Thank you for the thoughts and suggestions. I'll just follow the pattern and wash it and see what happens. I man go with larger needles because it looks like my "in the round" knitting is a tighter gauge than my flat. I cut off the sleeve I had already finished and picked up the sleeve stitches again and I'll work on it tonight. (Yes, I actually took the scissors and cut it off and then just picked out the little bits of yarn until I got to my original sleeve stitches. Not traumatic at all.)

This is what I've been doing. I finished the second Sock Roulette sock. My sock roulette sock was too small for me, so I gave it to my daughter (who has considerably thinner ankles and feet than I do) to make the second one. I really loved the pattern and had some green/blue yarn from the Artwalk sock yarn club. I love them. The yarn suited the pattern perfectly and I have a new pair of socks.

I also took this roving which was dyed for the Ply by Night ravelry group by Briar Rose Fibers. The task this time was to spin either chunky and make a cowl or spin thinner and make some socks. This is a blue faced leicester (did I spell that right?) which was new to me. It spins very differently than the superwash merino I made Pk's socks with. I chose to spin as thin as I could and make the socks (anybody surprised?). I like the colors.

The roving became these two cakes and is on its way to becoming Primavera socks. It feels so different. The yarn is firmer and and stiffer somehow. I gave it a good bit of twist to make it sturdier for socks. I wish I could capture the color better. It's really much more purple than the photos show. The pattern calls for 2.5's but that seemed so big that I dropped down to 2's. This feels better. The pattern is really a simple one and I think it would be boring if I wasn't using yarn that I spun myself.

And look what I found today! Our daffodils are finally blooming. And the hyacinths are poking their heads above the ground, too. I can even see some green that looks like it may be tulips so maybe the squirrels didn't get them all. Pk and I got up early today and went to an estate sale. He was on the hunt for tools. I got a little excited because it looked like the woman might have been a crafter. I found some embroidered doilies and such. If she was, one of her family members snatched that stuff all up. I found some patterns for crocheted doilies but nothing I liked. I did find a mixer in the box, unused, for Kate for when she moves out. For a dollar. And it's a Sunbeam Mixmaster so it's a fairly good one. It's probably from the 70's or 80's. (It's almond colored.) Kate was thrilled.

What started out out as a drizzly, foggy day turned into a tender spring afternoon with blue skies and puffy white clouds. The windows are open and the air smells like wet earth. It's lovely. Pk and Kate and Holly peeled some apples and I made two pies that we'll have for desert tonight. I'm trying something new. We bought a bag of bulgur wheat and I'm going to try the recipe on the back. I like to try new things and this will be a nice change from potatoes and rice and noodles.

We're still waiting for results from the last biopsy Em had done. She met with the surgeon and he wants all the test results first. If it's a fibrous growth, he can go in and take it out. If it's the sarcoma, it may require chemo and/or radiation first to shrink it before he can remove it. As soon as she lets me know, I'll pass it on. Waiting is so hard.

I hope you are all having a good weekend, although for the life of me, I can't figure out where it all went!

KNITTING QUESTION ALERT!

Since this is nominally a knitting blog (well, I do knit sometimes and I even manage to post photos of said knitting on occasion), I have a knitting question.

When you make a top down sweater that is a cardigan and therefore not knit in the round, and then you pick up the stitches to knit the sleeves , how do you make the sleeves, which are going to be knit in the round, look like the body which is knit back and forth?

I finished the body of the baby sweater I was making for a coworker. The edges are curling up, but that's another matter. It is a kimono style sweater that was knit top down and the sleeves were put on waste yarn to be picked up and knit seamlessly to the cuffs. I finished one sleeve and realized that I can very clearly see where I picked up the stitches and then knit in the round. So, how do you do that? Do I knit the sleeve in stockinette like the body and then seam the underarm? Will the stitches even out and match after it's washed? It's funny, but it never occurred to me that this would be a problem until last night when I finally picked up the sweater thinking I would be able to finish it this weekend. I used a cotton/acrylic blend and it's nice and soft (and washable). But the stitches look so different.

