Humility, I have it

So, remember me bragging about being finished with Yule knitting? Yeah, so do I. Well I wasn't. Found that out last week. Slammed my way through a ____________ just in time to mail them out later today. Fortunately, it is a family tradition that gifts do not arrive on time.

Don't Ask

If one more clerk asks me if I had a nice Thanksgiving, I may scream. I slept on Thanksgiving Day. I worked the night before, and then again that night. My hospital decided to not serve the staff T-day dinner this year. So I did not have the traditional feast. I missed it, thank you very much. To make things worse, life got thrown in my face, so I forgot to make the pie I promised my hubby. Sorry, honey.

I then got on a plane after work Friday morning to go to Tucson for a baby shower on Saturday. I had not planned to go, but there I was. My sister flaked, she decided a few days before that she needed to go to Texas instead of the baby shower. It was a family shower. Apparently family does not trump her desires. She flaked, I rode in and helped with the shower.

It was a nice visit. We had fun. I spent time with my grandkids. Yep, all three. Okay, so two of them are in utero. I still got to see them, or at least their very pregnant mothers.
(That's Madelynn on the left, and Kayleb on the right. Oh, and their mothers S and Em, respectively)


There was the expectant father. So thrilled about being at a baby shower. The only guy there.


And time with Mister Perfect. (I don't care what anyone else calls him, grandsons are perfect).

Yes, I've been knitting. Not finished anything, but I have been knitting. Anyone know where to get another skein of Malabrigo sock in the colorway Abril? I don't think I have enough.

Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jog

okay, maybe not so much jogging. But I am home, RAI and it's accompanying isolation over. I get to sleep in my own bed with hubby tonight (had to sleep in the recliner the last two). I'm back on my meds. Slowly feeling better. Need to go shopping soon. Like this morning. We're out of everything, and I ate so much pasta with tomato sauce when I was LID that the thought of it now makes me queasy. I'm thinking chow mein, myself. We'll see.

Final scan is Monday morning. Right now, it all looks good. Real good. I'm happy.

The knitting has begun. I'm reduxing the Hecate stole from Badcat Designs into a cardigan. I'll post info and photos soon. I'm hoping to turn it into a how-to pattern. Wish me luck. In a couple of weeks, I can resume baby knitting. Can't risk and radiation for the little ones. Should be safe in two weeks.

Oh, and I need to be studying. PCCN in about a month. So if you don't hear much from me, it's because I'm brushing up on textbook nursing so I can pass this test. Again, wish me luck

Mayonaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

Stolen from another site:

When things in your life seem Almost too much to handle, When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar And 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class And had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, He picked up a very large And empty mayonnaise jar And proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students If the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles And poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls. He then asked The students again If the jar was full.. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand And poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded With an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced Two cups of coffee from under the table And poured the entire contents Into the jar, effectively filling the Empty space between the sand. The students laughed. Now," said the professor, As the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that This jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - Family, children, health, Friends, and favorite passions -- Things that if everything else was lost And only they remained, Your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter Like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- The small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," He continued, "there is no room for The pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time And energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for The things that are Important to you. So... Pay attention to the things That are critical to your happiness. Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time To clean the house And fix the disposal. "Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand And inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked". It just goes to show you that no matter how full Your life may Seem, there's always room for A couple of cups of coffee with a friend." - author unknown, stolen from Ravelry

Are you sick of Thyca yet? I know I am

Quick update. I go in for RAI on Tuesday. Right now is am so hypothyroid that it is not even funny. Periorbital edema, myxedema, joint aches, muscle aches, asthma exacerbation, nausea, constipation, fatigue, malaise, depression, no interest in food/knitting/anything. Making breakfast knocks me down for an hour. Headaches, neck hurts. Tired all of the time. The end is in sight. But I'm supposed to work for the next 4 days. Send me energy please, I'm fresh out.

To Your Health!

Join us on a journey..... a journey of food and health. You control the pepper, you control the garlic.

Okay, hokey, but you get the idea. Life right now is tied up in food. Due to the RAI coming up in a couple of weeks, we are now officially on a low iodine diet (LID). Theory, starve any thyroid cells remaining in the body of iodine and make them crave it by not taking thyroid supplements. Take RAI, and the cells 'drink the koolaid'. Conclusion, irradication of all remaining thyroid cells in the body, thereby taking the cancer with them. Yippeeee!

Not as easy as it sounds. No-no's include iodized salt (read preprocessed foods), egg yolks, all dairy and dairy derived products, soy and soy derived products, seaweed and seaweed derived products, potatoe peels, certain beans, molasses. You get the idea. Grocery shopping sucks, meals must be planned, no fast food, no eating out, no quick lunches. Much whining has ensued, Bear has held up well. He's even joined the trip. We're learning about health, simplicity, and diet. We may keep this up after LID is over. It's actually been a nice change.

