Watching TAR17 with Wannietta - part le 6

8:26 PM Nat & Kat lead the pack off to St. Petersburg Russia
Awww - looks like everyone is going to be on the same train to Stockholm in the morning.
Brook & Claire are sniffing socks with The Doctors; now they've worked up to shoes.
Now it's a rush to get a taxi to the airport.
Chad's being a jackass to Stephanie - somehow she's the lamest girl in the race.
The flight is another equalizer - everyone is on the same flight to St. Petersburg.
Brook & Claire are in Russia & are Russian through traffic. GROAN!!!
Detour - Classical Music or Classic Cinema

Music - teams make their way to an historic palace find the maestro with 3 gramophones and listen to 3 compositions then enter ballrooms and find the 3 pianists playing the same 3 compositions. They choose the sheet music from the piano, place it in a folder and match it to the gramophone #. Once they have all three correct they will get their next clue.

Cinema - teams find a legendary film studio & sound stage. They search through piles of film strips and find one that matches any part of the scene playing on screen - Sergei Eisenstein's October, the director will give them their next clue.

I think I'd go with Cinema.
Brook & Claire are going Cinema as are Michael & Kevin.
Chad & Stephanie are going Music are are Gary & Mallory.
Jill & Thomas go with Music, Nick & Vicki go with Music as do Nat & Kat.
Poor Kevin is totally out of his element with actual film strip.
Brook & Claire are lost.
Chad & Stephanie have arrived at the palace & are trying to memorize their gramophone music. They think that they have it until they walk into the ballroom with so many pianos all playing something different.

Chad has picked out #1 song. Stephanie thinks that she's got #3.
No one is having much luck at either task - these really are challenging!!
Thomas found the right film strip!!
He & Jill are off to Palace Square to get their next clue.
Chad & Stephanie think that they've got #1. Not.
Nat & Kat think that they've got #2.
Gary & Mallory are all sorts of niet.
Niet, niet, niet.
Brook found the right strip!!
Kevin cottoned on to the words at the top of the strip & they're off.
Jill & Thomas are now off to Alexandrovskaya then follow a marked road to a neighbourhood store.
No one has succeeded at the Music task yet - Gary & Sunshine are the first to jump tasks.
Nat & Kat, Nick & Vicki are changing as well.
Chad & Stephanie are going to tough out their tin ears.
Don't worry Sunshine, I'm sure that Jesus has a minute to help you out.
Jill & Thomas have lost their marked road.
Brook & Claire have found the Road Block.
After donning a traditional Babushka outfit, the teams will have to plant a row of 50 potatoes then fertilize their crop with a generous helping of cow manure in order to get their next clue.
Brook is doing this one - she's eager at first.
Kevin makes a ... cute? Babushka. "Poop & Potatoes" idjit, and clumsy in a skirt.
Chad is such a cry baby, whining loser. Poor Stephanie - she's trying so hard to stay positive but he's a mill stone.

Okay - they're staying at music.
Good for Stephanie for hanging in there and sticking to her musical guns - they did it!!
Nat & Kat found the film strip!
Jill & Thomas are at the Road Block.
Kevin is getting right into the spirit of the task - the Russian ladies sure do love him!!
Brook has been sullied by the excrement and all of the neighbourhood is hearing about it.
Gary & Sunshine have found the film strip.
Nick & Vicki are switching back to the music because he can't handle this crap anymore. Did he forget the cacophony that they just left!?
Kevin & Michael are off to St Issac's Cathedral - the Pit Stop for this leg of the race.
Brook is done planting followed closely by Jill.
"These skinny girls can do everything". LMAO!!!
Brook & Claire's cab needs to stop for gas!
Nat is Babushkaing it up!
Stephanie is totally doing it for their team, but she's a bit lost.
Nick & Vicki are back at the music palace, focusing on one song at a time. It's pretty easy that way.
With Nick's new zen ways they did it!!
Michael said the park ... Kevin said no.
Oh Yes - Jill & Thomas are #1!!
Kevin needs to listen to his dad ... it might have cost them the win and definitely cost them 2nd place.
Mallory is going to be the Babushka, Stephanie has finally found the sign to Duck's End for her manure.
Nick & Vicki are on their way to the Road Block.

