Jim's Jumper

Are y'all down on the coast? I had almost a month of sweater weather here in Austin during the winter (such as it was), including several "wear the merino undershirt AND the sweater since I'll be outside most of the day" sorts of days. Did he miss the cold snap we had just four weeks ago?

He lives near Houston and works in the oil industry Wooly.

When he emigrated (four years ago) he took with him an Aran that I'd knitted for him about 5 years before that. He wears it when he is working outside but finds it too warm most of the time so asked for a lighter weight one.

He told me that they had sleet earlier in the year and there was some flooding north of where he lives.

Oh that's beautiful!~ Good goin'! He'll be SOOO happy to have that when it's finished. :) Wendy

That is gorgeous! I hope all goes well with your hand!

Hesira

Wow I love the color...what is it? Oh and the cables are very interesting, I have never seen anything like it before.

Here's hoping you can get it finished and your left hand goes as well as the right one did.

Donna

Nice sweater, Bernadette! Nice knitting and nice design.

Good wishes for the hand surgery.

BB

Thank you myswendy.

I sent him the pics last evening and he seems very pleased.

Thanks Hesira.

Within a week of the op on my right hand I was able to start knitting. In fact my specialist recommended it to help make the hand supple and gradually build up the strength again.

Hi Donna, it is an economy yarn by Patons called FAB.

The colour is beige (No, I didn't believe it either as beige is usually a muddy colour). To me it looks the colour of ripe corn. It is 100% acrylic, machine washable and drier safe.

I fell in love with the pattern when I saw it in my local craft shop and the cables aren't at all difficult to do - fiddly, but not hard (lol).

It'll be good to have both "paws" in full working order again - just think of the mischief I can get into then! :-)

Thanks BB - I do love making things...

...especially if there is a nice stitch to work.

The surgeon did a wonderful job on my right hand in January so I have no qualms about going in for this op. Thank you for your good wishes.

Ah, I see. Houston gets chilly, but not cold. Heck, Austin is just chilly - I'm the one with an unreliable thermostat these days :D I spent most of September under a pile of blankets when it was still in the 90s every day!

Ok I will have to check it out...would be a nice yarn to use for lap robes for the Veterans.....they like real bright colors.

LOL yes I can hardly wait to see your new creations

Bernadette spun a FINE 'yarn':

Bernadette. . .

Bernadette, gawjus, just gawjus. Houston? I lived in Houston for 6 months, back in the early eighties, during the last of the building boom that went bust. (those were the days the oil people were hoping for 84 in 84 ... meaning 84 bux a barrel in 1984.... ) Noreen who digresses......

Lol Wooly.

Jim took a while to acclimatise because where he lived before was usually up to about 74 or 75F in the summer and about 25 - 30F in the hardest winter. He nearly dropped from the heat in Houston the first couple of years.

The Texas climate agrees with him more than the UK one as he has suffered from Chondromalacia patella in his knees since he was a teenager. It is very painful for him but warmer weather seems to keep him more comfortable.

Hi Bernadette,

Are you having carpal tunnel surgery? I had my left hand done nearly three weeks ago, and I was knitting again after a week too. I was pleasantly surprised about that! I hope your second op goes as well as the first.

You've got it in one Sue :-)

It is wonderful the way all these "nasties" can be sorted out for us and I'm so glad your op has gone as well as that too. I couldn't believe how quickly I got the movement back after the first one but the thing I found best of all was as soon as the op was completed - no more pain!

I'm not exactly looking forward to the next one (I found the tourniquet was the most painful part) but I will be pleased when it is done.

Will you have to have your right hand done as well?

Hi Bernadette,

I don't think I'll need the other one doing any time soon, since I only have very slight occasional symptoms in my right hand. I agree that the tourniquet is pretty unpleasant, it was such a relief when they took it off! Still, it was worth it. I'll be thinking of you on the 23rd.