What do we eat? Humus, black beans, garbanzo beans, brown rice, and lots of veggies. I spend one day a week cooking to have the basics on hand for meals. Black beans and garbanzo beans are cooked, vacuum sealed and in the freezer, ready to use. Frozen corn and peas, fresh potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and onions on hand. Pasta on hand. Canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes in the pantry, all no salt. With these we can make curry, pasta dish, humus, vegtable soup, vegetable stew, and black bean salsa. Not too bad, huh? BTW, Frito-Lays says that their snack chips are made with non-iodized salt. Score!!

Thought I'd share my 30-minute curry recipe with you. It makes enough for 2 for 2 meals (YMMV).

30-minute Curry

ingredients:
rice
4 large red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 package green peas, frozen
1 can no salt diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
4 cloves garlic
1 small red or yellow onion
1/2 package baby carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable stock in a jar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon plain salt
pepper to taste

Start rice in rice maker. In a wok, coat the bottom with olive oil, and over a medium heat sweat the garlic and onion until translucent. Add the vegetable stock and curry powder. Cook for a minute. Add the potatoes, and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes, juice and all. Add in the other ingredients. Add one can of water. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a fast simmer and let cook until the rice is done. It should thicken on it's own. If it does not, add one teaspoon of arrow root to 1/4 water and add to simmering mixture, stirring constantly until it is the thickness you want. Tweak the flavors as you see fit.

We cook our own garbanzos, to avoid the iodized salt, but you can use canned, just drain and rinse before adding to pot.


Humus

ingredients:
3 cups garbanzo beans
4 cloves garlic
lemon juice
1Tablespoon vegetable stock in a jar
pepper to taste
1Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon plain salt

In a food processor, combine the garbanzos, oil, spices, salt, stock and lemon juice. Begin to pulverize. It may stick to the sides, begin adding water a little bit at a time until the consistency you like is acheived. Takes a few minutes, but it is well worth the trouble. Again, canned beans may be used in place of fresh cooked.


Knitting is in progress, but it is mostly gift knitting right now, so I can't show you. Soon, soon.



Enjoy!!!

It's Here!!!!!

Now I just need tea, and a clean house, then I can open the box. Anyone else buying this line?

Now that the shock has worn off...

we can resume something approximating our previous lives.

I do, in fact, have cancer. It is thyroid cancer. Good news: curable. Bad news: mets to the lymph nodes. Surgery is over. The thyroid is gone. Cytomel is not so bad. Calcium levels have stabilized, meaning that the parathyroids are kicking back in. Incision looks good and is healing well. Now we are getting ready for RAI (radioactive iodine) therapy. This will involve a few days of isolation, hopefully at the hospital. Strict isolation. In the mean time, I have started the low iodine diet: no iodized salt, no dairy (equipment is cleaned with iodine), no egg yolks, no seafood or seafood products. I am cooking beans in advance, so I can freeze them and have the ready to eat. I have made instant vegetable broth. This is fabulous stuff. It's even pretty. The recipe made over 6 pints. Used 1 tablespoon at a time, this could last for a while. It took about 45 minutes of actual work, and overnight to salf ferment. Basically with this diet, I cannot eat preprocessed foods, as I cannot positively identify whether the salt has iodine in it.

Why low iodine? Well, thyroid cells need iodine to do their job. So the theory is, go off you thyroid meds and restrict iodine as much as possible. The cells will be starving for iodine. Take the radioactive stuff, and whammo, the leftover thyroid cells drink the koolaid. With any luck, this will eliminate the chances of further tumors. From there on out, it will be managing thyroid meds and occaisional scans to ensure no recurrence. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If you want a real challenge, join me on the journey of this insane diet. It should be interesting. At the very least, read the labels of everything you buy at the store. Think about what is in your food. Mentally try to eliminate salt, dairy, eggs, and seafood ingredients. It's not easy, let me tell you.

On to brighter things:
We have a seen a video of grandchild #3 (sex as of yet undetermined). Baby looks great and is moving a lot. Long legs. Big ears (don't know where they came from ;) Knitting for this baby is waiting for identification.

We have pictures of grandchild #2 (due in Feb). Her name is Madelynn, although her parents aren't spelling it the same way yet. I'm sure they'll figure it out. Knitting for this baby has started. Baby surprise jacket needs buttons. Blanket done. Hat in the wings. Will post pictures soon.

