Tired

I have to admit something.  I haven’t posted in awhile because I haven’t knitted much lately, simply because I am too tired most days to knit.  This road to recovery is a slow bumpy road.  Small setbacks, sore muscles, fitting my prosthetic–all things that have made this a difficult time to write without depressing rants….I will try to keep this depressing rant short.  I am still around working on a pair of socks and a hat, it’s just slow going at the moment.  Today is a beautiful snow day and I get to knit and enjoy a movie, and update my blog.  I will enjoy today, even if I had to cancel my last rehab appointment.  Only one more to go then a home program and later I will return to therapy to get running again.  Now I just need to light my fire, pick up my knitting and enjoy my movie.

If only I had to sets of hands to speed up my knitting 🙂  

Something different

I had another request for a newborn hat, specifically a sock monkey hat.  I myself hadn’t made one yet so I was excited to make something different. Upon looking at the dozens of hat patterns on Ravelry and realizing the best choice is to crochet one.  I haven’t crocheted something in a few months and due to crochet-trauma when I first attempted to knit booties I get nervous I will distort the pattern (one bootie fit my Aunt and the other was child size and neither was suitable for a baby)  I have recovered enough to crochet quite a bit, with occasional flare ups of insecurity. The hat turned out great, my customer seems pleased (she hasn’t seen the original yet just a photo) and I think I want to make my kids the hat minus the monkey face (teens can be funny about what they are willing to wear).  

Sock Monkey Hat

  

Coming Soon….

Coming soon is another twister pattern. I am working on a baby version using Patons Beehive Baby sport. It is working up beautifully and I can’t wait to share it.

I’m still here

Just a quick note to let the world know I am still here. I went in for my third procedure on the arterial vascular malformation in my foot, knitting in tow. I didn’t however, get to knit as much as I would’ve liked. This was by far my most painful procedure. Just before heading to the operating room, the Dr. said it was very likely that much of my pain leading up to this third procedure was due to a secondary condition because of not being able to walk properly my foot likely has plantar fasciitis also. I had to stay on oxygen and the pain meds just kept coming with not the greatest results the first day. Hopefully, the other experts being brought on board to cover my secondary condition will help me kick some of these drugs I now have to take to get through the day and sleep some at night. I did knit wash cloths at the hospital and gave them to the nurses until I ran out, passed on knitting websites and shared some of my favorite books. I love that no matter where I am knitting will connect with me someone, whether it’s a gift passed on, a shared passion, an introduction to a great past time or just the knowledge that knitting can visibly relax someone in pain. I am glad that God has given me this ability to create and to share my creations. Now I am working through my fog of pain to push on with my knitting and hopefully not make too many mistakes because all this tearing out is discouraging, I will press on and in my fog finish something more…..and here in my fog I almost forgot I managed to knit two hats in three days….I will knit my way out of the fog.

Now a little description about the first hat.  My very good friend, Amanda, came by to visit me and mentioned it was hat night at her church’s Wednesday night program.  Having five kids of her own, she mentioned she needed to find a hat for one of her boys.  Well, I couldn’t resist and in my drug induced stupor I hopped around on my crutch positive we could find the right yarn to match his coat and of course I could whip out a hat for her son.  I am not sure what I was thinking but it worked.  We found the yarn and amid some fun conversation, always fun while medicated, the hat was completed….just in time for her to run out the door and get her kids to church.  I have decided one of the hardest things about being unable to get around, is not feeling needed.  I am sure she would’ve found a hat, but it felt wonderful to feel needed, useful, productive….better than any painkiller taken that day.

Aidan’s hat

The second hat was a gift to my second son.  He left this weekend for his first youth group trip.  It is his first time being away for the weekend and he has outgrown his favorite elf hat I knit him.  I am happy he is growing up and I am even happier he proudly wore the hat I so lovingly knit for him.  Pictures will have to be added later.  I am seriously in awe that my kids love my knitting and wear it proudly…..it makes me feel loved knowing they are proud of my love….does that make sense…if not I’ll just blame the pain meds.  Time to stop rambling, thanks for reading.

knitting pattern

Just thought I would attempt to post my first pattern…..

