I've a few little things to talk about first though. One being that I have finally, after 16 months, had my PIP tribunal. I'm afraid I can't tell you how it went, because although I was told that my outcome would be posted first class the same day as my hearing, I've yet to receive it. I feel better that it's out of the way, and annoyed that I've still not got an answer. Mostly I am grateful to all of the people who have helped me get through the process. Gemma came all the way to Sheffield, which involved a 5am start, to support me through the hearing. We celebrated it being over and done with by having Pizza and gin:
Pro tip: If you find yourself needing to follow a gluten free diet, and you like a nice thin and crispy pizza, I recommend Zizzi! This was the best GF pizza I've ever tasted, and the Garden G&T was exactly what I needed at that point in time.
During my tribunal I was asked a question about my hobbies, which resulted in me pulling out my knitting to show them the socks that I'm currently knitting:
Gemma's response was priceless when I said these ones are for me! But as I usually use just over 50g of yarn to make a pair of socks, and this is a 100g ball, there should be enough left over for me to make a second pair if I give them contrasting toes and cuffs. So I've promised Gemma that I'll make her a pair from this yarn too.
These are my "Hospital Socks", made according to my standard adaptable 3&1 rib pattern, and the yarn is King Cole Zigzag in the colourway "Marine".
Did I finish it in time?
Yes, yes I did finish it in time! Just!
"It" being my latest sweater, that I wanted to wear to The Wool Monty show. It looked like it might not happen a couple of days before the show when I put my knitting down on the arm of the sofa, then leaned over it to reach something on my table, then heard and felt a faint snap...
Fortunately (kind of) I'm clumsy enough to have broken this size of needle before, so I had a spare 3.25mm interchangeable that I just had to hunt down. I'm also tidy and organised enough that there was a very limited number of places that the spare could be, so it didn't take too long to find.
This is the finished result. Not the most elegant pose, but I'm not allowed to fully weight bear on that right knee remember! (For anyone new to the blog, or only here to read about The Wool Monty, on top of my usual list of ailments that includes Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Lipidema, and POTS, I've also very recently had surgery on my knee). I didn't have time to pose for lots of photos either, as this was taken right before I headed off to The Wool Monty, and I was already running late. Probably because I'd only cast off at 11:40pm the night before! I even sewed my ends in before I went to bed, but only because having been knit in the round there were very few of those.
The pattern for this is Sel Gris by Claudia Eisenkolb, and the yarn is Fyberspates Vivacious 4-ply, in the colourway "Plum Imps".
The Show
Here I am, out and about in the real world, spending too much money, and not caring about it for one day, because this day is me condensing all of the self-care that I've needed for the last 2 months into a few hours with a friend, smooshing yarn, admiring shiny things, comfort shopping, and hugging a giant pink penguin.
I'm going to fly through the particular stalls that really got my attention for you here. There were many more there than I could afford to buy from, including several who I've seen a number of times at other yarn shows, so I'm very sorry, but I decided to try a few vendors I'd never encountered before. I promise that I still love all of the others too!
* The Wool Monty Stand
The first place I headed for, even before I met up with Dominey. I always like to have a tote bag and show guide if they're available, which they were, along with some excellent other show merch that I would have liked to get too if I'd had the money.
I wanted to get here as soon as possible, because I've been trying to get my hands on a rainbow sheep progress keeper for months, but they always sell out online before I get to them. The stand was immensely busy when Dominey and I got there, but Hannah is lovely, and went to fetch me one when I said why I was there. I suppose I could have run everyone over with the mobility scooter that I've borrowed off Dominey until my knee is healed, but that seemed terribly impolite.
My first yarny purchase of the show came from this stall. A set of rainbow mini-skeins that will be perfect for my mitred squares blanket and cushion covers.
Instagram is a two-edged sword in the run up to a yarn festival, as you get to see sneak peaks of things that will be there, which can help you plan in advance what you're looking for. It can also make you want ALL THE THINGS! I really struggled to leave this stand with only 2 items! One was a small project bag made from a fabric that looks like the images from the Hubble Telescope. I'd planned to buy that because I'd asked for it to be made! The other is not for me, so it's a secret.