This is a serious problem because I realized the pattern I picked for Em's sweater is knit the same way. If it's that noticeable, I won't be pleased with it and I don't know what I'll do.

So, help!?!. Is there a work-around for this, or do I have to choose another pattern? It's probably obvious and I just can't see it. I'm going to try to research it tonight but if anyone has any thoughts, they are more than welcome!

Well, it's been a week and a half and I still have heavy congestion and a nasty cough so I finally broke down and did the sensible thing. I went to the doctor. It turns out I have an ear infection and a sinus infection and a chest cold (but not, thankfully, bronchitis). I walked out with a prescription for an antibiotic to clear up the infections and a new bottle of cough syrup. The cough syrup works like a charm but the codeine makes it only good for at night.

I did what I thought any good, thoughtful employee should do and stayed home last week in order to keep my germs to myself. It turns out that I should have come into work because now I have exceeded the number of sick occurrences allowed. I still have sick time available but I was sick 5 times in the last 12 months (this includes my gall bladder surgery which was supposed to be counted as pre-approved time) and that is not allowed. So I got written up. Yep. I got a written warning put in my personnel file. They'll remove the written warning once I give them the documentation from my doctor confirming that I was actually sick because my word is not good enough. Nor, I guess, is the fact that I was coughing up a lung.

Fortunately, my doctor is understanding and we filled out the paperwork. The most galling thing about all of this is that I work for a HEALTH SYSTEM. My supervisors were very apologetic, making sure I knew that they didn't want to do this but they were being compelled. I'm not angry. I'm bemused. It sometimes feels like I've fallen through the looking glass and like Alice, I'm in foreign territory. But, I can be taught. I will bring my sick, sorry ass into work next time and so what if I spread plague all around. At least I won't have an occurence.

Onto less frustrating topics. Kate figured out how to add a knitted edging to the Wildflowers shawl so it might finally see the light of day and get finished. I did two repeats and now I get it. That's only two repeats out of about 100 but I'm ok with that. I like working with the bamboo and the colors are so pretty. I'm almost finished my Garden Path socks. I really like them. The pattern is easy enough to follow. If I weren't in such a haze, they wouldn't have taken so long. I'm also plugging away on Em's sweater and the baby sweater for a coworker's new little girl. The warmer weather makes it easier to work with the thicker yarns and needles. Because I have arthritis in my hands, sometimes it is hard to work with the thicker materials. I'd like to finish the baby sweater soon and get it off the wip list.

I haven't accomplished much else. The congestion in my head has made it difficult to concentrate and I ripped out just as much as I knit all week. I did some spinning, it takes less concentration. I'm at work now and trying to ignore the pounding of my head and the ache in my ear and do some work. I'd rather look out the window and think about spring.....

Well, I've been home all week. Finally, after 3 days of intense congestion, my cold is finally breaking up so today I am blowing (and blowing and blowing) my nose. I've been trying to spin but it's kinda hard to pay attention when you're sneezing repeatedly. Hopefully, this is the last hurrah and I'll be done with this. My doctor's office said they will sign any forms I need. They know I'm not trying to put one over on my employers.

I finished one of the Garden Path socks and I absolutely love it. I chose a green and blue variegated yarn (Zen Yarn's ArtWalk January sock yarn) which coordinates perfectly with the pattern. Now, I'm working on sock number two. I can finally pay attention to things so it might move along a little faster. I can actually work on Em's sweater, too. My head is a little clearer (if a little leaky).

I've been listening to Billy Collins on my mp3 player. He was the Poet Laureate for the US a few years ago. He is an unusual poet and I love his delivery. You can find some of his poems on youtube. They're illustrated with interesting videos. Unfortunately, they were making me laugh and that led to massive coughing bouts. Totally worth it.

