Welcome to Yarnival!, Eve's brainchild. This is Issue 3 and we've got a little bit of everything for everyone! I hope you enjoy the issue. Thanks everyone for your submissions. It was difficult to choose for sure. If you like it, love it, can't live without it, please consider sumbitting to the next issue, which will be edited by Julie. This is a GREAT resource in finding new patterns, new techniques and new ideas and most definitely, new knitting blogs. Even if you don't get into one issue of Yarnival!, try, try again! Everyone is welcome and every issue is different - you might be the perfect fit for the next one! Okey dokey - now on with the SHOW!

Kindness is an intrusion people want – no NEED – in their lives, whether they know it or not. Liz tells her story of an act of kindness in “The Shedir and the Spider” and it’s not just a story about strangers helping strangers, but friends helping friends. If you’ve ever considered knitting something for someone, but were a bit afraid about how they’d react, read this. You’ll never doubt an act of kindness again.

Apparently THE CURSE is alive and well in blogland. Don’t know which curse I’m talking about? Do you knit under a rock? It’s The Boyfriend Curse and even though we’d like to think it does, marriage doesn’t make you immune. Just ask Kim. She and the JackAss sweater are living proof. Kirstin’s come up with one theory as to why the curse exists: knit your boy a sweater and all he sees is Aunt Myrtle and the horrible contraption she knit for him when he was five. And last but not least, Meg thinks that it just might be the pressure we put on our men when knitting for them – she’s got a whole list of pressures – that makes them panic and run. But so far things are working out for her. She knit the sweater and still has her man. Meg, just remember, it’s a helluva lot harder to get out of a mortgage than it is to get out of a marriage. Bottom line: LOVE SUCKS. But knitting rocks.

Blog book tours are all the rage these days! A writer/blogger/knitter writes a book and is then interviewed by various bloggers about said book. It’s a great way to reach your core audience without ever having to get dressed or leave your house. (HUGE plusses in my opinion.) This blog book tour stop is just a little bit more than run of the mill. Deborah Robson presents an interview with Donna Druchanas about her new book, Arctic Lace. What makes this tour stop so special? For one thing, Deborah is Donna’s editor and publisher. And Deborah doesn’t actually interview Donna, Donna interviews Deborah. It’s an insider’s look at knit book publishing. Not to be missed.

Who can forget their first time? The feel of the needles beneath their fingers. The yarn slipping through, gently, gently. The incense, yarn and candles. The Doors singing C’mon Baby Light My Fire in the background. Basement paneling. OOPS! You know what I mean. Who can forget the first time they picked up the sticks? The first project they REALLY made that was REAL, not some day-glo orange Red Heart swatch on bright pink clinky aluminum Susan Bates needles. Oh, that was only me? On the occasion of his one year knitty anniversary, Adam recounts his first time in “A History of Sorts.” You should read this because, honestly, who doesn’t like first time stories, and because Adam’s a guy in a craft that is dominated by women. (If you’d like to debate this, see below.) Go give Adam the pat on the back he deserves: You’ve come a long way BABY!

Knitting has been around forever. Women have been around forever. I’d like to imagine it wasn’t fig leaves they wore in the Garden of Eden, but rather loin cloths Eve knit from palm fronds she spun into silky softness. Why is it then that men, and many women, think that if you knit – and let’s not limit it to knitting – crafting, domesticity in general - you’ve lost the power and strength that “feminism” has been fighting for forever? Hannah has opened up a discussion, Knitting and Feminism. I’m sure we all have thoughts on this subject. I, for one, have never felt as powerful as I have since the day I learned to knit. And I’ve always been a power hungry kind of girl. Go. Fast. Give your opinion!

Claire and Shirani, the girls over at Cultured Purl, have just started their blog and as a way of introducing themselves to you and you to them, they ask this question: What's the wackiest place you've tried to knit?? Go on over and say hello and tell them about your weirdest, wildest, wackiest knitty adventure!

How to double-row mittens by Rhonda. (It's a SLIDESHOW!)

How to braid roving by Loribird.

How to weave in ends while knitting by Aija.

How to knit 2 socks on 2 circulars by Sara.

How to knit a sweater that doesn’t fit then learn from your mistakes so you can help others by Laura.

How to re-cable after a mistake by Jenn.

Ruth presents Gauge is a Cruel Mistress. Not only is she cruel, but she may be working for the younger and smaller and more likely to fit into stuff that doesn’t fit us that live with us. Bitch.

