A very fast summer!

I can't believe just how fast this summer went by! This post is long over due. There was so much I had planned to do this summer, but not much got done including knitting. Now that school has started I am hopeful that I can get into some good routines that include keeping up with my blogging. Things are good, very good right now. Hope it lasts :)

What did I do over my summer? Now let me think. I rushed my husband to the hospital because he was in incredible pain....low and behold he was passing a kidney stone, a first for him and hopefully his last. Here's the proof:


I moved my father again, but this time it was a good, very good move. I can report that my 93 year old Dad is finally doing very well. He had his gangrenous finger tips amputated and now he has pain free fingers. Hind sight is 20-20, and we now acknowledge that this surgery should have been done sooner. He has healed beautifully and is much happier now that he has been moved back into a regular room at his assisted living, playing bingo, etc. I even like his new room better than his old one.
Things work out for the better most of the time.

We spent 2 weeks on Cape Cod, one week in July and one week in August. Left my middle son home alone for the first time. He got a job finally(!!!) and was lucky enough to work full time all summer. Working agreed with him and he seemed to be a much easier kid to get along with.

I also nursemaided my middle son after he got his four impacted wisdom teeth removed. The oral surgeon really had to dig out the teeth on the bottom and he had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. He didn't have it easy, but he survived.

Moved my middle son into college. It was a very easy move compared to when my older son moved into college. He is pursuing engineering like his older brother, though he is not sure of the type of engineering yet. He started classes this past Wednesday and seems happy. He is only an hour away from home, so he can come home whenever he wants.

My youngest started his sophomore year in high school, also this past Wednesday and seem very happy with all his new teachers. He'll be playing tuba this year in band and hopefully trombone in the jazz band. I've been helping with the band uniforms (fitting, altering, etc) again this year. I was more involved start to finish which included taking and picking up all the uniforms from the cleaners. Having only one son home this year should prove to be much easier with less driving and fighting and cooking ;)

As far as knitting goes, I don't have much to show you except for another finished baby prayer blanket for church:

and a stack of washcloths....very boring.
All white ones, except for the last one I used scrap yarn to finish because I ran out of white yarn. Sometimes though boring knitting is good for your psyche, but I must admit there is nothing like an exciting project to get you motivated. Looking forward to becoming motivated again ....soon!

I am almost finished with a pair of socks. I've been trying to finish them, but I can't quite get there. I am not liking the pattern I chose very much, but will stick to it until the end....I am almost there! This has not been a summer for knitting unfortunately! My sister who lives in Oregon sent me another skein of her handspun yarn for my birthday in June. She never forgets me :)
Look how soft it is...I really need to find a project for all of her handspun yarn that I have been hoarding. Must put my thinking cap on some day and find a pattern(s).

In my future I do see lots of knitting, so hopefully I'll have more to blog about later. Until next time...happy knitting :)

Copyright ©2006-2010 hakucho, All Rights Reserved.

One thing after another

There is never enough time to do everything that I want. Blogging seems to be the thing that gets put on hold just because it lets me. Things are getting better and it is starting to slow down, so I am hopeful that I'll be able to post more regularly soon.

First of all my Dad is improving, thank goodness and thank you all for your thoughtful wishes. His fingers started to get infected, which in a way was a good thing because it helped him make the decision to amputate his two finger tips. He now is in much less pain and the fingers are healing nicely. Hopefully soon he'll be able to return to a regular room at his assisted living residence.

My middle son graduated from high school

and is working full time for the summer. We are sharing my car, which makes it hard with his hours being all over the place. He does not work a regular schedule. We're hoping he'll be able to get a car soon. I know it will make our lives easier.

My youngest has volunteered to play tuba

in his school band next September. We had to scramble to find a tuba teacher so he can have a few lessons before pep band camp in the middle of August. He's a trombone player, which he will continue play as well. Can't play tuba in a jazz band! He is borrowing the schools tuba for the summer and it takes up half my living room...but I'm not complaining mind you...we are fortunate  that we don't have to buy or rent a tuba.

My oldest son and his wife are now proud homeowners.

They closed yesterday on their brand new home, just in time to take advantage of the first time home buyers tax credit. They are ecstatic! Tomorrow we are helping them move. We wish them the best of luck. Good thing they both have good jobs, because they can't count on us for help...we'll be struggling with college payments soon.

