http://www.wordknitter.com Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:34:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en After I was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in June, I had no desire to knit. Why, with such a grim prognosis, would I sit inside when I could be spending every moment outside walking, soaking up the fresh air, sitting among the patio flowers? [fo: Shape It Scarf. Yarn ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/recovering-from-a-cancer-induced-knitting-hiatus.html Another late night post -- can’t sleep. I’ve had five rounds of chemo now, every other week. Seven more rounds to go; I should finish in January 09. The two 1cm nodules in my right lung have shrunk to almost normal, and there are no new spots or nodules. The chemo is taking ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/colon-cancer-note.html It’s almost midnight. Tomorrow morning I am going to the hospital to have a port inserted into my upper chest. Chemo will be dispensed into my body through the port rather than through veins in my arms. I can’t sleep. I’m a little concerned about the procedure, of course, but it’s pretty ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/midnight-musings.html I’m three weeks past my lung surgery now, in which my right lower lobe was removed. I apparently have about a 55% five-year survival rate from this cancer. I plan to live. In the meantime, I eat healthy foods and take walks, even a little mild hiking. And for the first time ... http://www.wordknitter.com/health/recovering.html We all go through low times. I am going through one now. I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks because I’ve been undergoing some tests in connection with the stage 1 colon cancer I was first diagnosed with in October 2005. At that time I had surgery, and all tests showed ... http://www.wordknitter.com/health/the-valley.html Here is my progress on the Surplice Lace Top.  The back is completed; this is the front. I am using different lace knitting than the pattern calls for. I’ve been splitting my needle time between this and the alb. Today I almost completed the alb. I need to trim the inside seams ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/moving-along.html First, a garden photo of the lowly but stunning petunia after a rain: Boy, I’ve had a hard time getting any knitting done recently. I did finish the back of the Surplice Lace Top and am now working my way up the front. Cliff and I took three days off to move ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/patience.html I don't sew much anymore but I’m sewing an alb, which is a long but simple ministerial garment. I will be officiating at a wedding that will not be held in a church, and I want a simple garment to wear without making a substantial purchase. So, after much looking, I ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/needles-and-pins.html First, here are the flowers I received for Mother’s Day. I don’t normally photograph the flowers my family brings me, but this simple bouquet was stunning. As for knitting, I’m absolutely over the moon. As I have been reknitting the Surplice Lace Top, my concern has grown as I realized that ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/yarn-sleuth.html   Knitting Arts in Saratoga, California, is closing its doors.     photo property of Knitting Arts In August of 2007 I visited the Bay Area for about five days. During my stay, I dropped by a few of the yarn shops there.   It had been a long day and I’d been doing a lot of ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/fond-farewell-to-a-yarn-shop.html Darn. I got pretty far with the Surplice Lace Top, up to casting off for the armholes. Then I laid it out and measured it, and I had my daughter hold it up to my back (since I’m currently knitting the back half). Two inches too narrow. Aargh. It looked plenty wide to me ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/if-you-want-to-destroy-my-sweater.html I thought I had left crochet in the past forever . . . until I saw this photo from Vogue. The free pattern is here. If anything can get me to pick up a crochet hook again, it will be this hat. I think that many crocheted items are beautiful, especially when made ... http://www.wordknitter.com/hat/temptation.html I’m moving along with the Surplice Lace Top. I’ve finished the back lower half and am beginning the back yoke. Then on to the front. Yarn: Rowan Calmer; color: 476. Garment pattern is Nashua's Surplice Lace Top, but lace pattern is transplanted from IK's Apres Surf Hoodie. The marker is where I ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/progress.html The Cascade 220 Paints socks are finished and have been worn. I’m very happy to report that they do not stretch out of shape and are comfortable throughout the day. Yarn is Cascade 220 Paints; color 9848 (blues). In fact, I'm enjoying the socks so much that I bought another skein yesterday at ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/lace-trials.html I’ve been looking over the new Interweave Knits since it arrived ten days ago. At first, I was really put off because I wasn’t fond of any of the patterns except for the Wallis Cardigan, and I’m not sure I love it well enough to actually knit it.   