Tuesday 12th March

BUNGALOW 

Well, thank you all for the excellent advice about the carpet and the gas fire yesterday! I think we will replace the carpet at some point, and get the fire serviced too.

I've thought of a Cunning Plan;

If the small bedroom and the spare bedroom are cleared first 

duplicate and elderly duvets etc, 

computer bits and pieces, 

high sleeper bed, 

books, clothes and stuff belonging to son and daughter

other stuff of ours

a couple of desks

 we can move into the spare bedroom, sell our king size double which would be too big and shift our furniture out of our bedroom. Then carpet fitting and a coat of paint would be reasonably straightforward. 

GARDENING

it's impossible weather for gardening, and has been for far too long. All the earth in my pots is saturated. I had a brainwave; I can plant my seeds; lettuce and broad beans at least, in paper pots and keep them dry (that sounds weird, I know) in my plastic greenhouse. So I spent some time with a heap of scrap paper and my paper plant pot maker. I have a carrier bag half full, plenty to be going on with, and have managed to ease my impatience to get started.

CROSS STITCH

nothing much has happened except that I have picked out the colours. 

KNITTING 

the poncho progresses. I have to knit to the end of the ball, and I might manage that tonight. Then the sewing up is very straightforward. I'm using 7mm needles so each row uses up quite a lot of yarn.

You know what I said about finishing UFOs and WIPs beforestarting anything new...

Today has been another low oxygen day; a mixture of this admittedly slight cold but also some broken nights. I went up for a bit of a - not exactly a snooze but the next best thing; restful afternoon in bed with a pot of tea and somethingto read and, oh dear, I have cast on some knitting.  

I love the colours of this yarn, but although it is double knitting weight, it is too thin for the mitred square blanket which is what I bought it for. Somehow the dark centre of the yarn cake has been staring at me for weeks as though to say 'what are you going to do about me?' Today was the day I cracked;

 There's a wrap, scarf, whatever, pattern on the purl soho site with the simplest lace-type pattern ever; 

cast on an even number of stitches,

For every row K1 * yarn over P2tog repeat from * to last stitch, K1

That's it. Simple. I just have to learn to love doing purl.