Peggy Update

I spoke with Peggy last night!  She's doing really well!  The surgery was Monday and so far, things are looking good. She sounded really good last night and was even out walking a bit yesterday. 

They did find 2 lymph nodes that they took for testing.  If they are positive, then she may have to have more chemo.  We're all praying that she doesn't have to go through that again. 

She and Jeff both loved the prayer shawl.  They said that it is very warm and she was using it to cover up a lot.  I'm glad.  I wanted her to have something comforting.  They kept going on about it.  I don't handle that kind of praise well, so I had to change the subject.  LOL 

Knitting is what I love to do, so making that shawl for Peggy was an absolute no brainer for me.  It didn't even occur to my husband to tell me NOT to buy yarn and knit for Peggy.  He knows that its my way of showing love and affection for people.  And Peggy is someone that I very much love.  She has practically raised me... whether she wanted to or not!  LOL  She's my "big sister".  I would absolutely not be who I am now if it weren't for Peggy and Jeff and I think that their influence was for the better. 

Peggy gets knitted things anytime!  ;)  If she does have to do chemo... hats are in order!  :)

Even I didn't think it was that bad!

38 different yarns and counting....

I have now pulled all of the yarn that I can find out of the closets and I have 38 different yarns... and I'm not done logging.  Wow... yes, I wasted a lot of time yesterday.  Although, if you consider that I've been saying that I need to pull things out and re-organize that particular closet since we moved in a year and a half ago, not really.  The closet in the back is a nightmare.  It has needed attention for quite some time and I was supposed to organize it during deployment.  Oops... 

I'm happy to report that I've found things that we didn't know we had.  Shoes, for example.  Yes, a small rubbermaid tote underneath a bunch of other rubbermaid totes was full of my husband's slippers and sandals.  I thought it had yarn in it.  I was wrong.  So... there you go.  This is now productive since he had been saying he needed to buy some kind of sandals for the summer. Now he has 2 pair to choose from!  LOL 

I also discovered a couple things about my yarn buying habits.  Bernat... you need to put me on your stockholder list.  I buy your yarn a LOT.  1 skein for a small project here and there and... walla!  I have a entire rubbermaid tote of Bernat yarns.  Neat!  I love Bernat, though, so this is not a problem with me.  I will do something with it.  I know I will.  Satin is my particular favorite for babies.  So!  Soft!!

Another discovery... if anyone sees me at Michael's and I am standing in front of the Lily Sugar 'N Cream cotton yarn... pull me away!  Especially if I have a white/tan varigated skein.  Dude.  Really?  I find them stashed here and there and everywhere!  (Not in the box of shoes, though.  It wasn't that bad.)  So who needs dishcloths?  Anyone?  LOL 

Looking at the price tags on skeins of yarn has been fun too.  You can definitely tell which yarns were purchase pre-baby/marriage/military/single-income.  LOL  I seriously wouldn't dream of paying $11.00/skein for a yarn that only has 250 yards in it!  However, I have 2 skeins of Super-10 Butterfly Mercerized Cotton yarn that I never used, no less!  Ha, ha!  O.k. that's enough to make a small baby sweater, but still.  That's a $22.00 sweater!  I better LOVE that baby.  I mean, I don't pay more than $5 or $10 for any 1 piece of Gabriel's clothes if I can get away with it and he is MY child. 

I'm not mad at myself for my old yarn buying habits.  It was fun.  I had the money (sort of) and I loved to explore new yarn stores.  If I found something cool on sale... and I have a feeling that the Butterfly was on sale and therefore, not actually $22... I bought it.  Maybe I'll have another boy and finally make that little sweater?  I should have made it for Gabriel, but guess what... all of the yarn went into storage for the move pretty quick.  I didn't get to pull out as much as I'd liked to.  We just didn't have room in our little bedroom at my parents' house.  LOL 

Well, I'm going to go finish up getting the PWOC stuff together for my exit.  I just sent the President a big email that said where I am... which is not far with Sir Pukes-A-Lot hijacking my schedule lately.  Speaking of him... its 6:30... I better go see if he's puked.  That would be right on schedule if he did.  I'm seriously praying that we're over the worst of this, though.  I feel so sorry for him.  He's not a happy camper and I don't blame him.  I think we're due for a playdate at the McD's playland with Aiden when he's ready.  He needs it badly.  So does Mommy!

Oh and yes... I admitted to the President that I totally wasted time on a personal project yesterday.  But... I needed to do something that I love for a few.  Its been a stressful couple of weeks and I wanted to play with my yarn!  So I was selfish.  I'm sure that we'll all live, though.  ;)

I found a new obsession!!

Last night, I was reading an exciting post from Sandy on Facebook where she has added knitting to her list of ways to waste time favorite things to do!  I love having friends that knit!  Sandy... sometime we need a road trip to a real knitting store.  Not Michael's.  Not a craft store.  I must integrate you to the wonders of a yarn store.  LOL 

Someday...  *sigh*... I will get to go to real yarn stores again.  :) 

Anyway... in the thread many, many of her friends are apparently avid knitters!  No wonder we brought her over to the dark side!  They were giving her websites to waste time on find new patterns and learn techniques.  One of the sites I had never heard of before.  Ravelry is an excellent website!  I logged on to check it out and all I had to see were the words "organizational tools" and I was HOOKED! 

