I had some yarn that I knew right where it was at home and I knew what size needle would go with it, and I asked Mom and Richard to bring them to see if I could at least try to knit again. Richard’s so funny; he didn’t know/remember about the circular needle sizer, so he simply scooped up my entire collection of circs in the pottery canister and brought them, figuring I’d know what’s what.
Paca de Seda baby alpaca/silk 91 yards/50 g (Purlescence has it); it’s pretty bulky for my usual. But I wouldn’t have to wind any balls and it amazed me that I could do it, I actually have the strength now to hold that up and knit it. What a difference. Yay!
The funny part, though, is that I have an oxygen meter glued to my left index finger, so I’ve had to type skipping that finger and knit keeping it and its wire out of the way; it makes for very slow going. But a second ball of yarn’s worth and I’ll have a simple lace scarf ready to give.
One of Dr. R’s GI colleagues came by today whom I hadn’t met before, and as he examined me he asked me what I do. I told him I’m an author and a knitter, and he asked if I could show him my book. (Ya think?!) Then I told him to please read the very last paragraph on the very last page, that it referenced the previous huge Crohn’s flare I’d had–and that I’d gotten Dr. R’s permission to put his name in there.
The younger doctor was very pleased. It was a strong reminder as to why he went into medicine in the first place and I knew it. Doctors need to be told every now and then how much the patients are glad that they do what they do.
My surgeon’s also a Dr. R. I like that.
Tomorrow I get to eat pureed food; one step closer to going home. it did hurt to drink today, but not much and so worth it. Forward march!
I have the perfect shade of green baby alpaca at home waiting to be knit up into a shawl for a particular nurse, where a scarf just won’t do. She needs a shawl from me. She loved my book and she needs a permanent reminder from me that she can write her own book that she wants to about nursing cancer patients, even if it’ll take her a lot of time to do. (She exclaimed over the amount of time I said it took me to knit a shawl, whereas I didn’t think it was much at all.) She is the very kindest nurse you could ever ask for and I told her I very much wanted to read what she has to say.
A permanent wrap of encouragement, especially from someone who got her first book so far actually published, to say it can be done, I have faith in her–yeah. Size 9s, here I come. Soon.
To explain a moment, before my surgery I was in the oncology ward simply because that’s where there had been a bed available; I had been on a waiting list to get in at all at the time, Stanford being closed to new admissions. They were swamped.
Anyway. You can see why that nurse needs me to knit that. It will happen.