What is this?

 New adventures in quilting and knitting. The violet blob will be a new sweater for me. Rauma Finullgarn. Beautiful stuff from Norway. It is in reality a lovely dark violet. The Hubz keeps calling it purple, but no, it is NOT purple. It's violet and so pretty. Crummy picture because my idiot phone and colors do not get along. Think a much darker violet. Sigh.

One does not live by knitting alone. One must also quilt. So, here are 2 finished blocks for a new quilt. Yes, they are the same size. I'm never going to make a living being a photographer. Again, a pinch darker.

Supper tonight is cauliflower soup. Made it on Fri, and all I have to do is add a bit of half and half, and some grated cheddar, and mix it all up until the cheese melts. With it we shall have grilled cheese sandwiches. I just took out an herby bread from the oven. No point in showing you pictures. It's a loaf of bread. And the soup is an off-white liquid. So why take pictures?

Velcro season has arrived!

 It's finally that time of year: Velcro Season! And what is Velcro Season? It's the season of flannel sheets, flannel comforter cover, and flannel nighties.  You cannot roll over in bed when everything is flannel. Trust me. Flannel sticks to itself. So if you want to roll over, you have to do it aerobically. Lift your body, twist in the air, and then plop down. 

It's a cozy, delicious way to sleep. About as hygge as you can get. But you can't roll over. 

Here's what else you need to think about. Today I put on the flannel sheets and wanted to put the cover on my comforter. Sigh. the dopey cover stuck to the sheet. Got it on anyway, but it was interesting. 

And in honor of Velcro Season, here is one of my favorite quilts. Not flannel, thank goodness.

It's a bit darker than the picture. Can't remember when I made it. It's been around for a few years. Mindlessly dopey to make, which is my kind of quilt. I really should use this pattern again. 

And speaking of quilts, here are 4 blocks in an upcoming quilt.

Again, a bit darker in real life. Each block will have a border that will contrast with the outer triangles. I've done this design a few times, and each time, the quilt is really pretty.

And that's it. Knitting is proceeding as usual, but I have no good pictures to share. I'm working on yet another Rauma little sweater. I love these lightweight pullovers. They are perfect for fall temps. Not warm enough in winter, but great right now.

I don't remember when I started this

 I have no idea when this was started, but I finally sewed it all together today.  

In real life, it is very vibrant, not washed out as in the photos.  Clearly I have no future as a photographer, but it is what it is.

On top of the bed, hence the general wonkiness.

A brand new quilt top

 Ah ha!  I actually have a quilt to post.  Well, a top, but almost a quilt.

All wonkiness is because it's on top of the bed, and on top of another quilt.  Hence the somewhat weird picture.

Getting around

After more than 3 months of my husband suffering with side effects of Keytruda, we are starting to see lots of improvement.  Whew!  What a relief!

He's doing out-patient PT twice/week and doing marvelously!  He can walk safely with a walker, with a cane, and with a shopping cart.  We bought an extra walker that he keeps in the trunk, and wherever he goes, he judges whether to use the walker or just the cane.  

Yes, you read that correctly!  He can drive again! The guy is getting around and loving it!  He's back to doing stuff that he likes:  markets (yes, he's a supermarket freak), thrift shops (yes, he loves thrift shops). It's pretty amazing.  Clearly, the meds are leaving his system.  His therapists say that he is strong and has good balance.  What they are working on is drop foot, and even that is improving.  He found a simple foot brace that's comfortable, and gives proper support. We don't know if this condition is permanent, but he can live almost normally at this point.

What's coming up in the medical world?  Sigh. Fasting blood test on Mon. (that's kind of normal, although he usually doesn't need to fast). On Wed, he has a kidney ultrasound and preps for Thurs PET scan. He sees the oncologist the following week for the PET and blood test results. We're hoping that there are no signs of the cancer.  At this stage, we know nothing, and if it's present, we don't know how it will be treated since immunotherapy is forever out of the picture.  But we'll deal with that when we come to it.

I'm feeling some relief as well as trepidation for the test results.  That's just the way it is.

I'm keeping my sanity as usual by knitting and quilting.

Here's what's on the needles:  a brown Shetland sweater.  It will have drop shoulders and a crew neckline and when it's finished and blocked, all this wonky color work will be smooth and perfect.  Trust me.  I've done tons of this kind of knitting.

The brown is a bit darker, and is a heather.  Beautiful stuff.  All the yarns are J & S Shetland and bought at The Woolly Thistle. I don't knit these things tightly, so a # 3 needle for rib and background, and a #4 for the color work. 

Quilting is wonderful.  The brown and green quilt on the previous post has made it to one of the kids. I donate them to kids and grands and my sister. 

I'm in process of sewing tops together.  Finished 1 with 3 to go. No pics yet. But here's a quilt that I just bound.