Sunshine is having a problem finding the manure pile too.
Nat is done planting and they're off to the Pit Stop.
Stephanie plays a bit of dirty potatoes by throwing the handle of the shovel into the manure.
Mallory is a little ball of energy, that's for sure.
Stephanie is done planting, Mallory is hanging in there.
Chad thinks that Stephanie should take the Babushka outfit home & clean the house in it. Ass hat!!!
Mallory is done!
Nick is doing the Road Block because he thought "drag" race - he had a sense of humour though - "more queen than cars"!! LOL

#1 - Jill & Thomas
#2 - Brook & Claire
#3 - Michael & Kevin
#4 - Nat & Kat
#5 - Chad & Stephanie
#6 - Gary & Mallory
#7 - Nick & Vicki - I had high hopes for this team at at the beginning and they kind of let me down but they were real and Nick learned a lot. Vicki is a super nice girl!! Non-elimination leg - Go Team Freak!!!

3rd time NOT a Charm

The 3^rd round of chemo was NOT a charm. Last time it was headache, this time it was nausea. Even with the meds I was down for the count - nothing that a friend bringing ginger ale, another bringing dinner and a couple of days in bed couldn't cure but still. Today is better but still not excellent - I've been spoiled by good luck so far.
The fact that my period is not lighter & did not stop altogether - both possible side effects - but has decided to come every 3 weeks with chemo cycle just seems like adding insult to injury!! It's screwing with my hormones/emotions and is probably not helping my borderline anemia. Sigh - it's always something with cancer.

But the knitting is continuing. I finished the Ana Bandana yesterday in bed with Mischief. I'll get Amanda to model it tonight maybe - I think it will look cuter on her.

<sup>I started a new project for Elise - I can't take a picture without giving it away (another Top Secret project) but here's what the yarn looks like. The beige is Kollage Sock-a-licious and the chocolate/cherry is Claudia's Hand Paint Fingering.

I've also finished the RF of China Clouds and am working on the ends!!! Just the back to do and final finishing - the end is in sight!!!





And how awesome is it to have friends whose last name is Comfort? Judy & Bob came by on the weekend to drop off the Back to Back trophy - yes, it's come back to roost in Canada.</sup>

Keepin' on Keepin' On

So we had a fabulous night at the Purple Purl - Elise, Lise & I actually shut the place down. They might rethink saying "stay as long as you like" henceforth. ;-) Here's Jen with Mermaid Baby - OMG her name is escaping me (something with a "J" maybe) but she was such a sweet baby providing all non-yarn testers with hours of amusement.

I've been swatching up some of the yarns that we came home with - you guessed it, finding their Sweet Spot!
The SWTC Infatuation was very nice, moving slowly but I liked it then I changed to a new tiny sample ball and it started going way fast and I don't think that I like it; I think that perhaps it's a combination of the bright colours (which I love but may be distracting for the swatch) and not having enough yarn to really swatch up. I loved the slight fluidity of the yarn and the hint of sparkle; perhaps I'll be bold enough to contact them and see if they can spare a couple of balls for my experiment. It will work, I just need to see how.

The Florafil was working excellent at first (even with the bright colours!!) but the fabric felt too loose so I went down to 5.5mm needles from 6mm and the fabric is nice but I'd like the patterning to be a bit different.
I think that I'm going to set it aside for a bit and think on it.

I got another lovely hat in the mail today - thank you Deirdre, it fits perfectly!! The pattern is Odessa (this is a Ravelry link as the original MagKnits link is all brokey) & the yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I don't care how much cashmere may or may not actually be in there ... it's loverly!!!

The 1^st digital issue of Knitters is free & available now. OMG - guess who knit Railroad Tracks (pg 194)?!?! Here's a picture of Amanda wearing it before I sent it off.




Did 3^rd round of chemo today - think that I'm off for a nap. I'm not sure if I'm slightly nauseous or just over-full of water but I'm definitely tired.

Watching TAR17 with Wannietta - part le 5

I missed last week but I'm back in the Race tonight!!

From the Swedish Lapland they're off to Narvik, Norway to the top of a mountain via a specific gondola station.

