My First Holiday Gift

Ok, this is totally mind blowing amazing. This is the gift that Twilight gave me yesterday while we were out having coffee. Not just one skein of her beautiful handspun yarn, but 348 yards, an entire pound of fleece. Enough for a little something substantial. I'm working on ideas for it right now. As she knows, I've been drooling over her yarn since she began to spin. Thanks Twilly!! You are the best ever!!

This is a closer view of one precious skein. She carded this wool twice before she spun it, and it's very poofy and soft!! It could be dyed now, but I love the grey heather and I really need a little grey shrug of some sort so I'm going to leave it just as is.

This is a picture of the fleece that Twilight started with. It was bought locally, isn't this just gorgeous? She's dying to get this up as part of a great thread on Ravelry. It shows off each stage of the process, the fleece, the yarn, and the finished project. So now, she just needs me to hurry up and knit something!!!

A Month Goes By

I can't believe it's been a month! I've been feeling really good, that's my writing problem, lol.
I've had a wonderful month, and every spare minute has been dedicated to knitting like a mad woman! A shrug, a shawl, a scarf, 6 pairs of armwarmers, socks, and other miscellaneous stuff. That's actually just the first part of my holiday list!! I have so much more to do.

I had a great Thanksgiving with my neighbors and friends. Daniel cooked, and I baked up a storm. We went to Merce's house. Helen was there and other beautiful women. We spent most of the day catching up and talking about healing. Each one of us is in a healing process of one kind or another and it was nice to compare processes and progresses and love.

I spent yesterday with my bestfriend. A girls day to top all others! Shopping, gift exchanges, lunch, coffee, errands, a movie, and finally knit night with our awesome Taos group of crazy knitting addicts!! Twilight and I went to see the movie of her namesake "Twilight". I don't think I can give an accurate crititism, but I can't remember ever having so much fun at a movie!!
I laughed till most of my parts ached!! We even indulged in a little food fight with our gigantic bag of popcorn.

I think I've had such a good and productive month because I've been following all of my new rules. Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, fairly good diet, medications, naps, and sheer determination.

I'm getting ready for a trip "home" to Wisconsin to spend the holidays with my family, and despite moments of being really nervous, I'm really excited. So my plan is to keep following my rules and hope I feel good health through all the insanity I'm sure will ensue.

Brain Fog

Top of head, dull pain. Underneath the skull. Feels full, swollen, inflamed like. Tylenol doesn't even make a pause in the blood pulsating through my skull.

I stand in the isle of canned goods and have no idea what I'm looking for. I scan and scan, getting dizzy, what do I need? I check the list to see if anything on it matches something on the shelves in front of me.

Difficulty remembering. Times I forget if I was going upstairs or downstairs and what I was retrieving.

I wander around the room not knowing what I got up for. Not knowing what I'm doing or what I was in the middle of doing.

Once I got into the car and didn't remember if I was getting in or getting out.

Times while driving I forget where I am, like I am on the wrong street and never drove it before…but when I wake from that skipped in thought moment, usually it is the road on the way home.

I run into a friend whom I've known for a few years now at a store. I know their face, but their name is gone to me. You know, she's the one I used to work with.....the blonde.....the one we went to that concert with......you know, she's the one who we threw the baby shower for.......

I know, I know but I can’t find the words in my memory to say what I want..er, er..ah, ya know, that thing or to find things, that I swear was just there.

Does anyone remember why the Berlin Wall was built? Where did it come from?

Or in my kitchen when I put dishes away, another hiccup in my memory, gee where does this go? I go to that cabinet, and to this one…nope, nope in a minute..oh, this is where she goes.

What am I supposed to be doing right now?

Stress just smothers any thought. Extreme stress in the home. The load is too heavy for one, let alone the one with Lupus.

Few Day Overview

A little diary entry to keep track of things.
I planned a town day for last Thursday that began at 10am and ended with me getting home at 10pm. My husband thought this could possibly be a dumb ass thing to do, but I did it anyway.
I used caution. I had lunch with my daughter and her bestfriend, and continued on with the errands. I got propane tanks filled, went to Wal Mart, the UPS store, dropped off wool for Whitney at Lula's, dropped of stuff for Helen at the Pizza Outback, got the water jugs filled, and did the grocery shopping. All of this before almost collasping at the coffee shop for my Knit Night knitting group. Now, I did rest at intervals. And I was in my full sun gear. And I did remember to bring my meds along, and take them. It was a great day with only intermitten episodes of feeling exhausted and shakey.

