Germy Weather

It's been a challenging week, and I think this "hooo-huuum" face says it all:

On a normal Friday, I would have fought harder to keep that beagle-face off my dinner table, but a week of late-April showers and gray weather

coupled with the germ I've finally succombed to, Strhinovid, maybe? (Strep, rhinovirus and covid have infected several around me lately...)

These have all weakened my resolve, and curtailed the fun knitting. Just a single sock, with a second started, stays with me so far this week. 

So I'm taking it easy today, and thawing a chicken for soup to support my immune system,

and hopefully I'll be feeling so much better before next weekend...because opening day is only a week away! 

It is in these moments, friends, that I'm glad we can connect online, without sharing these snotty germs, so...

Thanks for stopping by, wash your hands, and Knit in Good Health! 

Happy Everything!

Happy April!

(aka - Happy Birthday to meeee! Thanks, kids, for the celebration!)

Happy Easter!

(Well, tomorrow, but we're nearly there! I've filled chocolate eggs for the boys...shhhh! And knitted eggs for the office. )

Happy Spring! 

(This is one of my favorite office decorations so far, and it can stay up all month!)

A time of remembrance and renewal, and a celebration of color, which has been reflected in my knitting!

Whatever you are celebrating this spring, I pray that you will be surrounded by hope and joy, and an explosion of color to brighten your world! If you're celebrating the Resurrection with me tomorrow, He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Still Starting Socks!

As we covered a few weeks ago, I (like most people) only have two arms. I also have but two feet (again, like most people) yet I keep knitting new socks.. in fact, I cast on this pair just a few days ago... 

Perhaps it's the lure of single skeins, that occasionally come with too much personality for a whole sweater...

Perhaps it's the lure of a small project that can be worked on literally anywhere (though never in the bathroom, I do have limits) ...

Oil changes take awhile...

Perhaps it's the fact that's socks were my first knitting love! This pair has cables AND tiny, tiny beads, and I LOVED knitting them (in 2009)! 

But the most likely reason is probably that socks wear out...and although darning is satisfying, it's just not as much fun as casting on and knitting a new pair! 

So, here I go, here I go, here I go again...knitting socks and taking names while I get the oil changed.  What are you doing for fun today? 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

The Agony of de-feet

Sometimes, when you're working on a project, everything turns out all hunky-dory! Like this "Happy Spring," crochet banner I've started for my office! FYI, I only have N and G left, so it's actually almost done! 

Also almost done is the third pair on a trip of stripey socks, using one of my favorite commercially produced self-striping yarns,  Felici (by Knitpicks.com).

Unfortunately, as you can see, there is something wrong with my second striping skein of pinks...and sometimes this happens with Felici. It usually starts with a knot (which is where the trouble started onion this one), then the yarn changes. 

I've seen Felici shorten stripes, skip a stripe, or even change the order of colors, after a knot...but this is the first time I've used a skein that appears to have been mishandled by the dyers (mechanical or otherwise) after the knot.

I was a little upset when I first noticed the mistake. Truthfully, I'm still in a little agony now, but I'm probably not worked up enough to reach out to Knit Picks about it. I do love it when my handknit socks match perfectly, but I have not stopped loving Felici...and as I said before, knots do happen with this yarn...so I'll probably just finish these socks before moving on to the next pair. These pink stripes are not a gift, and they will still be comfortable and pretty, so no harm, no foul. I've got bigger fish to fry. 

After all, I live in northeast Ohio. Have you seen the news about northeast Ohio lately? This is my favorite of all the info graphics I saw on FB this week...lol! (Not sure who the OP is, but shout out to my buddy Karen for sharing on her profile!)

Yeah, 4 seasons plus a meteor in one week...and I've also heard that Bigfoot may be on the loose, so I'm just gonna stay inside and play with yarn this weekend. I hope you also have solid plans for the weekend. If yes, drop a comment to let me know what they are! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Marching (reluctantly?) Into Springtime

Springtime in Ohio is a fickle thing. Snow, wind, sunshine, mild and freezing temperatures, ice and rain... all the confusing weather messages, and the daffodils and crocuses coming up... Oh, and Amazon packages flying through the air! (Seriously, Amazon. If it is small and light, or flat and light, pop it into the mailbox rather than leaving it out in the open like a cardboard kite!) For what it's worth, the package we almost lost was recovered, and the wind continued through the end of the week!

