Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Countdown to The Harlot

As I type these words I am in the process of getting packed up and ready to leave for the Yarn Harlot event hopefully before lunchtime. I am so excited!! Since I am leaving early I am going to try and get some yarn shopping done at WEBS before the crowds come. If I cant get it dont before the event then I will just have to do it tomorrow before I leave to come home. Oh, the torture!! LOL. I hear that WEBS is a HUGE yarn warehouse (50,000 Square feet) and that the store itself is 5,000 Square Feet! Thats bigger than any LYS that I have ever been in. No more time to blog, gotta pack, shower and decide what knitting I am going to bring with me! Thats going to be harder than deciding what clothes I am going to wear! Oh, and the list of yarns that I want to buy! Cant forget that! See ya soon!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

A Pompous Ass Otherwise Known as a Surgeon

The title just gives it away doesnt it? After almost 7 days of not hearing from the orthopedist I received a phone call from him. The only reason he did call was because I had called earlier in the day and got angry at his Physician's Assistant and told him that basically I WANTED A RETURN PHONE CALL TODAY because it was WRONG to make me wait over a holiday weekend in limbo. The phone rings at 5:15pm, right on time to ruin my dinner. He goes on to tell me that taking out the tumor might not solve my pain issues and that the pain might be totally unrelated to the tumor but he will remove it "if thats what I want". He had said this because when he asked me where my pain was I had told him that it was mostly in the back of my leg going down the back of my calf like typical sciatic pain. I also told him that it sometimes will hurt in the front of my thigh. He seemed to be fixated on that one statement by me and thats why he said that surgery might not solve my pain issues. I replied saying that I know my body very well and I have been through a lot. Many times doctors have told me that one thing was causing something and I disagreed. In the end I was right every time. No one knows my body better than me and I know that this tumor is the cause of my pain. He went on to say that I was being "difficult" by "not listening" to what he was saying and I was listening to him. I told him that I understood what he was saying, he was the one being difficult and rude by not understanding the patients point of view. First of all its not about "If I want it removed" It has to be removed because #1 it is causing me pain, #2 there is a small chance it can be malignant and you wont know that until it is removed and biopsied and #3 my oncologist and GP both said that it should come out because of the small chance that it can grow to be malignant and also if it grows bigger around the sciatic nerve its going to be harder to remove without the possibility of causing damage during the removal. Are those reasons good enough for you doc? I told him that and he said, "I have never had a patient talk to me in this rude manner." He said this like I didnt exist and like I wasnt on the phone with him. Hello there, I am right here on the phone asshole! Maybe you can stop kissing the mirror for 2 seconds to talk to your patient in a more personable manner with compassion and kindness. He himself had stated that I had been through a lot so I couldnt understand why I was being treated this way. I couldnt believe that this was the same Dr that did my husband's knee surgery. When I met him back then he didnt seem so high and mighty. I also told him that I wasnt yelling at him or being rude. He then said that the tone of my voice told him otherwise. OK, the tone of my voice at this point was CRYING, if thats considered a tone. I was so mad, hurt, upset and more than anything I felt alone because the person that I went to for a referral didnt give me a referral. He was referring me to someone else. He told me that the neurosurgeons that did my back surgery will not perform peripheral nerve surgery so I asked him if he had ever removed a tumor like this and his answer surprised me. He said NO HE NEVER HAS DONE that type of surgery. Now by this point I am crying and trying to tell him that I speak the same way to all my doctors and believe me I have a lot, and not one of them even complained or told me that I am rude in any way, shape or form. I also added that maybe he needs to see things from the patients point of view before he makes stupid comments that were totally uncalled for. I was to upset to continue the conversation so I handed the phone to my husband who was listening to the whole thing unfold. He reluctantly took the phone because he was afraid he was going to say some things that he shouldnt say since he sometimes works with this Dr at the hospital. The first thing he said to my husband was, "I apologize to your wife, blah, blah, blah". I am convinced the only reason he apologized so quickly was because he knows that my husband along with all the other nurses he works with can make his life miserable. Well it was to late for an apology when it would have been a lot easier to say, "I dont deal with these type of tumors but we have another Dr in the practice that does and I would like you to see him." Now that would have been a lot easier wouldnt it? Not for this surgeon I guess because then thats admitting that he doesnt know how to do something and someone who is that pompous and thinks his shit dont stink wont be able to admit something like that. Now I have to call and make another appointment with another Dr! Ugh, it never ends!