Nat & Kat - 6:00AM
Gary & Mallory (AKA Sunshine) - 6:04
Brook & Claire - 6:05
Michael & Kevin - 6:30 - I don't know ... Kevin seems like the kind of kid who will live at home for a while or move back.
Jill & Thomas - 6:48 - I missed what school that she went to but Thomas doesn't seem extra smart for having been to college to me.
Nick & Vicki - 7:11 - Yeah ... Narvik is so funky!!
Chad & Stephanie - 8:12
Katie & Rachel - 8:34

Nat's having a bit of a panic attack going up the gondola but she did fine. There's a Fast Forward - they need to eat a sheep's head!! They don't know that ... they just know that it's some sort of traditional Christmas ritual.
Brook & Claire are on the way up, Gary & Sunshine, Michael & Kevin.
Everyone else needs to go to the Skjombrua Bridge for their next clue.
Kat is a vegetarian. Ruh-roh!!!
They've decided to rip the head up so that they don't know what every little bit is. I don't think that it's working.

Kat's choking it down - trying a trick that I used to use for ham when I was little - swallowing it whole.
Teams need to repel over & down to the water below, signal for 1 of 2 boats for their clue then use a mechanical ascender to take them back up to the bridge where they can open their next clue.
Strength, Stamina & Guts - Kevin is going for it along with Claire (who explains a wedgie to the nice Norwegian).
Nat & Kat are listing all sorts of other foods that they are imagining the sheep's head to be.
Gary is down nice & fast.
Hey - those vikings are wearing knitted head-things. OMG - I have lost my grasp of the English language!!!
Nat & Kat are off to the pit stop - Ankenes Marina.
Nick & Vicki just got to the top of the mountain & are deciding to try for the Fast Forward. "We're going to have to hurry because I think everybody's going to be doing that FF". WTF? Why would they try to do it when 4 teams are ahead of them.
Katie thinks that there's less anxiety being (close to) last. Okay ...
Thomas just repelled like two north magnets!!
Mechanical ascender is misleading - it's makes you think that you don't have to do all the work yourself.
Poor Vicki doesn't know what "Fast Forward Taken" means. OMG!!! Does it mean that someone is in there, or taken for just right now or period. Should they wait?
There's no "do you want to do the other one", you have to do the Road Block.
Nice sweater on the Norwegian Pit Stop greeter!!
Chad & Stephanie just got their 1st clue with the Sporty Spices right on their heels.
Claire got tired of Brooks non-stop cheerleading. "Bam, just shut up!!"
Kevin is at the top along with Gary.
Thomas banged it out.
Claire is hanging half-way up - this poor girl gets all the rough Road Blocks!!!

She's inching up ... she did it!!!
OMG - Vicki is the one to do it for their team. I'm sure that Nick will lose his shit on her on her way up.
Kevin & Michael are at the Detour:
Bike or Boat
Bike - Choosing a pair of bikes, making note of the colour of their bicycle lock, take a grueling ride to the sign where they have to memorize the combination matches the colour of their lock then ride back to the start and using the combination, unlock the next clue.
Boat - Make their way to a fishing trawler. Using a map for reference they need to direct the captain to specific spot on shore, continuing on foot teams must deliver two large cod & a chainsaw a summer lodge to receive their next clue. Another nice sweater on the lodge clue-giver.
Kevin & Michael are doing Boat, Jill & Thomas and Gary & Sunshine are doing Bike.
Brook & Claire are going by sea.
Geez - Vicki rocked out that ascending!!! Chad isn't far behind her but she totally did excellent!!!
Katie is doing it for team Sporty Spice.
Gary & Sunshine discover that the rocks are slippery & walking the bikes is safer.
Thomas puts Jill in charge of memorizing their combo - even though she asked if it matters what number they use. She remembered it. They are now off to the Pit Stop.
Gary & Mallory and Kevin & Michael are off to the Pit Stop too.
Kevin thought that they fish weighed about 40lbs, Brook is reckoning them at 60lbs.
Jill & Thomas might be lost or maybe they're just fighting about it. No, they're driving in circles followed by Kevin & Michael.
Katie just finished her bridge Road Block. They think that they're not far behind the rest of the pack because they saw Jill & Thomas drive past.

Thomas gets directions - apparently behind them.
Vicki is totally kicking Nick's ass on the Bike.
Chad & Stephanie are pulling up to shore; Katie & Rachel are going for Boat too.
Foot race at the marina - Jill & Thomas win followed by Kevin & Michael.
Brook smacked her face with the car door and has a cut on her eye. Phil is making a big deal out of it. Sigh.
Chad is ragging on Stephanie to hurry up the rocks ... though he's carrying the fish & the chainsaw so I guess he can talk.
As long as Chad & Stephanie don't get lost ... they ask for directions so maybe they'll be okay.
They're okay.

