YSC Hats 1 and 2 October 25, 2009

I was housebound yesterday since the roofers came and their trailer blocked in my car.  So I had to do some knitting then.  Darn it.  Grins.  Anyway I finished the first hats so I can get them in the mail on Monday.  Princess Isabella Monkey-Bear and Bob were very gracious to model them for me.

The earflap hat is the Thorpe pattern from Through the Loops!  I used LionBrand wool and some purple Jiffy for accent.  The beret is the One Day Beret from the same designer.  I used Wool Ease Thick and Quick that I got from Vera Chappell.  She was a very nice lady who went to my church when I was a kid.  She bought Girl Scout cookies from me.  And probably a lot of other things I don’t remember.  When her health started to fail, she donated her yarn to the crafting people at our church.  She passed away this last week.  I’d like to think this kind of thing is what she’d like her yarn to be used for.

The Thorpe hat is for the girl in Canada who I wrote about already.  The beret is for one of my fellow Stage III ladies.  A mama and 3rd grade teacher down in Alabama.  I hope the wool isn’t too hot.

Throws Like A Girl October 24, 2009

So my daughter asked me what “Throws Like a Girl” meant.  She’s already heard the negative version at school.   I told her that some people use it as an insult and how it’s not ok to use someone’s gender as a cutdown.   L is a girl and is frighteningly accurate with a ball.  So we talked about how it’s silly to say it and the best response for her would be to say, “Of course, I throw like a girl, I AM a girl.  And I throw just as well as you (annoying little boy, I add in my head.)”

When I named the blog, I had two things in mind.  Using the insult Throws Like A Girl to mean something positive and a clever (or so I thought.  Grins.) play on the knitting aspect of the blog.  I knit by “throwing”.  I’m a girl.  etc.

I am actually quite offended by the idea that being female equals being weak or subpar.  That’s probably why I love Sarah Haskins over at current.com so much.  She is great at pointing out how the media encourages us to stay in archaic gender roles.  She points out the absurdity that yogurt will fix all our problems and that men can’t cook dinner or do laundry without the help of some special cleanser.

I always thought Throws Like A Girl would be a great name for a girl’s softball team, too.

Hats and Friday Feel Up. October 23, 2009

So I’m still knitting.  Socks.  Arm of Mom’s dress.  And hats.

I made a lot of hats last year.  Mostly for myself.  Some for others.

This year I decided to cope with Pinktober by making hats for some of the new girls (and old girls) over at the YSC.

This hat is for a 29 year old.  Who was just diagnosed with a recurrence.  She already went through this once when she was 26.  26!

I guess if there’s anything to take with you as October progresses, it’s that young women can and do get breast cancer.  When it comes down to it, it’s not about ribbons, fundraisers and charitable donations (though they are nice and helpful).  It’s about women being disfigured in a way that’s incomprehensible until it happens to you.  It’s about facing issues with fertility after diagnosis and treatment.  About the possibility of leaving our loved ones behind too soon. Our tumors are measured in centimeters (the average breast cancer tumor of someone over 50 is measured in millimeters.)   It’s a very different disease from breast cancer in older women.  So go check ‘em out.  Stay healthy. 

Know what this is? October 2, 2009

It’s an arm!  I finally finished the length of my Mom’s dress.  And now I’m working on the sleeves.  I started this in January of 2008.  I actually knitted quite a bit of it while I was in the waiting room at the Urgent Care in Florida waiting to find out about my lump.  I had to take a hiatus during chemo.  (People on chemo shouldn’t do cables!  I had to frog it back to the yoke due to all mistakes I made.)

Anyway.  ARM!  I’m finally on the arm!

Bunnies, Bunnies! IT MUST BE BUNNIES! August 20, 2009

So I have been knitting.  Still working on my Mom’s dress, though it’s hard to take anywhere due to its size.  Lots of sock knitting in doctor’s offices.  AND since just about everybody I know seems to be pregnant, I’ve started knitting bunnies. The pattern is from 101 Designer Knits and I think it’s called the Blanket Buddy.  This is made from CottonTots  which I’ve never worked with before but now understand why people love.  It’s SO soft.  And washable.  Awesome.

BTW, bonus points to those who guess where the post title comes from.  Not too hard if you know me well.  Grins.

Extra lyric hint: Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes. They've got those hoppy legs and twitchy little noses. And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?!?!

Checking In July 15, 2009

Me, at the hospital last week, probably after pushing the magic painkiller button.