Just to show the differences within the physician community I went for my GYN appointment today and I absolutely love her. She delivered my son and was there for me when I first started with my many illnesses so she has seen me go through the ringer. Her husband is a neurosurgeon and happened to do my back surgery. She is kind and compassionate and she called me throughout the entire time I was going through chemo just to check on me to see if there is anything I needed. Today she told me that she wants a pelvic ultrasound to check my ovaries and a C-125 blood test (which is not always accurate and can give false positives but in my case it makes sense to just do it to cover all bases). Then she gave me her home and cell phone numbers to call her anytime to let her know whats happening with my leg. How nice is that? She acts the way all Dr's should act.

My cousin called and had to cancel on me for tomorrows trip to see the Yarn Harlot. I wasnt upset because she had something going on with her daugher and had totally forgot about it. Family always comes first and we agreed to get together and maybe go somewhere with the spouses and leave all the kids with their grandparents. She has 2 girls, one is almost my daughers age (7) and the other is going to be 4 so she is a bit younger than my son who is 4.5 Then she has two boys who are 9 years old and her baby will be a year next month. He's the little sweety that I am making the sweater for. I am not sure if I discussed it before.

Since I havent talked about what my WIP's are lately so here it goes:
~Toe-up tofutsies
~Tidalwave socks with the BMFA Rockin' Socks Club Yarn for Apr-Walking on the Wild Tide
~ BMFA Spring Fling colorway, simple 2x2 ribbed socks
~Modified Jaywalkers for my husband in BMFA Henpecked colorway
~Crocheted ripple neck wrap for my Mom
~Sweet Pea Shawl from Deb Stoller's The Happy Hooker
~Cabled Tank Top from Knit Simple Magazine with Berocco's 'Love It' yarn in the denim colorway
~My cousin's baby's birthday sweater made with Schaefer Yarn in the KERMIE colorway made specifically for kids

Yup, there are a lot of projects going on and I am sure when I get back from WEBS I will have a couple more going! I really want to get a drop spindle and some fiber so I can learn how to spin. The wheels can be a little expensive though so I have to check them out and see if they are having a sale. The next post wil hopefully be filled with great knitting pictures and maybe if I am lucky a picture that includes a sock knit by the Harlot and myself.

Monday, May 28, 2007

A 40th Birthday & Memorial Day 2007

In honor of Project Spectrum's colors for this month and last month here is a little something I made. The bracelet and earings are both made with Swarovski crystals and I am in love with it so much that I am almost tempted to keep it myself! My Mom has a friend that gave her some info on a women's guild in a nearby town that gets together to sell their home-made wears once a month and thought that I would be interested. I am totally interested but I would have to make at least 20-30 pieces in order to be able to sell them. I cant wait to find out more about this. If anyone is interested in purchasing this gorgeous green set I am selling it for $30.

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Saturday was my husbands 40th birthday so we celebrated yesterday with a huge dinner and a buttercream banana sailboat themed cake. I wish we had the pool open because it was so hot it would have been great for the kids to get in there to cool off. As I type these words my husband is replacing the motor which was shot so we can get going and get swimming! We didnt open the pool last year due to my going through chemo and surgery. I dont want to prevent the kids from having fun this summer so hopefully we can have the pool open in a couple of weeks.

