Crabby McCancerPants socks

In my last post, I shared my black-and-gold socks and skipped over the last set of socks I knit for my dad! I got these 75% done when we were visiting my parents in Ohio and finished them by the time we made it back to Virginia. (Gotta love road trips where your significant other does ALL the driving.)

This yarn just called out to me as being perfect for my dad. It's Socks that Rock mediumweight in Crabby McHappyPants. It makes me think of fishing (which my dad loves). They're the wildest socks I've knit for him yet -- the rest have been solid or semisolid.



He calls them his Dr. Seuss socks (so appropriate)! I call them his Crabby McCancerPants socks. And speaking of that ... he is recovering from the surgery really well. I can't believe it was a month ago! He saw the oncologist last week and found out he doesn't need chemo or radiation -- just periodic CT scans and colonoscopies. I am so thankful! We are really, really lucky.

a new diagnosis

Last month, I blogged about an awesome Christmas gift -- an early biopsy found my dad was cancer-free (after a mass was found during a colonoscopy). He had surgery on Jan. 5, and, weeeeeelllllll.....

The more comprehensive post-surgery biopsy found that he actually has/had colon cancer. The surgeon is confident she got all of it out and that he won't need chemo, but we will see what's next after he meets with an oncologist next week. Tests of the lymph nodes came back negative for cancer, which is very, very good. So we are very hopeful here.

My boyfriend and I came to Ohio to visit my parents this week -- we found out the cancer news two days before our departure, so I am extra-glad we could make this trip! My dad is recovering well from the surgery. He and I have gone to the gym twice to walk a few laps, and he's feeling more like himself each day. We are hanging out and watching season 1 of "Modern Family" and having a nice time.



I delivered my dad's latest socks (which I dubbed "the hopeful socks" in person Saturday. Dad was willing to model them:





They're 2x2 rib socks, knit from two balls of Jojoland Melody.

I started another pair for him this week and knit an entire sock in 2.5 days. TWO AND A HALF DAYS. This is insanity, folks, even for me, because he has ha-yoog feet. I have not taken a picture of the finished sock, but I'm knitting them out of this yarn:


It's Socks that Rock mediumweight in Crabby McHappypants. I have dubbed them Crabby McCancerpants socks (what with the latest health news -- clearly we can find humor in even the toughest of diagnoses). Dad calls them Dr. Seuss socks. I have cast on the mate, but it won't be done before we head back to Virginia in a few days.

In the car on the way here, I turned the heel on the second sock in a pair for myself. I also knit nearly all of the leg. I finished it up in my spare time this week, so I have the second finished pair of socks in 2011:



I know I won't keep this frantic pace up forever, but I'm enjoying the swell of FOs right now!

Tomorrow is our last full day here, and we are going to lunch in Columbus and possibly seeing "True Grit," too. At the start of the week, my mom and I agreed we didn't need to go to any yarn stores, but, um, somehow our line of thinking changed. So we might sneak into Knitters' Mercantile tomorrow. We'll see if anything is purchased ... hmm ...

Mimi's shawl

After a furious few days of knitting (god bless the three-day holiday weekend, even if mine was Friday through Sunday unlike most Americans), the shawl for my grandma is DONE!



Yarn: Fearless Fibers sock yarn, colorway: Speak Softly (about three-quarters of the skein)
Pattern: In the Land of Oz
Mods: Knit charts 2, 3, and (to make it larger) chart 2 through row 14
Rav details

This was the second time I've knit this shawl. It felt like it went a lot faster this time, even though I made it bigger. Perhaps it just felt intuitive? Anyhow, I could see myself even making this a third or fourth time. It's a lovely, easy, well-written pattern.



My grandma is 88 on Wednesday but I won't be giving it to her until I see her in person next month in Pittsburgh. I cannot WAIT to give it to her. She's one of the most special people in the whole world and she deserves a shawl more than anyone!

visiting Missouri

I'm home from Missouri! (Um, I've been home for a week.) The trip was fabulous -- it felt so luxurious to get to spend four days with my mama!

We visited the Arch (just the base of it -- rides to the top were sold out) ...



