In Ewes Clothing

2008-10-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've had issues with posting photos. It's been so long since I have done this and I now have a new camera. I think when I loaded the images onto my computer I stored the the wrong size. I'm waiting for my daughter to help me reconfigure so I can actually post knitting. The above is a picture of a tapestry my Hubby and I bought while we were in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic. I loved the llama's and the women spinning yarn. We had the piece floated and framed and it now hangs at home in the family room.

Knitting content is steady working on clapotis (yes it's a newly cast on project) and working on my Tricoter coat. I also am working on Bug's and Ash's Christmas stockings.

Hello to Lindy in Berkley and Ash in Greece. I love you both! Hi Bug (in case you actually read my writing). I love you too! I really don't like this font, guess I'll play with that tomorrow as well as more photos.

To Greece with Love!

2008-10-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ashley!

My middle daughter is currently living in Athens, Greece while studying abroad for her final year of University. You have graced our family for 22 years and have added love, humor, wit, laughter, tears, and a lot of adventure during this time. We are a better family for this. I miss you and I love you. Love Ma

Writing Try Out

2008-09-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

My Rockin sock Club package arrived today. I was reading yet another knitters blog and saw a photo of the package and actually felt panic. I thought I had not renewed my sock club for the new year. I'm not a huge sock knitter but I find I do love sock yarn and I have a very appreciative hubby who loves to wear hand knit socks. The Rockin Sock Club choices of color are probably not the best choice for Hubby to wear to work so I usually stock pile this yarn. Still, the thought of having passed up on this club really bothered me. I was so relieved to find my package sitting by my front door this morning. Turns out I'm in for the next year.

I know I haven't blogged in a while, I've had major health issues which I'll write about later. I obviously have to review downloading photos as well. Let's see what I accomplish tonight and hopefully I'll have photos for you plus a give away(sock yarn) if you can correctly identifye one particular photo correctly.

2008-05-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well, the delay of posting has been a good indicator of how my post op healing has gone. I'm happy to say I'm back on the mend and actually feeling better and can feel my energy slowly coming back. A lot has happened in the last several weeks, a list seems the easiest way to state.

1. Hubby drove back with Bug to pick up middle daughter from university in Iowa City, Iowa. Drove through snow and cold weather entire way to Iowa, packed up daughter's sorority house and previous apartment furniture and headed back to California with hot weather to deliver precious daughter back home for the summer.

2. Oldest daughter and beau stayed with us for two weeks helping me while hubby was gone and resting and visiting with sisters and the rest of us to recharge before heading back home to the bay area.

3. Bug is preparing to take drivers ed test for permit this week. It's hard to believe our youngest daughter will be out on the road.

4. My niece graduates from Wellesley and returns to California to begin her PhD program at Cal Tech. This is my youngest sister's oldest daughter.

5. My oldest sister's youngest daughter is in England on study abroad and she is flying out this week to join her and tour Italy for a few days.

I'm Home!

2008-04-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm finally home from hospital and recovering from my surgery. The surgery itself took about three hours in which time my gall bladder was removed due to stones, my liver was biopsied and pending pathology results and finally my gastric bypass procedure was completed. I ended up in recovery for seven hours because there were no beds in the hospital available. Around early evening I finally was wheeled into my room on the 12th floor in a window position with a beautiful view of Sacramento. My first night was pretty wicked but the morphine pump took the edge off. I actually thought I would go home the next day but took a turn for the worse and ended up staying an additional two days. I won't go into detail you don't need to know and my family has already heard all about it. I'm just so happy to be home.

The biggest surprise for me is the once of water in 15 minutes I'm supposed to drink. Prior to surgery I thought this was because it was difficult to get the fluids down but as it turns out it's a limit on the actual quantity of fluid the new pouch can handle so its all about relearning to drink. I already see a slight difference in my blood glucose numbers although while in hospital I still had to have insulin. I'm off lasix and on a decreased amount for my blood pressure meds. I'm so excited about this! My biggest struggle today was getting my pain meds on board for the correct dose and getting enough protein in. I've already had my shot for preventing blood clots and I'm sipping a creamy squash soup fortified with skim milk.

I'm getting a little tired so I'm stopping for today which in my mind is day 1 of my new improved life. I sure love my husband and my kids!

Night Before

2008-04-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last two days without eating in preparation for my surgery tomorrow morning. The prep is awe full! I mean, come on people, if you can make advances in medicine, why can't you make a prep in the form of a pill that we can swallow and be done with!!!! There is nothing that covers the terrible flavor of the prep fluids so you end up gagging down the final few sips. Glad to be past that. I can't even think in terms of eating following the surgery because I'm on a liquid diet for 15 days and I'm really trying to make life long changes to how I see and eat food. This means I don't reward myself by thinking of that great meal I can make when I'm feeling better. This surgery should change my life and although I'm overweight I only have about 70 pounds to loose which isn't much compared to the average gastric bypass patient. I'm looking forward to the weight loss but even more so the reversing of the oh so many health problems I have faced these past few years.

