One Down, One To Go!

This is the cutest little short sock, I really love it. I'm going to have to make another pair as soon as these are done. They will work well with tennis shoes or walking shoes when I'm on my trip. I absolutely hate being barefoot in shoes.



This yarn from KnitPiks is so easy to work with and is stretchy so if you don't get it quite right, it's okay. Fortunately for me, I had my foot right there to check and it turned out just fine.





Since I never just buy one of anything I already have some in teal for the next pair. Of course this yarn was meant to be for my plane trip so I guess I'd better order some more real quick...

No Knitting Pictures Just A Little Quiz

No knitting pictures today, but I did finish one little lacy sock and cast on the second one. I just haven't had the right kind of sunlight for a decent picture so tomorrow, I promise.

Meanwhile, have fun with this quiz. I'm not sure this is really me, but I didn't cheat on the questions so who knows...

Your Power Bird is an Eagle

You are spiritual and able to soar to great heights. You are a true inspiration, and many people look to you for guidance. And you are quite demanding in relationships... but you're worth it. People know that you will become even greater than you imagine.

What's Your Power Bird?

I Need More Yarn

Because I'm really, really tired of knitting this stupid bag, or what is supposed to turn into a bag after felting....I'm not sure it will ever felt to the right size but I should know in a couple of days. Only the handles left to knit.



And I'm really tired of green socks...



I started something new. That happens every time I get a new yarn and this stuff arrived this week from KnitPicks and is new. It is elasticized so the socks will stay up and stretch just right. Last night I cast on for a pair of little ankle socks and I'm using horrors of all horrors, five short needles. I hate those things, I'm constantly stabbing myself, but I'm practicing using them because I hope to smuggle these on the plane for the trip to Greece.

My plan is to put them in my eyeglass case and hope for the best. It will be a long 12 hours without something to knit.



One part of the trip has been booked. We leave the first week of September for 6 weeks in Greece. I haven't booked the Germany part of the trip yet or the cruise. Still looking for that perfect

What's My Hidden Talent?

Well it doesn't appear to be knitting but I'd say this one is spot on. I tend to be a bit of a shit disturber. You try it and see...

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

There Is Some Knitting Going On

I'm still working on the messenger bag and it's slow going. The yarn is doubled up, the needles are too large and it's way too hot and humid for knitting. I only need 3 more inches before I can start the flap. I sure hope it felts down to the correct size.

Also on the needles are another pair of socks, one can never have too many.

Were leaving for Greece early September and Olympic Airlines has a ban on knitting needles. Can you imagine 12 hours on a plane without knitting? Neither can I, so I'm trying to figure out how to smuggle my 6" dp bamboo needles on board so I can at least quietly knit socks.

I did have one more picture of the bag but blogger is not cooperating tonight. I keep getting error messages, oh well...

Grrrrr...The Laptop is Down

What can I say...

Madonna - Live Earth Live from London 07.07.2007

Let's try this one, maybe it will work...

Look At My Molomakarouna

Bet you don't know what they are? Well they are the most delicious Greek Semolina Honey cakes and since it was a rainy day in T-Dot, I got this urge to be domestic.

I hope it doesn't last...


After much measuring, beating and shaping this is was the result. This was my first attempt at these cookies and I only tried them because Steve loves them. It is difficult to find really fresh ones here.


And after baking, ta da...here they are...

Actually, the truth is, I love baking. I hate cooking with a passion but baking, well I should have opened a bakery in my past life. It would have been a hoot.

The problem now is that with Mom not here only Steve eats my baking. I'm usually good for one piece of whatever and that's it, I don't touch it again. I really don't have a sweet tooth and my figure is thankful for that.

Next week it will be raspberry pies. I think there will be a bumper crop this year the bushes are just hanging full of berries. Should be fun...back to some knitting.

Take It Easy On The Knitting

That was the advice of my Rheumatologist today, "just lay off for a while" she said. Not a good news day for me. Today was my quarterly appointment with Dr. L and we talked about lots of things including my foot. The foot I broke two bones in two months ago and walked on it for one month before seeking treatment is not doing well. I wear a walking cast ninety percent of the time but during the ten percent I find the foot very painful.

I had new x-rays today and Dr. L. informed me that what was actually hurting was the adjacent toe that had arthritis in it. Not your run of the mill arthritis but a "particularly virulent strain of rheumatoid arthritis" is how she put it.

I also had some blood work done a week ago and seems that my immune system is over active and when I get stressed or injured it "sends out the little soldiers to fight" and according to the good doctor, "doesn't know when to quit". What does all this mean in real time, well it means that we have to stop the immune system from doing that because it's destroying my joints and I will loose more than my hip, which has already been replaced.

The treatment options are really limited here and the first thing we're trying is six days of high dosage of Prednisone on a tapered schedule. I've done this before and the side effects aren't pretty. I get all puffy, irregular heart beat (which will send my monitor crazy), insomnia, hyperactive, and lots of abdominal pain. But I guess for those few days I have no choice, I need to walk pain free again soon.

If this doesn't work, then there is the cortisone shot right in the foot, which I really, really don't want. It hurts, I'm a wimp.

The third treatment option, the one that scares me the most is the one she actually recommends the as the best. This would be chemotherapy in the form of a drug called Methotrexate. The side effects of this drug are pretty scary.

I'm not making any rash decisions here without doing a lot more research. I do know for sure that I don't want to go through another joint replacement surgery, the first one was plenty for me. I don't like hospitals, I don't find the treatment of patients in most hospitals to be very good and after what I went through with my Mom recently, I'm staying far away from them.

Having said all that, the heart monitor has been in place one week now and beeps at all hours of the day and night. I guess my heart does stuff even though I'm not aware of it so I guess this two week monitor is a good thing. The downside to this loop monitor is that I have to phone in the results nightly and it takes about 45 minutes to send through the phone line. That of course means no one can phone us during that time. So anyone of my friends phoning after 9:30 at night, too bad I guess.

I am cheating a little and working on my messenger bag and it should be ready in a few more days. Meanwhile, thanks to Amanda Cathleen for the tip of the Puffy Paint.

That's kind of hard to find here in Toronto since there aren't a lot of craft shops left but I did locate some in the little town of Haliburton, Ontario, which is close to our cabin. I will try it out on a pair of socks first before putting it on my good felted slippers....