated yarn. You just can't stop knitting as each section reveals itself

When you get to the end of the first half of the stole, you pick up from the provisional cast-on and then work the other half, thus having symmetry. I don't usually mind about that, but in this case I reckon it is essential.

Decisions, decisions....

 

..so, lots of folk have been asking 'What are you going to do when you move to Zurich?'

And I always answer 'Nothing!'

But that isn't actually true. While I will not be seeking paid employment, I will be busy, busy, busy. When we decided to move to Zurich we had lots of discussions about my career. We thought it unlikely that there would be much call for a Gaelic-medium nursery teacher in Switzerland, which is the path my career was taking. So we have decided that I would hang up my teaching hat.

We've always been a good team and we decided to play to our strengths. While Number Guy is working hard, I am going to be our PA. And I do mean 'our'. My role is going to be to make life as easy as possible for the pair of us. As I won't be working, I will have the time to deal with the difficulties that life as ex-pats throw at us.

When I am not working out how to do X, Y or Z, I am going to craft. And travel :0) I plan to have a big map of Europe on the wall with pins in all the places I want to visit. When Number Guy is busy with work, I am going to jump on a train to wherever the fancy takes me.

In the meanwhile, in preparation for our move, I am going to stop teaching ahead of time. Again, there is so much to do here, and so much Numner Guy has to do at work that this seems to be the most sensible thing to do.

One of the 'must-do' tasks is to learn some German - classes start next week. I have had a mixed reaction to this - some folk are quite negative 'Well, they don't speak German anyway!' Not true. While Switzerdeutsch is the language of native-born Swiss, High German is also spoken - and it is the language of the written word. Makes German kind of compulsory IMHO

Of course, when I am not learning German, getting cats vaccinated, visitng friends to say 'Auf Weidersehen' etc, I have lots to do in the house. Hard decisions about what is going to Zurich and what is going in the bin. But when I am not doing tany of those things I am going to indulge in some sewing. I finally plucked up the courage to sut out the linen for a pinafore that I am making. Yes - a pinafore. But it's going to be a cool pinafore (if it isn't, then there'll be a lot of linen cushion-covers about the place).

So on that note, I'm off to sew, see y'all later

Ta-daa!

 

Keeping my place on the Honey Bee Stole was really driving me nutty. Of course, now that I have an understanding of this part of the pattern it isn't quite as important, but I still need a visual reminder now and again. Determined NOT to spend a lot of money on a magnetic board I had a scout around the house and came up with this: It might not be pretty, but it works - an old baking tray and some fridge magnets :0)

My tv knitting is currently 'Amelie', the current pattern on Rowan - miles and miles and miles of soothing stocking stitch - great for picking up when the bee stole needs too much of my concentration.

Not quite Carmen

 

We exposed ourselves to The Car Man yesterday, or rather some of the cast exposed themselves to us. I am quite sure it was necessary. No, vital to the success of the production. Mind you, I'd be surer if I had personally seen it happen. As it was, Number Guy got the the full frontal of two handsome and exceedingly muscular guys whipping their towels off ;0)

If you get a chance, go see this - if you take your 12+ child with you, you might want to be prepared to explain some girl/guy, guy/guy 'action' - but remember it'll be dark in the audience ,so no one will see you blush...

When we aren't off to the theatre we are busy, busy, busy - making lists of lists of things to do, cats to vaccinate, visits to make, friends to see. But it's good to know that we are unaided in this venture - as you can see, whenever dealing with a creepy crawly is added to the list, the cats are happy to put aside the death threats, unite and join in the fray.

Currently listening to ....

 

Radio Zürisee.

I know this will really surprise you all, but I can't understand a darn word....;0)
I begin German classes fairly soon, but of course this does not help with Schweizerdeutsch. However, I am determined to be able to speak some of this dialect eventully. I just need to try to ensure that if I pick up any books on it (strange, really, as it isn't a written language) that I get the Zurich ones. I mean, imagine the frustration of picking up some Basel Schweizerdeutsch!