Best of all, we drove nearly four hours to Mansfield, Mo., to visit Rocky Ridge Farm, home to Laura Ingalls Wilder (for whom I am named)!



This was a trip my mom and I had talked about taking for many, many years. We talked about it as a high school graduation thing, but my dad lost his job around that time and it wasn't feasible. Then college came, and summer internships got in the way. Then I had a job. Then my granddad got sick last summer. But this year, we finally made it happen.



We both teared up when we walked into the museum and saw Pa's fiddle, which featured so prominently in all her books. They had Mary's nine-patch quilt, which she made before she grew ill (with scarlet fever, I think) and became blind. They had countless "artifacts" (for lack of a better word) from her lifetime, including one of the tablets on which she wrote "On the Shores of Silver Lake." We got to see the very desk she wrote some of the books on, in her study. The house was lovely and I wish we had the opportunity to freely walk around the house and/or take photos indoors. Ah well. I will remember our trip always!

Oh yeah ... I might've taught my mom to knit a sock, too ...



I am so proud!

(I'll be back soon with a yarn-y report.)

my Granddad

My granddad passed away tonight, Oct. 3. His health had gotten progressively worse since I visited there two weeks ago. He entered hospice care Thursday, my parents arrived this morning, and he passed away with my dad by his side.

I didn't really blog about my trip there two weeks ago - but now I should share that it was truly wonderful. My parents and I arrived at the nursing home, and when we went into his room, he wasn't there. Then we heard this shout from across the hall: "Hey, baby!" where he was in physical therapy. It was a lovely day, sunny and temperatures in the mid-60s, so we wheeled him outside, where my dad gave him a shave and combed his hair.



He was really snappy - I don't know how else to describe it. We were talking about football, and my dad made a crack about Penn State (my alma mater). I responded saying something about how they were in the top 10, and my granddad slyly said, "Yeah, but counting from which end?" Then there was his statement upon seeing a certain nurse leave for the day: "If you ever want to get castrated, well ..." My mom responded with "Well, Dad, I hate to tell you but I don't have the equipment for that!" He laughed and laughed. It really was a wonderful afternoon and I'm so thankful we had such a lovely day together.



This picture is from November 2008. I was in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving and my family and I had breakfast with Granddad at his favorite - his only - breakfast place. This is how I will remember my granddad - in his watchcap outside of Tom's on the South Side. I'll be going to sleep tonight thinking about all the Saturdays he came out to our house in Eighty Four, Pa., to help my dad build a deck, and how he always took time to show me basketball moves. I am exhausted and can't think of much else to say except that I'll miss you very much, Granddad.

first lace

Back in June, I knit my first shawl and thought "yay! My first lace!" Well, I'm here today to amend that statement, for now I have *really* knit my first lace:



Pattern: Ishbel
Yarn:: Socks that Rock lightweight in Mustang Sally
Recipient: My mama
Time to knit: about 3.5 months (thanks to my ineptitude with lace, which I will explain below)
Mods: omitted charts D and E (details on Ravelry)

This was a secret knit for my mom's birthday -- I didn't want to post about the FO until I gave it to her in person, which I did this weekend.



I had some issues following the charts ... I started by knitting the small stockinette but made mistakes in early lace rows, so I frogged and knit the large stockinette size instead. (This doesn't make much sense ... if I had problems with the lace on the small size, I shouldn't have made it bigger, because it increased the odds of making more mistakes ...)

However, this meant I used a LOT more yarn, and I frantically contacted a few Ravelers to inquire if they had any leftovers from their projects in the same weight/colorway. Raveler Scathach was awesome and mailed me more than enough. But, um, as I tried to work the final few charts, I kept messing up, and in a fit of frustration, I ended up binding off after chart C, meaning I never had to use her yarn. I hung my head in shame and mailed her scraps back, and she was super cool about it. Thanks again, Scathach!



My verdict: This was a fun knit -- an excellent first lace project. I hope to knit it again (and, um, I'll knit all the charts next time).

I hope you like it, Mom! I hope you take a picture of you wearing it so I can post about it here.

I'm back from Pittsburgh. In fact, I have been since Friday night, but I just haven't had a chance to blog about it.

