Give that Monkey a Gumdrop and Something for an Ass Kicking Headache

I sitting here in bed with an ass kicking headache so bear with the type O's and other grammatical errors because I cant focus. There is good news though. I received my July Rockin' Socks Club shipment and here it is:



I absolutely LOVE the colorway and the patternS that came with it. I chose to do the harder of the two which is called Gumdrop Socks, because I didn't do the pattern for the last kit as many in the club didn't and for different reasons ranging from dislike to difficulty level. I felt a little of both these reasons. The colorway, as you can see, is a pastel and the first time that the Sock Club has made one. The colorway looks fantastic with the pattern is knit up. That's from what I can see of the 2 inches I managed to knit last night. I love to watch as the pattern grows before your eyes with all the beautiful colors of "Goody Goody".

These are the comleted NO PEARL MONKEYS made from May's Rockin' Sock Club Kit colorway called "The Incredible Shrinking Violet" The other pattern looked nice but it was way to difficult (after reading how others were fairing on the Ravelry forums and the RSC Blog). I usually like Yarnissima's patterns but this one just didn't go well (in my opinion) with the colorway. As you can see these are almost knee socks, well almost. They are MUCH higher than any of the other socks I have made in the past for myself. I had about 5 yds of yarn left over! Nothing like cutting it close right! I was thinking that I was going to have to dip into my emergency sock yarn but thank goodness I didn't have to do that.



They fit like a dream and I love the way the colors came out even though there was some major pooling issues going on. Most of the RSC yarns I knit up seem to pool on me. At first I didn't like it but I have grown to love the pooling. I even joined the "Pooled Knits" group on Ravelry! Its good to know that I am not the only one who has this happen to them.





I finished these in just under a month also which happens to be record time for me. I was also working on a bunch of other projects to so this IS record time for me. I started them on July 1st and finished July 31st. Not lightning fast granted but fast for me. I am trying to build up my stock of hand knitted socks for the colder months.

A few days ago I received my last package for my LYS, Knitting Central's Sock Club. It was a design by one of the lovely ladies that work there and the yarn that she chose was Alchemy's Temple Sock Yarn which happens to be a sport weight yarn that knits up real quick. I was going to cast on for these also but realized that I don't have my Addi size 3's available. They are currently in another sock in progress so they will have to wait. Its OK because I don't think I am going to re-join the sock club if they offer it again. Its not that I didn't like it because I did. There are a few reasons why. One is that money is extremely tight. I haven't even made any yarn purchases or used my Woolgirl or BMFA discount coupons yet because of this. Second reason is that when I get the kits I don't knit them up right away and I usually let them wait. Knitting Central makes the pattern available for everyone else outside the club 3 months after the sock club gets it. I can certainly wait 3 months for the pattern since I have so many other kits from Woolgirl that I haven't even started yet. Last reason is I rather chose my own yarn and colorway then have it picked for me. Don't get me wrong, the colors were all really beautiful and I was happy with all of them but like I said, if I can save my money then later pick and choose when the pattern is made available then that's a better option for me.

In Weight Watcher news last week's weigh in wasn't the best. I had a 1 lb weight gain. I was a bit upset with myself but my leader spoke to me and I think I had to much salt in my diet the night before which made me retain water. I went over my journal with a fine tooth comb and that was the only thing that would cause me to gain. I also had an almost 3 lb loss the week before which they consider a big loss (they like to see anywhere from 1.5-2 lbs a week loss). She told me that when there is a large loss the week before you can see a slight gain in the following week. Another thing she said to everyone that made me feel a lot better and made perfect sense to me. She said that if you come to meetings thinking that every time you are going to see a weight loss then you are going to be sadly disappointed because the losses come with the gains and vice-versa. Thats the way it is. Your body has a way of leveling itself out and its OK if you have a slight gain just learn from it and get back on track for next week.

I am hoping that my weigh in on Tuesday will show a nice loss and maybe I will get another 5 lb star! I never mentioned that I received my first 5 lb star 2 meetings ago. Recap of the stats:
Before starting WW: 176 lbs
Starting WW weight: 167.6 lbs
Current weight: 161.8 lbs
Total loss to date: 5.8 lbs

If you look at the whole picture I lost 14.2 lbs total but I dont look at it that way or I should say WW doesn't look at it that way. They take the weight you are at when you weigh in at your first weigh in which for me was 167.6 lbs.

