Update

This is just a quick YOP update.  I am writing this on my tablet from my hubby's hospital room.             

As for the sweater for the grand daughter........it has been worked on quite a bit over the past 4 days.  I have added about 7-8 inches on the body.  I did have a bit of a scare on Friday, when I found three dropped stitches in the lace yoke.  I took a crochet hook and wove them into what looked like the rest of the lace pattern and then tied a knot in the stitches.  When I finish the body of the sweater I will do s teeny bit of sewing to insure those stitches never come loose again.

Hubby had his surgery on Thursday.  Unfortunately they had to cut him open to do it.  We had hoped for laprascopic surgery, but there was too much involved for that to happen.  They removed 14 inches of his colon and it was adhereing to his kidney.  Surgery lasted almost 3 hours and then another 2 hours in recovery.  Everything looks good so far and we are waiting for the final pathology report. All indications so far still point to diverticulitis.

We were hoping to have him home by today but looks like it will be Tuesday at the earliest.  I want to thank all of you for your prayers and good wishes.

Next week I will have pictures for you.........of the sweater!!!!!!

Happy crafting!

Some progress

Week two or is it three?  Does it matter.  HEEHEE

I have a bit of progress on the My Honey sweater that I am working on.  In fact it is the ONLY thing I am working on at the moment.

I am at the point where it is mindless knitting.  I will be doing that part for a bit longer as I need it to be 14 inches from the underarm.  I am only at about 8 inches.  I am loving the yarn and the way the self striping is working out with it.

I will have LOTS of time to work on this starting on Thursday of this week.

Hubby is scheduled for surgery on that day and the plan is for him to be in the hospital for 3-5 days after that and then there is a 3-6 weeks recovery period at home.  Surgery will last about 2 hours and that is all knitting time for me.  So I will be on and off work for the next couple of weeks depending on his Doctor appointments and any needs he has once he is home.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.  He is going to have one foot of his colon removed during the surgery.  No...............................there is not going to be a bag attached to him.  They are going to reattach the two ends of the colon and then we go from there.  No signs of cancer so that is a great thing.  They think it is just scarring from diverticulitis at this point.  He is still on antibiotics and will end those tomorrow.  Please keep your prayers coming.  This man has been the picture of health since we have been married and this is the first time he has really been sick for any reason.  

Yesterday, I didn't get much knitting done as I was disinfecting the house.  I scrubbed floors on my hands and knees, scoured cabinets and counter tops, scoured 2 of three bathrooms (the other one gets done today), and even gave the dogs baths to make sure they were all nice and clean.  I don't want any possibility of him getting any kind of a secondary infection after surgery.  Nope, not on my watch.  I will say, my house smells lovely (all lemony) and it shines too.  The only draw back is..........................I am really really sore today from all that work.  I started at 8:30 yesterday morning and finally sat down about 3:30 in the afternoon.  I also did the ironing and hemmed up two pairs of dockers for the man.  

Today, our daughter is coming over to help with the rest of the deep cleaning so it will be all done and I can enjoy the next few days with the hubby at home.

Gotta go and look over all the other blogs with progress!

Happy Crafting!

Week one YOP and other stuff

First week and I am posting on Sunday because we went to Mass last night so I have today pretty much free.

I will do my crafting info in the first part of this post and then update everyone on my personal stuff in the second part.  So if you don't care about my personal life....................you can skip that part.

First WIP up is my Green Bay Packers afghan.  This is being made for my BFF for Christmas.  You will not be seeing pictures of it again for a while.  It has been put into time out in my craft room until the temperatures drop below 100.

Just so you have an idea of how hot it is right now.......I took these pictures this morning around 8 AM and it was already almost 100 and the humidity is really up for us.  We are in the Monsoon season and this is the WORST time of year.  Dust, rain, wind, humidity, night time temps in the 90's.  Yup, but it only lasts for about 2-3 months.  LOL

This is my second Radian Yoke Sweater that I am making.  I am not so sure I want to continue with it.  The yarn is a linen and cotton blend and I do like the coolness of it.  But for some reason, it is not speaking to me.  I loved my first one that I made and maybe that is the problem.  Since I have already made one of them I don't want another.  But the first one does not fit me well and now I know how to adjust the pattern to make it fit superbly.  I will think about it for a while and then decide what to do with it.

