Thursday, March 27, 2008

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…
– Author Unknown
Ernie
Sir Ernest Hemingway "Ernie"
Born Nov. 22, 1996-Died Mar. 27, 2008
Until we meet again on Rainbow Bridge

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

And a Hat to Match

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Children's Cotton Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Size 7 Addi Turbo 40" Circular Needles
Blue Sky Organic Cotton Color #81-Sand

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Presto Chango

Yesterday I took Old Man #2 to the vet to see what was going on with him because after a few weeks on medication he was just getting worse. They took blood and did a thorough exam confirming his back issue that I spoke about a few posts ago. The vet said that she wanted to try a different med along with pain medication. He was so nervous in the exam room that he pooped everywhere. I felt so bad for him because there was no calming him down no matter what I said or did. I was covered with a ton of dog hair not to mention some doggie body fluids which I think I already mentioned. When we got home I immediately gave him a dose of the medication along with the pain medication. I think it helped him a little but he's still not acting right. We will have to wait and see. The blood work will be back tomorrow and that will tell us more about what's going on with his kidneys and liver functions. The Dr. said that he really didn't need blood work but in order for us to get the whole picture of what's going on with him she agreed with me that it was a good idea. My husband and I need to make an informed decision about his healthcare and what our course of action will be if the medication doesn't work. Believe me it's the last thing I want to do at the moment and I don't want to even think about it but if his quality of life is not good and if he is in pain then it's the best decision. Like the title of this post I wish I could wave a magic wand, "Presto Chango" you're all better doggie. Sadly, it doesn't work that way.

Presto Chango happens to be the name of the baby sweater I just finished for a co-worker of my husband who just had a baby boy on March 2nd. I had a lot of left over yarn so I am making the baby hat from LAST MINUTE KNITTED GIFTS. The Grumpy Bear I made a few weeks ago is also going to this baby boy. I used my all time favorite cotton yarn, Blue Sky Organic Cotton in color number 81-Sand. The picture is pretty true to color.
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The buttons were purchased at my LYS-Knitting Central. They remind me of my husband with the little hairs sticking up on his head. Oh, I am not being mean, I am being cute! He even laughed when I pointed this out to him. Now I am working on a gift for another baby that was born to another co-worker of his in the fall of 2007 when I had my hand surgery. I never made anything for this baby so I am working on doing so now. I enjoyed knitting the Presto Chango so much that I am contemplating making another one. Since this baby is going to be 6 months soon I am planning on making a 12-18 month size for him so he can wear it through the fall and winter.

I also have a secret project that I can't show a picture of because its for Mother's Day. The other day when I was at my LYS I discovered this gorgeous yarn made by Artyarns and I had to buy it with my Mom in mind. I've been holding myself back from posting a picture because my Mom reads my blog and it would totally ruin it for her. Well, now she knows I am going to make her something but I think she already knew that!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Time (heals all) Wounds?

WARNING: RANT AHEAD
Time is supposed to heal all wounds, or so they say. It's been a long time since my sister pissed me off and I haven't written about it here because I didn't want my blog to be poisoned by her. This is eating away at me and since no one else in my family, mainly my parents, care how she treats me and my family then I have to vent it here. So I apologize to those who don't want to hear but I promise a FO later in this post.

Last weekend we went to my parents house for my Dad's birthday. I didn't finish his birthday socks but I had some other gifts for him. My Great Aunts were there along with a couple of cousins. When we arrived (a little late) everyone was eating their pasta and my sister was not yet down from her bedroom. We all said hello, sat down and started to eat. My sister walked into the sun room, where my husband, kids, Aunts and my cousins wife were sitting at the table with us eating dinner. My parents were in the kitchen eating with my cousins husband and later my sister sat in there with them. But anyway to get back to what she did, or didn't do. She made sure to say hello to my 2 kids, my 2 Aunts and my cousin and totally ignored my husband and I. My Aunt was talking to her about something and while she was speaking to her she handed me her dish and said, "You can put some pasta in there for me too." I was in the process of making dishes for my kids and husband and was dishing out the pasta. I was appalled by this behavior as were my 2 Aunts who whispered their dismay between themselves except it wasn't to much of a whisper. My Aunt and I had already spoken a few days prior and she had asked me how things were with my sister. I told her that things were the same as she only speaks to me when she wants something like when I have my jewelry parties and I give her free jewelry because I always do the right thing as to avoid trouble. My Aunt voiced her dismay to me at my sisters behavior saying what a shame it was since she is my only sister. I unfortunately know all this already as I have tried everything to make things better but to no avail. I have said several times in this blog that all she had to do was approach me after my Nana died and apologized for all the crap she put me through when I was sick but she didn't. She didn't even call me to see how I was after my carpal tunnel surgery in November AFTER the jewelry party I had in October where I gave her A TON of stuff not only because it was her birthday but because I'm a nice person. It took her almost 4 months for her to give my son (her Godson) his birthday present which turns out was just a gift card so heaven knows why she couldn't just put it in an envelope with a birthday card for him and drop it in the mail. I don't get it. For the rest of the day after dinner she disappeared to her room and didn't show her face until we had the cake for my Dad. So for 3 hours she ignored my kids and all the company that was there to be alone in her bedroom. Her boyfriend, whom my Mom says she hasn't seen in a while, wasn't there. He's another asshole that's disrespectful to me and my kids and all we have ever done (both my husband and I) is go out of our way to help him in certain situations where he needed help. For instance: He was injured and had a big gash in his upper thigh and no insurance to pay the bill. My husband did him the favor of removing the sutures from his leg instead of him going to the doctor who was going to charge him to do it. Yeah, you're welcome prick. I can go on and on with a TON of stuff we have done for my sister and her boyfriend but it would take forever and like I said I don't want to bore anyone. What has she done for me? Not and F-ing thing, thats what.