My old gas oven in my stove called it quits,

so I had to make finding a new stove a priority. That's one thing I can't do with out. I ended up with a Frigidare gas range

and so far I love it. It was very reasonably price, but looks like an expensive stove. I'm looking forward to lots of cooking and baking.


I have been knitting. The only thing that was slightly exciting was a summer top for my son's wife for her birthday.

I love to knit for her as she always appreciates everything I have knit for her so far. When I saw the Blissful Blue Top pattern I immediately thought of her. It was an easy knit and I enjoyed working on it. The next project was a trio of bibs for a gift for a baby that is due July 6. An old standby...the Mason Dixon - Baby Bibs of Love.

I don't know the sex of the baby so I thought the yellow and orange color combo would be cheery. I'll get the package in the mail once I get the news of the baby's arrival. To be honest, I really have been very uninspired lately with everything I'm knitting....I'll show you what I'm working on right now later....but believe me you can wait...so don't hold your breath.

Remember the blanket

I knit for my friend's grandson....well, as a thank you Parker gave me a gift of some fancy cookies

from a local bakery.

Very unexpected, but greatly appreciated. It's nice to know that my knitting the blanket was appreciated. The little boy was sick in the hospital and they made the point of telling me he had his special blankie with him.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I can visit everyone and get inspired to start some new projects. I definitely need to see what everyone has been up to. I'm still playing catch up here at home and the rest will come along as well, slowly, but surely...I hope.

Happy Knitting :)




Copyright ©2006-2010 hakucho, All Rights Reserved.

Another bump in the road

Just when you think everything is fine and dandy, something happens to mess up the apple cart! Yes, I have been missing as of late. My 93 year old father caught a bug and things have not been quite the same since. Noro virus is the culprit. After he caught the virus during a terrible outbreak at his assisted living home, he became dehydrated and weak. He fell and was so tangled up in his walker that three CNA's needed to call 911. Needless to say he was taken to the hospital, given fluids and was released back home. He was home approximately 2 hours when he fell for a second time. The next day his doctor sent him back to the hospital because he was so weak. Three days later he was sent to rehab. He is going to lose the tips of two of his fingers on his right hand. He has dry gangrene due to the crushing walker incident. Provided he does not get them infected, the tips should just fall off themselves. It's a ghastly site to behold. My heart aches for him and his progress has been severely hampered by these poor fingers. He's been in rehab now five weeks. Five weeks in a wheel chair. Five weeks of being very dependent. He can walk with his walker, but since he is a fall risk he's restricted. He was given clearance to go from wheel chair to toilet, but fell on Sunday. I really want to get him back home....hopefully the day will come soon, sooner than later...I hope. In the meantime, I've been visiting him everyday. Besides that and taking care of my family I have not been able to do much else. I've pretty much just put my blogging on hold.

Knitting wise I did manage to finish the Lover's Knot blanket in time to give it to my son and his wife on Easter. I was so SICK of it by the end that I was so happy to see it go to it's new home. I embroidered a label. I copied the idea and saying from Rachael. I did write to her for permission first though :)

Keep in mind when looking at the label that it was embroidered by a knitter. I flunked embroidery. It really is a very poor attempt, but the sentiment is there. The piece of fabric is scrap of raw silk that my birth father who was in the navy brought back from Japan after WWII. ( Just to clarify: I never knew him (just all the legends about him) as he passed away when I was 5 months old. The only father I have know is my 93 year old father....I can't even say "step-father" as he has been my Dad since I was 2 years old :) )

Then my next project was a commissioned one! My friend's grandson lost his blanket that I had made for him about five years ago. He has autism and was very, very attached to his blankie,. My friend bought the yarn...he picked it out and I knit it up for him. It's nothing fancy,

but it is soft, very soft. It really made me feel good to know that he loved the original blanket so much that he was very upset when he lost it. They left it behind in a hotel room by mistake and the management didn't even think to save it, but threw it out instead...IMAGINE the thoughtlessness. Now Parker is happy...he has his new blankie :)

I will try to play catch up with my blogging once again, but I may not be too successful at it until Dad get's out of rehab and I feel I no longer need to visit him everyday. It certainly take up any spare time I may have. My knitting has suffered lately as well as my blogging. I'm not really inspired at all to start a new project. The only thing on my needles right now is a baby prayer blanket. That is all I can handle at the moment. Hopefully things will change soon.....maybe once I start visiting blogs again I will feel the need to start another project.


Copyright ©2010 hakucho, All Rights Reserved.