Another thing I wanted to mention. I spoke about my Mom's Avon walk in my last post and I would like to ask everyone who hasn't donated to please read the post and donate to my Mom's walk. Its a good cause and I have some great prizes I would love to give away. If you are interested in donating please click on the link in my sidebar and it will take you there. Also, if you donate please e-mail me with the amount and your info so I can put you in the raffle for some prizes. Remember for every $10 you donate one ticket goes into the raffle hat. Twenty dollars is 2 tickets, $30=3 tickets and so on. So far there is no one in the raffle so if you are reading this you have a very BIG chance of winning something if there are only a few people in it. Its not the way I would like it but at this point I will take what I can get to have my Mom reach her goal. Please donate to a great cause so we can save women's lives. Thanks!

I Can't Think of a Title for this Post

Its been a while since I posted. So much going on so I will try to catch you up on what's been happening the last few weeks.
I finally made it to the ear, nose and throat Dr and he took a look at my vocal cords with a camera scope. It goes up your nose and down your throat and is uncomfortable at best. Yup, its annoying but at least the numbing spray really helps ease the discomfort. He told me that I had some nodules on my vocal cords and I need to see a Speech Therapist. He said that the nodules can occur for many different reasons and one is vocal abuse. Now, all of you out there will automatically think that it comes from yelling to much and yes that can be ONE of the reasons. I found out however that whispering puts more stress on the vocal cords than yelling. I never knew this. Also, since I had throat surgery a few years ago (thyroidectomy), my voice changed and was never the same. It was upsetting to me at the time because I have been a singer since age 6 and I was actually going to continue on to music school with my singing. I decided that even though I loved to sing more than anything, not to go to music school for fear that if anything happened to my voice I would be out of a job. Seems I made the right choice! The Dr also said that the area behind my cords were very red and inflamed from severe acid reflux. I say severe because I already take a medication for my acid reflex and its supposed to be a 24 hour medication. He suggested I go see my gastroenterologist and get an endoscopy. I am due for a colonoscopy also so I might as well get them both done at the same time to spare the torture of going in twice. Originally I was supposed to go into have a colonoscopy when I turned 35 because colon cancer is on both sides of my family and the Dr seems to think that we (my parents, me and my sister) might carry the gene for colon cancer. This is the reason he wanted me to have my first colonoscopy at 35. I had a few other things happen that delayed my colonoscopy but I promised that I would get one in the coming Fall/Winter.

Speaking of Dr's appointments, my next PET Scan is coming up due next month. Can't wait.

My Mom is doing the AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER for the third year in a row. Its a 40 mile race in NYC thats done over a period of 2 days. I was going to do it with her until my leg surgery in 2007 threw a monkey wrench in my plans. I can do a 5K walk, maybe even 10K but there is no way in hell at this moment in my life that I can do 40 miles even if its over a 2 day period. If I do to much walking now I get severe charlie horses in my thigh under the incision site. It sucks. Hopefully with me being on Weight Watchers and losing weight, I will be able to do the walk with my Mom someday. If anyone would like to donate to her walk, you can click on the link in my sidebar and it will take you directly to the AVON Website and my Mom's page where you can donate. She hasn't reached her goal yet but she has a few months to go. I am hoping that she raises more than her goal like the first year she walked. Last year I made up this whole plan on how I was going to get more donations for my Mom but it didn't work the way I had planned. This year I have a special offer for readers of my blog. I know that there are not that many out there but there are some. In no way am I as famous as the 'Yarn Harlot' or Ann and Kay of 'Mason-Dixon Knitting'. If I was I would have a hell of a lot of money raised!

This is what I am proposing. Anyone who reads my blog and donates to my Mom's walk can e-mail me with your name and amount donated. For every $10 you donate you get a raffle ticket put into my magic hat. After my Mom's walk I will have a few prizes raffled off using all the names in my magic hat. The more people donate, the more prizes there will be. Since most readers of my blog are knitters I think yarn and knitting related prizes will be part of the raffle. Maybe even some of CurlyBrunette's Creations Stitch Markers and Jewelry designs will be a part of the prizes. I am hoping this will help my Mom reach or even surpass her goal. This raffle is only for readers of this blog who donate and then send me their info via e-mail. My e-mail link is on my profile page. I know times are tough right now with everything being so expensive and all but I want you all to know that any amount is greatly appreciated and its going to a wonderful cause. Someday soon we will eradicate this horrible disease.

This is Knit Picks Bare DK weight Superwash Wool that I dyed with some Kool Aid and extra food coloring. Not bad for a first time dyeing experience hey? I gave it to my neighbor so she could crochet something with it. I knew she would love the color and she needed some cheering up. She was so surprised to hear that the color came from Kool Aid! I cant wait to see what she makes.



