While, in general, this course of chemo is causing less difficulty in terms of brain-fog and dexterity than previous courses have, it comes with its own little bag of side-effects.  These seem, for me, to take the form of abdominal issues which while not terribly serious are rather uncomfortable.

This is, as I find many things are, both annoying and amusing.  I have turned into a walking cliché - constipated, grumpy and hardly able to think about anything else.  Yet, while all this is going on, there’s a little, giggling voice in the back of my head gleefully observing: “Well, what do you know!  You really do get cranky when you can’t take a sh*t!”

This too, not to put too fine a point on it, will pass :)

So I haven’t been doing a lot on the shawl as that does require some concentration.  It’s going to be a long project anyway and won’t suffer much from sporadic attention.  I’ve been working on Myria’s scarf and have the Indian Corn stole slated for this afternoon’s work.  The hardest things about that is swapping out the colors - which, of course, isn’t hard at all.  I find that I have to stop and weave in ends every three or four tiers though because otherwise those bowknots on the edges really start to bug me :)

I did finish the first sock…

...which fits perfectly :)  I’m finding that sport weight yarn (or heavy fingering weight) + 60 stitches + size 2 US (2.75 mm) needles = perfect Robbyn-sized sock.  I varied from the written pattern by substituting a standard wedge toe for the star toe of the original.  I wound up not caring for the star toe much though I’m sure it works just dandy for many folks.

I did cast on for the Fu (flying bat) scarf but promptly forgot how to count, so that went back to the drawing board.  I want to put a border of some type on the sides too, but don’t quite know what to do yet.  Razor shell would work nicely but I’ve used that so often that I’d like to try something else this time.  I think I also want to get some little silver seed beads to scatter about so this one is going to wait for a bit.

Finally…

I was working on dad’s chair blanket in the hospital yesterday while they were feeding me my drugs.  A student nurse wandered over to tell me that her boyfriend’s grandmother knitted blankets all the time too.  “Whatever it takes to keep you busy!”, she chirped as she strolled away, completely unaware of the jeopardy her life was in - if only briefly :)

You know, I could never condone the use of a pejorative term to refer to a group that isn’t involved or doesn’t get (in any meaningful way) what you do.  But I do begin to understand the temptation for a knitter to refer to a condescending non-knitter as a muggle.

Sigh…