Cool Socks! Warm Feet~The Lucy Neatby Experience

Well, I spoke about it before but I wanted to show you a picture of my new best friend:

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

This is a necklace that I made for Project Spectrum's April and May colors which are yellow, pink and green. This has two of those colors. I think I am going to give it to my grandmother for Mothers Day.


This is my daughter at her rainforest presentation. She had to tell everyone about the Harpy Eagle and then the audience had to guess what she was describing. Of course Mommy raised her hand to answer and all the other parents called me a cheater! What nerve! I really didnt know what animal she was doing because she wouldnt tell me. I really did guess. Who cares what the other parents think.


I never did finish my baby argyle socks but instead I made one into a sweater for a Steiff bear that I have had since I was a little girl. To much bad energy was going into this sock and I didnt want a baby having any of that bad energy. I am going to do them over but not now. I have another pattern thats similar except that the bottom of the foot is made in the round which eliminates the seam at the bottom. Sally did a wonderful job teaching the class, the problem was with me and the pattern not clicking in my head. Toward the end it did click but as I said there was to much toxic sock energy and it just wasnt meant to be.


This is the beginning of a Cabled Tank top in Knit Simple Magazine. I am using Berocco Love it and I am loving this yarn. Its a cotton, acrylic, poly blend. It has a wonderful give to it so it will fit nicely when worn (I hope! LOL).


The beginnings of my Blue Moon April sock. Its toe up with lace and the pattern is very difficult to do with the Addi circulars because its not sharp enough so I had to switch to my Knit Picks metal DPN's. These are VERY sharp and I am not having any issues now.


Today was the Lucy Neatby Cool Sock class and I cant tell you how much I learned! This is a "sock tree" where all her socks were displayed so I took a few pictures of them. They are gorgeous.


Here's Lucy teaching:


Hot Tamale Toes which is a pattern I bought and I absolutely love. Arent they cute? Look at those hot tamales!


Lucy and I:


Celestial Merino Sock Yarn which is Lucy's own brand specifically made for her. They are all handyed and the skeins are simply beautiful as you can see from these pictures.




I also have to mention that I purchased Lucy's DVD's which I watched last night. (Socks 1 & 2 and Knitting Essentials 1 & 2) Today I purchased Finesse Your Knitting 1. I cant say how wonderful these DVD's are because they are simply the best ones I have ever owned or seen ever and I am not just saying that. She demonstrates so many techniques that I never even knew existed. I have wanted to own these since I read about them in the Yarn Harlot's Blog months ago. I know its hard to see whats in a DVD to know if you want to buy it or not so go to www.lucyneatby.com where you can see the listing of whats on each DVD and see if you might like to own your own copy. You can also ask your local library to get them in so you can preview them for free before you decide to buy them.

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

Crazy Week

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

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

The Tide is High in CT

The tide is high in CT because of all the nasty rain we have had since last night with floods everywhere but also because I received my April Sock Kit from BMFA yesterday! It is appropriately named WALKING ON THE WILD TIDE. Here it is:

The colors are absolutely gorgeous and even more gorgeous after they were rolled on my ball winder. I am going to try and start them today if I feel better. I am much better than yesterday but still have a raging headache and fever.

This is the bag that I made my grandmother (crocheted) with Lion Brand Suede and some other Bernat sparkly novelty as trim.

This is the bracelet I made her also. In the spirit of Project Spectrum's April/May colors this qualifies.


The famous sock cake which was delicious!

How cute was that!!

I finished my BMFA Feb Socks which were Inside Out Socks in the Monsoon colorway on Tuesday. Just in the nick of time before receiving the April shippment yesterday. Its really hard to take a picture of your own feet! LOL


Here is my Chocolate Turtle (who is really a Giant Galapagos Tortoise that I bought at the Peabody Museum Gift shop) who is displaying what I have finished on my baby argyles which I am having issues with and will leave until I am well enough to deal with them.


Remember the yellow lace sock that I posted a pic of a while back? I consistantly tried it on as I progressed with it and it fit perfectly. Then when I finished with it the dang sock would not go over my heel! I realized that not only would it not go around my heel because it was to tight but it seemed to be tight all over. How can that be? Anyway I had my DD try it on and it fits her pretty well except for an inch or two in the toe area. I think in a year or so it will fit her foot perfectly and even if she wants to wear it as a slipper sock to bed she can do so next winter. I am in no rush to finish this sock right now so I just wanted to let my loyal readers know that I didnt forget about the lovely yellow lace sock.

Sick as a Dog

I have so much to blog about and great pics to post but I awoke this morning with a very bad stomach virus and 103 fever. I wont even go into details of what I vomited but I havent thrown up like this since receiving chemo last year. All I have had today was Gatorade and I am going to attempt an ice pop in a few minutes. My stomach had been bothering me for a few days and I think it might be related to that. I went to sock class on Tuesday night not feeling well and subsequently not doing well with the sock. The pattern is what I am having issues with and I found an Argyle sock pattern by Eddie Eckman that does it a different way that avoids the seam up the bottom of the sock. It is supposed to be for an infant but you dont need the seam it you can avoid it and then toddlers can wear it to! I forgot to bring it in for Sally to see but I will. We are supposed to meet at Knitting Central on Tuesday evening to finish the sock up but I am not sure I can make it because of another class that will be going on with a teacher I am not fond of. I posted about it in February and she taught the Finishing Class.
Anyway back to what I wanted to post today. The pics I want to post are of the wonderful cake my DH got me for my birthday which was a sock shapped cake with pink and lavender buttercream icing. There were bananas with banana cream and chocolate cake inside. I am so glad I wasnt sick for that! Then I have a picture of the bag that I designed and crocheted for my grandmothers birthday present. I was up until the wee hours of the (Sunday) morning finishing that baby up. No one could believe that I actually designed it myself. I mean they did believe me but it came out so good that it even surprised me for a free form design. Maybe I should submit it to something for publishing?

On Sunday the 22nd, my actual birthday, my husband had to go to the emergency room. My cousin drove him at my urging because the surgical site where he had squamous cell carcinoma removed was so swollen and hot to the touch and it was streaking (red marks going up his arm indicating a bad infection). He wanted ME to lance it!! I mean I know how to do stuff like that because I am a nurse just like him but I didnt want to screw it up and its a good thing I didnt because the culture they took of the stuff they drained out (pus, gross I know) and it came back as MRSA positive which is not a good thing. It means that the infection is METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPH AUREUS and highly contagious. I have had patients with this and before going into their rooms you have to gown and glove up not to spread it around and also that you dont get it yourself. He had to see the infection control Doc at the hospital and there is a list of things he has to do every day to eradicate it from his system. He has to scrub the wound and his body with Phisohex (Chlorhexadine antibacterial/viral soap), wrap it up (the wound) so no one comes into contact with it, use a antibacterial nasal swab because MRSA bacteria can harbor in the nasal passages, & take a FEW antibiotics to put it mildly! The Dr who did his surgery also has to go through the gamut and get his whole office staff screened to make sure he isnt spreading it to his patients (which is what I think is happening). There is a protocol that has to be followed so they can eradicate this infection otherwise he cant return to work especially since he works with immunocompromized patients. The Doc also said that the kids and I dont have to worry about anything as long as we wash our hands and that my DH and I should not have any 'contact' for at least a week. All I have to say is thank God I am sick because then its not an issue! LOL Now my darling husband has to be home until at least May 15th. He can return only when all the cultures and blood results no longer show MRSA. I like when he has days off but thats a long time to be home. I hope we dont strangle each other.