#1 - Nat & Kat
#2 - Gary & Mallory
#3 - Jill & Thomas
#4 - Michael & Kevin
#5 - Brook & Claire
#6 - Vicki & Nick
#7 - Chad & Stephanie

Goodbye - Team Sporty Spice ... Katie & Rachel

Liz has some links up for recipes to match up with Amazing Race countries.

First Day of Real Snow

While the first day of winter isn't actually until December 21^st (seems kind of late to me ...) Old Man Winter couldn't wait to get the party started!!

I've not got much else to share - I've been going hard on Elise's socks so that she can have them before she goes back to her European home. I'm heading down to The Purple Purl tonight for the Knitty Round Table - it's a ton of fun & I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm glad that I gapped on some appts and had a day in yesterday. I'm going to have to start pacing myself; I am definitely feeling more tired than before. A small trade off but I'm going to have to start realizing new limits & working within some new boundaries. Yeah, it won't be easy - y'all know what a busy little bee I like to be.

Here's the picture of me at the Look Good Feel Better program - the volunteer helping me is Karen (or maybe Lynne ... I didn't write it down & now don't remember). A rose by any other name ... she was awesome & is a 2-time survivor herself!! We all came away with box of skin care & cosmetics from excellent companies - MAC, Cover Girl, Anna Sui, Mary Kay and a whack of others!!! I'm still not a massive make up girl but it was very interesting, Amanda had fun and the skin care stuff is excellent - I'm drying up!!

Oh - and ask away Roz!! If there is any intarsia type question that I can answer I will. I'll even try for pics and/or video if necessary!!

Breakout Kings

So my first clue that something was up in the Tdot was this. There were NYPD cars, NYC cabs & Yukons up & down every other street, along with the requisite white paneled movie-set type trucks every where!

So the DKC meeting went great - it was awesome to be able to see so many of my friends that I don't see unless I get down into The City. Thanks so much for all of your positive comments & encouragement!!! Elise was an excellent speaker & had the most excellent slide show of knit-related pictures and art running on the screen behind her - an amusing and intriguing diversion but it totally did not detract from her presentation.

A few of us went to Mercurio's afterward where I was the most distracted by the filming of Breakout Kings. I couldn't help myself - curiosity overwhelmed me & I asked someone what they were filming. We were fortunate enough to see them do several runs of a scene right across the street. I took pictures but I have my first reason to curse the iPhone - there is no freakin' zoom!!! You'll just have to take my word for it that this is Laz Alonso. Not that I remotely recognized him, I Googled it. They also renamed the Bata Shoe Museum the Geller Museum. Not that you can read that in the picture but that's what it says.

If for no other reason than to see if I can spot this scene I'll be tuning in & watching Breakout Kings!!

As an interesting note, I wonder if obtaining filming rights in our fair city exempts the filming company from our idling bylaw. I am quite certain that the Yukon that Laz was driving was idling the entire time that we were in the restaurant - I didn't notice in any of the 4 or 5 takes that we saw that he turned it off & took the keys out. The lights certainly stayed on the entire time & when he came out he backed it up 5 truck lengths and waited to do it over again. Just wondering, that's all.

Blaaahhhhhhgggg

I know that blog posts without pics are boring but there ya go. Forewarned is forearmed.

Weekends are totally starting to utterly suck. And in none of the ways that can be construed as good. Friday nights are my night without taking the Lorazepam which means that I pretty much don't sleep; if I'm luck I'll get a couple of hours around dawn. This means that I'm over tired on Saturday and my coping skills for anything are severely diminished. I also don't sleep well Saturday night because I'm so frelling over tired that even with the L. I can't get to sleep. Sunday is a Zombie day. If everyone just leaves me alone I can knit and get through the day without taking any prisoners or leaving behind casuaties.
I've taken to taking an extra L. an hour or so after the first one. I know ... I see the nice Dr. again on Tuesday & I'll be totally asking for something with the strength of a hammer upside the head. Fuck getting dependent, I just want to sleep!!! I'll join a program when this cancer-treatment roller coaster ends.

I totally lost track of time, space & TV ... The Amazing Race ran a leg without me. I'm back on track today - the support group at Gilda's is a welcome haven.