I wish I could express how relieved I am that I was able to be there -- to see my granddad for myself, to see him smile and wink at me despite everything that is going on, to knit and watch Westerns and war movies with him and my dad in the silence, and especially to be there with my dad because I know this is quite a responsibility for him.

While I was there, we found out he has bladder cancer that has spread. It is likely a matter of time before the main tumor causes kidney failure and he passes away. He is being moved to a nursing home within a few days, which I know he's not happy about. He hasn't been eating much, and I wonder if he's willing himself to shut down at this point.

So that's that. I've been happily distracted since I got back from Pittsburgh, because my brother and his girlfriend are in Virginia Beach for the week on vacation. Seeing them is helping take my mind off things for now. I've spent lots of time with them. They and I (along with my boyfriend) took a little road trip Monday to the Eastern Shore. We stopped on the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel to check out the views -- we saw a fisherman reeling in a three-foot-long shark. So cool!



We also visited Kiptopeke State Park and hit up the little village of Cape Charles for some mini-golf and cold beverages. They have had good beach weather all week -- it's just been in the 90s. So hot! I visited the beach house Tuesday and today. I've been wearing SPF 50 and sitting in the shade most of the time -- when I wasn't in the pool. I avoided getting burned, but the freckles on my nose are a little more noticeable.

Tonight, Josh and I are going on a double-date with my brother (also a Josh, for those who don't know) and Megan. I can't wait. Having my boyfriend and brother in the same room is just awesome. They are so funny -- and they're really, really good at teasing me. Together.

summer

Things seem to move slower in summer ... the heat makes it hard for me to find the motivation to do as much. And now that I've finished my Project 365, I haven't been picking up my camera as frequently to document things.

I do have a few photos to show you, though.



Scenes at the Chesapeake Bay:





I'm being shifted into high gear right now, because my granddad (my dad's dad) is in the hospital after suffering a series of strokes yesterday. I'm heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow for a few days to visit him in the hospital -- and just be there for my dad. I'm packing lots of knitting and preparing myself for a granddad who will likely be very different. He's lost ability on his right side and he's having some trouble finding some words.

All things considered, we are very lucky to still have him with us. My dad wouldn't have been in town, except he happened to be taking my grandma (my mom's mom) back to Pittsburgh after an extended stay in Ohio. She was going to stay until this coming Saturday but plans changed. My dad made plans to visit my granddad, so he showed up at his house and heard him calling for help. Who knows how long he would've been stuck on the kitchen floor until someone found him -- or if he'd even be alive.

I have some knitting to show, but it will have to wait for another post.

I'm home from Georgia and I seem to have brought back a horrid sore throat with me. I was off yesterday for the Super Bowl (thanks to a generous co-worker who traded shifts with me) and called in sick today, something I hatehatehate to do. So I'm a little cranky, but I figured I'd make the most of my germ-y day at home and update the blog and find the energy to do a little knitting.



It was a really great visit. I am so proud of my brother and it was fun to get to spend so much time with him and see the place he's been living since October.

Of course there was lots of knitting time on the trip. I exhausted my first skein of Malabrigo (colorway: Pollen) in a garter-stitch scarf.



I didn't think to bring the second skein, so I also cast on for a Clapotis with some STR mediumweight and knit some more on my rainbow STR socks. I have a $50 gift certificate to Blue Moon burning a hole in my pocket and I might succumb to it soon, as it's my birthday in nine days and the lure of a yarny birthday gift to myself is hard to ignore.

And of course, last night was the Super Bowl and my Steelers won. I watched it - and freaked out especially in the last four minutes or so. I could be more excited about their awesome victory but I'm kind of stumbling around the house with a painful throat and that's taken over much of my attention. meh.

merry Christmas!

I'm back from my trip to Ohio to surprise my brother when he got home from basic training for leave. He definitely didn't expect me. It was a very fun, very sleepless weekend. I got to see my parents' new house, which is nearly done and totally gorgeous. I can't wait for them to move in.