Some good news: I received my April Sock Kit from BMFA!! I dont have pictures (yet) but if you dont want to be spoiled stop reading my descrption of the kit here.
SPOILER ALERT~stop reading this paragraph (if you dare!)
The kit came with the Dyers notes, Footnotes, the pattern itself, and of course the yarn and the emergency sock yarn key chain. The yarn is SILKIE SOCKS THAT ROCK which the label states is 89% Superwash Merino and 19% Silk. Yes, the numbers dont add up to well but dont ask me! LOL It looks handspun and I am sure its going to feel like heaven on my foot. The color is called WALKING ON THE WILD TIDE which was not a secret due to the naming contest they had for the other yarns in the tide family. Its got teal, purple, tan, brown and blues in it from looking at it in the skein. I havent spun it up yet but I am sure it will look a lot different when in a yarn cake. The pattern name is called "Knee High to a Grasshopper" and it gives you the choice of making it a knee sock if so desired. I think that the BM ladies should have given us 2 skeins if they offered both patterns but thats just my opinion. Also this is a toe up pattern done on 2 circulars. I dont do 2 circs, I am a Magic Loop Lady so thats how I am going to do it. I do like toe ups and have gotten a bit addicted to that method of making socks lately.

Hopefully in my next post I will feel well enough to get these pictures on my blog. I almost forgot to add that I finished my BM socks from the Feb kit on Tuesday! Thay came out fabulous and I cant wait to show you all. I havent been able to knit all day because I was to dizzy to focus so I am going to make myself some broth with a tiny bit of noodles and see if that helps.

Spring Break

My kids have had off this past week for Spring Break. We didnt go away even though we certainly need a vacation but took them to some interesting places instead. First we went to the Peabody Museum in New Haven which is also known as the Museum of Natural History. My DD was anxious to see the dinosaur bones moreso then my son. The whole place is being redone so its very dark and dusty in various places but overall the kids enjoyed themselves.


Tuesday night I had my Baby Argyle Sock Class.

This is not my sock but the wonderful knitter, Donna, sitting next to me. She is a very fast knitter and really good. I was struggling for some reason getting holes in between where the colors changed. I seem to have a problem with intarsia which is strange because I didnt have issues when I did the Fair Isle Hat. Its perplexing but I am going to continue to complete the homework before the next class on Tues. Sally, the teacher, offered to help me but we were unable to meet up so I e-mailed her and told her that I am going to pull some tricks out of my knitting bag and get it done.

The following day we met my Dad and his friend at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium and had a great time. My favorite was the Sea Turtles.

Arent they cute? These guys are HUGE and its amazing to see them up close. They had a bunch of IMAX movies running but the only one we were able to see was the OCEAN WONDERS. Let me tell you, I have seen many IMAX movies and not one of them was bad. EVEREST was my all time favorite but this one was soooooo utterly boring I almost fell asleep. We all rode the Spongebob ride that they advertise on TV when they do ads for the aquarium. Thats one of those rides that stand still and the chair you are sitting in moves as you look at the screen in front of you. They have all these warnings for pregnant women and people who have back problems or heart issues and get motion sickness which made me very nervous. I decided to rise above my fear (sounds silly right?), pop an anti-anxiety pill under my tongue (haha!) and go on the ride with everyone else on line under the age of 7!! After all the hype it wasnt bad at all. I used to be able to ride all kinds of rides when I was in college but after my back surgery in 2003 I get very nervous when there are a ton of warnings posted outside a ride. My 4 year old son loved it the most. If a 4 year old can do it what the heck was I afraid of? LOL.

Yesterday I FINALLY mailed my DH's co-worker the baby kimono that I finished a few weeks ago. See, I do finish projects! It has some green in it because its BLUE SKY COTTON ORGANIC COTTON. That happens to be one of the colors for Project Spectrum for the months of Apr/May!


Last night we went to a dinner party that a Dr friend of my DH's has every year. The couple that I had made the pink Kimono for in December sat at the same table with us and couldnt stop thanking me for the beautiful hand knitted kimono I made. They even called it a kimono when they thanked me. It was so kind of them and it made me feel so good about making things for other people. Its one of the main reasons why I like to knit so much. The Yarn Harlot describes it perfectly in her new book that I finally got my hands on yesterday at Borders. It was the only copy on the shelf and I think I did a jig when I found it! LOL. I wanted to be able to read it before I go see her in May.


Tomorrow is my 36th birthday and my DH decided to give me my gift early. I was so surprised when I opened it up and found a new lens for my camera and a camera case! Not only is is a camera case but a small backpack case that holds the camera and all the paraphernalia that you use with it. There is room for the lenses, wires, batteries, instruction booklets and everything else you can think of. The lens he bought is a macro lens that you can zoom in big time with. I cant remember the exact type it is but I think its 75-300mm. I got some awesome pictures with it today.

This purple flower belongs to my neighbor who is an excellent gardener. I am so happy that spring has actually arrived so I took a few pictures that symbolized Spring to me.



These are Tibetan Prayer flags that are in my neighbors backyard. They are so pretty even though I dont know what they say!


This little Quaker Parrot was playing hide and seek with me. I took so many of him and his friend but this one was the cutest of them all.


Here is my Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock in the most gorgeous colors I have ever seen. Not pictured is the Tube Sock Kit which is cotton yarn in 3 different colors. I'll make a regular sock out of it because I am not a tube sock fan. Its a great sock for summer knitting. Right after I placed my order on April 8th they came out with a bunch of new colors. I was so tempted to call them and ask them to add some to my order but the sock club shippment is going out between the 23rd-25th so thats going to be enough for me for a while.


This is a picture of my DD. I took her by surprise and she didnt realize I was taking a picture of her. She was in the middle of eating lunch which explains the food in her mouth.

In my own words

Blogs, thats the topic at the moment. I didnt think I would write about this but I must. Its the reason I started a blog so I can record my feelings and emotions and by doing so it makes me feel better. It started when I was in high school and a teacher told us that the best therapy one could do for oneself was to keep a journal to record whatever we wanted so that it would be our own private therapy session. You know what, it worked. I have kept a written journals for many years dating back to the eighties. They are all in order of year in the back of my closet so when I need to go back for reference I can. I dont fear anyone reading them because my family respects my privacy so I write anything and everything in them. I am missing one journal from 1998 that was lost when we moved into this house the in June of 2005.
During this time many were starting blogs. I had no idea what a blog was and I really didnt want one. In 2003 I became a member of an online community for growing long hair that allows its members to keep online private and public journals. This is when I started to "blog". When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in Feb. of 2006 I decided that the time was right for me to record my life on a public blog. My reason for doing so was more than doing it for me because I already had a private journal that only members of the long hair community had access to and I also kept a handwritten one that I keep next to my bed. I wanted to be able to help other young women like myself who find themselves in the position I was in. I was a 34 year young woman, with 2 small children, not married quite that long to my best friend and having a terminal illness. I thought that it would help these women and other readers who came to my blog and said, I know how she feels and I am not alone because there are others that feel the same way I do. I started blogging on March 8, 2006, a few days after my lumpectomy which was to be the 1st of my many surgeries to come. I received e-mails and comments from other women thanking me for saying things that they were afraid to say. It felt good to be doing something that benefited me and others. In the beginning I started out with the name CURLYBRUNETTE'S STORY OF SURVIVAL because thats what it was, my story of surviving cancer. Fifty or so posts ago I changed the name to KNIT HAPPENS because I didnt want to keep focusing all my time on my cancer. I am more than my cancer and I do have interests that I like to talk about, one of them being Knitting.

