Secrets

I don't have a lot to talk about right this second. Actually, that's an all-out lie, I have lots to talk about, just nothing I can talk about here.

I am working on a new project, the Surprise Party Lace Scarf for my secret pal, but I don't wanna talk to much about it since she may have figured out who I am (I accidentally gave some insanely broad hints, mea culpa). Everything else looks exactly the same and I am itching to start a new project, but I will at least finish my friend's socks first.

Actually, I have started a new project, but I don't want to talk about it here just yet, mostly because my little plan is just in the preliminary stages and I'm not sure if I'll go through with it or not. So a lot of my time is spent plotting, planning, and discussing things with "consultants", most of whom are related and won't let me pay them. Good thing I can knit while I plot and plan, eh?

Instead of being a huge pain and providing a completely enigmatic post, I have an answer for you all. The SP12 question this week (or maybe last week) is: What would you consider the perfect amount of stash? I am currently wrestling with that question at home, as another sweater's worth of yarn arrived at my house this morning (10 balls of Rowan Soft Lux at 71% off? Tell me you could let that go). I have enough to knit in case of an extended zombie-related siege in which I could not escape the house and had no access to sheep or yarn shop. After the stash is gone, I figure I'll be the best-dressed flesh-eater to stumble the Earth.

I have an appointment with my oncologist tomorrow morning; let's hope that more chemotherapy is off the table for now. In any case, I am hoping to have another hint as to my secret wheelings and dealings soon. Hugs!

Hostage

The United States Postal Service has been holding my happiness hostage. My normal mail carrier is a delightful woman and has made a point of bringing my packages to my door and talking to me a little bit since I have been home ill. Unfortunately, when she takes her well-deserved days off and vacations, her stand-ins do not bother to buzz my apartment and either leave a note telling me to claim my package at the post office or don't do anything at all. Two weeks later I may receive a FINAL NOTICE slip informing me that my package will be sent back in three days if I don't get my butt down there and fetch it.

This, understandably, pisses me the hell off. It's not like I'm gallivanting around the town meeting and greeting and enjoying myself. I'm usually home, generally sick and hurty, and need the incoming packages to keep my little spirits up.

Like this last week. The lace blocking kit I ordered from Knit Picks came in on Wednesday, and since I was in surgery and unable to sign for it, a little note was left specifying that a white tube from Artist's Connection was awaiting me at my local post office. So far, so good. The HusBoy offered to do the fetching for me, then procrastinated until Monday. Irritating, but since I was still working on the shawl I needed the wires for, still good. He came back from the post office on Monday with a fair-sized box from Naomi from Knits In Church.

This was a fabulous box. It contained a bit of hand-spun silk, a hat made from the same that fits my head like a dream and is uncommonly comfortable. It also contained yummy dried pineapple and something for someone, maybe you:


Yes, this is a huge hank of Corridale roving hand-dyed purple as well as a hand-made lace-weight spindle. Folks, if I wouldn't feel entirely guilty about nabbing something that was supposed to be a prize for the Knit-Tit-Along (I forgot all about it, and everyone who participated got something anyhoo) I would seriously consider giving spinning another whirl (get it, whirl?) and take this for my own. I haven't figured out how to use this for the greatest good yet, but I'll think of something.

Back to the hostage situation. Problem was, this faboo box was not the package the HusBoy was supposed to bring home. The box from Naomi had a scribble on it stating that we had been given a notice early last week, but we had not. I called the post office to let them know what happened and see if I could dispatch the HusBoy to get my blocking wires. The guy who answered said that he was sure that I had been given everything I was supposed to get. I reiterated the situation, pointing out that the notice they had been given specified that we were to receive a white tube, and we had gotten an envelope box. The guy then said that it may have happened that way, but that the clerks would not search for my package unless I had the delivery notice that we had already provided.

Thankfully, the HusBoy ran into the bestest mail carrier ever and explained what had happened. She brought my blocking wires the next day. That way, I could finally turn this:





Into this:

Yes, the Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl is finally completed! Knit on US6 (4.25mm) straight needles from Lorna's Lace Helen's Lace in the Tahoe colorway that I picked up during an Alamitos Bay Yarn Company anniversary sale three years ago. Wet-blocked after washing in citrus Soak and pinned out on the new bed, though it was towelled well enough that it won't void the warranty. It is probably already dried, everywhere except where Stinker is sleeping on it.

