Knitting Scarves

It took me a couple of months but I finally finished David's "Sharks Scarf". This was knitted using a "shadow knitting" technique. When you look at it head-on it looks like it's striped, like this:




When you look at it from one of the ends then the sharks come out to play. Like this:


Here's David modeling his new scarf:






This is a scarf I knitted just before the Sharks scarf. It was made with a lovely mohair blend yarn that our friend Patrice gave to me:

It is very soft!!

Chemo Update, Garden

There's really been no change here in the Coleman household. I'm still recovering but have my full energy back. However, I still am not supposed to lift anything over 5 pounds until 2 months after the surgery so I still need Dave to do a lot for me. My appetite is back to normal and I am eating well. My chemo starts February 23rd and I will have it every other week. The oncologist has decided (at our prodding) that I should have an MRI of my liver before the chemo starts. This is because neither the PET scan nor the CT scan saw the 2nd tumor that the surgeon removed. Plus, the surgeon wasn't able to see the right side of my liver since it was under my ribs. So it would be good to get another image of that area.

Scarf news: The scarf is now about 3 feet long and I will make it 5-6 feet long. I think 6 feet is best. Then I will make another one like it and combine the two, to get a double think scarf. There are 2 reasons for this: First of all, it's a bit too narrow. I didn't actually plan for it to be a scarf to begin with but as my "practice swath" grew I decided it could become useful. If I had planned correctly it would have been 30 stitches wide instead of the 20 that it is. Doubling it won't make it any wider but at least what I do have will be nice and thick. The second reason for doubling it is that it is really curling up. I think blocking it should help but another way to fix it is to line it with a woven cloth or to double it like I have proposed. So, I have decided to make 2 scarves and join them. I'll be working on this for a while!

The fava are just about ready to mow down and till under but now we have to wait for the rain to take a break. Which is concerning me a bit. Once the fava are tilled then I will have to let it rest and decompose for a few weeks before planting. So, the longer I wait to till the fava the later it will be that I plant. Some of these things (like peas) need to go in rather early so I am a bit worried about that. Here's a pic of the fava now. My, how tall it's grown!

Also, here's a pic of the planter boxes:

The Brussels sprouts are growing nicely and the kale is very slowly getting bigger. I think once spring rolls around properly and there is lots of sun and some warmth then the kale will take off in earnest. So, we will be eating lots of kale and Brussels sprouts until the rest of the garden is in and growing. Here is what I hope to plant: corn, tomatoes (3 kinds), carrots, asparagus, salad lettuce mix, California blackeye pea, an heirloom red okra, salsify (description: Heirloom, native of Europe, tasty in soups and stews, or cooked alone. Plant in spring, dig in fall, a non-sweet parsnip-like root. This variety dates back to the 1800’s.), summer squash, spinach, peas, a couple of types of sunflowers. I'll also replant some of the herbs in the herb box that died off when it got cold.

Last, but not least, is a photo of the nice tulips I have growing on the kitchen island. Yes, you read this correctly. Here's the proof:

My Accidental Scarf

A week and a half ago, my mother in law, Mary, started paving a new path for my idleness. She brought over a few starter knitting supplies and showed me how to do the basic stuff. I started practicing on a light blue yarn and decided that if I keep going it will actually become a scarf. Here's how it looks today:

The dark blue band is also from a practice session. I asked Mary how to change colors in the middle of a project, so she showed me. I decided that a dark blue band on each end would look nice so I switched it back to light blue and will make the other end the same, when I finally reach it. I was also thinking that a fringe using a combination of the light and the dark blue will set the whole thing off nicely when it's complete.

So, anyway, I just wanted it on record that it's her fault when I spend money on knitting-related items. Just so my husband knows!

Decreasing Pain, Knitting, and Food

Dave said I should post... I wonder when he will start up his own blog?

OK, here goes. As it so happens I do have some stuff to say, so I guess it's time to make a new post. The pain has decreased to a point where I don't have to be on pain meds all the time. The last two days I took a pain pill only once per day, and nothing yet today. I'll only pop one if something starts to get too sore or achy. Otherwise it's feeling better. I still have trouble sleeping on my side, though. I try to roll over on it from time to time to give my back a break and sometimes it's comfortable and sometimes my ribs ache. So, I do it when I can. I am up and about most of the day now with perhaps a midday nap. I am also trying to stand straight again which will help my back a lot. We have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Thursday. Maybe he'll give me clearance to drive!

The other day my mother-in-law, Mary, came over to hang out with me while Dave was at a hockey game with his dad. She brought me some beginner knit supplies and an instruction book and tried to teach me how to knit. After practising yesterday I am finally getting it but I still need to learn how to hold the needles. I do this thing where I sort of prop the left needle up in my lap to free my left hand to manage the yarn. It's actually working quite well for me. They say everyone develops his or her own techniques. OK, I guess I'm developing mine! It may be a while before I can make anything useful. I'll start out with a scarf attempt and see what happens.

The people from work have taken up bribery! They have organized to make wonderful meals to bring for Dave and me to eat. I suspect the underlying goal is to guilt me into returning to work when my treatments are over! That's a joke, but no matter the motive, Dave and I are so touched to have such great people supporting us. Probably soon I can (and will feel like) meal prep again. But having ready to eat food in the fridge has been a real treat and has taken one task out of our hands during this difficult time.

Randomness

There's actually nothing much to pass on right now. Not much has been happening. I'm learning to deal with chemo more and more. I have a few types of carbonated drinks in my pantry so I have the fluids thing under control.

Yesterday I finally got around to fixing most of our water hoses. Most of the ones we have here were on the premises throughout construction and needed repairs, so I fixed all that I could, except for one. You can't fix the kink-free ones, I guess! The ribs inside the hose do not allow for a good seal.

Today I plan to put some systemic rose food/insect control down for the roses. Plus I may clean the furniture in the basement. The sofa and love seat down there are Dave's original set and are quite old. A good upholstery cleaning is necessary.

Also today we may go purchase a couple of privacy screens. When we have company we still don't like to close our bedroom doors all the way so that Theo can come in when he finally decides to come upstairs, so I'd like to get a screen. Plus the basement doors have windows so I think a screen for there would be nice for guests.

We also have to go up to Los Altos to pick up our pendulum for our new wall clock. (It needed some attention from the clock store.)

Dave had a job interview yesterday and is in "the process" for jobs at two companies. Hopefully he gets a job at the one he's most interested in.

How's that for randomness!