I received lots of feedback from family and friends saying what a great blog I had and that they loved the pictures and such. Many cancer survivors still came to read it even though I changed the title.

In the middle of my treatment I began to e-mail a friend that I made through an Online Mothers who Breastfeed Group back in 2000 when my daugher was born. We had the opportunity to meet up while on vacation in 2004 and after that vacation we e-mailed every month or so. Like I said I e-mailed her in the middle of my treatment and we began to talk again without any problems or issues. I sent her to my blog so she would be able to catch up with things and see what I was going through without me rehashing all of it. We were always honest with one another and told things like they were. It was difficult to hurt our feelings, we were pretty tough cookies. Out of the blue she asks if she can be honest with me and I say sure, not thinking what she is going to say is going to be so hurtful that it would start a huge arguement between us. She then starts to say that she is afraid to say things to me for fear she might unintentionally hurt my feelings and that she is thinking this way because of the 'numerous' times mentioned in my blog where I have been angry at people for reasons that she states in her eyes, "were not that bad". She also says that she doesnt want to be a friend that I oust out of my life because she says the wrong thing. OK, I have no idea where this is comming from because I have never said to her, "what you said really bothered me" because she never did and I didnt have to say anything like that. So at this moment I am confused. I am also confused because I have never ousted a friend of mine, they just havent called me thats all. I have had people call me after not hearing from them for a long time and I dont hold a grudge, I speak to them and I am kind and compassionate like they have been calling me on a regular basis. The statement that really angered me was the one where she said that there were numerous times where I was angry at things that she didnt think were that bad and that she wouldnt have been angry or upset at them. I ask her for examples of this and after e-mailing several times back and forth she produces 2 things I said in a post from back in June of 2006 called MAJOR COMPLAINTS. In the post I go into detail about CERTAIN people who say things when you are sick like, "If there is anything I can do" and "Things will get better". In the post I explain why these 2 statements upset me and its long so I hate to rehash it now but you can look it up and see that I said this while I was under duress. I was getting dose dense chemotherapy which is the most drug a person can take without killing them, and I was still recovering from surgery and developed lymphedema in my left arm where I had lymph nodes removed. No matter what I said she shouldnt have passed judgement on me by saying what she said. I told her that she is not me and she didnt go through what I did so how could she know how she would feel? Before I got cancer I would never be able to say something like that to someone. Its just not right and it makes no sense to me why she would say it. She then said that this is what she was afraid would happen that I would get mad and angry and that I was attacking her now after I told her that it was OK to tell me how she felt and to be honest with me. I dont think that I am the one thats wrong in this matter just because I expressed my feelings over what CERTAIN people were saying. I wasnt even referring to her when I stated these things because we werent even speaking at that time. I almost forgot the 3rd thing she said I was overly sensitive to. It was a post I made a couple of days ago when I got a haircut and the hairstylist said some screwed up stuff to me. In the post I also included the fact that the stylist said MANY things that I didnt record in the post. I made the point that she hurt my feelings by what she said and thats it. Out of the 125 posts in this blog there are not many negative ones. I always try and look at the positive in a situation. We are not referring to the posts about my sister and my family because thats my business and no one elses. I thought the other posts were also my business but apparently I was wrong and I have to hold my tongue because this 'friend' of mine is afraid of something that hasnt even happened yet. I have never flamed her before or said that something she said hurt me so I think she is paranoid. She keeps bringing up whats going on NOW WITH THIS SITUATION AS PROOF OF ME FLAMING HER and thats totally unfair because she started it. She didnt have to 'be honest' with me. How did this benefit us? It didnt and now I want nothing to do with her because of it. I dont need friends like that who are going to make me physically sick and make me throw up all night and lose sleep because of having an opinion about something that she thinks "isnt that bad". Like I said before, "HOW THE HELL CAN SHE KNOW THAT IT WOULDNT BOTHER HER IF SHE ISNT ME AND HASNT BEEN THROUGH WHAT I HAVE??" She as also worried about being a topic in my blog and I told her that it wouldnt happen and that I wouldnt do that to her. Guess what? She hurt me like no other friend has hurt me before so I must write it in my blog, she left me no choice. I wont post names or locations because I am not a jerk and I am not doing this to get her in any way. I am doing this to make myself feel better and to share what happened with someone who called themselves my friend when they were nothing but a passive-aggressive liar who can rot in hell with the rest of my so called 'friends' that have abandoned me.

I am a member of the Young Survival Coalition ( www.youngsurvival.org ) and I went to them to ask about this situation. They were extremely supportive and helpful. Many told me that they had been in similar situations and had to break friendships because of it. Others said that I have matured and grown out of the friendship and that she (my so called friend) was immature and not going to get it because she hadnt walked a mile in my shoes. I sent my 'friend' the link to the site and no e-mails have come to my inbox since. I cant say I am happy over losing a friend but it was her own doing and she refused to own up to what she said and apologize. I made a decision a long time ago not to allow toxic people in my life and thats exactly what I am doing. Good bye to bad rubbish.

The New Blogger, UGGHH!!! The Yarn Harlot, Yay!!!

I cant tell you how hard it was for me to log into my blogger account just now. I have been trying to access it for 45 minutes to an hour without any results until 5 minutes ago. Since it is the new version of blogger you need a Google account and I didnt have that nor did I switch my blog over to beta. Call me lazy or resistant to change but I was happy with what I had so I didnt change it. THEY decided to change it for me so there lies the problema. I am happy that its fixed and I can now post because I have awesome news!!

I am going to see the YARN HARLOT when she comes to The WEBS Store in Massachussetts!!! You can see all about it if you go to the WEBS site: www.yarn.com I am so excited about it I cant wait! Right now I am trying to see if anyone will go with me but since its in the middle of the week its hard for most people who would have to get off work to go. I will have to wait to get her book unless I bring my own copy for her to sign with me. I am anxious to read it but the bookstores around here dont seem to have it at the moment. After the talk she is giving at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, WEBS is having the book signing in their store and all kinds of yarn sales! This is a great opportunity for me to get the yarn I need for the shawl class I am taking with Jane Elliot in June. Heck, you name it, WEBS has it. They are a MEGA yarn store so I am getting my list together. Do you think there will be some sock yarn on the list?? LOL

Next week I have my first class for the Baby Argyle Sock with Sally (Queen of Socks). I'm excited about it and hope I can adapt the pattern to an adults foot. I am almost ready to Kitchner one of the Dr's socks and I am finally on the leg of the Blue Moon Monsoon Socks. Right on time for the next shippment hopefully to arrive the end of the month. I am almost ready to turn the heel on the yellow socks.

Today is my Grandmothers birthday and I havent finished her gift yet. Since we are expecting a nor'Easter tomorrow we are not planning a party for her tomorrow. My Mom wants to do it next Sunday which happens to be my birthday. She wants to do it together. Well, maybe I am being selfish but I wanted a cake with just my name on it. I think I have earned it since the past birthdays have all sucked for reasons I dont have to go into. I think you all know what I am referring to. Back to my socks...

Exactly One Year Ago

I thought I was prepared for my hair loss but I wasnt prepared for the shock that comes with it coming out. No one can prepare you for that. I know that my hair was just one of my physical features but it was one that I was very proud of and had for a very long time. It made me different from many other women my age because it was very curly and long by todays standards and past my waist. My goal was to grow it past my behind and it had been growing for about 5 years before I was diagnosed with cancer. It was 31" when I cut it to my shoulders. I then went shorter to my chin and then further up behind my ears. When I buzzed it last week I thought that would be the worse of it but this is. When I thought about the worse possible thing that could happen to me I thought about the people who would lose their hair to chemo and think that had to be the worst. I hoped that would never be me. Today, I feel like I am in a nightmare and cant wake up because it is me going through chemo and losing my hair. I guess there can be much worse things that can be happening but right now I cant think of any.