I'm heading down to the DKC meeting tomorrow night - Elise & Soak are going to be there, I'm really looking forward to it!! I'll be stopping by the Apple store at Yorkdale on my way down. I changed my email address in my iTunes account but it doesn't seem to sync with my iPhone which is a problem because I can't do anything with my iTunes account when I'm mobile.

I finished the first of a pair of socks for Elise; you'll just have to trust me since it's Top Secret. I've cast on straight away for the 2^nd one - I love knitting the 2^nd sock!! It goes so quickly for me since I just have to make it match the 1^st one.

Progress in Pictures

Duped!!

Day 6 proved to be my most troublesome again this round - nothing really bad just a weird, hard-to-adjust kind of day. Fortunately it only lasts 24 hours!

I took Saturday night off from the sleeping pills - needless to say that I didn't sleep much. I took it last night but still didn't sleep well; I kept waking up so thirsty, getting a drink then waking up again a short time later to go to the bathroom!! ARGH Crossing my fingers for a good one tonight.

While I've been doing China Clouds I've worked out some things that, while they aren't necessarily short cuts, they do make the finishing a bit easier.
The dark grey accent around the curls for instance. I was adding in the extra yarn in the centre and then had that many more ends to sew in for just a few stitches. What I do now is leave the tail from the one side of the curl and duplicate stitch the rest of it on. It makes for a bit of a thicker bit on the fabric but it's really inconsequential because it's not on much of the fabric.






Short post for today - I'm feeling the tireds again. Not complaining though, especially if this is the worst!!

Watching TAR17 with Wannietta - part le 3

7:34 AM - Brook & Claire are off to the Akotoku Boxing Academy.
7:35 - Katie & Rachel
7:45 - Michael & Kevin

So one team member must properly wrap their hands, suit up in training gear, work a speed bag for 60 seconds then skip rope for 60 seconds.
Brook is quite gung-ho!!
7:52 - Chad & Stephanie are off
7:58 - Jill & Thomas
8:01 - Team Glee

Brook's putting some nice hip action into that speed ball.
Now they're off to find a marked supply depot for their next clue.
Chad's wrapped, Katie's working on it.
Jill & Thomas are getting directions.
8:02 - Nat & Kat
8:04 - Nick & Vicki - who's strategy is still to communicate
8:06 - Gary & Sunshine - who's goal is to move up from last place
Chad's stylin' on the skipping forces him to start over on his 60 seconds.
Kevin is endlessly putting down his dad for his age and lack of physical prowess; it's getting on my nerves.
Connor is focused hard on his speedballin'!!
Thomas is having a hard time figuring out the hand wrapping.
The Doctors are lost and are stalling Chad & Stephanie and Katie & Rachel in their attempt to get turned around.

Gary's wrapped up, so is Thomas.
Nat & Kat seem to be on their way.
Vicki is done the boxing challenge and they're out ahead of Jill & Thomas.
Nat & Kat have finally arrived.
Team Glee has passed Brook & Claire.

They must now choose a pair of wheelbarrows & load them with construction supplies and deliver them to the Adebi D/A Primary School. If all of the supplies are correct they will receive their next clue.

Team Glee rocks it out! But now they are going to be tested on African geography. This should be hilarious!!!
Brook & Claire are loading their wheelbarrow - they are using just one. Will they have to go back?
Team Glee finally found Ghana.
Bicycle Parts or Language Arts

Bicycle Parts - teams need to use a stick to roll a bicycle rim up & down the length of a soccer field.
Language Arts - teams choose a proverb containing 8 phrases, each of which has a corresponding symbol which they need to find in the correct sequence on a massive wall - like a word search. This would normally be right up my alley but it's boggling my mind just to think about it right now!!!

Team Glee went with Language Arts.
Yup - Brook & Claire need to take everything that they carried back & get another wheelbarrow.
Michael & Kevin are making the same mistake, but Katie & Rachel are on point.
Nat & Kat's cabbie is over heating a bit.
Katie & Rachel are missing trowels.
The killer bit is that the teams need to haul everything back & forth every time that they are missing something.
Team Glee has solved their puzzle and are now in search of the home of Awusa Ntso - a rural farm which is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race.
Brook & Claire are trying to find Ghana on the map.
Nick & Vicki brought 2 bags of cement & now have to take one back. Nick is throwing an absolutely jackass hissy fit over Vicki mis-reading the list.