Bulky Rolled Rim Newborn Hat
Hometown USA Lion brand yarn
size 13 circular and/or double point needles

Cast on 25 stitches.
slip last stitch to front needle and knit 2 together. continue to knit in the round. 24 st
continue to knit to 5 inches approximately 15 rounds.
decrease for crown
round 1: knit 2, knit 2 together, repeat around 18 stitches
round 2: knit
round 3: knit 1, knit 2 together, repeat to end of round, 12 stitches
round 4: knit
round 5: knit 2 together around, 6 stitches
cut yarn about 12 inches from last stitch, slip stitches with yarn, pull tight, weave in ends.

Emma’s purple hat of curls

How did you do this??? I had to laugh when my 5-year-old daughter blurted this out upon examining the hat I was knitting.  I had just pulled out a skein and was knitting on a whim when this apparently magical creation began to form.  She loves her purple hat with curls.  Well, not actual curls, but cables.  I do like her description better but it might be because I am partial to her.  The pattern is originally intended for babies and knit with dk yarn, but I changed it up and grabbed my size 9 needles and whipped out some worsted weight yarn.  I love the results, better yet my daughter loves the results.  I wish I had snapped a picture of her walking into Michael’s with her purple sweater dress, courtesy of Justice and coincidentally matching purple cable knit hat.  The stop was of course for the convenience of their restrooms and the lovely yarn we just had to walk past on our way out.  We couldn’t use the restroom without purchasing something, and my older daughter, Ruth, really wants her own hat, so yarn HAD to be purchased, really.  With my husband’s help, he found his way in to browse and of course purchase some dipping pens, nibs and ink, ( He will have to get his own blog to explain that obsession. ) Ruth was able to find the correct yarn.  It was choosing a color that consumed most of the time, which shade of pink would be best??  Needless to say, she is happy to see her pink hat cast on my needles and hopefully, patiently awaits its finish.   I hope she likes her pink hat of curls!

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Knit hat

I finished a hat. I thought about making a cool accessory for the top, but I like the way it looks too much. I did start an I-cord just in case I change my mind. The yarn’s variegated colors are some of my favorites. I bought more skeins than I should have but I couldn’t resist. It is very soft and works up great. Just enough shine to show off the stitches. Now that I left you hanging I will tell you which kind it is, only because now I’ll set down my phone long enough to find it! Deborah Norville’s Serenity Garden Yarn. I really do enjoy working with it. It is very soft.

Flying needles

I would like to think this refers to how fast I knit but it might refer to knitting-while-medicated.  My stage 1 procedure was completed last Tuesday.  It went so well, the Dr. thinks I may not need another procedure for a long time.  I will know for sure by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.   This “4th of July” stuff is inhibiting the flow of information.  Either way, today is a better day, because so far today, I am crutch free, painfully walking, but crutch free.  Can you hear the shouts of joy???  Probably not, because as I mentioned before in an earlier post, I am not a very good cheerleader (not just an opinion, a fact, unfortunately recorded forever in yearbook memories, oh well, it coincided with braces so maybe no one will recognize me).

But I digress, back to the knitting, in my highly medicated state I did manage to bust out a bunch of knitting, 2 baby cocoons, another diaper, another couple of hats, finished the hood of the wallaby.  Maybe I should be hospitalized more often.

knitting in the admitting area, knitted my way right up to pre-op sedation, about the time, my husband and I thought it would be a good idea to put the needles down, who knows what kind of project would’ve resulted if I kept going.

A little hospital fun, and an alternate use for the baby cocoon.

The foot with the hidden pain, minor looking at first glance but if you could see inside the foot quite angry, at this point, alcohol was destroying the criminal veins causing all the pain in my foot, unfortunately, killing blood vessels is incredibly painful, hopefully they learned their lesson and won’t come back.

The result of too much tme with my feet up.