Vintage Knitting Yarn Appeal

 From Facebook Archives

13 June 2020 at 11.18

I love vintage knitting patterns.   

This is from a 1950s/60s Things To Knit For A Bazaar book.  

 It's a dachshund jumper.  I did it in double knit on size 8 (4mm) last year for a friend's springer spaniel.  This time it's chunkier wool on size 5 (5.5mm) resulting in a much bigger garment suitable for a bigger dog.  The stripes are because I didn't think there was enough of one colour to do the whole thing.

It's going in the pile of things to take to LD:NorthEast when this present unpleasantness is over.

But if a friend with a suitable sized dog wants to acquire it I can give you the details of how to make a donation via their webpage.

Bess Cavalier  I bet there are some fun things in the knitting for bazaars book!

Bentonbag  There's an arran sweater design for a poodle that I simply can't understand.  If you ever make it up to Newcastle we can have a happy half hour going through my boxfile of patterns.

Bess Cavalier Would love to.

Mrs Quilt  Was this a challenge or do you have a customer for it?  Virtually my school scarf!

Bentonbag  No just have a lot of donated yarn and wanted to do something with it.

Princess Northumbria  Have you any red and yellow yarn that could be used for Northumberland flag design fingerless gloves?

Bentonbag  I shall have a look in my stash.  Would you like a pair?

Princess Northumbria  We've been given a pattern which we're hoping can be used to make pairs to raise funds towards efforts to resume theGathering after the pandemic.

Bentonbag   If you scan and email me it I might be able to make a pair.

Princess Northumbria  Thanks - will endeavour to do so once my scanner stops misbehaving.

Some Time Later – after a reccy in LDNE’s loft

Bentonbag  Are you still interested in red and yellow yarn for knitting mitts for fundraising?  I have some donated for LDNE but we have enough stashed away to keep us going for years.

Princess Northumbria  Thanks for getting back in touch. Yes, please!

 

Post Script

The jumper is still unsold, should any friend with a suitable dog want it. 

Missing Mobile O2 Service Durham

I’m gradually using up the Facebook Archives so that there are now some dates with nothing to use.  I’ve therefore decided to go forward a day or so when applicable. 

From Facebook Archives

12 June 2024 at 19.15

Mobile missing and not answering so if you want to reach me try the landline.

I had it in my back pocket when I left to go to Tesco, but not when I got home.

I've tried ringing it but it's off (I never turn it off) so I suspect it's dropped and fallen apart.

I've also been back to Tesco, left my name and landline number and looked in all the places I'd been - including under things much to people's alarm.

“Eee pet, are you all right down there?”

“Yes thanks, I’m just looking for my mobile.”

“Good luck with that hinny.”

It’s not a huge problem as I only use it for calls and texts but still a nuisance, especially as it's the 'in case of emergency' number for everything, and has all my contact numbers on it.

Until it's found or replaced it's best to use the landline, or email.

Next job is to call O2...

12 June 2024 at 22.26

And to add joy to the day there's just been a power outage, short but long enough that I'm now going to have to reset the radio alarm clock.

Woolerwoman  We've had our nearest path to the front road blocked off for a week.  Something to do with the water supply needed to be dug up and replaced.  Fine, but no sign of any action re filling up the hole again!  Apart from it being very inconvenient to have to walk around to other ways to get to the street, we've missed our recycling bin collection. Not happy  Done today, thankfully.

13 June 2024 at 11.05

The good news is O2 are sending me a new SIM with the same number so I don't have to try and remember which organisations have got my number to update.

Should be here by Monday.

The bad news is I shall have to try and get everyone's number an input it.

So look out for a message asking people to text me so I can save the number.

New Nokia awaiting collection in Argos/Sainsbury's

14 June 2024 at 14.10

Hurrah!

The new sim-card arrived in today's post (thank you O2).

The new mobile is working, with the same number as the old one.

However I need to put all the numbers in.

If you want me to have your mobile number please could you text your name to me and I shall save it to the phone/sim.

I know more than one Sue, Diane, Linda and Janet so a surname/initial would be helpful.

 

📱📱📱 

The appeal elicited this text from Mrs Fitz 

I certainly want you to have my number.  I would miss the odd message as you go through Durham!

The Coven once met in Durham.  

Paula and I went to meet Mrs Fitz off the train.   

She, being used to travelling to Newcastle, was on auto-pilot and failed to alight.  

There followed many mobile calls and texts whilst she endeavoured to get the next train from Newcastle to Durham, and Paula and I had coffee in the station café.  

Mrs Fitz very nearly caught a train going south whose first stop was Darlington.  

Thankfully she was on the phone to her son who was looking up the train times online and warned her in time.  

This is why whenever I’m on a train going through Durham I text telling her so.

 

 

 

Insomnia?!

When Felix was a kitten

Facebook posts have been a bit thin on the ground recently and I thought I’d have nothing to blog today then this …

By way of explanation…

Felixcat now 18 years old and becoming senile, he has developed the loudest unearthly yowl which he quite often produces in the wee small hours when he wants to be in somewhere.  Because Teddy is such a bastard and has taken possession of our bed Felix now tries to sleep with Thunderthighs.

On Wednesdays Thunderthighs has an early shift at Hextol so is out of the house before 7.30 which is when my alarm goes off.

Half an hour ago I was sitting her scrolling through the Facebook archives and finding nothing useful when my mobile’s text alert went off.

From Thunderthighs

All Felix has done all night is anything BUT settle.   

He rests somewhere for 10 minutes and then either adjusts himself or moves somewhere else; rinse and repeat for the rest of the night.

Loving mother’s reply

We know.

From Thunderthighs

FURTHERMORE, Ferretfingers was CONSTANTLY going to the toilet until 1 o’clock in the morning!  I was lying in bed having trouble sleeping like “You had a shit a quarter of an hour ago, WHY ARE GOING FOR ANOTHER ONE, YOU INCONTINENT TOILET PERVERT?!  JUST WAIT UNTIL MORNING!”

Before I could respond the mobile chimed again

And on top of all that, the sun wouldn’t set until fucking midnight for some reason.

 So like the home-life etc.

And with that the smoke alarms (one on each floor, linked to each other) have gone off again because Fester forgets and fails to turn on the extraction fan in the kitchen when he’s immolating bacon or burning toast.

 

Teeth Blockage

From Facebook Archives

8 June 2022 at 08.08

Busy day yesterday, with a lot of walking around slowly in the open air at Ouseburn, so I was shattered last night.

But at least I good a relatively good night's sleep.

Another busy day ahead: Ferretfingers to/from Rising Sun and in between accompanying Thunderthighs to the Molieux Dental Centre to have his first treatment under gas and air.  I think it's fillings and I'm really not looking forward to it.

Later   

It wasn't treatment, it was yet another dentist having a look, explaining what would happen and filling and signing of forms.  But he is the dentist that is going to do the work!  

Which starts on Wednesday 17 August.

Miss Doozer  You make it sound like roadworks 

'Work commencing 17th August, expect disruption and leave extra time for your journey...'

8 June 2025 at 10.21

Thundery rain yesterday and the downcomer feeding the waterbutt was blocked, water cascading out of the hopper above the bay windows and nothing into the waterbutt.

So out I went with the drain snake (blessing the memory of my father-in-law Tom), shoved it through the connecting pipe, got all but the last six inches in, pulled it back and WHOOSH the head of water had pushed through whatever I'd loosened and it came pouring in.

I'd tried the same thing a couple of times recently because the butt wasn't filling, but never when it was raining so it obviously needed a bit of pressure from above to dislodge it.

Came back in damp but satisfied.

Henlady  Hurrah!