Monday, April 11, 2011
Silent Auction
I'm trying to fill a basket for the Friends of the Library's Silent Auction, May 3-5th, on the theme "One-Skein Wonders", asking everyone I know who knits or crochets to donate 1 skein of yarn...I'll buy one of the 'One-Skein Wonder' books. So far I've gotten 6 or 7 promises. Hope this keep going good!
Very Good Weekend
It was a very good weekend. Saturday was my 61st birthday and I was scheduled to work at the library. Not a good way to start, huh? But it turned out to be a good day. Jeff came up for supper and even cooked a killer chili! We had bought a large food dehydrator online and it was delivered Saturday. We had used a small round dehydrator for fruit and we were both looking forward to trying the larger one so after unpacking it, we went back down to the store and got $25 worth of fresh fruit...apples, pineapple, strawberries, bananas...and after supper we spend about 2 hours cutting up it all up. The dehydrator runs so quietly! Anyway, by Sunday morning we had 2 quarts of dried fruit. We all feel it was worth the $$$ to get it. After cutting everything up, we decided to watch tv...Stargate...SF...not my favorite genre but I'm getting to like it. (I've also discovered Bruce Willis movies...boy, can I sure knit fast watching those Die Hard movies!) Anyway, we didn't make it to the end of the show but it turned out to be a very good evening. Not a bad birthday at all.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Shop
Yesterday Jeff and I went to Cooperstown to re-arrange my display. We were just suppose to put up a curtain rod so I can hang sweaters and other things on hangers but nothing is every that simple. Our building started life as a garage or stable and has been modified over the years. About 40 years ago, it was finished inside...if you call barn board on the walls as 'finished'. The shelf unit I use was built for someone else and another knitter used it in between us. Anyway, we took down a shelf and he put up the curtain rod fixtures...a couple of times. Seems nothing is exactly square or level and even tho he measured from the front edge of the shelf to the center the rod did not end up in the center. One end and the center holder were lined up but the other end was off by 1". Move that holder and the 1st end moved 1" in the other direction. Took several tries to get everything straight...sort of. Then the the pegs that held the shelves up had to be moved and either the holes broke or they were not lined up right, either. Finally got them up and if you don't breath hard on them, the shelves stay put. Jeff had a few things to say about women who don't know carpentry but think they do. The unit lasted all these years without a man's input so I think we'll be OK. The shop reopens a week from today and I've got to finish what's on my needles and get buttons sewed on and ends worked in by then.
Friday, April 1, 2011
April Fool!
The calendar says spring but the temperature is saying "April Fool"! We had snow this morning and while it's about gone, it is still very cold. Jeff's cataract procedure Tuesday went very well. Much less pain and discomfort...but more stomach upset. We even took a midnight...no, make that a 2:45am...ride to the ER coz he felt very light-headed and sick. Thought his bp or bloodsugar were playing games on him. Anyway, it was a nice night for a ride and everything checked out ok. His vision is pretty good, MD said no need for glasses to drive. Jeff's so excited! He's worn glasses since he was 5 years old. Yesterday he got a get well card from the OR team! Never heard of that before. Oh, and one of the OR nurses bought 2 pairs of my baby socks. She had seen what I was knitting during the lst procedure and I promised to bring some for sale at the 2nd one. Now I've got to replace them before the shop opens. Last night I finished 2 pullovers, a size 1 in a blue tweed, and a size 2 in a lavendar self-strip. Then I started 2 v-neck cardigans, both size 1. My sweaters tend to be ragalan from the neck down and 'grow' quickly. My display should be quite full when the shop reopens April 14th. Let's hope the customers are there, too.
Friday, March 25, 2011
So much to Knit!
In the past few days I've joined 4 groups on Ravelry, a site for knitters & crocheters, and have been having so much fun! I joined a swap, a read-along and a knit-along and I can't wait to start working on those projects. One group enjoys the colors of the southwest and I might try using a hand-painted turquoise sock yarn to do the swap/lace scarf for myself.
In the mean time I've been working on stock for my shelves in the shop in Cooperstown. Of course, there was plenty (too much) left over from last year that I had to pack up and bring home for the winter, so with what I've been making, the shelves should be bright and full. I've done a couple of jumpers and mockturtleneck sweaters to go with them, a few baby sweaters and baby shrugs and of course, baby socks. I want to do a couple of cotton toddler hats with roll brims and big flowers sewn on...really Springy! And mom's been busy doing white cotton hats for me to turn into baseballs. Can't tell what will sell so we'll try a little of everything.