I've mentioned before that I have a mild stationery fetish, so imagine my joy when I noticed a stall dedicated to knitting and crochet related stationery! I had to be very restrained, and I'm quite proud of myself for coming away only with a selection of yarny stickers. I'm currently using them in my diary to denote knitting events.
Petra is one of my favourite independent yarn dyers, and I'm sad that I can't currently go to her knit nights as her studio is up a steep flight of stairs that I can't manage right now, so it was great to see her. While I was at her stall, this one skein kept calling to me, and it's not one that I would normally choose. Dominey thinks I've gone a bit strange for choosing it, and that's because it's more than 50% bright orange! I also picked up a couple of moody mini-skeins. They're singles, which I'm not usually a big fan of, but I really liked the colours, and as they're likely to be used as part of the mitred squares blanket my usual issues with singles shouldn't be a problem.
This stall had so many gorgeous colourways! I only planned on buying one skein, but a second one slipped in there too. I'm very much looking forward to casting on with the purple skein, it's a merino, yak, and nylon blend, far too good for socks, variegated enough to be interesting, but tonal enough to work with a delicate lace pattern. The only problem is that I already have at least 4 shawls on the needles! I really need to finish at least a couple of those before I cast on a new one.
I think these guys may be my new favourite independent yarn brand, and I'm sure you can tell why! I didn't even buy any yarn from them, although their colours are gorgeous, and their colourway names marvellously geeky. Instead I bought a project bag, and a pin badge, because there were penguins! I was also given a free back-pack style tote bag, which is perfect, because when I'm using my crutches anything slung over my shoulders just slides off, or swings around and gets in my way. On top of that, I got to cuddle this fellow:
This is Brian. Brian is a very modern penguin who likes selfies, and hotel slippers. He left his slippers at the hotel on the Saturday, so he was keeping his feet firmly tucked beneath him to stay warm.
I was given a free crochet pattern to make a mini-Brian. I shall have to work on my crochet skills, because this needs to happen.
I probably have enough buttons, not that that's ever stopped me from buying more to be fair, but actually what caught my eye at this stand was the ceramic progress keepers. I got one with a rose on it, because Rose is my middle name.
I had already reached my provisional budget when I spotted a gorgeous tonal red yarn at this stall. I had kept a little in reserve just in case there was still anything that I really, really wanted. I took a card so I would remember which stall it was at, and finished looking around, stopped for a drink and a rest, then went back and bought that skein. It's not often that you find a really good red.
I'll be honest, I didn't even know the name of this stall until I looked it up in the show guide when I got home. I spotted a penguin patterned project bag right on the top shelf when I was at the Corner of Craft stall, and made a deal with myself that I would only buy it if it was still there when it was time for me to head home. It was!
I can't even find these in the show guide, but I know they were there, because I bought a pin badge from them! I've finally got myself a classic knitting and gin pin! I considered getting the Prosecco and Purl pin, but decided that I should get the original pin first.
* Homespun Wonders
I love Kate and Heather, as I'm sure you'll know if you're regular readers. Their yarn boxes are the best presents that I can possibly buy for myself to cheer myself up.
Sadly, I didn't find anything on their stall that really jumped out at me, or at least not anything that I don't already have! It was lovely to have a chat with these wonderful women though, and I couldn't post about a new yarn show in Sheffield without talking about some of my favourite local yarnies!
* Clay and Wood Works
If I had lots of spare cash, and my own car had been parked in the carpark, there were many lovely things on this stall that I would have loved to bring home with me. Sadly, neither of those requirements were met, but I really do feel as though these ladies deserve to be shared with the world.
In particular there was an enormous yarn bowl, that could easily hold an entire sweater quantity of yarn, some beautiful wooden chests, that look like they should hold pirate treasure, but if I had one would be filled with my ever increasing hoard of mini-skeins, and some very useful stepping stools, with little drawers in them, where you could store things like screwdrivers, measuring tape, picture hooks, and a small hammer, the things that you can never remember where you've put them when it's time for a bit of minor DIY.
