On the mend

When I said I was getting better last time I was wrong.  I think I just try so hard to be optimistic and I also really hate going to First Care.  I did have to go though.  I did have a sinus infection and an asthma type reaction in my lungs.  I had to take a round of prednisone for the irritation in my lungs and it's still not totally better yet.  I hope I don't have to go back in there.  I am almost done with the antibiotic and cough stuff so I'm hoping I can get back to normal now.  

My niece just got the box of things for the baby and she loved them.  I just got pictures of the baby all dressed up in the little outfit.  I make things for babies all the time and it's not often I actually get a picture of them in it or with a baby blanket or whatever.  It really makes my day to see those pictures.  I'll be making more things for her in the future. I'm going to plan out projects in different sizes that I can hopefully get finished in time for her to use them.  I have some yarn I've been holding on to for making a baby dress that I just never found the right pattern for so I think I'll use it to make something for her.  I bought it a long time ago to make something for a different baby and almost used it many times.  I'm hoping I will finally be able to find the right project for that yarn.  

This past week I have slept a lot because of the meds they gave me but when I wasn't sleeping I spent some time going through my yarn.  My husband put together a cube shelf wall thing a while back and then put one of those wooden crates from the craft store in each one.  That way I can pull it out and go sit down with it.  He sorted all the yarn into those by color for me initally but I realized I wanted to keep some types of yarn together so I've been sorting that out.  

It is really good to go through all of the yarn again as I'm getting lots of inspiration.  I've got a bunch of patterns saved that I need to use and a lot of bookmarked patterns online and on youtube.  I did start something that I've been wanting to try but it's not really working out right.  I thought it  would be a great way to use up some stash.  This is called kaleidoscope granny.  I saw a youtube video by Fiber Spider but I must have done something wrong.  It isn't coming together right and has puckers.  I was going around the whole thing with black but at the corners of the blue square it doesn't lay flat.  There needs to be more open spaces there so it's too tight.  I was sick and out of it on meds when I was working on that so I'm sure I just messed up.  I'm going to have to take out the corner sections in the red and green and see if I can figure out what's wrong and fix it.  I am better at working with written patterns or charts than videos.  I wish I had instructions for the whole thing instead of just how to get the smaller center part started.  

I just finished reading The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst and that was a cute fantasy story.  Not amazing but it was cute.  Here's a quote I liked.  

"It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was only that she liked books more. They didn’t fuss or judge or mock or reject. They invited you in, fluffed up the pillows on the couch, offered you tea and toast, and shared their hearts with no expectation that you’d do anything more than absorb what they had to give."

I'm a sickie sicker - or I should saw WAS (YOP)

I have been so sick.  I was actually going to get up early this morning and go to the walk-in clinic the moment they open the doors to have them check out my lungs.  If I go early I can avoid waiting in a crowded room full of other sick people and crying children for HOURS in very uncomfortable chairs.

I've been putting off going because It seemed like I was getting better but I started to feel like when I have an asthma flare up situation which can get bad.  I don't have that all the time.  I have allergy induced asthma but most of the time I have no problem.  I just don't think there's an allergen now but maybe just inflamation.  Sunday will be 2 weeks from when I got sick and it's been *rough*.  Everyone here got sick but I got it a lot worse.  Other people stayed home from work a few days and then went back to work but it seems like a lot of people had a round 2 and had to take a few more days off before they were 100% better.  I think that's what happened but I had a very short period of feeling better - less than a day - and then started feeling bad again - twice.  Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling much improved so I took some more meds and went back to bed instead of going to the doctor.  I no longer sound like a 98 year old chronic smoker who started smoking at age 8.  

