Cottage Industry

Bad news today: apparently I am so over-cooked from the radiation treatments that my skin is going all gross and gooey. The nurses wanted to give me a break from treatment to heal, but the doctor overruled and I will be going back for more zapping tomorrow. Of course, if I still hurt this bad I will ask for Friday off. In the meantime, I have been ordered to go shirtless as much as possible to let the ucky-gooey dry up and heal, so no knit night tonight, again...

Work on the shop is going slowly but surely. Recycled yarns undoubtedly require less financial output to build inventory than if one were starting with commercial yarns, but there is a lot of processing involved. The Husboy quipped that I am really unknitting the sweaters, first taking out the seams, unravelling the sweater into balls, then creating skeins from the balls. What can I say, the man pays attention.

As promised a while back, here is a sample of what will be in the shop in a few months:

Purple Nerple: lavender dk weight, 70% lambswool, 20% angora, 10% nylon, approx 75 grams

It is obviously not washed yet; I'm trying to get a lot of skeins ready to wash-n-weigh so I can use someone else's backyard for the inaugural scrub. The issue I am grappling with is, how do I price my yarn so that you (the yarn-purchasing public) want to buy them, but also be fair to myself and the amount of time I've invested in each little ball of yarn?

My energy levels are slowly improving as well, and I try to cook dinner at least every other night. To make up for my sporadic house-wifery, I try to make really special meals when I feel up to cooking.

Cardamon Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas, from The Best Recipes In The World by Mark Bittman

I bought this book for the HusBoy a few years back, but I have found it an indispensable source for spectacular looking and tasting dishes that really aren't as difficult as they look. They are a bit like socks in that way. I can highly recommend the devilled pork chops and vanilla souffle.

Ninja Knitter meets Kung Fu Panda

First of all, thanks to everyone who left a comment on the last post. I need to stop leaving these moody posts! All is pretty well now, my chest is technically medium rare from the radiation treatments, but the doctor gave me some new goo that should help the itchy red pain-iness.

This weekend the Husboy and I met up with his aunt, uncle, and baby cousin and went to go see Kung Fu Panda at the last-chance cheapie theater. The last movie we had gone to see was Sweeney Todd last December, so I was really looking forward to sitting in the dark and getting some movie knitting done on my dad's socks.

I am at the cuff of the sock now, which is 2x2 ribbing all the way around. Easy right? Well, I caught myself a few times with my count off and had to do some tinking, and I dropped a stitch during a night scene and had a heck of a time picking it back up, so I figured I would probably have to do some clean-up the next day.

Yet, when the lights came back up, there was not an error to be seen. Ninja Knitter - 1, Kung Fu Panda - 0.

And, in honor of the end of the Olympics (and because I haven't done it in a while), here is your daily dose of Stinker cuteness:

She's won gold in synchronized napping.

Cuttlefish

Remember last winter? I know it is hard to do, what with the dog days of summer inflicting themselves on the Northern Hemisphere, but give it a try. Or go back and read my blog entries for December and January, whatever works. I wasn't really living at home, I was living in hotels while working out of town, coming home on weekends to do laundry and pet the cat. I was still in this state of location limbo when I was diagnosed. My super boss at-the-time cut my assignment short and sent me home.

This may upset some folks, but I came home fully expecting to die. Don't get me wrong, I was obviously hopeful, but you hope for the best and expect the worst. There were at least two points in the last six months (wow, really only six?) when I was found lying on the floor, thinking that I was dying right then and there and geez, why hadn't anyone vacuumed/mopped? I limped home and crawled into my tiny apartment, into myself, thinking that there was a good chance that I would never come out again.

So, now that we're (yes we, you all helped) past the worst of the treatments and it looks like I am going to be okay, I find myself still firmly entrenched into this little shell. I force myself to go out and run errands, but only because it's good for me, not because I want to. I go to the pool to swim (17 laps so far) to help lose the chemo weight and to help my arm heal, but I don't talk to anyone. I visit with friends if they have the time and I feel well enough, but I keep my hat on and try to keep things short. I am mysteriously sleeping or sick every knit night. I am afraid.

It is going to take a lot of work and much tugging, but I think I can pop myself out of this shell. I might be able to function as a snail, but I haven't heard of that many happy snails. I want to be a cuttlefish.

HusBoy on Knitting

I totally stole this from the Samurai Knitter, (thanks for commenting Julie!). Here's an interview with the HusBoy:

What is your favourite thing about my knitting?

You makin' me stuff. Plus the joy that it brings you, I really love that.

What is your least favourite thing about my knitting?

That's a loaded question.

What is something I have knitted, that you recall as good?

Favorite thing that you've knitted for yourself: the Buck Fifty cardigan. Favorite thing you've knitted for someone else: the penguin you knitted for Short-Stuff (our little cousin).

Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?

It depends. It can be for some, but for you it's an investment in your happiness (awwww).

Any hobbies?

There's the cooking, the reading, the book collecting. Especially finding books written by my favorite authors under pseudonyms.

Do you have a stash of any kind?

Books, oh god, the books.

Have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public?

Uh, no. Can't think of a single time you've embarrassed me. I know you've made other people uncomfortable.

