Category: Knitting

Making it Work > Knitting

Staples Out, Chill Out

Posted on November 29, 2017 by pioneerintrees

A couple of days ago nurse Bonnie took out my staples. I had to lay on the bed while she took them out. No standing allowed since some people pass out. (Oh great. Isn’t that foreshadowing??) She seemed to be struggling a bit with the disposable staple removal device … I think mainly because she had baggy rubber gloves on. I was close to asking her to take them off, but she looked so determined. She took out one or two staples that didn’t hurt at all and then the digging began. Now that was not so pleasant. “Oh this one is hard to get a hold of. We’ll come back to that later.” Oh great.

remover — *This little removal tool is pretty clever! Shove it under, squeeze. It crimps the staple in the middle, causing the tucked under part to shoot up and out.*

When it was all said and done, 53 staples were out and 12 steri-strips were put on. Why? Well, “just in case the incision doesn’t hold”. Oh, ok. Great.

Any special instructions about the steri-strips? (I’ve learned to ask this.) Oh yes, says Bonnie…

no lifting anything over 5 lbs
no pushing
no pulling
no reaching over your head
anytime you are doing exercises, stop when it hurts – don’t push past that (read: no shampooing the top of your head)
no baths

Piece of cake. I’ll just go ahead and do NOTHING.

icing the chest — *This is me going slowly bonkers. Keeps the swelling (and tenderness) down though…*

She didn’t say no knitting, so I knit up this cowl (thanks to Dana for the wool).

goofy cowl shot — *Again with the crazy eyes…*

It’s a basic pattern except that I added in a little triangular part on the bottom edge so that the wind doesn’t whistle into my coat above the top button. I HATE that about cowls! They are just a bit too short for coats that you don’t button right up to your chin.

Next up – go to see the surgeon. I plan to ask him a whole lot about the surgery itself, such as:

Where exactly were the lymph nodes taken from … that really swollen and painful spot or is that something else?
How many were taken?
And do you realize that the left side of my chest looks a LOT different from the right?
Did the resident do one side and you did the other?
And what did you do with my gorgeous nipples? I should have donated them. Or bronzed them.

Of course I will also get the first set of results from the surgery – information about the lymph nodes. Big question – was there any cancer in them? If there was, then they will likely want to take out more nodes … but not necessarily. Or they may want to radiate the lymph node area … but not necessarily. If there is no cancer (obviously a good thing), they won’t take more nodes, but it doesn’t mean I’m done with treatment. That will depend on what the breast tissue says … and that’s another 2 – 3 weeks. Could be radiation, could be chemo.

One step at a time.

In the meantime, knit. And make a plan for physio and massage therapy. (This surgery does quite the number on your shoulders and back.) And watch a little Netflix. Recommended last night are: Ozark, Shameless and Lion. Oh and Melissa implores me to watch Coronation Street, but then I’d drive people bonkers with my British accent.

Into the Pink, Literally and Figuratively

Posted on November 3, 2017 by pioneerintrees

This fall, as I took a bit of my spare time to finish up some projects that were “on the needles”, my world turned pink. I had a pink “pussy” hat to finish up and a pair of pink socks 3/4 finished. Funny how the things that sit so quietly in their little bags can cause so much noise in your brain! Knitting as a metaphor. Wait for it.

With the pussy hat – my 6th, thanks to Deborah – I had to deal with a dropped a stitch in order to get it done. Just as speed bumps can influence you to take an alternate route, so can the dropped stitch influence the knitter to avoid the project.

Dropped stitich — You just can’t live with a dropped stitch. Total speed bump.

I actually don’t mind fixing this problem – it’s so much like magic, after all. But it takes good lighting, concentration and a steady hand and those conditions are not always available (best not to do while passenging in the car, especially when Paul is driving JK). Rather than frog it (slang for rip out the knitting, FYI), you simply go back to the column containing the dropped stitch and unravel that column all the way down to the stitch that is waiting there patiently for you to notice it. Totally rewarding. And cool.