Before I go (so I can blow my nose some more) I wanted to remind everyone that Earth Hour is 8:30 local time on March 28th. You can read more about it here. Last year, we were at Em's house for her birthday and we turned off the electrical appliances and lights for an hour. It made us become more aware of how much power we waste every day and we have made a concerted effort to turn off lights and appliances no one is using. Are we making a large impact? Probably not. But if we all try, that will make a difference.

We're due for some nice weather this weekend. I'm hoping to get out of the house for the first time since Monday. If I can stop sneezing and blowing my nose, maybe we can go out for pizza.....

Have a good weekend.

I'm glad you all liked the photo of the creme donut. Next time I'll buy enough for everyone.

Pk and I got up and went out for brunch Sunday morning before heading to the grocery store to forage for food. I felt like someone had beaten me up, all sore and tired, but I soldiered on.

Monday I got up and went to work and my throat hurt, my head and ears hurt, my throat was sore and I felt feverish. Ick. I made it through the morning and then left early to go home and crash.

And that's what I've been doing since then. Crashing. I wake up in the morning, shower, eat and take a nap. Then I wake up, eat some more, take a nap. I make dinner and then get ready for bed. If I were covered in fur, I'd be a cat!

I called out of work Tuesday and today and found out today that we have a new policy. Anytime an employee is out for 3 days ( I think technically, my third day should be tomorrow but they counted Monday since I took half a day), HR is notified and a letter is sent home which has to be filled out and signed by the primary care physician and brought back. If they decide that yes, indeed, this person has been truly sick, it won't count as an occurrence. It makes me feel like a kindergartener bringing in a note from my mommy. I didn't go to the doctor because I have a cold. Colds do not always necessitate a visit to the doctor. I don't want antibiotics and I have some cough syrup so I'm good. Fortunately, my doctor is a good guy. I'll call tomorrow and ask if he'll sign the paper. Once he hears my voice, he'll sign. I sound terrible. So, my supervisors told me I might as well take the rest of the week and get really well (I was intending on going back tomorrow) since I had to fill out the form anyway. Just another hoop to jump through.

Em met with a thoraxic (I know this is spelled wrong but for the life of me I can't figure out how to spell it right now) surgeon today. They can't make a date for the procedure until they're sure what the growth is. Since there is a chance it's a form of cancer, they have to wait for the test results to come back and that may take a little time. Needless to say, we are all anxious for this to be over with. Especially since I had to go and google the type of cancer and it's scary.

I am hoping to have some more energy tomorrow and maybe get some spinning or knitting done. Right now, I keep falling asleep in the chair. Not conducive for being productive.

Since I was up early this morning and was blog reading for the first time in a while, I got reminded that today was the 14th. Time for A Day In The Life. So, here goes.

I woke up alone in the bed at around 8 am. To be alone in the bed is not abnormal. Pk wakes up very early every morning but he is often sitting at the computer so I am not alone in the room. Today, it was silent. Strange. I got up and showered. I had some errands to run and wanted to get a somewhat early start.

Breakfast was a cream donut. You might want to look away if you are a health food person because on the list of unhealthy foods, this is right up there. This, my friends, is a cream donut from a local bakery called McMillan's. It is a thing of such deliciousness that I throw calorie counting to the winds in order to eat it. I had a large glass of milk so there was some nutrition. Just not much.

I recently got the notice that it was time to renew my drivers' license so I was off to the dmv (division of motor vehicles). It's a lovely public building filled with charm (not!). However, they are efficient. Even though it was a Saturday morning and they were busy, it took only about 10 minutes to take care of my business. Not even enough time to do much knitting. Next on the list was Rite Aid to pick up my prescriptions. I spent a lot of money on chemicals to help keep my blood pressure down, my stomach acid down and my thyroid levels down. Sigh. I am grateful to live in a time when these chemicals are available but I wish they didn't cost so much.

I tried to get my hair cut but my stylist wasn't in until 2 so I went home and found these in the front yard. The first of the crocuses survived the 10 inches of snow of a week ago and are blooming. Spring may be coming at last. We are looking at temps in the 40's this week (4's C) and rain so it will still be cold. Hope spring eternal.

