Influenza A

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

Thank you all SO MUCH for your warmth / kind words regarding my grandma! I've always been drawn to the very nicest people there are, and your kindness further supports that fact. The funeral was nice -- intimate, not scary (except for the very first moment when I walked in, but my sister knows I can be a little emotional and was ready with a box of kleenex for me), peaceful.

When we got home from the funeral (which was in Milwaukee), I took my temp and discovered I had a fever of about 102F. High fever still on Monday, so I went to the doctor. He did a nasal swab and a CBC (complete blood count), and determined that I had "Influenza A". IRONY: I didn't get a flu shot for about ten years, but THIS YEAR I got one because they are offered to all volunteers at the hospital, and THIS YEAR I actually contracted the flu. (Shot only 70% effective, though can lessen severity if you do catch the flu.) Nothing like a little Influenza A to put a person out of commission for a week. I think this is the sickest I've been since I've had children. I cook about 99% of our dinners, do about 95% of the dishes, and 100% of our laundry. Even I was surprised by how quickly things deteriorate when I'm not "doing my job".....though to dh's credit, he really took on a lot of the load and helped out a ton! I'm feeling SOOOO much better now!

Okay, so let talk about better things, like KNITTING -- what this blog is supposed to be about, right?! I LOVE my Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I still have the neckline to finish and the front bands to make, but I couldn't resist trying it on just to see how I'm going to like the fit. (Please don't mind the snow in the worst bathroom mirror shots ever -- We've had so much snow here lately, breaking the all time record for snowiest winter this past week, that I don't even notice white flecks on anything anymore.....)
So far I've made only one major change to the pattern as written. Of all the sweaters I've made which have waist shaping, they all seem to flare out over my hips, so I've been thinking that I should maybe only be knitting the top half of the hourglass as I do the shaping. On this sweater, I made the lower ribbing straight (no waist shaping decreases as called for in the pattern, so I started out with fewer stitches than my size called for), then increased just above the waistline as written in the pattern. I think it will be just fine that way, and no flaring.

I also decided that I am going to participate in "mission possible" to get my wip's cleared out. I have my itemized list almost formulated and will share that in my next post.

I do LOVE winter! I can't help but wonder, however, when can I stop shoveling? More snow expected on Sunday...

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)