Category: Knitting

Works in progress, finished objects, yarn, patterns

Knitting

The one where the results

mud&stringLeave a comment

Dad’s PET scan were not good.  His cancer has pretty much replaced his left lung, very little airspace left, he has bone and liver metastasis.  Radiation is out of the question, way too much lung involvement, too big and the type of cancer he has, squamous cell, doesn’t respond well to chemo.  I don’t know what’s coming next, Dad’s a real fighter, a never say die kind of guy, but right now, the ball’s in his court, so to speak and we’re all very tired and overwhelmed.

My knitting has saved me the last few days; all I’ve wanted to do is hide out and work on my socks and play in my stash.  Tomorrow is WIP Wednesday, will have to scare something up to share, but right now, I can’t think of a thing.

No picture tonight, just don’t have the heart.

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.  Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935)

B.

Knitting

The one where her knitting

mud&stringLeave a comment

is all she can think about right now, even though I’m still at work and will be for another hour or so.  I’m totally into the Slippery Socks and will be ready for the heel flap in the next day or so, dependent as always on how much knitting time I have.  I hate it when my work life crowds my knitting life.  Cramps my style a bit.

I’m proud of my progress, take a look –  This one shows the cables a little better.  Look good don’t they?

We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.  Mother Teresa (1910-19970

Knitting

The one where mutants,

mud&stringLeave a comment

mutants, I say, have taken over my sock drawer.  Here, look

Before

IMG_0769

After

Really, I came across these socks this afternoon and after looking close, they had huge, huge holes in them where I had dropped a stitch here and there and being a newbie knitter, just ignored them and hoped they’d go away.  They didn’t.  So in the heat of the moment, I decided to frog them, this is what I ended up with.  Very curly, very pink Jitterbug.  Here’s hoping that a nice soak with Euclan and slow drying will give me at least somewhat straight yarn.  It should work, right?

My Dad is here to get started on his radiation treatment for his lung cancer.  I think he’s a bit nervous about it, heck, I’m a little nervous myself and I work at the radiation therapy center where he’s going to be treated.  It’s true what they always say, it is different when it’s your family.  He’s the only dad I have, you know.  : )

Slippery Socks are going well.  I’m loving this colorway, like I said before, it’s a complete departure from the usual for me.  Who knew that I’d be so crazy about hot pink, bright orange and bright, bright yellow yarn, not me that’s for sure.  Here’s to stepping outside the box every now and then.

Silence is argument carried on by other means.  Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Knitting

The one where she admits

mud&stringLeave a comment

to pretty much doing nothing but knitting and eating cake Friday.  That was the plan and I’m proud to say that I stuck to it.  Very enjoyable day, but I think I’m ready to get back into my regular routine.  My father is coming here tomorrow to get started on his radiation treatment, so I’m sure I’ll have more than enough on my plate to keep me busy.

The Slippery Sock is moving along.  I’m 1 1/2 repeats into a three repeat section.  It’s pretty fiddly but I really like how it’s turning out.  I’ll try a photo update tomorrow.  You’ll just have to trust me until then.

Is she the cutest kid ever or what?

Time has flown by for us this past year, I keep wanting to slow it down and savor but it just seems to go faster and faster.  Every day is a blessing though, and it’s not always as easy or happy as I would like, but a blessing nonetheless.
Doing the best at this momen puts you in the best place for the next moment.  Oprah Winfrey
B.
Knitting

The one where she takes time to

mud&stringLeave a comment

tweak her blog a little.  I’m still a newbie at blogging and while I’m not as intimidated as I was, I’ve not explored the nuts and bolts of blogging, like style, what’s interesting, what’s TMI and what exactly is a blogroll anyway?  I’m working on how to get an About Me page, I’m not exactly computer illiterate, but I’m definitely a slow learner, so it’s pretty slow going and patience is not something I’m overly blessed with.

I do want to share my progress with the seriously impressive Slippery Sock.

OK, I’m about blogged out for today and Mr. Iknead wants to use the computer.

One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.  William of Occam (1285-1349); this principle of parsimony is known as “Occam’s razor”

B.

Knitting

The one where she looks

mud&stringLeave a comment

back over the past few weeks and learns that, like so many other life milestones, time will be marked off as “before Dad’s diagnosis” and “after Dad’s diagnosis”.  None of us really knows for sure what we’re facing in the next few months, all of us are going to have to be a little more flexible, more patient, more compassionate, with a little more strength and wisdom thrown in for good measure.  At the moment, however, I’m not looking past Monday, he has an appointment then for planning and measurements for treatment to get started.

Am looking so forward to tomorrow, a day all to myself.  I’m going to knit, read and maybe nap.  Think tranquil, restful and totally mine.  No To Do List for me, not tomorrow.  Maybe a Not To Do List.  Never thought of that.

Ran across this image while surfing the net and thought it was funny.

A little yarn humor.

I learned much from my teachers, more from my books and most from my mistakes.  Anonymous

B.

