Yarn De-Stash at Stitching Memories - What Fun!!

When one of our LYS (local yarn shops) offered to host a de-stash sale for anyone who wanted to join in, I knew I had to give it a try. Actually, I had ulterior motives - to buy some different-than-I-already-have yarn inexpensively plus the opportunity to get rid of my extra, unwanted yarn - so this was a great excuse. One woman's yarn trash is another's treasure, right?

Stitching Memories, in Portage, Michigan, is owned by Mary Stillman. She's had a couple previous stash sales in her shop's parking lot. The first one went well, but the second was cancelled due to weather. This time around the weather again was lousy, but we yarnies are a tough bunch, and 30 mph winds plus cold rain didn't slow us down at all. We came ready to deal.

There were 15 tables of de-stashers, and even though the weather scared off buyers, we all sold. Not all were knitters - the Button Lady was there, and there were cross stitchers too. But most of us came for yarn, and there was plenty there - hundreds of skeins of every color and style imaginable.

My own personal game plan was to only buy in the dollar amount of what I actually sold. Great game plan, but it didn't quite happen that way. (What? You're surprised??) Temptations overwhelmed me and I succumbed to the Yarn God, who directed me to several tables of unavoidable wool.

I sorta behaved - I bought wool for a couple of felting projects I've been wanting to try, plus the fun knitting book "One Skein Wonders". I also picked grab bags of novelty yarns to try out - one of the $5 bags has enough yarn to make dozens of baby hats, booties and probably a couple of adult scarves.

Even though the big crowds didn't show, those who came were serious, and many walked out with large bags full of yarn. There were some fantastic bargains - I saw a friend buy four skeins of a buttery yellow mohair for $1 each, and Lopi wool quickly disappeared. There were $1 grab bags that only lasted a few minutes. The Button Lady next to me was selling her colorful handmade polymer clay buttons for just $1 each, any size (okay, so I bought a few, really, just a few . . .).

One of the really lovely things that shop owner Mary Stillman did was to make arrangements for donations from sellers' sales to these three charities: the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, the YWCA Domestic Assault Crisis Program or Portage Community Outreach Center. You could designate the percentage amount of your sales to go to any or all of these charities. I chose the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. The best part is that anyone who donated a portion of their sales received a 20% off coupon to be used in Mary's store.

The local knitting guild sent more than 400 skeins to be sold, and 100% of the proceeds were designated to be split equally among the three charities. At the end of the day they were wheelin' and dealin'. Those ladies didn't want any of that yarn coming back to them, and they offered some super deals. By the end of the day, more than $800 went to charity, courtesy of the de-stashers!

Another nice thing that Mary Stillman did was to make this sale free for sellers. If you needed a table, they were available for only $5. It was an easy sale to participate in - her shop handled all the money and individual sellers didn't have to bother with a cash box or making change. Instead, each buyer was provided with a tab sheet, with purchases filled in by individual sellers. When the buyer was ready to leave, they went to a central check out and paid for all purchases at once.

Before the four hour sale was done, we were all wind-whipped and soaked to the skin, yet I heard no complaints. Sellers made sales under umbrellas, yarn got wet, and great yarn deals were snapped up. As a friend of mine said, "I really needed that sale." She was quite serious. And I felt the same way.

So How's Tom???

So many of you have been asking about Tom, and so far, the news is good.

He's begun eating meat again! A change in his meds by a sharp doctor has made all the difference, and he's able to eat small quantities of meat without much trouble.

He had his sixth round of chemo last week, so this week is hell for him. He calls it "feeling icky", which doesn't really describe much yet clearly gets the point across on how utterly lousy he feels. Extra rest helps, and for the first 10 or so days after chemo he sleeps a lot. Yet every day he tries to accomplish something - folding laundry, or vacuuming, or making a few phone calls. It might take him an entire day to do a chore, but he's very determined. He's never been one to sit around.

Yesterday he was feeling pretty good in the morning, and decided to mow the lawn. It's been two weeks since it's last cutting, and our lawn grows far too well - the cats were disappearing in the tall grass. Here's Tom on his mower, happily zipping through our "pasture", and making our lawn once again looking like someone actually lives here.

After mowing, he made it until lunch, then headed for bed. But a few hours later he was up and talking about his next project - building my veggie stand. That will have to wait for another day, maybe even this weekend. As each day passes, he feels just a tiny bit better, but we let his body decide how much it can handle.

