Giving up (but not giving in)

It's been a traumatic week. I gave up smoking on Wednesday (1st Feb) and managed to time it immaculately to coincide with the start of a spectacular bout of PMT. No doubt the two situations were feeding off each other. I'm taking turns at feeling elated and manically depressed; not a pretty sight. The GI diet is struggling on - I'm craving either oatcakes with cheese or more chocolate.

On Friday youngest DD came down with the infamous flu bug doing the rounds atm and had to come home from school early looking and feeling decidedly poorly. At least her asthma seems ok and she is on the mend now.

Last night we went out to a Murder Mystery meal which was so completely cryptic to me that I hadn't the foggiest what was going on all night. I think my brain had actually disconnected for the whole evening. DH drank plenty (I was driving), managed to work some of it out, and then was very ill when we got home (it was the subtle mix of red wine and Jack Daniels in large quantity that did it). I was really impressed.

Today we were all munching away happily through our yummy roast beef and yorkshire puds dinner when I discovered a cavernous hole in another tooth (well it's mainly filling already) on the other side of my mouth (see not-so-long-ago post), so it's back to the dentist for me this week.

AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Knitting, thankfully, is the one thing that has remained on an even keel.

The Rain Dance Shawl now stands at 322 stitches wide and is ready for the edging.

That's 16 lots of zigzags with 20 stitches each - hopefully much more manageable. I know it doesn't add up - there is 1 extra stitch to be incorporated each side. And yes that is part of the pattern.

One Broadstreet Mitten is complete and thankfully it fits. I still need to sew on a button to fasten down the shell when it's open though.

It fits! And not a seam in sight (apart from the 2 tiny bits of ribbing at the sides of the shell).

I do have to admit that I got slightly overwhelmed with the small-circular-needle syndrome, and just HAD to start something else on big straight needles as some form of respite.

Hence the (hopefully) classic fitted sweater using my beloved Colinette Giotto yarn in shade "Caramel".

The front's nearly done too.

That's your lot for now. I feel the need for an oatcake - to be chewed carefully to avoid the hole in my tooth of course.. :-/