Next up is the project I am currently working on.  My Honey cardigan for my grand daughter.  I won this pattern off of a facebook post and I am loving it.  Once I got past the lace top it is pretty much a mindless knit and that is what I am needing right now in my life. (Explanation to follow in personal section)

Here is a close up of the lace portion.

I love the yarn that I am using.  It is self striping so that makes the project so much more fun for me.  The yarn is from JoAnn's and called Sensations Breeze.  It has kind of a nubby texture and is suppose to be a DK weight but I found it to knit up more like a fingering weight.  I had to go up 2 needles sizes from the pattern called for and I am a loose knitter.  I am hoping to have the sweater done in the next few weeks and then I want to make her American Girl Doll a matching one.  I have plenty of yarn so I think a nice slouchy beanie for both of them is called for too.

Ok, so that is it for my crafting life.  If you have things to do, you can go now as I am now going to go on to my personal stuff.

This past month has not been kind to my household.  Health issues are abundant around here and this time it is my DH.  We have been married for almost 38 years and in that time I think I can count on one hand the times he has been really sick.

About a month ago he started having lower abdominal pain and cramping.  After 2 weeks of watching the poor man grabbing his side I decided it was time for the Doctor to come into the picture.  He was sent for a CT scan of his innards and they found a narrowing of his intestines.  We were referred to a specialist and the next week we were there finding out what to do.

(This might get a bit graphic for some of you so if you want to stop now do so.  If you have a weak stomach you might want to just skip to the end.  I am in the medical field so I have no problem explaining and using medical terminology for the rest of this post)

DH was scheduled for a Colonoscopy the following week.  The prep for that was HORRIBLE!  He had chills and started running a fever around 10 that night.  This bothered me as I know if he had a fever the next day the procedure would be cancelled.  Thank goodness the fever broke about 30 minutes after he was done with the torture of the prep.

Last Tuesday he went in for the procedure and I was kind enough to him to request anesthesia for him.  I didn't want him to remember any part of the procedure.  One of my Doctors I work for did the anesthesia so I was quite happy about that.

After all was over the Doctor came in and talked to us and said that he could not complete the procedure because the narrowing was so narrow he could not pass the scope through it.  So he wants us to go for another test and he is going to schedule it for that same day so we don't have to go through the prep again.  The second test basically boiled down to a lower GI exam under radiography.  I will say that it was not a pleasant experience for DH and he has sworn never to let them do that to him again unless he is under anesthesia.  They normally give a person some type of sedative to relax them but since he had been given Propofal (yes, that is the Michael Jackson drug) they could not give him anything else that day.

We got home after a loooooong 6 hours of testing and were just beginning to relax when the Doctor called.  Seems my DH has a 10cm (5 inches) of narrowed innards.  Surgery is to be scheduled for sure.  The doctor does not believe it is Cancer as the area that he was able to visualize with the scope was perfectly normal looking.  He thinks it is caused by Diverticulosis since my DH had just finished the antibiotics for the flare up he had a couple of weeks earlier.  (that is why we got sent to the specialist)  The Doc said that he should be able to do it all through a laprascope so that will make the recovery time much less for DH.

NOW we are relaxing when DH says "I think I might have a small fever".  I run and get the thermometer and take his temp.,  105!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Are you kidding me!!!!!!!!  Then DH in his wisdom says (I am already dialing the Dr by now) "is that high"?  I look at him (as I am waiting for the answering service to pick up the phone and say) "Oh, no, honey. But your brain is going to melt"  Finally get a call back from the Doctor (Actually it was only about 5 minutes) and was instructed to go to the emergency room.  (Kind of figured that out on my own)

Off we go to the ER and after 4 hours there he is admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics and fluid and to monitor his temp for the next 48 hours.  DH asked the Doctor if he could just do the surgery now since he was already in the hospital and all prepped.  LOL  That guy is always thinking.  Doctor tells him no!  If they did the surgery now with the infection ripping through his innard, he would be a really really really sick puppy and he won't take that chance.