Jeff has his 2nd cataract procedure scheduled for Tuesday morning and will be coming to my house for a couple of days of pampering and recuperating afterward. Dog will be thrilled! He's the only one who will play with her outside this time of year and every night when I go home she has to check out the garage to see if he's still in the car. When he got a cowboy hat and a new Carhartt jacket this winter she didn't know who he was and was ready to attack! He had to yell at her, identifying himself. She was so embarrassed and upset...it took several minutes of belly rubs to calm her down! Dog will follow Jeff anywhere but wants to come back into the house to check on mom often. It's like she knows it's her job to protect the old lady.
I've had enough winter and all it means (high heating bills, icy streets, snow, hardy soups for supper). I think it's a pizza night!
11
In the mean time I've been working on stock for my shelves in the shop in Cooperstown. Of course, there was plenty (too much) left over from last year that I had to pack up and bring home for the winter, so with what I've been making, the shelves should be bright and full. I've done a couple of jumpers and mockturtleneck sweaters to go with them, a few baby sweaters and baby shrugs and of course, baby socks. I want to do a couple of cotton toddler hats with roll brims and big flowers sewn on...really Springy! And mom's been busy doing white cotton hats for me to turn into baseballs. Can't tell what will sell so we'll try a little of everything.
Jeff has his 2nd cataract procedure scheduled for Tuesday morning and will be coming to my house for a couple of days of pampering and recuperating afterward. Dog will be thrilled! He's the only one who will play with her outside this time of year and every night when I go home she has to check out the garage to see if he's still in the car. When he got a cowboy hat and a new Carhartt jacket this winter she didn't know who he was and was ready to attack! He had to yell at her, identifying himself. She was so embarrassed and upset...it took several minutes of belly rubs to calm her down! Dog will follow Jeff anywhere but wants to come back into the house to check on mom often. It's like she knows it's her job to protect the old lady.
I've had enough winter and all it means (high heating bills, icy streets, snow, hardy soups for supper). I think it's a pizza night!
11
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
I'm Back!
It's taken me 2 years to get back to posting here. A lot has changed in that time but the more things change the more they stay the same, right? I'm still at the library and still knitting for the shop in Cooperstown. I live in the same house, still with my mother who just turned 97!! Got a new dog: a 4 1/2 yr old black lab named Lady but answers to Dog; a new guy: a 6'3" outdoorsman who enjoys wearing the socks I knit for him. I'm happier than I've ever been. I had arthroscopic surgery on a torn manicus in my left knee 2 months ago and now it looks like I'll be having the screw in my right ankle removed this summer. Bridging off & on cummadin isn't as difficult as I feared...not exactly looking forward to self injecting for 2 weeks but do able.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Here We Go Again!
It's been one adventure after another for me since I last posted in March. April 29th was suppose to be my Independence Day! I was going to have the cast removed from my leg that morning and be able to walk again. That went smoothly and I got fitted for a walking boot and got the MD's note to go back to work part-time. Boy, did I have an ugly looking leg! Big, red, angry looking scars and dry, scaly 'reptile' skin. For the next week I left a trail of flaked off skin whenever I moved. I was wrong about the location of the brake. It was just above the ankle through both leg bones. The ligaments in the foot were torn up pretty bad. The orthopedic surgeon wasn't kidding when he said I really did a job on my leg! I've been exercising faithfully and have regained a lot of the range of motion already.
The 2nd appointment of the day was with the cardiac surgeon who again had to cancel, so I saw his PA. She ordered blood work when I felt the office and promised to call me with the results. About 1/2 hour after I got home I received a phone call from the surgeon telling me to get to an ER ASAP. It seemed the dose of Coumadin I had been taking wasn't large enough. The clotting factors in my blood were wrong and I was in danger of developing a clot on the artificial heart valve, having a major stoke and dying. So it was back to the hospital in Cooperstown where I was admitted, an IV with Heparin started and increasing large doses of Coumadin given, and where I stayed until Tuesday, May 5th when my INR (a clotting factor) finally edged up into the therapeutic range and I was released. All of this could have been avoided if someone had ordered blood work 6 weeks ago when I asked if it was necessary. Anyway, my clotting factors, now being monitored, are right where they're suppose to be and the surgeon recommended a new cardiologist. The moral of this adventure is to always ask questions!