Real life color is a bit darker. The top picture is fairly close to reality.

And so it goes

Lots has happened since my last post.  The husband started and ended Keytruda treatment.  His form of cancer responds to immunotherapy rather than chemotherapy.  So an infusion of Keytruda every 3 weeks with tests, consults with the oncologist, and so on. After his second infusion, he became dangerously ill. A trifecta of effects resulted:  myositis, myocarditis, and hepatitis. Bad stuff.  Really bad stuff.  Had he had the 3rd infusion, he would have died.  So, he was immediately put on prednisone.  Yes, I know.  Prednisone has its own complications.  But he's done very well on it and is now coming down on Wed to a 5mg tablet every other day.

His numbers are fine.  Echo cardiogram, etc are all fine. Very very slowly, after in-house PT, he is starting to get stronger.  Must use a walker for support, along with a cane. He's learned how to go up and down stairs properly. He has lots of good exercises, and out-patient PT will really get him strong and, hopefully, to the gym.

It is a lonely process.  Our kids come when they can,Call and text us.  Siblings are there, too. Friends respond often.  But at the end of the day, it's totally on us.  Nobody can walk this with us.  We're fortunate that we love each other and are patient with each other.  We spend a lot of time discussing our feelings. But it is truly lonely and difficult.  There has been no cancer treatment even discussed since the onset of the Keytruda effects.  Not much point in talking about cancer when the treatment is killing you.  So, I don't know where we go from here.  We have an oncologist appointment next week, and we shall see.

I'm lucky that I am a crafty woman.  Knitting and quilting keep me happy, and he's better enough so that I can do errands and leave him home alone.  

Diamonds quilt. In real life, the colors are a bit darker.  It looks very autumnal.  Sitting on my bed right now.

 

And in progress, a Jacob's Ladder quilt.All the blocks are made, and I'm now sewing the rows.

And on the knitting front,yet another sock.  Always have a sock in progress. Always.  You never know if you will be in the ER for hours.  Plus, it's something to do while waiting for the endless doctor appointments.  The sock bag sits right next to my pocketbook. And not only does it contain yarn and sock-in-progress, but also pretzels and leftover airplane food. 

 

And that's the story, Morning Glory.

Good intentions

 I had the best of intentions at the beginning of the year to revive my blog.  And then, life happened.  It's been a medical roller coaster for us.  The Hubz has seen 16 doctors since the end of February, had a trip to the ER (where we were during the earthquake), and a gazillion tests and such.  He now has a diagnosis and treatment.  Immunotherapy, which is now showing side effects.  So not much energy on my part for posting pretty pictures.

However I have been very productive.  4 pairs of socks, 'cause that's what I do while in the ER and various waiting rooms.  No pics.  They are all stockinette and very pretty.

One Shetland hap shawl for younger DD.  The yarn is Shetland, the lace is Shetland, but the shaping is not.  I made 3 triangles just because that kind of shape really sits well on the shoulders. I like it so much that I'm now making one for me.  Don't have a picture, just because I don't.

This is mine.  Color is a bit darker than the picture. The shawl matches an old silk skirt of mine.  It's one of my favorite skirts, and this will be very pretty with it.

Quilting is also going on.  I started a Jacob's Ladder quilt a couple of weeks ago. It's delightful mindless work.  Here are 2 blocks.  I have no idea on how I will actually arrange the blocks, but this give one idea.

 

And that's how I'm keeping my sanity.  I've also now gone back to the gym, which makes me strong, agile, and healthy.  And I come out of a workout feeling full of endorphins!  Yay!!

And the earth shook under my feet!

We had an earthquake yesterday around 10:20 or so in the morning.  I was in the ER, sitting next to the Hubz, the Patient (who is considerably better but will be there for a day or two more).  Ground floor.  And the building shook. Really shook!  Magnitude was 4.8, which is nothing from a west coast standpoint, but a lot for New Jersey (east coast and on bedrock). The epicenter is about 12-15 miles from here, so not far away at all.

It seemed to go on forever.  Not much damage that I could see.  A few things fell off shelves at my house. There are lots of aftershocks, but I think I have felt only one.  And I was sitting in a Starbucks in the hospital around noon today and I think I felt a something move.  On the other hand, my table was wobbly and needed a shim under one of its feet.  So who knows?  At any rate, I don't ever have to feel an earthquake again.  Been there, done that.

And what was I doing while all this was going on?  Knitting a sock of course.  What else do you do when you are in the ER for 7 hours?  Medicinal knitting which soothes my soul while I worry about the Guy.

I'd take a pic of the sock in progress, but it's just a sock in stockinette. We knitters knit through storms, floods and earthquakes!  And also in Emergency Rooms.

And that's all the news here.

Scrappy blocks for a scrappy quilt

I love making scrappy quilts.  The idea of using up little pieces of fabric always makes me happy.  Basically, I get a quilt top for nothing.  