We went out the night before to see PIRATES and it did not disappoint. My husband and I thought it was the best of the all three movies. They even left it open for another movie (if they really want to do another one that is). We stopped at the bookstore (of course) and I bought Joan McGowan-Michael's book Knitting Lingerie Style, Bags-A Knitter's Dozen and some knitting magazines. The Lingerie book is absolutely gorgeous! There are so many things I want to make in it (and no, its not the thongs!). She really knows how to show off a woman's body with her designs.

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One of the lilies my son and husband planted in our front yard. I regret not getting a picture sooner because all of them were in bloom and now only this one remains.
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I am so excited to be going to see the Yarn Harlot on the 30th!! Ever since finding out I was going to this event I asked almost every knitting friend I knew and not one was able to make it. Its in the middle of the week and people just cant get off work to go but yesterday I got my non-knitting cousin (for the moment because I sent her home with needles, yarn and a "Teach Yourself Visually" Knitting Book!) to accompany me. You cant imagine how happy I am that she is coming with me. Now I have company, someone to talk to and SHOP with!! What more can I ask for. Now all I have to do is get her addicted to knitting. I showed her "Knitting Lingerie Style" and she loved the designs in it as did her husband! He was encouraging her to pick up those sticks!

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Recap

I went to see the Orthopedic surgeon yesterday and he pissed me off. First he says that yes, I have a tumor thats coming on/off my sciatic nerve. That type of tumor thats made of nerve tissue is called a Schwannoma. He then says that he wants to proceed with caution because of my history and consult an oncologist at Yale that deals with these types of tumors. I said that its causing me a lot of pain and it needs to come out right? He agreed but I think that getting it out without damaging the nerve is the most difficult part. At one point he backtracted and said that physical therapy would help me. NOT! There is no way in hell that I am going to go through PT and torture myself without having this thing in my leg removed 1st. Crazy talk. Now I am awaiting his phone call to see what happens next.

Here are some pictures of some (more) sock yarn that I ordered from BMFA. The one closest to the camera is called Pink Granite and its heavyweight Rockin Sock Yarn. I am planning on using it for my Starry Night Shawl Class with Jane Elliot thats coming up in June. I am both excited and nervous about it because it a "challenging" class and more importantly you have to know Kitchner!! Ahhhhh!! Ok, I know it already from doing all those sock toes but I still will be using my cheat sheets! LOL.
The other yarn in the picture on the sides (red and green yarns) are Colinette Jitterbug.
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This is the Vesper sock yarn that I won on eBay:
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Today I had my appointment with the Plastic Surgeon for tattooing and more importantly I gave him his socks. These are my DH's size 10.5 feet modeling size 12 socks:
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He was so excited about the socks it was like a little kid on Christmas morning! Those things make all the hard work and staying up late to finish all worth it. I am so happy that he liked them as much as he did. The first thing he said was, "Look at all the detail in them!" Everyone in the office was taken with them also and it started a conversation about knitting. I also made the receptionist thats been dealing with my insurance company a bracelet and earings with pink stones and swarovski crystals. She loved it also and couldnt thank me enough. These people work damn hard to help me and they deserve all the gifts I can shower on them. On the way home from his office I stopped by Knitting Central to pick up the Lucy Neatby DVD I ordered along with her Falling Leaves scarf pattern. The DVD is the GEMS 2 and the reason I wanted it is because it has instruction for Japanese Shortrows which I have been trying to learn to no avail.

As I was leaving the Orthopedists office yesterday I was a bit upset and depressed. In a way I felt abandoned because I had thought that this guy was going to help me. I know that I had said I wasnt going to get another haircut before it grew to touch my shoulders but I lied. I apologize and I dont feel bad about it either. I went to a real hair stylist in Greenwich who charged me more than I usually pay but was well worth it because I walked out of there in love with my hair again. I took a few pictures and the first one is blurry but it gives you the best picture of the style. I am not sure why I couldnt focus correctly but I think it was because I was using the tripod. Definitely my fault but you get the picture.

