Chemo Cap for Nora

One of our good friend's mother just was given horrible news. She has stage iv ovarian cancer. She also has cancer on her lung, colon, etc. We are very close to this friend and her family. It is heartbreaking. She started chemotherapy this week. She's in a clinical trial. She has already had 3 drugs on 3 days and is done for 3 weeks. I made her this, for when her hair falls out:





It was knit with Cascade Fixations Yarn (I'd originally bought to make socks for Adelaide) on size US4 dpns. I made the pattern up as I went along. It is ss, with purl stitch rows surrounding eyelets for a little bit of eye candy. My dh was gracious enough to model. LOL Does anyone know how to get rid of the little space left when changing dpns? I've tightened it is much as I can, but I always have that little space. :(

My three year old has been sick with a stomach bug and cold, so this is all I've gotten accomplished this week. She missed school on Tuesday and Thursday and the Y and church on Wednesday.

My LYS doesn't carry the Vittadini patterns. I need to call another one in town. Otherwise, I'm going to have to order it online. Speaking of online orders, I used the Elann gift certificate and ordered Filo and Fili India in Mocha Mania and Austermann Mirabelle in Jade Palace.

Well, kids are destroying things. I'd better get off this pc....

Bad manners?

Okay, my 3 year old just kills me. She has me in stitches on a daily basis. Today's funny? It goes something like this:

Her: Mommy, can I have some tape?
Me: No, you don't need any tape.
Her: Yes, I do!
Me: Did you just talk back to me?
Her: I don't think so.
Me: Good, because that would be what?
Her (as serious as can be): That would be painful.

Asthma sucks!!!

Okay, first off I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO in love with the Lace and Ruffle Cardigan from Adrienne Vittadini!!! I am going to order the pattern book when a little money is freed up as I like several of the other patterns. Granted, I won't be paying $100 in yarn for it. I'd rather have food in my babies' mouths. LOL

Second, I apologize for not updating in so long. I discovered this week I have asthma, only to have numerous attacks. The allergist has put me on two inhalers and some antibiotics. Blech.

We've started preparing the garden this year. However, it will not be in my backyard, but rather at my parents' house. Adelaide just can't resist the temptation to pick things and there is a little chihuahua next door who likes to eat things. My parents just live about 5-10 minutes away. Bryan tilled the soil today and we worked in some organics. I have bought the following plants: tomatoes, mini tomatoes, bell peppers, zuccini, yellow squash, and strawberries. In the house, I have started seeds for lima beans, spinach, green beans, and bibb lettuce. I have lots of little sprouts! I'm starting some seeds tonight for sunflowers for Adelaide. Once they're big enough, I'll transplant them to my back yard.

I still haven't used the Elann certificate, nor have I gotten very far with my knitting this week. I think I've only completed 6 drops on the clapotis and haven't touched anything else. Hopefully, this week will be more productive.

Also, I'm looking for a pattern for a lace sash/belt with beads if anyone knows of one.

Clapotis progress and notecards

Well, the clapotis is coming along nicely. I don't know why, but when I say, write, or think "clapotis" I keep thinking of the name Cletis, and it tickles me to no end. So, instead of a nice shawl (klah-po-teeeeeee), I think of some toothless redneck. LOL Anyway, enough of my drivel. Here's my progress:



Also, my mother was out and about and saw these notecards and immediately thought of me:



I have a center pull ball winder in my cart, along with a 50% discount code applied at Joann's. I am still undecided, so it's been sitting there since about 2 this afternoon. LOL I also got a Knitpicks catalog in the mail. That fact, combined with the release of two new yarns has me dreaming. On the other hand, I still haven't put that gift certificate to Elann to use. Someday....

My progress on Knitty's Clapotis

Birthday, frogging, and wine

Well, I am now officially that much closer to the big 3-0. My birthday was earlier this week. Well, no....that's not in order. Let me start again.

On Friday, I had completed the frill part of Variation on a Frill from Knitty and had gotten a few rows of the openwork done. I decided that I didn't like the way it was turning out, so I frogged the entire thing. Plah! (<--That's Adelaide's made up cuss word. LOL)

My little girl left for Florida on Saturday. She has been having a ball. She informed my parents that she didn't want to come home and asked if she was good if she could just stay there. LOL I'll have to admit that I don't miss her as much as I thought I would. It has been nice not to have fought my temper these past few days. Still, I've talked to her every day and I will be so happy when she comes home tomorrow afternoon. This picture just melted my heart when I saw it:


That's Adelaide and my father on the beach. Aren't they cute?!?