I want to apologize to everyone for last post's pity party and thank you all for being so encouraging. I'm still getting used to this no hair no boob sort of thing and there are bound to be some setbacks along the way. I think my great-fairy-god-yenta said it best: remember someday he (the HusBoy) will be bald and instead of you having breasts, he will have them and YOU will love him just the same too! The HusBoy whole-hearted agrees.

I am happy to report that my pathology report came back with clean margins and only teeny-tiny tumors left over from chemo, so I am probably all clear at this point, but we will still at least microwave me, just to be sure. I am also proud to report that I have a quarter-inch long hair on the back of my head (according to the HusBoy, I can't see it myself).

The posts just keep getting longer, don't they? I'll have another one out this weekend; we'll catch up eventually.

Pretty

In case you're new to the neighborhood (hi!), I went into the hospital last Wednesday to have my right breast some lymph nodes removed. I and my entourage (HusBoy, father, and mother in law) arrived early and checked in. Since we had time before they took me into the back room, I showed off my newly purchased mastectomy camisole with matching boobies. My mil promptly started asking me why I wasn't using my new knitted boobies and didn't I say I wasn't going to use the store-bought kind.

First of all, I never said I wouldn't use commercial prosthetics; if the insurance company will pay for them more power to them (and I don't think we could knit a good swimming breast). Second of all, I couldn't wear a bra right after surgery and the fiberfill breasts came with the camisole.

Thirdly, it looks terrible. I'm sure that the plastic boob folks are doing the best they can, but when we went out last night for ice cream I felt completely and totally unattractive. I'm sure the ice cream guy was staring because I was tearing up and not because of my lumpy body under an over sized Hawaiian shirt buttoned all the way up to the neck, but it was a terrible experience.

My mother told me more than once that I could be pretty if I would just try. I know that these are just temporary set-backs and that I should be happy just to be alive, but I cannot help thinking that I will never be pretty again, no matter how hard I try. I'm sure that my attitude will change once I grow my hair back (or at least get rid of the tubes coming out of my side), but for now I'm just in the dumps.

But enough of the groaning, there are worse things... What if I wasn't able to knit?

That is the never-ending BDF shawl, which should be done today (barring any unforeseen catastrophes) with a card I received from my Secret Pal. Yay, thank you Ms. Snapdragon!

And this week's SP12 question: As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday? Sleeping in. I love going to school, love reading and learning, hate having to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to do so.

Home

I'm home. Hurty, but home. Surgery went well. Be back in a few days. Hugs!

It's Official!

Surgery is officially scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, the day after tomorrow. I'll be really busy between here and now, but the HusBoy will be in touch to let y'all know I made it through okay. Wish me luck!

Missed It By *that* Much

I knit in public all the time. Really, all the time, almost constantly. On the bus/train, in doctor's offices, at work, at sporting events, in restaurants, everywhere. I've had people ask me to stop knitting at their parties because it made them feel weird (only once, honest). I am a public knitter, no question.

Except on WWKIP day. Somehow I miss this knitting holiday every freakin' year. I've either had to work or I was sick or something was amiss that kept me from joining my knitting buddies in a quest to freak out the normals share the knitting love with the world at large.

Not this year though. This year I missed WWKIP day because I was finally well enough to receive my winter holiday present from the HusBoy. So we went to see Wicked in Hollywood, then stayed in a hotel to save me from driving all the way home afterwards and to keep me out of the house for as long as possible. I read the book a while back, and while the musical only vaguely follows the book I thought it was absolutely fabulous as did the HusBoy, who hadn't read the book. I have one gripe, but if you haven't seen it I don't want to give anything away (and it's a stupid gripe anyway). I had an absolutely smashing time; if you have a chance to see this musical I highly recommend it. We are planning to see the Phantom of the Opera early next year, the same musical we went to see on our first date over a decade ago (romantic, ain't it?).

So I didn't knit a stitch on WWKIP day, but there's always next year, not to mention tomorrow.

Drinkie-Poo

The SP12 hostesses have posed a weekly question, and since I am up at, uhm, 3:30 this morning (not my idea, I assure you), I actually found it and have an answer:

Sun Tea.

My grandmother used to put a big jar of water and tea bags out on the patio at her house and let the tea bake in the sun for a few hours. I don't know why it tastes better than regular iced tea, but it totally does. I don't have a patio here, but I still make herbal iced tea using four bags of fruit iced tea and two bags of this health tea that the Yarn Yenta sent me to help make me feel better. It really balances out the fruitiness of the other tea bags as well. We have been alternating between peach and blackberry teas, but I'm almost out of peach, so who knows what I'll pick up at Trader Joe's next? Actually it might be Whole Foods since they carry the soy sour cream I covet (it's a little too thick though, fair warning). I am so spoiled!