Knitting

The one where her self control

mud&stringLeave a comment

was tested, but she was able to hang on until it was officially WIP Wednesday.  Here’s my WIP Wednesday project, Knitty’s Slippery Socks.  I’m seriously in love with this yarn, surprisingly.  I lean toward blues and violets, so loving this particular orange/red/yellow colorway is a departure for me.  Could the knitting fairies be trying to tell me something?  Maybe something along the line of “Girl, everything you knit is the same (almost) color,  you seriously need to branch out!”

IMG_1027

I shall tell you a great secret my friend.  Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day.  Albert Camus (1913-1960)

B.

Knitting

The one where she’s poised

mud&stringLeave a comment

to buy an absolutely gorgeous yarn bowl on Etsy.  I’d never really thought about actually using one until I went on my winding binge a week or so ago and had yarn rolling all around the kitchen when it escaped the paper sack I had it in to prevent exactly what it insisted on doing, rolling all around the kitchen.  So, I hit Etsy and went yarn bowl shopping.  Here’s the result –

Sage and Yellow Yarn Bowl

The Etsy shop is CommonThreadsinCraft and I have a feeling that a long and happy relationship is in the future.  OK, a little self control here is needed; I need a minute to compose myself.  There, much better.

I have a WIP that’s burning a hole in my knitting bag but I’m trying to hold off until the official WIP Wednesday.  Must. Be. Strong.

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.  Frank Capra (1897-1991)

B.

Knitting

The one where we decide

mud&stringLeave a comment

what kind of treatment my father is going to undergo for his lung cancer.  We met with a radiation oncologist this morning, she recommended a course of radiation, then reexamination and further treatment if needed.  One thing at a time, one day at a time.  It’s to be started May 23, a week from today.  As someone who thrives on taking action, I think it will feel good just to start carrying out a treatment plan.

I’m definitely going to start the Slippery Socks from Knitty.  It’s written for dpns but I think I’ll try it on magic loop.  ML has really got me spoiled, it’s just easier for me to handle a long circ than to wrangle 5 dpns.  Here’s the link:

http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/PATTslippery.html

Here’s the intended yarn –

Jitterbug Ruby Saffron 100% superwash merino

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.  Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

B.

Knitting

The one where the Papoose

mud&stringLeave a comment

has her first birthday.  That’s right, as of today, Susannah is one year old.  Mr. Iknead and I missed her party because of other family issues, which was hard for us, but sometimes things like that happen.  My father has an appointment in the morning with a radiation oncologist, that’s why we missed the festivities and it’s difficult to have to assign priorities, but sometimes it’s a necessity.  Hopefully, radiation treatment is an option, since surgery is out of the question, but if it isn’t, well I guess we’ll have to suck it up and move on to the next thing regarding his lung cancer.  Trying to stay positive here.

The En Point Pullover continues to move along, but not as quickly as I would like.  I think I have too many projects on the needles at the moment and none of them really get the attention they need to become FOs.  I’ve had my eye on Knitty’s Slippery Socks but have been able to stave off actually starting another project until I get one of my current problems off the needles and into the Legendary Land of the FOs.

I just looked at the clock and it’s past time for me to settle down for the night; I’m having a challenge getting a picture of a project I’m lusting after  posted and my frustration tolerance is at a low ebb.  Maybe I’ll have better luck tomorrow.

Here’s the obligatory blog photo.  She looks very concerned, doesn’t she?

Writing is a struggle against silence.  Carlos Fuentes (b. 1928)

B.

Knitting

The one where home really is

mud&stringLeave a comment

where the heart is.  It’s where I know all the quirks, which door sticks and which door will never stay closed, where to find the corkscrew even though I don’t drink and knowing exactly how many potato peelings it takes to stop up my disposal.  I can remember every detail, where I was sitting, whether or not the TV was on and what I was snacking on when DD and DSIL called to tell us we were going to be grandparents and what was going on when DS told us he was going to propose to (now) DDIL.  I remember sadder things too, what we were doing when we got word that my DSIL had been in an accident and was in the hospital, the last time that Cheyenne, our sweet weimaraner, climbed down off the couch and what was happening when I noticed that my parents had gotten old.  I’ve been away from home most of the last couple of weeks, but I’m home now and really do feel wrapped up nice and tight, the way I think a newborn feels when it’s swaddled, fed, warm and secure.  I’m happy to be home, can you tell?

For my FO Friday, a less than perfect pic, but here’s the Brittany Jumper in all it’s glory.  I’ll post again when I get a photo of the Papoose wearing it.

Cute buttons, don’t you think?

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.  James Thurber (1894-1961)

B.

Knitting
mud&stringLeave a comment

Sock project isn’t exactly lighting up the dials. So far, my socks don’t look anything like the picture. Hoping that when I get a few rounds done it’ll look more like I think it should look.

I’m becoming an expert at posting with my iPhone. I know I can post pictures too but I don’t know how yet. I just haven’t had time to work on learning it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back in the computer groove soon.
He who hurries cannot walk with dignity. Chinese proverb

B.