Intermission

Verona, Wisconsin, November 9, 2016. I need a little time off. No worries; I will be back later.

Guardian Angels

I am not a religious person (although I favor religious traditions). During the last eight years, however, I have been blessed to be surrounded by "guardian angels." Some are childhood friends who resurfaced and generously visited me multiple times (from places like Colorado, Canada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Minnesota). Others are more recent classmates, coworkers, fellow knitters, mentors, and teachers who have bonded with me profoundly and brightened my days. Some are relatives with whom I had lost touch. They now have rekindled old ties and also visit us regularly. Your love and devotion is tangible every day. More relatives are still "lost"—but hey, our door is open, and you know now to reach me.

There also are the friends and bloggers who encouraged me to start "Amber Reunion." Thank you for making my daily reading so stimulating and for inspiring me to keep going at it every day.

Most joyous are the friends I made because of the blog. What serendipity! It was really beautiful to see them in Madison.

Finally, many of the committed staff at the UW Carbone Cancer Center have become familiar friends who take great care of me. Below are two (and there's more on Carbone "Guardian Angels" here and here,)

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(Always knitting in hand.)

Oasis Reunion

 Belvidere, Illinois, September 2016, Did you think I forgot? Nah. Things got tangled today, but I squeezed juice out of the lemon.

Another Gift

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Verona, Wisconsin, May 13, 2016. Yesterday I delivered this sweater to another physician who has been at my side for nearly seven years. The design is Alice Starmore's "Irish Moss" from Aran Knitting (newer edition here; available as a kit here). This is one of my favorite designs.

I logged my time on this one; it took 154 hours to knit.

An Earlier Variation

I realized after I published "A Gift for a Guardian Angel" that I neglected to post photos of sweater I earlier had knitted for one of my cherished physicians. It was a big project: the recipient wears extra-long garments, and the finished sweater measured 50 inches across. It took about eight weeks to knit it—at a pace of about four hours of knitting per day.

(The most common two remarks people make about knitting: "How long did that take?" and "If I buy the yarn, will you knit me a sweater?")



Madison and Verona, Wisconsin, October 2013. This design is Alice Starmore's "Alba" from The Celtic Collection. I changed the colors to the same 15, undyed natural colors I earlier had used to knit the same sweater for Mr. Irene.

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The design also is available, as a kit, here.

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Oh! And I knitted the original design, way back when, for myself:

A Gift for a Guardian Angel

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Madison and Verona, Wisconsin, March 2016. I knitted this for one of my "keepers." The design is Alice Starmore's "Luskentyre" (also available, in different shades, here as a kit).

A Closer Look (Part 63)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, 1910. This is my maternal Grandmother Jadzė. Here's the original post.

We miss you, "Miss."

Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, February 2012. We headed to Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill today so I could pick up more of my favorite worsted-weight yarn. It's a lovely drive, and the mill is about 20 minutes from the house.

We were sad to learn "Miss," the Anatolian Shepherd Dog, recently passed away from Melanoma. Miss was 14. She was a sweet mascot, and she made every trip to the mill truly enjoyable.

"The report recommends that all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have genetic testing to help map treatment decisions. Close relatives of women with the disease also should be tested."

A new report by the Institute of Medicine.

"The Year, in Pictures"

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Thanks, Tara!

Madison, Wisconsin, 2015. Tara made my day.

A Closer Look (Part 53)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1938. This is my maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, and my Mom. I hadn't thought about this photo in a while, but Mom today mentioned the picnic at which it was taken. As the group lunched in the forest, a fortune teller approached Mom. The fortune teller read Mom's palm. She stated Mom would live "in another country, across the deep ocean" and correctly predicted how many children Mom would have. Everyone laughed.

The fortune teller then read Jadzė's palm. The woman shook her head and said nothing to Jadzė.

One More Tam

Verona, Wisconsin, September 2015. This is the "Garnets Tam" designed by Janine Bajus. It's the same design as "Summer Lake." I've now completed the projects for the silent auction.

Ruby Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, September 2015. Here's another variation of Mary Ann Stephens's "Amaryllis Hat."

The blog celebrates its fourth birthday today.

I've kept my promise to post photos daily. In the last year it was sometimes dicey to make that goal. In January and February, for example, I underwent four weeks of daily radiation that left me battered: radiation was more rattling than any of the chemotherapy treatments I'd had.* Things are better now, thanks to the great providers who oversee my care and a new drug the FDA approved late last year.

When I started blogging, I posted aggressively because I sought to ensure that the "core" family photos would be preserved on this site before I evaporated. As a result, most of the really interesting images have been posted. My supply of snapshots is finite. Although I will continue to blog daily, I likely will decrease the number of posts I publish each day.

Glacier National Park, July 1972. I've walked over to the Many Glacier Hotel, where I enjoy a cola in the lower-level café.

*It was during the drive home from one of those radiation treatments that I hit the deer!

Wool and Sheep

Yesterday, I again returned with a friend to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. The place is starting to feel familiar!

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Jefferson, Wisconsin, September 2015. "Ewe" probably know where I did most of my shopping.*

*ADDED: Yarn shopping, that is. I have four of those wonderful bags.