I've had startitis lately. I spun the yarn for my first hanspun pair of socks. It came out a beautiful dusty rose. The fiber is merino from Sunset fibers. It was a dream to spin. Knitting up well. Also begun are the Butterfly Wings shawl from Goddess Knits, in Malabrigo Sock Abril and the Knitting Bag from Knitpicks. I also resurected a pair of socks in a Sivia Harding pattern. One done, one to go. Maybe that's tonight's project, while I cook. Although, I really should work on the shawl, as the temperature has dropped 30 degrees in a month and it is now cold when I come home from work in the mornings.

Speaking of work, I'm a charge nurse now. Translate: ringmaster of a 2-3 ring circus. We have another term for it at work. It's not bad. Not what I wanted to do, but in nursing, things don't always go our way. I am riding my bike, though. it gets me home so much faster than taking the bus.

Talk to you soon

BTW, if you order beneficial nematodes to help with the organic gardening, they are not the larvae that you think they will be. You will recieve a box of ladybugs, live frickin' lady bugs. Just sayin'.

Terrible Lie

Quick apology: sorry to all the medical-type people out there who may read this. Don't take it personally.

It turns out, we have all been fed a terrible lie. I don't drink, smoke, or take drugs. I eat a vegan diet (for the most part, there is still the occaisional ice cream issue) and work out fairly regularly (I count riding to/from the MAX or walking the same to be exercise - and I do it at least 3 days a week, plus all the trips to the store, etc). It seems that no matter what we do to take care of ourselves, we still get cancer. Apparently, my thyroid biopsy came back as highly suspicious. So I see a surgeon next week and we'll take it from there. Something else to be removed, I guess. This sucks.

I really want a cheeseburger, fries and a large milkshake right now. Really. Or maybe some mac 'n cheese with ketchup.

A sock knitter is born

This is L. She is a friend of mine from work.

This is her first sock. It took a year to knit. She was having issues and kept ripping it out. We finally figured out that she was knitting wayyyyyyy outside the box. Like twisted stitches and knitting on the inside of the sock, not the outside. No wonder she couldn't make the heel work. Well, anyhow, she persevered, and did it!!!! And she did cast on a new pair immediately. They are working much more smoothly. Three cheers for L!!!!

A Big Sigh of Relief

My little brother (okay, not so little anymore, but you get the point) is home from Iraq today!!! This was at least his 2nd tour. He needs shoulder surgery, then back surgery. But he's home. Surgery sucks, but he's home. He's home. HE'S HOME!!!!! (Please join me in a moment of silence to pray for those still there and in other areas of conflict) Now for the Snoopy dance!!!

I can still keep up.........

Yep, still a Punk Rock Girl. Got up yesterday at 12:30pm to rent a car and drive Hubster and I to Seattle to see GREEN DAY!!! Opening night of the tour. OMFG!!! They rocked. Just rocked. I love going to concerts. It's interesting to see the emphasis an artist puts on their own lyrics and how they present them. If you get the chance - GO! My present fave from the Breakdown is '21 Guns'. Lots of possible interpretations. I get this one right now - a ballad commiserating with the down trodden, the returning vets, the lost and forsaken, with a call to revolution that does not involve guns. We can do this peacefully. The only winning move is not to play.

Yes, I did knit at the concert. I worked on my Lavalette out of STR Silkie in Tanzanite from my stash. Our usher's mom runs a yarn shop in Seattle. We talked about knitting. She admitted to knowing how, but not much more. More knitters need to come out of the yarn closet. Pick up your needles people!!!

If we keep adding people, I'll never finish...

the Yule knitting, that is. Okay, so the score so far is 4.5 pairs out of 7 done. Yep, over half-way to Yule done. People at work are whining over not having their stethcozies yet. Well, their going to have to wait a while longer... We've added more people to the family. What you ask, one addition in April and one in May wasn't enough? How can we possible add more people if this generation has all married and the next it too young yet (here that boys?) to procreate? Why we get pregnant!!!!! Yep, it's what my family does best. Wed all you want, we'll make more. S and B are due in Feb, and now E and N are due in Feb/March. Baby knitting!!!!!!! Where's my angora?

Home Sweet Home

We're back. Sorry to anyone we didn't see. We underestimated how hard it would be to travel without adequate pain control.

This trip was rough. Mom was in the hospital. I had to step in as mother of the bride. Things were a bit disorganized. But in three days we made this happen:















I've been informed that you 'can't fire family', even if they do forget the flowers.

We also got to play with this little boy, for hours on end. Joy!!!!!!
















No knitting accomplished, but who cares?

Where I finally catch the Clap...

I mean Clapotis, of course. Where did your brain go?