In the beginning, Spring always seems reluctant to make a commitment. It is normal this time of year to see a clear, blue sky with 70°F on Monday (Hey! I can still write Haiku!)...

then light, drizzle-y snow and wind by Wednesday, building and building until power goes out at work on Friday (power was on at home, so that's where I went for the rest of the day)!

Thankfully, we took advantage of the great weather last weekend to spend some time at local playgrounds,

and going out to dinner with family...

and I had projects to keep me busy when indoors was the place to be! Look! A second Leprechaun!

Yes, I am so thankful for yarn friends (Irish and otherwise) and for warm, hand-knit socks! These two pair are finished,

and the third, companion pair (in pink!) is well underway!

Now that it is Saturday once again, and we are one, full week past the worst time change of the year, I think it's safe to say that we are going to make it through just fine. Whew! I think I'll do some knitting to celebrate! 

I hope that you have not blown away yet, and that you have some great things to be thankful for! Can't think of any? It must be time exercise that gratitude muscle. Think harder...I mean, you woke up this morning, so I am thankful for that! Oh, and you found an entertaining blog to read...lol! But seriously, I am glad to see you here. The world would be a little less bright without you in it. Sooo,

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Recovering (?) Type-A

Quick! Name something that comes back to "bite you in the butt" in life! I'll start...

PERFECTIONIST PERSONALITIES!

You know what else starts with P? That's right, Pretty starts with P, and Pretty has a perfectionist personality PLUS. As a recovering type-A (am I recovering though, or just continually backsliding?), I make mistakes then berate myself pretty hard on a fairly regular schedule. It's partly rushing (because I love a finished task), and partly doing too many things at one time (I'm doing this and this and this...might as well do that too), which is not an equation for perfection, but failure. It's like being impatient to finish a hand-knit sweater, maybe because I also want to finish the matching socks and bake some cookies, so I convince myself that a mistake isn't a mistake until I've bound off a sweater that has three sleeves! 

Special Note: This knitter, like most knitters, has only two arms. Thankfully, that is also true of the sweater she is currently working on...

Still, there is evidence all over my world of the mistakes I've made. Some of my blunders were bigger than others, and I am most thankful for the ones I have owned up to, shared with appropriate people, and learned from. 

I am thankful that I had another opportunity to learn to slow down again this week. Error Ahoy! Believe me when I tell you that I am not continually thankful for this mistake or any other, but in hindsight I am hopeful that I have learned from it. In this moment, what I am always thankful for is the people God has surrounded me with. The ladies in my Bible study have prayed for me as I floundered through the week, and they brought me back from the brink of feeling badly and beating myself up to admitting guilt and working through it. Ultimately, there was nothing I could do (this time) to fix the flub, so I admitted fault and apologized profusely while I prayed and knit my way through it, almost finishing sock 1 of a new pair as well as the progress on the sweater. 

All of that to say this: Everyone makes mistakes, and errors are almost always inconvenient. Nobody died, so it could be worse, and isn't that a good place to sit? As long as I can say, "It could be worse," I know it's probably going to be ok. This is true all throughout life, whether it refers to my mistakes or the consequences of another's actions, and I have been in situations that I don't think could have been worse...but most of life is somewhere between "Great!" and "Can't-Get-Worse," so that's where I live best. Could it be worse? Yes? Then it's going to be ok! Maybe not "Great!," but that's what a recovering Type-A needs to know...it doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes ok is truly OK!

Are you like me, a straight-A student that can't let go of that one B in 7th grade, or the mistake that she made last week? Or are you gentle with yourself because not one of us is perfect? I hope you tend toward the latter, as it is a kinder and gentler way to treat both with yourself others. If you're struggling like I am, I hope you'll hop up onto the bus. When we struggle and grow together, we all get a little further down the road. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good health!

Surgery Number ... I've Lost Count

So the 12th day of Christmas was Monday, which would make today the 20th day of Christmas...but, technically that's not a thing. However, today is the 19th day since my little procedure, and I am counting that as a definite thing! Thinking back to my hysterectomy in 2012, and my hip replacement in 2015, this back surgery of 2025 has been the best of the three! 