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The tattoo artist today kept complimenting my skin. This is the 3rd person that has told me how nice my skin is and I am so blown away by that. While I was in high school and college I always had pimples and in my opinion, bad skin. I never had full blown acne all over my face but still its not what I would consider good skin. They all want to know my secret and here it is: I use the Aveeno Cleansing pads at night to wash my make-up off, Clearasil face wash in the morning, & Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream after cleansing. Once a week I use St Ives Apricot Scrub and a clay mask with Bentonite to absorb oil and dirt. Thats it, no big deal. I was using the Nutrogena Anti Wrinkle and Anti Blemish Cream with Retinol before I discovered how much I liked the Aveeno Cream. I still like it but just use it less. Now that I have given away my secrets they're not worth anything! LOL I just wanted people to know that you dont need to use a million types of creams on your face to get results. Maybe using too many is counterproductive? Who knows but there you have it.

Yesterday we took the kids to see Shrek the Third. It was cute and funny but the 1st and 2nd were definitely better. I dont think it was the best of the bunch. There were some cute scenes at the end but I dont want to give anything away here. Next movie on my list of movies to see is PIRATES!! I CANT WAIT for that to come out! I think its opening on the 25th.
Next week is the Yarn Harlot Event and I am still planning to go even though this whole thing with my leg isnt settled yet. I am thinking positive. Elizabeth ZImmerman had said something about knitting on through all crisis and thats what I plan on doing.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

A Hospital Visit but Not for the Reason You Think

I was supposed to have my MRI today but yesterday my husband came home throwing his guts up. I wasnt to concerned about getting it because I had it 1st and then my son, daugher and husdand followed. I thought I had my turn with this nasty bug but it wanted more from me. Yesterday at 4pm I started vomiting and nothing in this world was able to make me stop. At around 10 pm my Mom arrived to take me to the emergency room because at this point I had no strength to even walk. Everything hurt and I felt like I was going to die. When I arrived at the hospital I waited for about 25 minutes and then they put me in a room and started and IV immediately. They ran bloods and a urine just to make sure everything was OK and it was just a virus. They also gave me all my meds IV because I wasnt able to take them due to the vomiting. I fell asleep and so did my Mom in the chair next to the bed and when I woke up at 2:30am they were hooking my 2nd liter of fluids up. They said that after I got them I can go home. At that point my whole body hurt from the nasty stretchers they have you lay in and I asked for more pain meds. After I got them I went back to sleep until 5am and went home at 5:30am. I was so happy to get back in my bed at 6am and have been resting all day. Its just 3pm and I had some saltine crackers with gatorade and ginger ale. I am holding them down and feeling a little better. I wasnt able to have my MRI today but had it rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I was worried that I wouldnt be able to get it rescheduled and I HAD to have it done before I went to see the surgeon on Tuesday. Now all I have to do is feel well enough to drive to the hospital tomorrow.
PS You know I am sick when I cant even think about knitting or anything to do with knitting. Now that I am feeling better I think I can start knitting again!

Monday, May 14, 2007

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I did start the day in a wonderful mood and then it all went to hell when I had my appointment with my oncologist to review my PET Scan. He found something that was very unusual and its scaring the crap out of me. It something that showed up in my left thigh and its in the upper portion 3 inches below my groin. It seems to be very deep so it cant be felt by palpation. He said that it could be a benign tumor or a malignant one. It also could be a lymph node which he really doesnt think it is because its not in the right place to be one. Whatever it is I want to know now and I dont want to wait for further tests. Over the past few weeks I have had pain in my legs particularly the left one. The Dr said that breast cancer doesnt usually metastasize to that area, its unusual. I also reminded him that its me we are talknig about and there is never anything normal about me or what I have gone through so I dont believe what anyone says anymore. I have an MRI scheduled for Saturday and with an orthopedic neurosurgeon next week. I am praying that is nothing bad, I dont want to go through chemo again. I dont think I could do it again.