I’m still here.  Pretty sore.  The frankenboobs look, well, frankenbooby.  This probably lets you in on my twisted sense of humor, but when I look at them in the mirror it’s like they’re making faces at me.  The flap side looks like an orange smile (you know when you put an orange wedge in your mouth and smile?)  The other side looks like a wrinkly frown.  Maybe I have a little Harry Potter on the brain but it reminds me of the Sorting Hat’s mouth and I half expect it to shout out “Hufflepuff!” when I’m putting on deoderant.  Yep.  That how my imagination rolls.  Can’t really blame it on the percocet either.

It sort of feels like I’m holding nerf footballs under each armpit, which is kind of weird.  Pain is still the worst in my back.  I think the most annoying part is the not lifting/pushing thing.  As long as something is at arm’s height I can do it, but if I have to get it at an angle, there’s just no way.  I’ve been watching a lot of the Food Network which makes me want to cook and then I remember, Oh yeah, I can’t even get the jug of milk out of the refrigerator.  Or get something into/out of the oven/microwave.  Oo.  I just realized the toaster oven is at arm’s height.  That opens up some options for me.  Maybe I should start a blog for gourmet toaster oven recipes.  Hmm..

I’ve been knitting.   Socks.  The cable dress is too heavy.  I get a row in here or there but then my arms feel like they’re going to fall off.  So I just finished my first pair of toe up socks, started way back when I had purple hair.  Made a pair for J, of which he has already lost one, and I’ve started a pair for L, using some Tofutsie I bought when I first was learning how to knit.

Me with my best friend last week, the magic painkiller button.

Weasley sweater redux, EZ saves us again. June 9, 2009

So, if you remember, the boy was in such a hurry to wear the sweater in 90 degree weather, that  I completely bungled the bind off to fit over his gigantic head.

Wacky Bind Off

Well, now the weather is unseasonably chilly, so, of course, he’s outside in his sandals and tee shirt.  And shorts.  Hopefully. 

I figured now was a good a time as any to take possession of the aforementioned sweater and fix it.  Frogged it back quite a bit and used the Elizabeth Zimmerman sewn  bind off(which is absolutely my new favorite bind off.  SO easy!  or EZ!  heh.  I’m so funny.)  It looks so much better.

EZ bind off. MUCH better.

And it fits over his head.

Harry Potter Fweater May 21, 2009

I finished the boy’s sweater (or fweater if you speak J) and found that, once again, my children have giant heads.  I even tried to allow for that when I was doing the neck, adding stitches and binding off with a needle two sizes up.  It STILL wouldn’t go over his head.  So I tried adding MORE stitches and ended up adding too many.   So it needs tweaking.  After I get him to take it off.  (Did I mention it’s been 90 degrees F this week?)

My fweater! Wif a J!

It was also my first time with intarsia.  Which I did incorrectly.  So I already have some ideas for adaptations for the next one.   I would also definitely make a size larger than what you think you need.  The arms are quite long and came up sort of narrow.  This might be a gauge thing since I neglected to swatch.  I know.  Next time I will.  I promise.  (Heh.)

Oh yeah.  I made it out of Berroco Comfort that I had in my stash.

I tried. I really did. May 5, 2009

Since the start of the year, I faithfully worked on it.  Tried very hard not to start anything new (except the pair of peekaboo mittens for a friend.) 

Then it was my sister’s birthday.  And I asked her what she wanted and she asked me to work on this.  (It’s actually her project, I’m just the knitter.  Heh.  And before you think I’m too crazy, I did refuse to weave in the ends.)

Size 6 needles. *sigh*

 

And then the boy asked, “Mommy, you make ME a fweater?”  (His sister has two.)  How can I say no to a kid who I’m quite sure will actually sleep in it when it’s done.  So I’m also doing this.

Except with a J. Wike in my name? he said.

Oh well. 

Lest you think I’d let a little thing like lymphedema keep me from knitting… April 20, 2009

Cables, cables and more cables.

I’ve been working like a fiend on the Cable Yoke Maxi Dress from Lionbrand for my Mom.   It’s had a few setbacks along the way.  Some of my daughter’s hot pink silly putty (silly Mama bought it.  *sigh*) found it’s way into my knitting bag and promptly stuck itself to the dress.  Luckily most of it is on the inside.  Next,  I realized that people on chemo shouldn’t do cables.  There were so many errors.  So I frogged it back to the yoke and decided, what the heck, I’ll knit the front and back in the round.  There are still some, ahem, design choices along the way, but nothing as bad as some of the errors I had before.  Mom’s coming in July and I’d like to have enough of it done to do a real fitting.  Gotta get knitting.  Heh.  I’m so poetic.