Exactly one year ago today I wrote this entry in my blog. Its funny because yesterday I went for a trim. Kind of ironic, dont you think? My hair has grown so much since losing it to chemo one year ago its hard to believe I lost it all just by looking at me. It didnt actually start to grow until August 2006 but it has grown a lot. If I didnt get so many trims I bet it would be touching my shoulders by now! I wasnt to happy with the way the girl cut my hair yesterday. She kept saying some annoying things to that got me a bit upset. One thing that pissed me off was a comment she made about how getting a terminal illness makes you look at your life and see how you have F-cked up in the past and are 'woken' up by having such a life altering disease and are given a second chance by getting through it. She gave the example of a family member of hers that was an A-hole and then was involved in a very serious car accident and then turned his life around. Well, let me tell you something you ignorant jerk. I wasnt an A-Hole before I got cancer, hell before all my illnesses started in 2000, so what you are saying doesnt apply to me. As a matter of fact I dont think that anyone gets cancer for a reason, there is no reason for getting such a messed up disease unless you were Hitler in a past life. Now I know in a past post I made about one year ago I say that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I meant it in a different way then she was referring. It made me look at MY life and see what was really important like my kids and family and my health. She was giving examples of people who were living their life in the fast lane, doing drugs and crazy sh*t. I have never done anything like that or tempted fate or had a death wish like she said her relative had. Just to clear up some confusion. All kidding aside, I was so mad at her stupidity that I WILL NOT go back to get my hair cut there again. I dont even care if they have awesome stylists, I'm going somewhere else. See what happens when you open your mouth and spew ignorance. She said some other dumb ass things and everything I said she corrected me like my opinions and what I was saying was wrong. Hey, shut up and cut my hair. Your supposed to kiss my ass and agree with what I am saying not piss me off so I never come back again, When I left there my hair looked so bad that I had to put my head under the faucet, wet it down and do it over. When I say horrible, I mean terrible. I asked her to straighten it and she only halfway straightened it so it was sticking up everywhere. I regret that I didnt take a picture of it in that state. I probably looked better bald than I did when I left there yesterday. I vow right here and now not to get my hair cut for at least 3-4 months or until it looks totally sloppy and raggy and I cant do a thing with it. Maybe I can try and wait until the AVON WALK in October? I am going to try my best.

Easter 2007, Socks & Yarn

On Easter Sunday we went to my cousins house for dinner where I had the opportunity to take some great pictures. The eggs were dyed at my house by the kids, my DH and I. The tulips were on the dinner table at my cousins house and the scattered railway pieces were my sons doing! I thought it would make an interesting picture.






These are salt and pepper shakers that a fellow blogger and doxie lover sent me. How sweet is that. To thank her I sent her a secret package in the mail today and of course I cant say what was in it otherwise it wouldnt be a surprise.


These socks were started a couple of days ago because I just had to cast on something yellow in honor of Project Spectrums colors for April/May: Yellow, Green and Pink. They are toe up (short row) and I am using (what else), Artyarns Supermerino with a size 2 Addi Turbo. I first started it on size 2 DPN's which are a bit smaller than the Addi's (2.75mm compared to 3mm). This yarn is so versatile that I have used needles ranging in size from a 2 all the way up to a 6. My Dad's socks were made with a size 5 needle. This pattern was taken from the second book by Charlene Schurch, MORE SENSATIONAL KNITTED SOCKS. Its an awesome book and I highly recommend to any sock knitter.


These are almost done! I finished one last week and am currently on the foot of the second. I am hoping that I will be done before the next BMFA Sock Club shippment arrives. I also have a few extra skeins of Socks that Rock in some gorgeous colorways on the way here before the next shippment comes. The 10% off coupon was just screaming to be used and I had to obey! LOL.


Here is some Koigu Kersti in a mix of colors which include some Project Spectrum colors for Apr/May and Blue Sky Cotton in a citrus/cantaloupe color I couldnt resist. The Blue Sky Cotton is going to be a baby sweater for my cousins little girl who turns 1 this summer. I had purchased some Schaefer Elaine yarn in a beautiful green called KERMIE (yes, I need to get a picture) to make my other cousins baby boy a sweater. He is a couple of weeks older than her so of course I had to make them both something for their 1st birthday. I have plenty of time so I dont have to worry about these just yet.


My Grandmothers bag that I am crocheting for her birthday is coming along nicely. I designed it myself and I am hoping it comes out like the picture in my head! LOL. I am starting work on the side panels tonight and then all I have to do is complete the strap, seam it up and maybe decorate the front triangular panel depending on my mood.

I am such a Rebel

Today the kids had off from school and we promised them that we would take them to the movies. They wanted to see MEET THE ROBINSONS and so did I. I love DISNEY movies. I didnt think this one was going to be this good but it was awesome and I highly recommend it for kids and their parents.
Right before we went to the movies we had 45 minutes to waste so I decided to stop at our local wholesale place and buy a new digital camera that I have been eyeing forever (well, for the past 3 years). Every spring when my birthday rolls along my Mom asks me what I want and I always say, "I could use a new camera." Ours is almost 10 years old and one of the first digitals made. We bought it in 1996 or '97 right before we got married and it did its job well. It was a FUJI FinePix 2.1 megapixels. I have only great things to say about it because it really took wonderful pics for the type of camera it was. Back then all of the digitals were expensive and I believe I paid over $500 just for the camera and then an extra $100+ for the memory card. Recently, if you look really good at my pictures on the blog, my camera would crap out on me and I wasnt able to get any detail in the pics I was taking. It took a year and a day to turn the camera on and to warm up just to take a picture and then it took forever between pics and by the time it was ready the moment you wanted to capture was lost. So it was time for a new camera and I was not going to wait another day. We got our tax refund and we are refinancing our house with a new mortgage and getting some extra money to pay off CC bills so I though this would be the perfect time. I had my eye on the CANON EOS Rebel XTi forever. It was more money then the model below it which is the EOS Rebel XT. The only major difference between the two besides price was the amount of megapixels (there are 10 in the XTi and 8.2 in the XT). There are other small features to that you get with the more expensive model that I didnt really need. I decided to save some money and go with the XT. (The price for the XTi was $899 and the XT was $599 without the memory card which I bought seperately for $80). My logic was that 10 years ago I spent the same amount of money on a digital camera that lasted me 10 years so that averages out to $75 a year (with the price of the memory card). Thats pretty good and since I put all the pics on my computer and print them myself I dont pay for processing of my pics so I save there to. If it sounds like I am justifying this purchase I am and I know that I dont have to but I know my Mom reads my blog so there you have it. Now this camera was $599 + tax =$635 +$80 (memory card)=$715 total. If it lasts 10 years then its works out at $71.50 a year which is actually less than my other digital camera!!! Whohoooo!!! I love math! Not. Anyway, this camera came with so much stuff I am reading reading and reading some more. There is so much to learn about it but its not hard to operate at all. I have already taken some great pics which of course I am going to post. How could I talk about a new digital camera and not show you some of the great pics I took with it. The only thing it doesnt have is a preview on the LCD before the picture is taken. It comes up after the pic is taken. I guess they want you to work it like a professional and look through the eyepiece. I like it and dont find it to be a problem at all. I did take some pictures of my knitting to see how much detail would show and all I can say it WOW! I dont have any knitting pics to post today so you will all have to suffer with some pics of my babies.
First, here is me in a self portrait:

Here are some of my cats and doggies:



Please keep in mind that I am just beginning to learn on my new toy so cut me some slack if you are a professional looking at these going, "These pictures suck, what makes her think they are good?" Maybe I am just paranoid and sensitive about my craft. The picture of me qualifies as a PS picture because I am wearing a green shirt!! Hooray! The others dont really but when my daffodils start to bloom I am going to be right there with my camera.