Wallis Cardigan But ... http://www.wordknitter.com/knitting/ik-inspiration.html Ack. Okay, my account really wasn’t suspended; I do pay my bills. Some person who should be using his energy and knowledge to contribute to society decided to hack into my site, and my son closed the site down for a day for repair work. But I’m back now, ready to ... http://www.wordknitter.com/uncategorized/an-off-day.html I’ve been knitting up worsted weight socks for a while now and loving it---pretty colors and because they knit up quickly, I don’t get bogged down in thousands of teeny tiny stitches that never end. I only make these socks for myself, though, because they are too thick for a person’s regular-sized shoes. ... http://www.wordknitter.com/socks/knitting-socks-lornas-laces-worsted-cascade-220-paints-araucania-mountain-colors.html I’m very happy with this shawl. It drapes beautifully and has enough fabric to cover my arms. The gold thread in the yarn is visible but not overpowering. Pattern: Tuscany from No Sheep for You, by Amy Singer Yarn: Blue Heron Rayon Metallic – Sport Weight Color: Sandstone I only had one large skein ... http://www.wordknitter.com/tuscany/knitting-tuscany-shawl-blue-heron-rayon-metallic-sandstone.html Tuscany is blocking! Well, it’s a mini-Tuscany, since I only had 550 yards. And thank goodness I didn’t have more because I was very ready for this shawl to be completed. I’m freaking out a little bit, because the yarn is rayon, and I just soaked the daylights out of it. But ... http://www.wordknitter.com/tuscany/knitting-tuscany-shawl-blocking-russian-bind-off.html Click here to read about an Irish traveler who thinks US airline security is lax because they allow us to knit on flights. Apparently, she (I will assume it was a she, but the letter doesn’t specify) had a rather tense trip home due to the scary knitting action in ... http://www.wordknitter.com/tuscany/knitting-scarf-imitation-lattice-dream-in-color-classy-cool-fire-continental.html    Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool; color: 29 – Raspberry. Someone told me once that two skeins would yield a pair of house socks, so I foolishly didn’t even think about yardage. Only 85 yards per skein---oops! Fortunately, I had plenty of coordinating Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted in Tuscany left over from ... http://www.wordknitter.com/socks/knitting-socks-mission-falls-1824-wool-29-raspberry.html We read a lot about short rows in knitting. Not so much about long rows. But if you’re knitting a shawl, you become familiar quickly with long rows. You start out innocently enough with the tip of the shawl---cast on a couple of stitches maybe. And then you work your way ... http://www.wordknitter.com/socks/knitting-tuscany-shawl-socks-blue-heron-yarn-lornas-laces-shepherd-worsted-mission-falls.html I went to a much-loved LYS, Colorful Yarns, both yesterday and today. Carmen was very helpful yesterday, but I didn’t buy anything. I’ve been on a yarn diet and wanted to sleep on it. So I did, and I woke up knowing that I needed to return to the store and exactly ... http://www.wordknitter.com/uncategorized/knitting-colorful-yarns-dream-in-color-classy-cool-fire-handmaiden-casbah-blackberry.html Cliff took off on one of his many business trips. Romi decided to stowaway. While Cliff was gone, I began stripping the old wallpaper from the kitchen and adjoining bath. It was a grueling job, affecting my arms, shoulders, and neck (from looking up at the ceiling join). Consequently, my knitting ... http://www.wordknitter.com/socks/knitting-tuscany-shawl-blue-heron-rayon-metallic-lornas-laces-aslan-socks.html Oh yes, frogging can be satisfying.  I have been wrangling with this Wicked sweater for a while now, at least four months. It was my first top-down sweater, and I loved the collar so much that I kept knitting and reknitting the yoke, trying to get it to fit correctly. This ... http://www.wordknitter.com/wicked-sweater/knitting-wicked-sweater-frogging-yarn-lornas-laces-shepherd-worsted-douglas-fir.html Behold, my new swift! Thanks to Elizabeth, who commented on this blog on March 10th, I ordered this lovely oak swift from The Knit Store on Etsy. It arrived quickly by priority mail and is absolutely lovely. Nice price too! The total was $24.95 plus $10 for priority shipping. If I ... http://www.wordknitter.com/uncategorized/knitting-swift-knit-store.html This has been a fun, quick little knit. I thought I’d try Susan’s Comfy Soled Socks pattern. Since my yarn was worsted weight, I wanted to walk on the stockinette side rather than the purls. Yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted; color is Apple Hill; size 5 needles. I also tried a rounded ... http://www.wordknitter.com/socks/knitting-lornas-laces-shepherd-worsted-socks-apple-hill-comfy-soled-socks.html Non-knitting content: Have to write about this cool webcam. Excel Energy has various bird webcams, and this one is six feet above a bald eagle nest. The mother eagle is incubating three eggs, which are due to hatch in early April. If you can’t get the streaming video, click on the ... http://www.wordknitter.com/uncategorized/excel-energy-baby-bald-eagles-nest-three-eggs.html I pulled a skein of Easter-hued Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted out of my stash and cast on a scarf. Then, as I began knitting with it, I decided I loved it so much I wanted to see it year round. So I ripped out the scarf and am knitting house ... http://www.wordknitter.com/socks/knitting-lornas-laces-shepherd-worsted-apple-hill-socks.html Enough with the manmade fibers already! I have been trying to get through some single balls of yarn in my stash lately. I’ve also been knitting some baby items and using acrylic because I wanted to try various patterns out in inexpensive, washable yarns. But my forearms are in pain and protesting. I’ve completed three ... http://www.wordknitter.com/uncategorized/knitting-pandora-scarf-haiku-toddler-sweater-wicked.html