OK, so this is becoming an annual thing. As I was going to bed on Thursday night I noticed my right wrist was itching – looking to see if maybe I’d been bitten I realised I had a rash all up my right arm….by the time I woke up on Friday morning I had red wealds on both wrists, around my waist and behind my ears.

I took an antihistamine tablet and smeared on some hydrocortisone cream and then spent all day at work trying desparately not to scratch. It spread all over my torso and onto my feet. I left work early to get to the pharmacy to buy some more antihistamine and by the time I got home and took off my top I was one huge weald from my neck, down both shoulders, both underarms down my sides, joining up across my stomach and right down to the tops of my legs – lovely!

I took a bath just because I was on the point of screaming from the itching…..it didn’t help much. It spread all over my back. I sat in my loosest pyjamas all evening took another antihistamine and it seemed to calm so at least I got to sleep.

This morning my arms are covered in red bloches as are my knees, ankles and the very base of my spine – it’s even spread onto my hands – one of my palms is actually very sore.

The weirdest thing about my hives (or urticaria) is that they seem to flare up this badly just once a year in November…last year I had an outbreak on 1st November and the year before it was the 29th October. So this years outbreak is a little late. We’ve never managed to pinpoint a trigger for the outbreaks – at least nothing environmental or food that I might be allergic to. The fact that it seems to be occuring at the same time of year is now making me wonder if there is something environmental – what is there around at this time of year which seems to be triggering these outbreaks? The only thing I can find in common with the outbreak I had last year is that I had just had a horrible cold then and I am just recovering from a cough/cold now so perhaps it’s the cold virus that is triggering this?

Whatever it is – it is very, very annoying. Apart from the fact that it looks horrible (great big pale lumps surrounded by red skin) the itching is driving me to distraction….

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Tags: hives, urticaria, allergy

I got such a wonderful package this week and it came at the perfect time. I’ve been suffering with a horrible cold bug for over a week which has progressed into a hacking cough which keeps me awake all night.  The day the package arrived I was curled up on the sofa under a blanket in my pyjamas watching daytime tv and feeling generally miserable. The arrival of this bumper haul was just the pick-me-up I needed so HUGE thanks to my wonderful Swap partner, Lisa.

 The Mystery Theme Swap was a wonderful idea – no set requirements just let your swap partner have three themes and they send a package based around one of those themes. I think I gave my themes as purple, gardening and chickens….Lisa took the chicken theme and (in her own words) ran with it as you can see –

Here we have – a gorgeous oven mitt decorated with chickens, 3 “Chick-o-Stick” peanut candy bars and the yarn and pattern to knit rooster! Also (you can’t really see him in the pic) a “Posable Magnetic Rooster” – I’ll take some action pics of him on the fridge door later!

As you can see my own chickens came over to take a look at the pressies.

As well as all the chicken goodies she sent -

Alaskan goodies – blueberry jam, honey soap and Rasberry Earl Grey tea – yummy and just the soothing thing my throat needs at the moment. The card is hilarious – a chicken (think it might be a white leghorn like my Morwenna) with a strap-on peacock tale, the caption inside reads “I got it on eBay”

But it didn’t stop there, Lisa also sent some purple themed goodies –

The yarn is baby llama and is the most wonderfully soft yarn I’ve felt…Brittany Birch needles (I love, love, love these – I just love the feel of wood anyway, it’s so tactile), some beautiful red glass stitch markers, the pattern for Odessa, lavender flavour chocolate with a little purple glass stitch marker attached and lavender bath fizzers. Oh…and also (not in the pics) a bar of Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate (yummy!)

Here’s the whole parcel – Jonathan took a look when he got in and declared it a deluge not a swap parcel!

….oh, and I’ve already started on the rooster (I couldn’t resist!)

Being at home nursing my cold means I’ve completed a whole load of knitting – firstly Jonathan’s Gryffindor scarf which I finished just in time for the start of the cold weather. This is his “first day back at school”  photo !

