Robyn's Egg Hat

This is the second hat I knit for the ladies. The pattern is called Robin's Egg Hat, but mine is renamed for my Robyn. It, too, is a cute hat. I hope it fits ok since I could not knit it a little "long" to allow for extra length which could be turned up if necessary. I love how the seed stitch gives the brim that something extra. Doesn't Linda look great?

Do You Like Waffles?

A couple of days ago, I agreed to make hats for two ladies undergoing cancer treatment in Hawaii. This is the first hat. I love the stitch pattern. It is called waffle stitch. It is stretchy and looks good on the wrong side too. If I loose my hair due to treatment, I will knit one of these.

Really?

Really. I have breast cancer. Wow, that was hard to write. I found out today. I had found something while taking a shower. The mammogram and ultrasound indicated I needed a core biopsy. The doctor called with the results. Infiltrating mammary carcinoma with medullary features. Great. I see the oncologist on Wednesday. I have a history of breast cancer in my family. I guess I need to start doing some research on options. I have put my two Etsy shops on vacation until I see how this shakes out. Keep me and my family in your prayers, ok?

Bunnies for Kitties

Easter is coming and I thought the adoptable kitties at Robyn's work could use some Easter treats. I saw a cute pattern for knitted bunnies on Ravelry and decided to give that a try and felt them. I wish I had taken a picture after the felting because they turned out perfect. Pretty was not happy with me. I didn't make any for either her or Whiskers. Whiskers seems to be pretty ok with it, but Pretty was not. When I was putting the stuffing and catnip in the bunnies, I left briefly. Yes, I know now that was not a smart thing, but I confess I did not think it through. When I returned, catnip was everywhere. Stuffing and bunnies were scattered all over. One of the bunnies was missing. I did a search around the immediate area and the missing bunny was no where to be seen. I decided to finish the bunnies before looking for the last one. Pretty jumped up and tried to steal another one. When I refused to let her, she let me know her opinion by giving me four perfect tooth marks in my arm. They correspond perfectly to her fangs, upper and lower. I won out though. The missing bunny was found by Skittles. She walking around the house showing it to everyone.

What's Your Bag?

In my never ending quest to broaden my knitting repertoire, I decided to make one of those cool market bags. I really got the hang of picking up stitches and used up the yarn I had used for Robyn's Prayer Shawl and mittens. It works perfectly and will come in handy for heading over to the Farmers' Market or other similar shopping trip. Aren't you proud of me?

Card Making Time

Cara's Girl Scout Troop made cards at their meeting for Cards for Cancer and Thank You notes for those involved in the cookie sale. The girls were very creative and did a wonderful job of making cards to spread their love to others. I enjoyed listening to their conversations. They are so funny at this age, especially when they are not trying to be.

Yellow Death

It's here. The pollen. I. HATE. POLLEN. I have been taking Zyrtec like crazy, but it doesn't seem to help. Robyn and Phillip who normally don't have problems are not happy either. I am glad Cara seems to have dodged the pollen bullet. Everything is covered with a haze of yellow. I yearn for rain to wash it out of the trees, off of my world and clean the air. It rained yesterday and this is what is left of a puddle. The yellow yuck on the sides is the pollen that was washed out by the rain. You can see a bit of it floating on the water. My understanding is that it is not the pine pollen that is causing my woes. I read that pine pollen is really too large to cause significant inhalation problems. The true problem is that when the pines bloom, so do the oaks, maples, cypress, and grasses that make my life difficult. Years ago I was tested for allergies. The report on my "scratch test" was that I was allergic to everything I was tested for...cats, dogs, trees, grasses, foods. The only thing I did not test positive for was...chocolate. Honestly. Thank you, Lord.

Cards for Cancer

Spirit Jump is a wonderful organization and I have enjoyed being a Spirit Jumper. They are sponsoring an event called Cards for Cancer on April 10th. On that date or close to it, teams of volunteers will bring cards to cancer centers in their areas for the centers to give out to their patients. It is a way to uplift their spirits and let them know they are being thought of. I immediately signed up as the Captain for the Handmade Louisiana Team in honor of Jonathan. We will be donating cards to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. Amy (my HML and all around buddy) and I got together and made some cards to donate. It was fun to create the cards and I hope other members of the HML teams also get involved.

Alice Doesn't Live Here

Several years ago, the girls and I watched some reruns of the Brady Bunch. One thing that really made an impression on me now versus back "then" (when the show was on originally), was the presence of Alice. I would love to have an Alice now. It would be so wonderful to have someone to keep things straight, to clean the kitchen and bathrooms, to put away all of the girls' stuff, and to talk to sometimes. Alice had some great points of view. Today, as Phillip was going to turn on the TV, he noticed this written in the dust under the TV. The word clearly points to one particular family member. I find it funny. If you see Alice, can you let her know I need some help with dusting?

Shroom

Cara wanted some mom knitting. I asked her what she wanted and she showed me a picture of a Mario Mushroom. I don't know if it has a name, since I am not a Nintendo aficionado like my children are. I looked at it and gave it a try. I found a pattern but ended up doing some of it and some of my own thing. She loves it and I am glad I was able to make her happy.

The Pines

I hate these things with a passion. They are pine tree blooms. They signal the start of misery for me. The itchy nose, watery eyes, sneezing my head off. Oh the joy. Better get out the Zyrtec and the Kleenex.

Spring is Here

The Bradford Pears have bloomed to signal that spring is coming fast. I love when they bloom. They are such pretty trees and have a wonderful shape. We have so many around here since they are great landscape trees. The neighborhood is in bloom where ever you look.

Branching Out

Looky Looky! It's not a hat! While looking at all of the cool items knitted during the Ravelympics, I noticed a lot of cool mitten patterns. I have not worn mittens in forever, but I felt the pull to try to make some. I pulled out the yarn I had left over from Robyn's Prayer Shawl and started to work. I knew she would love them even if they turned out a bit wonky. They turned out pretty good I must say and it was not hard at all. I am pretty proud of myself. I must be growing up.

You Spin Me Round Again

Robyn saw the spiral scarf I had made during the Ravelympics and wanted one too. It was such a fun knit. I was happy to do it again. This one was longer as I cast on 120 stitches instead of the 90 as the pattern stated. I like this length better and she does too.

Riblet

I am starting to get a little tired of my rolled brim hats. I know...quelle surprise! The wonderful thing about Ravelry is that you have so many great patterns to look at and give a go. And free, no doubt. This one was a great pattern. It is nice and stretchy and best of all, reversible. Robyn brought home a mannequin head from art class and now "Linda" can model my hats. Linda creeps Phillip out a bit and she does have a most dreadful haircut. Maybe the girls can give her a makeover.

A Beginning

This morning I looked at the sky as I let the dogs out for their morning business. The sky was gorgeous. In the back (toward the west), it was a series of blues, pinks, and purples. In the front (toward the east), it was all yellows and oranges. Just beautiful. I was thrilled to catch it at just the right time. Five minutes later it was gone and another day begun.