There has been relatively little napping, my stitches look good, and the worst part of this recovery was probably the allergic reaction I mentioned last week. Now that the intense itching is past me, I can revel in the fact that the last 20 days have allowed me to knit not one

not two

but 3, that's THREE!, full pair of self-striping, Christmas socks

PLUS five tiny gnomes!

The gnomes are currently meeting to discuss what I should cast on next...and now that I'm off the heavy-hitting meds, I'm also working on getting approval to return to work soon. Although getting back to work will ultimately cut into the knitting time, the paycheck will make me feel better about all the yarn I own!

I mean, we all knew I'd go back, if only for the socialization I'm missing...gosh! I hope I remember how to act around people. I don't want to have to go back to puppy school...wait, that's a story for another day, isn't it? 

Anywhoo, I'm recovering well, knitting much and doing my best to follow doctor's orders, so I can continue. Prayers and good thoughts appreciated! What's been your biggest challenge this week? Drop a comment (or send an email) to let me know how I can pay for you...

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

On the 10th day of Christmas, my recovery gave to me: a bumpy, red, itchy rash all over. To be fair, it was probably the meds. I'm now off all pain meds and taking Benadryl, plus an antibiotic, until I stop scratching! 

So here's how the song goes for me these days: 

On the 10th day of Christmas, the season gave to me...

Ten bumps and hives

Nine marks where I've scratched

Eight alarms on my phone for meds

Seven new prescriptions

Six exercise walks

Five kinds of healing teas

Four socks  almost finished

Three friends a-visiting

Two additional prescriptions

and a new bottle of Benadryl for me! 

If you've been playing along at home for any time, you may remember that I am super prone to side-effects. So prone that I make my Sweetie read the info sheets, so I don't feel like I'm just "manifesting" a reaction, but I'm only allergic to a couple of things...well maybe a couple new things, now too....lol!

I think I'm also allergic to Sweetie saying, "Stop scratching!"

The good news (and this really is good) is that I'm not in much pain. I've had zero pain meds today (my last Gabapentin was at 10pm last night), and I'm doing ok!

So you take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both, and there you have... whatever you have. God is still good, and this will pass. In the meantime, I'll just be over in the corner scratching and hiding from anyone who tells me to stop it! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (don't scratch!) in Good Health! 

Ready or Not...

Christmas 2025 is in the books, and 2026 looms large ahead! I am thankful this year, 5 days after back surgery, that I was able to do some fun things this week! From a nice Christmas visit

to having Christmas dinner with our daughter and her family (and the boys' gingerbread houses),

to casting on a pair of new Christmas socks (Must Stash Yarn in the colorway "Bumbles Bounce"),

to fun cards and greetings from friends!

New gadgets made this possible, and helped me to manage my pain along the way...

TENS unit. I've read the how and why it works, but I've had too many narcotics to explain it to you. Also, it's purple, and I'm sure that helps. 

My back brace is nothing compared to Joan Cusak's neck brace in 16 Candles! Whew!

...I have even managed a few chores along the way, including getting the lights off the tree, 

and I've finished the first Bumbles sock!

So all in all, 2025 has been a good year, despite some hard losses. We've lost friends who were way too young, family members we thought we had more time with and friends who have been like family for decades...we will mourn for them all and pray for those left with holes in their hearts. Please Lord, help them find their meaning and worth in You and in Your Son, whose birth we celebrate every Christmas. 

I've often heard that Jesus is the Reason for the Season, and I'm thankful to Pastor Paul of White Flag Church (from St Louis, we livestreamed their Christmas Eve service on Wednesday) for reminding me that I am the reason for the season, and YOU are the reason for the season. Jesus came for sinners, you and me included, so that we could be connected with God in Heaven forever. Yes, so much to be thankful for! 

Am I ready for 2026? Am I ever ready for a new year? I guess it doesn't matter, because ready or not, here it comes! Let's see what it brings together.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

PS-If you want more details, I had an L3/L4 Laminectomy, with the removal of a synovial cyst on my spinal cord.  The benign cyst was putting pressure on nerves leading to left hip and leg pain, and the recovery has included some pretty intense nerve pain in those areas. But this is just a blip in my lifetime,  and I should be "right as rain" in a few weeks. Prayers and good thoughts gladly accepted, thanks!