Back home

We went to NY and spent 3 full days plus a little with Mom and my brother. It was good that we went. Mom is getting more frail physically as well as mentally. I was able to rest a lot, though not as much as if I had stayed home. I got lots of knitting in, though, and that's a good thing. I am home alone today, or at least for a few hours today. Bob and Rob and his girlfriend went out on the boat. i opted not to go because I want to be as rested as possible for going back to work. It's nice being home alone once in a while. ;-)

I finished the first of the Ravens socks and cast on the cuff of the second.

I completed the heel of the Lebowski socks and am working on the gusset decreases. I really like how they are coming out. Once I get a little further along I will get a good photo of the eagle on the heel flap. I like how it came out knitting it more stranded than intarsia as called for in the pattern. For Tour de sock we had to prove that we knitted it using mostly intarsia but this one is being knit the way I want to knit it.

I also started to knit a log cabin style blanket with my natural colored handspun and so far I like it. I am changing needle sizes and adjusting stitch counts as I need to for different weights of yarn.

Look! I added a picture! I finally spent some time figuring things out. Not sure I have it all settled yet but at least I can upload from the real camera (since this computer doesn't seem to have access to my phone photos despite the fact that they are both Apple products. Drat it!)

Here is my Driftwood sweater. I joined for the body a bit sooner than called for in the pattern because I didn't want the opening to be quite so big. I am enjoying this project in general and it's a nice change from the socks, which I am also enjoying knitting.

I go back to working tomorrow, as close to full time as I can manage. I like time off from work but not for the reasons I have had lately so it's a good thing to go back to work. I sincerely hope that life will go back to normal from now on.
Happy knitting and enjoy your holiday.

It is finished!

As of Sunday morning at 9AM I consider myself a breast cancer survivor. I finished my last radiation treatment and have nothing else scheduled. I am free!!! My next checkup isn't until November.

I took this week off to rest and recover from my treatments and it's a good thing I did. My mind is ready to return to normal activities but my body is not quite there. So we will make the drive to NY is stages with rest periods built in for me and spend the next few days with Mom. She will turn 80 in a couple of weeks, I haven't seen her since March and it just seemed like a good time to go. I have little doubt that I will be pampered as much as I will let her pamper. :-) Together with Mom is a good way to rest and also celebrate the end of treatments.

Driftwood is progressing well. I have joined to knit in the round and will bring this project with me today when we leave to visit Mom. My Ravens sock is at the toe decreases. Thirty minutes of knitting and grafting will have them finished other than weaving in ends, of which there are a million. I knitted stripes and elected not to carry the yarn up the side to avoid puckering. I will caston on the second sock and weave in the ends of the first one in bits and pieces while I visit. I put aside the Garden Maze sock that I was working on from the Tour de Sock. I was trying hard to finish those up promptly. However, I promised eldest son a pair of Lebowski socks and his birthday is in a little over a month. I decided to knit his socks next and finish mine at a later time. So, the cuff is finished for one sock and I start the striping today. His colors are black, grey and blue. I think they will be great for this sock, though the black is hard to knit on in some light. I am using Cascade Heritage Silk sock yarn. It feels wonderful.

I have been considering how to use my handspun yarns that I have been collecting since I started to spin. I don't care for patchwork projects, the yarns are not only varied fibers and colors but also weights of yarn so they don't lend themselves to knitting a fitted garment. I have decided to go with a blanket knitted with natural colored fibers in the brown family. I can add to it as I spin more of my smaller amounts of fibers. I will concentrate on spinning to the same, or at least a consistent weight yarn when spinning my other fibers to add to this blanket. I am bringing this project with me to NY also. Mom has a good eye for color and design so I will get her input on how to go about this. I could try a log cabin style, circular, blocks, stripes or any number of other things.

Have you seen the Fall Twist Collective? I love this issue! I saw several (at least 4) sweaters and mittens that I want to knit. Couronne is one, the Perfect Storm Mittens for another. I am drawn to the Perfect Storm mittens are more because I loved the book than because I can't resist the pattern, though it is cute. I just think they will make me smile all winter as I shiver (except for my hands). Rafters, Hawser, Underwing and Foxcroft are other patterns I really like. I think I will try to spin for Underwing. The amount of yarn needed is not large and it will be a good exercise for me to spin for a specific project, have a reasonable chance of finishing it and then knit.

Have a great week and holiday weekend.