Wound Too Tight

I wish!

Not too bad, though. BIL is now at a respected rehab hospital and making progress. He still has not opened his eyes, and at 7 weeks post-op, they're beginning to get a little concerned. He is still on target for a late June release to outpatient rehab. He really wants to get home! And we all really want for him to be at home, even though it will mean a whole new set of obstacles. They live in a 1932 brick Tudor with beautiful, but narrow doorways. He'll most likely be living in the living room for some time. But it will be so good to have him out of hospitals!

DS is home from college and he actually found a job! Or rather, the job found him. A neighbor asked if he was back and looking for work on morning last week. He more or less stumbled into this job where he is "babysitting" drywall contractors as they repair walls damaged in the flooding we had around here a couple of weeks ago. $15 an hour AND they're providing him a security clearance. After the crew is finished, he'll move into a "role playing" position as this company trains interrogators, and he will pretend to be an interrogatee. Cool, huh?

DD turned 16 on Tuesday. We took her and 10 of her girlfriends to dinner at Chadwick's in Old Town Alexandria on Friday last week to celebrate. This instead of the "over the top" sweet sixteen party thing that seems to be "the thing" We (DS, DH and I) sat downstairs, of course, and everyone had a really nice time. And their dinner bill was under $200. Not bad for dinner for 11. The challenge was in ferrying all of them from our home to the restaurant and back. DS, DH and I all drove separately - as chauffeurs. It worked out beautifully! And she was very happy, which of course was the object.

And I won yarn!

Fanciepants celebrated her 100th blog post and I commented and won this…



Actually, 9 balls of this. Gedifra Topas, cotton, poly and acrylic. It will become either a "Something Blushy" or a Flirty Tank

.

I also helped Cosmicpluto destash a little…

Snow White, isn't it beautiful?! Merino and silk. 490 yards or it.



I have finished the bottom tube portion of Lorelei, and will begin the contrast stripe and top portion tomorrow.

28Thirty has a bit of a right sleeve… I can't seem to find a comfortable method for knitting the sleeves. They're done in the round, and one circular is too tight, the large loop method doesn't feel right. I think I'll try the two-circ method next.

And I have added two, that's right, TWO new bags to my collection. I ordered a Namaste Everyday in Black and a Namaste Jetsetter in Dusty Rose. I love them both! I'm beginning to understand the need for attractive knitting bags, as I am away from home so much more now. Rather than carry a purse and a knitting bag, these do double duty rather nicely! Although, I am still selling the Namaste Executive in Raspberry that I bought last year. It' a little large and unwieldy for me, as I'm only 5' tall.

I am so looking forward to this long weekend. We are staying put. Hoping to enjoy the projected beautiful weather right here at home. Maybe get a long bike ride in, some knitting, some cooking… I wish everyone a memorable Memorial Day holiday.

Happy Knitting

Isn't it cute!?



The little Exploring Stripes bag. It's little, but will hold a cell phone and small wallet.



And there has been progress on 28Thirty



I'm ready to attack the sleeves. Actually, it'll be nice to have something other than straight stockinette to knit, as the sleeves have the purl row every 6 rows.

Next up will be this:



I know, but I have so many UFOs! But I really have an urge to knit with Noro…

On other fronts, BIL is medically stable and we are looking into post-acute care facilities that will take patients with a tracheostomy. His recovery is slow, but he was sidelined by two bouts of double pneumonia and hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain). We are now 5.5 weeks post surgery, and I think the stress is finally getting to my sister. I suppose you really never know how much you can take til you're in the thick of things. We've all adapted to new schedules of picking kids up and making sure there's dinner on the table, but summer's coming, and things will be a lot different when the kids are out of school.

My biking buddies and I rode the "Wild Goose Chase" with the Terry Bike folks on Sunday the 27th in Cambridge MD. OMG. I don't think the weather could have been much worse! AND there were no potties on the route. That's right ladies – 400 people, 64 miles and NO POTTIES. So we had merciless headwinds, rain, cold and no potties. I know, I sound obsessed with this little detail, but seriously, we're talking swamp, marsh, snakes, ticks, other "wildlifes". Would you want to "find a bush"?

DS comes home at the end of next week. One year down. I can't believe he's finished his freshman year already! And I'm sure the next 4 months will fly by as well. His housing for next year starts on August 1.

And DD turns 16 in 18 days. I'd like to make it special without going over the top. So many of her friends have had "Sweet Sixteen" mini galas. I'm sorry, I just don't get into that. Maybe a nice pendant from Tiffany's – she had a couple on her Christmas list that Santa did not find, or the Longchamp bag she's been drooling over?

How have my kids grown up so fast?

Yarntini Time!



I snagged some this week from Woolgirl. It's a luscious Zinfandel, and I think it may become Hearts for Heidi.



Mmmmm.

Time, that is.

DH is sailing tonight and DD is at a track meet, so I'm on my own. Free time, wow.
And I actually got out for a ride this morning. It's been another week since I've been out on my bike and today was gorgeous!

I thought I'd take the time now to document… My First Yarn Reclamation Project!

