My Model Granddaughter

Here is my contest entry on a live model, my granddaughter Arlyn Danielle. She really put her heart into modelling it for me!
I'm really happy that I was able to estimate the right length for her - and I sincerely hope this fulfills her wishes for clothes in her favorite Barbie-pink-and-purple colors.
Here's a closeup of the skirt where I joined the geometric tote technique with the Sheer One-Piece Shawl technique. All my grandkids are just growing up way too fast since I moved away from them. I miss them all very, very much.

Back to Knitting

While I'm recovering from my unfortunate accident, I've been digging through my pile of projects in progress, trying to finish the smaller ones that don't require too much of my attention. I have started numerous ZigZag scarves (from Iris Schreier's book Modular Knits) and ripped them out because I didn't like the way the colors worked. So here's the first one I have actually finished, worked in RedHeart Multicolor "Farmland" on size US 8 needles. This took up the whole skein, with about a yard left over, and is almost the required 60 inches long.

On another topic, my husband just became a granddaddy for the first time. His daughter Chanda and her husband Will presented him with twins yesterday evening. Caroline Soleil and Harlow (sp?) Emily arrived at barely 26 weeks' gestation and are in the NICU, but neither required intubation or mechanical ventilation. They are both just under 2 pounds, so we are worrying and praying that they will be strong and do well. Having worked in a NICU for many years, I know way too much, so I have to remind myself that almost all of the babies I cared for did well and eventually went home. Now that the twins are here, I am ripping out all the newborn-size garments I have been working on, and searching for free preemie patterns on the Internet. I've found some really pretty things, so the needles will soon be flying, making up little pink glad rags.

Off Topic: Hit & Run

There won't be much knitting in this post.
You never know what life is going to fling at you next. Last Friday evening I took my Beagle, Levi, for his customary postprandial constitutional. We follow a regular route so he can reinforce the boundaries of his territory with little pee markers. On the downhill leg of our tour, I heard a vehicle revving up down the road behind us, so I stepped off the shoulder onto the grass and put myself between Levi and the road. Before I could turn around to look, the vehicle sped toward us, slamming into my left side and knocking me to the ground. For a minute I couldn't move, but I got my head up and saw a light gray or silver vehicle, either an SUV or pickup truck with a cap, stopped at the stop sign ahead. It just sat there, so I thought perhaps the driver might get out to see if I was hurt. As I got to my hands and knees, the vehicle turned the corner and sped off. I was too shaken to think to try to read the license plate, but I had kept a death grip on Levi's leash. I got to my feet and limped home with Levi, meeting my husband at the door. I said, "I just got hit by a truck." Once he realized I meant that literally, he called 911 to report the accident. The ambulance arrived, and I declined transport to the hospital, because I thought I was all right, just bruised and shaken. My husband and the paramedics advised me that I should go get checked out, so I was strapped to a backboard and driven to Heartland Regional. I got x-rayed 50 ways from Tuesday, and was feeling more pain every minute, and getting short of breath. The nurse was asking me if I could donate a urine sample when I passed out and peed my pants. Off I went for a CT scan with contrast. Next thing I know, the ER doc is back and saying there may be a bleeding problem, damage to my spleen, but not to worry - the surgeon on-call was being paged to come in. With the surgeon's arrival everything went into fast-forward - apparently the damage was serious and internal bleeding extensive. I was whisked away to the OR, and later woke up in ICU, status post exploratory laparotomy and splenectomy. After 5 days I was released, and my head is still spinning. Sure wish I could track down the bastard who hit me, but there is not enough evidence to mount an investigation. Several of my family flew/drove in as soon as they heard about my accident - this is a hell of an excuse for a family reunion! But I am very touched and grateful for their support and loving care while I was in the hospital, and when I got home. I said goodbye to my older daughter Rachael and my Dad and stepmother yesterday, but my big sister Arlyn is still here, chivvying and plumping pillows for a few more days. I am also very grateful for all our neighbors and friends who supported Doug and me, it makes me feel much more at home and part of the community here. My sister has been working with Doug on the pontoon boat renovation, and they put it back in the water this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow we can take a test-drive.

On the knitting front, I have received requests for Jayne hats from my daughter Arlyn Elise and her family, all of them avid Firefly fans. I am almost finished the first one, and I'm digging out all the acrylic worsted in my stash to make the most outlandish color combinations I can think of. All my other works-in-progress have been put aside for baby items - Doug's younger daughter and her husband are expecting twins. My stash may noticeably decrease once I sort out all the baby yarn.