Pink dragonflies

Doing the happy dance because the Dragonfly socks are finished ! They were the perfect project to get my knitting mojo back on track . I'm pretty happy with them overall . My only reservations have to do with the yarn (Wendy Happy 4 ply ) , which is made of 75% bamboo and 25% nylon . It is  incredibly soft , the colour is very pretty , but knitting with it is a pain in the a** . It's very splitty , you have to be super careful so that you don't have any errant threads hanging loose . I've also found , now that the socks are finished , that there is very little stretch with this yarn . I don't have any more in my stash and probably wouldn't go out of my way to buy more . Thank you Dee for hosting this KAL !

Last week I did a stash assessment and reorganization . It was getting so that I had bits and bobs of yarn spilling out of bags and storage containers . It was driving me crazy looking through it to find something for a specific project , so I didn't bother and just went out to buy what I needed .  The sock yarn was fairly well organized but the rest was a disaster . Lately I've been considering joining the Come - Blog -Along and their Year of Projects on ravelry . I've hesitated because my blogging has been rather haphazard since last Fall . My life these days doesn't lend itself to that kind of commitment , so I 've decided to just KAL with them informally on my own . Having gone through and reorganized the yarn and then assessed the ravelry queue I've come up with a plan to reduce both the stash and the queue . I've almost 500 various projects listed there and given that I generally complete an average of 20 to 30 knits in a year its seems to be an overly optimistic queue . I'm using it as more of a wish list than anything else . I've got some patterns and yarns matched up and I'm eager to start knitting . It feels good to have a plan and we'll see where it takes me ...

Long time no post

Mostly because life just got in the way . Suffice to say that there was just so much  going on that I kind of lost my get up and go in all kinds of ways . Then Mike's computer died so we're supposed to be sharing this one . At least I'm sharing , him not so much . We've had a lot of unexpected expenses this spring so a new computer is not on the agenda for just a bit .  Summertime is here and the living is easy , or at least easier .

My knitting mojo is coming back , thanks to Dee and her Dragonfly socks  KAL . This pattern has been in my ravelry queue since 2010 . I'm so glad that Dee came along to move it up to being a cast on not just a work in mind .I'm not sure that I chose the best yarn to show off the pattern , but I like it . It makes me think of Maynards Swedish Berries candies which are one of my guilty pleasures .

Till next time ... maybe there will even be a finished sock !

Saturday fun

The first ever Montreal Pinepple Challenge was held today at the park on Ile Ste. Helene . Our son Max participated as part of team calling themselves Nolan's Titans after their inspiration little 17 month old Nolan, who is undergoing treatment for this disease . Nolan is the nephew of Max's friend and colleague Greg who was their team leader . It was a lighthearted way to raise money for research and to support  patients and their families . They had a perfect day and these guys and their support team raised almost $4000. Mike and I went to cheer them on and follow them through the 5km course . I just couldn't keep up with them , they were way to fast for this Omi . I kind of parted ways with them half way through but managed to get to the finish line just as they were doing the last two obstacles . A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon  !

Weekend

Why is it that the weekends seem to pass by so quickly ? Even if you're retired  they just fly by . Now that Mike and I are up in the wee hours with our grandson Mason from Monday to Friday , I'm finding that I really look forward to the weekends so that I can sleep in a bit . And here it is Monday already and the last day of April to boot .

We had a fairly quiet weekend with some catching up on the yard work , shopping and Sunday brunch with the family . I have to admit that it was Mike doing most of the yard work as my back is still not 100% . I'm getting there but don't want to push it too much . The weather has been cool and rainy . Disappointing after that gorgeous weather we had in March , but c'est la vie .

We saw a couple of movies on Saturday night . We rented the last Mission Impossible , Ghost Protocol , not my choice , but it was an okay movie .If you've seen any of the previous ones you know what to expect , lots of action , predictable plot with the usual assortment of bad guys . I really got a lot of knitting done on my April socks during that one . The other ,  Moneyball with Brad Pitt , was on the movie network and it was actually better than I expected . I have to say that I enjoyed it . Yesterday we had the family in for our almost weekly Sunday brunch . I don't mind getting up early to prepare it , it's nice to have everyone together , but best of all is when they all leave because the rest of the day is mine to do with what I like . I love Sundays !

I found myself a little wind sheltered corner out in the back yard and finished off these socks yesterday . I was anxious to get them off the needles because I have some new knits in mind . I've been searching ravelry and tossing the stash trying to match up patterns and yarn . So many ideas , so much yarn and so little time ....