Making the most of the sunshine

 

Sometimes you have to have a bit of lateral thinking if you want to do a few chores* and get some sun * I know, I must be a it loopy, normally I would just ditch the chores. Let's just say that Zurich is going to my head a little bit....

My daily bread

 

You don't hear that often!

 

Breaking news: Those of a delicate disposition may wish to sit down, call a relative or arrange for an ambulance to be on standby.

Our own correspondent reported that a 'reliable source' confirmed that a young student was heard to question 'Is there an ironing board?' as he explored his new residence yesterday. The young man's mother had to visit the local A&E department shortly thereafter, but insisted that this was mere coincidence....

Moving On

 

I am going to feel such a mix of emotions when we go - In fact I'm feeling many of them already ...

And though Number Guy and I fully intend to keep in touch with our friends - whether they want us to or not! - I'm sure there'll be some tears from me along the way. It's been great to have my friends' reactions - delighted for me, but going to miss me, too.

But I was just a bit worried by one friend's reaction. Heather -
"Great! We'll have a party!........;0)

Zurich here I come!

 

we're moving - to Zurich! Yep, you read that correctly. And I can't wait :0)

It'll be a few months yet - notice period to work, accomodation to arrange, cats to get Pet Passports for.... German to learn

We're nervous - but sooooo excited!

Who was responsible?

 

'Cos I'd like to say 'Thank you!'

Of course, I'll never know who planted the fruit trees in our garden, and I know they weren't intended for me, but I'd like to give thanks anyway. As I was gathering the apple and plums yesterday morning I had such a strong sense of continuity down the years...and I was so glad that the garden, and its bounty, is being enjoyed more than 100 years on. I don't know how long fruit trees live (ever tried Googling something like that?)and while they may not be Victorian, they aren't in their first flush of youth so I am appreciating them each and every year.

I'm going to resit the temptation to just wolf these beauties down - they are intended for jam today...and maybe a yummy plummy crumble, served with some clotted cream. Plums and crumble and cream. Oh my!

OK, moving swiftly along....I spent yesterday working on another Amy Butler skirt. I wanted to wear it out last night and decided that instead of lining it I would just apply a bias-tape finish. It's ok, Im pleased with it, but my first attempt at bias tape went plum pear-shaped. I carefully followed the instructions in Amy's book but it just didn't work. The instructions seem quite clear, so I guess I just screwed up in an easy-to-do-yet-hard-to-notice way. Oh well. In the end, amid much cursing, I cut out a facing for the waist and applied that. Picture - possibly-later.

So I guess I better go work on that jam - my son is back from uni for a while, and I'm sure if I don't get to those plums he'll do a great job on them ;0)

Whaddaya mean, get off the laundry?

 

As you can see, our Blue likes her creature comforts.
And I can kind of see her point. There is a perfectly good cat hammock purposefully placed to dream the days away in, next to a warm radiator - but it is usually occupied by Isis.
And Blue aint nobody's fool - a row from me v head bitten off by cat.
Which would you choose ?

Edit: Number Guy says he'd take his chances with the cat. Bloomin' cheek.

What's your 'JFK' moment....?

 

You know, for those of us who don't have one, what's your equivalent 'significant world event'?

Me - the death of Elvis. I still remember clearly being told by my mum. I was 11 years old, due to start High School in a day or so. I'd been out playing with a friend and rushed into the house for something. Even then, only 11, I could tell that my mum had some bad news for me. I guess she must've agonised over how to break it to me. I was devastated. It didn't help that my friend had no idea of the mortal blow just dealt, insisting that we hurry up back to our game.

Thirty years on, and I'm still saddened by his demise. I guess he was no different to the stars of today who, despite having so much material wealth, are desolate within.

He sure had feet of clay, but he'll always be The King to me.

I blame Heather.

 

After reading a recent post comment from Heather , and talking to the vet (more about that later), I decided to throw caution - and cats - to the wind, Here is the result:

All I can say is that Blue is lucky that the other cats are generally decent beasts - they have growled, hissed and looked exceedingly mean. But that's all. When she got too cheeky, they simply ran away.