After dropping her off with my parents, the remaining three members of my family headed to the MS Walk. My best friend was diagnosed almost four years ago and we've walked every year in her honor. Last year she was in a wheel chair, and this year we walked the four mile course!!! She's been working with a personal trainer and it's really made a difference.


Lara (the trainer), Gwen (Ang's co-worker), me, Angela (my best friend)


I celebrated my birthday at Olive Garden. It is one of my favorite restaurants. Truth be told, I go as much for the salad as anything else. I also treated myself to a glass of wine, though I'm not anything close to a connisseur. I loved it so much, I bought a bottle and am going to drink it with my extended family this weekend!


It was the Secco-Bertani Valpolicella Valpantena. I call it YUM!!! I didn't do much else for my birthday, other than buying some makeup at Origins and ate ice cream at Maggie Moos with my sister and Emma.

Back to the knitting front, I have rolled some of my salvaged/dyed yarn into center pull balls and have jumped on the Clapotis bandwagon. Truth be told, I haven't gotten very far. LOL I'll take more pictures when it's picture-worthy.

Speaking of salvaging, don't forget, the KAL officially kicks off tomorrow!!!

Non-knitting rants and raves

Coke with Lime. YUM! I'm addicted, and I'm not usually a Coke drinker. It's bad, because I don't need all the empty calories.


Dark chocolate M&Ms....jury's still out on this one. Not immediately a huge fan.

Lastly, why is it that you only run into ex-boyfriends and bad times? Last night a guy I dated through my senior year and two years after that saw me for the first time in about eight years. Of course, I had no makeup on, my hair wasn't done, and I was walking around with Trix ground into my shirt. Not to mention that I'm about 20 lbs heavier than back then, thanks to birthing two beautiful children. But, I shouldn't feel too bad. He's gained weight, too, and was bald like Gorbachev, despite the fact that he won't be 30 until the fall of this year.

Red stained hands and a birthday present!

Isn't it funny how you can think of a million things to say, but when you finally sit down at the computer your mind just draws a blank? All week long I've been thinking, "Oh, I need to put that on my blog." Now I can't remember half of it! LOL

So, does anyone else have problems completing projects? I've started yet another project, but haven't managed to complete any since starting this blog. :sheepish grin: I've started Knitty's Variation on a Frill. (Side note...I'm THRILLED that the new Knitty is up! Here's my progress:



I'm using Sugar n' Cream in strawberry and size 7 needles. I've got 3 more repeats to go and then I can drop the stitches! I can't wait!

I've also been very busy on our KAL. I went to the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores on Tuesday and got a couple of things. Two sweaters didn't really work out. One was 100% cotton, but had pilled enough that the stitches were hard to frog. Another was a 100% wool sweater that I was hoping to practice some felting but the stitches were so tight that I ended up cutting the yarn more than the stitching. However, I did have two items that were a success! The first is this top:



Out of it I was able to salvage this!



I paid $5.99 for this top. I haven't measured the yardage yet. It's an acrylic gauze/ribbon.

Then, I also bought this for $2.99:



It is a ramie/cotton blend so it frogged very easily. I then dyed it with food coloring. I started with Kool-Aid but hated the sickeningly sweet smell and I didn't have enough concentration of color for the amount of yarn the sweater yielded. I'm quite pleased with the results. Here is one of the skeins:



It produced a neat varigated pink yarn. Plus, the dying was as much fun as the knitting will be! Two days later and my hands are still red/pink in some spots. I'll have to wear gloves next time. LOL

On a side note, I've ordered some wool from the coop and a tote bag from knitnana. I'm anxiously awaiting both arrivals.

My birthday is this week and my parents gave me a nice gift certificate to Elann. I've played on the site but haven't decided what to order.

On a personal level, I should be doing laundry and packing right now. My 3 year old is going to Florida with my parents for a week. I can't wait! I'll miss her terribly, but it will be a vacation for me as well. So, I'm off. Thanks for reading!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Guess who was a fool to leave her purse within grasp of her 3 year old while feeding the younger one? ME! She got in to 3 or 4 colors of lipstick! It was EVERYWHERE--on her, on the floor, on her nightgown, etc. I still haven't been able to get it all off her eye area as every time I try to clean it, she squishes her eyes shut!