Ringing Da Bell!!

Today was my last chemo treatment and they have a tradition in the chemo ward that on your last treatment you ring the bell. I rang the bell baby!!!
The 3-4 weeks until radiation starts will give me time to pretty much recover from the side effects of this treatment.
More good news - the pelvic ultrasound came back with "just" fibroids so I'll get a referral to a gynecologist and see what he/she recommends. My hemoglobin also went up to 105 thanks to all my bovine friends who have died for me.

It looks like a hot mess but I'm onto the body of Elizabeth - it's been perfect waiting room knitting.




Mitten Mania '10 has run into a bit of a sandbar - Amanda declared that she had enough mittens!!! I know - who's child is this?!? She allowed that I could make her a pair of black & white striped ones to match her new zebra hat but then she's kind of mittened out. No worries - I have a few friends & nieces with hands ... I'm Manic for Mittens!!!

On my way back from Julies on Monday I stopped in Mississauga for Krispy Kremes. I totally love those doughnuts and any time I'm close I stop in!! Kyle scarfed down all of the chocolate covered ones & when I called him on it he said, "I'll pick some up at Tim Horton's tomorrow". I told him that Tim Horton's doughnuts are not the same as Kirspy Kremes. He said that they were just as good. Philistine!!! No wonder I don't waste Hagen Daz, Lindt chocolate or real butter on my children - they totally don't appreciate quality in food!!! Seriously ... they think that margarine tastes the same as butter!!!

Progress

Mitten Mania '10 continues - Amanda loves this striped pair the best. I can tell because when we went out she tried not to take them off, to the point of turning magazine pages with them on at Chapters!! That truly makes it all worth it. I think that the Yarn Pirate mittens will be next.

I've been fighting off a cold for the last week, I'm feeling like I'm finally getting the better of it today. Still with the tight cough but the useless exhaustion is pretty much gone. PHEW!!





I finished the Classic Elite Molly scarf and started on the Elizabeth sweater. I know - that is a circular needle!! The sweater is done side to side and I really don't like changing from straights to circulars mid-project, it can really affect your tension so I'm rediscovering my circular needle skills.






The old Beaumark vacuum that I've had for about 20 years has finally given up the ghost. Mucking with it for 10-15 minutes to get it to start is a serious waste of knitting time & when I need it the most I'm afraid that it will not start at all. I've been wanting a Dyson for awhile & I totally got it at the right time - Future Shop had them on sale for $449 (sale runs until the 27th) so I price matched that at The Mighty Mart of Wal so that I could get my discount on top of the sale price. I ended up saving almost $200!!! I did a quick test run with it on the upstairs hallway and OMG - the amount of dust/dirt that it picked up!! Amanda just vacuumed on Tuesday and while she is not the most thorough she's not incompetent!!

I am almost excited to go for treatment on Wednesday - it's my last one!!! Then I've got almost 3 weeks of before I go down to Sunnybrook Hospital for my tattoo - it's a tiny little dot that marks where they need to aim the radiation. Seriously - aim for the scar dude!! It's a specialty tattoo that very few hospitals do. No worries though - I've set up a ride so it will be me knitting all the way there & back!! Then it will be 6.5 weeks of radiation every weekday, but the visits will be very short.
I'm feeling pretty good - tired still and there is a new thing; my eyes just won't stop watering!! It's annoying enough just sitting still, walking around inside creates enough breeze to make it worse and if I go outside ... tears streaming down my face!! I walk around stores dabbing at my eyes with Kleenex and I can see people looking at me like they want to ask if I'm okay but mercifully (or maybe it's a bit sad) they don't.

Mitten Mania '10

So here is a better shot of the new jacket & hat - nice bright colours on the jacket. And yes, she is looking a bit happier!! Apparently green is her new favourite colour.



Mitten Mania '10 has started strong and Amanda is very pleased!! She loves the matching/opposite colour combination. I use the mitten template in Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns - I like the sizing and the template covers an excellent range of gauge and sizes. Totally an investment that will pay off quickly!!

I'm sure that the Mania '11 may be mittens - as much as I (and every other mother) hopes that the coat will span 2 seasons, it is more likely than not that there will need to be another jacket with totally different colours.

I haven't had a DVD player in the living room for awhile and watching movies on the laptop was getting old. I finally bit the bullet and went shopping. I had decided that I really wanted a blu-ray player - they've come down in price enough and blu-ray discs are not nearly as expensive as they used to be. I got it set up (with some initial assistance from Amanda) and while it should have been easier, I sorted out the firmware (it's okay ... I giggle at that word every time!!!) upgrade and have Netflix running through it. I'm feel invincible!!! I bought Inception and The Last Airbender (based on the Avatar anime series which I watched in prep for getting the movie), both of which should be most excellent on blu-ray!!!

I got meds for the additional pain with cautions about taking days off when the pain isn't "so bad" as a precaution against addiction. Okay, I know that it happens but seriously ... the pain is caused by chemo which is going to end. Can we just be more concerned with pain management right now? Fortunately I do have days with less pain and I wouldn't be popping Percs every 4 hours every day anyway ... I have to drive sometimes and, more crucially, it would probably throw off my gauge.

I have one toenail hanging on by a band aid and another one that is going to come off at some point. I stubbed them, they bruised up within 5 minutes and they are going to fall off - this is probably the nail damage that they are hoping to head off by having me soak my hands in ice during the Taxotere treatments. Okay - I'm super happy that my hands are protected but I am a clumsy white woman ... why not pack my feet in ice too?!? I'm definitely going to ask about it for the last treatment. I know, it's a bit like closing the barn door after the horses are out, but I obviously need all the help that I can get!!

Mitten Mania '10

We interrupt our regularly scheduled knitting to show you the New Coat & Hat that our young lady is sporting. The colours are washed out in this pic - I'll get a better one tomorrow before school. This, of course, means new mittens which will be knit (mostly & for now) from stash. I know - an extensive stash is something upon which you can draw not just deposit!!

Believe me, I have explained to Amanda that not every girl is so lucky as to have Malabrigo Silky Merino & Yarn Pirate mittens - !!! I told her that these were not snowball-throwing, snow-shoveling mittens but keeping warm & looking good mittens. Not that she is not to shovel ... I told her that there are "work" mittens for that!! Classic Wool is still lovely, but totally more day-to-day.

In the throws of setting up for Mitten Mania '10 I discovered that I didn't have any 3.5mm dpn in 'da house!!! I quickly remedied that with a trip to Signature Needles! A set of 4.5mm also fell into the cart - I have Aeros, but surely an event such as Mitten Mania '10 (which will without fail be followed up with future classics such as Mitten Mania '11 & '12) deserves the elegance, beauty & functionality of Signature DPN? I concur!!!