Chickenlips Knitting

I'm not sure how many balls of yarn I used, but it was around 10 or 11. The yarn is scrumptious - it's Classic Elite Portland Tweed. This sweater was a delight to knit from start to finish, and I now wonder why I left it in time out for almost a year. I have since become Jared Flood's most devoted fan! Believe me, knitting a garment that comes out fitting so well has not been the usual thing with me - although I am improving.

And the good news doesn't stop there! We here in Yarn Shop Heaven, I mean Portland, Oregon, have a brand new store that just opened in the Pearl District: Urban Fiber Arts. My friend and knit night buddy Cindy realized her dream, and she's created a shop that's not only beautiful but also offers yarn, fiber and accessories made by local artisans - one of which is me! I'll be spending many happy hours there in one of the cozy chairs, knitting away.


I know this post is short on pictures, but trust me, I've become a Spinner. I resisted the powerful siren song of the Turkish spindles I saw at OFFF, and have eschewed my drop spindle for one of these. It isn't here yet - Mr. Stitchjones ordered it for me last weekend, and I apparently must wait until my birthday at the end of the month before I can have it. Drat!

One of the reasons I've slacked off on blogging has to do with my mom. She's fine, no worries. It's just that last month, her mammogram showed granular cell tumors, and she is so small and frail that the doctor didn't think a needle biopsy could be performed safely. On the 14th, she had a surgical biopsy under general anesthesia. The surgeon told us we would have lab results in two days. However, after two days we never heard anything, and my mom WOULDN'T call, which drives me absolutely batshit freaking insane. That's been one of the hardest things for me to come to terms with about my aging parents - they meekly accept whatever they are told by healthcare providers, whether they understand it or not, and won't be pro-active in the least. But when it seemed like my mother didn't want to know whether or not she had cancer, I really had to practice self-restraint! Finally, nine days later she went in for a follow-up and got the All Clear. She's fine. As for me, my state of mind is like a T-shirt I once had that said, "Elvis is dead, Sinatra is dead, and I'm not doing so hot either".

Amen, Shalom, and Blessed Be.