After the movie my friend and her 2 kids came over and we ordered pizza for dinner. The kids played, got a little crazy as kids do but over all were good. They cant wait for the EASTER BUNNY to come tomorrow night. We are going to color some eggs tomorrow for the EASTER BUNNY to hide. My DD asked me today if the EASTER BUNNY was half human and half bunny. I told her that there is no such thing as a half human half bunny animal and that the EASTER BUNNY is a RABBIT who has helpers like Santa has elves. I know it sounds funny to the people reading this but I think its so cute that she is almost 7.5 and still believes in Santa and the Easter Bunny. I cant remember how old I was when some dumb kid at school ruined it for me and I was devestated. I was much older than she is now but I am to embarrassed to admit how old I was because there is no way a child that age today believes in Santa or the bunny. OK, I think I was 10 or 11. There I admitted it and you know what? I still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. Have a Happy Easter everyone and a Blessed Passover!

Knitting Vintage Socks with Nancy Bush

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a student in a class taught by the incomparable Nancy Bush at my LYS. It was fun and when it was all done I learned a Welsh heel, a star toe and French toe (we had the choice to make either) and a different way to SSK. We didnt make a sock but a mini (ugly looking) swatch. Of course I took some pictures. I have to get another camera and I mean ASAP because this one is 10 years old ( probably older) and is antiquated. I think its a 2.1 mega pixels and one of the 1st digitals ever made! LOL. Enough gabbing, here are the pics.
Nancy teaching the class:
Our 'organized' workspaces, LOL:

All of the socks she has made that have appeared in Vintage Socks, Knitting on the Road, Folk Socks, Folk Knitting in Estonia and various other places such as Interweave Knits magazine and the new Interweave Favorite Socks book. These were amazing to see in real life and to touch because they are flawless and beautiful:

Here is one of her and me. I am so tired in this picture that was of course taken at the end of our 6 hour class. I had a migraine throughout the entire class but I wasnt missing it for the world!:

She also showed us some gorgeous lace that has appeared in some publications such as Scarf Style and Interweave Knits. She is currently working on a book about Estonian Lace and I cant wait until that one comes out. She is such a sweet lady and graciously signed all of our books for us without a complaint. She also taught the entire class having a bad cold with a hoarse voice! Now that's dedication!

Here is a picture in honor pf Project Spectrum entering April & May with 2 new colors and saying goodbye to one of the February and March colors (blue).

After I took this picture the wire on the blue bracelet broke. I think I need a bigger gauge wire so that doesnt happen again, Well, you live and learn.

Project Spectrum Review for Feb/March & looking ahead at April/May Projects

First of all I have to say that I made it into the LUCY NEATBY class!!! I am so excited about it that I cant even put it into words. I will have been taught by 2 of my knitting idols and I am amazed at that fact. I am becoming a better knitter every day and I never thought I would have caught on so fast.

I worked feverently on my BM sock today and now I am on the cabled part of the leg. The heel was so much fun to do with the short rows, wrapping and the garter stitch. It also fits perfectly and I changed my needles from a US #0 that I used for the toe, foot and heel and now I am using the Addi's #1 which is really a 2.5mm not your normal size 1 of 2.25mm. Everyone on the ROCKIN SOCKS BLOG said they switched to a 2 for the leg but I thought since the Addis run larger I would be OK. Lets hope when I am done it fits because not only is it cabled but ribbed and I know its going to be pulling in more than normal.

Now the title of the post is a review of Feb/Mar Project Spectrum Projects. I did quite a few.
~Mini Sweater that I made for the Finishing Class that was a beautiful BLUE
~Fair Isle hat that was WHITE and green
~Baby Booties that were made with Cashsoft in a BLUE green color
~My DD's slipper socks that were rainbow colors so they count
~My Plastic Surgeon's socks that are BLUE and GREY

I also did a few projects that would go toward April/May Project Spectrum Projects
~Baby Kimono in Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton Honeydew color
~BMFA Feb Sock Kit with the Monsoon colorway (all the colors of green and beyond)
~A baby Kimono I am working on right now with Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton for my DH's friend who had a baby. It has pale geen tones in it.
~A scarf I am working on now from the book One Skein Wonders with Misti Alpaca in a Pink and greyish colorway.

On a side note, my son was very good today and even apologized to the bus driver for throwing the rock yesterday. Whenever he acted up I would tell him that he would have to go to his room and I would take his toys away and he immediately stopped. Its a work in progress and no one said it would be easy. They actually said it would be hard and it is but hes my son and worth it. I also have some plans to spend time with my DD away from my son so she can feel good about herself too. I pray every day that my kids will be safe and healthy and I know God is listening because of all the help he gave me when I was sick. I just have to keep on praying.

One Day at A Time

One Day at a time, with all its failures and fears, with all its hurts and mistakes, with its weakness and tears, with its portion of pain and its burden of care; One day at a time we must meet and must bear.

One Day at a time to be patient and strong; To be calm under trial and sweet under wrong: Then its toiling shall pass and its sorrow shall cease; It shall darken and die, and the night shall bring peace.

One Day at a time-but the day is so long, And the heart is not brave, and the soul is not strong, O Thou pitiful Christ, be Thou near all the way; Give courage and patience and strength for the day.

Swift cometh His answer, so clear and so sweet; "Yea, I will be with thee; thy troubles to meet; I will not forget thee, nor fail thee, nor grieve; I will not forsake thee; I will never leave."

Not yesterday's load we are called on to bear, Nor the morrow's uncertain and shadowy care; Why should we look forward or back with dismay? Our needs, as our mercies, are but for the day.

One Day at a time, and the day is His day; He hath numbered its hours, though they haste or delay. His grace is sufficient; we walk not alone; As the day, so the strength that He giveth His own.

Annie Johnson Flint

WIP's and Me

I havent really had any interesting finished objects to post here lately but I have lots of WIP's (works in progress) for the non-fiber addicts out there! I received my Knitpicks Palette a few weeks ago and cant wait to use them. I think the majority will turn into mittens, socks, hats and scarves because of the guage and the needle they advise you to use (#1-#3). I can see some great Fair Isle in the future.


My cousins birthday was a couple of Sunday's ago and I crocheted this scarf for her from Lion Brand Microspun and Crystal Palace FX. I was so happy that I was able to find a use for the FX and that she liked it! It was so fast and easy to make and it satisfied my need to crochet.


This is my plastic surgeons socks in progress. I had a slight problem and had to frog back and fix it but all is well now. I am using Artyarns Supermerino and a baby cable rib pattern. So far they are coming out great and I hope he likes them. The colors of blue and grey represent PROJECT SPECTRUM for the months of Feb/March. I am not sure that I will be done with them by the end of this month but they still count!


The Blue Moon Feb Sock is coming out nicely also. I have to take breaks from it due to the fact that I am using 0's and its hard on my hand. They do look a bit like something I wont mention but I think you get the picture. I think the Yarn Harlot had posted a picture with the sock in an upright position but I will spare you that image! LOL.


