Two Wooden Sticks and a Ball of Wool

Calling for Squares

This is Luke.  He is 8 years old.  Luke was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenus Leukemia) when he was 6 years old.  He had a successful bone marrow transplant when he was 7.  He had been in remission and in doing routine blood work this March it was discovered that Luke's AML has returned.  He is now scheduled to undergo chemotherapy, radiation treatment and hopefully another bone marrow transplant.

The Warming Grace project wants to send Luke a blanket.  I need 63 five inch squares in any shade of blue (Luke's favourite colour) in a soft yarn ASAP.

Calls for squares have been so successful and I thank you all so much.  We have had more than enough squares to complete 6 blankets so far which is awesome.  Unfortunately, many of the squares I have received have been unuseable for the following reasons:

1. Yarn - not soft, some downright scratchy (please rub it against your face or on the inside of your wrist)
2. Size - 5" is 5", not 3" or 6" - it is really hard to put together the blankets if they aren't relatively uniform
3. Quality - it is unfortunate that I have received squares that are so loosely knit they are unuseable, or there are huge holes in the middle or somewhere in the square.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the efforts people have put into knitting and sending squares; however I won't send out a blanket that is not first rate to a child who is putting up such a brave fight.

I am hoping that I can get lots of  5"  squares (and kid friendly colour in a nice soft yarn - please no acrylic), particularly in the blue shade as soon as possible.  If you can help out thank you sooooo much.  Email me at [email protected] for my snail mail address.  Please post my request on your blog if you can(there are so many blogs who have a much bigger readership than I do currently).  I thank you so much.  My goal is to get Luke his blanket by the beginning bit of May (taking into account mailing the squares, getting the blanket sewn together and mailed to Luke). 

A Blanket for Alisa

This is the blanket that was sent to Alisa in February.  This is blanket #6 from the Warming Grace Project.  I am so proud. 

My awesome blogless friend Carole did the finishing (I love you chick!) and the blanket and a couple of goodies were sent to Alisa who is dealing with cancer.  I did receive a note from the person who helped me to get the blanket to Alisa and they are so very thankful.  As always I owe a huge amount of gratitude and thanks to all the knitters who donated a square for this blanket.  You guys rock!

Some close up photos of parts of the blanket.

I'm not sorry...

This week a wise person I know told me I say sorry waaaaay too much on my blog (which is definitely less than I do in person - sad to say but oh so true), particularly in relation to my ongoing illness issues.  I had set this intention to be where I felt at my best - emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually, by my 50th birthday (that would be November 29, 2010) and coming to terms with the illness(es) is one of those goals. 

Realistically, while I know that the lead poisoning can eventually be eliminated through Chelation, the Fibromyaligia is an auto-immune disease which will never be cured (alleviated at times) and the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is well, no one really knows what the heck it is, something to be managed.  I think it has taken me 14 years to come to this conclusion.  However a great deal of time (and consequent energy) has been spent by myself apologizing for it; what I can't do, what I can't manage, how I can't participate, what I can't give or haven't done, given or accomplished, etc., etc., etc.

I am by nature a life loving person and it has been hard to sit on the side lines imagining my life more fully lived and participated in, admittedly feeling jealous of those who just do and take it for granted, punishing myself for not being more able and definitely not accepting what is.  What is.  Two very hard words for me to come to terms with.

So back to those intentions.  My goal is to learn to feel more worthy just where I am, with what I have, with what is, and not feel like I always have to apologize (you know for not posting more regularly, for not getting around to the blogs I love, for not being more active on Ravelry, etc., etc., etc.).  Definitely a process.  So I am going to work on not being sorry.

With that in mind, here are my photos of Nick's hat trick (as per the Ravelry Hat Trick KAL) - knit and photographed in January.  He's almost sorry that spring is coming (the prospect of golf definitely softens THAT blow...lol) because he has seriously been rocking the hats.

Hat Number One - Your basic hat in Morehouse Merino 3 Strand in the Seacoast colourway.  He wanted one just like Dad's so this was the first.  The sunglasses are the new thing in his 15 year old life and he wears them ALL the time 'coz they are cool.

Hat Number Two - I made a hat to match his MAC sweater which he really, really loves.  I reversed the knit stitch on the brim so it could be folded up, replicated the rib stitch AND did a mitered decrease for the top. 

It turned out pretty neat and he really loves it.  Made from Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Stone, Russet and Tri-colour.

Hat Number Three - I totally scored with this one.  It is Thorpe from Kirsten Kapur and I knit it with Manos in the Woodland colourway.  I was truly impressed with my crochet edging as this was a first for me and it definitely lends itself to the finished project.

This is Nick's favourite....by FAR.  I did have to cut the braids (too long) and Nick insisted on the addition of the following:

the pom-pom.  A surprise to me but he seriously insisted, and RAVED about the result!  My first one pretty much sucked so I needed to fix it up a bit.  He was very happy with the end result.  It is the hat he wears the most.

He is also very happy that Ed doesn't have one (and Ed was Jonesin' quite a bit after he saw the finished Thorpe hat!).  I love the thick and thin quality with the Manos and am really pleased with the result.  I was also very impressed with knocking out 6 hats in a couple of weeks (granted they aren't really difficult knits).  So both my guys got their three hats and me?  Two hat tricks!  Who knew.