Celebration Shawlette

At last I can tell you about my secret project. It's been so hard keeping quiet about this for so long, so it's quite a relief to finally be able to show it to you.

Back in April/May time, Tara at RainCity Fiber Arts asked me if I could design a piece featuring her yarn to celebrate the 6th anniversary of our local yarn store (Country Yarns in Snohomish, WA.) I was really honoured to be asked and as I'd been exploring lace shawls, we decided that a shawlette would be a great item to showcase her beautiful sock yarns.

I set to work knitting a prototype and making copious notes. Deadlines for shop samples and photos were put in place and I started to create the charts in Excel and write up the written pattern in Word.

It was at this point that I became ill. Great timing eh?!

Fortunately, I was well enough to knit, so I cast on for the shop sample in RainCity Fiber Arts Vashon Sock 4ply. It's a blend of 50% SW Merino and 50% Silk, which gives the finished piece a wonderful sheen and drape. I fell in love with the turquoise colour too!

As I knit, I worked out the final kinks in the pattern and somehow managed to finish my charts, written pattern and sample by July 1st. By this point my health was not good. I'd had some severe reactions to the supplements that I was on and the Mono was raging. I realised that the only way that I could meet the rest of my obligations on this project was to subcontract out the tech editing and pdf creation.

Fortunately for me, Tandy Imhoff of Smart Cat Studios was able to take over at this point. Most of the work was done and so, as I lay in bed to allow my body to fight the virus, Tandy turned my work into the final pdf pattern. Once it was completed with Lori Matthiesens' excellent photos, I could hardly believe that I had created this gorgeous shawlette!

On the 13th August Country Yarns had its 6th Anniversary celebration and the commemorative shawlette was unveiled. Hard copies can be purchased from the store and it's also now available in pdf format on Ravelry.

Photos: Lori Matthiesen

Still Here

Ok folks, I'm still here!

It's been a crazy few months, which has left me with strict orders to rest, an overhauled diet due to the food sensitivities and a secret project that can finally be revealed.

To add to it all, my domain name expired, notification emails were all sent to an address that I haven't been able to access for a year and I got back from vacation to find that my blog had disappeared!

Today, I finally got a moment to see if I could restore things. Thank goodness for Blogger! I was relieved to find that I could point back to my blogspot address and view my old posts once more.

The only question is, "Can you?"

Cupcake-Less!

So the butter-less, milk-less, egg-less cupcakes turned out great and contrary to my preconceptions were not tasteless. They don't have the density of a regular cake, which unfortunately means you're rather tempted to eat several in one sitting, but, hey, they work!

Caffeinegirl asked me if I'd post the recipe, so here's the link for all you brave souls who are willing to jump on the bandwagon with me:

Grandma's Eggless Butterless Milkless Cake by Tina Demasi-Lemons.

Heading back to the kitchen now, to work out what on earth to make for dinner. If it was just me, I'd be fine, but with a family of 5 to cater for, the new diet is proving a challenge.

Thank goodness for simple summer pleasures like watermelon that everyone can enjoy!

Summer Sunshine.........At Last!

For some reason my recent diagnosis has finally given me permission to be nice to myself. The timing couldn't have been better either. With the kids out of school and the sun finally arriving here in the Pacific NW, the chance to shift life down a gear or two has been pretty simple.

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen too.........I mean, you know me, I always do, but now there's a sense of urgency attached to my forays into the fridge. After all we ALL eat at least 3 times a day, so instituting a new diet is not something that you can put on hold.

I've never been on a diet in my life...........I say this not to annoy you (although I know it has always made people mad that I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce), but to draw attention to the fact that I have absolutely no concept of just how dang hard it is to have your food restricted!

When the Handy opens a bag of potato crisps in front of me in the evening, I want to throttle him and when the kids sail past me with a bar of chocolate, my tongue hangs out! Last week I baked some French bread, munched on it with a handful of red, seedless grapes and felt this overwhelming desire to finish the meal off with a stonking great slab of Brie.

Be still my beating heart.