Gary & Sunshine are at school to find Ghana on the map. Gary gets it on the first go!!! They choose Bicycle Parts.
Chad & Stephanie are off to school.
Katie & Rachel are off to school.
Nat & Kat are working on their supplies.
Chad, Katie, Thomas and Brook have all found Ghana and have all chose Language Arts.
Nick & Vicki are going to school.
Brook & Claire invented a simpleton game of drawing circles around the little African children in the dirt.
Jill & Thomas are looking for a "decoder key".
Do these people read instructions in their normal day to day lives?
Kevin found Ghana and selected Language Arts.
Gary & Sunshine are done their Bicycle Parts.
Chad & Stephanie are changing to Bicycle Parts.
Once the children have labeled every other country in Africa Nick & Vicki find Ghana - Nick chooses Bicycle Parts.
Nat gets Ghana on the first go - Good Doctor!!!
Chad is bangin' out that Bicycle rim!! Stephanie has the hang of it too.
Nick is an ass to the 'nth degree.
Katie & Rachel are getting the hang of the rims.
Nick has finally manned up and is working it out.
Nat & Kat are at Bicycle Parts.
Now Nick is harassing Vicki because she can't sort it out & her asthma is acting up. Oh, now he cares.
Jill & Thomas are switching tasks, Michael has decided that they should switch too.
Vicki is done - Nick allows that he felt kind of crappy and that Vicki didn't deserve the way he treated her.
Brook & Claire are done.
Thomas looks like a candidate for the short bus the way he's driving his rim.
Kat has her hand up so far on the stick that it looks like she's using her hand.
Michael is having a hard time out there in the heat - I don't think that he's going to make it.

Michael is getting medical assistance. He's going to finish ... good decision since you never know with Nat & Kat. ;-)
He did it - will they beat the Doctors???
Not today.

BUT - OMG - it's a non-elimination leg. They will have to complete a Speed Bump next week but I'm sure that Michael will give it his all.

All of the teams are going to get together and do some work on the school - giving back a bit. They all seem genuinely happy to be able to do it.

#1 - Team Glee
#2 - Gary & Sunshine
#3 - Chad & Stephanie
#4 - Katie & Rachel
#5 - Nick & Vicki
#6 - Brook & Claire
#7 - Jill & Thomas
#8 - Nat & Kat
#9 - Michael & Kevin

Measurable Progress

I have finished another pair of socks!! This is a bit momentous because even though I usually have a pair in progress I work on so many other things that socks seem take me forever, which is also why I tend to do just simple stockinette ones. Though I really do want to work through Cat Bordhi's sock book and maybe do one or two of the Yarnissima sock kits that I have.

Before I start on something new - something for Elise I think - I had to turn my attention back to China Clouds. I have both sleeves and the LF done and I'm past the armhole shaping on the RF. It's coming along nicely & I'm still loving working on it.





I finished the Eleanor Cowl out of Malabrigo's Silky Merino. It really helps keep the back of my neck warm at home! Even though I cast off loosely it's a bit snug going over my head - if I were to knit another one I would take the time to do a sewn bind off for even more stretch.
The hat is Jared's Koolhaas hat knit for me by my friend Joan. It fits wonderfully & is Amanda's favourite!



The Koigu Kersti that I over dyed has a definite range of vivid to lighter. The picture shows the lightest & most vivid out of the 14 that I did. I think that what I am going to do is start the sleeves in the lighter skeins, changing to the more vivid skeins for the body then back to light for the other side. I think that it will work out well and hopefully a bit graduated. I will make it so.

I'm feeling good - the 2^nd round of treatment has not hit me any harder than the 1^st. I'm feeling the tireds coming on today though, I'm glad that I have absolutely nothing planned for tomorrow and very little for the rest of the week.


I think that Mischief is being very spoiled by my being home; she absolutely loves insinuating herself onto my lap and I just have to work my knitting around her. I don't know if she just likes having her main human around or if she really sense a need in me for her singular comfort. Once she's settled & I can knit it's really nice.

Day 3 - 2nd time

PICC line flushed, Neulasta shot given. I feel pretty good, just a bit of an unsettled stomach & a bit dizzyish. Not bad all things considered - knock on wood it continues.

