Cream Crackered

there is a bit of an unpleasant picture at the end of the post, in case you're kinda squeamish

Between fighting off some mild bug, a small issue with one of my incision sites, sleepless nights and just trying to do things ... I'm feeling it.
I am going to be kind to myself over the next week and a half, be the best patient ever, and get permission to do all the things when I see the surgeon on the 7^th!!

Yesterday was my natal day. I appreciate so much the gifts and greetings from everyone - IRL and on the interwebs. Knowing how much love my family and friends have for me was overwhelming and certainly kicked the upcoming year off to a smashing start!! I even made cupcakes and a few lucky people were close enough to share in the baked spoils.


Thank you.

Gir loves cupcakes.



Wannietta loves butter tarts. Well cupcakes too (clearly), but today was about the butter tarts.
Helen and I set off early this morning


Dumb and Dumber before coffee. Ready to take on the world after!


for the Bradford Farmers Market as there was a butter tart festival to be going on. Helen is one of those annoying early morning people; unlike another friend, she is easily counted on to get up and at whatever event is going on anywhere. Even the puppies were slow this morning. I actually had to come back to the bdrm after I'd turned on lights and music and had the bathroom to myself - I know!!! to wake them up.


you know the drill ... it's a cleverly designed lived in look They usually pop up as soon as I'm stirring and accompany me to the bathroom and clam out like children for attention.
We were a bit underwhelmed by the butter tart/festival bit, but we both went a little nuts over the produce!! $40 & 5 bags later ... I did come home with two butter tarts.


Sorry for anyone who was expecting some, but that the way the tart flakes.

I have made little progress on my socks. I'll be getting much more done the next few days. House rest!!!

The incision site that has been causing the most irritation was deeply scabbed and the stitching wasn't coming off. I put a piece of jelonet on it, then covered it, hoping it would soften the scab, promoting healing.
When I took the dressing off the next day to check on it and re-dress it, this is what I saw.



Yeah. Not. Quite. Right.
I went to see my family doctors nurse practitioner just to make sure it wasn't gauze stuck in the wound or flesh eating disease.
It's called slough flesh (the white stuff). It's dead skin that hasn't come away yet; if left to dry, it would scab black. I could pull on it but it didn't hurt, it just didn't come off.
I had done well with the jelonet; it provides a good moist environment, helping the slough flesh to slough off, allowing the pink skin to close and heal. She did put on an inadine patch just to ward off infection as it was rather a deep wound, said I'd been on the right track, and was wise to have come in to have it seen to. Always better safe than sorry!!
Still feeling a bit delicate when sitting and standing, but she said that's normal.


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Catching Up

I have had some insomnia lately; my brain trying to sort out all the flotsam and jetsam in my life at the mo. And there's just been so much not sleeping followed by napping that knitting progress rather slumped like an airless blowup doll.
yeah, not sure where *that* metaphor came from!

I ripped out to the commencement of the heel shaping on my Stitch Surfers.


There were giant holes on the heel corners as the last 2 lines of the heel shaping were a bit off to my interpretation, but Helen didn't have holes, so I wasn't going to have holes either!! I know, her glee at my misfortune is rather transparent
I'm back to where I was; full steam ahead!!

I have finally finished the Mock Cape!!! It needs a finishing blocking, but all the ends are done in.


I found the pattern a bit odd. Vague in some areas (no indication of # of dec reps, just the final stitch count to work to), but then overly detailed in others (endless stitch counts on the collar for the pick ups).

I got my hair trimmed and my fringe restored at Connect Hair Studio during the Canada Cuts fundraiser for Gilda's Club.


Thoughts of cutting it shorter flitted through my mind, but I am still loathe to do so given how long it is. Four and a half years since I finished chemo.

I stopped by the LCBO and the selection, even in Angus, of boxed wines was impressive!! My go to red, Bodacious, is now in an economical boxes format!!


What a gorgeous kick off to Autumn we had today, the Autumnal Equinox. I took full advantage.


The puppies are still adorable.





as if you doubted it

Amanda popped in yesterday. Not sure who was happier to put eyes on her - the puppies or myself!!! They went quite mad jumping around her, vying for attention.





We had fun trying to get an un-squinty one as we were facing the setting sun. Two beauties regardless!!