What's more confusing to me is my parents behavior regarding her. They don't react anymore and continue to allow her to live in their house rent free. I spoke to my Mom yesterday because I couldn't hold in my anger anymore over the whole situation and she says to me, "I can't tell people how to live their lives." Oh, really? You had no problem telling me how to live my life when I was dating someone you didn't like, did you? I guess its a double standard for me then? Oh, and by the way, you may not be able to tell someone how to live their life but when that person is living in YOUR home and eating YOUR food and polluting YOUR air with her cigarette smoke and NOT PAYING A DIME FOR IT then I think you can say something to them. I almost forgot this person not only does the above mentioned things but has also treated your other daughter, who has been ill for the past 9 years of her life, worse than a piece of shit along with treating her kids this way who happen to be her GODCHILDREN.

I told my Mom that my sister was conning her when she told my Mom that she was going to apologize to me and make things right. My sister had the balls to do this when my Nana was on her deathbed. I also must remind my Mom that she wasn't there for most of the time my Nana was dying. She was off with her boyfriends Dad who was dying at the time also. By the way he lingered quite a while after my Nana's death and her boyfriend should have had the brains to say to my sister, "Go be with your Nana because she doesn't have much time left." But that didn't happen. My husband and I made sure we were there to be with my Nana as much as we could with the two kids and even when the kids were in school my husband took off work to be there.

This whole situation is so frustrating and I can go on forever about it because no matter how much time goes by it still hurts me. My Mom is an only child and she says to me, "I don't know why you can't let it go already." Is she kidding me? I was the one who was sick and had so many surgeries I can't count plus wasn't I the one who had cancer and a sister that ignored me and didn't call me once to see how I was? She doesn't know how that feels. To be shunned at a time in your life where you have just been given a cancer diagnosis when you need your family the most. I can't tell you how much it hurts. It pains me to type this and I am crying doing so. If the roles were reversed and my sister was the one that was sick and I did what she did to me just let me say there would have been hell to pay. My parents would have handed me my ass on a platter. They would have in no uncertain terms let me have it and definitely know what they were thinking about 'how I was living my life'. My Mom keeps telling me how she has tried to talk to my sister in the past and has gotten no where. Well all I can say to that is that she hasn't tried hard enough. I would have thrown her out of my house and told her that her behavior was unacceptable and that she has had adequate time to make things right and hasn't. How many chances can one person get? Alcoholics have people around them that make it easy for them to drink and behave a certain way called enablers, well, thats what my parents are to my sisters narcissistic, self-centered, egomaniacal behavior and I am SICK OF IT. They are the biggest enablers I have ever met. Now my Mom says that my sister is going to move out soon. I can't tell you how many times I have heard this crap. I can't wait for that day to come because then my sister will only know my parents when she needs something. She won't come to visit, she won't be around at all. Maybe THEN they will WAKE UP??? I don't know what else needs to happen for them to wake up.
END OF RANT

Now for some knitting content. I finally finished my Dad's birthday socks knit in the Thuja pattern from Knitty.com . I used Miss Babs Yummy 3-ply Sport Weight Sock Yarn in Winebarrel. I thought it appropriate that I use that colorway since my Dad likes wine. I didn't have enough yarn to make the entire sock so I used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino for the toes and heels.
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For the first time I did an afterthought or peasant heel and I think it came out great (for the first time doing it). I also used the 3 needle bind off to bind off the heel instead of the kitchner stich like the toe. My Dad is not going to wear these socks in shoes anyway so I wasn't to worried about making it a seamless cast off. Now all I have to do it finish my Dragon Dance socks for the Rockin Sock Club before the next kit arrives at the end of the month and I am set.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

It's My Blogoversary and I'll Cry if I Want Too!

