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.

Serendipity

I finally finished my Rockin' Sock Club Kit from January. Here they are in all their Dragon Dance glory:



Specs: January's Rockin' Sock Club Kit, Color: Dragon Dance, Pattern: Serendipity, Needles: Addi Lace Size 1 (2.50mm) 47", Two at a time on one circular.

The only complaint I have about these socks is that I should have made the heels a little wider and not made them so narrow. I dont have pointy heels and I havent met many people who do so I am not sure who this pattern was made for. They do fit well so its not a big complaint. I also wish that I would get less pooling and more striping. When I look at others finished socks I see beautiful striping and all mine has is pooling. Pooling can be pretty too so again its not a major complaint.

Today I frogged the second Presto Chango I was making for a friend of my husbands who had a baby last fall. I wasnt liking the yarn (Cotton Ease by Lion Brand) and how it was coming out in the pattern. I have a million baby patterns and I have to get going on choosing something else to make her. I think I am going to go with something easy like a hat or booties because my list of stuff to make for other babies is way to long.

I received the Yarn Harlot's new book in the mail this weekend from WEBS. I cant believe how fast they delivered it! I called to reserve a copy for the event that they are having with her up there to sign books at the end of the month. I thought I would pick it up then but they mailed it to me instead. Those WEBS people sure are nice. That makes me want to buy more yarn from them! LOL

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.

This is a Knitting Blog, right?

This is the magic hand. Its healing well and I am finishing some UFO's. I cant believe I am making progress with my knitting! All I need is the time to knit because right now I am going crazy trying to get some jewelry done for Christmas gifts.

This is our Christmas Tree. It looks real doesnt it? Its not! My Mom gave it to me last year when she bought a new tree that already has lights on it. I need one of those because putting the lights on is the hardest part. My Mom was over the house the day we put the tree up so she put the lights on. The tree can be a bit scratchy so you get cut up quite a bit when putting the lights on.




Rudolph & Clarice Ornament


Every year we seem to collect more and more ornaments. I remember when we put up our first tree together in 1997 and there were hardly any ornaments on it at all. My Nana at that time gave me some money and said, "Go and buy some ornaments for your tree." Thank God she did that because the poor tree that year would have been totally naked!

Now, on to some knitting. This is a knitting blog right? It hasnt seemed like one lately so here are some FO's

Here is the Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot that I made for my hubby in Torino Bulky. I had to put in an extra repeat because he has a large head and now it fits nicely. I cast on 70 sts instead of 56 sts. Everyone at work asked where he bought it and he told them his wife made it. They couldnt believe it and they all wanted one. One thing I could never do is sell my knitting. Its never going to be a money making thing for me, its not about that. I am not fast enough first of all and I dont want to sell my stuff. If someone wants something bad enough, I'll make it for them. I enjoy making things for people.



Woolgirl's December Sock Club Kit came the other day and I am in love with it! I am going to cast on as soon as possible. I also am signing up for next years club because its such a wonderful sock club. Jen (Woolgirl) gives us so many freebies & surprises you cant believe it. Its up there with the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock CLub and sometimes I think its even better.


Jingle Bell Rock Sock

There is a story behind these socks and here it is. I started these socks last year and finished only one. The one with the nice stripes is the one thats been waiting for its mate for a year. I started the other one last month and just finsished it last night. There are some distinct differences between the two. One has nice stripes and the other has pooling of the colors. The gauge is a lot looser in the one I just finished because I worked on it with my cast on and wasnt able to apply the tight tension that I usually do with my knitting. I am a tight knitter so when you look at the two together you can see the difference . I dont mind that they are fraternal twins, thats what makes variegated yarn interesting. You cant expect it to behave the way you want.


I am presently working on a few things right now. One of them being another Unoriginal Hat in the same Torino Bulky yarn in a beautiful Fuschia colorway. I am not sure if its going to be for me or my daughter. She keeps saying its hers! LOL.
Then I have Woolgirl's last sock kit "Irish Dreams" that I am making Monkeys out of. I have my husbands two socks in Adriafil yarn on one circular and I am waiting for the book to come out (2 Socks at a Time on one circluar by Melissa Morgan Oakes) to finish them. I pre-ordered it with Borders and I am hoping it comes in soon. I am actually waiting on starting certain socks so I can use this method with them. I havent even started making the socks from the Knitting Central Sock Club. I feel bad about it but I'll get around to it. I think I have to many sock clubs on my plate! Time to catch up.
My favorite Christmas cartoon/special is on right now-Nestor the Christmas Donkey. Its such a cute show and I always cry when I watch it.

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.

