Face like a balloon

Yes, that's what I've got. I've got an abcess (how do I spell that?). I had one about 14 months ago. And ended up having a root canal and crown. then 4-5 months later the infection came back and my dentist referred me to a specialist. I had a crocked root and the specialist dentist had to operate and seal off the top of the root. It was expected that this would stop any future problems. On both occasions my face swelled up like a balloon and on the second time I felt really quite ill for several days.

On Wednesday I started having some niggling pain in the same area and on Wednesday evening it was throbbing pain. Went to the dentist first thing on Thursday. x-rays did't show up anything wrong. So given two lots of antibiotics, taking my maximum number of painkillers and antiinflammatories. This morning my face was swollen from underneath my right eye right down to my top lip. The swelling has gone down a lot during the day but I still look like I've got a balloon under my cheek. The pain is not too bad when the painkilers are working but when they were off it's awful. Also waking up around 4am with pain. Yesterday it made me feel quite ill and really tired. Today ahs been a tiny bit better. Just hoping I'm okay for the weekend as tomorrow we've got Vanessa's birthday party, taking 6 girls to the cinema. Then on Sunday we're going on holiday. NOt started packing yet and still got lots of clothes to wash and iron. And a ton of other stuff to do. Time to prioritise majorly.

Now to some nice stuff. Pixie has done some sample knitting for me. This is my Diamonds Are Forever shawl knitted in Luscious Lace. It's stunning. Pixie did a fantastic job kniting it for me and she did it ever so quickly. Was it about a week? Not sure. But being such a super knitter she's now doing aother shawl for me too. Got 2 other people knitting this shawl for me too. In Merino Lace and Cashmere Lace. Their versions include beads. The pattern will be available as soon as the last 2 sample shawls come back. A close up of the pattern:Pixie also e-mailed me a picture of the scarf she's knitted with the left over lace yarn from the shawl. It's gorgeous. So keep an eye out on her blog for pics of the scarf.

I've also launched a new lace yarn club - The Lace Variety Club - the club runs for 3 months and each month will be a different lace yarn. The first 3 month will feature Luscious Lace, Cashmere Lace and Merino Lace. 100 gr each month. Not sure which order they will appear in yet. I will also include a pattern each month but the pattern won't be an exclusive club only pattern. It may be an existing Anni Design pattern or a new pattern. The Diamonds Are Forever pattern will be used for one of the months. If you'd like to sign up go to my Etsy shop. I know the club is a bit expensive but the Cashmere Lace and Luscious Lace (cashmere/silk) yarns are quite pricey to buy wholesale and with the retail price I've set I'm making very little profit. So if you add up the price for 100gr each (that's 2 skeins of Luscious Lace) you'll find that the club price is quite reasonable. The yarn will be dyed up in a never to be repeated exclusive colourway. There will also be a jute project bag included in the first parcel. Sign up quickly as places are limited.

I've also finally gotten around to taking pics of the Arabella shawl. This is a new pattern too and will be availabe for sale as soon as I get around to taking pics. It's knitted in Hip Knits Aran Silk and used 3 skeins. It's very quick and easy to knit and perfect for HipKnits Aran Silk. Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend would be perfect for this pattern too.

And here is the world's longest scarf, or at least it feels like it. It's knitted length wise and I had over 300 st on the needles. It's knitted in a mixture of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend and HipKnits Aran Silk. I didn't intend for it to be this long but I obviously didn't measure my swatch properly or work out the tension etc properly. Anyway, it's incredibly soft and lovely and warm to wear.
This is my lovely daughter Vanessa who will be 13 on 5th April the day we get back from holiday.