This is my first go at Entrelac and I am loving it. I hear that you either love it or hate it, no in between. The book scarf style has a great pattern called the LADY ELEANOR STOLE thats all entrelac and I want to make it so badly! I need to keep practicing and then I can get started on it. I originally bought 8 skeins of Noro Silk Garden to make Clapotis from KNITTY but now I am thinking I will make the LADY E STOLE with it. Its still up in the air because I have a bunch of other yarns I can use like Patons SWS in a beautiful pink & green colorway. Yesterday I bought a couple of skeins of Karaoke by SWTC thats similar to both the SWS and Noro. If I mix them up they might look really nice also. This sample is Lambs Pride Worsted Wool and Tahki Yarns "Shannon". They look pretty good together. The only pain in the butt is when you have to change colors. Thats why using a variegated yarn that changes on its own is probably better.


Last but not least with the picture posting I have a progress pic of my hair growth.


I took that picture this morning before my son got off the bus and decided to throw a HUGE boulder at it. Luckily it didnt break a window or hurt anyone but it wiped the smile right off my face. His behavior hasnt been very good lately and I had a conference with his teacher yesterday. He goes to special ed and has been for 2 years. This is his second year and he has improved greatly with his speech. He now talks VERY well but his behavior and attention span is what needs work. She said that he is extremely smart and intelligent and even helps her run the class because he knows the whole routine. The problem is that he is bouncing off the walls when it comes time to do an activity or skill like sitting and writing. They use special strategies to help him along with this but its getting worse. He has to be further evaluated by their team to see if its a ADD or ADHD related problem. Then I have to bring him to the pediatrician to see what we can do to make him better and believe me medication would be the last option I would chose. His teacher also reminded me that he has no control over this and you cant punish him when he does these things. When he throws rocks at the bus you can certainly reprimand him though! Thats unacceptable behavior in this house and will not be tolerated. He is supposed to start Kindergarten in September and I am stressing over lots of things related to that. They might need an extra teachers aide in the classroom and if they do I think now only will it benefit my son but will also help the other kids in the class. Anyway, this is whats been driving me crazy and its also affecting my DD. I had her parent/teacher conference yesterday and the teacher told me that when they do writers workshop and talk about what they are doing in their lives my DD always talks about her brother and how he causes trouble and so on. Some of the stories are about her going to the park with him but its almost like she cant think of anything else and she does do other things with me and her father that she can talk about. We do crafts, read together, had a bowling party and go over other family members houses all the time. I think I need to have one day a week where her and I do something without the boys. Maybe go to a movie or shopping would be nice. She needs more attention and thats what we have to give her. I am anxiously awaiting for a phone call from my sons teacher.

Today I received a thank you card for the green baby kimono I made my friend. She wrote, "Thank you for the beautiful crocheted sweater you made." First of all it was very nice of her to send a thank you but its KNITTED not CROCHETED!!! Does that sound like some type of elitist knitting statement? I am always the one advocating for the crocheter with my knitting friends so why would I feel insulted that she thought it was crocheted? I probably need to crochet a little more!

The Nancy Bush class is quickly approaching and I am so excited about it. I have all my supplies and I am ready to learn.
Tomorrow is sign up for the Lucy Neatby COOL SOCK class in May. I REALLY hope I get into it because they are limited to a certain number of people.

I finally gave in and orderd the MORE SENSATIONAL SOCKS BOOK from AMAZON. I also picked up some books on making crochet bags and a book on knitting by Maggie Righetti (I think thats her name). They said that the entire order shipped yesterday so I should get it tomorrow. My Grandmother has had a few falls in the past few weeks so I decided NOT to make her slippers or slipper socks. I couldnt live with myself if anything happens to her while wearing my socks.

Is the whole World crazy? Or is it just me?

My surgery sites are healing well and I went to see the plastic surgeon on Tuesday. I have to go in 6-8 weeks for the tattooing of the areolas. Then he checks me a month after to see if they need to be done again due to fading. Its a good thing I have all this time because I am making him socks and havent finished them yet.

My DH went to the dermatologist last week to have a suspicious area on his arm looked at that wasnt healing properly. They removed it and we got some bad news yesterday. He received part of the preliminary pathology report yesterday. Its squamous cell carcinoma. My DH has skin cancer and I am freaking out. He has to go back next week to have more removed to see if they can get clean margins and also to see if it has spread deeper. If they get clean margins then he's done. No more surgery and check ups every 3 months. If its deeper then he has to go through some nasty sh*t that I dont even want to think about right now. Please pray for him and send all the healing thoughts you can his way because I dont know what I would do without him, hes my best friend. Ok, I have to stop crying right now.

Lets see what other good news can I share? Oh, yes! Yesterday while checking my bank account statement I found a bunch of unauthaurized charges there! I called them immediately to report fraud and we got all the paperwork going today. So now we are without a debit card until the new ones arrive in the mail next week. What a pain in the a**. I had to take some cash out of the bank. Who the heck uses cash anymore when you have debit cards. They have made our lives so easy that we are spoiled having them. I am just happy that this issue will be solved within 10 days (I hope).

After I went to the bank to clear up this mess we headed to the DMV to register our car. We purchased the car when the lease ended to we had to go to the DMV to get all the paperwork re-done to state that it was a buy out and no longer a lease. Everything was going smoothly when the lady told me that they couldnt process my paperwork because I was delinquent in paying my property tax on MY OTHER CAR!!! First of all, I wasnt delinquent on anything and I paid it on 3/6. She got me so mad that I started to cry and she then told me not to raise my voice to her! I explained nicely that I did pay and that all they had to do was call the tax office in my town and they would tell them I did pay. She told me that I needed proof by showing them a receipt. I then reminded her by showing her the list of things they tell you to bring with you when registering a car and that was not one of them on the list. If it was I would have brought it! The arguement continued and then it came out of my mouth (and believe me I didnt want it to but I had no choice because the people that work there have no souls) that I was sick and unable to come back. I think what I said and the fact that the sheet didnt say I needed to bring the receipt made her say, "please sit down and I will call them to see if you are delinquent".
As I sat down I met a lovely couple from Germany who have been living in the Midwest for years and just moved here and were having problems also. We talked about how much we hated to come to the DMV and that NY, NJ and CT are the worse. He said that when he lived in Missouri that it was a pleasure to go to the DMV and they were in and out within 15 minutes. That would NEVER happen here so dream on I said! After I filled out another form that the lady told me I filled out wrong she told me to go back to the lady that was originally taking care of me. She handed me back all the paperwork except for my drivers license. I asked her if I could please have it back and she then said, "I havent seen it, I dont have it, you must have it". OK now there is actual flames and fire shooting out of my head and I am MAD beyond all belief. Good thing I had some Ativan with me because I took some of that to calm me down and prevent a mass casualty incident from occuring. It was then my turn with the lady and I asked her for my license and we went through the same crap about her not seeing it and so on. Finally they found it and quess where it was? On the dumb beotches desk!!!! Oh yeah, you havent seen it, you only LEFT IT ON YOUR DESK DUMB A**!!! Have I mentioned how much I hate the DMV? She then hands me new plates for the car which I did not want because I wanted to keep my old ones. The old ones match my DH's because the only difference between the two is one number and they come in a succession like 837 and 838. Now I got very emotional and started to cry to myself. The lady saw this (because I told her the reason I wanted to keep the plates and not get new ones) and said that she was sorry. She also said that the bank needed to mail me a special form to keep the plates. Thats a load of crap. I wanted to say, "you mean that you might have to do some work if I wanted to keep my plates and your to f-ing lazy to do that right?" I let it go because we wasted so much time there that my DD was getting out of school and we had to pick her up. I wrote her a check and while I was doing that she said, "you said you were sick, whats the matter with you?" She and her co-worker pissed me off so much because they treat people like crap in there that I didnt mind saying, "Cancer" Oh, I'm sorry she replied and then she has the nerve to say, "Everything will get better dont you worry." Shut the F up lady and give me my crap so I can get the flock out of here. Bite me too. So I had to tell you about this crazy DMV experience and I am sure many of you have had similar things happen. They are so antiquated in how they run that place its ridiculous.