Do you know my favourite kind of yarn?

Noro (he said that realllly fast).

Can you name another blog?

You mean besides the Yarn Harlot? Samurai Knitter (I just mentioned her, he's cheating).

Do you mind my wanting to stop at knit shops wherever we go?

No.

Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Yes, oh god yes I know.

Do you read my blog?

Occasionally, but I know you put stuff in there you don't necessarily want me to read or hear.

Have you ever left a comment?

Yeah, I am pretty sure I have.

Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?

No (laughs). I think I'd be more injured/maimed, if you didn't knit.

Anything you'd like to add?

I especially don't mind the knitting as long as you churn something out for me at least once a year.

Dynamic

On a bit of a whim I ended up at the swimming pool yesterday. I went at the end of adult lap swimming and the beginning of adult recreational swimming in an immature attempt to avoid anyone who would point and laugh at bald, one-boobied me. Of course, I walk out of the dressing stall to a waiting audience of over a dozen little girls lined up against the opposite wall. Poop.

I somehow managed keep my head high as I put my stuff into a locker and make my blinded way to the pool. Thankfully there was a set of actual stairs set up (I'm not sure how I would do on a ladder just yet) and an empty lane right next to it. I swam 4.75 laps and walked 1.25 laps for a total of six glorious turns across the pool. The older gentleman swimming next to me was very nice and made a little conversation every time I had to stop and remember how to breathe again. After catching my breath and letting my heart rate settle back down, I showered, dressed, and came home to take an unexpected three-hour nap, forcing me to miss yet another knit night...

The Husboy and I have decided that swimming is a good habit for me to get into (and the doctors agree), so I will be going to the pool twice a week to improve my strength and the range of motion in my arm. The Husboy said that, with my still mostly bald head, I am probably very hydro-dynamic. I think my having the physique of a manatee may have something to do with it as well, but who wants to start an argument?

Speaking of dynamic, I stopped at my LYS on Tuesday and picked up my first set of Addi Turbos. Despite everyone dancing at the altar of the Addi's and extolling the benefits of these needles, I had resisted picking them up previously, mostly because they cost sooooo much. In fact, the only reason I bought them (US#3 & #5) now is because these are the only needles my LYS carries and I wanted to start this hat now.


The 2.5 inches of cotton and inch or so of color work went like the wind. The Addis are smooth like glass, but without the sharp-ended stabby-ness of the Knitpicks Options. I will probably still lean on the Options needles for most of my knitting, just because the Turbos are just a tad out of my price range, but I think I will start to slowly amass these beauties as the economy and my project needs allow.

This is the last you will see of this hat (unless you look on Ravelry, of course) because it is for one of my family members who knows where the blog is and may take a look around.


The sock is for my dad, who does not check the blog but who has been wearing too-small socks knit with twisted stitches for far too long.

And here is the circular scarf with the little blue bows to really make it look finished. This will also be going to a family member, but one who I am pretty sure doesn't know where the blog is, so I'm not too worried.

The yarn shop work is coming along; I will try to share some of my future inventory next time. Stay tuned!

Delayed Reaction

Imagine, if you will, that you are alone in the middle of the desert building something. I dunno, a shed or an outhouse or something of that sort. You are holding up a bit of wall and are about to attach it to the rest of the structure when you feel a little tickle. You look down and notice an inexplicably irate scorpion seconds away from stinging your bare left foot. Without a thought, you pop the scorpion with your nail gun before it can harm you, then continue on building your outhouse or whatever.

A while later, as the sun is starting to set, you pack up for the day and notice the dead scorpion impaled by your nail. Only now do you realize how close you were to disaster, either by scorpion sting while alone in the middle of nowhere, nail through the foot while alone in the middle of nowhere, or a sad combination of the two. This further leads to your wondering how the swirls and eddies of your life landed you here, in the middle of the desert, building I-don't-know-what in your bare feet, yet miraculously armed with a battery-operated nail gun and decent aim.

Ladies and gents, I am so there. Now that the crisis is mostly behind me (and my hair is growing back, can't forget that), I am having a hard time figuring out how the heck I survived. Not only survived, but survived well and with sense of humor intact, none the less. I am not saying that I did not have any breakdowns, because I did have a few, and I'm not saying that I did it on my own, because I had a whole lot of support, but this bastion of strength is apparently very tired, because the whole ordeal seems impossible now. Yay for moving forward.

As part of the moving forward process, I have an announcement to make. Remember all that secret hush-hush stuff I teased about earlier? Well, I am opening an online yarn shop:

Everything is still in the early planning stages, but with any luck the shop should be ready to go once the doctor clears me to start making an honest living again. I will be giving sneak-peeks in the coming weeks, but right now I am spending a lot of time harvesting inventory, and you will not believe some of the fibers and colors I have come across! Once I do open up for business, there will be a sale for blog readers, so I do hope you will stop by. More details to come!

One thing I will be keeping hush-hush on this year is the holiday knitting. A few of the in-laws have found and been reading the blog, and while they are welcome, I don't want to be spoiling anyone's surprise (that's my fun, thank you). So if it seems like I've been working on my dad's socks (a holiday gift, but he doesn't read the blog) forever, you'll know why.