This Is The Week

This is the week of my surgery.  Even though I was upset because the surgery didn't happen a couple of weeks ago, now I am nervous.  Today is Tuesday (night) and the surgery is Thursday (afternoon).  I know this going to be good for me but I am nervous anyway.  Over the last two weeks I have had an EKG, CT, and Blood Work.

Meanwhile, I am breaking the rule I made, "not starting anything new."  I am going to participate in the National Quilting Circle quilt block challenge.  It is a block pattern every week for 9 weeks.  The blocks don't look very difficult so I think I will be able to do one a week and have a nice little quilt top in a little over 2 months.

 These are the fabrics I have chosen for this quilt.  All of them are from stash so I am keeping with my "no buying new fabric" plan.  I am terrible at buying neutrals so I know I will have to purchase some of those as time goes by. 

Weekender Sweater/Jacket

 This is one of the two sweater fronts that I have almost completed: knitting both at the same time.  I am currently working on the front bands and then they will be done.  I have to say that I was very confused when I looked at the picture and the band stripes ran up and down but mine were going horizontally.  Then I reread the pattern and early on it said that the fronts were knit from front to back rather than top to bottom or bottom to top.  Now it is making sense and the individual pieces are making sense.

So, once I was on the bands I brought them into the house to finish and began the sleeves in the studio.  And these start at the cuffs with 6" of garter stitch.  I am very close to finishing the cuffs and then will begin the pattern and increasing (and having to pay attention to the pattern).  The pattern is not hard but in the studio I watch TV and sometimes nod off, not good for following a pattern.  But I will try hard to get it right.

And now a not a dog picture.  This is Stubby sitting in my Auburn chair.  She sits and/or sleeps all over the deck and yard but I liked this because it gives me a chance to show one of the gifts my daughter-in-law (Sue) and son (Scott) brought to me a couple of months ago.  I had been looking for a webbed chair to have in the yard when I take the dogs out but I hadn't been able to find one.  Then when they came to visit one weekend they arrived with this chair and one for DH (purple for Northwestern).  It is so nice to have thoughtful children (in their 50s) and a cat that appreciates the finer things.

I am kind of resting for the next few days but hope to get busy after the first of the month.  Have fun,   Gari

Disappointment and Bounce Back

I really try to have a positive attitude but this past week it was somewhat difficult.  I went to my appointment with the surgeon who will be implanting the stimulator in my spine.  I believed I was going to have it done that day but rather it was a further consult (6th in this process) to set up the surgery date.  I was ready, nervous, and to be put off was really hard.  The surgery date is scheduled for 2/23 and, of course, I have pre-admission stuff to do first.  They really expected me to make the 220 mile drive to do this but I finally got them to let me get all that done locally.  I think I was not as "nice" as usual and I regret that but I also think I had been misled and I am quite tired of all of this stuff.  And there is one other thing.  Once the trial stimulator was removed the back pain came back with a vengeance.  No wonder I was ready for the next step. 

 I have a wonderful husband who, sitting in the dr's waiting room, knew I was going to need some comfort food.  He did some online research and found a really hole in the wall place that was highly rated.  The Fishing Hole is located in a small rundown strip mall but once you walk in the doors it is clean and classy.  And the food was wonderful.  Above you see Gumbo, a field greens salad and a light as air croissant.  Everything was wonderful and only a few bites in and my mood was significantly elevated. 

Since coming home I haven't done much sewing.  I did, however, finish my pillowcases and have them on the bed.  I also have pressed the fabric for my charity quilt but can't stand for long so haven't cut fabric, yet.  I have it all set up so that I can cut a couple of sets a day and maybe even sew the first part of the block.  Meanwhile I will be knitting and maybe even get back to working on my Sweet 16 project.

I don't know how everyone else sees it but at the beginning of the year there are so many new BOMs that appear online.  In the past I would start at least 3 and usually at least finished the blocks.  Now I have several I tried to do in the last 2 years so I have some (3-6) blocks done on each but nothing finished.  So this year I am not starting anything new and it is so very HARD.  I am saving several but I have not printed out anything new.  I think if I stay on this computer, I will have an ulcer by March.  😛

We are expecting company about every other week for the next month.  Fortunately no one expects me/us to cook for them so all we have to do is socialize.  It is funny that we hardly ever had visitors for the first 54 years of our marriage, but the last 2 years there has almost been a steady stream.  And we love it.

The weekend is almost here, so plan to have fun.  Gari

Fun in Alabama

I am almost done with my pillowcases.  One is ready for the final pass on the French seams.  The other is about to get it's first seam.  I like French seams because I like the neatness, even more than surging them.  I think this comes through my mother and grandmother.  Grandmother was a professional seamstress as well as a sewing teacher with Singer for many years.  And her daughter, my mother was an excellent seamstress.  She made all of my prom and graduation dresses and I must have been the best dressed girl there.  Unfortunately I did not inherited their skill.  It isn't that I couldn't sew, I just didn't like it so I have done very little garment sewing.  But give me a straight line and I can sew with the best of them.  😛

The above is my plan for the first charity quilt since I got sick.  I plan to use a disappearing 4 patch in multiple fabrics.  This is the beginning of using my stash: these are chosen from my "fat quarter" drawer.  I have two big dresser drawers of these sized fabric pieces: I have a long way to go to use them up. 

And this is how far along I have gotten with my new sweater.  Knitting the two fronts at the same time takes quite a long time but I will feel really good when they are both done.  In about 3 rows I will be adding more stitches on the opposite side for the collar.  Adding stitches will just make the rows longer, oh my.

And speaking of "oh, my," I completed the trial for the back pain stimulator and it was removed last Thursday.  The trial went very well with a significant pain reduction and because of that the permanent one will be implanted this coming Wednesday.  I am both excited and just a little nervous.  With the stimulator implanted I will have two devises in me (I have a pacemaker) both made by the same company.  My husband says I am becoming the bionic woman.

Now, lets all have a great and productive week.  Gari 

Linking with Patchwork Times.