Rhinebeck Review & Some Crazy Sh*t Goin' On

Well first the good stuff. We all like to hear the good stuff. They suspended that kid at my daughters school that attacked her and threatened her. It was only for one day but at least they told me his parents are taking this seriously and are going to get help for him. Lets hope he doesnt do this to any one again because if he does it to my daughter I will press charges and get an order of protection. Then this kid will have a juvenille record and I dont think that his father, who is a cop, will like that one little bit. Right now my only concern is my daughter and her safety.

Second good thing is we all went to Rhinebeck and had a great time this past weekend and I have a few pics to prove it. I almost bought a wheel but decided to wait on it because I havent tried enough to know whats comfortable for me. I also came to the conclusion that I wont be happy with a drop spindle but I did buy the book TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY HANDSPINNING.

Here are some awesome pics from Sunday:
This guy was standing with one leg on each horse and balancing while they trotted around the field:



The featured breed of this years festival the Bluefaced Leicester:

Another cute sheep:


More good things...
I finally got to meet Stephanie Pearl-McPhee!! After traveling up to WEBS and not being able to stand in line (due to the little leg issue I had) and then I missed her when she came to CT. I thought I wouldnt meet her, ever. But here we are and she is such a nice person and told me that I should have gone to the head of the line at WEBS when they announced anyone who couldnt wait long in line could do that. I didnt want to do that because on the outside I looked fine and I didnt want people to judge me and say, "Whats wrong with her, she looks fine to me."

My husband called me from the authors tent and told me to make my way over there because it was EMPTY! I ran across the fairgrounds and couldnt believe that I got to meet the Yarn Harlot, Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne of Mason-Dixon fame, Judith Durant whos books I love and StitchyMcYarnpants. Carol Cypher was also there but I didnt get a chance to talk to her because there were a bunch of people waiting for her to sign their books. I own her wonderful book, MASTERING BEADWORK, A GUIDE TO OFF LOOM TECHNIQUES.

Yesterday I had my appointment with the surgeon to see if we could set up a day for my surgery. He examined me and agreed that the only 2 choices I have are: live with the pain or have the surgery. He also made me feel better telling me that there have been several studies that showed there was no marked difference noted in women who had surgical procedures on a limb with lymphedema. Thats amazing news! It also makes me feel a lot better knowing that these were controlled studies and not just written with no facts or basis to back it up. My surgery will be in a month, the week after Thanksgiving to be exact and he told me that the restrictions that I have to follow will be the same as the last time I had carpal tunnel surgery in my right hand in 1999.

As you can see yesterday was a busy day for me as not only did I have 2 doctors appointments, a hair appointment and then finally the jewelry party in the evening. Here is a picture of my set up at my Mom's house:


I am so happy that everyone who came liked my stuff and bought a lot of it! I did really well for my first party. Actually, very well and I have several people that want to have their own jewelry parties in their homes. Sweet! Now all I have to do is get this damn hand fixed and I'll be in business.


When I got home late last night I found my Rockin' Socks Club October Colorway~Lenore


Here are the 2 socks I started on 1 circular using the magic loop method. I am anxiously awaiting the book about this subject coming out 12/1 by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I might have to put these aside for a while due to my carpal tunnel surgery as I have been doing with most of my WIP's.


Yup, all nice things going on then today my husband comes home and he scared me to death. He narrowly escaped getting killed on the highway coming home from work. The guy in front of him hit a HUGE buck and the deer came flying over the car and headed straight into my husbands car. He swerved out of the way onto the median of the road where he destroyed the two left wheels and most likely the axels or frame on the car. He had to hold the steering wheel at a 90 degree angle to hold the car straight. I filed the claim with my insurance company and the tow truck is going to come tomorrow to pick it up and take it to the body shop. Then my husband and I have to go to rent a car because he needs a way to get to work and with the hours he works and the times the kids have to be at school taking the train would be a pain in the ass. I am hoping the cost will be covered by the insurance company because we have a huge deductable (Ugh!!). Why do all these things happen at once? I was planning to go to Sock Camp with the Blue Moon Rockin' Sock Club Gang but who knows whats going to happen with the car and my sock camp plans.

The Yarn Harlot at WEBS~5/30/07

I arrived in Northampton early so I checked into my hotel room and then of course headed over to WEBS to shop early.
Here is my lovely room which was really nice and the bed was surpisingly comfortable. I normally sleep on a SLEEP NUMBER BED so I am a bit picky about my beds. While I was wandering around WEBS I ran into the Yarn Harlot herself. She had a small group of people that were with her so it was difficult to just walk up to her if I wanted to. I was a bit chicken and shy (who ME?) but I thought that I would get a chance later to see her so I let it go. Little did I know...