Hubby is home now (came home on Independence Day) and has rested up and is feeling much better.  He is on a very restricted diet for the next few days to let his innard rest.  We see the Doctor again this coming Tuesday and hopefully will get his Surgery schedule ASAP.  This does look like we will be cancelling our trip to Texas to see our Grand kids.  We only get to see them once a year so that is kind of a bummer for us.  Hopefully we can go later on in the year to see them.

Ok, well that is all for now.  I am going to go and do some more mindless knitting.  My mom is coming over this afternoon and we will be grilling up some burgers for dinner with Mac n Cheese as a side (told you the diet is weird)

Happy Crafting

YOP 2/3.....Warning....................It's lenghty!

I had to really dig around to find my last years YOP list.  I found it and here it is.

Year Of Projects 2012-2013

Use up all cotton yarn for dishcloths  (I will give a count of how much cotton yarn is there when I return to my home base)
Complete 3 project bags (I have several bags labeled with the project they are to become)
Complete LaLa Shawl
Complete Comfort Cancer ribbon shawl
Complete Color Affection Shawl 
Frilly scarf
2 blooming pillows
Use up 1/2 of sock yarn (Again will give count when I return home)


So lets see how I did.

I used up 90% of the cotton yarn and gifted all but 4 dishcloths at Christmas.

I completed one project bag but have managed to add more project bags to the groupings

The La La Shawl is still waiting patiently for me to complete it.

I completed the Comfort Cancer ribbon shawl and it is with our cancer ministry at our church.

Color affection shawl is completed and also with the cancer ministry at our church

I made TONS of frilly scarves and sold a lot of them.  They were a big hit this year with the ladies that live in my mom's senior living apartments.  I have more yarn for next year and hopefully I will be able to sell them again.  I already have an order for 2 by Christmas so will get those done in the future.

Did not complete the blooming pillows

The sock yarn is still there and waiting for me to pay attention to it.

So what happened?  How did I get so far off the mark?

Let me show you.

 Here are some doll clothes I made for the Grand Daughters American Girl Dolls.

 They are so quick and easy to crochet.  

 She loved all of them

 Trust me.............I made the entire pair of socks out of this yarn and gifted my Daughter with them.  She was so pleased and loves them.  She was amazed at how nice the bamboo socks are.  They are warm and yet cool and when you live in a climate where it seldom gets below 50 that is what you want.

 Here is the completed Color Affection Shawl.  Not my favorite pattern to do.  Probably will never do another one.  I have read where others LOVE this pattern but it is not for me.

 Had to knit this Christening Gown and bonnet for our God Daughter.  Her mom made me crazy.  She started into false labor around Thanksgiving even though this little bundle of joy was not due until Christmas time.  I knit on this non stop for about two months.  It was a surprise for the family.  They had no idea why I kept telling them NOT to have that baby.  Once it was done, I relaxed and the next time she went into false labor I told her to go for it.  LOL  Well, little Grace Marie was born on her DUE DATE!

 This was a sweater class I took last July!  I put it into a knitting bag and finally finished it in March of this year.  It is the Garden Tee pattern that is on Ravelry.  I like it but.................I have lost 40 pounds and now it is a bit too big.  Ok it is A LOT too big.  It was made with Cascade Ultra Pima and I loved working with that yarn.

 Ok, this is only 2/3 of the yarn stash I have.  As you can see, I am a bit of a hoarder of yarn.  The stuff in the white case are all in project bags.  The brown case is just stuff I have bought because I like it.  I really need to curb myself.

This is the Comfort Cancer Ribbon shawl.  I really enjoy making these and this is my second one that I have done.

So what do I have planned for this year?