For some unexplicable reason they decided that today was the day to get a bit closer....I wasn't quick enough here, but as you can probably guess, the three cats were on Number Guy's knee (though I think he was wishing that he was wearing, ahem, some sort of protection).

I am glad that Athyr has relaxed a bit - we can add another £33.00 to the cost of the kitten, since poor Athry developed a 'stress-induced' colitis(Wonder why that was.....?) hence the visit to our local vet. Since that cats were much more subdued than usual, it wasn't easy to tell that she was off-colour. And since they eat together, it was hard to tell that she hadn't been - eating, that is. Just as well I'm such an astute person ;0).

Chicken in a basket

 

Cat on a lead.

There rests a very uneasy peace chez Twelfthknit en ce moment.....One of the problems is that if the other cats aren't threatening to tear her to shreds, Blue thinks she can just leap at them unannounced. Now, the logical part of my brain thinks 'Let then get on with it. One major hissy fit and the groundrules will be sorted out.' Unfortunately, the rest of me is too wimpy for that. So I reckon this may be a bit of a compromise (for me, I realise that!) Blue can have some periods of time near the older cats, but it won't be a free for all. AND it has another distinct advantage - I don't need to worry about her getting into somewhere troublesome if there's no-one to help get her out.

PS - can you see what she's reading? A bit advanced, our Blue...

May I present....

 

.....Tamorie WildBlueYonder.

Whadaya mean, you can't see her? She was there a second ago. I had the perfect shot lined up.I paused for a nanosecond before pressing the shutter.....and she was off ....into the wild blue y..... Now you know why we chose her name. We had a bit of prescience. We were I was right.

Blue, as she is to be known, is just a tad tricky to take a picture of. I've been trying to catch her 'Rexness'. This gives just a hint of their silhouette from behind Those ears.....

The Scottish Rex Cat Club has a great logo which just sums the shape up perfectly, IMHO

Some people have likened her to ET....but we won't go there.

2 Siamese +1 Devon Rex

 

= distinct lack of harmony.

We brought Blue home about an hour ago - she was fed, watered, given time for a 'comfort break'. The we let the Big Girls in. They're not having it. Nope. Not at all.

Blue, meanwhile, is safely in a run that we originally had for the other two. They, meanwhile, stalk up to the wire for just enough time to hiss and spit at the poor wee blighter before they run away again.

It's gonna be a long few days.

Do Not Disturb

 

A large latte, made just the way I like it......some toast slathered with honeycomb....and Rowan 42.
Need I say more....?

The sad case of the wine-and-yarn in the nighttime...

 

There I was last night, enjoying a small glass of red wine, admiring the yarn that Alison had sent as the prize for winning a blog competition....

....and what I really want to know is this - why is it times like this that one, erm, chucks the bl**dy stuff all over the place has a minor incident with the wine????? And why is it that while I feel bad enough about spilling wine on YARN, I feel kind of guilty because it has been given to me.....But all is not lost. I am going to overdye it. Instead of the lovely soft pinks and fresh grass, it's going to end up....wine coloured, I guess.

Edit: And look here - now you can see why I am SO naffed off with myself. No more being tiddly in charge of great yarn!!!!!

Shetland Triangle

 

How many times have you been walking down a street when a perfect stranger comes up to you and thrusts some yarn into your hand? Not any of your common or garden stuff, mind. No scratchy nylon or acrylic, something better. Much better. Like ...cashmere. Yeh, never happens to me, either..

However, a friend of mine did have some cashmere that she needed to rehome ;0) ;0)

I've tried 'enhancing' both of these pictures, but neither of them accurately reflect the deep berry colour. The real shame, though, is that this isn't 'touchivision'. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of knitting with such wonderful yarn.

I nearly missed it...

 

MY INVITE TO RAVELRY!!!!!!!

There I was, dipping into a few new blogs when I saw that it is now possible to check where in the queue you are - bet they got fed up with folk moaning ;0) When I clicked the link, I saw that I'd already been sent my invite...on the 23rd of July. Seems the spam filter ate it... I never liked spam. Like it even less now...

Anyway, all is not lost :0) I now have my account. Now I just need some time to play.