Peter Kevin came home from his trip to Maryland where he bought some planes, two mortises and a router plane. No, I don't know what most of it is, but he says he got a good deal. I can't think of too many deals that are worth getting up at 3 am and driving for 2 1/2 hours for, but he is happy.

Since it was after 2, I headed to the hair salon which is located in the local mall to get my hair cut. I had to wait a few minutes but it wasn't too bad. Of course I had some knitting so it was not time wasted. After that, I briefly considered going grocery shopping but decided I wasn't in the mood and I'll go tomorrow (I doubt I'll be in the mood then either but I won't have as much choice, I'll have to go).

I came home and put some more clothes in the washer and went back to work on this. This is the toe of a sock that I have been working on since Thursday. It's the Garden Path pattern. When I got my sock roulette sock, I tried it on and it's too small for my wide foot. I was sad because I really like the pattern. I had Kate try it on her skinny feet and it fits perfectly so she will make the second one and have a pair. I decided to find some yarn in the stash and make a pair for me. Since the first one was too small, I went up a needle size and used size large. After one pattern repeat, it was obviously too large. So, rip, rip, rip and start over . I use the larger size needles but make the medium. Still too large. So rip, rip and start over with the smaller needles but the size large. The size looks good but halfway through the first repeat I k2tog'd when I should have ssk'd and it was obvious. Sigh. Rip, rip and after 2 days, I am still at this point. It's a good thing I really like this pattern. I'm going to try again when I finish this post.

It's only 4 pm but the rest of the day will be very low key. I'm thinking scrambled eggs for dinner with some toast and then a quiet evening. Pk is tired after his adventure and will probably go to bed early and so will I. After all, I have to get up and go grocery shopping tomorrow.

Ok, all together now, breathe in, breathe out. Deep, full breaths. Yes, for the first time in 4 weeks I feel like I can breathe (when my eyes aren't filling up with tears, that is).

Em's tumor is benign. At least that's what they're saying at this point. There is a small chance it's a form of cancer but it seems to be contained and it can be removed. It WILL be removed as soon as she gets an appointment with a surgeon. You know, life is never smooth. There are ups and downs and sometimes it feels like it's just downs and more downs. This past month has been one long breath-holding waiting period. And now, finally, the news is positive. That sound you hear is my heart as it starts beating normally again.

Thank you all so very much for the support and love. It has made this a little easier knowing all the positive energy that has flown our way. Surgery isn't fun but at least there is a plan and Em can look forward to getting back to her normal (or what passes for normal in her world) life. And I can go back to my normal life. But things won't be the same. I won't take things like health for granted. I've felt like we've lived a charmed life in that department with only minor things going wrong. But that feeling is gone. I feel vulnerable and it'll take some time to get over that.

Kate is coming in to Philadelphia to have lunch with me today. I'm looking forward to that. If we're lucky, Pk will be able to come and have lunch with us. If not, we'll wing it. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of laughter and joy.

I sent off my sock roulette sock last week and hopefully it will get there soon. I wish I had taken a photo but I forgot. My sock came in the mail today and it is gorgeous! It's from Gemma and she set me up for a challenge!

The pattern is Garden Path and it's a toe up, which I've done before, but it has a heel flap. I've never done a toe up sock with a heel flap. I love the color and the pattern. And she sent me a date book for 2009 with Aussie birds. It's beautiful. Thank you Gemma! And thank you Julie (and Amy Lane) for thinking of this.

I also got a box in the mail full of baked goods, yarny goodness and cooking items. It's part of a swap on ravelry. Each box has to contain one skein of yarn and some baked good. The rest of the box is up to the individual. My box had a cookbook, a cookie gun, some hand towels, a handknit potholder, some glitz to put in my handspun, a recipe box and some kitchen utensils. It was a box full of treasure and I had great fun opening it.

I'm not quite finished putting together my box but it'll go out this weekend. I have to bake the cookies and purchase some yarn.