In knitting news, I had to pull the shawl back to the lifeline again (too much knitting while tired, wonder why?), but while it was off the needles I checked the size and we're looking good. I would have just started the binding-off process right there, but I put my lifeline two rows into the repeat, so it's pull back two rows (eek!) or soldier forward and finish one last repeat. I think you know the plan.

Wee Living

We live in a small apartment. I've lived in smaller places, but our one-room (not one bedroom, just one room) apartment can be a little tight at times. We make due remarkably well; our bookshelves serve double-duty as a wall for our office area, I opted to take out the murphy bed and use the area it was stored in as a second closet, and almost every piece of furniture in the place is used for storage. Even our refrigerator and microwave are smaller versions of their standard counterparts, which works out fine for the two of us unless we're cooking Thanksgiving dinner or some other large affair (we buy a frozen turkey and let it thaw out for a day or two in a cooler to save space for pies and whatnot).

Maybe that's why I'm so fond of wee socks:

Turtlemom (Ravelry) sent me this little gem as part of the June Wee Sock Swap.

I was looking at my stash and pondering my guilt over the size of my stash when it hit me. I'm not uptight about how much I've spent on yarn; I worked hard for every cent spent and have never put our roof/food/utilities in jeopardy. The problem is that my yarn stash takes up a lot of real estate in our tiny little quarters: one storage bin, one half of the toy chest/window seat that the HusBoy got me for my birthday, and two drawers of my nightstand are full of knitting/crocheting/crafting accoutrements. That is a lot of room taken up by my little hobby, especially when the HusBoy is leaving his swim trunks on the top of the dresser because he says he's run out of room for his clothes. All this and my various knitting bags and in-progress projects make for a lot of lost floor space. Now that we've invested in a larger bed, all this knitting stuff, stored on my side of the bed, also makes it hard for me to get in and out of bed without breaking my little neck. Am I going to change anything? Probably not, but it's kinda cool to get to the bottom of my neurosis.

Good news: my little genetic test came back negatory, so my surgery will be minimally invasive instead of completely and totally invasive. I am still having the mastectomy and they will still have to pop out some lymph nodes, but I will be keeping the left breast and my ovaries, yay! Surgery may be as early as Wednesday, I will keep y'all posted, promise!

Have-To Knitting

Everything happens for a reason, and though the sudden loss of my surgeons to bureaucratic bull-hockey freaked me out, I could not be happier my new surgeon. As the HusBoy put it, he wore shoes, didn't answer his cell phone in the middle of our consultation, and made sure I understood what he was talking about. He was also very enthusiastic about making sure that I come out of this in the best health possible and the entire staff was very nice. I meet with my new plastic surgeon today, and depending on how healthy the surgeon thinks I am and the results of my genetic BRAC test (which I should hopefully get tomorrow), I will be in surgery either June 18 or July 9.




I will be happy with either date, but I am leaning towards July 9, not only because I will be healthier and have more time to prepare, but I will have more time to get this done:

I have finished ten repeats of this beautiful shawl, and I am reaaaaally tired of working on it. Not that it's not a lovely pattern, because it is. It is essentially two rows with very small differentiations that make the knitting fast and very nearly mindless. I just want to work on something else, but I need to get this done before I go into surgery so it will be ready for the county fair submission deadline next month. I am thinking two more repeats will do it.

I am also working on a pair of socks for a friend that I promised her years ago. Again, lovely pattern, pretty quick knit, but I don't want work on it because I "have to". Instead, I've been plotting and planning my next projects and doing housework, of all things. Speaking of which, I am supposed to be doing laundry before my doctor's appointment (gives me a chance to felt some bags as well).

SP12 Debriefing

I am so glad I decided to join in on SP12! Here's my questionnaire:


1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I don't have anything against acrylic, but after finding myself inundated with other fibers I liked better I got rid of it all. I love anything with a little bit of silk in it.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needle roll for my knitting needles (one for straights, one for dpns), a binder-clip keeping my circulars together, and a pencil case for my crochet hooks and other doo-dads.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learned how to knit out of my mother's Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework I can't even tell you how long ago. Learning to purl, on the other hand, took years of trying and divine intervention (I woke up one morning and had it all figured out). I have only been knitting correctly (not twisting my stitches) for a few years, so I think I'm a intermediate knitter. I am supposed to be working on the TKGA Master's program, but I have been slacking. I have made a few slap-dash attempts at designing, but I'd rather just alter someone else's hard work.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Sorry, no.