I finally finished my Garden Anklet socks from my LYS-Knitting Central's Sock Club! These were made with Colinette Jitterbug in the Florentine colorway. I also had some leftovers which surprised me since the yardage with Jitterbug is skimpy at best. I LOVE this yarn and how it knits up and I will definitely be using more of it in the near future.





Here are my No Pearl Monkeys made with Blue Moon Fiber Arts-Incredible Shrinking Violet colorway. I decided not to use the pattern that came with the yarn. The pattern was Cleopatra's Stockings by Yarnissima. After all the chatter about it being a little of a challenge I decided to use a different pattern. I will probably knit it in the future but I wanted to make sure I was finished with these by the time the next ones came along. The new kit is due to arrive soon since its the 3rd week in July already. I am hoping this next color is one we havent yet received such as PINK, which happens to be my favorite color. Whatever it is I am sure I will love it.



Another thing I hate to admit since I said I wasnt going to do something that I did. Well, I wanted to get my hair cut the way I used to-the Curly Girl Method invented by the head Curly herself, Lorraine Massey. Up until I discovered Devachan in NYC (thats her salon) I was abusing my curls and straightening all the time. I bought her book, The Curly Girl Handbook in 2002 and within a week I had an appointment with Carlos, one of her top stylists that trained under her wing. He was AWESOME and FABULOUS and I never loved my hair more. I let it grow to my waist and I only needed it cut every 6-8 months. Then it became harder for me to go to the city so I changed over to a stylist up here in CT where I live. SInce my hair was all one length at the time it was easy to trim. This guy I started to go to was fabulous but after chemo I didnt need to see him for a LONG time. After my hair grew back I got attached to another stylist who is also great but sometimes can be a bit scissor happy. He is still great none the less. Anyway, I wanted to go for a Curly Cut last week but no one had anything available so I caved in and went to the guy who used to cut my all one-waist-length hair. He didnt do a good job and cut my bangs so short that when they attempt to curl up they look really bad. I am so pissed at myself I could spit especially since I have a wedding to go to in September. I hate when I get impatient with myself and act upon my impulses. This is why I need to be patient and let it grow. Sometimes a bad cut can turn good once an inch or two grows in. After it grows in I think I need to either return to Carlos, Devachan, or another Deva trained stylist. I will not make the same mistake twice.

Better Late then Never

So I finally was able to get my pictures on the computer but my photo printer isnt working right. I tried to fix it and clean the nozzle on the heads and so on and nothing is working. I have to see if maybe the ink is bad. I bought a bunch of ink cartridges and had them in the closet for about 8 months, maybe a little more. What I didnt realize was the expiration dates on them. Who thought they had expiration dates? Not me. Well, I think I have to buy them when I need them and not ahead of time.

I am going to tackle each topic thats been going on that I havent blogged about one at a time. First, what made me crazy in the first place was preparing for my daughters communion which was the same weekend as Mother's Day and the same day as our cousins First Communion. We celebrated on Saturday and Sunday and I think I slept for 24 hours straight after it was all over. Here are some pics of my daughter that day:



This is my Dad the night of my cousin's Communion party taking pictures which he loves to do. The Mardi Gras mask makes the picture. We were all wearing them to surprise my Great Aunt who turned 90 that day.


During the last few weeks we were having big time transmission trouble with our 2002 Honda Mini-Van. We had it in the shop a few times and found out that it would cost $3,000 to fix with no guarantees. We researched different options and weighed getting a smaller car but realized that with the two kids we cant get into a smaller car at the moment. We do get good mileage on the van so we wound up leasing a 2008 Honda Odyssey. I love the Odyssey and since its a 3 year lease everything is under warranty. If something goes wrong we dont have to worry about it. I also highly recommend Courtney Honda in Milford, CT. We were treated with kindness and respect by a salesman named Robert Martin. If you go there ask for him and tell him I sent you.

My husband finally had his tonsils out last week and he's home from work for a few weeks. He's in a lot of pain but doing much better. He had to stay overnight in the hospital because his oxygen level dropped from the high 90's to somewhere in the 70's. He was given so much pain meds that it made him stop breathing for longer than a few seconds which caused the drop in his O2 levels. During his surgery I went to get my haircut around the corner from the hospital where the salon I frequent is located. I needed a general shaping so he didnt take any length off. He wanted to chop the back so badly and I didnt let him. I was getting the angled cut for awhile but I want to grow it and be able to put it in a ponytail or a clip for the summer.