The little blocks are 1.5" squares.  The bigger ones are made of 2.5" squares.  All used as leaders and enders. I'll border the tiny blocks so that they are the same size as the bigger ones.

Remember this?  I'm pulling my 1.5" pieces from this box.  I keep adding to that box.  I'll probably never use all of this stuff up, but who cares?  It's just fun to play with them.

Here are some more finished blocks. Yes, they need to be trimmed,but I don't do that.  I just sew the fool things together and it all works out at the end.

Full string quilt

Taken just now on a sunny (and cold) day outside. I love making string quilts.  It's all about the color!

A new spring quilt!!

 I love making string quilts.  Anything goes, and they are mindlessly easy to do.  So this is the latest one.

Spring Poem, yet again.

 You know what today is, right?  First day of spring.  So here's the annual spring poem!

Spring Poem, yet again.

Here it is!  The Spring Poem

High up, over the tops
Of the feathery grasses, the grasshoppers hop.
They won't eat their suppers,
They will not obey
Their grasshopper mothers and fathers who say:
"Listen my children, this must be stopped.
Now is the time your last hop should be hopped.
So come eat your suppers and go to your beds."
But the little grasshoppers just shake their green heads.
"no, no," the naughty ones say.

"All we have time to do now is to play.

If we are hungry we'll nip at a fly,
Or nibble a blueberry as we go by.
But not now. Now we must hop.
And no one, but no one can make us stop."

The end.

What is this?

 Ta da!  Finally joined up the arms and body on my yoke sweater.  Started on Dec 31.  Took me long enough.  The truth is that I can't knit as quickly as I used to.  But it doesn't much matter.  Color work, here I come.  (Well, after the couple of inches of grey.)

It is a darker grey.  Yoke colors will include the borders but add more deliciousness.  I just love working Fair Isle sweaters.

Yarn is Jamieson & Smith Shetland, bought at The Woolly Thistle.  

And speaking of Shetland, we're currently watching Shetland on Britbox.  I have no idea what took us so long to watch this series, but it's wonderful.  Now if they would just take a shot at all the yarny goodness. 

Scrappy blocks

 4 scrappy blocks made from leftover fabric.  Larger blocks are made from 2.5" squares, and the teensy blocks are made from 1.5" blocks.  Cute little guys.

I'm doing this as a leader/ender project. It's such fun, and I'm not going to make a dent in my scraps.  Not even a little dent.

Little itty-bitty squares

 I'm happily cutting out 1.5" squares from fabric scraps.  Can't tell you why I like doing this, but I do.

My plans are to do a scrappy quilt using both 1.5" and 2.5" squares and some strips.  Pattern is by Lori Holt, and it's calling me.  Checkerboard Chain quilt. 

It's amazing how many teensy squares you can get from stuff that you'd toss. 

 A new Shetland yoked sweater is in progress.  Bodice is done.  It will be the right length, trust me. Shetland yarn from Jamieson & Smith.  Bought from The Woolly Thistle.

I have about 5" on the first sleeve.  Finish that, do the second one, join into a yoke and then have all the fun of Fair Isle work.  I love doing this stuff.

A Feb quilt finish

 DD saw this in progress and grabbed it.  Pictures are of it before washing, so no crinkling.

Taken on the kitchen floor, and a bit brighter in real light.

What's new?

I started a new quilt.  So far I have one block made. I'm using at least 3 different collections of French General from Moda.  They all live nicely together. A new collection is coming out sometime this month, and of course, I'll buy a layer cake.  Those fabrics may make it into this quilt.  Or not.  At some point, I'll use it.  I do save these collections.

The red is not so bright.  The camera being the camera, it's always iffy to get those deep muted reds.  But still, you'll get the idea.  

I may border each block with an off-white, or not.  Depends on how annoying I find it to match those points. So, the way the photo is presented here, it has a little white border.  I like it!  Going to use it on the blocks.  Make less blocks and no points messing about.

I might be back

 After a very long absence, I might just be coming back.  Why?  I don't know.  Because.

I realize that I produce lots of knits and quilts, and I really don't keep track of them. So, maybe I'll post here again.

So, to start, a sweater finish for January. 

This is a gansey, not an authentic one, but my own version.  Authentic in terms of patterns used, but the yarn is not a gansey yarn, nor does the sweater contain an underarm gusset or shoulder strap.  And the yarn is Killington yarn from Miss Babs.  

But I'm not a fisher lassie, and I am not interested in producing authentic garments, but rather whatever I like and made by and for me.

Began on Dec. 31, 2023 and finished Jan. 25.  

Killington yarn is Size: 350 yd / 4.2 oz (320 / 120g) skeins
Content: 85% Polwarth wool, 15% Tussah silk.
Gauge: DK weight. 5.25-6 stitches per inch on US 5-7.