Not Enough Time in My Day for All this CRAP!!

So much has happened since walking the AVON WALK in October. Turns out I forgot my camera when I left for the hotel the night before and my Mom didnt have her camera so no pictures from the walk. I was upset about that but overall I was more proud of the money we both raised and the great job we did walking all over NYC. It was a blast and so many people were out there to great us with inspirational signs and high fives. My Mom and I raised a total of almost $6,000 which I plan to beat next year by leaps and bounds.

The following week was the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival which was predicted to be rained out but we headed up on Saturday and the rain held out until after we left. I was able to get a few nice skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns. I was saving up my money for STITCHES EAST which this year was held in Hartford and was happening just a week after Rhinebeck. My husband and I made a date of it and had a great time. He even won a door prize from Liza Souza yarns! I thought that was so funny. Afterwards we headed to Ruth's Chris Steak House for a belated anniversary dinner. We celebrated 11 years on 9/26 and never had a chance to go out and celebrate so better late then never.

I almost forgot that my son's 7th birthday came and went and I never mentioned it. He turned 7 on the 15th of October and we had a couple of celebrations for him since it fell in the middle of the week.

I am not sure if I mentioned this here or not but I cant really go into a long drawn out story. I will give a shortened version not to bore you all. My sister is pregnant due in March with a guy who is not only an illegal immigrant but 7 years younger than her. We all know what he really wants. She doesnt even know him 8 months, maybe less. She was pregnant over the summer and had a miscarriage at 6-7 weeks but immediately got pregnant while recouping from the miscarriage. We all thought they would take the proper steps when that happened and do the right thing like get a green card then get married then have a baby. Maybe get to know each other a little bit and see if you both want the same things in life. But no, not her. So she is due in March and they are to be married by a judge civilly the day after Christmas. Oh joy. I dont have a good feeling about this guy because whenever I see him he looks like a deer in the head lights. He's 25 and she is 32. There is no way he wants the same things that she does. I can say that he definitely sees her as his meal ticket because she has the job with the benefits and the health insurance, the co-op that he moved into and so on. I hope for the childs sake that I am wrong but I am usually right when it comes to reading people. Anyway, I am knitting as much stuff as I can for the baby before she is born.

In knitting news I made another baby item for my kids school principal who had a baby girl over the summer. I used Bon Bon yarn and Louisa Harding for the trim. It was a very quick knit and fun too.



Colorful and cute! I hope he and his wife like it. Now I have to start something for a patients 2 year old whom I have no idea what to make. There are so many things I could do but when you want to make them all its hard to make a decision! LOL

I am presently working on a Christening Blanket for my sister, half mittens for myself and a pair of socks that I have been working on forever! I still want to start something new, NOW! I am sure whatever I finish first will be posted here for all to see but who knows when that will be.

Over the past few months I havent been feeling well and have seen an ENT several times thinking it was a sinus infection of sorts. He told me that it was a deviated septum but was unsure that it could cause all the pain I was having and am still having. I am having more than pain now. I am dizzy and cant focus on anything for a long period without getting dizzy or nauseous. I have problems driving too which scares the heck out of me because my job entails driving and lots of it at times. So yet again I am headed to the Dr to check me out and see what the problem is. I am hoping I can get some answers and maybe feel better! I am praying that happens soon because I cant take much more of feeling this way.

Never a Dull Moment

I should know already that there is never a dull moment in my life. A week before my daughters hand surgery which was the 28th of July, I had an episode with my blood pressure where I had to go to the ER.

I had a migraine for a few days and it just wasn't relenting. I started to have horrible dizzy spells and problems with my vision. My blood pressure (BP) usually runs extremely low and when I say extremely I mean VERY low like 90/50. When I took my BP it was 158/110. OK, don't panic, take it again, and again and again. Every time I took it the numbers were worse and worse. It got to 180/120. By that time my husband had come home from work and he had taken it and got worse then I was getting. I put in a call to my doctor who was on vacation for the week so he had an asshole filling in for him. She doesn't know me and she is a real jerk. I know my body well and I know when something isn't right. My doc listens when I talk because he always says, you turn your back on me for one second and the shit hits the fan with my health. Off to the ER we went and my husband drove while I popped one of the old BP pills I had left over from when I had issues with tachycardia from my Graves Disease (before I had my thyroid removed). I thought what harm could it do and at this point I thought I was having a stroke.

