Endless Scarves

Looking back at my knitting career, I started out making scarves....really, what else can you do? I must have made a hundred of them, and instead of getting easier it just got more wearisome. They are tedious, and yet I agreed to make three for a friend that I love very much. The hats that go with them will be no trouble, but the scarves...the scarves....yuck!
The bad part is, as easy at they are, you can still fall into making a mistake. Then it's just depressing.
It's raining here today and I am off because we're taking the Bug to get his spinal injection. I know he hates it and so do I.
Now back to work.

Hands!

God my hands. I abuse the hell out of them. I was sanding down a pair of circular needles, because they are a size 15 but the rarest 11" length, and now I can barely flex my fingers. Of course I also finished the baby sweater, knit a pair of booties and started Ruby Scarf #2. Oh dear, I need these hands. I should take better care of them.
On the upside I love the Janome Sew Mini and more importantly got the 15 circulars down to about 11...booo! More sanding. And I already had to fix my nails from yesterday.

Plenty

Thanksgiving Day is never much of a holiday for me- I have always had to work, at least for the last ten years, and dad died last year, though it was almost midnight- was it a 7 day? Can't remember. Good. I don't need to remember.
So I'm delighted to report I got a Janome Sew Mini to work on the doll's clothes and it seems to be a solid little machine. I needed something little enough to do the small armholes and stuff.
Knitting Ruby's grand daughters hats and scarves out of Bonbon Print, which is a color combo that reminds me of puked up bubble gum and birthday cake ice cream. I've got one hat and scarf finished, two more to go. Also finished Bug's open face cold weather helmet liner hat thing that he likes. Made a red and green stocking hat and now on the sweater for the bigger doll.
So I'm busy, as usual. And the good thing about working on a holiday is, everyone feels sorry for you and yet you don't have to cook!

Cowl

I made Avalon a cowl in navy, which is so gorgeous. Every time I make one I think, I'm taking mine apart and creating it in a longer, thinner tube. I still may do.
Yesterday at work my friend Sandra, for whom I made a couple pair of slippers...in fact, she was the reason I decided to learn to make slippers...presented me with a Hobby Lobby bag of yarn, like, a BUNCH of yarn, and it's gorgeous I Love This Yarn yarn, the sparkly yarn, too, and I nearly cried. It's so beautiful, I balled it up already and I look so lovingly at my spheres of adventure stacked in the sewing room! I have only knit with very good yarn a few times, and I can't wait to get started. But I need to choose the perfect pattern and finish the Balaclava I am knitting for the Bug.
At least good things happen once in a while. I can't even describe how happy that made me.

Violet Baby Doll

The sweaters are so easy to knit, and the hats go fast, too, so I'm trying to get busy doing stuff. The surgery...well, it was a lot different from last time. I was a lot younger. I need to contact Doc's office to see if they can fix me...ever...ugh! I don't know if I can physically do two surgeries so close together.

Success

So I've lived through my surgery, none the worse for wear not counting the huge ass bruise around my bellybutton.
Got my bonus today and must extend my deepest gratitude to the corporation that has allowed me to put food on the table the last 81/2 years. Good bonus, all caught up, everything good. I am so relieved, and probably a bit weird thanks to the drugs Doc sent me home with.
It was funny, as I lay on the table waiting for the anesthesiologist I was looking up at all the masked faces around me, and when the drug girl came in she said, "Is this a typo? How old are you, Mrs. B? You can't be 45!" I answered I was actually 46. She said, "I figured you were around 32." "I love you." I announced.
So here I present a pic from the web cam of the hat mostly- I made a band and bow for it since I highly doubt I'll be doing anything adventurous, like fixing my hair or putting makeup on.
At the drug store I picked up some Revlon Lip Stain in Crave- it's been on since around noon, still pretty fresh.
I'm off until Thursday...maybe not the wisest course as far as benefit time but I don't think I can walk a lot right now, and then of course Doc is talking yanking out the old uterus....I'll do what I have to, I guess. *sigh*. This Oxy stuff they have me on makes it impossible to sleep. More than a few hours at a time, anyway. But it helps the pain. So does not coughing! So glad I quit smoking again. For now. Maybe forever!