My salvation seems to lie in the realms of Asian food for now. Coconut milk is my best friend, so a good Thai curry is on my list of 'skills to acquire.' In the meantime, I'm trying to distract myself from my stomach, by indulging in some summer reading ( love The No1 Ladies Detective Agency series) and a spot of light-weight knitting.

I've cast on for Stephanie Japel's Drop Stitch Lace Tank. I'm knitting it in the round and so I've done away with the selvedge stitches and am adapting it as I go. I've had the Pima Tencel yarn in my stash for the past 2 years and have been wanting to knit this top for the same amount of time. Now I'm doing it. 

The yarn is very stretchy and pills a little but it's usable. I'm hoping that I get the sizing right. I'm using a US 6 needle but am thinking that I may have got away with casting on a smaller size? Oh well, time will tell. 

As I write this, I can hear the hum of the lawn mower, the flag is flying and I'm marinading chicken for the barbie. An egg-less, fat-less, milk-less (potentially taste-less) cake recipe is awaiting my attention and the fireworks are ready for tonights street party. It can only be the fourth of July.

The sun is shining, my family is together......... it's a beautiful day for a celebration!

It's Been Like This........

Wow, it's a long time since I posted.

In amongst the mish mash of everyday life, there were some important moments too.

The Little Guy graduated from 6th Grade and so our last child has finished Elementary school. The Geek graduated from Community College........and is looking for a job to tide her over until University starts. Susielusie finished High School two days early and is, at this moment, residing at The Art Institute in downtown Seattle for a 4 day summer school in Fashion Design.

The kids, I am happy to say, are flourishing.

Sadly I am not.

Last week I got my results back from all the blood tests that the Naturopath took and low and behold I sure got my money's worth!

It turns out that back some 15 years ago when my British Gastroenterologist concluded that I had some kind of food allergy, but he couldn't determine what, the dear old guy was spot on. We've just been waiting for technology to catch up. Thanks to a Seattle biotech lab I am now aware that I have sensitivity to not just dairy products, but eggs, citrus, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, radish, celery, asparagus, vanilla bean, pineapple and banana.....Just about everything I have growing in the garden!

Is there anything left to eat?

Apparently so, although at the moment it doesn't feel like it. I am having to spend hours every day just working out what I can eat and how that fits in with the rest of my family. To top it all, I also tested positive for resurgent Epstein-Barr, so I have Mono as well!

Surprisingly, when I'm not having an allergic reaction, I feel pretty happy. I think that I've waited so long for some answers that I'm almost relieved.

It will ofcourse mean a major life change, so expect to see me going more zen. I have to slow down and start behaving like an old lady so that my body can try to repair itself.

Good sleep at night is essential plus a nap during the day (so not me.)

Coupled with all the work on recipes, this regime is crippling my secret project. If others weren't relying on me, I would have shelved it. In the meantime, I've been knitting up a storm, writing and creating charts. I totally love the yarn, which is a 50% silk 50% merino blend sold by a local indie dyer. 

To relieve the stress, I'm going to get some help with tech editing, so I can concentrate on getting better. 

I'm giving myself a year.

Hopefully, I'll feel like a new woman by then!

Test Drive

Despite everything during the past few weeks, we have still managed to stay on track with Susielusie and her driving lessons. After all it doesn't take too much energy to sit in the passenger seat of the Honda while she practices. The challenge has been doing it almost every evening for the last two weeks!

She was due to take her test on the 28th May. We went through all the pre-test nerves. The weather was great, she drove to the test center well and the insurance was up-to-date.

We were going to nail this beast!

.......Except, things went wrong right from the moment that she nearly ran over a bird which flew out in front of the car on the way there. Then when we arrived 25 minutes early for the test, they decided to take her out there and then, throwing her into such a frenzy that she dropped her keys between the car seat and the hand brake. Finally, the center rear light wouldn't work and so they wouldn't let her take the test.

She came home totally deflated. I came home relieved.

This past Thurday was her official 1st test. The Handy was back from Oslo and had replaced the lightbulb, so the little blue car was good to go. We cruised out of the cul-de-sac, same time heading to the same place...............and the heavens opened. As she drove us along the River Road to the test center she swore she could feel water on her feet! The windscreen wipers were on manic mode and we could still hardly see the road ahead.