I spent so much time at WEBS that I had JUST enough time to go back to my room, change and get a cup of coffee so I could be awake for the event. I was exhausted by this point because the drive put a lot of stress on my leg which was hurting really bad by this time of day and all I wanted to do was lay down and prop it on a pillow.

When we arrived at the Calvin Theater (when I say 'we' I am referring to all the knitters) the WEBS employees gave us a goody bag with yarn (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran) and Boye Needles (size 8) to knit a square for WARM UP AMERICA while we were listening to Steph speak. I did half of mine there and then finished it in the hotel room and dropped it off at WEBS before I left town. Here is Stephanie at the podium with a beer in front of her provided by Mr Elkin (one of the owners of WEBS). They certainly know how to treat their guests! Stephanie was fabulously funny and made me laugh from the moment she came out to the podium until the last words that came out of her mouth. She is not only a talented knitter and writer but a wonderful speaker to boot. When she ended her talk we all headed back to WEBS for the book signing.


This was on display at WEBS and its amazing to see in person. Its a knitted glove for one of those hand chairs and I am sure took lots of time and patience.


Here is Steph signing books at WEBS after her appearance at the Calvin. When we arrived at the Calvin we were handed a card with a time to come back to WEBS to get in line for Stephanie to sign our books. Mine was 7:45pm but the talk ended at that time. We all headed back as fast as we could and the line was already snaking to the back of the warehouse which is NOT air conditioned and about a 2 hour wait (at least) from where I was standing. I didnt really want an autograph but a chance to tell Stephanie how knitting and her blog changed my life. I know it sounds kind of sappy but its true. I dont know where I would be right now if I didnt have knitting. It has centered me and made me realize that I have a special talent. I can make beautiful things that I can share with the ones I love. It has saved me from obsessing over many things including my cancer coming back (especially now with this tumor in my leg) and especially after my surgeries when I wasnt able to do anything but knit. Enough of my reminiscing about the past, I am getting emotional thinking about it. So I didnt get an autograph because I didnt wait in the line. Due to the tumor in my leg and the pain and discomfort it was causing me I wasnt able to wait for such a long time. The WEBS people had said if there was anyone who was unable for any reason to wait on the line they would be able to come to the front to see Steph but I couldnt do that. From the outside I look fine, like nothing is wrong with me and I can just imagine what people would have said or thought if I cut the 3 mile line! Its OK and I am sure I will see her again when she writes another book and tours! YEH!


I purchased some gorgeous yarns, all with a purpose or pattern in mind. I bought a gorgeous sweater pattern by Stitch Diva Studios, Wendy Bernard, called SAHARA. Its simply elegant and you have the option of making it without sleeves, with short sleeves or with long sleeves. From what I have read about the pattern on line many say that its a very simple pattern thats easy to understand. I purchased Valley Yarns which is made specifically for WEBS and its called GOSHEN. Its 48% Peruvian Cotton, 46% Modal and 6% Silk. You can see it in one of my pictures below how pretty a shine it has and the color I chose is called MULBERRY. Its a color that I know would look good on me but by buying it I did step out of my comfort zone. This picture doesnt include all the yarns I bought because I went back to WEBS before leaving town to get some other stuff like patterns I was eyeing and also some baby yarn for a blanket I want to crochet for my doctor whose having a baby in August. Actually I bought a lot of baby yarn because 2 doctors of mine (my GP and my GI Doctor are both having their 4th child! Wow, 2 is more than enough for me especially since my DS is like having 2 kids anyway!


This is one of my favorite yarns called Elaine by Schaefer Yarns. The colorway is called "Hermione" from the Harry Potter books. I wanted to buy more of it to make a sweater but it was a bit pricey so its going to have to be a vest for my DD or somethng else. I have to think about it. I am making my 2 little cousins who are turning one year this summer each a sweater for their birthdays with "Kirmie" and "Little Mermaid" colorways.


Here is a GORGEOUS yarn that I fell in love with the minute I touched it. Its bamboo and silk and if I had an endless supply of money I would have bought enough to make a sweater. SInce it costs $9.99 for 93-98 yards (cant remember exactly) and I would need about 1000 to 1200 yarns that would be, lets see, over $125 for the sweater. Well, you are saying what does she want for a homemade sweater made with the finest bamboo and silk? You're right, its not that much in the scheme of things but I bought GOSHEN by Valley Yarns with the same amount of yardage for $3.99 a skein and paid $40 for 10 skeins. Thats a big difference and what I like about Valley Yarns. They make a cheaper substitiute for almost all the name brand yarns out there for much less money and thats key in my book and moreso in my pocketbook!