The scarf was knit in King Cole Merino Blend DK which is very soft and squishy and the finished scarf is very thick. The pattern is by Lauren Kent and is from Charmed Knits. Took forever and was VERY boring but it’s provided my hubby with a lovely warm scarf for his early morning wait for the train so was worth it.

Next up, I decided to do something with the packet of Noro Silk Garden I bought whilst we were on holiday in Whitby earlier in the year. It’s been stored on the top shelf of my stash cupboard and has been calling to me every time I open the door. The colours are just so autumn that I had to do something with it whilst the leaves were still showing their wonderful colours in my garden. As I have quite a few little girls to give presents to this Christmas (and a few more I’m going to be responsible for clothing next year!) I decided on the Child’s Cable Jumper by Anne Hanson. This is a downloadable pattern – I should point out that in England “Jumper” means something completely different and I was a little confused by this pattern – “that’s not a jumper” I thought “it’s a pinafore dress”….before I realised that’s what you call them in the US. Here in England a “jumper” is a sweater/pullover.

Anyway, whatever you call it – it’s very sweet and knits up perfectly in the Noro Silk Garden

I love the pleats which are formed by bands of knit and purl like a very wide ribbing and the pleats then flow up into cables on the bodice. I knit the largest size for age 3/4 years and will decide if this is a Christmas gift later on.

This only used 4 full balls and about a quarter of another so I had nearly 6 balls left. I looked around on Ravelry for another suitable pattern and came across Wendy Bernards Girlfriend Swing Coat Sweater pattern. This is actually a pattern I’d seen before as I read her blog on and off (she’s another Wendy who knits I have to show faith). Wasn’t sure if the Noro would work but decided to give it a try – and it worked like a dream

This is the front

…and back, showing the lovely big collar and the swingy shape. This is so nice I want to knit one in my size…I wonder if I could scale it up…hmmmm

I just need to weave in the ends and fix some sort of closure…..actually I went to a Couture exhibition at the V&A museum in London on Thursday with my mum and I bought a whole load of buttons in the shop afterwards including some gold flowers which would look really good on this.

I’ve also knit a couple of Wooly Wormhead baby hats but don’t have photos yet so will share those next time.
 

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Tags: knitting, noro, chicken, swapI’v

Just found this post lurking in the drafts where it had become lost in limbo – whoops! Enjoy!!!

30th October 2007

Well, I am sitting in an empty house thinking it is very, very quiet. Our friend Tracey has been visiting with her two daughters (aged 5 and 9) since last Thursday and it’s been a busy few days.

On Friday we took the girls to Legoland Windsor which is about 15 miles away from us, I think they had fun….

and we saw lots of lego….

…I even found some knitting….

…and because it’s close to Halloween they had a huge firework display at the end of the evening. This was probably the best firework display I’ve ever seen and it seemed to go on for ever…the photos don’t really do it justice.

On Saturday we walked down to feed the ducks and swans on the river in Marlow and stopped at the craft shop to buy paper and glitter and crayons to make witches hats and draw fireworks pictures. My brother came over late afternoon and we all went out to our local pub, The Marlow Donkey, to have dinner. When we got back home we played Singstar on the PS2 – Tracey and I singing along to our favourite 80’s songs!!  

Sunday was a quiet day at home playing on the computer games, with lego and then a killer game of Monopoly with Katy, Lucy and myself.

Monday we had a trip to London to visit the Natural History Museum – lots of dinosaurs

and then a whistle-stop tour of some of London’s more famous sites including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament

We had so much fun this weekend and really loved having Tracey, Katy and Lucy stay with us…but my house now seems so quiet. I think I’ve finally reached the point where a house full of children seems normal and an empty house with Jonathan and I seems wrong. Throughout the adoption process which Jon and I have been enduring for the past 2 years we’ve gone through various stages – panic (can we really do this?), worry (will they let us do this?), dread (do we really want to do this?) but finally it feels right, I feel I have room in my life for children and things I want to share…..spending a weekend with 2 energetic girls I think settled any lingering worries about that.

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