Here is a cute picture to put a smile on your face. This was taken after the Art Show at my DD's school. This is also the night my son got really sick and was up all night. He looks good in this picture, you would never know he would be throwing up his guts a few hours later.
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Here is my DD with our 3 mini-doxies. They all went to the vet today and then my older one (the one with all the grey in his face) had an allergic reaction and his whole muzzle blew up like a prize fighter who got hit in the face one to many times.
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This is the bracelet I made for my Mom. It was a tiny bit to big so I have to make it smaller for her little wrists. Its a little out of focus.
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These are the Breast Cancer Ribbon pins made out of polymer clay. I gave one out to all the women on Mother's Day.
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I took this one of us on our front steps with my new tripod. Finally I am in a picture with the rest of the family!
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Azalea in front of my house
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Dandelion at my cousins house
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At the end of a beautiful day I got everyone together for a family picture. This is mostly my Dad's side of the family.
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Before I went to my Dr's office I hit the bookstore and bought the new IW Knits and some other knitting magazines. I also bought Charmed Knits~Projects for Fans of Harry Potter, Modular Knits by Iris Schreier, & Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. Then of course I had to go visit my friends at the Yarn Store and bought some Colinette Jitterbug Sock yarn, Rio De Plata Sock Yarn, a chicken tape measure and some sticky notes that say, "KNIT HAPPENS" just like my blog! Pictures will soon follow when I get the rest of the yarn that is due to arrive in the mail (hopefully tomorrow). I am speaking about my beloved Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Yarn of course. My Tidalwave socks are looking fantastic and I love the way they feel on my feet.

Last night I won an eBay auction for some Vesper self striping sock yarn that is virtually impossible to get anywhere. Its not made in big batches because I think one woman makes it herself and she doesnt make a lot at a time. I cant wait to see and feel it in person and of course knit with it. I need to go and relax now and do some knitting. My mind is moving in a million different directions with what this f-ing thing is thats growing in my leg. I am so angry and frightened that this is happening all over again and I have no idea how to think anymore. I know I have to be positive but I have been and look whats happening! Right now the waiting is the hardest part.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Early Mother's Day Gift

My DH and the kids surprised me tonight with my Mothers Day gift early. I told DH that I didnt really need anything and not to spend a lot of moneyon a gift. I love plants and flowers so that would have sufficed. I also mentioned that I was very content with the camera and all the lenses I have for it. It does everything I want it to do. He kept asking about the camera and what other accessories I wanted to get. So guess what he bought me? Yup, a tripod for my camera (which I do need because I always want to take family pics and I am never included in them because I am taking them!) and another battery for backup because I only have one. I was so happy with this gift I immediately started fooling around and took a few of us and the kids with the dogs in our living room. They are so cute! I have to load them onto the computer but I am going to wait until after tomorrow because we are getting together with the extended family and I want to try and get a big picture of everyone. I dont think we have done that in a very long time. Last time we took that big of a family picture was when my Grandparents were married 50 years and that was when I was 16 or 17 years old. Take my word for it, it was a long time ago.

I finished making the gifts for my Mom, Aunt and Grandmother whom I usually give a plant or flowers to. This year I made my Grandmother the green necklace that I posted a pic of a few days ago. My Mom I cant mention because she reads my blog but I did make her something and bought her something also. One other thing I made her wont be ready by tomorrow and she'll have to wait because I am not sure when it will be ready. I bought my Aunt something from Crabtree & Evelyn that comes in a little accessory bag that you can use for makeup or anything really when you are done with the lotions inside.

Tonight I also made some Breast cancer pins out of polymer clay. I have never worked with it before and I had a blast making the pins. I am going to give them out tomorrow to the women at my cousins house. What better way to celebrate all the women in our life than to make people more aware of breast cancer that takes women who are our mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, Aunts, cousins, wives and friends from us each and every day.