It was a daunting start.

We arrived on time. Waiting in the test parking zone, I spotted the tester that I had had when I moved to the US and had been given just one month to get my license. He came up to the car next to us and asked to see their insurance. It was out of date. I glanced hastily at ours which expired the following day. As he sent them inside to reschedule, I knew that their loss would be our gain and sure enough he approached the Honda just as I left it.

Inside the main building I sat with my back to the windows. I snuck one quick glance behind me just in time to watch Susielusie reverse out of the parking space and head off.

She was on her way.

As I sat with my knitting in a sea of people I reflected on my time at the test center over the past six years. I'd been there myself nervously waiting to drive a vehicle I'd only had for a month on roads that were unfamiliar and heaving with traffic compared with the quiet country roads of western Norway.

Then nearly two years ago, I had started teaching the Geek to drive. She'd taken a summer Driver's Ed class and we'd had to take her out every night for 5 weeks to give her the intense practice she needed. I'd then spent months getting her to chauffeur me around until her test at the beginning of April last year. The weather had been much the same and the minivan's wipers had been on manic mode during the test, but she'd passed with flying colours.

The cost of insurance had been prohibitive though and so I then spent all those weeks driving her to college and sitting in the park on the headland while she was at classes. At the same time Susielusie had started Driver's Ed.

The job change and saving had finally paid off at Christmas though and we had bought the little blue Honda.  I had then sat with the Geek for the first few weeks as she drove herself backwards and forwards to winter classes in all kinds of conditions. By February she was off and running.

As the snow and ice abated, I got back in the car with Susielusie. She hated driving the minivan, so as her test approached I relented and we started driving the Honda..................And here we were, finally taking THE TEST! My continuous teenage driving classes of the past couple of years were potentially coming to an end.

It seemed no time at all before she was back beside me. I stuffed my knitting into my bag and looked up at her inquiringly. She gave me a satisfied grin.

She'd PASSED!............and with a 92 in heavy traffic and pouring rain.........just like her sister had done last year!

I breathed a sigh of relief and now welcome the five year break before the Wilde Thyme Driving School starts up again with the Little Guy.

That, I'm sure, will be a whole different experience!

In Praise Of Sticks & String

It's been a funny couple of weeks.

I know I've been a little quiet, but to be honest I really didn't want to bore you.

You see, I've been dealing with some health issues that have left me permanently attached to my knitting nook.

Now, under normal circumstances, this would be deemed something akin to heavenly bliss, but when you don't even have the energy to hoover your home, it's the only place other than your bed where you feel halfway human.

Fortunately, I'm reliably informed that vacuuming is highly overrated and I really haven't missed anything, although being able to cook more than just pasta for 3 days in a row would have been nice. With the Handy in Europe and the kids reaching the heights of end-of-year school projects, it's been a difficult time.

The only thing that has kept me from feeling completely useless has been my secret project. When I could do nothing else but sit in my rocking chair, I could at least knit!

Cranking out a prototype in my purple Cascade Heritage Silk skein has helped me to feel that despite everything, I can still offer something to the world.

It's been my saving grace.

Last week I finally managed to see a Naturopathic Doctor about my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I've had several bouts of it during the past year and each time it seems harder to get over. Fed up with medical doctors who fail to look for underlying causes, I decided that it's time to find someone who will work with me to help me regain optimal health.

I'm now awaiting the results of a barrage of blood tests. We're testing for 96 food allergies, herb and spice intolerances as well as the Epstein-Barr virus. A recent reaction to a cup of nettle tea has left me convinced that years of undiagnosed allergies has left my body going to war on a daily basis, which has taken a considerable toll.

In the meantime, I'm taking Norwegian fish oil every day and trying to partake in light exercise.

I think this is the hardest part.

No more 15 mile bike rides.

No more hour-and-a-half Pilates workouts.

If I can walk The Little Guy to the bus in the morning, I'm doing well.

All I can say, is thank God for knitting.

At least with some sticks and string and a lot of imagination, I can still feel productive.