My next adventure wasn't medical. It was mechanical, automotive in fact. I am the proud owner of an 1998 Subaru Outback with a wacky factory-installed security system that can be activated by any key-less entry remote except the one that came with it (oh, yes, it can!). While I was in the hospital this last time my cousin checked out my car so it would be ready to be driven again and it wouldn't start it. He assumed the battery was dead and decided to recharge it. But it still wouldn't start. He started talking about a new battery and I started wondering what was happening. When I got home on Tuesday, the charger was hooked up to the battery and the parking lights and dashboard lights were flashing. I knew immediately that the security system had been activated! (There wasn't an audio alarm going off coz the maintenance man at the library had cut that wire one day when we couldn't get the system to shut up/off!) After a couple of phone calls a very smart mechanic at the local Ford/Subaru dealership gave us the solution that was so easy I'm surprised no one told me about it before! Now I just need to be sure there is a pair of pliers in my bag. I drove the car up and down the driveway a couple of times to see how it felt. No problems I could tell except it wasn't easy to drive with a support boot on your right foot! I had thought I could drive myself to the Coumadin clinic at the hospital the next morning for blood work but quickly changed my mind.
It's great being home and sleeping in my own bed. I do (not) miss the lab techs who woke me up between 5 & 6 am most mornings for blood and the nurses who came at 7am for blood pressure and temperature and, of course, all of the 4 various roommates (old and young) who snored, snorted and talked in their sleep most of the night and who will remain thankfully nameless.
While I was in the hospital the staff kept coming in to watch me working on baby socks using Happy Feet from Plymouth Yarn and Melody from Jojoland. The pattern is from the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits. It calls for size 0 dp needles but I use 2 16" size 0 circulars needles. Both yarns are self-stripping and because the socks are so small, the designs I get don't match but the socks are cute! I usually have a pair on needles in a ziplock bag with me for when I get stuck in traffic or waiting rooms. I had wanted to take the cardigan I was working on with me but I was having trouble getting the pattern established and besides, I didn't think I'd be in the hospital more than overnight, let alone for almost a week! When I got home the pattern seemed to just fall into place and I finished the sweater in a couple of days. The pattern, Spring Flowers Cardigan, is in the May 2009 issue of Creative Knitting. I used Shine Worsted from KnitPicks, a Pima Cotton and Modal blend, on 24" size 4 and 6 circulars. Now I've got an adult sock started on 2 16" size 1 circulars using Maizy, a corn fiber blend that has a nice soft feel to it and I just ordered more Happy Feet for 2 pairs of socks. I found a basic formula for men's socks on the internet at www.knitlist.com that I like and works up nice in self-stripping yarns.
While I was recuperating from my heart valve operation and with my cast keeping me from walking much or driving myself anywhere, a lot of family and friends pitched in to help. My mom came up with a great idea on how to thank the ones who checked in on us nearly every day and I started knitting thank you gifts. The cardigan is for our next-door neighbor and the socks will go to 3 of my co-workers who raked our 3/4 acre yard one Saturday. Another co-worker got an Aran sleeveless pullover from the Best of Worsted by White Birches in her favorite color. Since they gave their time, the least I could do was the same and knit something for them.
Today was my 1st day back at work at the library and I enjoyed it! Not all our patrons knew what had happened to me and I was surprised with a lot of different reactions to the (40 lbs) thinner me and the walking boot. One woman even assumed when I wasn't there for over 2 months that I had gone to China to visit Fred! Now, that would have been a heck of a lot more enjoyable that my adventures! I still have to have a screw removed from my ankle and while I'm not looking forward to that, that shouldn't be a problem. My short-term problem will continue to be getting yarn since right now, the only local store that carries yarn that I feel comfortable driving to is Wal-Mart. Oh, well, think of all the money I'm saving! Since I can no longer sit up half the night knitting, it's time to get back to my sock. I'm sure there is another adventure in store for me!