Healing is going well. Spotting is all but done with. I am still crampy if I walk too far/too fast, and I had some random, infrequent stabby pains yesterday. My surgeon is moving offices, so wasn't available today to check in with, but as its not happened today, my medical opinion is "normal".
All of the external stitches on the laparoscopic entry points have healed and fallen out save one. It's quite scabbed over, so I have put some covering on it to encourage softening and healing where it's not rubbing and catching on waistbands.

Ok - back to my Stitch Surfers. Yarn laying about everywhere, telling me what it all wants to be!!

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Slow and Steady

This describes can my progress on the Mock Cape. I have seamed and done in ends.





I am ready to do the front edgings and collar. I am not optimistic that this is going to get done tonight. I know, it doesn't look like much.

Yesterday at the fashion show kicking off the Canada Cuts fundraiser for Gilda's I saw my oncologist, Dr Bryn Presnail, who as the head of the Regional Cancer Centre, spoke about the positive and necessary human impact that Gilda's has for those dealing with cancer, directly and those with family affected. He remembered me and was pleased to have it be so long since seeing me, and that I was doing so well.

I also had the pleasure of seeing some ladies that I'd known from Gilda's, and as they were sitting behind me, we had a lovely catch up.
L.A. was one of the hair models and when she came to sit down, she sat with her mom behind me! I was knitting of course, her mom told her a few things about me, then asked my name again. I said, "Wannietta". L.A. exclaimed, "Not Wannietta, the fastest knitter?!" I have to admit, it was a moment.





I had to take a pic - her hair is fabulous and totally matches her personality!

I am still napping every day. Solid 2-3 hour naps, with a full nights sleep to boot. I quite unaccustomed to this, but when you think about the internal damage that my body is trying to repair, it's not so unbelievable. I'm being diligent about eating well, giving my body sufficient tools to repair. So as my recovery is slow and steady, it's reflected in my knitting output. I will accept this, not rush a recovery, being happy as it comes in the fullness of time.




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For a woman who is supposed to be resting I have been very busy. And if I could just shake off my perfectly harmless but time-consuming love of Bejeweled & Solitaire Blitz I would be even more productive!!

My Dad had quadruple heart bypass surgery done last Wednesday. He had been feeling shortness of breath and tightness in his chest for about a week when doing different activities but it went away when he stopped. He finally went to the hospital and they jumped right on that with diagnostics & drugs and the surgery. He is doing well by all accounts, and in good spirits considering the considerable change in his diet, quitting smoking and having his activities severely curtailed.

I had my foot surgery on Thursday. It also went well but it hurt like a mofo!! I spent Friday in a drugged haze.

Daphne concentrating

my niece Jasmyn

Saturday my sister came to get me so that we could visit Dad and take him some more books. He can't do much more than read and I came by my love of reading honestly.  It was a gorgeous day and we did a few errands (I picked up a few more books) on the way there & back. While I just limp around at home, I have crutches that I used for the day. That was a lot more work than I thought - my arms and shoulders obviously need more work and it was more ab intensive than I would have thought. I love my dad and I wouldn't have not gone but my body waved the white flag.

I am feeling loads better today!! It is a necessary luxury that I am able to sleep and not sleep as my body dictates. Sometimes that is an hour or 4 hours or 10 hours. I am just rolling with it. The pain has significantly subsided; it's more of a throbbing ache, I still need to keep it elevated more than not.

I finished Elise's sweater! well actually a week or so ago ... And you know the drill, super Top Secret.






I banged out the Mountain Colors scarf - doing the fringe took awhile. I'm not very good at fringes.

 And I have dragged out some yarns and a couple of Sweet Spot strips that I had made - I want to do some more, I just need to decide on the next strips yarn designer.






I finished my Starbucks socks and have started a new pair of Purple Regia socks. The sock on the left reflects my mood during the few days that I was knitting it - the tension is all over the place. It's not noticeable in the fabric itself but the patterning is a whole lot less forgiving and shows even slight and subtle changes in tension. Not a bad thing, just a thing.

Yes, I have a fun photo editing program and I really love it!! 

The Olympics are coming up and all Ravelympics/Ravelry Games drama aside I am looking forward to them! Along with Netflix and an excellent movie collection my knitting and resting are well accompanied.