I really don't know.  I do know I have a sweater started for my Grand Daughter and want to make a matching sweater for her AG Dolls.  I am finishing up a dishcloth today which has the US Navy eagle on it.  I have another Radian Yoke Sweater started as well as a Green Bay Packer afghan.  The afghan is for Christmas and that is great, because at 117F it is a bit too warm for that to be on my lap

OOPS!  Forgot to show you the socks I completed and these are for ME!

Ok, So now on with the 2013 YOP

I really hate to list 'patterns' that I want to complete.  I have a bit of a problem with that, as once I start a pattern, if it doesn't work....................I dump it and find something that will work for the mood I am in.  So this year as last year, I will be more interested in 'busting the stash' and getting some great things made from it.  So here we go.

Doll Clothes for AG doll (uses up lots of 'scrap' yarn)

Lots of socks.  Hopefully at least 6 pairs made

Fingerless Mitts for me (one is done but needs a partner)

Scarf for me to match the hat and mitts I am making

2-3 sweaters for adults

1-2 sweaters for children

Complete GB afghan

dishcloths for gifts again this year

I think I will leave it at that.  If I put too much on the list, I feel overwhelmed and that is when I do not complete what I set out to do.  I know I can always do more than is on the list but I feel this list is manageable for me this year. Since I work full time and am very involved with my church, I only have about 2-3 days a week to really enjoy my knitting/crocheting time.  Also, I seemed to have lost my blogging mojo halfway through this past year.  I know  a lot of that had to do with the birth of Grace and the deadline to get stuff done for her.  Also, Sundays, are normally our family day at our house so Sundays are hard for me to post until late in the evening and by then I am too tired to care about blogging.  So maybe this year I will try and blog on Saturdays and then just put the link on the group on Sunday morning when I get up.

So, anyway.........................I will hope that I do better this year than last and am looking forward to year 3 or YOP>

Happy crafting.

Promises

I know..................I keep promising you guys photos of all my recent crafting activity.  But, alas, I have not kept that promise and I feel really bad about it.  So I am hoping that this week I can go from room to room and take photos of all the things I have completed in the last few months, as well as the things I am working on.  Then I PROMISE to do nothing but a photo blog with captions for all of you.

It has been plenty hectic here in leftycrafter-ville.  Seems like this year is flying by and I am running to keep up with it.

Hubby and I did have our little mini-vacation in April and it revived me so much.  It was much needed after all the hustle and bustle of Easter.  We teach classes for adults interested in joining the Catholic church.  It starts in August and the big day for everyone is Easter Saturday.  So hubby and I needed a little time away to regroup and get ready for other things in our lives.

I spend most of my free time knitting or crocheting.  It really relaxes me and takes me away from my everyday cares.  Hubby watches sports on TV and my needles are clicking away.  Yup, we are an old married couple for sure.

May came and went.................I took another knitting class that month.  We learned how to make Radian Yoke Sweater  It was a great knit and I managed to get the entire sweater done in less than 6 weeks.  I am in the process of making sweater number 2 from that pattern and making a few adjustments so it fits my tastes a bit more.


My brother and his wife came for a visit in May.  It was nice to see them again.  We normally get to see each other once a year and so it is nice when they come to town.

June 1st saw me hit a milestone birthday.................60!!!!!!!!!!!!  Now, let me tell you that I DO NOT feel 60.  I don't even know what 60 is suppose to feel like.  But mentally I still think of myself in my 40's so what is up with that?  My family thought is would be wonderful to have a nice birthday party for me too.  My friend, Bev, allowed us to have it at their home since she has a great open floor plan.  It turned out nice even though I agreed to it screaming and kicking all the way.

Hubby and I also joined a gym this year and we have decided that we are not getting any younger and need to make sure our bodies stay in good enough shape to keep up with our grand kids.  I have really enjoyed going and find that my energy is so much better now that I am working out 3-4 times a week.

That is about all from my 'personal' side of my life.

Today is hubby's birthday and I took him to dinner tonight at a great BBQ house.  (birthday folks get $10 off their meal and that usually pays for the meal).  Tomorrow is Father's day and the in town family will be coming over for food, swim and laughter.