Pk is going to a tool auction in Maryland on Saturday. He's leaving early (3 am!) to get there early and to look over the vendors before the auction. I'm not going to this one. I have to put together my swap box and I'll use the time he's gone to do that.

Em's biopsy results haven't come back, yet. The hospital lab cannot identify the tissure bits and have sent them to the Mayo clinic. If you're not familiar with them, they are the number one medical facility in the US. We Woods don't do anything halfway. If we are going to have an alien baby, then we are going to have a unique one! Em is taking this remarkably well. And my brother's little girl's best friend's father (following me?) is a pediatric oncologist. He offered to talk to Em and help her decide what to do. He also offered to give her a second opinion. "He wants to jump in and take over the treatment" said my brother. I let Em know and she and I are both grateful for this offer. The man gave us his cell phone number and said to call if she has any questions or needs help deciding what to do. How wonderful is that? The amount of good wishes and offers of help has been overwhelming. The next time someone says that people are cold and uncaring, I will point out all the goodness that is pouring over Em.

This will be a quickie. I'm sitting here surrounded by noxious fumes as I wait for L'Oreal to take away my grey and replace it with 4R Dark Auburn. Each time I color my hair I wonder how many more times I'll do it. A woman at work who is roughly my age, maybe a little older, just recently let her roots grow out and got her hair cut really short and is now naturally grey. It looks great. It gave me hope that when I decide I've had enough, I'll look good, too. I'm just afraid with my very pale coloring, I'll disappear.



I finished the Feb socks. And only 6 days into March. Not too bad. I chose my March yarn and I haven't been able to put it down. It's Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi. It's a machine washable merino/nylon blend and it's soft and has a soft halo about it. All of that is good but the color changes are what keep me fascinated. Since the yardage seems a little short 180 m (195 yds) I did a plain 2x2 rib toe up. The yarn is a single and is softly spun, if that makes sense. It almost looks unspun at points and I was afraid it was not strong enough but I can't break it by pulling on it so the nylon must help. I have neglected Em's sweater in favor of working with this yarn. It's amazing how a simple thing like color change can amuse me but it does. I keep watching as each color blends and then changes into something new. I'll work on the sweater today and I want to spin some. I haven't spun all week and I miss it. I'm working on the Bruise yarn and it's coming out pretty nice.

We are in for some more weather changes again today. Two days ago, my yard was covered in ice and snow and I was bundled up against 20 degree (-6 C) temps with wind chill of 0 degrees. Today, it is supposed to be 65 (18.8C). 65!!! It is so weird. I know it is a tease and the cold weather will be back so I'm going to open the windows and enjoy it while I can. The only problem is that the rapid change in atmospheric pressure and temp changes induces migraines. Yesterday I had a whopper and today it's just a mild headache. A little Excedrin and I should be good to go.





Em finished her tests for this week. It hurt my heart to hear how painful the biopsy was. I want to throw myself in front of her and say "NO MORE. You may NOT hurt my baby!" even though I know the tests are necessary. There is one more test, a PET scan but that is not invasive and shouldn't hurt. Then the doctor appt and the decision of what to do. I want to scream "TAKE IT OUT." Even I, without a medical degree, see that it has to come out. I know all the reasons for wanting as much info as possible beforehand but for goodness sakes. Get the sucker out of my daughter's body. Then you can poke a stick at it all you want. She is hanging in there and I am so proud of the way she is handling this. That's my girl.





Daylight savings time tonight. Yuck. A week of my internal clock adjusting to the abrupt change in light. Time to do away with it, I think. Let the light return on its own.





However you are spending your weekend, I hope it contains some laughter. And here's a thought,



The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new
~Pema Chodron




So, I'm adding being open to new thoughts and ideas to my goals. I'll bet I can learn all sorts of things.

It's freezing here today and will be freezing most of the week. I know the calendar says Spring is coming but it's not here yet. I was looking at some images for Spring on the computer so I could put myself in the mood. I found some delightful photos of tulips and lots of clipart trees and flowers. I am so tired of being cold. I wore a hat today! I hate hats. I only wear them when it's so cold that I can't stand it.

