mittens

Snowbird Mittens

Posted on by Dan

Dear Autumn, please do not give up…

Snowbird Mittens

…even though Virginia seems to be embracing the recent snow we just had.

Snowbird Mittens

I totally forgot about these mittens that she finished sometime during one of my lengthy stays in the hospital this Spring. But, I noticed she had them on as she got ready to leave the house tonight, so I snapped a few photos before she could get out the door.

They are Elli Stubenrauch’s “Snowbird Mittens” from Vogue Knitting, and knit with Rowan 4-ply Soft.

Snowbird Mittens

Personally, I’m not ready to let “it” do anything remotely related to the impending cold months. I’ve barely had any time to get used to and enjoy Summer, let alone Autumn. I sure hope there are a few good weeks of walking, raking, apple-pie-baking weather ahead before the snow decides to set in for good. In fact, I took the following picture to remind myself that the 3 inches of snow we just received was a fluke.

Autumn Leaf

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Biopsy no. 4

Posted on by Dan

My oncologist phoned us up on Wednesday to ask that I come to the clinic for another bone marrow biopsy. My platelet count had dropped (unexpectedly) which prompted him to schedule the biopsy sooner rather than wait 2 months for a follow-up. So, we went in yesterday (bright and earlier) to add a fourth scar to my lower back. I am getting the hang of these things, but I am very thankful for the availability of drugs like Ativan and Dilaudid (although, Virginia might argue differently, knowing that the stronger the dose, the cornier my jokes become, and they doubled my dose yesterday).

The test that they will use on this biopsy is something called a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Even though the last biopsy showed molecular remission, it only analyzed 500 cells. From what I understand, this test allows for greater accuracy, and will determine to what extent the remission has occurred. The Mayo Clinic labs have a pretty good explanation of the test. My oncologist, in theory, will be able to determine the course of treatment based on the results of this test, if their indeed is a change. Analyzing the marrow this way can allow for early detection of relapse, which will mean quicker treatment. The results, unfortunately, take a week. So, we won’t know anything until Wednesday.

In the meantime, life goes on. I’m feeling better and better, the hole in my chest is healing nicely, and since our bikes are fixed up, we’ve already been out several times. And, what better way to illustrate a return to “normal” than by showing some scratchcrafty goodness…

Keefely Mittens

…like, these Keefely Mittens that Virginia made (pattern by JoLene Treace):

Keefely Mittens

…or, this apricot pie I baked for a friend’s birthday:

Apricot Pie

Normal is good. We like normal.

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Project Catch-Up (Mittens)

Posted on by Dan

In addition to the socks I posted, here are the mittens that Virginia made over the last couple of months. This first pair is a pattern called Meida’s Mittens, by Nancy Bush (from her book “Folk Knitting in Estonia”).

Meida's Mittens

Meida's Mittens

These next ones are Latvian Fingerless Mitts, a pattern by Veronik Avery. Virginia made this pattern about a year ago, and decided to try it again with different yarn and different colors.

Latvian Fingerless Mitts

Latvian Fingerless Mitts

There is still more catching up to do. Next up will be sweaters (three of ’em).

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Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves + Mitts

Posted on by Dan

Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves

After making a pair of these fun hand-warmers for a friend, Virginia decided she had to have a pair herself. She modified the pattern to be a fingerless mitten (instead of glove) so she didn’t have to worry about her ring(s) getting caught up in the fabric.

Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves

Both pairs are made with bits of worsted-weight alpaca yarn (a few different brands). And, technically, these are more “cloudy” than “rainy” and the apple trees have all be picked clean. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, you’ll have to see the original pattern by Elli Stubenrauch (Elliphantom Knits).

Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves

Still plenty cute.

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Still Behind

Posted on by Dan

I should just stop making promises about updating this blog with much frequency. I have good intentions, I promise, but I am unable to deliver. So, while time between updates increases, so does the backlog of projects to share (which is a good thing, since it means there will usually be something to share with you when I actually get around to updating). And, as usual, it’s Virginia who is providing the scratchcraftiness. If I were to wait for my finished projects before posting, you’d probably be fine with checking back once every 6 months or so.

Latvian Fingerless Mitts

Fingerless Mittens

These are from Véronik Avery’s book Knitting Classic Style. She knit these using Shetland Spindrift yarn.

Fingerless Mittens

More Socks!

Sock #18 (52 Sock Challenge)

Sock #17 (52 Sock Challenge)

I gave up keeping track of the actual number of socks she has made. I find it a little sad that I’ve become somewhat desensitized to these marvels. Thinking back to when I first started this blog (way back in the days of SPIN | KNIT – all that’s left is this archive…) I would have probably spent two or three posts devoted to a single pair. Now, it seems like I’m throwing whole bunches of them in each post.

I think a balance can be struck somewhere closer to the original aspirations of this blog. A project a post seems out of reach. But, a post with more than three projects seems to be little more than an inventory listing. And, since I’m unable to follow through with my promises, I’ll only reiterate that my intentions are good. Stay posted!

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