The Way to Miss N's Heart

Make it pink.

Make it girly.

Make it by hand.

Put these three together and you get a very happy, giddy, silly little girl who feels loved.

I forced her to wear the blue pants today. She wanted to wear hot pink. Pink, from head to toe... everyday...

Pattern: Old Shale Scarf
Yarn: PlumKnit 80/20 Merino Cashmere
I only used about 40g of yarn, gave it a serious blocking and it ended up just the right length.

Bad Blogger hearts Nancy Bush

I'm not really getting back into the groove of blogging yet. Caring for the special needs and getting to all the appointments of a child fighting cancer plus tackling the new project of homeschooling a kindergartner (and surprise a preschooler wants in on the fun too!)... plus just regular life stuff... equals a very busy and overwhelmed me.






However... I just finished a project I want to share. I started out trying a simple sock, a popular new pattern, but it just wasn't doing it for me. RIP! So then... I searched my patterns for one that matched the cast on stitches and ribbing so I didn't have to fully rip out because that 1x1 twisted rib was looking sharp! What came from all this was a challenging project that I am very proud of! I love Nancy Bush. I think I need to own all of her books. While Knitting Vintage Socks is not the flashiest of books, of the sock books I own it gets used the most. Nancy knows how to put together both beautiful and practical patterns. This was a very enjoyable knit that turned out fantastic! And now... I actually own a pair of socks that won't be the brightest pair in the room.

Pattern: Childs First Sock in Shell Pattern by Nancy Bush
Yarn: The Woolen Rabbit, Sock, Ebony or Raven... can't remember... but it's gorgeous!

It's been said...

... that knitters are some of the best people around. And I have to agree. While I have met the occasional non-friendly one, the good seeds FAR outweigh the bad!

So there's this knitter, Sarah, who's blog I've read for the past few years. We've exchanged a few messages back and forth now and then... nothing big really. Recently she started working on a blanket made from sock yarn scraps. She was in need of more purple. Well, if there is something I have an abundance of... it's sock yarn scraps! And I really have a thing for the purple socks. Last winter I realized I had I think four pair of purple socks... and one purple shirt. A little out of balance. Anyway... I knew I had a bunch and no plans for them so I offered them to her. No biggie. While I was at it I threw in a skein of purple yarn because... well... do I really need another pair of purple socks? Not for a while. Plus, she's an avid sock knitter and this is one of my favorite sock yarns and I don't believe she'd tried it yet. Must get her addicted too right?

First off, she heartily thanked me several times on her blog. For scraps! No big deal, really! And then... over the weekend something very special arrived in my mailbox. An absolutely gorgeous Swallowtail Shawl in none other than the Hazel Knits yarn I had sent her! And it has beads. Hematite even. (The shiny gray ones that remind you of gray purls, one of my favorites.) It's perfect! It's as if she knew me intimately. I never thought I'd fall for such a thing but I'm in love. It's gorgeous. I keep petting it... especially the beaded part. I can't wait to find an occasion to show it off! Candlelighters Christmas Party perhaps? Go take a look on her blog!

But mostly, I'm blown away by her kindness to a stranger. I mean really, that is what we are. It was extremely thoughtful and kind and it really touched me. Unbeknown to me until just yesterday, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. (I've been too busy fighting childhood cancer to know what month to bring awareness!) What a fitting time to receive such a kind gift from someone I hardly know. Sarah, thank you so much.

Knit Parade

Getting back into the habit of blogging... how about a knit parade? The past couple of months I've had lots of time to knit, but none to block or take pictures. (ie I've been locked in the hospital) Here's a few knits I managed to block and wash this week besides the troublesome sweater. More are awaiting their turn later this week.

Basic Socks - But I dyed the yarn! Thrilled with the outcome!

Helena in Hazel Knits Artisan Lively, Lime Granita

Sweet Mama Small Sugar Seamless Infant Kimono, Sugar Bubbie Gaia Worsted in Bodie

SO... grosgrain ribbon may help my puckering sweater you say? How does that work on the button hole side? Maybe I can find my info if I google...

Help!

I finally completed a sweater that fits me and it's cute too! Problem... the button pucker. As you can see it's even puckering when laying flat. I tried to straighten it out before I took the picture but I couldn't! You can imagine how the problem compounds when I put it on. What's up with this?! Do I need the buttons that stand up off the fabric? I tried sewing them on somewhat loosely but that doesn't seem to have helped these buttons. Also, they pop out regularly when it's on.

I haven't seen this happen except on sweaters that were just too tight. And although I have put no 10 pounds since I started knitting it (Darn that sleep deprivation, hospital food and all that sitting around on my arse!) it's still loose enough that it should be behaving this way.

So this is for those of you with experience here... HELP PLEASE! :)

ETA: I have already washed and blocked the sweater. Nice thought though Hattie! I already tried getting bigger buttons. Maybe I need even bigger. The button holes seem really stretchy though. Maybe the problem is in the stretch of the yarn?

Charlotte May

For the past seven or so months I've mostly been knitting socks... plain old stockinette. Boring things not worth blogging about. My brain is too exhausted to deal with much outside of my daughters treatment and care. The plain knitting is soothing. However, my grandmother, Charlotte May, has her 80th birthday tomorrow. This is an occasion to commemorate.


This grandmother can sew, paint, knit, crochet, embroider... she can do anything. And it's always perfect. She's the little voice in my head when I'm working on a project and am tempted to leave a mistake. 'Grandma wouldn't do that... she'd start tisking me if she saw that.' And when I was a kid my mom left us at her house a lot... until the wee hours of the morning many times. My brothers would be put to bed in her bed while I was put on the couch behind her cutting board for sewing. She'd sit there in her rocking chair sewing, crocheting or knitting... watching late night news and then Johnny Carson... "patiently" waiting for my mom to come get us after whatever unsavory late night activities kept her out. What my mom was doing was not lovely and those were hard times. But I have been thinking about them a lot lately. I've been thinking about my Grandmother and how she sat there working with her hands while enduring hard times for much of her life. And that's what I've been doing... sitting and watching over my daughter who is named in part for her. Watching, waiting, enduring... working simple projects with my hands to soothe away the anxiety and fears... giving me SOMETHING I could do while I watch and wait. It is a gift I feel she passed down to me. Another thing that makes me think of her... my hands. I have her hands. So as I watch my own hands I can see hers.


I wanted to make her something special. Something that would stretch my skills. I decided upon a lace scarf. This was a definite challenge given that I am exhausted in every way possible and I've never knit lace! But I wanted to make that effort for her. Given the circumstances I am amazed I was able to accomplish this. As far as my exhausted self can tell... there are no mistakes. And that is exactly what I was striving for. She would not leave a mistake... and I wanted to make something flawless for her.

So as life takes it's up's, down's and turns... I have this gift from her. And I hope this small gift will show her what a special gift she's given to me.

Miss E today wearing a new pair of those boring socks I mentioned... she loves them.

There is knitting in Leukemia Land

My sweet girl helping me knit Grammy some birthday socks during yet another week in the hospital. Knitting... goes everywhere!