His oncologist has suggested that he take a break from chemo for a couple months. The triple-chemo treatments he's getting have weakened him, yet they are also responsible for making his tumors smaller.

Tom's definitely all for a break. While he's off chemo, they will still run tests to determine what's happening. But a summer with no chemo is wonderful, and we're hoping he'll regain some strength and some weight to continue his battle.

Thanks to everyone for caring - it means a lot. We truly appreciate all the love and kindness you've sent our way, and we're sending it back doubled to you!

Meet Mr and Mrs Scarfy Honeybear!

Several years ago, a new customer walked into my antiques shop. She owned a business a couple doors down, and was looking for antique furniture to incorporate into her business setting.

Over time, we got to know each other, and eventually, I found that she is a KnitNut. I say that lovingly, as anyone who is a KnitNut has my full and complete adoration.

Charlotte has become my knitting inspiration. When she was caring for her mother, she knit her way through countless doctor's appointments and medical treatments. She knit so much, she had lots of wonderful scarves and shawls - and I sold them in my shop, because they were so beautiful. Tom bought me one in bold blue colors that she embellished with a special cat button, because she knows how attached I am to our cats.

This past year, Charlotte and her husband have been going through similar medical circumstances as Tom and I. Her Tom (yep, we're both Tom-women) has struggled through very difficult times, and they both managed to keep smiles and laughter going while sharing their story on her husband Tom's blog.

Her Tom is a hobbyist beekeeper, which accounts for many funny stories. (If you think beekeeping is boring, you need to read this blog - are you going to be surprised!) Recently, Charlotte mentioned that she had knit individual tiny scarves for all the honeybear bottles they'd produced from last year's hives. I couldn't help myself - a mini Charolotte scarf on a honeybear bottle??? I just HAD to have one! She kindly tolerated my begging email, and sent me TWO honeybears - Mr. Scarfy with his black and gray shimmery scarf, complete with honeybee decoration, and Mrs. Scarfy, in her green and white scarf with pretty Spring-pink flower.

Thank you, Charlotte - I think they're GREAT!

Charlotte's been very busy knitting tiny scarves, as you can see in the photo of Charlotte and her Tom. Every one of those honeybears is from their own hives, and they personally bottled each one. Charlotte knit every tiny scarf in that photo!

She's had a lot of time to knit, in doctor's waiting rooms and during the various hospital procedures her Tom has endured over the past year. I know that feeling far too well, since I knit baby hats, baby booties, scarves and baby sweaters under very similar circumstances. Knitting is calming and often mind-clearing; it helps get you through some of the darkest times. And after more than 30 years of non-knitting (Mom taught me when I was a teenager, but I wasn't really very interested back then), when the going got rough for me six months ago, I suddenly remembered Charlotte and her knitting.

It was if she'd sent me this silent light beam of hope. Knitting was something to not only occupy my time but to be involved in while waiting, and then waiting some more. Best of all, knitting made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something good.

Of course, Charlotte has no idea that she's had this effect on me. (Well, at least until she reads this . . .) Or that because of her, I've begun an entirely new journey as a knit-fanatic. It's all Charlotte's fault, and I am so thankful for her quiet, positive influence.

Every time I walk into my kitchen and see Mr and Mrs Honeybear, I think of Charlotte and Tom - and I smile. Plastic bears full of honey can make me smile really big.

So - here they are: introducing Mr and Mrs Scarfy Honeybear, honeys extraordinaire.

The label on the front says "BEE LOVED Honey from Tom's Bees". On the bottom is a special message: "Tom's happy bees are surrounded by flowers, love and a deep appreciation for their magic. Their message? Bee Caring."

I can do that.

A New Stove for Beth, and a Tom Update

That's Tom behind my old Kenmore stove. My 60 year old Kenmore stove. Yup, it was made in the 1950s, and came with the house. It's worked well until recently, when it finally just gave up and went to Stove Heaven. I loved that stove, with it's double ovens - I could cook and bake forever on that grand old dame.

But it was not to be. The ovens were suddenly misbehaving, and one of the burners refused to light. It could be fixed, but the cost of repair was much more than expected.

The timing was perfect - our tax refund arrived the same week. Funny how they were just about equal, our tax check and the price of a new stove. When one door closes, another opens . . .