Picking up the stitch — Pick up one stitch at a time. Heal that sucker! (Another metaphor. Wait for it!)

Once that’s done, carry on, do some ribbing, sew it together and you have a cool pussy hat. Handy when traveling in the States.

Second pink project was a pair of socks knit from Zauberball, one of my favourite sock yarns because of the awesome colour, quality and knitability. I had one sock entirely done and the other was ready to turn the heel, so that only took a short while and a few Netflix movies. According to this blog post I started knitting these socks 10 months ago. GAH! (And yes, I like them short. Metaphor? Oh sheesh.)

Around this same time that I was knitting up these two pink projects I went for a regular breast screening mammogram, and then a second call back (for a “mag view mammogram”) that confirmed that there was something there. That led to a biopsy and before you knew it, I was in Pink Land. Yes it’s a place. Meeting with a surgeon, booking an MRI, having the MRI, seeing my undulating boobies on a big screen, discussing surgical options, figuring out recovery times… That has all happened. Breast cancer. I can barely say it since it puts me in a club that I don’t want to be in. But I’m in it. Sigh.

I’ve decided to write here so that I have a place to communicate to those who may want to hear my voice. Here I can talk about the pinkness of it all, in my own time and with my own crapload of crazy metaphors and likely swearing. Not necessarily the details – but maybe the details. Ya, probably the details. But I don’t know. All I know is that is that I really don’t have the energy to talk to everyone about it in person. There are just too many people who will want a quick update – with or without a concerned look, supportive hug, casserole or encouraging pink card. I don’t think that I can manage all of the updating – it’s just too much to face all of the time … all of the caring is overwhelming, and I’ve only just told my family, a couple of close friends and my staff. I sound ungrateful, I know, and I do feel guilty and apologetic (as all good Canadians do). But I have to manage other shit in my life – like my family and my work and my own self.

Of course feel free to add comments here as usual. And if you want more info, reach out to my “pink crew” for any more details. They are: my sibs, mom, best Aunt Donna, other besties Kerry, Wendy, Cath, Dana, and of course Paul.

Thanks and peace out for now.

My staff is awesome – organized this m&m group costume with me in pink – how great is that?? Love them.

Just Go Knit A Sock

Posted on January 1, 2017November 3, 2017 by pioneerintrees

I finished off a pair of fingerless mitts the other day – the second of this pattern that I’ve knit this month. Made a pair in ivory and gifted them to Deborah for Christmas (seems to be a tradition now). I just HAD to have a pair for myself since they fit SO well and are quick off the needles. So I picked up another ball of Berroco in a wine colour (which is somewhat questionable. Why do I do that?? Now I need to have some type of scarf with that hue in it).

The pattern is by Blue Sky Fibres called One Cable Mitts (not the most original, granted) … I got it with my ball of Berroco Peruvia 9100 Quick Blanco at Happenstance Books & Yarns in Lakefield. Love that little store. (Note: if you’re going to make this pattern with the Quick Blanco, I recommend 4.5 mm needles rather than 5.5 as listed in the pattern.)

After I wrote in my journal about the mitts (I try to record the projects that I’ve done / am doing as a bit of a motivator, but mostly as a record since my memory appears to be crap), I reached for the wool closest to me at the time.. a lovely Zauberball that was in my Christmas stocking! OMG I just love knitting with this stuff – although it sometimes has trouble feeding out at the beginning (which irritates me to no end).

My “go to” sock recipe is from the Yarn Harlot‘s classic Knitting Rules!, which has saved my life on more than one occasion. She’s not only hilarious but brilliant, and a knitting phenom … so in my mind she is Godly. If you don’t have this book, you need to buy it. If not for yourself, but for a young / new knitter who you care about deeply. And you need to read her blog. Just do it.

Buy it.