When we got to the ER they brought me right in when they heard what my symptoms were. They hooked me up to a monitor and my pressure was still high at 146/99 but much better than the last reading my husband got at home. The ER doc ordered a CAT Scan of my head to rule out a stroke and an EKG which was done within an hour of me being admitted to the ER. They started an IV to give me pain meds for my migraine and drew lots of blood for cardiac enzymes and other tests. All the tests were negative and my pressure was still hovering in the 150/90 something range. They were unsure if the Atenolol that I took before I left my house had anything to do with it going down. I definitely think it was lowering it. I almost forgot to mention that my Mom and Dad were away on vacation and my husband had no choice but to take the kids with us. You could imagine how much fun that was for them! They admitted me to the hospital and I stayed for a couple of days. They did a renal ultrasound to see if I had stenosis of the renal artery which would cause a hypertensive episode. There is also another condition of the kidneys that causes hypertensive episodes (complicated name that I can't remember) and the ultrasound ruled it out also. So after all that they couldn't find anything wrong which is comforting but aggravating also. I still don't feel right but they seem to think it might have been related to my thyroid levels being totally off.

A week later my daughter had her hand surgery. They initial thought it was an aneurysm of the artery or something vascular. When they got in there it wasn't vascular at all which turned out to be very good news. No reconstruction of the artery needed meaning no scary side effects and less healing time. Pathology hasn't come back yet but I am hopeful it's not serious.

The same day my daughter had her surgery I had my PET Scan which I go for every 4 months. Results were negative and I can breathe again.

During that time I knit a few rows on a couple of new socks and I COMPLETED the "Wonky" cowl from the Knitty Summer Issue. It was a very quick knit that was also very easy. I used Spud & Chloe yarn which was a dream to knit with. The first two pictures are pretty much true to color which is a natural brown color. I made it for my husband because he's not a scarf person. Here are some pics of the completed project.





I am planning on making a few more of these!

The 4th One of the Month

One of my many goals this year is to try to post at least 4 times a month to this blog (or more). Its hard to do that when you don't have anything to talk about that you think is worthy of sharing. Well, lets see, I think I have a couple of things to talk about.

Yesterday, I had an interview for a home care IV infusion therapy per diem nurse position. I was a little nervous about the interview since I haven't been on one since 1997. The office I was headed to was an hour away from here so my husband offered to drive me. He brought along his resume to drop off in the hopes he would be able to get something one day a week or so because they are cutting all his OT at work. When we arrived he gave his resume to the woman doing my interview and she asked us if we wouldn't mind being interviewed together? Wow, I never had an interview with another person before let alone my husband! I thought it was funny and it took a little of the nervousness away making the situation more casual for all of us. To make a long story short, at the end of the interview she told us both that she would love to have us join the team! We were both so excited about not one but 2 part time jobs! We wont be starting until after we return from our vacation at the end of February but that's right around the corner from now. There are lots of paperwork and orientation that comes with a new job but I don't mind.

After leaving the office we went to my favorite local yarn store, Knitting Central.
How else does a yarn addict/knitter celebrate? By buying yarn, thats how! It was either yarn or makeup and my husband wants another Half-Pipe Hat. It certainly was an easy knit and I need some mindless knitting for the long drive to Florida.

In other news my cousin's baby shower is next week so I need to be done with the Baby Kimono I've been working on forever. Its a seamless one and it's a lot of fun to do since there are no seams to close at the end. I am presently working on the sleeves and had to buy another skein of Zara Merino in white because I only had 2. The pattern called for the yardage of 2 skeins but I soon realized the sweater would have either short or 3/4 sleeves if I didn't purchase more yarn.

The first shipment of the BlueMoon Fiber Arts Notorious Sock Knitters (Rockin' Socks Club) for 2009 arrived on my doorstep the other day. It was missing a few items thanks to the 3-4 inch gash in the tyvek envelope. I e-mailed them and they are sending replacements to me ASAP which was very nice of them. The yarn and the pattern is GORGEOUS and I didn't get a pic of it (sorry). Its a Sivia Harding design that incorporated beads into the knitting. I have never done any beaded knitting but I have always done the first pattern from the club so why stop now. It has always introduced something new to my knitting whether it be toe up socks or short row heels and I have always completed it well. I plan on starting them as soon as I finish with the other socks (they are almost done). Beaded knitting is certainly not good for vacation knitting and driving in a car for long periods of time. Could you imagine if I dropped the beads? Oh no, not a good thing.

My Namaste Zuma Bag in the limited edition colorway eggplant finally came in the mail and I am in love with it! Its a lot smaller than my other Namaste Cali collection bag (cant remember the exact name). but it holds a lot of stuff none the less.

My daughter celebrated her 9th birthday this month! I cant believe she was born 9 years ago. Where does all the time go?

That's all the exciting news for January!

Out of the Frog Pond a Finished Object Arises (and a mini-rant)

I can't tell you how many times I started this scarf and then frogged it. This happened at least 5 times, at LEAST. It's not that I didn't like the yarn or the pattern but my interest in it waned. The yarn is Misti Baby Alpaca Grande Bulky in a pink and grey colorway. I had only one skein of this color so the Ribs and Ruffles pattern that Misti puts out specifically for the yarn was perfect. The scarf is not very long measuring in at 46" or so but perfect the wrap around my neck and keep it cozy warm. Baby Alpaca is as soft as cashmere and some say its even softer. I absolutely love alpaca and especially when its mixed with other fibers like merino wool and silk.





Notice my little wooly friend sneaking his little head there in the first picture? I think he is jealous because it's alpaca yarn and not wool that I used. Silly sheep! That Folkmanis Sheep Puppet came from the first NY Sheep and Wool Festival my family & I attended in October of 2006. My son wanted the big sheep puppet and my daughter got a lamb puppet. They play with them and pretend and have puppet shows all the time along with the other hundred stuffed animals in their rooms! LOL Ever since I was a little girl I have collected stuffed animals and love to play with them with my kids. I own a few Build a Bear stuffed animals that reside on my bed. I knit & crochet clothes for them all the time. The Build A Bear animals we have are: The Black Lab (the first one that came out, not the new one thats out now), The Beagle, Boxer, Border Collie, Pink Poodle, 2 Cheetahs, 2 Brown Bears, Rudolph & Clarice, The Groundhog, The Orange Cat, & the Pink Breast Cancer Bear. I think that's it but I could be missing some. The minute Build A Bear makes a dachshund I will be the first in line to buy one or two!

An update on my son: He was admitted on Wednesday to the hospital for severe dehydration due non-stop vomiting from a bad gastroenteritis infection (both viral and bacterial). The doctors said it was most likely one of the Norwalk Viruses that are highly contagious and hit you really fast. They usually last anywhere from 12-24 hours but the bad thing about them is that you do not feel better after you vomit like your typical stomach bug, but worse, and you continue to puke which is a vicious cycle. He is feeling much better and my Mom brought up Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday so we all had our fill of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie.

The next few weeks leading up to Christmas and New Years are going to be crazy busy for me. I am hoping to blog as much as I can because there is going to be a lot to talk about. We are going to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in a couple of weeks. The kids have been begging us to go every time the commercials come on TV. They are at perfect ages to appreciate it now. I was in the 2nd grade when my school took us to see the show for a class trip. I went to Catholic School most of my life and that must have been a pricey trip even back then. If you want to see the show on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday the prices go through the roof but drop considerably if the show is on a weekday. Hey, its the same show whenever you go see it so it doesnt matter to me. Plus, I would much rather avoid the city and Rockefeller Center on a weekend! Talk about crowds in NYC, they are CRAZY during the holidays and especially after the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit! Speaking of the HUGE tree, we are going to see it after the show. My kids have only seen it when they have the special where they light it live on TV. That show used to be 30 minutes when I was little because back then it wasn't so commercialized with all these Hollywood movie stars, singers, reality show jerks and everyone who has already earned their 15 minutes of fame. Anyway, (sorry for that tangent), I cant wait to see their faces when they get a glimpse of this HUGE tree!

Christmas shopping this year should not be to difficult. I am planning on making gifts for my Mom, Dad (maybe, not sure yet) my Aunt, teachers at my kids school, the mailman, sanitation workers, and whomever else I am forgetting. People love handmade gifts because they mean so much when they come from the heart.

Here comes a rant which I have to get off my chest/
My sister is not getting a gift because she refuses to acknowledge the existence of my children, her godchildren. Now, whatever her beef with me is thats fine and dandy but by ignoring my children she has gone to far and her behavior is more than unacceptable, it atrocious and despicable. She never called my son on his birthday which was in October and never gave him his gift after she asked him what he wanted. He then obsessed over it and talked about it every day. With all the ways people can communicate these days (cell, regular phone, answering machines, voice mail, snail mail, e-mail, etc) there is no excuse for her not to contact my son. He is a little boy and its just not right to do that to him. Should I expect anything but this type of behavior from a person who actually said to me after my son was born on the same day that she was born, "Did you HAVE to have him on MY birthday??" She said this with an attitude and not only said it to me but to my parents and my Aunt who couldn't believe someone would actually say that. Number one, most people are honored when a child that they are related to is born on the same day they were. Its an honor to share your birthday with a child, in my opinion and most other NORMAL human beings opinions. My cousin is due with her first child in April and I would be honored if she had that little boy on the same day I was born. Notice I didn't call it MY birth DAY? Because (number two) millions of people share that birthday and not just my sister so get a life idiot. You are not the only person in the world who has that birthday. By the way, jerk for brains, I had no choice when my baby was coming out of my body just like most other women who have babies and give birth! My due date was originally 10/31 then it changed to the 20th. My doctor was going away on the 17th for 2 weeks and didn't want me to wait and go past my due date. By this point the baby was big enough, plus she wanted to deliver me and not have another doctor in the group do it. Sorry to make this a long story but I have held in my anger for quite some time and I have had it. The straw that broke the camels back (and believe me there was many of them but this was the last and final one) was when my son was in the hospital for Thanksgiving. My Dad and my great Aunt went to visit him at the hospital. He asked my Dad, "When is Aunt____ going to give me my birthday present?" My Dad didn't have an answer for him but he told my sister when he got home that my son was asking for his birthday present. She didn't say anything to him but according to my Mom she has it and she is waiting to see him. The same thing happened last year and she didn't give him his birthday present until January!! That is totally uncalled for and not right at all. I could care less if I ever get a gift from her but I can say with 100% of certainty that she will never get another gift from me EVER again. Once you mess with my family and ignore the existence of my children you are nothing but the scum of the earth in my book. God forbid she pick up the phone and call my son at the hospital! No, she rather leave the family, just like she left my dying Nana when she was on hospice to go and be with her boyfriend and his dad, who was ill at the time but not on his deathbed like my Nana. Totally disrespectful and an immature little prick who is such a narcissist that I will never understand her and why she treats people like shit. Well, I have news for her. When I go to my parents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, she will be there. I told my Mom that if she says one thing out of order I will not hesitate to embarrass her in front of people and make her feel 2 inches tall. My kids right now are very forgiving and whenever they see her they always are excited and happy and want to spend time with her. She, on the other hand, cant wait to get out of the house and away from them as quickly as possible. Friends of mine that have nieces and nephews usually dont mind spending time with them or even offering to watch them a few hours while the parents go out to dinner and a movie. This is something that has never happened to me and never will. She wants nothing to do with me, my kids or anyone in the family and its not right at all because we (the family) have been nothing but good to her all her life. If anything she is a spoiled brat and needs to grow up. Let's see where her friends will be when she really needs them because I can almost guarantee they wont be anywhere to be found. /end of rant-thanks for listening The holidays are usually difficult because I am forced to remember how much she hates me and it hurts. It really hurts. :(

Happy stuff: I am working on an baby sweater for my friends brother who just had a baby girl last month. Lots of babies coming so there will be lots of baby knits and crocheted stuff to show off (keep your fingers crossed, LOL). I am finishing a silk scarf/wrap which I was supposed to be done with Thanksgiving but obviously not, also a crocheted shawl which I am embellishing but not in a rush to finish. A tank top I never finished last summer for when we go to Florida, lots of socks that are always in the works and a sweater which I keep trying to start but havent yet. Hopefully I will have pics in the near future of some of these FO's.

Quote of the Day (I just felt like adding this): Stand for something or you will fall for anything.

Beam me up Scotty.

Just "Froggin'" Around on a Friday Night

FINALLY!! I finished these socks! These were the sock kit from WOOLGIRL for the month of June. I didnt use the pattern that came with the kit and decided to stick to an easy K3, P1 pattern with a twisted rib cuff. The yarn is Dancing Dachs Sport Weight in Tree Froggin' colorway.





One pic is in natural light and the other is with a flash. This is a very loud, bright colorway and I received a lot of compliments on it when I was working on it at the past two Weight Watcher meetings. I found it funny because a couple of people who attend are actually knitters and they had said they never had seen a yarn with such beautiful, bright colors in it. I cant imagine my life without handpainted yarn in it!

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!

FO's & Froggin'

I know I am a bit late on posting these pictures but I hate to ruin the surprise for other members of the club that haven't received their kit yet. So here it is:

Woolgirl Sock Club Kit~June 2008



I absolutely LOVE this kit! I cant wait to start these socks. However, I am waiting to finish my LEAFLING socks from the Rockin' Socks Club which I am almost finished with, then I will start these babies. I was in this sock knitting funk and I finally got my mojo back. I dont know why but now I am in the sock knitting mood so I am not only going to finish the LEAFLING's but start the next kit for Blue Moon, complete the Garden Anklets for my LYS's Sock Club AND start these beauties. The colorway is called FROGGIN'.

I finished the baby cardigan I was working on for my friends baby. Its the pattern from the Knitters Book of Yarn which I highly recommend. I used Blue Sky Cotton which happens to be my favorite yarn. The size for 12 months calls for 3 skeins and I only used 1.75 skeins. Yes, I am on gauge, both row and stitch. I heard all you thinking that out there! I read all the reviews on RAVELRY before making this and most people used at least one skein to a half a skein less than what was called for in the pattern. The only problem I had with this is that I used the size buttons that was called for but somehow the way the pattern has you make the buttonholes makes them a lot larger than the buttons. I went out today and bought these larger buttons and in my opinion, are a much better fit.




Its been 2 years since my hair started growing back from its loss to chemotherapy. I have been keeping pictures of its journey to where it is now. I have had MANY haircuts along the way because if I didn't it would be past my shoulders by now and maybe even bra strap length. Its OK because I have enjoyed the journey here but I do want my hair long again. I am not sure how long at the moment but long enough to put in a pony tail or a clip. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer my hair was 32" long and past my waist. Everyone asks me if I am going to grow it that long again and I just don't know right now. Like I said, I am just enjoying the journey.




I am really a Curly Brunette! LOL

101

My kids got out of school early today because its so hot. The thermometer on my weather station is reading 101 degrees if you can believe it. We don't have central air and our huge air conditioner that was cooling the kitchen, great room and dining room areas broke. The only air conditioners are in the bedrooms and the one that was in the computer room we now have in place of the one that broke. The only problem(s) is a) its not big enough to really cool it off to a suitable temperature, b) it only has one setting and if changed the compressor shuts completely off c) its %^*$@%*!% HOT!!!

I was really sick a little over a week ago with what my son had which came with a fever for 4 days, really sore throat, wheezing, coughing and lots of mucus clogging my lungs (sorry, TMI). I took antibiotics and they did nothing because I relapsed this weekend. The night before last I started feeling like shit again and my throat started hurting. When I took my temperature it was over 100 again. I immediately called the Dr and he gave me a stronger antibiotic-Avalox, which will kill anything I am told. I wasn't feeling better at all and today my husband called out of work to take me to the Dr. While I was waiting in the office (long wait because I didn't call) my cell phone rang and it was one of my girl friends calling to let me know the schools were being let out early due to the heat in the classrooms reaching 110 degrees. The school is basically not air conditioned and the windows don't all open. There are a couple of classrooms that are air conditioned but they are not my kids classes.
Due to the heat wave the school is letting the kids out early tomorrow again. My son is having his end of the year celebration in school tomorrow and I signed up to go and I am not sure if I should since I feel like crap and, like I said, the school is like a sauna. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in any minute now.

At the Dr's office he did an exam and told me that I have a major ear infection on top of the one in my throat and lungs. Even with being on the antibiotics my white blood cell count was elevated! OK, the Dr knows I am not a complainer either and he knows when I complain about not feeling well that its something real and not just me whining. So I have to continue for 10 days on the antibiotic and call if there is no improvement. I was so glad I took my knitting with me because I waited an hour and a half to see the Dr. There are a few WIP's that I am working on at the moment and I made sure to take 3 of them with me. You never know where you might get stuck and you need your knitting.

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago of this animal that I think is a groundhog or a badger. My husband thought it was a prairie dog but they are a lot smaller and are not found in this part of the country unless one escaped from the zoo! I haven't seen it since these pictures were taken.



Blue Moon's Rockin' Sock Club for May, Woolgirl's Sock Club's 1st Kit and my LYS Knitting Central's Kit for May-Jitterbug by Colinette in Florentine

Do you think they all conspired to get such similar choices for their clubs? Its a good thing I like purple. I don't have that much purple in my stash even though I like it. They are all beautiful additions to my stash and I couldn't resist and had to cast on for the Garden Sock pattern with the Jitterbug

My Emergency Sock Yarn Collection from Blue Moon Rockin' Socks Club 2007 and 2008



Garden Socks in progress

This is such a great pattern and it really knits up fast. I also LOVE the color and the feel of the yarn which is Colinette Jitterbug. The only thing I don't like about the yarn is that they skimp on the yardage. I can't understand why Colinette came to the conclusion that its enough. If I made my husband socks with this yarn I would need to do the cuffs, heels and toes in another color.

On the way home I made a pit stop at Knitting Central to get some more of my favorite cotton by Blue Sky and some buttons to make my husband's co-worker new baby boy a sweater. Yeah, I know, you're thinking, "She makes all these babies sweaters, what's in the water where he works?" Well, I do make lots of babies clothes and I love doing it since I am not having any more children of my own. I also picked up Cables, Mittens, Hats & Scarves -on the go! There are some awesome patterns in this book. I also got No Needle Knits Loom Knitting Pattern Book

I have a bunch of those looms in all different sizes and I thought this might be fun to do something different. Maybe I can get my daughter into it. I didnt realize you can make so many different things on a loom! Socks, sweaters, hats, gloves, you name it.