* Opusanglicanum
<TANGENT>
I confess that this is the second time I've had to write the second half of this blog post, as my little laptop, which runs on Ubuntu, basically because Windows 10 is too fat to fit on it and be capable of updating itself, even though it came pre-installed with Windows 10, can't cope with the fact that Stephen's WiFi has a booster signal to make sure it reaches all around the house. For this reason, my little laptop will randomly disconnect from the WiFi without telling me. Also, the browser that I use - Chromium - is supposed to work like Chrome does on a Windows machine, but actually, it doesn't seem to like Ubuntu very much either, is slower than I am when I walk the dog, and will occasionally tell you that it can't do things it is plainly in the process of doing, or that it has done things it later turns out it hasn't. Things like Save the text and links that I just spent 4 hours typing and researching.
The first time that I wrote this, it was a detailed and intricate explanation of why I've chosen to talk about this particular stallholder, including links to some of Stephen's hobbies that are relevant. Forgive me for not having the memory, or energy, to repeat that feat.
</TANGENT>
OK, so, I used to do modern embroidery many, many years ago, and I've even tried a bit of tapestry, but I've never tried this Old English style of embroidery, that many people will find reminiscent of the Bayeux Tapestry, which I'm sure you all know, wasn't actually a tapestry, but was actually embroidery.
This stall was selling kits, in particular I liked one that depicted a 12th century dragon design, and the contents of these kits included yarn that was entirely hand-dyed using natural dying techniques that would have been available during the medieval era. The kits were priced accordingly, which sadly placed them beyond my remaining budget by the time I reached this stall. I will buy myself one online when I have my finances back under control. In the meantime, the least I can do is share information about this lovely business with you all.
* CRY
The entire event was run in conjunction with the charity CRY, which works to research, screen for, and raise awareness of cardiac risk in the young. A percentage of the profits from all merchandise sold is being given to this charity.
As someone who suffers from a range of conditions, including a couple that mean I see more than I'd like of the inside of the Cardiology department, but up until recently was repeatedly dismissed by my GPs as being too young, it's just anxiety attacks caused by your depression, your blood tests are all normal, so you're imagining it, you're overweight, so go on a diet... I entirely approve of any organisation that endeavours to get illness in younger people taken seriously.
* Homespun Wonders
I love Kate and Heather, as I'm sure you'll know if you're regular readers. Their yarn boxes are the best presents that I can possibly buy for myself to cheer myself up.
Sadly, I didn't find anything on their stall that really jumped out at me, or at least not anything that I don't already have! It was lovely to have a chat with these wonderful women though, and I couldn't post about a new yarn show in Sheffield without talking about some of my favourite local yarnies!
* Clay and Wood Works
If I had lots of spare cash, and my own car had been parked in the carpark, there were many lovely things on this stall that I would have loved to bring home with me. Sadly, neither of those requirements were met, but I really do feel as though these ladies deserve to be shared with the world.
In particular there was an enormous yarn bowl, that could easily hold an entire sweater quantity of yarn, some beautiful wooden chests, that look like they should hold pirate treasure, but if I had one would be filled with my ever increasing hoard of mini-skeins, and some very useful stepping stools, with little drawers in them, where you could store things like screwdrivers, measuring tape, picture hooks, and a small hammer, the things that you can never remember where you've put them when it's time for a bit of minor DIY.
* Opusanglicanum
<TANGENT>
I confess that this is the second time I've had to write the second half of this blog post, as my little laptop, which runs on Ubuntu, basically because Windows 10 is too fat to fit on it and be capable of updating itself, even though it came pre-installed with Windows 10, can't cope with the fact that Stephen's WiFi has a booster signal to make sure it reaches all around the house. For this reason, my little laptop will randomly disconnect from the WiFi without telling me. Also, the browser that I use - Chromium - is supposed to work like Chrome does on a Windows machine, but actually, it doesn't seem to like Ubuntu very much either, is slower than I am when I walk the dog, and will occasionally tell you that it can't do things it is plainly in the process of doing, or that it has done things it later turns out it hasn't. Things like Save the text and links that I just spent 4 hours typing and researching.
