Life's a Stitch

Have you ever had a headache that keeps you from knitting? I’m not talking migraine here, I mean one that is migraine times two, a headache that brings you to your knees in tears. This was a first for me having never in my adult life cried from pain. And why, with a headache that even every four hours of percocet and several doses of Imitrex couldn’t control, that kept me from food and knitting for two days, would I hesitate getting help? Stoicism can only go so far.

Back to the hospital  we went with my severe spinal headache. It’s caused after spinal anesthesia, when you develop a leak in your spinal fluid, lowering the fluid pressure to a point your brain isn’t being supported properly. No wonder there’s pain. And nausea and lots of other severe symptoms. Permit me a mini rant. I spent more time in the hospital with this headache than having my knee reconstructed partly due to the fact that I don’t fit the spinal headache demographics. Apparently my spinal fluid pressure level defied my age, letting me experience something usually reserved for spring chickies, not a tough older hen like me. So I laid still for eight hours in a dark room waiting for a chance at a cure. I think their ulterior motive was to have this thing resolve itself, which wasn’t going to happen. My road to hell was paved with good intentions, I packed along two knitting projects that stayed abandoned in my bag all day.

After careful consideration of the risks involved, I was given a shot at a procedure called a blood patch. It’s where you have an epidural, but instead of anesthetizing drugs, your spinal area is injected with four teaspoons of your own blood, which clots and seals up the leak.  I’m getting into the more than you want to know department, I know. I call it therapeutic blogging. Indulge me, please.

To make this long story short, thank you, Dr. Ho, for going beyond your doubts and allowing me the chance at relief. It worked, and recognizing his talents in pain control, I asked him where he was when we first moved to Canada and there weren’t routine epidurals for childbirth? I became painfully aware of the answer – he wasn’t even born! OK, maybe born, but still looking for a Fisher Price doctor kit under his tree.

I will post this knitting picture, to stay within the knit blog rules. This is me in more painfree times, having just finished Sally Melville’s Shape It Scarf in Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair:

I’m not feeling nearly as happy as in that first photo. I guess Chuck was right – the hospital drugs wore off. The best part is being home instead of the hospital – decent food and all the comforts. The worst part is the whomping headaches/nausea I have in the mornings, presumably due to the spinal. Oh yeah, that knee is pretty sore.

This is a picture of my lifesaver, a Polar Care 300, which pumps ice water into a cuff around my knee. It’s not covered by any of my medical plans and I wasn’t going to spend $200 on it, but it turned out that my friend had one from a previous surgery. Believe me it is worth the money. I read a study where the dr said patients like it so much that he has to threaten to surgically remove it after three weeks.

Knitting –  Ah yes, this is a knitting blog. I’m working on a Christmas gift of the no mind variety of knitting. I promise I’ll get back to Marina once my head clears a bit.

Thanks again for all your good wishes. This is the view from my bed. Doesn’t it look like the flowers (from my wonderful coworkers) where rolled right out of that painting?

Thank you all for your wonderful good wishes. At this point I can’t e-mail you all from bed, so please accept this blanket thanks for now. Blanket, bed, a drug induced pun!

It was a good experience due to the spinal. I got brave and watched the screen for the first hour and a quarter, but asked for drugs and the curtain before the screws went in. I don’t remember most of the last 20 minutes.

It hardly seems right that there are so many really sick people with serious problems in the hospital and I’m taking up space with something so mundane as a knee graft. And three cheers for the Canadian medical system, despite my prior comments, I hobbled out of there at the end of the day without having to pay one cent.

Chuck says to tell you that I can even turn a hospital experience into a knitting experience. To nurse Maureen, how’s that sweater working out? Chuck’s only concern right now is that he knows that the drugs will wear off.

Here is part of my welcome home committee: that’s Betty, from Germany, working on one of her two projects.

This will be my last post until the middle of next week, hopefully. Knee reconstruction calls.

I went for an anaesthesia/cardiology consult today and they will try to get by without a general considering my heart rhythm. It will be a spinal and enough sedative to be between snoring and really enjoying listening to screwdrivers and other power tools. Sure, I believe that. He said I’d feel so happy that I’ll even ask to watch what’s going on. Why am I doubtful? The other comfort (?) is that a friend has scheduled a mass for me on Monday. Too bad I can’t be there. To celebrate everything I bought a cane with purple flowers. Chuck says it’s very me.