Buttons for one of my baby sweaters


Our clothes dryer has been inoperable for the past week and this is how we have been drying the clothes along with using the clothesline thats off our back deck. We have a very energy efficient large capacity dryer and it just wont stay on when I press the start button. I have an extended warranty on it which will cover anything that happens (until 2013) and it will even replace it if it cant be fixed. In a way I almost hope its something that cant be fixed so we can get a brand new dryer but I also would like to have my dryer back as soon as possible because I do laundry almost every day. All our appliances are top of the line Kenmore because they are the best (in my opinion) and we always buy them at SEARS. I used to think those warranties were stupid but they are totally worth it. The smallest repair can cost $200. We had a similar incident with the dryer occur a couple of years ago and SEARS came and fixed it right away. I am hoping that its something the repairman can fix when he comes instead of having to order a part that takes another week to get in. I already waited a week and I cant tell you how I am trying to avoid getting clothes dirty! LOL Its close to impossible to do this when the temperatures are in the high 90's to over 100 degrees.

Catch Up

I am trying to play catch up with all that was going on when I wasnt blogging due to the 'Great Gelato Incident'. At least my computer is working (knock on wood). Here is a picture from the Heel Options class I took at my LYS, Knitting Central, with Charlene Church.


My husbands birthday was on Memorial Day so I decided to make him a cake. I was writing his name on the cake then realized that I wanted to write "Daddy" instead of his name. So it came out kind of funny with his name and "daddy" after it. We all had a laugh at his expense over it.


Fooling around with my little Canon Elph camera getting some candid shots of my daughter.



The Old Man & My Old Man

Thats my oldest doxie Frank with my husband. I thought the title was funnier than saying that though. Funny story: I was at fancy gourmet chocolate store near my home and bought some chocolate covered malt balls along with some peanut butter carob dipped dog biscuits and when I went to pay for them I said, "My Old Man is going to love these!" The man ringing me up at the register politely said, "Miss, those biscuits are meant for dogs not for people". I laughed because when I said that I didnt realize that people dont know that I refer to my oldest doxie as 'my Old Man' as a term of endearment. I explained this to the guy and he couldnt stop laughing. I guess you had to be there but it was really funny. Speaking of my Old Man Frank, I found a very hard lump right near his hip bone and I am inclined to think that its not a good thing. He has so many lumps and bumps all over his body there is really nothing the vet can do at his age. He's to old to be put under anesthesia due to his mild Cushing's Disease and I dont want to do anything to stress him out if he's eating, drinking and happy. I do think he really misses his buddy, Ernie, because he hasnt been the same since he died. Remember, he was with him almost his entire life and I guess he doesnt know what its like to be without him. Having Duncan and Sampson, the puppy, makes it bearable for him but you can see he misses his friend. Frank will be turning 13 years old on June 25th which happens to be the anniversary of my husbands and my first date. I can still remember that evening we went out on my husbands boat and I didnt want to leave my puppy alone on his first birthday! He proceeded to pee on one of the cushions on the boat! My husband wasnt to happy about it but I guess he didnt want to yell at his girlfriends dog at the time for fear I would not want to date him! I thought it was cute and well deserved because my husband made a comment that small dogs were not "real" dogs. He doesnt think that anymore!

Sampson & Son

How cute is this picture! I know there's some peanut butter in there (lick, lick). The puppy is now 7lbs and getting big at 5 months old. Soon it will be neutering time. I am sure he's counting down the days, NOT.

My new Namaste bag and gorgeous sock yarns from www.woolgirl.com


There's various sock yarns from Zen Yarn Garden, Unique Sheep, Family Pendragon, Malabrigo lace (which is sooooo soft and yummy!), and my all time favorite Ms. Babs Yummy Sport Weight sock yarn in Van Gogh, Bluegrass and Cleopatra. I need to get busy and knit faster so I can make these socks! If anyone out there is awaiting the "Joe Cool Kit" that Jen over at Woolgirl is putting together keep an eye out for the stitch marker in there because I made them. I have a biased opinion of course but I think they are very Joe COOL! I hope you all like them!

I received my Rockin' Socks Club shippment for May and I LOVE the color! I am hoping that I can pull off the pattern though. Its absolutely beautiful but I am not sure if I will have problems with it. I am not going to sweat it. If I feel its not making me happy I will just use another pattern, no worries. I dont have a picture because my battery died and its being charged at the moment. I was taking pictures of this gopher like animal in my yard when the battery light went on and then died. My husband heard barking like sounds coming from a bush in the front yard and then this creature came out. I really dont know what it is but I am inclined to think its either a gopher or groundhog. I think they are basically the same animal from all the pictures that came up when I Googled them both. I'll ask my neighbor what he thinks because he knows about all those things especially if they like to eat stuff in his garden!

FInally

Yes, finally there will be some pics in this post and I am not lying. I havent been in the mood to really blog either with so much happening around here. My birthday came and went and we had a small cake the day we went out to eat and then we had another on my birthday.


I received a few phone calls on my birthday and a lot of e-mails from people whom I have become friendly with over the years. Its nice to be remembered by friends. However, it is extremely upsetting to not get a phone call from my one and only infamous sister. We all know the back story on her and I promise not to rehash it again. From what my Mom told me I am not the only one that she has been treating like shit. Well, I can guarantee that I am HER ONLY sister and I did have cancer and she did treat ME in an extremely bad manner. My parents cant say that and they dont know what it feels like to be sick and in need of help and not get it from your one and only sister whom DID promise to help me when I found out my diagnosis. Anyway, I didnt expect her to call because she didnt call me when Ernie died.

Sampson has also been getting bigger every day and he is actually looking more and more like a dachshund. His muzzle is elongating and his body is also elongating. He is still crazy with energy and is a riot to watch, especially when he runs at full speed into a wall or a piece of furniture. Here is the pain in the butt at 4 months old.


My husband and I were supposed to go see the Yarn Harlot together but our plans fell through because our son got sick and we felt better about him staying home with him. Sometimes when he gets a cough he has problems breathing and needs nebulizer treatments so I was nervous about leaving him with my Mom. I did go see Stephanie and she was a hoot! I got to WEBS just as 1,000 knitters were all purchasing their spoils of war at the same time. I started walking to the Calvin Theater and left my car in the WEBS parking lot which was the best idea ever because I made it back to WEBS in time to be the second person in line to have Stephanie sign my book. There were literally 1,000 knitters there and I had time to shop because they were all in line. Well, not all of them but it gave me time to shop and I was very good and didnt spend more than $100, if you can believe it. There was a 25% off sale on all sock yarn for the event so I had to get some of that. I bought the Giselle pattern by Marnie MacLean which I absolutely love and I cant wait to make it (who knows when that will be). I also bought some of my favorite Bue Sky Cotton in a gorgeous aqua blue appropriate enough for a boy or a girls Presto Chango.
Here is the famous Yarn Harlot at WEBS


I finally made some jewelry if you can believe it.

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.

Year of the (hand knit) Sock

Just like the Chinese New Year has its representative, this year will be represented for me by the sock. I do knit other things but my most favorite thing to knit in the whole world are socks. When I 1st started to teach myself to knit the thought of knitting socks never crossed my mind. I bought a few books on knitting socks and then after many unsuccessful attempts at casting onto DPN's I did it. I then signed up for a magic loop class and I have been hooked ever since. Now my technique has changed a bit due to my severe SSS (Second Sock Syndrome). I have mastered the 2 at a time socks on one circular method by Melissa Morgan Oakes. I love her method but I have a different way of casting on than she does. Hey, if you get there the same way whats the difference? Here are my husbands finished socks. These are the first pair I did on one circular. I used a size 47" Addi Turbo Lace Size 2 with Knitcol Adriafil Yarn. I didnt have enough to do the toe so I substituted Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.


Knitting Central Sock Club Kit for February

These colors are just beautiful plus the yarn is so soft and smooshy. Its Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Gold Rush. I love it and I have never used it before. I cast on for these right away last night. I have lots of socks in the works and if this 2 at a time things goes as planned I will be swimming in a sea of socks in no time! LOL.