A few days after my husband came home from having his surgery we went to Circuit City and bought the Garmin Nuvi GPS which is so cool! I was sick of going on MapQuest and getting directions. I also purchased a smaller pocket Canon digital camera with an awesome zoom and very cool features. I have the big Canon Rebel XT which I love but there are times when I dont want to lug all the camera equipment along with me. Its heavy and can be cumbersome in certain situations. I bought this camera for a steal! My Mom couldnt even believe what I paid for it. I cant even believe what I paid for it! LOL.

Right after I bought the camera I spilled something on my laptop and it stopped working. I bought my husband gelato since his surgery wouldnt let him eat normal foods. I decided to eat the remaining gelato in bed while I was on my computer and fell asleep causing a spillage to occur. Its fixed now with a new keyboard and a good cleaning of the insides. The tech told me that the spillage might cause problems to occur in the future but right now I cant afford a new computer. Hopefully this one with continue to work well. In the time being I need to learn how to back up info which I dont know how to do. Yeah, I know, pretty irresponsible of me.

I finished my Mom's scarf for Mother's Day. Here she is modeling it:


This past weekend I took a "Heel Options" class given by my LYS-Knitting Central and taught by the famous sock designer, Charlene Schurch. I learned a lot but it was an all day class and I was exhausted after it was over.

My son has been home sick since Tuesday with a killer viral/bacterial infection. We brought him to the Dr yesterday and got antibiotics. We started them yesterday after he spiked 105 fever. When my kids are sick they really dont fool around!

The puppy is still crazy and I will have some 'grown up' pics of him in the near future. He doesnt sit still enough to get a picture!

I'm Still Here

Its been a long time since I paid attention to my blog. There's a lot happening around here and I've neglected it, plain and simple. My daughter is receiving Communion in a few weeks so we are preparing for that. My dog just died and we got a new pup who demands a lot of attention. The weather has finally been warmer and we've been enjoying it. There are a million reasons why I haven't been here.

The kids have had the past week off for spring break and my husband has been using them to help fix things around the house and in the garden. I came home the other day to find my 5 year old son using the leaf blower. Good thing its an electric and not a gas powered one. My hair dryer is probably more powerful, LOL. Funny but true. Then the following day they fixed one of the steps that lead up to our house from the drive way. They got to help their Dad to mix the cement and make a mold for the step. It looks pretty good now and by doing it themselves and not having someone do it for us saved us a bunch of money. Even though the bag of cement wasn't cheap it probably still was cheaper. It pays to have a handy husband!

While they have been keeping busy with my husband and playing with the puppy I have been attempting to finish up the stitch markers that I am making for Woolgirl's Joe Cool Kit due to go out in May. She asked me if I would like to design a stitch marker for the club and I told her it would be an honor to do so. She sells some of my stitch markers in her online yarn shop. I cant wait to see how people like them. No secrets will be revealed here!

Speaking of Woolgirl, I received the first sock club shipment a couple of days ago and its fabulous! (Sorry no pics) She runs a fabulous sock club and the extras that she puts in the kits are awesome. Her sock club is right up there with Blue Moon's Rockin' Sock Club in my opinion, maybe even better because of all the little extras she puts in there. I haven't started the sock yet because I am currently working on the Rockin' Sock Club's March Kit, LEAFLING along with my LYS, Knitting Centrals January kit. I know I am a bit behind with the other clubs, even last years RSC but I promised myself that while trying to catch up with last years kits I will finish this years RSC kits first, before other clubs kits. Even though my LYS runs a fabulous sock club I dont think I am going to be joining again next year because its to much work to keep up and I do want to use up the sock yarn I have been accumulating over the past 2 years. I don't think I can ever use up all the sock yarn I have. Yup, there is a lot but I do think there are a lot of people who surpass me in that department. Plus, sock yarn doesn't count as stash. My Knit Picks order arrived the other day and I am in love with their Harmony Circs. I ordered the 2.25mm 40" and the 2.75mm 40" circs because Addi only makes 2.50mm and 3.00mm 40". Along with the circs I also got some yarn to dye with Kool Aid and some Felici which I started making a toe up sock with. Its very soft for a yarn with nylon in it. I am going to have to get more of that stuff (as soon as I use up what I bought). My Mom's Mother's Day gift is coming along but I cant really talk about it to much here.

I finally signed up for one of the classes my LYS is offering with Charlene Schurch. She is coming for two days to teach classes on sock design one day and heel design the next. I decided to take the heel one because I always change up the heels that are in a pattern. Knitting Central has been waiting over two years for her to come to teach a class. Charlene Schurch's books are my bibles for figuring the proper numbers and such to make a perfect sock.

One of the main reasons I haven't been around to write in my blog has been because of fear. I had my scheduled PET Scan a few days ago and am awaiting the results. The reason I am afraid of the results are because I have had a serious case of laryngitis the past 4-5 weeks. At first I though that maybe I was yelling to much and that was the reason for the loss of voice. Even with resting it and taking it easy my voice hasn't improved and every time I talk on the phone or to anyone they ask me if I have a cold or if I am sick. No, I am not sick and I don't have a cold. I wish it was that easy but I am afraid nothing is ever easy when it comes to my health. I think ultimately I have to see an ear, nose and throat surgeon. I happen to have a great one who has done surgery twice on me already. He removed my tonsils the first time and my thyroid the second. I think that maybe he is in a competition with my plastic surgeon to see who can do the most surgical procedures on me. No matter the winner would probably be my anesthesiologist. We are on a first name basis, even worse I call him by his nickname which is a shortened version of his last name. Yup, thats when you know you've had to many operations.

Pictures of something next time, I promise.

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.



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!

2 in 1

Yup, I couldn't believe that it would happen either but I actually finished another finished object to show you and its in the same week as the sweater I made! Well, I am not sure it counts because the kimono can be knitted in my sleep at this point. I have made so many of them since I started knitting I cant remember how many exactly. There are a few that I made that are not listed on my Ravelry notebook because I never took pictures of them before giving them away. Here is my Minty Baby Kimono for someones baby. I'm not sure who that is yet.



I am not completely happy with this knit because I had meant to have the closure made out of ribbon as customary with my kimonos but it wasnt working for me. I decided to put a magnetic snap closure on and cover the back with the green flowers. My husband likes it but I intended it to be gender neutral and now its not. Oh, well, back to the drawing board.

The other day I bought three great books at my LYS with awesome baby patterns (I think I mentioned this before, I cant remember and maybe have lost my mind here-don't). I went to another LYS, The Yarn Barn, thats a few towns over with my husband yesterday. He helped me pick out some pretty yarns to make more baby sweaters. I bought some gorgeous Manos Cotton Stria in purple, pistachio and white. Then some Debbie Bliss Chunky Cashmerino Aran, Astrakhan, Rowan All Seasons Cotton and even some Panda Wool sock yarn for my husband. I was overwhelmed by all the yarn they have there but the problem is that they are very unorganized and there is literally yarn and patterns all over the place, strewn all over the floor in the way of patrons walking in the store. I am not sure if the owners of this place realize or care that the place is a mess and that if they organized it a little they could probably do better with sales. There is a table in the front of the shop thats used for teaching and it was covered with yarn, pattern books, and junk. You couldn't fine something if you wanted to. My husband was the one that dug through the yarns to find matching lot and dye numbers for me! LOL. He's good like that. I asked one of the ladies, who were very nice and helpful, if they had a certain yarn and she immediately said, "we can order that for you." Well, thats all well and good but why would I have them order it if I can get it myself online or from my other LYS? They are very nice and I will probably go back to use my 25% off coupon they gave me but in my opinion they cant compare to my favorite place Knitting Central. I think its because as I have mentioned once before its not how big a place is or how much yarn they have but the people that work there and are the real heart of the store. On a funny note here, I was first at this yarn store when I first started knitting and bought some cute multicolored baby yarn. I mistakenly bought only 200 yards and not enough to make what I wanted. While I was there I picked up another skein of the yarn that I needed in the same color which just happened to have the SAME LOT NUMBER! I couldn't believe that I was lucky enough to find the same lot and dye number but it is believable because they have so much yarn that doesn't sell.

On April 27th the Yarn Harlot is going to be returning to WEBS in Northhampton, Mass. I went to see her last May when she came and had a great time. This year I plan on corrupting my husband and bringing him along. I cant wait to see his face when he walks into WEBS! Its the largest yarn shop I have EVER seen. I am not sure if its the largest in the country but I would say it is. We have NEVER been away from the kids or on a vacation alone together and this will be nice to get away for one day with him. We don't have to much time because we have to get back for my daughters first communion practice the following night. My Mom is going to be watching the kids overnight and taking care of my pets too. Since 2 of my 3 dogs are getting to be old men and having health issues I feel bad leaving them alone for a long time or at a kennel. I rather leave them with a family member like my Mom so I know they are being well cared for.

My 2nd Cancerversary~February 23, 2008

It was 2 years ago today that my breast surgeon called me with the results of my biopsy to tell me that I had cancer. It was the worst day of my life and I never will forget how frightened I was just thinking about what was going to happen to me in the coming months. I quickly learned that the less internet reading I did on the subject and the more praying and positive thinking that went on were much better for my sanity than anything else. Anyway, I just wanted to mention this today because it is an important day for me. My Mom and Dad sent me 12 pink roses yesterday which arrived in the snowstorm and almost didn't make it inside the house. The idiot that delivered them put the box with the flowers in it by the garage door next to the garbage pails in the snow! Yup, pretty dumb. My husband found them just as he was about to use the snow blower in the driveway.

On another happy note I finished a friends baby's sweater. I used Schaefer Elaine in one of the special colorways they make for kids called Kermie (I guess its after Kermit the frog). The pattern is for the Rolled Neck Sweater for babies 0-12mos in the book 101 Designer One Skein Wonders.

I wasn't going to post it until she received it and I think that she probably received it by now since I mailed it a few days ago by priority mail. She was so kind to me when I was sick and sent me books and get well cards so I thought it would be nice to knit her baby something. The baby boy was born in November but at that time I wasn't able to do much knitting due to my carpal tunnel syndrome. I made her a promise that I would make something when my hand healed and she was very understanding of the situation. I hope she likes it.

I forgot to mention that I went to my LYS, Knitting Central to buy some books with baby patterns since I really dont have that many baby patterns in my collection. I bought ITTY-BITTY by Susan B, Anderson, Last Minute Knitted Gifts and Essential Baby by Debbie Bliss. All of these books have a plethora of wonderful patterns for babies. I cant wait to dive into them. I do wish I was a knitter when my children were babies. I guess that I just have to find babies to make them for! I also bought a few skeins of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.

Hand me that Knitting! (and those beads)

I am officially suture free and able to knit!! I am wearing my brace at times that I need to protect my hand in public or when doing things where I feel I might hurt myself by inadvertently putting weight on it. The Dr said I can do anything that I feel comfortable doing with it except putting weight on my palm. I was able to crochet with the original cast on so thats what I did.

I started a couple of crochet projects. One is a rippleghan that I am making for my living room. The other is a scarf for myself. My husband took me to the yarn store yesterday and picked out yarn to make the Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat. He picked Torino Bulky in Grey for himself and I picked out a variagated pink/red colorway. Everyone who is making them on Ravelry (like 300+ people are making them) say they are a fast knit. I wonder if I can make it using the Magic Loop method? I am not sure about that though.

Finally, there are some pictures for me to post:

My Daughter on Thanksgiving


My Old Man1


My Old Man 2


These are some pieces that I made today and a few that were made before my surgery.

This are two Cloisonne & Crystal Necklaces:


Green Star Necklace and Pink Glass and Crystal Necklace


Green Blown Glass Leaf Necklace


Leopardskin Jasper Fan Necklace


BMFA Mediumweght Yarn: Mesa, Christmas Balls & Count Cluckula


I would love to start a new project with one of these yarns but before I do I have to finish a few.

The other day my husband came with me to my regular Dr. While he was there he checked him out and drew some bloodwork. He was complaining that he wasnt feeling well and was falling asleep while standing up. Believe me, he is falling asleep all the time, even when there is a parents meeting for my daughters religious ed. I thought at first it was just him being overtired and not getting enough rest. He's been working a lot of overtime and his hours are crazy. The Dr called with the results a few days ago and I couldnt believe what he told me. His hematacrit level, which is red blood cell count, was 24 when normal values for a man are around 44. His hemaglobin was also dangerously low. These things mean that hes severely anemic. Anemic enough to warrant a transfusion but thats a last resort because they generally dont like to do that unless its totally necessary. He is scheduled for an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy tomorrow to see where the bleeding is coming from. The Dr and gastroenterologist seem to think that its a bleeding ulcer. My mind is running through all the bad things it can be because God knows they always happen to us! Enough is enough already. My family deserves a break and I think that if God is testing me in some sort of way that I think I have passed the test by now. Please say a prayer that all goes well for him tomorrow. I will post news as soon as I get it.

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer 2007

Saturday and Sunday were the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC. My Mom raised $4,370.00 this year. She did a great job and I would like to thank all those out there who made a donation. I was a little disappointed we didnt surpass last years huge amount raised of $8,000.00. I thought that giving the incentive of jewelry and prizes would attract more donations than the prevoius year but I dont think my blog gets the traffic that other, more famous bloggers do. I am not quite as famous as the Yarn Harlot or others out there. Dont worry, there is time for me yet! For a relatively new blogger/knitter/beader I have a nice fan base (waving to the readers out there!). You can all laugh, I am TRYING to be funny but failing miserably.