In knitting news I am trying to make a tank top out of the Tilli Thomas silk I bought but havent found anything thats going to work. I think I am going to crochet something with it. Not sure about that. I also have the Dr's socks and the Blue Moon socks on the needles. My DH's co-worker is giving birth any day now and I think I am going to make another Mason Dixon Kimono. I am waiting to see if the baby is a boy or girl to make an appropriate color. Maybe I'll chose a color thats unisex and start now.

Here is a cute picture of the day since I dont have any knitting ones to post. The fist doggie is our short haired black and tan doxie who is the second oldest of the 3 and the second is our long haired youngin' who is only 5. Our other doxie, the old man, who is going to be 12 this year, didnt want to take any pictures. He was being shy! That kid with them is our son in a rare, happy moment. He's usually grumpy.

Did someone hear a frog?

I cant tell you how many projects I have frogged in the past few days. I wasnt happy with what I was making and frogged most of them. The good news is that I was not that far into any of them. The ARTYARNS Socks for my Dr and the Blue Moon February Sock are still in the works. My dogs unfinished sweater is lingering in the backround gathering some dust but its almost done. I stopped by my LYS, Knitting Central today on the hunt for a tank top pattern for my Tilli Thomas disco lights in Dusty Rose. My goal is to have it finished for a dinner party DH and I were invited to at the end of April. There is a great pattern book with 21 crochet patterns from Tahki Stacy Charles that I bought. Its the 2007 collection and I love every pattern in that book. Crocheting is much easier for me than knitting and I have made many things freeform so I feel very comfortable working with these patterns.

On Sunday we went to my cousins for her, her husbands and her sons birthday. In just 2 days I crocheted a scarf for her with some Lion Brand Microspun in lavender and Crystal FX in purple. The pattern was lacey made up of chains and single crochet. The ends of the scarf I tied into a trellis instead of having the tassels hang. I was very happy with how it came out and will post pictures in the near future of it (and a few other things). I am to lazy to upload any to the computer right now due to a horrible migraine.

My DH surprised me today with a little present. Its not my birthday or any special occasion and he hasnt done anything like this in a long time so I was very surprised when he handed me a book called KNIT Handmade Style by Janine Flew. I havent really heard of this book or the designers in it but its a very nice book with cute patterns.

My grandmothers birthday is in less than a month and I have not yet started on her gift. I am planning slippers/slipper socks for her but cant decide on a pattern and its driving me crazy. There are so many out there to chose from so someone help me make up my mind!!

I am also trying to teach myself Entrelac which is not supposed to be difficult but I am finding it so.

A Little Update

I never really posted about how I felt after my surgery so here I am saying I am feeling pretty good! I was sore from all the manipulation but overall OK. Thank you to everyone who commented and wanted to know how I was doing. I had an appointment with my breast surgeon Monday (not the plastic surgeon) for a follow up. She was VERY impressed with my reconstruction and asked if I would show her nurse (who also had breast cancer a few years ago). I didnt mind at all. So overall every Dr that I have seen is very impressed with the job my plastic surgeon did. Thats why I love him so much. He gave me something back that no one else could have. This is why people who have been through what I have such an emotional attachment to their Dr. Its very easy to understand.

Knitting has been plugging along also. I frogged the TOFUTSIES sock that I was working on because I was not into it at all and my attention right now is on the Blue Moon Sock which is coming along well. The plastic surgeons socks are in progress right now and I decided on the baby cable rib pattern from SENSATIONAL KNITTED SOCKS. I chose ARTYARNS SUPERMERINO (can you tell its my favorite) and a size 2 needle to make it a very sturdy sock. My Dads sock was knitted in the same yarn and I used a size 5. Since this guy has a size 12 foot I couldnt really follow any pattern, it just wasnt working in my favor. I decided to make my own. I am contemplating putting a garter stitch border on the heel flap right now. I have time to decide. I also started a few other projects. My cousins birthday is on Sunday and we were invited to go. I need a gift FAST so I looked in my new favorite book, ONE SKEIN WONDERS, and am working on a lacey scarf with a ball of Stacy Charles Ritratto. I have 4 inches done already! Only another 56 to go!! LOL. Then I started a baby hat from the Blue Sky Cotton I had leftover from the Kimono. I plan on giving it to the Dr and his wife who had a baby in December. I originally gave them the pink Kimono that I forgot to post a picture of. This Dr is a resident that works with my DH and we are going to a party where he will be in attendance at the end of April. If time allows I will make matching booties. By the way, an awesome substitute for Rowan's Cotton Glace is Paton's Grace. Its less than 1/2 the price and its well worth it! Most of the booties in the book I have call for the Cotton Glace. There are a few other projects I have to finish and my Grandmothers birthday is in April so I have to make her something. I thought about felted slippers or slipper type socks because she is always cold and they are a quick knit. Some eyelash yarn around the cuffs would be cute too! If time allows I HAVE to cast on for this cute cotton bolero that I saw in one knitting magazine (I cant remember which one it was). Its called the Ying Yang Bolero.

My LYS also announced that Lucy Neatby will be teaching 2 classes in May!!! One of them is on Intarsia and the other is Cool Socks. Guess which one I want to take? Registration is at the end of the month and its on a first come, first serve basis starting at a certain time by phone only. It was the same when I registered for the Nancy Bush class and I was one of the 1st people to call. I hope I can get into Ms Neatby's class also. It would be fantastic to say that I was a student of both these knitting gurus!

Blogoversary & FO's

I missed my Blogoversary! It was 1 year ago on March 8th (day I had surgery so there was a good reason I missed it) that I started this blog. In the beginning it was called CURLYBRUNETTES STORY OF SURVIVAL but after a few months I decided to change the title of the blog and make it somewhat more happy. I wanted to blog about my favorite hobby, knitting and crocheting, so I changed it to what else but: KNIT HAPPENS! It also had no pictures when I 1st started out but now I try to post a picture with each post. When I read blogs I like to look at pictures so thats why I post them. I do like to read but I also am very visual so thats another reason why I use pictures in my posts. So while we are on the subject of pictures I have some FO's to post.

The 1st one is my Dad's birthday socks that I made from Artyarns Supermerino. Out of the 2 hanks I bought at 104 yards each I had about 1/2 of a hank left over and he is a size 9.5 shoe size. I used the THUJA pattern from Knitty and used a size 5 needle.


Here is the Honeydew Kimono that I made for my friend who had a baby in January. I used about 225 yards of Blue Sky Cotton with a size 7 needle. I am going to make a matching hat to go with it and mail it to her by the end of the week. I dont want the baby to get so big that it doesnt fit!


This is my DH's Fair Isle hat that I finally finished last night from my own pattern and design:

Pretty good for my 1st Fair Isle! I am surprised it fits his big head!

SInce I have been making stitch markers I have also been making some jewelry. Here is a bracelet with matching earings made from Swarovski crystals.

Its very hard to take a good picture with my craptastic camera. What do you expect for a camera that I bought in 1998! Yes 1998. We bought it when my DH and I got married right before our honeymoon.
I am loving making all these pretty things! All I need now is for someone to buy them! I havent been able to go to other yarn shops to see if they would be interested in selling them. One shop took my number so I hope they call me. I've thought about selling at craft fairs and holiday boutiques also. My DD's school has one every year in November. If anyone is interested in purchasing this bracelet and earings the price is $30 and I am still selling stitch markers for $10 a set (5 in a set).