Caught Up

I mailed the hats to Connie ($7.90 and just saw a news piece on the Post Office where shit just turns up missing, so, yeah, great.) Finished Janece's hat- I think of them as 'nap hats' because they are so light and good for when you're cold in the house. Although of course they are gorgeous anywhere.
Started a purple nap for me, though I have a blue one I added a band and bow to yesterday. On the downside I drank Grey Goose and ate chocolate and smoked, since it may well be my last days on earth. Ha ha. Surgery tomorrow. I can't wait to get this over with.

Done With Hats

I made four hats for Connie, they are all complete- re-did the yellow and green one and it's pretty. I hope they are what she needs. I put a bow on the band of the pink one and it'll be better for not poking during hat-wearing naps.
Ah! Surgery day after tomorrow. Hope it goes fast.

Three and a HALF Hats

This non-smoking isn't as bad as I feared. I mean, it's bad and all, fer real, but hopefully it's worth it. I can start up some other time, after my lungs heal up and I don't feel so crappy. I hope I can avoid them for the rest of my life. How long or short that may be.
I have pre-op today in a couple hours, it's my day off and I have a lot to do, among them finishing the hats for Connie. I have three complete and the 4th I'm wondering if I should re-do that green and yellow one, which is gorgeous and deserves a better life than as a mistake. So, maybe that's what I'll be up to.
It astounds me that some people can say, "I'm just not a hat person, I never wear hats."
I am shaking my head, thinking, that's just fucking crazy! Who can not wear hats? What about the cold, or sun, or-or- ARE YOU CRAZY? Any kind of foreign object that comes into my hands, first thing I do is see if it can be used as a hat. Things that can be used as hats that are not hats....flower pots, buckets, any length of fabric, bath towels, those plastic collar things your dog gets from the vet.
I guess that's probably weird.
Oh well!
It's a good day, maybe I'm looking optimistically at this surgery, praying it will help.

Projects

I have been very busy, working on the hats for Connie- I have three done, mulling over a 4th. I did a quick and rather sloppy set of curtains for Gail and though they are cute I cautioned her not to look at the backs. It was a mess. I should have washed and ironed the fabric but there was a deadline and things needed to get done fast.
I hate the time change. Up at 4 this morning and now it's 6:00 and I need to get ready for work.
Thankfully, I have today and Thursday to get through, then my surgery will hopefully alleviate some of the hell my body is giving me. I have spent more time doubled over trying to get the pressure off whatever is killing my back. I am tired, it's showing in my face and I want to be healthy again. Soon!

Hats In Motion

Ok so they're not exactly in motion, but I am knitting really fast and...did I mention that I quit smoking? Again? Well I have quit, again, as of Wednesday. I'm shaking my head as I type this, thinking, I've quit a couple dozen times, but I am using the internet for some help- oh, GOD it's so hard! I hate not smoking. But...my lungs sound like a kitten purring. My dad died a year ago this month due to the delicious and deadly habit. I wish I could change things but I can't so I'll have to keep trying to not join him. Plus...the smell of stale smoke, the disgusting ashtrays, the foul taste in your mouth when you put one out...ugh. And it's a five dollar a day habit here in Oklahoma. I want to funnel all my smoking energy back into knitting. And not get fat. And not go nuts. I am chewing the nicotine gum, which is almost better than smoking- all the burning but not in your lungs. We'll see. All I can do is try yet again.
I finished two hats of the four Connie asked for- and they are so cute I wish I could keep them. I have big plans for hats. Because hats are awesome.
Here's the sad part....I am running out of yarn, refuse to buy more and have unraveled a few experimental items to keep the current projects going. Maybe that's not sad, then, but brilliant. And desperate!

Payin' Gig

I got a hat request this morning, and of course I'm knitting like mad, between lazing around and doing errands- the only errands I have run in weeks are the ones that take me to Walgreen's for drugs. I hate that I shop there more than anywhere else in the world.
I am knitting because my customer is in need of a few hats for her sister, who is undergoing chemo and has nothing cute to put on her head. Can I help! Yes!
I started work before I hung up the phone. Making a little baby yarn hat for inside wear and something like my own orange and yellow winter hat for outdoors.
Don't know how I'll get them to her, except Fed Ex.