Very nearly halfway done...

Just a quick post because I haven't figured out how to type and knit at the same time. Annabelle has kept me quite busy today. She and her brothers somehow worked out a schedule where each one of them needed me at a dfferent time. (She's only 11 months old but her powers are awe-inspiring.) I would finally get her down for a nap and then the three -year old would have some sort of earth-shattering emergency, then before I knew it, the clock demanded I go pick up the nine year-old from school.

Any other day,I could drive through the line and pick him up at the gym doors, but we (the PTO) decided to extend the Holiday Shop for the kidlets who missed a day and a half last week for snow. It worked out great for the kids who needed that last minute chance to spend the spare change in their pockets. (There are going to be some surprised faces on Mom and Dad when they open the 35 cent packet of glow-in-the-dark putty Christmas morning.) It didn't work out so well for the PTO end of things. We had fantastic volunteers all week last week, but our possibly insane devoted parent who spent way more time in the shop than is healthy, came up sick today. (Imagine that, helping most of our 600+ kids and she caught the bug that's going around. How's that for gratitude?) Fortunately, we were able to nab a couple of our faithful volunteers who filled in the gaps, allowing us to let the kids in for one last hurrah. Unfortunately, it meant the the other co-president and I spent a couple hours after school reconciling and packing up the leftover merchandise. It means I lost a couple hours knitting time, but it's for the kids after all.

Once I got home the kids resumed their rotating schedule and I resigned myself to getting my knitting done tonight before the meds kick in. As a result I only have about an inch left to go on Gran's first sock (completely do-able) and then I'm half done with that gift. Now the kids are all tucked in and it's just me, my librivox and my wool. I'm currently listening to Through the Looking Glass, (up next is one of the Jeeves and Wooster books) while I knit away.

On another note, I'm also halfway towards opening my own yarn shop. I went to the Courthouse today to begin the process of getting my business license. I applied for an Assumed or Fictitious Name. (it almost sounds criminal or at the very least a bit shady) The next step tomorrow is to go to the Zoning and Planning Board and fill out another form with them. By the end of the week, I should have my license. WooHoo!!! The whole licensing process will have set me back a whopping $20.00. Of course the yarn etc.... well, that's a whole different story.

Say, "Ahhhhhh...."

That's how I spent my Monday. I got up at 5:00 in the morning so I could go to the hospital an hour away and have my tonsils taken out. My tonsils and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years. When I was a child, I could count on getting strep throat at least once during the winter. I thought I had outgrown it until my first son was nearly two years old. That Fall, I came down with a case that just would not quit. I was working in a catering kitchen and had the dubious pleasure of explaining to my employer that I was missing lots of time during the Holiday party season due to... scarlet fever. Scarlet Fever! I mean really, who gets that these days?!? No wonder they looked at me skeptically. Anyway, I got over it and everything was fine until this summer. Two weeks ago, I finished the antibiotics for my fourth case of strep since Memorial Day. I was averaging a case every 4-6 weeks and the war with my tonsils was on. I'm not sure who the victor was. As is the case with most wars, there was attrition on both sides. On the one hand, my tonsils have been ousted along with their little bacterial followers, on the other hand, my throat is still really sore and I'm on a diet of liquids and mushy foods. That's right, my toothless 11 month old and I are eating off the same menu (but I think she has a few more options available.)

The plus side is that my mom came up to take care of the kids (and there's just something nice about having Mom around when you feel crummy, especially when she's also a nurse.) Because I knew the operation would have me out of commission for a couple weeks, I actually got a fair amount of my holiday shopping done in advance. With that out of the way, I can focus on getting my Gran's socks finished. She's 95 years old (sort of, that Feb. 29th birthday does make life interesting) and is prone to feeling a bit chillier than the rest of us. She always like to have warm, soft, fuzzy things so I decided to make her these.

I made sure I turned the heel before I went in for surgery. Honestly, I'm challenged enough trying to get my wraps straightened out without being medicated. When I got changed at the hospital, I asked if I could take my bag with me to pre-op. The nurse asked what was in it that I needed. I told her, "It's my knitting bag and quite frankly I'm freaked out enough about this procedure without having to leave my knitting behind. You really don't want me to leave my stress-relief in this locker room. It won't be pretty." She just laughed and agreed that it would be fine. Turns out she is interested in learning, but doesn't feel she has the motor skills for it. (If the I.V. she ran is any indication, she has the dexterity to knit lace in her sleep. She was great!)
This is how much I've done since I had my tonsillectomy. I have about 6 more inches of leg to go. The pattern called for stockinette stitch with a couple inches of ribbing at the top, but I think ribbed socks will fit Gran better. Since I don't actually have her available for fittings, I want to make it as adaptable as possible. Keep your fingers crossed for me. (I tried crossing my own, but it's a real bear to knit that way.) I'm on Lortab for the sore throat and it's wreaking havoc with my attention span. Seriously, I've never dozed off while actually knitting before and I must admit, my sleep-knitting leaves quite a bit to be desired. I have the rest of this sock and its mate to complete and 19 days to do it. I think I can...I think I can...