I still haven't decided what to bring to the hospital for knitting. Every time I think I have the perfect project I think about the potential for miss knitting and how much of a pain it will be to rip out and reknit. David's sweater will most likely be the project because it will make me feel closer to him when he isn't in the room with me. And I think I'll take my most recent yarn from Sundara's Petals club to start socks. I belong to the Spring section of this club which means I get beautiful yellows, pinks, greens and such.
This is the hat I knit for one of our employees first baby. The feathers scared her at first but as she grew she fell in love with it. The pattern is from the Itty Bitty Baby Hats. I could make every hat in that book!

I'm signing off on this good note and will write again when I am home to recover. I love you David, Malinda, Ashley, and Elisabeth. You four are what make my life worth living! Juan, you have been with us for a shorter time but I love you too. You are the son I never had.

S Plus Two

2008-04-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

Two days to go until surgery and I find I have been obsessed with what knitting projects to pack. The average person would worry about all that hospital stuff, not me, knittings on the brain. I can't take my lace project for fear of screwing up which isn't too bad until I have to tink back all those stitches and reknit. I started a new shawl using some cashmere I had in my stash using the eye-of-the-partridge stitch and twisting the slipped stitch. I'm using the common cast on two stitches to start and am making a triangular shawl. Wrong side rows are purl back so I figure this will give my medicine induced foggy brain a challenge, yet easy enough of a pattern that I should be able to knit with said foggy brain. I'm also taking my sock yarn from the petals Spring club. The yarn is the most beautiful Daffodil color of yellow's. I have 400 yards and thought originally I would knit socks but now I'm not so sure. I have enough yarn to knit some type of scarf and I should be able to find a stitch pattern that really shows off this yarn.

Oldest daughter and boyfriend (son to us) came over for celebratory birthday dinner last night and then stayed over. In fact everyone is still asleep. This was a bonus from last night to have kids still here this morning. The only thing that would make this better would be to have middle daughter home to share in the fun. We gave oldest daughter a years pass to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and hope to go along on some of the visits.

Today is the first of a two day prep starting with no eating. Got to go find my knitting needles!!!!!

Timeing is Everything

2008-04-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

I find myself reading a lot of different Blogs in the morning after I first wake up but before I shower and get dressed for the day. This might take up to an hour to complete and it certainly takes away from good knitting time but it is an important part of my daily routine. I'm always curious to see what others are knitting and if I have been reading their blog for some time, it is always comforting to read about the continuing saga of their lives. Most of the Blog's I read are well written, include a few photos, and are of some length so as to set the tone of the Bloggers story of the day. When I first started blogging, it was to document my knitting and document a little bit of my life. As I started typing I felt grossly inadequate when compared to those Blogs I had been reading. My sentences were halted and incomplete and I had little to say. The result is I have been ignoring my blog in preference of others. It occurred to me here of late that many of these other authors started in a very likely manner with few sentences, little to no photos, and not very interesting in terms of general knitting content. I have come to accept that we all have a learning curve and more importantly I realize that if my Blog was important enough to me to start, then I should keep at it.

So here we go..... I am having surgery on Tuesday morning and will be in the hospital two to three days. My recovery will be about six weeks or a bit longer. I'm having the gastric bypass as well as having my gall bladder removed. I have several medical problems which the bypass should help to reverse or at the very least improve for a better quality of life. I will post a before photo prior to surgery. I'm going to document my journey along with my knitting on my Blog. At least for the first several months.

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday! Happy birthday Malinda! How very quickly our babies grow up!

In the knitting arena I'm still knitting the Bee Field Shawl by Anne Hanson. The knitting has been consistent but slow. I'm not a very fast knitter but I am a process knitter so it doesn't bother me how fast or slow I knit, other than the fact that it often takes a long time for me to complete a project. I'm curled up on my bed with my cat, Bailey sitting on my lap. I'm going to break for knitting. See you tomorrow!

True Confession: part I

2008-01-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

I'm in this new Ravelry group which requires or I should say encourages the members to blog or frog any UFO sitting around the house. I always thought I had to finish anything I started, whether or not I liked it. What a relief it is to be able to unknit or frog what I really don't enjoy.

Hubby's Scarf
Elisabeth's three quarter length coat
Honey Bee Stole for self

Score

2008-01-15T16:23:00.002-08:00

While in Mendocino this past weekend I purchased this beautiful hand spun pink yarn which was then plied with chocolate brown to produce this wonderfully subtle wool yarn. I bought all three hanks available and have about 1400 yards to play with. I'm thinking of making a simple cardigan slightly oversize to curl up in on cold rainy days. While I tend to wear a lot of green I still fall victim to the lure of pink in almost any shade. I think the brown will help to balance the color and make the sweater more wearable.