The first time that I wrote this, it was a detailed and intricate explanation of why I've chosen to talk about this particular stallholder, including links to some of Stephen's hobbies that are relevant. Forgive me for not having the memory, or energy, to repeat that feat.
</TANGENT>
OK, so, I used to do modern embroidery many, many years ago, and I've even tried a bit of tapestry, but I've never tried this Old English style of embroidery, that many people will find reminiscent of the Bayeux Tapestry, which I'm sure you all know, wasn't actually a tapestry, but was actually embroidery.
This stall was selling kits, in particular I liked one that depicted a 12th century dragon design, and the contents of these kits included yarn that was entirely hand-dyed using natural dying techniques that would have been available during the medieval era. The kits were priced accordingly, which sadly placed them beyond my remaining budget by the time I reached this stall. I will buy myself one online when I have my finances back under control. In the meantime, the least I can do is share information about this lovely business with you all.
* CRY
The entire event was run in conjunction with the charity CRY, which works to research, screen for, and raise awareness of cardiac risk in the young. A percentage of the profits from all merchandise sold is being given to this charity.
As someone who suffers from a range of conditions, including a couple that mean I see more than I'd like of the inside of the Cardiology department, but up until recently was repeatedly dismissed by my GPs as being too young, it's just anxiety attacks caused by your depression, your blood tests are all normal, so you're imagining it, you're overweight, so go on a diet... I entirely approve of any organisation that endeavours to get illness in younger people taken seriously.
Overview
This post has been an awful lot of writing, and not very many pictures. I apologise for that, but on the other hand, I think it's a good thing sometimes to spend your time experiencing an event, rather than simply photographing it!
I did, of course, take a photo of my "haul" as soon as I got home. Finn was not impressed, because after he'd spent quite some time standing all over the things I was trying to lay out, and stealing random skeins of yarn, I banned him from the room until I'd managed to get a half-decent photo. I hope you can identify which things were bought from where, based on my descriptions!
Overall, I had a brilliant day. I was especially impressed with how much effort had gone into ensuring that everything was accessible. Everything was on the ground floor, aisles were wide enough that even a mobility scooter, and a wheelchair side-by-side didn't cause a traffic jam, there was plenty of empty space for people to stand in to reorganise bags, or stand and have a chat. There was a decent amount of seating, including comfy sofas, for taking a break from shopping in order to knit or crochet a few rows, and compare purchases with friends.
The mobility scooter that I'd borrowed off Dominey made a world of difference to how much I enjoyed the whole experience. I didn't have to use all of my energy just to remain standing up, and I didn't have to cause myself pain by carrying bags on weak shoulders.
Nearly everyone we spoke to was lovely, there was space to reach every stall, most of the stall holders were very kind, and would fetch anything that we couldn't reach so that we had a good chance to squish and fondle, but none of them put us under any pressure to buy. There was a good range of stalls, including lots of small, and local vendors that I'd never encountered before, and a nice variety of style and colour. There was a little less in the way of spinning or weaving than some might have liked, but I'm trying to avoid buying spinning fibre just now anyway, as I'm not getting a lot of time to spin, so I didn't mind too much.
The only aspect of the show that I found disappointing was the catering. I'm lead to understand that the catering was also one of the few things that was primarily organised by the venue, rather than the show organisers. This was my experience of it:
Dominey and I decided after our first round that we'd like to stop for a rest and a cup of tea. This was about 11:30am, and I was already half an hour late to take my medications, and I really need a drink to take them, as some of them are quite large! Normally I'd bring a re-fillable bottle with me, mostly because as treatment for my POTS I'm supposed to drink 4 litres of fluid a day, but also so I never need to worry about finding a drink to take my meds. However, the venue does not allow food or drink to be brought in from the outside. So the little cafe area was our only option. The queue was enormous, moving slowly, and there didn't appear to be any seats available either, so we decided to press on and try again later.