Friday was quieter at home. I did house work, and mending. We got dressed up in costume to greet the neighbor kids for trick-or-treating. But as we were going to bed, I felt the very familiar headache start on the left side of my head. It's like a vice grips just one portion of my head tightly. So I took a mental note.

Saturday I couldn't get out of bed much. I could, but I didn't feel like I could. I couldn't bear to turn on my phone or computer. My joints ached, I was running a low grade temp., my headached, and I was completely fatigued. Now, I'm not sure if this is a flare, or if this is part of the warning signs of a flare. I'm still unsure of all the proper Lupie Lingo. But I figured either way, I'd just rest and ride it out and see what happens.

So I stayed in bed and worked on my knitted Holiday gifts. I'm proud to say that I have now started each item on my gift list. That was no small task!! But now I can say that I had everything started by Nov. 1st.

Wool Fest Update

Just a quick pic of the great yarn that Twilly bought for me at the Taos Wool Festival as a get well/cheer up gift because I wasn't up to going on that Sunday. Isn't it beautiful?? I'm going to make a lacey little tie skirt pattern called "Ogee" with it. Thanks Twilight!!! You Rock!!!

Having Support

I've been talking with a friend about marital issues. She has the same marital issues come up that I sometimes do. So I suggested getting some books to read and finding an online support group. She's working on it. She doesn't know it, but she actually got me started with online support groups. She hooked me up with the best knitting support family out there, www.ralvery.com . My whole world has grown since I was introduced to it. If someone is into any kind of yarn hobby.....it is a must to get hooked up with!!!

I have another online support group that is awesome. It's http://www.wehavelupus.com/ . We Have Lupus is great on so many levels. First, the moderators of the board, who have been dealing with Lupus for years, are more knowledgeable than most doctors. They freely give out their wisdom, and don't seem to mind repeating themselves to all of the new comers that show up on the board daily.

Second, these same attentive moderators don't criticize anyone for whining. In our real lives, we are all afraid to complain too much. We are afraid that our friends and loved ones will get tired of hearing the same complaints day after day. So it's lovely to have a place to whine, bitch, cry and rant freely. Everyone can, and everyone understands the need, and everyone understands the ailments.

Third, it's great for an exchange of ideas. Since we are all working towards the same goals, we are all trying stuff out. And it's nice to get a new influx of options. I got excited because this gives me a place to try and be helpful to other people. Instead of just feeling needy. This is good, because God knows that my knowledge on this condition isn't enough to help anyone yet!!!

Fourth, they offer support to family and friends of Lupie people. Which is nice if I have friend or say a daughter who just doesn't quite get the condition......I have a place to send her to get all the answers that I either don't know, or can't remember!!!

But I have to say, no matter how cool the online communities are......they can't even compare to how great it is to be supported by the people I love. And I mean that for the Knitting as well as the Lupus!!!! I love you guys!!!

Feeling Good

I have been feeling pretty good these last couple of weeks, so I've just gone with it and stayed busy, busy, busy. I'm not sure what the difference is exactly, I'm guessing it's a combo of things. I've been taking the new medications, and doing my daily exercises, and staying out of the sun. I'm getting the hang of my daily aches and pains and learning to minimize them as they come up. Over all, it's a huge improvement.



I went Elk hunting last week! It was a wonderful experience despite coming home empty handed. It was the most physically strenuous activity I've done since Mother's Day. I couldn't do it every day. We went out Saturday, and Sunday, and then I had to break on Monday to recover. I felt deeply fatigued, but sleep and rest seemed to take care of it. We got back out there on Tuesday!!



Yesterday we went out to help my bestfriend put up her ceiling!! I was a little nervous about how my body would hold up, but Twilight and Thebes didn't need me to do anything too intense. And what I was able to do was exhilerating!! I loved it. Twilly and I moved big pieces of ply wood and I felt useful!!! Working side by side with her left me feeling strong and able-bodied!! Of course she did most of the heavy duty stuff.



Inbetween working we got to catch up on each other's projects. Twilight tells me that I have to get some pictures up of my current ones. She just finished a gorgeous shrug made out of our favorite Japenese yarn, Noro. I finished a layette for Robert, the new baby we have in the family. We are so excited to have a nephew!! It's been 16 years since the last baby and that one was ours!!!! And of course I'm busy with Holiday gifts that I can't talk about yet!!!



Coming up, there will be updates on the pieces we are working on for a gallery show we are going to be in!! We're both, (Twilly and I) excited about being invited to join a group of other Fine Art Fiber Artists for a show in Taos during the first week in April, 2009!!!!