I also got to meet their new-ish dog Husky. They took him in after their neighbors in South Carolina couldn't keep him anymore. He is huge (about 90 pounds) and very mellow. I can't wait to see how Gracie turns his world upside-down in a few days when we head up there for a week. Here is Husker Du:



It was a fabulous weekend and I'm extra psyched for our trip there this weekend. I am hoping for lots of knitting time (to finish my coworker's Old Shale scarf - pics to come soon - and to work on something for me, finally!).

blah food poisoning

This post goes out to a certain restaurant that I am almost certain gave me food poisoning from its guacamole. Josh got it for me around 9 p.m., so maybe it had been sitting out for a while. Whatever the case, I've had a horribly upset stomach, chills, and was afraid I was going to barf for quite some time last night. It's eased off this morning, but I still am getting these waves of nausea, so I'm going to skip my six-mile run today. I hatehatehate skipping runs, but I don't want to get (even more) sick before my trip this weekend. I might try to squeeze in a run (even if it's only a few miles, not all 6) at the shiny athletic facility at my mom's college tomorrow.

I'm so antsy for my trip. I've been running around doing errands, and that helps keep my mind off it, but now it's almost here! I hope my brother is totally surprised. Cross your fingers for good weather and flights that are on time! (I'm connecting at LaGuardia on the way up and Philadelphia on the way back.)

hooray weekends!

This was a three-day weekend, thanks to the quirks of our scheduling system at work. I'm on a monthlong rotation of having Saturdays and Sundays off - but I had this Friday off, too. I've been busy baking cookies (chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip) - about 8 dozen of them, for a work surprise down the road - under the tutelage of my kitchen supervisor who was hoping I'd drop something her way. Sorry, pup.



I made dinner tonight, too - a roast in the crockpot, green bean casserole (Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic gives it some extra zing) and corn.

I finished the second Pitt mitten (Rav link) for my dad and blocked them tonight - they're sitting on the washer as the dryer dries a load of laundry, so they should be dry very quickly. I've already cast on for a pair for my brother (in scarlet and gray for Ohio State). I don't think I'll have any problem finishing them - the pattern works up really quick, and I'm going to stick to all my notes from the first pair so I won't have to come up with a new stripe pattern or anything.

Here's what's left on my Christmas knitting list: my brother's mittens, and a cowl or scarf for my co-worker. (I've abandoned the idea of making a hat for my boyfriend, as he's always warm and it's rarely cold enough to need a hat here. And, um, I've done all my shopping for him and am running out of time for knitting gifts.)

I bought two beautiful skeins of sock yarn at my new favorite Etsy shop EVER, Fearless Fibers. What can I say, there was a sale, and I was feeling a little shortchanged from my trip to Pittsburgh. I only bought sale yarn, and it's amazing yardage (550 yards) for the price. Pictures will come soon enough. But seriously, check it out for some gorgeous laceweight and sock yarn.

I've saved my big news for last - I just booked a plane ticket to be in Ohio two weeks from now, so I'll be there when my brother gets home from basic training for his Christmas break. We are keeping it a surprise to him. To say that I can't wait for this trip would be a huge understatement. The day after I booked the ticket, I got a letter from him saying he is having a tough go of it, so I'm really glad I booked the ticket. He said he's not good at shooting a gun (and is worried about having to repeat basic training because of it), he's not close with anyone in his platoon, that sort of thing. So yeah, I can't wait. I'll be there for three nights, back in Virginia for five nights, and then back up there for a visit. Whew.

Sorry for the absence; things have been a little rough around here so I haven't really felt like blogging. There were layoffs this week at my workplace. My boyfriend and I are still employed, but about 15 people in the newsroom aren't. It was a really depressing, stressful week. One of the toughest weeks of my (all of three-year-long) career, for sure.

It was a bad week for me running-wise, too. I can't even remember if I headed out in the past week. I think that means the answer is no. This morning, though, I got up early, bundled up and headed for a 2.3 miler. It felt really good, and was a reminder that my mood - and health - will vastly improve if I just make the effort to get out there.

I'm a little worried about where I am in my training for Shamrock - as in, I haven't been sticking to my plan I mapped out a few weeks ago. The upside is, I scheduled quite a few weeks of cushion time to get myself up to speed. I just need to get my butt out of bed and do it first thing in my morning. I'm trying to remind myself that my goal this time around is the Capital City Half, not Shamrock, since I'll be running it with my brother. Shamrock is the training for the real deal.

It's not all doom and gloom at Casa Laura, though. I stopped home to check the mail on a break from work and got two letters from my brother. Yay! I sat in the parking lot at Moe's reading them when I felt my cell phone vibrating. I looked at the display and saw a 706 area code - western Georgia. It was my brother!! I haven't talked to him in a little over a month, since he was getting on the plane to go to basic training. I have never been so glad to hear his voice. Words can't describe how my mood improved after we got to chat for 20 minutes. He was given free time because he had to serve in a funeral today, and that took his time away when other people in his unit had some free time. Yesterday, he had to serve on another funeral detail (he was asked to do this because he's so tall) and, because it was a bit of a drive off base, they got to go to Wendy's. (Side note - in just about every letter, he says how much he's craving a root beer float from Wendy's.) He has not had anything beside Army food in a month. Well, they were out of root beer, and he had to make do with a Coke float. His exact words - "Who the hell runs out of root beer?" And he was amazed at how gas prices have dropped in the past month. He filled me in on his graduation from basic training - and my boyfriend and I are going to make that road trip at the end of January. It should be really neat. (And I secretly want to drive across the state border to Alabama so I can cross it off my list of states to visit. Nerdy, I know.)

I'm trying to keep everything in perspective. The economy won't always be this bad. I am good at my job, and if I lose this one, I *will* get another one. Maybe in a more secure industry, though. And, best of all, I have a family and boyfriend who are the most important things in my life. Everything else will just fall into place.

weekend update

So, I've been a little bit sad lately. My brother left for basic training on Monday - he's joined the National Guard. I'm so proud of him, of course, but clearly I'm worried about his chances of being deployed. This is a long ways away, though, as he's going to OCS and another training-type thing (maybe military police school? can you tell I don't exactly know what I'm talking about?) before he's a military police officer. Most of all, I think I'm going to miss not being able to talk to him whenever I want (which is about once a week, but still).

So imagine my surprise when, 12 hours after we had our last phone conversation prior to his leaving, these showed up on my doorstep with a sweet note:



They are beautiful. Of course they made me all verklempt again, but that's OK. I've been admiring them all week. He called briefly from the airport to make sure they arrived, so it was great to chat one more time. He has been in Georgia a few days now. He got a few minutes to call our parents tonight, and I got the full report (his bunk is near the corner, which is clutch, and he got lots of shots today, including the biggest needle EVER - I'm thinking it's penicillin). I'm going to start a letter to him tomorrow so the minute I know his address, I can send it off.

My week was also improved by the arrival of some Socks that Rock.



Lettuce Knit in lightweight.



two skeins of Tlingit in mediumweight for a Clapotis.

I cast on for the Clappy tonight- at knit night, no less. I am really, really bad at following pattern instructions. I generally require absolute silence and alone time at the apartment. But I did the entire first section while maintaining a conversation. go me! I am going to start section two right now while watching TV. This is a risk, but it's one I'm willing to take. This is going to be gorgeous, I can tell.

a visit - and some running news

Sorry I've been AWOL, I was playing hostess to my brother this weekend! I bought him a plane ticket a few months back as a little present for the craptastic year he's had. But it's getting better - he just moved to a new apartment in Columbus, he's single, and he's making a big change (joining the National Guard in a few weeks). And of course he spent nearly every day here at the beach.

And he tried blue crabs:



I took a little video of the bay:



We took a day trip to Baltimore for an Orioles-Yankees game.



It was really fun - just a long, hot day. The game went on foreeever - it was 8-7 when we left in the middle of the seventh inning!

Now that he's back in Ohio, I returned to work where I've had a few busy days thanks to the Democratic National Convention. And tomorrow is my weekend again, thank goodness. I've got a lot to catch up on around the house.

And best of all, I made a not-so-triumphant return to running. Yesterday I did 2.2 miles and it was tough, but invigorating. I've got to get back to it, weather or no, because I've registered for two 5Ks - one on Sept. 26 and one on Oct. 18. The October race is the Race for the Cure, and I'm organizing a team from the newsroom again. I'm looking forward to both of 'em.

back from the burgh

Boy what a trip it was! We were on the go for the whole, short time we were there ... but I think that seeing my family totally rejuvenated me and I hit the ground running when we returned. The whole set of pictures from the trip is here, but I'll post a few of my favorites.

We went up for my cousin's wedding - here is Doug and his beautiful bride, Andrea:



They got married on the college campus where they met.
At the reception, there was a photo shoot of my grandma and her 10 kids:



It made me sad, thinking that my pap couldn't be a part of it, but I know he was there in a way. I still find it hard to believe he passed away nearly three years ago - and I feel like it's a lie when I have to tell myself he's really gone.

Here are my two favorite Joshes in the world:



And here we are at Kennywood:



It can be an intense experience, being around the sheer number of relatives I have (especially when you are not at all close with your own family). I think he had a great time though.

And as for my puppy dog, she seems to be 100 percent better. I'm so, so, so, so happy about it. We picked her up at the vet when we got back and found out she wasn't sick all weekend - and they fed her all her food (about twice as much as I asked them to - I wanted to keep her on a limited diet while she was there). Oh well. But I'm happy to report that her digestive system seems to be a-OK.

I'm off today but not tomorrow (like normal) - my boss asked me if I could work Friday since we're a little short-staffed this week. So I have a split weekend, but I'm totally fine with it. Usually I feel like I have a zillion things to catch up with when I return from a trip, but for some reason, I don't this time around. I've spent most of this afternoon working on my Fire on the Mountain sock (which juuuust barely fits over my heel. yikes).

what am I thinking? and good/bad of the week

I've joined Project 365 at Flickr. (That and the 365 group for crafty peeps.)



Here's my week in play-by-play form.

Work has been a breeze.
The good: A holiday falls on my day off work. I got a shift to work on a whole project that will appear in Sunday's paper.
The bad: My week included a day where my insides decided to hate me and I had to miss work Wednesday.

I got my hair cut for the first time since September.
The good: It looks nice. And the stylist blow-dried it straight.
The bad: The stylist got to me 40 minutes past my appointment time. She saw me knitting a baby bib and thought I was pregnant (after I told her it was for a friend - it wasn't an uninitiated pregnancy assumption. Her English isn't so hot). She got hit in the eye with a spray bottle after shampooing my hair, making me think I was going to get a lopsided, one-eye-viewed haircut. She abandoned me in mid-blow drying to take the foil out of someone else's hair. Argh.



Josh and I went out to dinner.
The good: We didn't go to one of the four places we always eat. It was a local fishing pier's bar - we had nice seats, it was breezy, it was sunset.
The bad: Service at this restaurant (at a local fishing pier) was slooooow. And they put beef on our nachos when we ordered chicken. And they gave Josh hush puppies when he ordered fries (this was OK with him, though, as he enjoyed the hush puppies). My margarita was way too girly.
The worst: It was wayyy too pricey.

My cousin was in the hospital with bleeding on his brain after a nasty fall.
The good: Bottom line, he's going to be OK. (He was at a hospital about five blocks from my apartment so it was very easy to go there.)
The bad: The serious injury (obviously).

So yes, the fourth of July is on my day off work - and Josh has the day off, too! We're grilling steaks on the George Foreman, having corn on the cob and roasted potatoes. YUM.

it's my weekend again?!

Man, four-day weeks go by so quickly! Today I worked on a project for about half of my shift, and it flew by. Before work, I took a trip to one of my LYSes that I haven't visited in a while. (One of the two gender-to-be-determined work pregnancies is, indeed, a boy. So more baby boy knitting is ahead! I told my co-worker Laurie that it's up to her to break the trend!) Anyhow, I enjoyed the Knitting Corner's new selection - and managed to spend about $30 on some notions (and yarn for baby projects - including Mmmmmalabrigo!). Pictures will come soon.

