First RAK

In the past couple of years I have learned to crochet and spin and - mostly through Ravelry - I have been fortunate enough to recieve many blessings. On Rav, these are often referred to as RAKs - Random Acts of Kindness.

To receive a pattern I had put on my wishlist would cheer me up considerably. To get a parcel in the post of some carefully considered item would keep me smiling for days. Sometimes the treasure would so touch my heart that every time I saw it I would feel the genuine kindness of the person who sent it. In a year in which my struggle with depression has been particularly bad, these moments of kindness have often formed a supporting web to buoy me up. And this year I very much wanted to pass on those feelings to others.

My first RAK of the year has been successfully completed. A Raveller, struggling with the rising costs of fresh foods in the USA, got us talking about growing your own. I wanted to send her seeds from my collection, but the import regulations and postage costs were truly baffling to me. So I found a seller on etsy who was in the States himself and whose lineup of seeds were organic heritage species. I let my enthusiasm over the photos get the better of me a bit and selected not only the mixed lettuces, but also the rainbow chard and the mixed tomatoes! And altogether it was still less that the cost of postage would have been from Scotland. The Raveller received her seeds yesterday and is planting some of the lettuce on the windowsill while she waits for spring to warm up her garden for the others!

I don't plan on limiting my RAKs to just Ravelry. But for the first one of 2013, I am pleased with the result.

Have some photos of the gorgeous organic heirloom veggies, available from Box Garden Organics.

All Star Gourmet Lettuce Mix Seeds Heirloom Organic

Swiss Chard Rainbow Mix Seeds Heirloom Organic

Super Surprise Mix Tomato Seeds Heirloom Organic

Official

I officially have Adult Onset Epilepsy.

How do I feel about this? I suppose I'm glad it's not any of the other things that could have been causing my symptoms. I think I'm adjusting so easily because so much of my life has already been spent dealing with chronic conditions, and because my siblings cope with it too. It helps that so many people have been supportive, and that I have the silver lining of that free bus pass to hold on to.

But mostly it sucks. I hate that I have yet another thing wrong with me. I hate that I'm so vulnerable now to my own body's idiosyncrasies. I hate that I have to take more tablets every day "for my own good". And I hate how accepting I am of it, as an admittance of how trained and wired my mind has become to Life screwing me over yet again.

Life that was already kinda fuzzy around the edges from the sleepiness caused by my antidepressants has been made worse by my antiepileptics. I'm back to that state I was in over the summer, having to sleep late and take naps in order to remain coherent while awake.

The good things that have happened have all been based around my fibre-addiction. I finished my Rusalka Cowl, and it's wonderfully warm. I went to the p/Hop in Glasgow and - asides from coming home with a smashing haul of yarn - I got to thus spend time with Shae and Lori (and meet the amazing Kia the Ocecat). Fibre-y parcels have been arriving regularly, as Secret Santas and Christmas ordering (I've been shopping on behalf of my family this year!) have been delivered. And I've been introduced to Livestream and Blogtalkradio through Namaste Farms - two venues of amazingly interactive learning.

In other news I'm jumping through the hoops of blood tests again to see how I'm doing one year on from being put on iron tablets. And I'll be getting new spectacles as of next week.

Icky, Grotty, Tired

This morning, the biggest fit I've had so far.

This afternoon, getting to meet my big bro's current partner while struggling with stuffiness.

This evening, full blown cold.

I am utterly exhausted. Please someone bring me new batteries.

Pretty waves on the Rusalka Cowl

In other news, I'm almost finished my Rusalka Cowl, and I spun a ginormous skein of yarn on the new CS2.

Remember, that bobbin holds a kilo!

A massive 510g skein!

 Now I'm going to suck some Strepsils and drink some warm tea.

New Wheel! So Shiney!

Isn't she beautiful?

Isn't she perfect?

Isn't she shiney?

Unwaxed bobbin parts on left for comparison.

She bloody well better be! This is nearly TWO WEEKS! of sanding, waxing, polishing, primping and preening. But she's so, so lovely. I can't wait to spin on her!
 

2nd Coat...

Yesterday I started the second coat of wax on the CS2. Unfortunately for me, the 2 coats are noticeably nicer than 1 coat. If it hadn’t been, I could have ducked out of doing more! sigh Waxing continues today.