So this is what Clapotis looks like in Malabrigo sock, Violeta Africana.

I like the way this yarn knit up. It used a mere 153 grams (about 1.5 skeins) and yeilded a wrap that is 22 in wide and 84 inches long on a side of the parallelogram. While I do not appreciate MalSock for socks (no body), I love it for shawls.

Blocking is a dream with this stuff. It's like a 2-dollar whore, you get it wet and it just lays down. (apologies to anyone that is offended). It is just so easy to block and has a wonderful drape. I wonder if this is because this yarn is spun woolen, whereas most sock yarns are spun worsted. Hmmmm.....

Now on the needles: Desert Sun in MS Botticelli Red, Jeanie in Smooshy Dusty Aura, various socks and Juno Regina out of the rest of the MS in the Violeta colorway.

My new fashion statement, in case you haven't figured it out, involved lace shawls and wraps. I just can't get enough right now.

Would you like cheese with that Whine?

Okay, I just got the email from Sock Summit. If you haven't, please check you in box. The registration date has been set. Tuesday, May 26 starting at 10 am PDT. Now, let's forget for a moment that I usually sleep days. This is a day I won't be sleeping. Why? Simple, I'm leaving for Tucson that day.

Here is the basic itinerary:
- work until 0630 - telemetry, no less - makes you hear beeping for days - I'll be getting up at 4:30 pm Monday night
- head home, shower, finish packing
- back to hospital for 0900 doctor's appointment - they don't really want to see me, but as long as I am on restricted duty I am required by the hospital to see the doc every 30 days. I'll be in Tucson that day, so we're doing it early
- home to register for Sock Summit, unless the appointment runs over, in which case, my computer goes to the doc with me, I can log on to the hospital's wireless there
- take cats to boarding - yes, boarding. Most people leave their cats at home, unfortunately, ours are not that well behaved. We have a 17 year old crotchety old lady and a 9 month old, fifteen pound kitten. They play, then they fight, then the go in time out. If someone isn't there with them they may kill each other. The answer: boarding
- leave the house by 1400 (2pm) to catch the MAX to the airport to be there 2 hours before our 1700 (5pm) flight - at least we don't have to get off the plane until Tucson
- land in Tucson at 2200 (10 pm) - pick up car and drive to airport

Did you see sleep in there? Yeah, me either. Cat naps (pun intended) I guess.

See you at the Summit!!!

Procrastination..... It's making me wait....

Bad song reference, huh? Anyone else see a bottle of ketchup in their head? I thought so. I loved that song until the commercial....

So, I'm supposed to be doing several things:
- finishing sock monkeys
- cleaning house
- gift sock knitting

What I'm doing instead:
- knit Clapotis out of Malabrigo sock - fantastic - must get more of this stuff - it's got a wonderful drape and its perfect for wraps and shawls, not so great for socks, IMHO, not enough body - will post pics when I finish blocking
- bought yarn for Jeannie - wanted Malabrigo again, but had trouble finding the right color - settled for (gasp!) Smooshie - I know, what was I thinking, aren't I the poster child for BMFA? and what on earth am I doing buying the yarn called for in the pattern? I'll let you know when I come to my senses
- watching trash movies - it helps the knitting

As far and the Sockarama promise, it'll have to wait for another day. I'm in a shawl mood right now.

And if anyone knows where to get three skeins of Malabrigo Sock in Velvet Grapes, please let me know. Thanks.

Flying Monkeys

Be Warned:






It finally happened. I got some flying monkeys!!











First, you take the Funkey Sock Monkey pattern from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. (This is the small version - Muddy Bottom Breakdown and an unknown leftover colorway).








Then you add wings. I used the pattern for the ears from Ysolda's Elijah.






Aren't monkey butts great?


Emma and Sarah, you get to stop reading here. I mean it.

Finally, the shawls are done and wrapped, ready to go into the mail.




First we have S's shawl, Aeolian from Knitty, in a lovely blueberry La Barufa merino lace weight with aquamarine beads. This shawl took about 3 weeks to knit. I did not finish it in time for the wedding. I hope she likes it.










Finally, after several months of work, we have E's shawl. It is the Veil of Isis from BadCat Designs, knit out of Zephyr with clear beads. It was originally ivory in color, but I dyed it very light sage green, at E's request.














Next post: Sockarama, baby

PS: Never underestimate the importance of estrogen. Just let me say WOW! I feel human for the first time in months.