By 12:45pm the queue wasn't any shorter, but at least there were a few empty seating spots, plus we were overheating, and getting pretty desperate for a rest and a drink by then, so we decided to suck it up and join the queue. I would have liked to get something to eat, as I was hungry, but as I'm gluten sensitive, the only option for me was a baked potato. Since I was overheating already, I really didn't want hot food, but all of the other options were wraps and sandwiches. There was a single, lonely slice of gluten free chocolate cake in a fridge all on it's own, wrapped in cling film to protect it from contamination. It looked a bit scrappy and unappetising to me though so I decided to just settle for an apple. Food wasn't too unreasonably priced, at £4.00 for a plain baked potato, but drinks were, at £2.50 for a small bottle of coke (If you live in London, please don't mock, this is Yorkshire!). Also, coke was pretty much your only choice for a cold drink. Water, coke, or diet coke. I needed something cold, and sweet, to keep both hydration and energy up, so coke it had to be.
I'm aware that technically we could have left the venue to seek nourishment elsewhere, as there was a system in place to allow people to get back in if they left, and there is a large entertainment complex just across the road, with a wide range of eating establishments. However, the weather was constantly threatening rain, and that road is a very large, and very busy road. Not one that is easy for a pair of disabled women to get safely across. Which left us pretty much a captive audience to the inadequate catering. I hope that this is something that the organisers can work with the venue to improve for future events. And I really do hope that the organisers feel it was all worth the effort enough to run it again next year. They should feel very proud of what they achieved with The Wool Monty, and I will definitely be there next time if there is a next time!
I did, of course, take a photo of my "haul" as soon as I got home. Finn was not impressed, because after he'd spent quite some time standing all over the things I was trying to lay out, and stealing random skeins of yarn, I banned him from the room until I'd managed to get a half-decent photo. I hope you can identify which things were bought from where, based on my descriptions!
Overall, I had a brilliant day. I was especially impressed with how much effort had gone into ensuring that everything was accessible. Everything was on the ground floor, aisles were wide enough that even a mobility scooter, and a wheelchair side-by-side didn't cause a traffic jam, there was plenty of empty space for people to stand in to reorganise bags, or stand and have a chat. There was a decent amount of seating, including comfy sofas, for taking a break from shopping in order to knit or crochet a few rows, and compare purchases with friends.
The mobility scooter that I'd borrowed off Dominey made a world of difference to how much I enjoyed the whole experience. I didn't have to use all of my energy just to remain standing up, and I didn't have to cause myself pain by carrying bags on weak shoulders.
Nearly everyone we spoke to was lovely, there was space to reach every stall, most of the stall holders were very kind, and would fetch anything that we couldn't reach so that we had a good chance to squish and fondle, but none of them put us under any pressure to buy. There was a good range of stalls, including lots of small, and local vendors that I'd never encountered before, and a nice variety of style and colour. There was a little less in the way of spinning or weaving than some might have liked, but I'm trying to avoid buying spinning fibre just now anyway, as I'm not getting a lot of time to spin, so I didn't mind too much.
The only aspect of the show that I found disappointing was the catering. I'm lead to understand that the catering was also one of the few things that was primarily organised by the venue, rather than the show organisers. This was my experience of it:
Dominey and I decided after our first round that we'd like to stop for a rest and a cup of tea. This was about 11:30am, and I was already half an hour late to take my medications, and I really need a drink to take them, as some of them are quite large! Normally I'd bring a re-fillable bottle with me, mostly because as treatment for my POTS I'm supposed to drink 4 litres of fluid a day, but also so I never need to worry about finding a drink to take my meds. However, the venue does not allow food or drink to be brought in from the outside. So the little cafe area was our only option. The queue was enormous, moving slowly, and there didn't appear to be any seats available either, so we decided to press on and try again later.