So here's poor Tom, wrench in hand, disconnecting the old gal the morning of new stove delivery. And - because our old Kenmore had lasted so long - we decided to buy another Sears Kenmore, even though we're not planning on cooking for ourselves sixty years from now.

As for Tom, he's doing well. Thank you all for asking. We were really excited to learn that the last CT scan a few weeks ago showed that some of his tumors had regressed 70 per cent or more, while others showed a slightly smaller shrinkage. His oncologist was quite pleased, even surprised, but very encouraging.

An unexpected complication was that Tom came down with a severe case of shingles five weeks ago. His oncologist quickly prescribed medications to help him get past the worst of it, but unfortunately those meds caused him side effects of mental confusion and disorientation, so he had to discontinue them.

Shingles pain varies from patient to patient. I had them last year, and had minor pain and itching. Tom's shingles were much worse, and his regular dosage of morphine didn't touch the pain he was experiencing. He was given a different pain medication, but that caused extreme dizziness, so he couldn't take that either. In the end, he's pretty much just toughed it out. He still has occasional itch and pain, but for the most part it's subsided to an almost-ignorable level.

The past few days he's been feeling better, and has been putzing around the house doing little wifey-requested chores, mowing the lawn, a bit of painting, and has been out and about on errands. He paces himself, and often squeezes in a mid-afternoon nap.

More good news - at the last weigh-in, he'd gained seven pounds! This is the first time in a year that he's gained weight. We're thrilled that all his hard work trying to eat all the right things has finally paid off. "All the right things" includes daily Haagen Daz ice cream, and only Haagen Daz, because it has such high calories - 270 calories per half cup serving, more than any other ice cream I've been able to find. Of course, that means that I have to ignore this ice cream every darned day, since it wouldn't take me long to put on the 30 pounds I've lost since my stroke.

When my friends Robert and Lori tell me to Stay Strong, they have no idea how important that good advice is to me . . . especially when the Haagen Daz is calling my name!

Finally - My 50mm Has Arrived

Been taking some time off from blogging, as we finalized taxes - my favorite thing to do, besides cleaning the kitty litter boxes. But now that they are done, I can do more fun things - like play with my new lens and knit more stuff.

After waiting for nearly three weeks, Norman Camera finally had a shipment of Canon lenses arrive, and Tom picked up my replacement 50 mm. Haven't had much of a chance to play with it yet, but will be trying it out soon and will post some pictures here. The photo at the right is with the nifty-fifty, but the darn baby booties kept falling over every time I tried to shoot them (after all, they're meant to be filled with baby toes), so I had to move fast to catch them before they flopped over. Definitely not my best shot, but I've been promising friends I'd show off my latest skills - if that's what you can call knitting booties - so here 'tis. They've been donated to charity, as will the next couple of pairs, as I play with the pattern and try some different ideas.

I was hoping to shoot Tom this evening in the waning hours of sunlight, but he was a bit too tired to model for me. He's been doing well - considering he's been fighting a bad case of the shingles - and has only needed an afternoon nap each day. The weather is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, so we're hoping to get outside and enjoy the weather, with models Tom and Streak, his nextest-best friend (I rate first, thankfully . . . )

My New Nifty-Fifty is Broken-Before-Using

See Tom. See Tom snarling. He can be pretty good at snarling.

For many months last year, Tom tightened down his budget so he could save up for a 50 mm F1.4 Canon lens as a Christmas present for me. This was all long before we knew we'd be dealing with his cancer.

So along came Christmas - getting my beautiful new lens was so exciting, but it stayed safe in it's box until this past week when we finally brought it out to play. It's a fabulous lens, a real workhorse that shoots sharp - when it's working!! Unlucky me - this lens happens to be a lemon, and only operates properly when it feels like it. If lenses have brains, this one says "I don't feel like it" much more often than "Ready to shoot!"

It's only occasionally focusing, and then - especially when out of focus - won't shoot at all. The shutter won't even release. So after an hour of messing around with different settings and only getting it to shoot right less than 5 times, we took it back to the camera shop. This was the only shot of my favorite model that was in focus, and a shot of Tom snarling about my new lens isn't exactly what I had in mind. (But hate to waste it - it might just have to be Snarling Man, a stock photo shot!)

I'm jinxed. The salesman at the shop couldn't get it to misbehave. He tried all sorts of settings, and the darned lens worked every friggin' time. We finally gave up, left the store and continued with our plan of an afternoon of shooting.