Happy crafting

Seriously?

Oh my, Time has totally gotten away from me and here it is after Easter and I have not posted since before Christmas. No excuses this time.  I just have not blogged.

But let me give you a run down of the things I have been up to.

Christmas knitting and crocheting did not get completed other than the sweater for the Grand Daughter.  It is really cute but a bit too big for her.  She will fit into it next year nicely.

I do have pictures of the God Daughter in her Baptismal dress!

She looks like a little porcelain doll, huh?

My mother was so happy to be holding a little one again.

After Christmas I kind of got into a little business of making scarves out of ruffled yarn.  I sold quite a few of them and made a nice little amount of money from it.  I have plenty of yarn left to make more for next year and already have orders for a couple of them for Christmas this coming year.

Not the worlds greatest picture but it is off my phone.  LOL

I have also been busy making socks.  I have one pair done and am on another pair of bedsocks for my mom.  The first pair went to my daughter.  She loves them.  They are made out of Panda Cotton and she is amazed at how warm and cool they feel on her feet.  (I tried to tell her)

I did finally finish my Garden Tee that I started last July and it fits ok.  But since I have dropped 40 pounds it is a little too big.  So I washed and dried it since it is out of Pima Cotton.  It did shrink up a little bit and I love it and how good it feels on.  Here is the pattern

I have also been working on my daughters knitted log cabin squares too.  I also have made some new chapel veils for me and my friends.  (that used the sewing machine!)  

Other than crafts, hubby and I have been prepping the house for more painting and starting of the laying of our floor.  We have all the materials for both but just need the time to do it.

Am taking a trip this weekend for some much needed R&R and will only be gone for 3.5 days but I need a little break from everyday life.  I will try and have more pictures for you next post.

Happy Crafting.

Dear Readers

Dear Readers,

Please do not think that I have forgotten about any of you.  We all know this time of year is so crazy and that goes double for us crafters.  I promise I have not stopped knitting or crocheting.  Just the opposite.  I have been knitting up a storm!  In fact that is what has kept me from my blog.  I have spent every spare second I have knitting on a couple of very special projects.  One of them is still a secret but since the person it is intended for does not even know I have a blog I can tell you about it.

I knit a baptismal gown for our newest God Daughter.  She was born on 12/20/12 and is just so precious.  I started the gown over a month ago and finished it about 2 weeks ago.  I do not have a photo of it.  I think it would be best to take the photo when she is in the dress.  (or if I have some spare time I will take one and post it here)  The parents do not know about the dress.  I told them we would take care of getting the dress and mommy thinks I am getting some frilly lacy crinoline thing. Boy, will she be surprised.  The best part is.................this dress is so soft and cuddly and warm.................the baby will not have to worry about being all scratched up from  frilly stuff.  She will be very comfortable. 

The other item I am knitting on fast and furious is a hooded sweater for my Grand Daughter.  She picked out the yarn herself (she's 7) and I picked out the pattern.  I am hoping to have it done by Christmas for her.  She has been ever so patient about it too.  She knew I was doing the baptismal gown for Grace and would check in with me daily to find out if I was done with 'The Gown' yet.  One day she informed me that I needed to hurray up and finish the gown because "it's getting to be sweater weather" here in the Arizona desert.  I have finished all but 1/2 of the sleeves.  I am doing them two at a time and they should be done by the end of this weekend.  Then I will sew it together and present it to her for Christmas on Tuesday morning.

The rest of my YoP projects have been placed on hold until these two items of clothing are done and and gifted to their respective giftee.  I have never tried to make clothing other than socks before so this has been quite a challenge for me.  I have totally enjoyed doing it and look forward to doing more of this type of knitting and crocheting.

Once Christmas and New Years has past I will be back on board with the YoP group and looking over what is left to do on my list.  I know there is plenty but then I have to decide what it is that I want to do next.

So thanks for hanging in there with me and still checking out my blog to see if anything new has been posted.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Happy Crafting

LeftyCrafter!