Yarn Along: October Leaves

Ginny says: ~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs.  I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ 

I'm in Texas this week visiting a friend in Austin and later hanging out with my cousin in Dallas. As is always the case, although I have a million books I need to read at home I managed to get to the airport without anything to read on the plane and had to buy one in the airport gift shop. Luckily, The Immortal Life of Herietta Lacks is FINALLY in paperback! You can see my little Anderson Cooper cutout bookmark peeking out the top. I'm about half way through and LOVING this book.

I'm using Dream In Color Everlasting Sock in "basalt" to make some October Leaves Fingerless Mittens for a Christmas gift. Unfortunately, I really detest dpns & I ALSO managed to leave my circs at home. SIGH. I'm not sure this present is going to be made on time. 

This past Sunday my closest friends had brunch with me to celebrate my birthday. I had every intention of giving a little speech, but many many mimosas prevented that from happening. I'll try to express here what I meant to there. While this is addressed specifically to a group of 15 or so that were there that day, it represents my feeling for all my friends and family who have shown so much support over the past month.

This month started out with the worst week of my life. A couple people have been surprised when I've said that. It turned out well, so how could it have been worse than when my mother died? But it was. Sitting by my sister's hospital bed, in the same ICU I sat in multiple times by Mom's, thinking this amazing woman who is like my sister, best friend and daughter all rolled into one might die-- it was worse. But she's better now and there's no way my father, Harold & I could have gotten through that week without some pretty amazing people.

I am incredibly grateful for the people at this table. You visited us at the hospital and made us get out in the fresh air. You talked to me on the phone for hours about my sister, her health, her doctors and stupid drama that had to do with nothing to do with any of that. You translated doctor-speak for my family and helped us understand what was happening. You text messaged asking about Sarah and my dad and me. Even those of you who didn't really know until the crisis was over... you provided inspiration and hope even when you didn't know it. You listened to me vent. You cried with me, showing more empathy and love than I could have imagined before this. You emailed and called and prayed and facebooked and tweeted your love. You loved me and you loved my sister in your own individual ways and now you even showed up on short notice in the rain to be here with me. 

There is no way to express how much all of that means to me. I am so thankful for each and every one of you. I am continuallly surprised by the number of wonderful, quality friends who have opened their hearts to me and can only hope that I am worthy of you. From the bottom of my heart and the depth of my soul, thank you for your friendship and love.

Yarn Along-- While She Was Sleeping

Participating in Ginny for Small Things's Wednesday Yarn Along. Take a picture of the book you've been reading and the knitting you've been...er... knitting and share it with her readers!

I had a LOT of time to read while my sister was in a coma for a week. It started out with a book my BFF re-gifted to me. I purchased The Beauty Of Humanity Movement for her when Kath from Whip Up brought it to my attention. My BFF LOVES pho (that amazingly tasty, simple Vietnamese soup) and Beauty of Humanity revolves around a man who makes it for a living. It was a beautiful book, exploring themes of love, loss, war, revolution, art, bi-cultural issues... it was so wonderful. Next I read The Nakesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I purchased at a little second-hand bookshop in the mountains the day before my sister was hospitalized. It was a great follow-up to Beauty of Humanity because it also deals with love, loss and American-born children dealing with bi-cultural issues. I loved it so much that I bought Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize winning book of short stories Interpreter of Maladies. It was also very good, but I think sometimes reading all the work of one author tells you things about them that you perhaps don't want to know. Lahiri seems to have some serious issues with marriage. It reminds me of when I fell in love with John Irving after reading A Prayer for Owen Meanie. I bought all his books and after reading the third weird-sex-ridden book I swore off him forever. Finally, my cousin brought in several magazines and one of them recommended Irma Voth, which I thought would follow my theme of American culture vs culture of birth. Irma is a Mennonite woman who is struggling with tradition. I haven't enjoyed it as much as the others and am still working through it.

The week prior to my sister's hospitalization was a tough one emotionally as well. A big issue was that a friend of mine, who also happened to be the intended recipient of a project I had been working extremely hard on, proved to be very VERY unknitworthy. I was so disappointed that I pulled out all my best yarns- the ones I bought after lusting after them and spent way too much on- and went through my Ravelry favorites and finally decided to cast on a beautiful scarf in some Malabrigo Silky Merino in the colorway I stalked for months- Arco Iris. It's turning out beautifully and I can't wait to wear it. Silky Merino is so soft!

Thank you for putting up with me going missing for so long. My sister is doing SO much better! She's at home now. She's still on an oxygen machine and a ton of meds but just being able to talk to her and see her walking around on her own is amazing.

Hop on over to Small Things and share your projects or just see all the other great knits & reads there!

M.I.A.

I've been missing in action due to a family emergency. My little sister (24 yrs old) has been in the ICU since last Sunday. Prayers are appreciated!