Like I said - I'm jinxed. The lens again wouldn't focus, and we went back again to the store. This time it malfunctioned for the salesman, who pronounced that the lens motor was "hanging up." I'd shot this lens less than 50 times, all that same afternoon - and most of the shots were out of focus, or worse, the dumb shutter wouldn't release. The shot of me at right was taken by the salesman, during the second go-around, as he was trying to duplicate my lens problem. Can you say "Beth is politely very unhappy?"

First, we were told that it was questionable that we could exchange the lens, as the store had a 30 day exchange policy and it had been purchased nearly 4 months ago. The salesman suggested that we might have to have it repaired. Oops. Being somewhat pre-occupied with other matters, we'd never given any thought to a brand new Canon lens not functioning. You wouldn't have wanted to see a photo of me upon learning that my new screwed-up lens might not be exchangeable. According to Tom, my facial expression was no longer polite. Not surprisingly, the salesman didn't take that picture.

Finally, the salesman said he'd talk to his manager and the Canon rep, to see if an exchange could be made. Tom thinks it was my silent-but-deadly facial expression that convinced him to find an alternative to the repair suggestion.

The next day, we learned that we could exchange the lens for another, but that the shop currently didn't have any in stock and that a new one would arrive Friday. That was two days ago, and still no lens. The manager has promised to call when it shows up. Whenever that is. But at least now I don't have to make polite-but-stern dialog with the Canon rep, which was my next step.

Hoping my lens comes in sometime soooooon . . . .

TDP - Tom's Dinner

This was one of nearly 100 corned beef and cabbage (and red potatoes and carrots) dinners that were served at the dinner the Masons gave for Tom. The Brothers cooked and cooked their hearts out, filling pressure cookers and huge pots good Irish food.

We were surprised and happy to see the gals from our Reiki group show up - how good to see them, since we haven't been able to participate in the Reiki group and hadn't seen them in months. And several of the guys from from the Country Club showed up - that's Glen, one of Tom's co-workers, in Tom's bowler hat.

Tom's Mason brothers worked hard in the kitchen, and several of the wives showed up with many different homemade desserts. (Me too - I brought a Black Forest German Chocolate cake, all gooey and messy and deliciously sinful - it was my excuse for making something I shouldn't be eating but could justify under "special circumstances." LOL).

Chef Mike Chamberlin was cooking in the red apron, also handing out dinners. He did a fabulous job with the traditional menu, and then preparing and cooking this feast. Even when the pressure cooker exploded on him a couple hours before the first arrivals, he took it in stride - and spent more than an hour cleaning up just about every surface from floor to ceiling within 10 feet of the stove. Amazing how much territory an exploding pressure cooker can mess up!

We had a great time - many of our friends, neighbors, and Tom's co-workers and clients showed up. He talked and talked and talked with them until he was hoarse. He made it through the entire dinner - no small feat since he was only six days past his last chemo - but once he was home, his pillow was definitely calling. He made a land speed record of car-to-bed in under 2 minutes!

Gigantic Thank You's go to:

• Harding's Market of Schoolcraft, for donating the cabbage and potatoes
• Town and Country Grocery of Kalamazoo, for offering the corned beef at cost
• Ed's Breads, of Portage, for selling the rolls at cost
• Meijer's, for donating $40 worth of butter
  

Attending the dinner took the wind out of his sails for a few days, but he's feeling better now. Thank you Brothers of Anchor Lodge #22 - you not only gave us a superb dinner, but you brought us together with so many of our friends, some we haven't seen in a long, long time. With grateful hearts, we salute you!

Althea Crome - The Miniature Knitter

I am in awe - to see this style of knitting is such a treat! But to then realize how phenomenally miniscule these miniature knitted garments really are is to recognize a true knitting master at work.

The miniature garments hand-knitted for the movie Coraline, a 3D animation film made by some of the most talented animators and puppeteers in the business, were made over a three year period by Althea Crome. A specialist in miniature knitting, she made many amazingly tiny clothes for the film. The makers of the movie Coraline actually Googled to find miniature knitters, and came across Althea's miniature knitting site Bugknits.

For Coraline, she knitted sweaters (14 identical ones!), gloves, stockings and other garments, all to 1/12 scale. Some of her miniature clothes are knit at 50 stitches to the inch.

