No Knitting, No Scooting

It's another overcast day here in Austin ... we've had so much rain this month! They're predicting more rain through this week, which is a major bummer; yesterday, Mr. Fury and I bought a brand-new scooter (2007 Vino Classic), and I can't ride it to work if it's raining!

There hasn't been much knitting this week. I finally finished the increase rounds for the v-neck tank. Now I just need to knit even for about five inches before splitting for front and back. I'm so glad I decided to do this in the round!

I need to get on some baby knitting soon; baby girl Cupsu and baby boy Jesus Junior are expected in October and November respectively, with showers in September. Cupsu will receive a fuzzy ferret hat (which is a surprise), and Jesus Junior will recieve a bunny hat (per my friend's request). Cupsu may also receive a cupcake hat if I have time -- her daddy's nickname is Cupcake. It's been awhile since I knitted a baby hat but I seem to remember that they go very, very fast.

p.s. to Lana: I saw your iced coffee entry the other day but didn't get to comment on it. Girlfriend, try cold-brew for your iced coffee!

Chemo, tank tops, and hula ...

Thank you for all the well-wishes. My mom moved out of ICU a few days ago; her infection has cleared up and her counts are at normal levels. I was there Friday when she had her first chemo treatment, which is much less dramatic than it sounds; it was a three-minute injection. This drug is supposed to be fairly gentle as chemo goes, which is encouraging. They're still working on getting thalidomide for her -- there is a lot of red tape for that one, of course. My understanding of multiple myeloma is that it can be treated and controlled effectively, and it becomes more like a managable condition (like diabetes).

I got bored with the TTV. I'm at a point where I will have to do some math to get the right number of stitches for the bottom ribbing ... *yawn*. So I cast on for the simple v-neck tank from Knitting Lingerie Style. Yay! I got the recommended yarn, Knit One Crochet Too Italian Ice, during the LYS's big sale last week. I decided to knit it in the round, which is making me much happier than knitting flat and seaming would have!

My dance group has a go-go/burlesque performance Labor Day weekend, and I've finally started thinking about it. I haven't done a solo number at any of them in the past, so I figure it's about time ... the theme is "Satan Swim" (the event is a weekly "Austin Swim" thing loosely centered around adult swim). I think I am going to do a hula-inspired burly-q routine to "Aloha from Hell" by the Cramps.

Off for errands now ... gotta recon some hula gear at the party store. ;-)

When it rains, it pours -- and I'm not talking about the Texas floods. On Monday, my mother was admitted to the hospital with double pneumonia. While she was there, they ran some other tests and diagnosed her with multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells). My sisters and I are keeping calm and staying positive, as much as is possible under the circumstances. We know from experience that fighting cancer takes a lot of stamina, so we don't need to waste energy on freaking out. She is in the ICU and getting the best care possible, so all we can do at the moment is wait.

Fortunately, knitting makes the waiting much easier. My mom is also a knitter, although she doesn't finish things like I do. :-)

I Fought the LI, and the LI Won

Last night I decided to try a few different increase methods ... wouldn't you know it, the stupid RLI/LLI looked the best. Dammit. So that's what I ended up using after all. I just have a couple of rows left before I join it and go back to working in the round. This is the point in TTV Vol. 1 when I realized it looked terrible and frogged it. Hopefully Vol. 2 will look better.

Note to mouse and other coffee fiends: the cold-brew worked out great! I ground up some good-but-not-gourmet Arabica beans and "brewed" overnight. I did a 2:1:1 ratio of coffee concentrate, cold water, and (soy) milk, then added a 1:1 ratio of frothed concentrate plus (soy) creamer. It's very smooth with no bitterness at all. Crazy.