I don’t think I’ll have the energy to do the three coats on the whole thing though - probably just the treadles and the parts that get the most “touching” during use.

Country Spinner Mark 2 Update

My CS2 and accompanying fluff arrived on Tuesday. I spent Tuesday-Thursday sanding and Friday-Sunday (this evening) waxing. And...

I FINALLY FINISHED WAXING IT!

That is, the first coat.

I’m so tired, and tomorrow I have the dentists AND an MRI. :-( Since it arrived on Tuesday all I’ve done in my free time is work on the wheel. I have to keep reminding myself that the effort I’m expending now will be worth it, and comparing the part I’m working on with my Traddy so that I think “Yup, still prefer the wax finish over the oil.”

I’ll take tomorrow off from the wheel. I’ll have my crochet with me for travelling and waiting-rooms. And when I get home I’ll just watch telly or read for a bit.

The ginormous bobbin is being left until after the wheel is assembled so I can have photos showing how the wax changes the raw wood, and will probably just get the one coat of beeswax for now.

The good news is that I can now judge that I’ll have enough beeswax in the tin to do the three coats I originally wanted. Whether or not I’ll have the spoons to do that remains to be seen.

Have some photos...

End of Autumn

There is a bush in the garden, the name of which I can never remember. It has clusters of tiny white flowers and small pointed leaves. At the start of autumn its leaves slowly turn gold. Suddenly, you'll notice that the top of the shrub has turned red. And then one day, usually around Samhain, you go outside and almost all the leaves will have dropped off overnight. All my life, that has signalled the end of any kind of warm weather. Other trees and plants might continue to boast amber hues, but the colour seems half-lie after that. This morning the leaves had dropped, and Mum and I spent what few daylight hours there were trying to get the last of the plants in. They should have been long-since in, and the bulbs besides, but the wet, miserable weather kept up from the garden. My big task today was getting the two clematis in. Mum physically lacks the strength and balance to weild a spade now, and the clay claggy soil was waterlogged. The spots we wanted them in were long-term "lawn" spots too. The sum meaning that I had to dig a much bigger hole than you'd imagine a clematis would need, and in the worst conditions. However, they now have a chance of surviving even our scheduled bitter winter.

Tomorrow I finally have a psychology appointment. I asked for help originally in December/January, and was assessed in March. I finally caved to the antidepressants in May. And at the start of November I'll hopefully get the help I need.

Since October was my birthday month, Ravelry has been amazing! At the start of the month I recieved two patterns, one for the Rusalka Cowl, which I'm half-way through crocheting in a lovely warm aran wool in cream, and one for the Belinda Vest. I started chatting to the Raveler who sent the vest pattern and when she discovered I had yet to obtain an aran weight yarn for the pattern, she offered me one she hadn't a use for. It arrived a week before my birthday - a lovely hazy soft purple - along with a birthday card! On the actual day of my birthday, asides from being overwhelmed by good wishes, I recieved an entire e-book of patterns containing two of the shawl patterns in the top of my wish list! The other two patterns (also for shawls) are beautiful too. Once my vest and cowl are finished for me to snuggle down in this winter, I shall have fun selecting which lace yarns from my stash will be lucky enough to be worked up!

On my birthday I had a lovely quiet day. All the exciting stuff (my usual trip through to Glasgow) was conducted the previous week so that I might attend the Glasgow School of Yarn. So it was nice to know that I had nothing to do. No laundry or chores, no appointments, no babysitting. Mum had to go out and I sat crocheting with the telly for a bit and then the critters and I went for a lovely nap in the living room. Mum came back with a birthday bouquet of yellow roses which have delighted me every time I catch sight of their sunny fanfare. We had fish-n-chips for tea and instead of a cake we had a huge strawberry tart each. I made Mum sing the birthday song. It was a good day for turning 28.

More twitches today. Including a rather uncomfortable total upper torso twitch. Mum was there for that one and reminded me what my sisters said - not to fight it. I made myself relax and it soon passed but my neck is a bit painful from where I was resisting at first. :-(

And my computer's wifi is still down, hence the absense of any photos from the last few weeks. Hopefully will get it up and running again before the new wheel arrives!