The pictures above were taken by me. My Mom snuck me into the crowd of walkers and I had a front and center view of what was happening. I was also wearing a Survivor shirt and they gave all the survivors pink and white pom-poms to wave so I fit right in. Another breast cancer survivor that was walking with my Mom gave me an extra shirt that she was able to obtain which was very nice of her to do. All in all this was the best walk that they have ever had in their history raising over 10 million dollars with money still coming in at the time of the walk. I will be walking in the 2008 walk with my Mom as the Pink Panthers.

In other health related news, I have been going to (OT) Occupational Therapy for my lymphedema and the pain I'm experiencing in my left hand. At first my OT thought that it was related to the lymphedema but now realizes that its my carpal tunnel coming back. In Sept 1999 I had carpal tunnel release surgery in my right hand. At the time I was almost 6 months pregnant with my daughter and frightened more for her than me. Now its so difficult because I cant do anything that involves my left hand which includes knitting and beading. I am trying not to get depressed over this because I know from the past experience with the surgery I had immediate relief (except for the surgical pain). The surgeon that did the surgery in 1999 has privilages at the hospital I use so I am even more hopeful that it will be a successful surgery. The only obstacle is my lymphedema and it scares me to think about it but there really is no choice if I want to use my hand again. My plans also include attending Camp Cockamamie in the Spring with the rest of the Blue Moon FIber Arts Rockin' Sock Club members.
My first jewelry party is next week and I hope I have a little relief by then. I also have a make up class for the Starry Night Shawl which I have been putting off for a very long time. The first class I took was sometime in the Spring. I am not in a rusht to finish it but I dont want to make it difficult for my LYS. They keep accomadating me and I cant thank them enough for that. There is always some reason or another that I keep putting off the class and the years almost over! Its not looking good for me in regards to finishing the Starry Night Shawl.

Even though I have limited use of my hand I have been able to do a little beading and knitting here and there. There are lots of rest periods in between the beads and stitches believe me! Its the two things that bring me joy and even though I am in pain I cant stop doing them. One day at a time, one stitch at a time, one bead at a time. On that note here are some pieces I have completed in the past week or so.

Metal and Satin Necklace


Kazuri Bead & Czech Crystal Necklace


Red Shell Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings Set


Blown Glass Flower Necklace


Red Crystal Necklace


Black & Gold Angel Necklace


Dichroic Glass & Swarovski Necklace


Czech Crystal & Shell Necklace


Rose Quartz Fan Choker


Lime Hearts Necklace


Black Diamond & Pearls Bracelet


Butterfly Trinity Necklace


In other knitting news I as surprised to find out that one of my LYS is going out of business! Its not my beloved Knitting Central, thank God! Its Knotty Girl Knit and Yarn Club. It is the first store I went to when I wanted to learn how to knit. I also tried to get a job there once which I wrote about in this blog. I found out about their closing when I went to their website to see what was happening in their store for the fall season. According to the owner, they werent making money. In my opinion, the owner was not a very good business woman and I predicted this a while ago to my husband who agreed with me. They couldnt hold a candle to Knitting Central and I am not just saying that because a few lovely ladies who work there read this blog. The owner of the store thats closing proved it when she recommended the closest yarn store to patronize in their place. She suggested the knitting community travel 35 minutes to a yarn store 4+ towns away instead of taking a 10 minute ride down the main road to Knitting Central! What nerve! I was in the store the other day to see if they had anything worth purchasing and actually heard the owner say this to a couple of shoppers in the store!! I had to hold myself back from going up to these people and telling them to take a ride over to Westport and see the best knitting store in the state. It WAS rated the Best of the Gold Coast so I am not BS-ing you here. When I got out to the car where my husband was waiting, I told him what I had just witnessed and he said that she probably wasnt recommending Knititng Central because it was her competition and probably the reason she went out of business. OK, he might be right but she is GOING OUT OF BUSINESS so why should she care at this point?? Pretty stupid right? I think so. Knitting Central is not the reason she went out of business, SHE IS THE REASON she went out of business. SHE has no one else to blame but herself and her lack of expertise in the business world. I can tell you that because I directly witnessed her laissez-faire attitude about her business. She didnt believe I was a good knitter because I wasnt knitting long enough to qualify in her book as a good knitter. She had said that to me when I wanted to work there. Can you tell I didnt really like her? LOL. I have certainly seen knitters who have knitted less than a year be better knitters than someone who has knitted 20. Enough said.