Well - you called it, I'm a red head!! I think that I might need a new name for when I'm sporting such awesome hair colour!! Maybe this:

Áine (AWN-ye) From the Old Irish áine, meaning 'brilliance, wit, splendor, glory, radiance'. Connected with fruitfulness and prosperity. According to Irish legend, Áine was the daughter of Fer I (Man of the Yew) and queen of the fairies of South Munster. Irish folklore held that she lived at a place now called Knockany (Cnoc Áine, "Áine's Hill") and was "the best-hearted woman who ever lived – lucky in love and in money."





Shelly picked out a different blonde, it's a warmer, red-toned blonde that I like. I'm still loving the original blonde even if it makes me look a bit paler. I think that it didn't photograph as well as it really looks on me!! I'll go fetch one of these in a couple of weeks when Kerwyn gets paid again.





I finished Shedir le Lime.













Smeegle me just wasn't working so I'm gone with the Ilia me. Amanda agrees that it's an improvement!! I don't quite have her lips and I have more of an oval head, but I'm rolling with the comparison!






I've got several projects that I want to start on ... I'm seriously in a dither trying to decide!!!

Days 1 & 2 Again

I measure my time now by days - * Day 1 being the day of chemo treatment, after day 7 it's the good week then the great week. Repeat from* 4 more times.

I came home from treatment yesterday with a fierce & debilitating headache. I spent yesterday, last night & most of today in bed sleeping & napping to let the Tylenol work. I'm much better now & knock on wood that'll be the worst of it this time round.
The Lorazepam is definitely helping my sleep patterns & the Prilosec has totally got the heartburn under control. God bless pharmaceuticals!!!


I'm ready to lose my Smeegle look and am going to fetch a wig (My Precious!!!) tomorrow.


The popular vote is for the Long & Luscious Red but I'm not entirely certain that I won't just got with the Blonde Bombshell first. Shelly will be going with me & will be the final opinion - I must advise you that she's a blonde!! LOL Whichever one I don't get first I will get in a couple of weeks.

I think that I'll finish Shedir le Lime tonight - the nurses were very impressed with Shedir le Violet yesterday!!

Adventures in Dyeing - Results

I dyed 6 skeins of Shelridge Farm's Ultra fingering weight yarn. My plan was to put a pink in each one as a part of my personal story for my next Sweet Spot strip. I had no doubt that Buffy's yarn would have a Sweet Spot and my sister beat me to the punch! She was fascinated with the technique and loved Buffy's yarn so off she went. I'll start on mine probably later in the week - by the time I do my next treatment tomorrow, finish Shedir le Lime & Shedir le Avocado, finish my current SIP, put in more time on China Clouds ... LOL!!









The Koigu Kersti that I over dyed came out beautifully - I can't wait to see how it knits up!! I am going to knit up an On The Easy Side from Knit One Below for me!!

Oh - Buffy also gifted me with some of her lace yarn that had breaks in it so are short skeins. I'm going to weigh them (Thank you my Friend!!!) and work out the yardage and see how much I can do with it. When I'm done I might dye the finished project or just leave it au naturel!

I am really hoping - fingers & toes crossed - that this round of chemo will not affect me any worse than the last one ... I have so much yarn that I want to make into stuff!!! I got a Rx for some sleeping pills (Ah my Lories, how I have missed you!!!) and a kick ass acid antacid which should make the next week(s) easier.

Adventures in Dyeing

We had such a wonderful day!!! Buffy & Don were wonderful hosts to our small group and after Buffy did a small demo making it look easy she let us loose!!







Myrelle was our most thoughtful and careful dyer.










Daphne had pictures that inspired her colourways. My niece Jasmyn just let her creativity flow (sorry Jas - I totally didn't get any pics of you!!!)







Elise had the most challenging colourways to wrap (for the steam setting).










I had my colourways mostly planned in writing.

Elise had some balls of coral silk that she brought along and after a consult with Buffy went with injection dyeing. I'm sure that this will catch on with the amateur dyers out there!!

I had brought along those skeins of Koigu Kersti that were not colourfast & that I had sun bleaching last week. OMG - I love how they dyed up!! I can't wait for them to dry so that I can start on On the Easy Side!!!

It was a most excellent day - Buffy said that we were the most creative group that she's had, Don called us the messiest. Potato - potatoe!!! The proof is in the pudding and we made excellent pudding!! I left my special mark on the floor!!
"Wannietta was here!"

I'm rinsing & drying my skeins now - I'll take finished pics tomorrow!