Better

Quick little post to thank everyone for their comments and kind words on my last post . After a week of rest and taking the meds my back is on the mend . I still have a ways to go before I'm back to normal but at least there's no more  unbearable pain . I'm under strict instructions from the family about not picking up the little ones , no matter what  . The upside of this has been that Mike is picking up the slack when it comes to the housework and cooking the meals . We've had takeout more often than usual . The downside of the recovery is that sitting too long is still painful so there's not been very much knitting going on  . So walking , weather permitting , and reading are what has been keeping me sane this last week . Oddly enough , walking doesn't seem to bother me too much but , man , do I seize up if I sit for any length of time .

Knitting progress has been slow on both the socks and the stash busting shawl . I've also been itching to cast on for something new and have checking out patterns on ravelry every chance I get . I've been going through all of my yarn and trying to match up patterns and available yarns from my stash looking for inspiration . No success yet , but some definite possibilities .

This handsome guy is my ever ready walking companion .  You just have to say "Alaska , do you want ...."  and he's bouncing around ready to go .

A trip to the ER

Last Friday afternoon while I was playing outside with Mason , I ended up injuring my back . I was picking him up so that he could go down the slide when I felt a kind of a pop in my lower back area . It hurt like the dickens at the time but after a bit the pain was less severe . I figured a couple of Tylenol would do the trick . Saturday when I got up the pain was worse but still the Tylenol was helping along with a couple of Voltaran applications , recommended by the pharmacist. Well by Sunday the pain was intolerable . I couldn't walk , sit or stand without experiencing excruciating pain . Even lying down didn't offer any relief . It was the worst pain that I've ever felt .

 Mike wanted call an ambulance but I wanted to get washed and dressed and get there under my own steam . The 10 minute ride to the hospital was absolute torture . The triage nurse after taking my blood pressure which was sky high by then , gave me a pain killer . It took the edge off , but the pain was still unbearable . Fortunately , I didn't take too long for me be seen by a doctor . After having an x-ray, the conclusion was that I have arthritis in my back  but  that I most  probably tore a ligament or have another internal injury that can't be seen by a simple x-ray . If this pain persists I'll have to go back for an MRI . In the meantime he's put me on some major meds for pain , some muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory pills. I'm seeing my family doctor on Wednesday as it turns out and since he's affiliated with the local hospital , he'll be able to see the results online and judge for himself  about the diagnosis . Once the pills kicked in I had much less pain , but they knocked me right out .

I'm feeling better today , mostly thanks to the pills . I can't stay in any position for too long before everything starts to seize up and the pain gets worse again .Anyways we'll see how it goes after a few days rest and a course of anti-inflammatory meds . I'm really hoping that will do the trick .

All that medication has me somewhat loopy and not able to focus , but I did get some knitting done this am . I finished off one sock and started the second . I'm not very happy with the yarn as there have been 5 breaks and knots throughout the skein so far . Most of them were at the same point in the colourway , but the first one was not . Hence these will be fraternal socks because I can't be bothered trying to figure it out , I'm just going with the flow .

Easter weekend

The actual holiday was yesterday but we had the family in for Easter brunch on Saturday . The kiddies made out like bandits with tons of chocolate , candy and Easter eggs , some new clothes , toys , namely a doll for Stella , tricycle for Mason and Jessey got a new DVD (Chipwrecked )  and a bubble maker . The tricycle will actually be kept here so that Mason and Stella can both use it . Our street is very quiet with not much traffic . Since all of them are here often it made sense for me to keep it here . This house is starting to look more and more like a daycare  according to Mike . It's been cool and overcast for the last couple of days , so it was an Easter egg hunt with everyone well bundled up . They all still had fun and enjoyed playing outside .

Last week we had a new fence installed . The old one was beyond repair and finally bit the dust . You can see the back section in the photo of Mason and Alaska . It's a chain link fence , so low maintenance and it should last a long time. To save a bit of cash Mike and Max tore down the old wooden one and we installed the privacy slats on three sides ourselves . We're really happy that it's done . The next big project for this year will be a new roof . Another job for Mike and sons . This will have to wait till the fall . The bank account needs replenishing ...

As for me this is what I'm up to today . I've declared it a pyjama day with lots of time for knitting , reading and tea drinking . Not a bad way to start the week !