Now museums and several private collectors own her pieces, including the single largest collection of her work in the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville, KY. The complexity of her miniature clothing is outstanding, and the finest of details make them works of art. Each can be appreciated as a stand-alone work, and each of her miniatures is original, based on time-honored traditional formats and styles.

Be sure to visit her site - not only can you see more examples of her fantastic work, but you can also buy the exact patterns and the tiny needles needed to make these pretties. She even offers free miniature patterns for booties and a hat!

Do look up her Santa sweater entitled Christmas Cardigan 2008. It is a work of art beyond belief.

She's now knitting in an unbelievable micro-scale of 1/144 inch using .009 wire, which equates to approximately 80 stitches per inch!

Althea participates in several shows, including the Chicago International - claimed to be the World's number 1 miniatures show. It's being held on the weekend of April 4 and 5, 2009. She's also teaching a class at the Maine Maritime Academy in the beautiful coastal town of Castine, Maine, from June 6 - 12, 2009.

TDP - Prayers Do Work - Great News!

Okay, deep breath. Another deep breath. Okay, I'm calm now, at least for this moment.

THE CHEMO IS WORKING!!!

We're SO excited, so happy - this news is fabulous! Tom saw his oncologist on Tuesday, and we've been floating on air ever since. (Well, I've been floating on air - Tom's been sleeping pretty much since his Tuesday chemo treatment, but since he's horizontal, that almost counts, right?)

The good news is that the two trial chemo treatments Tom has had so far are downsizing his cancerous spots in a measurable way - from 30% to 50% in many of them. Some they couldn't tell for certain, but his oncologist pointed out that chemo isn't selective: if it's working on some, then there's a really good chance that the other areas are being affected by the chemo too.

The CT scan showed most of his cancerous areas, but a few just don't show well in CT scans. We aren't worried - we figure it may take extra time for some areas, and he's just had his third chemo. We're in attack mode!

So onwards we go - two more treatments, then another CT scan to see how things are going. We realistically understand that there's no way to predict what the future holds, but we're okay with that. And we've learned that this particular combination of drugs has worked well for others in the study too, which was very encouraging news. In fact, one fellow asked to be taken off chemo but to continue coming in to be checked regularly - his cancer has pretty much disappeared, and the study is monitoring his progress. So far, he's okay. The doctors in this study are really pleased with the results they've been seeing so far.

More good news - Tom has finally gained some weight. He'd lost 100 pounds since last Spring, so it was good to learn that after stuffing himself as full as a Christmas Goose these past few weeks, it's finally paying off. He can only manage a few ounces at a time, due to the constriction of his esophagus, so he's constantly grazing. But he gained three pounds since his last weigh-in three weeks ago, and we're thrilled.

Noticeable changes - he's actually managed a small amount of pizza, and also a hot dog (although all other meats still make him throw up). He's been getting enough calories and protein in, and has found a high calorie chocolate milk shake which he really likes, and which definitely accounts for the weight gain. He's planning on being at his benefit dinner next Monday, but is skipping the corned beef and heading straight for the dessert table.

The photo above shows him standing next to the big sign his Masonic brothers put up. It's hard to read the darned sign - they had to wrap it in cellophane to keep the wind from blowing the letters into the next county.

We recognize the power of prayer, and especially, the strong power of our friends' and family's prayers. You are the reason Tom is doing so well, and we thank you with all our heart. Our friends and family have kept us strong.

People all over the world have prayed for Tom, from our next-door neighbors to a really cool Reiki practitioner in India, to friends we've never met but love all the same. All of you have been there for Tom, asking for help and health for him, and it worked!

Tonight, I'm asking God to do something special for each of you. I don't know what he'll choose, but I hope it is something that makes your life better. You certainly have made ours better.

TDP - Time-out: It's Chemo Day

Just a quick update - Tom's having chemo at U of M in Ann Arbor today, and he's definitely not looking forward to this upcoming week and all the tiredness and sleeping he'll be doing. Once we get past the first ten days or so, he'll be feeling better - but it won't stop him from attending his dinner next Monday. He's such a hard-head, determined to personally welcome everyone who comes. Forgive him if he doesn't eat any corned beef - you really don't want him to do that, since any meat still makes him head for the nearest bathroom.

Big Thank Yous and gigantic hugs to those of you who have pushed Tom's button (I just love that mental image!) and given a gift from your hearts. Your kindness to us will not be forgotten.