A Little Yarn On The Side

This has been my view much of the last 2 weeks: Theo has been quite a good get-well kitty, though I think he's a bit relieved to see me making enough progress that he feels he can leave my side--or my chest--for a while.   And I'm quite relieved that Andy headed him off with the live mouse get-well gift he found the other day.  Kitty nursing has a few drawbacks. I had a bit of a set back yesterday so there were pain pills AND valium (though not at the same time, obviously), but after they wore off a bit I was able to finish project number 109: and of course, I have immediately cast on another project.  This will be a new hat with a doubled-over band, which explains the teal yarn used as waste yarn.  I'm almost there!  And some pictures of past projects that haven't been on here yet.  The latest chemo cap: and the red hat: It's really a pretty cute hat, especially for a free pattern .  I saw the spine specialist yesterday, a...

Seriously, this just makes my day!  In other exciting news, I have finished the red hat and I think I know where I left my camera, so will share soon.  THREE more projects to go for the year!!! And--now this is big--I have been able to function for the last 24 hours on just Aleve--no scary pain meds.  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can now knit something besides stockinette!!!!

Thanks everyone!  I am happy to report that I can mostly function with just the over-the-counter pain medication the doctor recommended (Aleve, I believe is the non-generic name--I can't pronounce the actual name on the label), though if I'm moving around much I have to resort to the stronger pain killers, which make it hard to read, type, or do much of anything EXCEPT move around, but this is huge progress!  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  Seriously, earlier this week even with the pain pills AND resting it still hurt, so this is big. I have finished the first plain-Jane sock, and am on to the second one, and I have started a hat for my more lucid moments.  I have been SO tempted to cast on a new sweater for Andy since he's been such a champ taking care of me this week, but I thought if I attempted to figure out gauge right now, the sweater would either be large enough for Andy and three of his closest friends OR just the right size to fit Theo.   So, I'll stick with the s...

There has been knitting, but mostly very, very simple knitting.  The pain pills I'm on make me drowsy AND hurt my stomach, if I try to not take them the pain makes me dizzy and faint if it gets too bad, and when the muscles start having spasms (which usually happens when trying to stay off the pain pills), then I have to take the Valium, which makes me absolutely stupid.  I had been able to get away with just taking an over the counter pain med they suggested at night since it lasts 12 hours, but last night it failed me and I woke up in serious pain TWICE and once had to wake Andy to help me.  So........I'm having a relatively rotten week.  Poor Theo is just beside himself.  He leaves my side for about 2 hours a day, and it seems that sleeping on my chest is his version of nursing.  Considering everything I went through on Monday, I like his version much better even if it might not be very effective. So, I had originally decided to not do a "reward" yarn ...

*  Wake up at 7:00 after a long Nyquil-induced night which you hoped would relieve the back pain from having thrown your back out the day before. *  Make your way to the bathroom, only to realize you are about to pass out. *  With as much grace and speed as one can muster with a sore back, get down to the floor before actually passing out. *  Realize now that you're on the floor, you can't get back up *  Have husband hand you 3 Advil tablets to see if you can numb the pain enough to get off the floor, which you now wish you had swept over the weekend. *  After a while and repeated examinations by both cats, realize it's rather hopeless.  Consider spending the entire day on the floor.  Wish part of the bathroom was carpeted. *  Admit defeat and allow husband to call for paramedics. *  Give the neighbors plenty to talk about as both an ambulance AND a fire truck pull up outside your house. *  Surrender any last...

Seriously, now that I'm this close to hitting my goal for the year, ever time I log onto my blog to update it, the theme from Rocky keeps running through my head.  Not that it's a bad song, but then it's stuck in my head the rest of the day, and by the third hour of the darn thing I start to get a bit cranky.  However, it DOES make me want to knit faster, so I guess in some way it's helping.  The chemo cap is done ( da da DAAAAAAAAAA, da da daaaaaaaaa), so I just need FIVE more projects ( da da DAAAAAAAAAA, da da daaaaaaaaaaaa) to hit my goal for the year.  ( da da da da da DAAA, da da da da da DAAAA da da...) THEN I hope to work on something-- anything --big and without a darn theme song..... da da DAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, da da daaaaaaaaaaa........

As I get closer and closer to 111, I'm fantasizing more and more about quilts and sweaters and big lace shawls.  After 2 years of mostly small projects, I am really ready for some bigger projects. Yesterday I started the day by finishing up the new set of mitten ornaments: then cranked up Jeeves for a couple more towels, partly because it's a fast way to get a finished project, but mostly because I am totally in love with this design.  I bought several musical embroidery designs from Embroidery Library ,  so then it was just a matter of finding a quote to go with it.  I've always loved this one from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, even if it is uttered by Orsinio, whom I have always considered to be one of Shakespeare's biggest drips.  Still, it makes a nice towel AND finished project number 105. For project 106 I thought it might make a nice change to make something that isn't "one of two," so I'm making another chemo cap.  I've alm...