The 2nd appointment of the day was with the cardiac surgeon who again had to cancel, so I saw his PA. She ordered blood work when I felt the office and promised to call me with the results. About 1/2 hour after I got home I received a phone call from the surgeon telling me to get to an ER ASAP. It seemed the dose of Coumadin I had been taking wasn't large enough. The clotting factors in my blood were wrong and I was in danger of developing a clot on the artificial heart valve, having a major stoke and dying. So it was back to the hospital in Cooperstown where I was admitted, an IV with Heparin started and increasing large doses of Coumadin given, and where I stayed until Tuesday, May 5th when my INR (a clotting factor) finally edged up into the therapeutic range and I was released. All of this could have been avoided if someone had ordered blood work 6 weeks ago when I asked if it was necessary. Anyway, my clotting factors, now being monitored, are right where they're suppose to be and the surgeon recommended a new cardiologist. The moral of this adventure is to always ask questions!
My next adventure wasn't medical. It was mechanical, automotive in fact. I am the proud owner of an 1998 Subaru Outback with a wacky factory-installed security system that can be activated by any key-less entry remote except the one that came with it (oh, yes, it can!). While I was in the hospital this last time my cousin checked out my car so it would be ready to be driven again and it wouldn't start it. He assumed the battery was dead and decided to recharge it. But it still wouldn't start. He started talking about a new battery and I started wondering what was happening. When I got home on Tuesday, the charger was hooked up to the battery and the parking lights and dashboard lights were flashing. I knew immediately that the security system had been activated! (There wasn't an audio alarm going off coz the maintenance man at the library had cut that wire one day when we couldn't get the system to shut up/off!) After a couple of phone calls a very smart mechanic at the local Ford/Subaru dealership gave us the solution that was so easy I'm surprised no one told me about it before! Now I just need to be sure there is a pair of pliers in my bag. I drove the car up and down the driveway a couple of times to see how it felt. No problems I could tell except it wasn't easy to drive with a support boot on your right foot! I had thought I could drive myself to the Coumadin clinic at the hospital the next morning for blood work but quickly changed my mind.
It's great being home and sleeping in my own bed. I do (not) miss the lab techs who woke me up between 5 & 6 am most mornings for blood and the nurses who came at 7am for blood pressure and temperature and, of course, all of the 4 various roommates (old and young) who snored, snorted and talked in their sleep most of the night and who will remain thankfully nameless.
While I was in the hospital the staff kept coming in to watch me working on baby socks using Happy Feet from Plymouth Yarn and Melody from Jojoland. The pattern is from the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits. It calls for size 0 dp needles but I use 2 16" size 0 circulars needles. Both yarns are self-stripping and because the socks are so small, the designs I get don't match but the socks are cute! I usually have a pair on needles in a ziplock bag with me for when I get stuck in traffic or waiting rooms. I had wanted to take the cardigan I was working on with me but I was having trouble getting the pattern established and besides, I didn't think I'd be in the hospital more than overnight, let alone for almost a week! When I got home the pattern seemed to just fall into place and I finished the sweater in a couple of days. The pattern, Spring Flowers Cardigan, is in the May 2009 issue of Creative Knitting. I used Shine Worsted from KnitPicks, a Pima Cotton and Modal blend, on 24" size 4 and 6 circulars. Now I've got an adult sock started on 2 16" size 1 circulars using Maizy, a corn fiber blend that has a nice soft feel to it and I just ordered more Happy Feet for 2 pairs of socks. I found a basic formula for men's socks on the internet at www.knitlist.com that I like and works up nice in self-stripping yarns.
While I was recuperating from my heart valve operation and with my cast keeping me from walking much or driving myself anywhere, a lot of family and friends pitched in to help. My mom came up with a great idea on how to thank the ones who checked in on us nearly every day and I started knitting thank you gifts. The cardigan is for our next-door neighbor and the socks will go to 3 of my co-workers who raked our 3/4 acre yard one Saturday. Another co-worker got an Aran sleeveless pullover from the Best of Worsted by White Birches in her favorite color. Since they gave their time, the least I could do was the same and knit something for them.
Today was my 1st day back at work at the library and I enjoyed it! Not all our patrons knew what had happened to me and I was surprised with a lot of different reactions to the (40 lbs) thinner me and the walking boot. One woman even assumed when I wasn't there for over 2 months that I had gone to China to visit Fred! Now, that would have been a heck of a lot more enjoyable that my adventures! I still have to have a screw removed from my ankle and while I'm not looking forward to that, that shouldn't be a problem. My short-term problem will continue to be getting yarn since right now, the only local store that carries yarn that I feel comfortable driving to is Wal-Mart. Oh, well, think of all the money I'm saving! Since I can no longer sit up half the night knitting, it's time to get back to my sock. I'm sure there is another adventure in store for me!
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