This past week I did make a few things.  I have this ball of pink baby yarn that I've been trying to use up and I finally remembered what the yarn is.  It is Bernat Baby Coordinates in Baby Pink.  That is what I made the baby converse sneakers in.  This is left over from a baby blanket I made for someone a long time ago.  So I'm trying to use that up.  I made this baby dress that was in my Q.  The flower is made with Caron Simply Soft Party in Snow Sparkle (same as the shoes).  That pattern also had a diaper cover and booties but I didn't like them.  I feel like the diaper cover wouldn't stay on/up and I already made shoes.  I decided it would be cute if she had some little leg warmers.  I found a ball of white Bernat Baby sport in my stash that was left over from another project.  I used up that whole ball to make two pair of the leg warmers.  The pattern doesn't say how long to make them so the first pair are way too long - maybe as long as the whole baby lol  She's pretty small.  I made a small pair to go with the little dress.  I'm thinking the dress could be worn over a solid onsie so the butt would be covered.  Then I made a Bunny Lovey to match the blanket I knit in the Loops & Threads Soft Ombre yarn.  I am trying to fill up a small flat rate priority box so I keep looking for something else to make for it.  Last night I remembered that she likes angels so I made this angel out of a small ball of left over who-knows-what baby yarn.  I think this is a nice little starter kit and I'm probably going to be making a lot more baby things.  

I am rooting for a good week next week.  I have a lot of things to do and books to read!  

-Donna

YOP Update - I'm still alive

I've been feeling bad a lot but I don't like to write about that stuff here.  I try to keep it positive.  I recently saw a new doctor that would increase one of the meds I was already taking.  My primary wouldn't increase it - period.  They were willing to put me on multiple drugs that cause side effects and then more drugs to help with the side effects when this ONE that I already take and tolerate fine can treat 3 different things I have at a higher dose.  This new doctor called them and took over that prescription and now I'm starting to feel better.  It never occured to me that the key person to have in my corner would be my pharmacist.  I've been using the same pharmacy for years and years!  When I was worried about the side effects of the drugs I called her and she stepped up.  I'm doing much better because of her helping me get in with the doctor I'm seeing now.  

I had a few days where I felt really good and actually got some things done around the house.  One day I actually drove and went somewhere by myself.  It hasn't been very long and it takes a little while to work so I'm excited about this.  It has to keep getting better, right?   I'm hopeful.  Keep your fingers crossed my brain cells come back to the party.  

I have been knitting on the baby blanket and steadily making progress.  It is slow going though because it's a challange for me and I don't want to mess it up.  The baby I'm making it for was born on Sept 19th and she is so precious.  Everyone is really loving her but I'm so so far away.  I want to go see her but that's a really long flight (more like 2 - 3 flights from AK to GA and I just can't handle that right now.  It's over 4,000 miles.  I can't believe I have 2 great niece, 2 others that are unofficially adopted, and 3 great nephews.  I ordered a personalized baby onsie for the new baby and my niece loved it.  The problem is I ordered a 3-6 month size and she's tiny so I won't be seeing her in it for a while.  I didn't see there was a newborn size because it was at the bottom of the dropdown list after the biggest sizes.  I am thinking about ordering it but she will probably grow so fast. My 2 boys were both close to 10 lbs so this little 6.7 lb baby looks super small.  They just gave her her first bath in one of those little baby bathtubs and she looks super tiny in it.  Everyone thought my boys were a few months old when they were newborns because they were so big and long.  They had big heads that's for sure.  

I do have to say, I like that now the baby is born I feel less pressure.  I still need to get the blanket finished (before she goes to college) but the deadline has passed.  Now I can just knit and try to do a good job.  

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Update to update: It is finished! I feel like I leveled up with this one. I did so much tinking and tried to catch all the mistakes and fix them but I did forget the P in the psso a few times.  I am so P'd about that but I was several inches away by the time I noticed.  I did decide to end it a little early because I was running out of yarn (and patience).  It will be plenty big enough.  I did lose at yarn chicken though - on the bind off.  I was not happy but my husband is awesome!  I texted him since he was out and about.  I sent him a picture and he took his too-manly-self to the girly craft store and he bought the last ball of this colorway.  He even sent me a text with a picture asking, "This one?."  Yes, that one!  Guard it with your life!  I needed less than a yard.  I just wove in all the ends and washed it and it's ready to go transfer all my love and hugs to that baby girl.