Dude!  I can put in my whole stash and keep track of how much is there.  It lets me mark projects that I'd like to use said yarn for and even search patterns that fit my amount of stashed yarn!  Its an Obsessive Compulsive Wonderland! 

So while I plan to knit tonight... today I am in full-on OCD organization mode and inputting yarn into Ravelry.  Plus, Gabriel is throwing up again, so I don't want to get Abbie's Cardigan out until I know his pyrotechnics are in bed for the night.  :( 

Boy update: The Pediatrician thinks that his stomach just isn't ready for real food.  A few more days of bland food and as long as he isn't dehydrated or acting differently or throwng up more... we're still on a wait it out pattern.  :(  He and I are both frustrated, but Daddy will be home in a little bit, so at least there will be a change scenery.  The poor kid saw the KFC ads on the counter and started begging to eat.  I feel horrible, but he just can't have real food for a little while longer.  At least we aren't running fevers or anything horrible. 

So... back to organizing!  It was all I could do to tear myself away to write this!  Ha!

Peggy's Prayer Shawl

Peggy is at the hospital now being prepped for surgery.  So I thought that I would post the pictures of her prayer shawl.  Then I will head back to praying... well, as soon as the Boy stops the blood curdling screaming for no apparent reason.  You just can't concentrate with that noise. 

It was hard to get a really good picture of it.  Its just really big!  Plus, I had to take this quickly before my Mom took it with her to head home to Peggy.  Peggy sent a text and seemed to really like it. 

The tan section has knots in it, which would fulfill my "try something new" for the year.  However, just because I had previous avoided knots in patterns because I am chicken... doesn't mean I couldn't have done it ages ago.  Therefore, knots don't qualify.  Actually putting together Abbie's Cardigan will qualify, I believe. 

I finished the back piece of Abbie's Cardigan last night and am working on the left front.  Knitting the pieces is never a problem and goes quickly.  I'll just have to get with someone who can show me how to finish it.  I'm sure I could do it on my own.  I'm just a chicken and like visual instruction in some areas.  LOL

Anywho... I'll be knitting tonight after the Boy goes to bed depending on how much Beth Moore I get caught up on.  I am 2 weeks behind.  So if Gabriel doesn't throw up again and I don't mess up my meds again... we'll go.  lol  I better get cracking, though.  :)  I will definitely get my 30 minutes of knitting in no matter how much homework I have to play catch up on.  Beth fills my head and I will need the break!  lol 

If I only had a brain...

Or at least if only I could read.  LOL  I am currently frogging 8 rows of Abbie's cardigan.  However, I didn't actually make a mistake.  I just went to far.  I read the directions wrong and worked the lace pattern for 1.5 more inches than I was supposed to.  Oops.  Since this has to actually match the other pieces, I better pull it back.  Kinda helps if its going to fit.

I found really cute buttons for it, too!  I'm very excited for the buttons.  They are a clear/white with a white flower pattern inside each one.  Very cute! 

So today's knitting will be pulling back the 8 rows and starting the body pattern.  I'm hoping to get this done during naptime after I take a shower.  I'm feeling a bit disoriented, so we'll see how much I get done.  Now I know why the doctor said "do NOT miss a dose of the Prednisone."  Today I feel the medication surge, etc., all over again.  Yay.  Nauseau.  :(  At least I have a disc of Lost to watch! 

More finishing and more starting and more crazy

Jerry's hat is finished.  Its still not perfectly lined up, but the look I got from him said "its fine, can I wear it now?"  LOL  I told him I might try again to see why I couldn't get it to line up.  We'll see.  I have a TON of that yarn, so I can certainly make 1 more hat.  (Then he has one when he loses this one, but you didn't hear me say that.)

I also cast on and got a little bit of Abbie Girl's cardigan started.  I hope she likes it!  Well, she's 6 months.  I hope Sandy likes it!  :)  Its white.  I decided to make it 18 months so that I have time for her to grow into it and that way when I misjudge the gauge, at least its too big and not too small for her already.  Although, Sandy will be pregnant again soon, I'm sure, and the next baby girl could just wear it!  Ha! 

I love Sandy and her all of her kids.  The current count is 5.  Part of the reason I love Sandy's family so much is that they are not "perfect".  Her kids are not all dressed alike like stair steps when they walk into the church.  If her oldest decides to dress herself and its not what Sandy would wear, Sandy says "Hey... its your style kid.  You decide."  Sandy calls herself a crunchy-momma.  I love it! I hope I can be that laid back with my kids, but still teach them good values and attitudes the way she does.  To me... Sandy has it figured out.  She's made the list of strongest Christians I know.