I finally decided on a pattern for the BM Walking on the Wild Tide Colorway. Drum roll please...
The pattern is Tidalwave sock from SWTC. The pattern is supposed to be used with SWTC's yarn, Tofutsies. I noticed it on another blog of a Rockin' Sock Club member and I not only thought that they looked great but the name of the pattern fits the colorway to a T. I mean how can you get a better name than TIDALWAVE? You cant, its perfect. Its an easy pattern to follow and I love it. i thought about doing it toe-up with a garter stitch short row toe like the Monsoon socks (I LOVE garter toes and heels because they are the cushioniest -is that a word? and also they wont wear as fast as a stockingette toe or heel) but I didnt because I thought it would take away from the pattern. The true beauty of this yarn is lost with the Grasshopper pattern (just my opinion). You needed really sharp points to your needles when doing the YO, P2tog and P2tog, YO stitches because they formed very tightly around the needles.

My son is much better today then yesterday. No more vomiting and a low grade fever is all that remains. He ate well and held down his food all day. My DD said her tummy hurt a few times but nothing came of it so I am not going to worry about her until she gets sick.

Better get back to some knitting before I fall asleep!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Up all night for my PET Scan today

One would normally be a nervous wreck the night before a PET scan but I was more than normally nervous about it. One reason might be that I was up all night with my son who was throwing up his guts and had a very high fever which wouldnt come down. Its very hard to get fever down when a child cant hold down the Tylenol. Yes, I know about the other way it can be given but it wasnt an option because he was already very upset and almost hyserical from wretching so much. It sounded like he had caught the virus that I had a few weeks ago because he was describing the same stomach pain and the restlessness that I had with it. This morning when he was sitting in his high chair my DH said, "Look at the rash he developed on his face from the virus." Upon closer inspection I noticed that it wasnt a rash but broken capillaries in his face from the forcing of the wretching & vomiting. (Sorry to be so graphic here)

I felt so bad for him today. He was so uncomfortable last night that he moaned all night and he didnt want to come into our bed but wanted my DH to stay with him in his bed. My DH had a bit of a problem fittting in his bed with all the stuffed animals my son sleeps with and also the fact that the bed is much to small for a 6 ft, 210 lb man, LOL.

My DD went off to school while me, DH and DS went to my appointment at the hospital. I had an earlier one with the pain specialists APRN (an advanced degree nurse who can write scripts for medications and such). She is such a sweet woman and I really like her a lot. She works directly with the Dr whom I was seeing that it doesnt matter to me which one I see. The issues with my chronic pain is that it is interfering with my daily activities and with excercise I want to start doing to lose weight. She raised some of my doses and I think that its going to help me do the things I want to do. At least I hope it does!

After that appointment I went down to nuclear medicine to get ready for my PET Scan. Thank God I fasted for 7 hours because when I pre-registered the other day I asked if I should and the woman I spoke to said no. I knew that when I had a bone scan I had to fast for the same amount of time so common sense told me to do the same for this test. Its different than a bone scan in that you only have to wait one hour instead of two hours after you get the injection to get scanned. They inject a radioactive dextrose like substance that cancer cells or any bad cells would feed on and it shows on the scan. The only bad thing about the test was that you cant MOVE AT ALL after the injection is given. You are in a dark room with no stimulation at all. There is a recliner to sit in with blankets and pillows but NO magazines to read, no iPods to listen to and definitely NO knitting allowed. Normally I would have freaked out but since I had no sleep the night before I took a nice nap! The reason you cant have any stimulation is that you would use up the radioactive sugsr they are using and then your test results would not be accurate. They certainly are strict to because as I was setting up my pillows and picking my underwear out of my butt, I noticed a camera staring straight at me! Then after getting another heated blankie I fell asleep. The test took 24 minutes after that which I preceeded to fall asleep for also and then I was done. I had an amazing technician whose name was Skip and I reminded him that he had also done my bone scan a year ago. Instead of putting the IV in himself and having me have to get stuck again in the lab (I needed lab work also) he called the IV team and they put in a line, took my blood, let him inject his stuff and then pulled out the IV. It was great and I didnt have to go to the lab afterwards where there is always a long wait to have blood drawn. I almost forgot to add that due to the radioactivity of the injection I had I could not be near my son (since he is under 7 years old) for 10 hours! They like to be cautious. I was able to eat dinner at the same table with him and give him a bath because it was a short time. Another interesting thing is that your urine and other waste products are radioactive also. Very interesting, LOL.