OK, it's my 2 year anniversary of starting this blog and I am very happy about that. I added this neat countdown to my next blogoversary so I can NEVER forget. I always thought that it was spelled blogIversary but apparently I am wrong. The crying part has to do with today being my Dad's birthday and me not having his birthday socks finished! I have until tomorrow to finish them but I am going to try and get them done tonight. I have such a migraine that I can't see straight so I don't know how I am going to do it but I sure as hell am going to give it a try.

Two years have gone by in a flash and it seems like yesterday that I said to myself, self, lets start keeping a record of what's happening with you in a blog. I NEVER in a million years had any idea I would start a blog but looking back its one of the best things I could have done. Initially I started it to keep a record of what I was going through at the time. When I started it on March 8th, 2006 I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer 13 days earlier and a million crazy thoughts about a million things were running through my mind. A blog was the best place to put my story. While going through my surgeries and treatment I discovered the wonderful art of knitting and made the decision to change the name of my blog from "CurlyBrunette's Story of Survival" to "Knit Happens". It opened my eyes to the thousands of knitting and crafting blogs that are out there and to the wonderful people who write them.

I always say to people, I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have knitting in my life. It's very hard for the non-knitter to understand and I don't really expect them to understand it. It's a passion and a HUGE part of who I am and that's how I describe it. It's the best thing that cancer has ever brought to me.

My LYS-Knitting Central is offering 2 classes with one of my favorite sock designer/knitters, Charlene Schurch! The classes are in May and one is on sock design which from the description I think is more for the beginner sock knitter. The other class is on doing different heels and bringing sock design down into the heel instead of just doing your typical heel flap. If I were to pick a class it would be the heel one. I am contemplating whether or not to take them but I have to decide soon before the classes fill up!

Gotta go knit my Dad's socks!

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Grumpy Old Bear & A Grumpy Old Dachshund

You probably already realized that I've been making lots of baby stuff lately. Last night I finished making the Grumpy Old Bear from ITTY-BITTY NURSERY by Susan B. Anderson
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I am not sure who the recipient of this little bear will be yet. I asked my husband who at his job was having a baby or who had a baby that I didn't make anything for yet. He gave me a list of ladies that were having babies within the next few months and a couple that had babies when I wasn't able to make them anything (after my surgery). There will be lots of baby stuff I will be showing off in the coming months.

For the past few weeks one of my older doxies (11 years old this last Nov.) has been feeling under the weather. About 4-5 years ago he was completely paralyzed and it was so bad at the time that we considered putting him down. I had even went ahead to make the appointment with the vet. I know there are lots of dogs that live a good life and are paralyzed but he was in so much pain that he wouldn't stop whimpering and crying. The night before the scheduled appointment I couldn't sleep and made the decision to not put him to sleep and try high dose steroids and cage rest for 12 weeks. The vet had told me not to expect a miracle because there was no deep feeling in his back legs meaning that when the vet squeezed his toes with a hemastat he didn't flinch or feel any pain. As the days went by the pain subsided and he sat quietly in his cage. I took him out to do his business (which he was able to do on his own) every 3 hours. I even ordered a custom made wheelchair from a wonderful man who makes them for animals. When the wheelchair arrived we put him in it 2 times a day for 20 minutes at a time. The lady whom I talked to on the phone regarding the wheelchair said that the exercise would help the dog and maybe even improve his status. I didn't think to much of this statement as the vet had told me not to expect miracles. Being a veterinary tech for so many years I had seen my share of amazing stories and hoped for the best with my doggie. At around the 8th week I was sitting in the rocking chair next to the dogs crate and watched as he attempted to scratch his ear with his back leg. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! He was moving his leg! I immediately called the vet and he told me to continue doing what I was doing and not bring him in because the risk that he might get stressed and hurt himself again was a possibility. As the days passed he got better and better and after 4 months from the date that he became paralyzed he was walking again. Not perfectly mind you but walking without the help of his wheelchair. So now he has residual problems resulting from his intervertebral disc disease. The vet gives us dexamethasone (corticosteroids) when he starts to show the beginnings of having back issues and it resolves itself with lots of rest and medicine. Thats whats happening now and the heart murmur he has is not making him feel any better. I am hoping he feels better soon.
Old Man number 2