Yeehaaaaah!

international jet-setter

 

Well, my green credentials are looking kinda muddy at the moment....2 weekends ago in Zurich, last week in Skye, this week in Berlin. Yep, that's right, I was in Berlin.

We arrived mid-afternoon on Monday and caught the train to Hauptbanhof, the main rail station in the city. You have to be there to appreciate this place, which is on about 6 levels and looks like some futuristic space station, not somewhere to change train. As the train pulled in we saw this amazing sculpture.

I also saw something else incredibly amazing - make that foolish, actually ;0) How many people do you know, when faced with a whole line of German 'riot-police' would slip between them? I mean, wouldn't your natural instinct be to let them pass? Not dive in amongst them, making them break step and glare at you....well, it's not Number Guy's natural instinct. Fortunately they must've decided he was a dumb tourist and not really trying to trip them up...

Following that interlude, we jumped on another train to Tiergarten where we booked into our hotel. Having expected something akin to a Travelodge I was more than delighted with the hotel that had been arranged.

We did some of the usual tourist things, like visitng Checkpoint Charlie I have a few mixed feelings about this, since I know that there is some controversy about the way the Wall and events surrounding it are memorialised. And I can't help but feel that novels about the Cold War have left some of us with 'romanticised' views about this dark era. However, be that as it may, I was very moved by what I read at the Checkpoint and in the museum, as was my son. And that is surely no bad thing....

The other two whole days that we had available were spent at a museum and Berlin Zoo, interspersed with general sight seeing and eating. I also had the opportunity to meet up with Jennifer - typical, isn't it? You go on holiday and meet your friends and neighbours:0)

Holidays

 

Firstly, thanks for the advice that was given re my camera - it is definitely an error with the card, so when I have a moment or two to think about it, I shall try some of the suggestions.

I am a bit miffed that my pictures of Zurich seem to be 'lost' but let's face it. with all the awful things that happen, it shouldn't even be on a list of disappointments...

Last week I was on Skye at Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the Gaelic college. This is the third year that I have gone up for a week's tuition and I have been filled with vim and vigour! We had a wonderful tutor for the week. Therefore I am forging ahead with my Gaelic studies and have applied for An Cùrsa Adhartais - according to the college, at the end of this two year distance learning course I should be fluent......I am hoping to add another language or two to my repertoire, so soon I'll be unstoppable in about 3 languages :0)

Number Guy had a great week while I was in class - I would like to think the fact that I was in class had nothing to do with it...anyway, he went to Applecross and I was more than a little jealous, since the day was marvelous and hence the views were also. He did make it up to me though - we went to Kinloch Lodge for dinner. It was marvelous. It was expensive. So we went only once ;0)

Of course, I cannot show you any pictures from Skye since I didn't have a working camera....but having bought a new card today, I decided to try it out. Without much to inspire me, I decided on a few garden pics - here is a a wee comparison of the yarn bought in Zurich our very first clematis.

And this is kind of how I would like our back garden to look - a profusion of tumbling flowers. At the moment we have a profusion of overgrown grass and weeds

Right, back to the grindstone - I've been LaTeXing the little bit of the assignment that I've done. I can do only so much work on the PC before I need a hard copy to be able to make sense of it all. For those of you not familiar with LaTeX it is a really useful document preparation tool, which I have mentioned previously. However, one has to type in all the formatting commands and then instruct the programme to build the document. Inevitably there are errors, so then one has to go through the work and painstakingly fix these before the file document can be built. As I am a new user, I have more errors than most. One it's done, though, a rather nice PDF is created which I can print and read.

But only once it's done....

Playing with pictures

 

As I haven't been able to anything about my Zurich pictures, I decided to find out how to adjust digital pictures. Here is my first attempt.

I can't show you the 'before',since I hadn't realised that when I renamed it that the original would be overwritten....but the overall image looked more like this:

And here's the 'after' of the second image: It's all a bit 'blunt', but I didn't realise that I had any such facility on my PC. I'm going to practice some more and see if I can improve my pictures for the blog - if I can ever get the PC and camera to speak to each other again.