I’m at the point now that I have a war-torn copy of pages 4 and 5 “Step-by-step Cheat Sheet for Socks” in my knitting sack with scribbles all around it (e.g., “64 st 2.25 mm Alex” and “striped socks for Janice 56 st”). I even copied the rules for turning the heel in my iPhone just in case I forget to pack the pattern. Why use any other recipe?? It would be stupid.

When I write in my journal I USUALLY record the needle sizes, number of stitches and the type of wool that I’ve used … (it’s just a given that they are all knit with the Harlot’s pattern). Trouble with all of my ‘mad’ notes is that they are not actually all that organized.

When I started knitting these ones the other day, I just glanced at the scribbles on the copied page “64 st 2.25 mm Alex” and “striped socks for Janice 56 st”, merged these notes together because I’M AN IDIOT, and cast on 56 stitches with 2.25mm needles and went for it. I thought as I went, “geez, these seem small, but whatever, must be right, since it wrote it on there”. Well DUH, that was for striped socks … and they were knit with a fucking massive yarn compared to the Zauberball, you dough head, and who knows what the hell yarn I was using for Alex!!

So NOW, I decide I should go back into my journal. You know, see if I could POSSIBLY be right. I made a pair of socks for Deborah for Christmas last year – using a Zauberball, no less, but do you think I wrote down what sized needles I used for that? How many stitches? NO. Why? Because I’m a dumbass. Kept looking. Went back to another entry WITH A ZAUBERBALL, and sure enough, 2.5mm needles, cast on 64 stitches. Great.

So now I’m frogging it out and starting over. No, I am NOT asking Liam if he wants a pair of socks. NOPE. I will frog and start again. It’s punishment for not listening to myself…

Lists and Sundays

Posted on October 30, 2016 by pioneerintrees

I heard a while back that creating lists actually reduces stress, and that if you have trouble sleeping, you should make a list right before you go to bed so that the ‘list’ won’t be swimming around in your head all night. I think it’s a bunch of bunk because a few weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with lists swimming a marathon through the grey matter, got up, wrote a small novella, went back to bed and woke up with hives. What’s my learning from that? I make smaller, more manageable lists, not ones that encompass every aspect of my life: work, kids, meals, birthdays, chores, appointments. Today I present to you my very reasonable list.

As you can see, this blog entry is part of the list … since I have to blog in order to cross of two other items. Huh? Well here it is: Last week I wrote a letter to my cousin’s daughter Tessa who is 5, super cute and will likely be thrilled to get a letter in the mail. I added in photos of what we were doing that night. I mailed it the next day knowing full well that when she got it her younger brother James might freak out because there wasn’t one for him … so I’ve been planning his letter which I’ve decided will be all about Liam (my 12 year old) who he adores. Since I love technology (read: I have a problem), I took a vid of Liam at drumming lessons and made a QR code for the letter so that when James’s mom or dad scan it with their phone, it takes James to this blog page and this video of Liam. Clever, I know. LOL

So here’s Liam at his lesson last week. Playing along to Toxicity. Jaunty tune… HOPE YOU LOVE IT JAMES!

After creating a QR code and finishing the letter I will tackle the knitting tasks … since I can watch Netflix while I do that (I’m binge watching Lie to Me right now. I think it will become very handy when questioning kids about incidents at school. “Did you throw that snowball? See there, that’s a lie.”)

I love to knit! My favourite projects are generally small things – socks, scarves, mittens – since they are done relatively quickly. At this time in the year I’m mending 2 pr of mittens and finishing up a third. Here they are:

Bird in the Hand pattern – so much damage to the top of this mitten that I ripped it back and am redoing the top.

Started using this pattern back in 1990 or so. These mitts are approx. 25 years old!

After that will be the Halloween costumes. I have a pink taffeta bridesmaid dress that I wore in 1989 that I’m going to turn into a tooth fairy costume. Liam plans to be Nathan Drake. Whoever the hell that is. I’ll post the shots of those costumes later on!

Better get to it!