By 12:45pm the queue wasn't any shorter, but at least there were a few empty seating spots, plus we were overheating, and getting pretty desperate for a rest and a drink by then, so we decided to suck it up and join the queue. I would have liked to get something to eat, as I was hungry, but as I'm gluten sensitive, the only option for me was a baked potato. Since I was overheating already, I really didn't want hot food, but all of the other options were wraps and sandwiches. There was a single, lonely slice of gluten free chocolate cake in a fridge all on it's own, wrapped in cling film to protect it from contamination. It looked a bit scrappy and unappetising to me though so I decided to just settle for an apple. Food wasn't too unreasonably priced, at £4.00 for a plain baked potato, but drinks were, at £2.50 for a small bottle of coke (If you live in London, please don't mock, this is Yorkshire!). Also, coke was pretty much your only choice for a cold drink. Water, coke, or diet coke. I needed something cold, and sweet, to keep both hydration and energy up, so coke it had to be.
I'm aware that technically we could have left the venue to seek nourishment elsewhere, as there was a system in place to allow people to get back in if they left, and there is a large entertainment complex just across the road, with a wide range of eating establishments. However, the weather was constantly threatening rain, and that road is a very large, and very busy road. Not one that is easy for a pair of disabled women to get safely across. Which left us pretty much a captive audience to the inadequate catering. I hope that this is something that the organisers can work with the venue to improve for future events. And I really do hope that the organisers feel it was all worth the effort enough to run it again next year. They should feel very proud of what they achieved with The Wool Monty, and I will definitely be there next time if there is a next time!
2 Days Later...
I started this post on Wednesday, with the intention of getting it posted before my sister and I were due to head up to Newcastle that evening. Obviously I didn't manage to do that.
I had hoped to finish it while I was up there, but instead my laptop never left my bag.
We got back late on Friday night, and for me Saturday was mostly spent sleeping the sleep of the utterly fatigued and exhausted. It was 8:00pm before I could summon the mental faculties necessary to switch my laptop on. Then followed the incident with the loss of everything I'd written...
It's now 02:30 on Sunday morning, and I'm determined to finish this before I go to bed, even though I know that I shouldn't, because I really should be focusing on my pacing for the foreseeable future. But I also know that I won't rest properly until this is finished, so I'm finishing it!
A few things have changed since I first started writing this post...
Firstly, the socks that I was knitting for myself are finished.
And the socks that I promised I'd make Gemma from the same yarn are in progress. Most of this was done while my sister was driving us to and from Newcastle, or while sat on Gemma's sofa having a big catch up.
The pinky-purply colour yarn that I'm using for the contrasting cuffs and toes is from my Homespun Wonders 2018 advent calendar.
Secondly, I have received a letter regarding the result of my PIP tribunal hearing. Well, I assume that I have, I haven't actually been home to check my post since we went up to Newcastle, but Gemma received a copy of the same letter as my advocate for the hearing.
In my initial assessment I received a total of 4 points. As a minimum of 8 points in any one category are required in order to qualify for a payment, this meant that I'd been assessed as not qualifying for anything.
In my tribunal hearing I received a total of 20 points. 10 points in each category. Meaning that I qualify for both standard level daily living allowance, and standard level mobility allowance. I could have received more, but actually this is how much *I* think that I should be eligible for. I don't believe that I am limited enough by my disabilities to deserve the higher level award in either category, but I do believe that my limitations mean that the standard level of award will make a huge difference to my quality of life, and reduce the burden that I currently am on friends and family. I may look at using this money to get myself a mobility scooter similar to the one I borrowed off Dominey for days when I need to be out and about a lot, as that really did make a huge difference to how much I could achieve in one day.
There is more that has changed for me recently, but that's not something that I feel ready to talk about, and it's not something that belongs in a post about joyful events, so it can wait until next time. For now, I shall sign off with a photo of my wonderful, happy, funny, and very loving cocky spangle, Finn, helping me prepare for this blog post:
Good Night my dears.