I picked up an American Eagle Outfitter turtleneck sweater, size M, at Goodwill for 5 bucks. It's a really soft and pretty yellow knit. It was nicely constructed, so I figured I would take a stab at frogging - a whole sweater!



69% wool, 19% angora rabbit hair, 12% nylon. Doesn't it look soft? I started with the collar, then the side and sleeve seams. It was well put together.









And about an hour and a half later…



300 grams of YARN! I've actually ordered myself a Lendrum niddy noddy and will skein the yarn, soak it and then try and figure out how much yardage I have. I've already done that with a two yard section and it wraps at 10-11 wraps per inch.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to knit. :)

I swear, I've even forgotten what day it is. It's Friday. Right?

My Brother in law had been making fairly good progress following his brain surgery, but contracted double pneumonia last weekend and that has unfortunately derailed the progress. He has in fact regressed a bit. He is still intubated and in a coma like state. The doctors plan to do a tracheotomy to get him off the ventilator and administer meds to aid in waking him. We have hope.

Last weekend we drove down to Williamsburg to see DS run in a track meet at William & Mary University. What a beautiful campus! And we wound up spending the night in the very same hotel that we spent our so very pleasant "Evacuation from Hurricane - Bonnie" time. Unfortunately, it hasn't changed much in ten years. Still a dive - but walking distance to Colonial Williamsburg's center. And we had dinner, just the two of us, at the Kings Arms Tavern. The most amazing meal I have had in quite some time! We both had the "Cook’s Mixed Grill", "The Cook’s Selection of Meats, Game, and Seafood Venison, Rabbit, Duck, Vegetables, and Bacon Lardoons served with the appropriate good Sauce, Potatoes, and seasonal Vegetables". We added a bottle of a Prince Michel Cabernet, a Virginia wine and had a fabulous meal in the colonial tradition.

On Saturday we headed back north, stopping in Richmond to take DS and his girlfriend out for lunch. We walked around Carytown, along Cary street in Richmond. It's a wonderful stretch of funky shops and restaurants and of course, I ducked in to the Yarn Lounge! I bought a skein of this:



Pagewood Farm Hand Dyed Sock Yarn - Denali in Really Red. The beads came from Bangles and Beads. They, and the yarn are for this:



Exploring Stripes by Holly Webb

And two skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted - in VCU colors gold and black - for a hat for DS.



There is so much going on, I need to compartmentalize my thinking. While we were away last weekend, DD, who was supposed to be staying with a friend, decided to have a little "gathering" at our house. Needless to say, she left a few too many "clues" and is grounded for a month. Just what I need now. I guess I was an idiot to trust a 15 yr old. This was the first time we've left any of the kids home for an overnight - and not with a grandparent.

Oh, and on the way home from my sister's house last night, my car was acting strangely - it's a 2000 Ford Taurus wagon, which I LOVE! I immediately changed course and headed to the dealer for service - and long story short - I now have to look for a new car. :(

It needs a new transmission. (among several other things totaling over $5000)

It's not worth what the new transmission would cost.

I am so bummed.

I cast on for the 28thirty on March 20. Finished the collar section over the weekend and much of the upper body on the 25th - the day of the surgery. I have separated the sleeves and am now heading down the body.



The Rowanspun Tweed is nice to knit with, and I hope it will get a little softer after wetblocking.

I decided to go for the small and it was a good thing I double checked the pattern. The smallest is an XS. I almost went down that road. It would definitely been too small. As it is, I think it will grow a little.

Anyone care to guess who might have been here?



Maybe one of these?



They've never bothered with yarn before, much less yarn inside sealed ziploc bags.

Must have been the cashmere/silk blend. Those were balls of Laines du Nord Cashsilk, and they didn't snag the yarn - amazing.

They (the yarn) have now been put in a safer spot.



Behind Bars.

Easter had special meaning for us this year. We all got together to celebrate with my sister and her family on the eve of the surgery.

He went in Monday for placement of a shunt to relieve pressure on the brain.

The surgery was Tuesday and was successful. Now begins the long road to recovery. The surgery itself was 14 hours long, and included a "cardiac stand-still". He was responding appropriately to painful stimuli and will be weaned slowly from the anesthesia over a period of several days.

So far, so good. We feel that every day without incident is a giant step toward a good recovery. Brain aneurysms are very tricky things.

I actually finished something!

Well, I do still have to sew in all the ends… but it's finished! And it fits! Yay!



Now I have to resist the urge to cast on for something new. I have so many other WIPs, I can't possibly be thinking of something new?! Can I?!

HA.

I woke up with a headache this morning. One of those, "my vision isn't quite right" headaches. I feel almost guilty for even having a headache, with all that my sister and her husband are going through. He is at home, waiting for his surgery, which will be done on the 25th. Perhaps I should cast on for something new. Mindless knitting will be done at length next week. We are expecting a 7-10 day period following the procedure where he will be heavily sedated and intubated while they monitor his brain for something called vasospasms. Spasms in the vascular system inside the brain. These can resemble stroke. Scary.

More later. Tomorrow is YPF. I have more yarn.