Bad, Bad Blogger & A Long Post to make up for it

Its been a long time (again) since I posted but you will be happy to know that I will make up for it with some pictures! Before I post them though the reason I havent been blogging is because both my kids have been sick. My son had the Coxackie Virus and my daughter had Pneumonia again. She came home the other day with a 104 fever and said she couldnt breathe. Her camp took her to a Bluefish game and it was raining on and off all day. Instead of calling the game off and taking these kids back to the camp, they kept them sitting out in the rain! She was saturated when she came home and I couldnt figure out why.
My husband took her to the emergency room that night and confirmed what we thought. When she is better we have to take her to a pulmonologist to see if she needs daily medications to ward off getting pneumonia.

I also had my 1st visit to a dentist in almost 3 years! WOW! Yes, there were more pressing medical issues going on so I put the teeth on hold. I thought that I was in for a big surprise but the dental hygenist said my teeth had very little plaque on them and my gums didnt look to bad either. I was told by my old (jerk) dentist that I had serious periodontal disease and that I needed a gum transplant and all that jazz. Personally, I think he was money hungry and so did my husband. When it was time for me to see the dentist he told me that I had very nice teeth and that he couldnt believe just by looking at my teeth that it was so long since I had seen a dentist. I was more than happy when leaving the office!

I have been busy making jewelry and here are some of the fruits of my labors. This is a wire wrapped ring with a Swarovski crystal heart in the center.


This is a polymer clay necklace that I bought on Etsy from an awesome clay artist called ArtsyClay. She has a blog at:
http://artsyclay.blogspot.com/
I fell in love with this the 1st time I saw it because it reminds me of my dearly departed cat Dom and I. I have received several compliments on it since purchasing it last week. I am thinking about comissioning her to do my 3 doxies on a pendant.


A butterfly (unknown species) on my favorite blooming plant on my deck:


My Basil plant (my favorite herb)


Rosemary & Dill


A lone Tomato


The cement stone marker I made for Dom's grave.


Sunflowers that my husband bought me the other day.


The Old Man howling for a Snausage (LOL)


This is my first foray into the land of polymer clay. I made the shells, beads on the side of the turtle, the turtle itself and the small tan bead on the top. I made this for my daugher so I used a flexible wire so she can pull it over her head and not worry about clasps


Swarovski Filagree Bracelet and Earings.


Millifiori Cross Pendant and Wire wrapped marble necklace I made for my daugher.


Necklace,bracelet & earings I designed and made. I ablsolutely love this combination of beads, Swarovski crystals and colors. I especially love the fact that the silver beads are little lady bugs and the blue beads are leaves so they go together very well. I loved these beads so much I bought them in a beautiful turquoise green with matching crystals.


A close up of the Earings


Today I ventured out to my LYS, Knitting Central, to check out and see if they had any more Panda Cotton. They had received a sample pack of 10 skeins that quickly sold out and I wanted some but was to late! Cynthia was trying to order more but the company that makes it (Crystal Palace) wont allow her to buy it in small quantities. They want her to purchase 70 skeins! For a small yarn shop thats crazy. I want to know who in these big companies makes these rules? They probably figure that you can get it online if you really wanted but there is one thing you cant do online and thats feel the yarn. Dont get me wrong, I love to give business to the indie dyers that sell only online but I also love going to Knitting Central and giving them my business. I just hope these online stores dont hurt the small yarn shops in the future. So if you shop online and buy yarn go and spend some money at your LYS also. I bought some Koigu and a couple of books. Pictures will be in the next post so I can keep you all in suspense. They are beautiful bright summer colors and I am not sure yet what I want to make or I should say what sock pattern I want to make out of them. I wanted to make the Knitty anklet pattern with the Panda Cotton but seeing thats not going to happen any time soon I was contemplating using the Koigu but also thinking of using Cascade Fixation due to the fact its more of a summer/early fall sock and I dont want it to be to hot. Well, I think I need to finish some WIP's that are hanging out here first and as you can see from my posts there hasnt been a FO in a long time. As a friend reminded me, the summer time is for going out and having fun and there will be plenty of time in the colder months to knit so dont worry about it! I'm not worried about it but I certainly wish I got the new Harry Potter book on audio so I can do more than one thing at a time!

Good news is that the Starry Night Shawl class in pushed back another month until 9/19 so I have another reprieve from the hexagon knitting which I wasnt much into after the 4th one anyway. I want to reach out and slap all these people that finish things so fast! SLAP! Slow down and enjoy the PROCESS of knitting. The procrastinator I am will wait until the last minute to knit my hexagons. Oh well.

Edited to add:
If anyone reading is interested in purchasing any jewelry made by me or if they would like me to make something in a certain color or stone they like, please, by all means, let me know. I have been asked by several people who have seen me wearing my jewelry if there was a place they could buy it. Sadly, right now I dont have an Etsy shop but it is something that I am thinking about setting up in the future.