I have knit three Shape It scarves over the past three weeks, finshed two other scarves and am just about done with one more. You know how I deal with stress? With a colour and texture tranquilizer:

Last week, Elina and I went shopping for gloves. I’ve never worn gloves in BC and always seem to misplace my one pair prior to visiting colder climates. I tried on about 30 pairs before we found a display of reasonable priced suede gloves in wonderful colours. I think it was a lavender pair that felt as if there was some sort of loss prevention device inside the glove. I pulled off the glove to discover a gold cocktail ring sitting nicely on my middle finger. "What is that?" said Elina. "I think I stuck in my thumb and pulled out a plum," said I. I reported it to the mall lost and found and placed a found ad in the paper with no responses to date. One theory is that the ring is so ugly that the person would rather collect on their insurance rather than claim it. I just can’t help but think that someone must be missing it. We had fun fantasizing about melting it down into something else a bit prettier, but I feel like I’d be melting someone’s dreams away. For now it will sit patiently awaiting a call from its owner.

Things seem a little calmer on the kid front. I’ve been knitting away on my Manos scarf and it really does calm the brain and the nerves. The herringbone rib has a nice rhythm to it.

Here is the almost finished product from last Saturday’s watercolour class:

Some days are like this, I know. The 22 yr old is teary after the pressures of being a nurse to a critically ill six pounder, scared to death that she would have to perform CPR on this little guy; the 20 yr old is overwhelmed with the decision to accept an eight month position 3000 mile away, requiring severing ties with the BF; and the 15 yr old has informed me in anger that I shouldn’t expect him home tonight. Deep down I know it’s just a threat, but even still. And one week till surgery. Calgon, take me away. Maybe when I get some time to knit my brain can put it all into perspective.

I survived the stink of dead mouse in the wall at home, and the scent of Chompers – Elina’s cat in Edmonton named for Dr. Phil’s cat, to arrive in Ottawa to a hotel suite that smelled like Raid. I made the mistake of complaining and they said they’d send some Febreze up to my room. Instead, they sprayed with the disinfectant that they use when a smoker defiles a nonsmoking room and my eyes haven’t stopped itching. In the relative scheme of things, it’s a minor complaint, but when the migraine started I requested a change of rooms. Should have done that right from the start.

Thinking more positively, this has been a trip of FO’s. First is the scarf that never ended, until now that is, Rachel’s Good Ole Cable Scarf knit in Fonty Alpaca from my stash. The second is another Shape It scarf from Sally Melville’s book in Fleece Artist’s Goldilocks. It was intended to be a shawl kit, but I think I’ll get two scarves out of it. Yes, that’s the lamp modelling it in my hotel room. Nice neck, eh?:

Tomorrow it’s back to the real world in Vancouver. Actually, that won’t start until I go to work on Monday. First, on Saturday, it’s a painting flowers in watercolour class with my students, daughter #2, a co-worker and a friend I met in a previous painting class, followed by Chuck’s Christmas party, always in November, at Harrison Hot Springs. This is a pretty good life, don’t you think? I’m not complaining.

Ever have one of those moments when, after the fact, you realize your heart is visibly pounding through your Philosopher’s Wool sweater? Using the Philosopher’s Wool sweater was a bit of artistic license, but I wanted to emphasize the fact that it was beating really hard. Here’s the story:

I’m at Elina’s apartment in Edmonton, which she shares with Jenny. E’s boyfriend is around a lot, but this afternoon E and BF were both at work and J was out. BF was due back sometime in the afternoon to pick me up to go where else? Shopping. So. I’m home alone watching Meet the Parents and knitting. The phone rings indicating someone is at the front door. E had told me to pick it up and press 9. I picked it up, asked who it was, and receiving no answer pressed 9. I unlocked the door for BF. I heard a knock at the door and thought it was strange that he was knocking. "Come in," I said, and he did. Only it wasn’t him, but a big burly rough looking guy who came in, locking the deadbolt behind him, taking up the entire doorway.

"Who are you?" says I.

"Does Jen live here?"

I thought it was strange since Jenny doesn’t usually go by Jen, and he really didn’t look like the kind of guy she hangs out with, but ever helpful even when terrified, I said yes.

"Who are you?" I repeat.

"Is Jen here?"

"What’s her last name?" What a stupid question to ask. Even though he was blocking the only way out I wasn’t that threatened, as he seemed genuinely confused.

"This isn’t the the right building is it?" says he.

"I don’t know," I said, "but you’re giving me a heart attack."

He truly felt badly, and left sheepishly, asking me politely not to call the police or anything. He left saying, "I can’t believe I just walked right into this building."

I promptly closed that door and deadbolted it behind him.

Looking back I realize what I did wrong in that situation, but I never felt panic. I wonder what he was thinking. I think it was a case of mutual shock.