On a side note, while I was waiting for the IV nurse to put in my catheter, I was knitting the Dr's socks [the due date for them to be finished is quickly approaching (May 23rd)]. Skip was asking me what I was making and of course the NSK (Notorious Sock Knitter) that I am had to show off my wares. I showed him the Artyarns Sock that I am making for my PS and the Jaywalkers that I am making for my DH in BMFA Henpecked Mediumweight. He was impressed but its so easy for us knitters to impress the Muggles who dont really know the difference from crochet to knitting and so on. It still made me feel good plus I got a lot done on the sock in the few moments I worked on it. I am on the gusset decreases now and its ALMOST done! The Jaywalker is number 1 and I am almost on the heel flap knitting. I love BM yarns so much (particularly the mediumweight that its a JOY to knit with and no other sock yarn can compare.

Speaking of BM yarn, I finally made a decision about what yarn to use for the shawl class I am taking in June. I probably mentioned this earlier in another post but since I am so excited I'll mention it again. I read the YARN HARLOTS blog about that gorgeous shawl she made her sick friend to help her heal and to know that there is someone out there who would make such a gorgeous knitted piece of art for her to wear. I purchased 3 skeins of Pink Granite in heavyweight and also some other colors that I will most definitely post & take pics of as soon ast they arrive! I had to frog my BM April club sock because the lace pattern was just not working with the yarn. I think the yarn has greater possibilities than that pattern offers so thats why I am choosing another pattern for it. I am going to survey what others are doing for a pattern first to get ideas. If I cant get any ideas then I am going to just pick a pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks. I really wanted the pattern that came with the yarn to work but it doesnt in my eyes. Also it has nothing to do with me being able to do the pattern itself because I was about 4 inches into the foot already. Like I said its the yarn thats begging me for another pattern to show itself off in.

The results of the PET Scan will be ready in 72 hours.
Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Moms out there! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Cool Socks! Warm Feet~The Lucy Neatby Experience

Well, I spoke about it before but I wanted to show you a picture of my new best friend:
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He is a dream and does whatever I tell him to without complaint. All he asks is that I clean him up a bit after he's been around the dirtiest parts of my house. Not a bad trade off I think. Its the the Roomba Sage and you can read more about these awesome robots at www.irobot.com

