Back in the Real World

My 30-days medical leave is over. Physically I'm feeling pretty good. The only lingering side effects are infrequent muscle spasms in the shoulders & back. I use them as my indicator when I've done too much - and quickly rachet it back. I'm back at work now & missing my lazy afternoons & evenings of knitting.

My wallet is breathing a sigh that I'm back to my day job to support my knitting habit (lol). The stash grew quite a bit over the last month as I enjoyed sales at Webs, kpixie, and elann. Finally took advantage of the "Hurt Book Sale" at Interweave to stock up on some titles that I didn't want to pay full price for. The books are fantastic, with no sign of flaws. The shipping costs were equivalent to a book price but didn't kill the deal. In the past month I finished the socks for DD#2 as well as the cotton tee.


















Have made great progress on the Oriel Lace Cardigan by Kristen Hipsky. A really fun & interesting pattern that keeps your interest between the raglan shaping and lace pattern. I'm modifying it quite a bit - first by using a heavier alpaca/silk yarn perfect for the fall. Also have decided to finish it with 3/4 length sleeves and a crocheted edging instead of the knitted buttonband and collar. Here's my "in progress" pic:



Committed to finishing it up over the 4th of July weekend so I can start on the next project. Haven't quite decided what that will be. If you haven't seen the Vogue Early Fall issue - check it out........gorgeous selections.

Happy Knitting!

Road to Recovery

It's been two weeks since my surgery to replace a disc in my neck that was pressing on a nerve bundle and causing lots of pain. In addition to the replacement, doctors fused the spine to ensure the new disc stays in place.
Getting lots of rest with the help of the family (my girls are awesome). No more pain in the right arm - just some soreness/stiffness in the back & shoulder muscles. Today was my first follow-up with the orthopedic surgeon who took these cool pics:






Still waiting on the return of my voice and of course all this came with some hardware (aka neck jewelry) that just begs for the "beadazzler":








I am blessed that none of this deters the avid knitter in me (lol) so I'm finally at a point where I can pick up the ole knitting needles. Here's the progress on Raglan Leaf T-shirt:

With a couple more weeks of recuperation, I look forward to clearing out the WIPs. Happy knitting everyone!