My trip to Edmonton is winding up, but not without a trip to River City Yarns, Edmonton’s newest yarn pusher. They had lots of different stuff – Lili Chin yarn and patterns, two kinds of bamboo, a good selection of things I don’t usually see, but I ended up with some Noro silk garden for Sally Melville’s Shape it scarf and Baby Alpaca for a ribbed scarf:

 

On to Ottawa!

UPDATE (August 2006): I am adding this review of the Knit Picks Options set, which I’ve owned and used for the past month:

• Cables are very thin. Can be a good or bad thing.
• I’ve had two cable failures, where they pull out of the metal piece that attaches them to the needles. Knit Picks has been very good about replacing them, but knowing that it has happened to me twice, I wouldn’t use these needles for a complicated lace pattern. You don’t need the frustration of picking up dropped yarn overs.
• They are very sharp. Sharp enough to break the skin. Again, sharpness can be a good and bad thing.
• There is no way to attach cables to each other, like in the other sets. If you want long needles you have to purchase specific lengths.
• The size of the needle is not embossed onto the needles, requiring the use of a needle gauge to be sure you are using the correct size.
• They are as slippery as Addi’s.
• Options may be the nicest to knit with, but the Boye set is still the most reliable.

Original Post: Flying this week, I’ve had knitting needles on my mind. I mistakenly put a project into my carry on that contained addis and a cable needle. Not a problem, thank goodness, unless you’re flying through certain US airports.

I know I own too many needles: a set of straight bamboos given to me by a woman with MS who could no longer knit, plenty of Addi circulars, a Denise interchangeable set, a Boye Needlemaster set and too many miscellaneous needles to count. I’ve been asked which interchangeable set I prefer, so here’s my review:

Boye Needlemaster set:

• contains sizes 2-15
• a little rough in texture but good for slippery yarn
• sharp points
• stiff cables
• have never come apart when I’ve used them – the trick being to check their tightness each time before I start knitting
• haven’t been plagued by the yarn catching at the join as mentioned on other sites
• don’t really  like the join when adding additional cables to make a really long needle – stiff and awkward
• a great value when purchased with a Michael’s coupon
• needle colours occasionally interfere with yarn colours making the yarn difficult to see
• cables screw into needles
• makes that shoop shoop sound when knitting

Denise Interchangeables:

• needles are slightly flexible
• neutral needle colour
• are very quiet, no clicking sound, silent against each other
• sharp points
• comes in sizes 5-15
• very flexible cables that stay relatively flexible when more than one cable is joined together
• has come apart or even broken while knitting
• good warranty service – e-mail them and a new part is sent right away
• the case is similar to a video case and is not all that durable, especially when squished in suit cases when travelling
• although not always an issue anymore – airline security approved or is it just that they don’t show up on the x-ray machine?
• when joining cables to needles they click into place and the join feels a bit delicate. I have accidentally unclicked them pushing yarn along from the cable to the needle – be careful not to twist the needle when moving stitches along.

Which one would I recommend? If you can have only one set of interchangeables, and you can get a Michael’s coupon, I’d probably go for the Boye’s for the larger selection of needle sizes. And there you have it – my review of interchangeable knitting needles. Happy shopping.

P.S. Just found this link to Frugal Knittinghaus where the Boye’s are available for $59.95. Still not as good as Michael’s coupon price, but better than full price.

Update: Arrived in Edmonton and hit a yarn shop within three hours – Wool Revival. I found some Grignasco Top Print in a pretty desert sunset colourway.Here are the spoils, the photo is a bit washed out:

First off, thanks to Kimberly for her RAOK card Weds morning. A really cute Motown Thanksgiving turkey singing a version of "I Will Survive." The song was in my head all day.

I’m travelling to Ottawa for work over the next week, with a stop in Edmonton to see Elina, and after I return, will have five days left in the office before my surgery! Yikes. I’m looking forward to the month off, but not the reason for it. I’m having an ACL graft, and MCL repair and a cartilage clean-up. The worst part for me will be relinquishing control over Christmas.

I’ll be posting on the road next week in between visits to yarn shops. Anybody have any recommendations for Ottawa yarn shops near downtown? I can’t think of a better way to deal with the pre-op nerves.

Wish me luck with Air Canada’s new no free meal policy (as if you didn’t pay for the meals in your ticket price). Now you can pay the same price for a ticket and pay extra for a choice of a sandwich or pizza; exact change only. 

Last weekend I didn’t spend money on yarn, but I managed to part with a few bucks on these: