Road to Recovery

Slowly but surely, I'm heading back to good health. I've been on antibiotics for a few days and finally, the sore throat is starting to go away. Now I've got antibiotic-head, where I just feel muddled. Kind of like having a few Irish coffees (with extra Irish) but without the taste.

Mike sees that I'm ready to climb walls, having been pretty much confined to quarters for a week now, so he's taking me on a field trip to Trader Joe's. How excited am I?

Will is sitting on the floor next to me having one of my old Predator action figures fight his Kids Next Door figures. Truly, this is my son. Such pride...

I have to figure out what the heck is going on with my digital camera - I need to modify the lighting and exposure for everything now, inside, outside, motion, you name it - and then I'll take some pictures of the massive knitting push I've done in my convalescence:

- Finished the collared wrap I worked on for my mom. I bought this yarn at a Smiley's Yarn Riot about a year ago specifically to make something for my mom because it is so her - very nice deep green with a thread of black running through. It's a DK weight, but I doubled the yarn to make the gauge. I got the pattern from The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville, which, along with her book, The Knit Stitch are just amazing for beginners through to advanced knitters. Love her. Her new book on Color is just out.

- Had a pattern for a cute layette in an old issue of Better Homes & Gardens Knit It! I used Lion Brand's baby chenille in lavender for my niece-in-waiting to make a hat and sweater (with daisy buttons); now all I have to do is sew it all together. I'll be waiting until I'm in full health to go sit at Karen's and have her help me, since I'm legendary about my loathing of sewing. I've got about three or four projects that I did all the knitting on, only to abandon when it was time to sew.

- Practicing my cable knitting now, and I made a nice Celtic-type of cable from another issue of Better Homes & Gardens Knit It! It's a baby hat pattern, but I used some stash just to get the feeling of knitting a cable stitch. It came out nice, now I think I'll try my hand at the hat. (I LOVE baby hats).

Speaking of cable knits, does anyone use things other than cable needles to cable knit? I have used cable needles a few times but get frustrated because the stitches just seem to slide off. I've had good results using a ballpoint pen without the cap and even a double-pointed knitting needles. Just something a little thicker than the thin cable needles.

Next up, I found a cute pattern for a little vest from Bernat using their Babylash & Satin yarns. I'll have to try one for my upcoming niece and my goddaughter. Who knew little girl clothes could be so much fun?