So yes, it's my weekend. I have no plans for tomorrow except to work out, knit and listen to Tom Waits - his latest tour began Tuesday, and I'm a little sad it wasn't anywhere near me. I have goals - to finish the toe on the last baby sock, and to cast off on Lori's cowl. And Friday I am planning on the beach and seeing "Get Smart" at one of the local Cinema Cafes - movie theaters that serve yummy food while you watch.

What's *not* stated but will be happening nonetheless is a trip to the gym each of those days! If I may say so myself, I've been pretty good about working out - four days a week. 60 minutes of cardio two days, 30 minutes of cardio + weights the other two. I think it's pretty much a routine now, and I'm really enjoying it (except for the loud-mouthed smelly cigarette-smoking woman who seems to go to the gym at the same time as me and comment on EVERYTHING on the TV. But anyway).

Today I booked a plane ticket for my brother to visit for four nights in August. I'm already looking forward to it! I imagine we'll go to the beach a few times, cook some nice meals (and go to some seafood places) and it will be a blast. He is very deserving of a trip to the beach, this past year has not been the kindest to him. I'm so glad we are pals.

hello from Ohio!

I've been internetless at my apartment since my roommate left (and experiencing serious Ravelry withdrawal) because I'm running into issues using my boyfriend's modem, so I figured I'd post a quick update from my parents' place.

Not having internet = lots of time to get knitting done! I finished my dad's socks (pictures TK) and just cast on for a sock from "Knitting Vintage Socks" for my brother (size 1 needles, eep). We've got a three-hour drive to Pittsburgh today so I'm hoping I get lots done. We're visiting my cousin who's in the hospital and my two-week-old cousin, Grayson, and lots of family. I can't wait. Oh and we'll be eating the best pizza in the world.

My mom and I already hit a yarn store - Knitters Mercantile in Columbus. It was HUGE and had lots of nice stuff. I was in the shopping mood, but not a whole lot jumped out at me. I got two pretty yellow skeins of Louet Gems and some Berroco sock yarn that is nylon/acrylic and super soft - I don't recall the type of yarn (for some reason I want to call it the 'model' as if it's a car, haha) but it was only $7 for yarn for a whole pair of socks, so I figured it was worth a shot. I had no desire to buy any more - I think my heaping basket of sock yarn has too strong a call right now.

I'm battling some kind of chest cough/sinus thing and it's made running difficult. I'm trying not to worry about it, I know I'll get back into it when I'm better. (Not like I'd want to run in this cold Ohio weather, huh?!)

gauge issues

The lack of posts is directly correlated to the lack of knitting I've been doing lately. I've had lots on my mind, the kind of stuff where you wonder if life is fair. For example, my dad has one cousin, who is the mom to two (adult) kids. The cousin lost her husband to leukemia about 20 years ago, and now her son, who is 32, just had an operation to remove a malignant tumor from his stomach this week. He's in ICU and is having kidney troubles and can't move his legs much, if at all. How is all that fair for any family to go through? I'm saying lots of prayers and hoping I don't have to think about the unfairness anymore, that it will end up OK and we can rejoice in his full recovery.

I was beside myself this weekend, too, when Gracie pup threw up and it looked bloody. I was beside myself at work that night, but my boyfriend stayed with her (and I left directions and a credit card for the emergency vet if she got sick again). She seems like herself again; I think she just ate something she shouldn't have. But I was crying and tense and contemplating her mortality and ugh. For the past week, I've just kind of stuck with the basics of getting through my day - going to work, phone calls with family, asking Josh for lots of hugs, that kind of thing.

Despite all this stuff, I've managed to keep running - it's been a nice time just for me. I had a great 4.6 mile run yesterday in the cold and today was a fast 3.2 mile run today with Bethany, my friend and intern at the newspaper. She has returned for a few days of working (and is staying at our place) before she up and moves to Australia (sniff ... but trying not to think about it). We are going to go to my favorite park on Thursday and I'm aiming for eight miles.

In knitting land ... I'm finding it hard to get my gauge in check on a fingering-weight sock - after working on the aran-weight sock for my dad (which fits, by the way!), I feel like I'm knitting too loosely, with stitches laddering and stitches are gapping. There's probably some kind of metaphor to be made about finding my gauge in life, but I'm too tired to come up with it and instead I'll squeeze in a little nap before work.