My favorite part is that she doesn't CARE what people THINK!  I wish I could do that.  I wish I could walk into a place wearing whatever I what and dare people to say something.  Not that Sandy at all looks weird or anything.  But when I first met her, she wore headscarfs to cover her hair during her husband's deployment.  I didn't know why.  I wondered what denomination she was from.  (She had too short of hair to be Pentacostal, but had the skirts and the headscarf and all?  I was confused for a bit.)  Now, it wasn't a burqua like Muslim women wear.  Just a simple scarf.  Sometimes with pretty sparkles in it, but simple, that covered her hair.  I learned later what it was about, but that's her story. 

I just would like to have her confidence.  I wish I had the confidence that says "The Lord loves me whether you do or not, so don't bother telling me I'm weird."  LOL  Sandy is an awesome friend, too.  I don't get to spend nearly the time with her that I would like due to kids, schedules, car situations and the fact that she doesn't live on Post.  However, we have a great time when we do.  We are so much alike.  Its a lot like how I felt when I became friends with Kira.  Someday, I feel Sandy & I will have the history that Kira & I do.  Then I will have 2 awesome friends that accept all of my craziness!  Yay!!  1 will know Army craziness (Sandy) and 1 will know home craziness (Kira), because those are 2 VERY different worlds. 

I want to make this cardigan for Sandy's little girl because friends get knitted things for babies.  And I very much dropped the ball on Sandy.  While Sandy might not understand the extent of my need to knit for those I care for, I know she will appreciate it.  She told me it was o.k. that Abbie's first sweater didn't work out and I had to ditch it and find something new.  She said its o.k. that Abbie got moved down the list of knitting.  (Which in no way says how much I care for someone.  Kira and Jerry both just got their hats in the last 2 months!  Peggy will get her first knitted thing from me next week!  These are people that are as important to me as my parents!  In fact the farther down you are on the list, might show how much I love you?  LOL)

Anywho... Sandy is cool and awesome and I want her to know how much I appreciate her as a friend.  Especially since she helped me so much yesterday to realize my boundaries and say "its o.k. if you have to quit PWOC."  Which, I did.  Not completely.  Not to the point that I'm doing nothing.  Just taking a step back and saying "I can't do everything right now."  It completely helped to have someone else say "You're not whining or lazy.  You can't do it all and its o.k."

BTW, on the same note... while I have been complaining about my symptoms of Bell's Palsy and side effects of medication to anyone who will listen... I forgot to praise the Lord for something.  I CAN STILL KNIT!  Hear that, guys?  Even GOD doesn't take my knitting needles out of my hands.  He knows my need to cope through tiny loops of soft yarn that I can count and control and fix if I need to.  LOL  The Lord knows and loves my craziness.

Shawl... Check! Hat for Jerry... Almost check!

I finished Peggy's shawl on Sunday.  It didn't take me long to weave the ends in and everything.  I even had time to reorganize the closet and repack yarn into ziplock bags.  I try to keep my yarn in ziplock bags because I think it keeps it nicer longer. 

Anywho... I found some yarn down there that I forgot about!  I had bought Dale of Norway Baby Ull a long time ago!  I bought it in pretty pinks/cream/green colors to make something for a little girl.  So now the decision comes... do I keep it for when I possibly have a little girl?  Or do I make it for someone that I like that is having a girl.  Since Baby Ull is definitely a Kira or Peggy level friendship yarn and they don't plan on more children right now... (and I don't think I have enough to make something big enough for Morgan)... I'm going to have to keep it for if I ever have a girl.  So these particular skeins may not get knitted this year.  I know, I know... that won't accomplish my goal.  However, there are some yarns that cannot be wasted on just any project and this is one of them.  Baby Ull is too hard to find and too expensive in the states when you do find it.  (Hello?  Its the only yarn they sell at DISNEY WORLD, people!)

So after rearranging the closet, I made Jerry get down his bin of yarn.  When we were dating and I still had disposable income, I had bought this nice New Zealand wool yarn for $19/skein and joined a block of the month blanket club.  I figured by the end of the blanket, we would either know that we were right for each other, or I'd give it to my Dad.  Well, we ended up married, but the teacher dropped the class about 4 blocks in!  So I have this strip of a blanket that I have no idea what to do with it and a whole bin of yarn.  Some of it not even wound! 

Jerry's been asking for a hat and scarf.  And I totally have the wool for it!  :)  I might even attempt a pair of mittens this year for him to go with it.  I started the hat Sunday night and actually finished it yesterday.  Then I decided that I didn't like my sewing job in finishing it up and frogged that part back.  So today I have to sew it again.  That will take all of 10 minutes.  I haven't decided if I'm going to go ahead and start a scarf for him now or wait.  I know he really wants the hat, but I might wait a bit on the scarf.  We'll just have to see. 

That's where we are now.  Peggy's surgery is Monday.  Katie had Owen yesterday morning.  Finished projects should start leaving the closet soon.  :)  Room for more yarn!!  Kidding... ;)