One of my favorite images of Spring is kites flying in the air. It brought back a 30+ year old memory. When Pk and I were dating way back in high school, my brother was only 8. We used to take him and his friend kite flying. There was a field fairly close to our house where we could fly kites and they could run around. I remember one time especially fondly. I think it included ice cream. Now, when you drive by, there is a sign that says No Trespassing. Maybe they're afraid someone will get hurt and sue. There are fewer and fewer places around to fly kites. But I still love them. It made me smile to remember my handsome love as a teenager and my grown up brother as an 8 year old. It doesn't seem all that long ago. Now he has an 8 yr old of his own.

Em has another round of tests tomorrow. Hopefully, these will be the definitive ones and she'll get some answers. She says "I wish they'd just take it out and worry about what it is later!" and I can't blame her. It's not been 2 weeks but it has felt like a lifetime since they discovered the alien baby. I am working away on her sweater. It grows a few inches each night. I can only do so much before my hands hurt and I have to reach for a sock. I am pleased with it so far.

And tomorrow I go back to the dentist to have my brand new crown put back in. She put it in about 2 weeks ago. It came out yesterday while I was eating a granola bar with my yogurt for lunch. The irony of this does not escape me. The broken crown wouldn't come out without being cut into pieces and drilled off! This one fit so well, no adjustment needed. Here we go again.

Otherwise, things are moving along. I'm waiting for Spring. My crocuses are covered with 10 inches of snow. Good thing they're hardy.

It happens every year and I don't know why I'm surprised when it does. Yesterday, I took a photo of this and today there is an inch of ice and snow on top of it. The temps were 58 degrees (14.4 C) on Friday and this weekend we are back in the freezer. Just Mother Nature reminding us who is really in charge. We're expecting snow/sleet/rain today and tomorrow. 3 more weeks. And next week is Daylight savings time.

And to prove that I am do hear my daughter's requests and try to respond in a positive way, I started this sweater on Friday. I leaned via ravelry that one of our lys is going out of business.(This turned out to be true. The owner said she was busy all week and wondered where all these customers were before. Fortunately, I had been there before and wasn't just there to pick over the carcass). I bought the yarn to make the Indigo Playmate Jacket from Custom Knits (I love this book. There are so many good ideas in it and there are great, flattering patterns). Only, I am making it in this color. I started it Friday night even though I am in the middle of a baby sweater for a coworker and I haven't finished my Feb socks (and it has not slipped my notice that today is March 1st). But when one of your children puts out an urgent call for knitwear, you drop everything and get right on it. I chose a superwash merino blend. The stitch definition is really good and it's drapey enough to be soft (the sweater doesn't have a structured shape) but will hold up and not be all stretched out. I haven't made a full sized garment in a while but this one seems easy enough. Top down, seamless construction with a few short rows in the collar for shape and fit. Em is not a frilly person and I thought since she wanted something to wrap herself in and feel loved, this would do it. And blue is her favorite color. I'm using my Denise needles and I'm still on the fence about them. While they are versatile and seem to be sturdy enough, I'm not a fan of plastic needles. There is a lot of drag on the yarn. I really like metal ones better. I guess I'll have to save up for a set of Options.

Pk has just informed me that he is hungry and inquired if breakfast would be anytime soon. I refrained from the obvious "you know where the food is, help yourself" and will go down and make some french toast and scrapple. I tried not to read the entry when I linked it because scrapple is one of those foods where the less you know about it the better. In my head I know it's scraps and stuff but I don't think about it when I'm eating it. It's a Pennsylvania Dutch product and they were thrifty, use-it-all people. No waste there.

After breakfast, I'll sit in the front window where the wheel is and work on my Bruise yarn. Roxie suggested I call it Bruise Willis. Hehe. I like to spin there because of the light and I can watch the world outside on my street. Have a good Sunday.