5. What's your favorite scent?


I don't usually like to smell like anything, but I am partial to rosemary.





6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Chemotherapy has ruined me for chocolate, but I love ginger people candies.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I honestly tried spinning, it just didn't take. I'm a mostly one-craft kind of girl; our apartment is too small for me to take on anything else.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)



I've been listening to a lot of soundtracks lately, especially Sweeny Todd. I can handle any format you can dish up.



9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?


I love any color with the word "chocolate" in it, so mostly browns. I have not found a color that I could not live with (please don't take that as a challenge :)


10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?


I've been married to my HusBoy for a little over a year. We don't have any kidlets, but we loves our Stinker kitty.


11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I wear a lot of scarves and hats (especially hats now). I've never really been comfortable in mittens or ponchos, but I love fingerless gloves.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I knit a lot of socks, but not enough to keep up with my sock yarn stash. Hats and sweaters are tied for second favorites. I absolutely love knitting cables.

13. What are you knitting right now?

A little bit of everything; a scarf, a shawl, some socks, a sweater. I have had a hard time concentrating lately!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

I love handmade gifts!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I will use anything, but I prefer bamboo. Easier on my little hands.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have both a yarn winder and a swift, thank goodness!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

My Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl is just under a year old. I have to finish it before it expects a cake.




18. What is your favorite holiday?

Thanksgiving. I love to cook a big meal once a year.

19. Is there anything that you collect?



Yarn.




20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?



I have a subscription to Interweave Knits, but I usually pick up Vogue Knitting as well. What I would really like is enough time and energy to knit the yarn and patterns I already have!



21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I take on new techniques as I come across them. I won't avoid a project because I would have to do something new, but I don't seek them out either.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?


Oh boy am I a sock knitter! My feet are 8.5 inches around and long.



23. When is your birthday?

February 26.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?



Yes, and I am the KnittingWounded.

A Knitter's Will

I was on the phone this morning with a RN from the insurance company trying to get my coverage straight before I meet my new surgeon tomorrow (things should be all set). She asked me a series of involved and very personal questions, and the only one that she hesitated to ask was if I had a living will. I don't, but I will have one set up before I go into surgery, no worries. My philosopy on the matter is, if they can't fix me, just let me go. Of course, if they can fix me then get to work, but there you go.

Then I started wondering what would happen to me if I didn't make it. The money stuff is already taken care of, set up before one of my cross-country airplane rides for work. Really all that would be left to care for is all my knitting paraphanalia. So today, I set up a Knitter's Will, stating where all my books and yarn and notions should go if I cannot collect them. I'm not going to go into the specifics; I don't want you all arguing about who I love more and whispering about who got cut out of the will after our last stitch 'n' bitch.

Boy, this is morbid. We need a distraction...

The Yarn Yenta not only knit these gorgeous socks for me (Shushan Socks on Ravelry), she designed the pattern in my honor. I have the bestest fairy yenta in the whole world!

Boobie-Palooza!

Sorry about not posting this sooner; the insurance company cancelled my surgery and I've been scrambling trying to find a new surgeon and get things running again.

Without further ado:


Thanks to everyone who knitted in this year's Boobie-Palooza!

KT120 (Ravelry only) - Donated the big green boob
WannaGarden (Ravelry only) - Stonechat & Cookie Monster Boob
Valeria - So many boobies with little rosette nipples
KEJReeves (she's on etsy!) - Big pink buffy boob
Peanut's Mommy - The most life-like boob
FarmGroupie (Ravelry only) - The pinky-pink boob and organizer of the Malabrigo May tit-bit-athon
ZZWhiteJD - the nipple's on her nose!

If I've forgotten anyone, I owe you some chili-fries.

Thank You!

First of all, thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and made this KAL so much fun. Discovering that I had breast cancer and then having my entire life suddenly revolve around fighting it off has not been easy, but thanks to great people like you I have been able to keep things in perspective (mostly).

Prizes have been awarded, check your flickrmail and please get back to me with an address if I don't already have one. I am pleased to report that everyone who posted a picture won a prize at some point in the KAL. Even I got a prize; I will have the privilige of donating some of your hard work to my treatment center and the local Wellness Community center.

Thanks Again and Happy Knitting!