Driving in Portland

So, hubby and I were on our way to the Hawthorne District from the Lloyd Center the other day. I was driving (I always drive, too many reasons - one of which is, in fact, that I am a bit of a control freak - thank you). For those who have never driven through Laurelhurst, click the link to get the whole picture, it can be maddening. Fortunately, I knew approximately where I was headed. Hubby did not. I was making some interesting street choices when he pipes up:

Hubby: Do you actually know where you are going, or are you picking streets at random?

Me: Why do you say that?

Hubby: That last turn was a bit too casual.

Me: Oh. (laughter until I was crying, still driving, mind you)

Sometimes the Heavy Metal theory of driving is appropriate. You know your perspective is %$&^-ed, so just drive like you are sober. Better yet, the Star Wars theory of driving, just fly casual.

Good news, we got where we were going. And I didn't pee my pants.

Now if I can just find the new camera (yes, new, hubby dropped the old one with the telescoping lens out and now it won't even turn on). Sigh.

Let's play a game....

where we pretend that we are going to avoid the infamous 'IT' by starting Yule knitting early. Now I know what you are thinking (insert hubby's hysterical laughter here), yeah, right. No, really. Let's start now. I have 7 adults (immediate family only) and two children to knit for. That's 8 adult socks, 6 monster socks (you know who you are) and 4 little socks to knit. Plus packaging and extras to obtain and kids toys to make. Plus the wedding shawls to finish, baby blanket to make, and sock monkeys to finish. No stress here.

Let the insanity begin.

a hug for Mom

Okay, if any of you are related to me, do not tell Mom. This is a surprise. If you are Mom, OOPS!

I've knit her a hug. I can't be there in person next week, so I'm sending the next best thing.

Pink, because she loves pink and well, she's fighting breast cancer. Alpaca, specfically Shibui Knits Baby Alpaca, 3.5 skeins to be exact. The pattern is Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style. I simply inserted a lace pattern (cats paws) every other tier and increased the cast on number to 63 stitches to accommodate the lace. I love it. I hope she does too. Hopefully it will keep her warm after surgery and remind her that her oldest daughter loves her very much.

Now off to the post office to get it there in time.

Preparing to embrace the Crone

Yep, that's what I'm doing. For those outside the loop, I am in the midst of experiencing my final menstrual cycle. Sorry if that's too much info, but it's the truth. They have been so bad for so long, that I have finally scheduled myself for surgery in just under two weeks. A couple weeks of discomfort, several months of no lifting (which means restricted duty at work, as I won't be able to lift patients), and voila!, no more girl stuff. I will still get the bitchies, but if my mom is any gauge on that score, well.....

During the down time, I will be knitting up a storm. Three weeks of not being able to much of anything, include going to work. I am already lining up the projects. And then I go back to work, to do mostly chart audits and such. Or as my supervisor put it, 'she's my bitch'. Gotta love a job where the people you work with are real, not pretending to be nice and PC. I love the people I work with, I really do. And the fact that they will let me work restricted duty is a definite plus.

Mom is doing well. She's decided to kick the 'Big Ugly'. Her lumpectomy and sentinel node dissection is scheduled the same day as my surgery. E will stay with her and take her home. At least she gets to go home. Not me, two days in the hospital. Have you seen what they feed vegans???? I'll be taking my own food.

I'm hurrying to finish a pink Lady Eleanor for Mom. I want to get it to her in time for her op, so I can send her a big hug. She'll need it. I know I will.

So if anyone has any suggestions on welcoming the Crone into one's life, I'm all ears. Aside from knitting the Hecate shawl (purple with silver beads), I'm at a complete loss. Thanks, M

I lost a couple of days this week. Mom has breast cancer, or as we prefer to call it 'The Big Ugly'. It's a bit much right now.

Knitting Update

Veil of Isis for wedding - 6 of 8 repeats finished. Deadline: Late May - I think I'll make it
J's socks - 25% complete. Deadline: late May
Hecate - not even started. Deadline: late May - must have something to prevent the impending sunburn.
Hypoteneuse - started, finally got a gauge I like. Deadline - none for now

More to come....

Here we go again!!!

Apparently it's wedding season. During the holidays, we found out one of our coworkers is getting married. Happiness!!! We all scrambled to take the day off work. I'm knitting socks for the happy couple using their wedding colors. I've taken my name off the list of people to be off that weekend, because last night I found out I need the next weekend off because,.........

E is getting married!!! Yep, you remember the baby from the post a couple of years ago. You know, the one who had the baby and made me a (shhhh) grandmother, or more properly Mimi. Well she is gettin' hitched to the guy she loves. I'm so excited. So 5 months to plan a wedding, or as she says, a Celtic wedding. Whatever that means. I'm knitting the Veil of Isis for her. Don't tell her. It's a surprise!

Back to knitting.