This is a necklace that I made for Project Spectrum's April and May colors which are yellow, pink and green. This has two of those colors. I think I am going to give it to my grandmother for Mothers Day.
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This is my daughter at her rainforest presentation. She had to tell everyone about the Harpy Eagle and then the audience had to guess what she was describing. Of course Mommy raised her hand to answer and all the other parents called me a cheater! What nerve! I really didnt know what animal she was doing because she wouldnt tell me. I really did guess. Who cares what the other parents think.
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I never did finish my baby argyle socks but instead I made one into a sweater for a Steiff bear that I have had since I was a little girl. To much bad energy was going into this sock and I didnt want a baby having any of that bad energy. I am going to do them over but not now. I have another pattern thats similar except that the bottom of the foot is made in the round which eliminates the seam at the bottom. Sally did a wonderful job teaching the class, the problem was with me and the pattern not clicking in my head. Toward the end it did click but as I said there was to much toxic sock energy and it just wasnt meant to be.
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This is the beginning of a Cabled Tank top in Knit Simple Magazine. I am using Berocco Love it and I am loving this yarn. Its a cotton, acrylic, poly blend. It has a wonderful give to it so it will fit nicely when worn (I hope! LOL).
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The beginnings of my Blue Moon April sock. Its toe up with lace and the pattern is very difficult to do with the Addi circulars because its not sharp enough so I had to switch to my Knit Picks metal DPN's. These are VERY sharp and I am not having any issues now.
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Today was the Lucy Neatby Cool Sock class and I cant tell you how much I learned! This is a "sock tree" where all her socks were displayed so I took a few pictures of them. They are gorgeous.
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Here's Lucy teaching:
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Hot Tamale Toes which is a pattern I bought and I absolutely love. Arent they cute? Look at those hot tamales!
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Lucy and I:
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Celestial Merino Sock Yarn which is Lucy's own brand specifically made for her. They are all handyed and the skeins are simply beautiful as you can see from these pictures.
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I also have to mention that I purchased Lucy's DVD's which I watched last night. (Socks 1 & 2 and Knitting Essentials 1 & 2) Today I purchased Finesse Your Knitting 1. I cant say how wonderful these DVD's are because they are simply the best ones I have ever owned or seen ever and I am not just saying that. She demonstrates so many techniques that I never even knew existed. I have wanted to own these since I read about them in the Yarn Harlot's Blog months ago. I know its hard to see whats in a DVD to know if you want to buy it or not so go to www.lucyneatby.com where you can see the listing of whats on each DVD and see if you might like to own your own copy. You can also ask your local library to get them in so you can preview them for free before you decide to buy them.

On a totally different subject, I am watching the Discovery Channels show thats on now called LIVING WITH CANCER and its very good. The people that they are talking to have hit the nail on the head with how it feels to live every day in fear with it in the back of your mind that your cancer can return without warning. I have had such a hard time describing this to people and they just cant understand how I feel and I think that everyone should watch this show. There is going to be an encore performance on tomorrow night (Monday) at 8pm. Please watch it.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Crazy Week

Its been a crazy week for me. Last week I had a stomach virus and then starting this week I woke up with such a bad sore throat that I thought it was Strep. I used to get Strep all the time when I had tonsils so I know what it feels like and I felt sick all over. The infectious disease doctor that my DH is seeing told me to start taking honey in my tea. Now, there is a long story behind the honey so I will try to make it short. My DH's co-worker has an apiary and makes honey that he sells. We buy it from him by the gallon because its awesome in more ways than one. I use it in everything from the hair care product (CurlyBrunette's Shea it Ain't So! Leave in conditioner) I make that www.Naturallycurly.com sells to cooking with it and of course for use in my tea when I am sick. The Dr has done studies on this honey and believes that it can cure some infections due to its antimicrobial properties. I was on the verge of calling the Dr one night and my DH reminded me of the honey the Dr recommended. By the time I had 4 cups of herbal tea with the honey in it I stared feeling better. I did this for a couple of days and I was better. Either its a miracle, the honey or what I had was a viral infection and went away on its own. Whatever the reason I certainly am going to continue with the miracle honey in my diet! LOL.

Tomorrow is the big day and I am so excited about it. Lucy Neatby is teaching "Cool Socks" and I am in it!! I went to get my supplies today at Knitting Central and bought 4 of her DVD's. Sock Techniques 1 & 2 and Knitting Essentials 1 & 2. These are awesome just like the Yarn Harlot said. I watched a few minutes and already learned a new bind off and how to do a Bosnian Toe for a toe up sock. I highly recommend her DVD's. She has new ones out called Knitting Gems 1, 2, 3 & 4 but I didnt get those. I can always get them later on because there is enough on the ones I bought to keep me busy for a while. I have to remember to bring my camera with me tomorrow because Lucy brought all her samples of the gorgeous stuff she has made over the years and most of it, well all of it is VERY colorful. Thats what she is known for, her gorgeous intarsia techniques. Well I have to TRY and get to bed a bit earlier than usual (yeah right) because class starts early in the morning!