The other yarn I promised to show a picture of is this peony pink sock yarn. I told you I have a problem resisting pink! I have about 555yards of this and am re thinking socks for maybe a scarf. I have committed to finishing projects started before 2008. I started going through the house pulling out all those project bags I have been collecting and I stopped counting after 25 bags were pulled out. Too many! I love the feel of yarn, any type of yarn but even I think this is a problem. My hubby has graciously supported my yarn habit for the last 10 years but I think every now and then I need to produce a completed item for all to see.

My first project up for completion is the Sarah Dallas blanket I started for my oldest daughter and her boyfriend and gave two thirds knit for Christmas.

The Silence is Over!

2008-01-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

2008 was accepted with open arms in our home. We always start the new year with hand made sticky buns and fresh squeezed orange juice while watching the Rose Parade. Prime knitting time to be sure.
This weekend was passed in Mendocino at the Albion River Inn overlooking the ocean with Hubby and knitting, sitting in front of a fire watching the fog roll in. This is our place to recharge and re energize. This is also the place of my favorite yarn shop, Mendocino Yarn Shop, owned and run by Annelle, the best and kindest person you will cross paths with! Of course I bought yarn, peony colored pink sock yarn and hand spun chocolate brown with pink, all of 1400 yards of wool to knit a sweater. Pictures to follow. Just wanted to check in and let you all know I'm here giving a knitting shout out and to let everyone know the silence is over.

Looking for Lindy and Juan

2007-05-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving a quick comment on my blog in hopes of reaching Lindy and Juan, our kids who are traveling in Scotland. I keep forgetting to tell you that we can't comment on your blog, it is restricted to team members. The next time you are on to blog can you see if you can change this? Love you both, love the blogging and love the pictures. Talk with you soon. Love mom

Lost and Found

2007-05-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few months with lots going on around here. My oldest daughter Malinda just finished college, my middle daughter Ashley, just arrived home from Iowa City on school summer break, and my youngest daughter Elisabeth just had major knee surgery and is recovering on the family room sofa. I have been busy starting all sorts of projects with few in the finish pile.

My wonderful husband David gifted me with the most amazing supply bag. It fills me with nostalgia from my childhood. I remember making necklaces from gum wrappers. Sometimes it would take months to collect enough to create a necklace long enough to wear but it was always worth it.

I keep a set of knitting accessories in small supply bags with every knitting bag I own. This way I never leave home without the needed scissors, stitch markers, row counters etc.

We spent a few days last month in the lovely coastal town of Mendocino. This is my place for relaxation and to top it off there is the best yarn shop run and owned by Annelle. She makes you feel as if she has known you your entire life. I walk into this store and know I'm home. It's the first yarn store I have ever been in that has made me feel welcome from the minute I set foot inside the store. The selection of yarn and supplies is huge. Annelle also has spinning supplies. It's hard to leave empty handed.

Coming Out of the Closet

2007-03-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

I thought it was time for my yarn to come out of the closet and into it's new home! Thanks to my husband D we were able to build a mini yarn store which provides me with constant knitting inspiration. I had so many bags of yarn stashed in cabinets, closets, drawers, and shelves that my family started rebelling. I was surprised to see the variety of yarn both in fiber type and color. This beautiful display resides in my bedroom against a small wall that was hard to fill with the correct furniture, and across the room from my favorite purple chair and a half that I frequently find myself curled up in with my knitting.

I finished the collar to my Eris sweater and have picked up and started knitting the body of the sweater. I only have a photo of the collar for now. I am knitting along with the wonderful theraineysisters.com although I am slightly behind with my knitting. I am using Cashsoft Baby DK yarn in this luscious baby blue. This is my first top down sweater I have made. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

New at this!

2007-02-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm here! Just new to posting a blog. I sent off FO's to my daughter in Iowa today and will post pics tomorrow. While waiting for the bus to arrive she got frost bite on her ear last night. She is a born and raised Californian and school in Iowa City during the winter has been brutal. I have my password and am ready to start the Blue Moon Sock club. I also have Sundara socks on the needle as well as a baby hat for a friend.

My First venture into bloggspace

2007-02-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

After watching my wife read multiple knitting blogs on a daily basis, we decided to try one out. I tend to be the more technical of the two of us, she is by far the more artistic. So here is our venture into bloggerland. Of course, she is a master at time management, and here I am adding another project, as she has multiple projects on needles, canvas and the spinning wheel. This coincides with a need for her to get a scarf off the needles and into a box to send to our daughter at university in Iowa (where it's 50 degrees colder than here) and me placing an order for a Bohus sweater kit from Sweden. Add to that, a trip to the local yarn store for the new Rowan book. What will she do next???