In a few weeks I will be setting up my AVON WALK webpage so people can donate toward my walk in October. I am going to have special surprises for people when they donate certain amounts of money to my walk. I wont say anything right now because I dont want to ruin the surprise.

Its HERE!!!!

Yes, the minute after I posted I heard a bang at my door and my dogs went wild. I knew it was my sock kit, I just knew it! Right on time too! Since my surgery is tomorrow I have lots of knitting to get done afterwards! I am totally determined to make this sock the way the pattern suggests and I am very excited about it. I have NEVER done a toe up or short row heels so there are two things that I am going to have to learn. They suggest a gauge of 8sts/1" so I looked at a sock I made with mediumweight STR and a size 1 Addi Turbo (which is really a 1.5 because its 2.5mm, not 2.25mm) and it measured at a gauge of 7sts/1". I think I am going to be using 0's. We will see how it turns out. Here is a picture of my kit:

The colorway is called Monsoon and my ballband says, "dont let the grass grow underneath your feet"
I already rolled it up and its ready to go. I want to start right now but I am working on finishing my Dad's socks because his birthday is tomorrow. I plan on starting it tonight when the kids go to bed and there is some peace and quiet around here.

I forgot to mention that when I was in the 2 yarn shops yesterday the owners of both complimented me on my CALORIMETRY. The one that I made with Artyarns Supermerino. They kept asking me where I got the pattern and I told them about KNITTY. I found it quite funny that only Cynthia knew about KNITTY. The other shop owner who is a young girl who you would think would be up on that stuff, knew nothing about it. She had me write it down for her so she could investigate. I cant wait to see a bunch of ladies in Greenwich wearing their CALORIMETRIES! I was also excited to get someone else addicted to knitty. Its my absolute favorite knitting place on the web especially the coffeeshop where you can meet other knitters and share ideas. I have to mention that I bought a hank of Artyarns Supermerino (104 yds) for 95 cents less in 'upscale' Greenwich than in Westport where I usually buy my yarn. Weird right? Iris, who owns Artyarns, just put out some gorgeous new colors and I bought a pink and off white colorway. I want to make another CALORIMETRY or the DREAMSWATCH from the Garter Belt. I also have seen it on others blogs and I really like the way it looks as a headwrap. It can be used as a belt or scarf also. The only thing is that they call for 150 yards and a size 5 needle and I only have 104 yards. If you use the 150 yards it comes out 49" so I think with what I have, even though it will be shorter, it will still be able to wrap around my head. My head is not that big! LOL

Last Surgery, Zimmermania & Where are my Rockin' Socks?

One year has passed since I had my 1st surgery related to my breast cancer (March 2nd) and tomorrow is supposedly the last. Nipple reconstruction is 10am tomorrow and I am a bit nervous about it. I have heard horror stories of how the skin graphs didnt take or infection occured causing implant rejection! Holy crap I dont even want to think about it. I am praying that all goes well and that this is the last time I have ANY surgery. My gastrointerologist wants me to have a colonoscopy but I told him that I need an break from anesthesia so it will have to wait a few months. He said it was OK.

I got another hair cut (trim) yesterday! Not much was taken off but she shaped it so I can wear it curly without looking like I stuck my finger in a light socket! I also was introduced to some new hair products that made my hair less poofy and defined my curls more. I think it was TIGI Curls Rock Spray and Styling Lotion. Right now they are working great but the way my hair works the longer it gets the less products like that work for it. Grow hair, grow! I want to wear it in a ponytail again!

On the way back from the plastic surgeons office yesterday I stopped in one of the LYS around the hospital to see if they had any more Great Adirondack Gemini (50% wool, 50% silk) in a beatiful colorway they call Moonstone (I think, its not in front of me) for the Starry Night Shawl class I am going to take in June. Somehow I thought that 550 yards would suffice but alas, I was wrong. When I stopped into Knitting Central, where I am taking the class, Cynthia said that Jane Elliot (the teacher and genius knitter extrodinaire) said the shawl would take at least 1050 yards!! WOW, I didnt think it would take that much! I dont have a DK weight yarn that would be suitable for the shawl in my stash so I have to go looking. I thought that Great Adirondack would be a wonderful yarn because of the silk in it making it drape beautifully but its $42 for 275 yards and I would need 2 more hanks of it. The total cost would be $168 and thats to much for me to spend. To bad we cant use a lace weight yarn because I have a ton of Misti Alpaca Lace in my stash. Oh well, I have until June to find one.

Zimmermania, yes I have it. I cant believe it took me this long to buy an Elizabeth Zimmerman book. I bought her Knitters Almanac and Knitting Workshop. I cant wait to dive in and make some of her stuff especially the Baby Surprise Jacket. There are so many projects in these books its amazing. What makes it even more amazing as that you can make the pattern your own and EZ tells you exactly how to do it.

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday and I am almost done with his socks. I want to be able to send them home with my Mom tomorrow night. If I am not done then he will get them on Saturday or Sunday. I also mailed those booties to my cousin yesterday so I hope she likes them.

My Rockin' Socks are not here yet!!! Everyone else has received their socks (well, not everyone but almost) from BMFA except me, boo hoo I am so upset because I want to cast on for these before I go to the hospital tomorrow! I keep checking their blog and all I see are tons of people on the east coast who have received their package! UGH!! Maybe today will be the day? I hope. The anticipation was killing me so much that I looked on others blogs and ruined the surprise. Its all good though because I still will be surprised when I get it. Its a toe-up pattern and I have never done one of those before. I hope that there are detailed instructions included otherwise I am going to make it cuff-down instead. The other day I was attempting to start the toe and it wasnt working well at all so I had to step away from the DPN's and yarn and call it a day. I am going to give it my all and thats all I can do IF and WHEN I get the package that is! LOL.

On the family front my Mom and Dad said that they are going to be speaking to my sister and a big decision is being made by them. I really hope they stick to their guns and dont back down when this 'conversation' occurs because my sister has mastered the art of manipulation with her passive-aggressive narcsisstic personality. This whole situation is weighing heavily on my heart and I cant tell you how much I have cried over it all. I just dont want to continue to write about it if there is nothing happening to solve the issue. However, I will write if there is anything new to write about.

Bootees and First Fair Isle

I made another pair of bootees for my cousins baby girl. I used Rowan Cotton Glace in the color Pier and the little bit of lace that is in this pattern has addicted me already to lace knitting. Its called Lace & Diamond Bootees (this is how the author spells booties). I am going to drop these in the mail to her on Monday before the babys feet get to big. They are made for 6-9 month olds and she is 7 months so they should fit:


This is my attempt at Fair Isling with my own design that I adapted from a mitten pattern to a hat. I think that its going pretty well. We will see when I have to start the decreases! LOL


Here is a cute picture of our resident squirrel that has learned to expect peanut butter sandwiches every day from us. If we dont give him what he wants he comes right up to the glass doors on our back porch to taunt my 3 doxies. Its very funny to watch but I think I am creating a monster, a squirrel monster that is!


I am still anxiously awaiting my BMFA sock kit for February but alas there was no delivery for me today. It should come tomorrow and I cant wait!! I'll be sure to post pictures of the kit when I get it.

My next surgery for the nipple reconstruction is scheduled for March 8th and I am so happy that they finally fit me in the OR schedule. It was crazy there for a while that there were so many surgeries being scheduled. Thats because so many hospitals have been closing in the area (around the hospital I use) and they are picking up the slack.