One Wing

I have been knitting but also taking some time to just enjoy my last week or so of time off and the absolutely fabulous weather we've been having. Granted, it's been quite warm some days but that sure beats chilly & rainy!! It's Summer and I love it!!!

I spent my entire Friday knitting and
ripping, let's call it swatching, doing some serious maths to make sure that my 36g of orange would last for both wings. I totally did it - numbers don't lie!!! - but I ate up the Malabrigo Velvet Grapes. But I can deal with that, I've got Julie on the case!! I'll have to wait for the new skein to continue - if there is a significant difference in dye lot I'd rather it was on the entire left wing than just half of it. If you want to see all of the progression pictures, I have them on my Ravelry project page.





No worries, I have been working on my Family Pendragon SweetSpot strip and I can jump right back into Beth's Drops sweater.

I am healing very well on all counts! My stomach still feels tight and if I stretch/twist a bit too much I am reminded that there is still healing to be done. I still put the Bio Oil on; can't hurt ... My toe still has a numbishness to it and while I can walk it's a careful placing of foot to ground and I'm careful not to roll off of the ball of my foot. There is still some swelling on the top of my foot, but I feel good about how both surgeries have gone. Next week is filled with doctors appts to get followups done and return to work permissions and modifications sorted. I'm scheduled to go back on the 13th - I'm looking forward to it. No, really I am. I would love to keep staying at home but needs must and I miss the people!!!

Westknits Rockefeller Clue 2 SPOILER!!!

I was on a mission today - I was doing Clue 2 until it was done. YATTA!!!!

It definitely needs blocking. I had blocked the inner ring (clue 1) last night, tonight I'll block it all out.
I am somewhat concerned about the orange - I don't know what it is, it's a bit of a heavier sock weight and I don't know what I'll do if I run short. Fingers crossed; I'll cross that bridge if I have to.

Now, back to Beth's sweater for 6 days. I know, that'll be awfully boring for you, maybe I'll have to start something new. For you ... not me.

edited to add: 6.5 hours of knitting. Not real hard core, but quite steady with a few breaks.

Drops Like it's Hot

Beth's sweater is growing with the ease that every knitter knows when the yarn is perfect for the project and you are loving both! I'm just past the armhole shaping on the front.





And the ayes have it - with a landslide of 63%, is the winning colourway. And it's lovely. The brown/purple is Malabrigo Velvet Grapes - a perfect nod to an Autumnal Garden. Actually Linda, the intensity of the oranges reminds me of the Portulaca that my mother always planted. The first 1/3 went quickly. I'm going to finish Clue 1 today so that I'm ready to hit the ground running tomorrow.

 

My surgeon is on holidays until the 31st - amazing since I'm supposed to have a 2 week follow up not a 4 week follow up. But my family Dr. is awesome and between her, her nurse and I we took the cast off and decided that I will just be a very, very good girl and (mostly) stay off of it and try to get in to see the surgeon when he gets back. I think that the bruising is mostly from walking on the partial cast, it doesn't really hurt. I'm taking 81mg of aspirin from the previous surgery - it doesn't seem to be helping the bruising, or maybe it would just be a lot worse if I wasn't taking it. Hhhhmmmm. Anyway, it doesn't hurt a lot but it does ache deeply so I just stay off of it and up as much as possible.
My stomach is feeling good - not that I can really do anything remotely strenuous anyway, but if I reach and/or twist too much or the wrong way I can feel that it's still healing. 

Mitten Mania '10

So here is a better shot of the new jacket & hat - nice bright colours on the jacket. And yes, she is looking a bit happier!! Apparently green is her new favourite colour.



Mitten Mania '10 has started strong and Amanda is very pleased!! She loves the matching/opposite colour combination. I use the mitten template in Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns - I like the sizing and the template covers an excellent range of gauge and sizes. Totally an investment that will pay off quickly!!

I'm sure that the Mania '11 may be mittens - as much as I (and every other mother) hopes that the coat will span 2 seasons, it is more likely than not that there will need to be another jacket with totally different colours.

I haven't had a DVD player in the living room for awhile and watching movies on the laptop was getting old. I finally bit the bullet and went shopping. I had decided that I really wanted a blu-ray player - they've come down in price enough and blu-ray discs are not nearly as expensive as they used to be. I got it set up (with some initial assistance from Amanda) and while it should have been easier, I sorted out the firmware (it's okay ... I giggle at that word every time!!!) upgrade and have Netflix running through it. I'm feel invincible!!! I bought Inception and The Last Airbender (based on the Avatar anime series which I watched in prep for getting the movie), both of which should be most excellent on blu-ray!!!

I got meds for the additional pain with cautions about taking days off when the pain isn't "so bad" as a precaution against addiction. Okay, I know that it happens but seriously ... the pain is caused by chemo which is going to end. Can we just be more concerned with pain management right now? Fortunately I do have days with less pain and I wouldn't be popping Percs every 4 hours every day anyway ... I have to drive sometimes and, more crucially, it would probably throw off my gauge.

I have one toenail hanging on by a band aid and another one that is going to come off at some point. I stubbed them, they bruised up within 5 minutes and they are going to fall off - this is probably the nail damage that they are hoping to head off by having me soak my hands in ice during the Taxotere treatments. Okay - I'm super happy that my hands are protected but I am a clumsy white woman ... why not pack my feet in ice too?!? I'm definitely going to ask about it for the last treatment. I know, it's a bit like closing the barn door after the horses are out, but I obviously need all the help that I can get!!

Mitten Mania '10

We interrupt our regularly scheduled knitting to show you the New Coat & Hat that our young lady is sporting. The colours are washed out in this pic - I'll get a better one tomorrow before school. This, of course, means new mittens which will be knit (mostly & for now) from stash. I know - an extensive stash is something upon which you can draw not just deposit!!

Believe me, I have explained to Amanda that not every girl is so lucky as to have Malabrigo Silky Merino & Yarn Pirate mittens - !!! I told her that these were not snowball-throwing, snow-shoveling mittens but keeping warm & looking good mittens. Not that she is not to shovel ... I told her that there are "work" mittens for that!! Classic Wool is still lovely, but totally more day-to-day.

In the throws of setting up for Mitten Mania '10 I discovered that I didn't have any 3.5mm dpn in 'da house!!! I quickly remedied that with a trip to Signature Needles! A set of 4.5mm also fell into the cart - I have Aeros, but surely an event such as Mitten Mania '10 (which will without fail be followed up with future classics such as Mitten Mania '11 & '12) deserves the elegance, beauty & functionality of Signature DPN? I concur!!!