The lovely GOSHEN yarnI was raving about earlier:


Since this is a knitting blog how about some pictures of what I have been making instead of yarn all the time? Here is my finished Tidalwave sock (keep in mind that is not blocked) which began as a Grasshopper in Blue Moon Fiber Arts April's Rockin' Sock Club Colorway, Walking on the Wild Tide. I decided as I was 1/4 of the way into the pattern that it wasnt working with the colors of the yarn so I decided to change the pattern to TIDALWAVE by SWTC. Its meant to be knit on the TOFUTSIES yarn. Its an easy, gratifying pattern and I love it. I am already on the pattern part of the leg on the 2nd sock. The 2nd one always goes faster than the 1st but when you have 8 projects going on at once its hard to get them done. I've been working on all of them slowly but working none the less so they'll get done eventually.


My Starry Night Shawl Class begins this week and I am excited and nervous at the same time about it. Its going to be beautiful since its going to be made with BMFA yarn in the Pink Granite colorway. The class is for the experienced knitter and thats what worries me. Cynthia says she considers me experienced after all the stuff I have made and that makes me feel best of all. Thats why I love my LYS, Knitting Cental, so much. The employees there empower the knitter to go out and do the project no matter what it is. I have never heard a negative word from any one who works there about what I could or couldnt do with my knitting. They are all wonderful and invaluable because each one of them has their areas of speciality where you can find help in whatever you are working on from crochet, lace, socks, intarsia or finishing. You name it they can help you.

Tuesday is another big day for me because I get to see another Dr who does peripheral nerve surgery. I did some research myself online and what I found is not any where near the same info that I found the other day. The info that I stumbled on last night was very frightening and mentioned the possibility that it was a malignancy was higher than I previously thought because of its location on the sciatic nerve. I read that these have a high percentage of malignancies. I didnt need to read this at 4am in the morning and it was depressing me also. I am going to continue to think positive and pray to God that it can safely be removed and that its benign. I dont want to type any other info that I found until I know exactly what this thing is. The bad thing about that is I probably wont know what it really is until it comes out and goes to pathology just like the tumors in my breasts. Please say a prayer that its nothing bad. Thank you so very much. :>)

A Trip to "The Big City"

This is what my 2 kids have always called NYC, the BIG CITY. Its so cute and I think my DD got it from a book that DH used to read to her when she was a baby. Its stuck and my DS picked it up now. Its adorable when they talk about it in front of people who dont know what they are talking about. When I had long hair I used to go to the place where all curly girls flocked to, DEVACHAN (salon), the brainchild of Lorraine Massey, queen of the curl. Anyway, when I had to go down there for a trim my kids would always say, "Mommy's going to the BIG CITY for a haircut!" It made people think, WOW, She must be high maintainance to get her hair cut in the city. Yeah right, first off I dont go anymore and believe me even if I did I am not high maintainance! I dont do my nails, no eyebrow waxing, nothing really. I do it all myself and have even cut my own hair when it was long enough to see the ends. (Heck I cut everyone elses in the family so why not-I'm qualified! LOL)

The reason I mentioned the BIG CITY is that we are going to see THOMAS LIVE ON STAGE today with the kids in the BIG CITY. I caught some previews on TV for it and even I am excited. I am not excited about the money I will be spending on parking and souvenirs. Its going to be very hot too and ever since getting back from the Yarn Harlot event (pictures soon people) its been hurting more and more to the point I am having difficulty walking. Its scaring me because it reminds me of the pain I had before my back surgery in 2003. I have an appointment on Tues with a new Dr and I am praying for some good news.
All I have to do is decide which knitting project to bring and not have confiscated at the door of the theater due to the killing nature of the knitter in the wild with her Addi Turbos! Give me a break people, they arent even that sharp! Now if I was using my KNITPICKS DPN's those suckers are so sharp that you can probably do some major damage.

I just remembered that the show OSWALD was about an octopus that used to be on Nickalodeon every morning when my DD was a baby. He refers to THE BIG CITY in the cartoon! Thats where she got it from. Well, I have to get going and get ready. Hopefully I will have somepictures up tomorrow of my finds from WEBS, all that happened in Northampton, and some cute pictures of Thomas. All I have to do is decide which camera lenses to bring with me!

Countdown to The Harlot

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

A Pompous Ass Otherwise Known as a Surgeon

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

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

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

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

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

A 40th Birthday & Memorial Day 2007

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



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

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





One of the lilies my son and husband planted in our front yard. I regret not getting a picture sooner because all of them were in bloom and now only this one remains.


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