Julie’s finishing stuff all over the place. In one entry, she gives us a crazy day in the life, all the while modeling her fantastic Forecast FO. Funny, fun, fabulous: it’s FORECAST. And in “For Linda and Louise,” Julie also shows off the finished Shedir she knit for her friend Louise, struggling with cancer. She incorporates this into a moving portrait of her mother-in-law, who died of breast cancer before Julie ever got a chance to meet her, or her son. Keep the Kleenex close for this one – you’re gonna need it.

Kelly turns a bathmat into a vest. Seriously. With a little bit of help from a very eager daughter.

Knit Quilts are the new rage. Don’t believe me? Well take a look at the GORGEOUS blanket Lucy put together. Cotton, squares, bright colors. A cat. What’s not to love? RUN! RIGHT NOW!

It’s TWINS over at LizKnits!

Nothing says glamour like a felted cloche, and this one is stunning. Just lovely, Jennifer. Now if only I looked good in hats.

Katy wrote a Rhinebeck post. Like a year ago. But it’s still funny and great and without further ado I present: With Apologies To Billy Joel.

We’ve all been there, but as Ariel finds out, Breaking up is hard to do.

Who knew discloths could say so much? Kelli Ann obviously as she gives us The Dishcloth of Our Discontent.

Kelp! You need help! That’s a hell of lot to go through for a blog header. But it does look great!

Forget Excel and spreadsheets and software and PDAs. Kathryn keeps beautiful, lovely, handwritten lists of her stash. And she’s got bees and flowers on her note pads. We should all do this.

There’s nothing else to say except that Jenn is kooky and crazy and that S is for SOCKS! If you click on only one link today – make THIS the link. You will not be sorry.

Anyone who’s ever knit while riding the subway knows that the most interesting things can happen. One lucky day, Sharon found out that she could’ve been a brain surgeon.

Knitting can be very, very dangerous. Just ask Kristi. And when it was all over, well, sometimes you have to laugh at yourself ....

Eve started Yarnival! and the whole hunk of the issue thing. I’m raising the bar by nominating Hannah’s husband for hunk of the month. Who wouldn’t want a husband like this? Hannah sings hubby’s praises in, Love, Knitting, and One Skein of Blue Sky Cotton.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this issue of Yarnival! And remember, when you visit, it's nice to leave a comment letting folks know you've been there. Some of the blogs listed today have had barely a comment. Let them know how it good it feels! One more thing - don't forget to SUBMIT to next months Yarnival! And if you're interested in editing a future edition of Yarnival!, head over to Eve's and let her know. THANK YOU and HAVE A GREAT DAY!

I want you to know, I put shorts on just for you. ;-)
Back to the grind. Don't forget. YARNIVAL! tomorrow.

Posted by Cara at 09:59 AM | Comments (22)

November 13, 2006

Just Another Manic Monday

Last night I dreamed that I had been elected to the Senate AND the House of Representatives (yes - at the same time - my dream ego is large) but I had to turn them both down because I have too many pictures to process.

Suffice it to say, I'm really busy. Things have kicked into HIGH GEAR at little old CDC Photography and I'm trying really hard to get most things done by 11/27. Which means there are abandoned knits strewn willy nilly all through my house. I tried seaming up some of my squares from the other day, and turns out? I suck at garter stitch seams. In my defense the fact that these seams were knit on the bias might have something to do with that. (By the way, thank you all so much for your support of my crazy projects. It means a lot to me that I can share this stuff with you. Georgie is patient and says the right thing, but somehow I don't think he really cares about whether to increase every row or every other row, or whether or not you should slip the first stitch. And god help me - don't ask him about color.) I started back on the Casino shawl and got to the end of row 1 and realized that I had made a mistake somewhere because I have an extra stitch. I found the mistake about a 1/4 way INTO the row. Did I mention there are 300 stitches on the needles? I tinked back about halfway and then had to do something else so it's still sitting there. Untinked and unknit.

Half knit socks are everywhere. It's quite sad.

I understand now why I went crazy with the Jaywalker at this time last year. IT WAS EASY! I could knit those socks in my sleep and I practically did and the yarn kept things interesting and it soothed me after a day in front of the computer. I can tell already that I miss socks. But for some reason, OF COURSE!, not the ones I'm knitting RIGHT NOW. Such is the craziness I live with every day.

Yarnival's due in two days. DUDE. I totally forgot.

The only thing keeping me sane is SNOOD. But I warn you. DO NOT START PLAYING THIS GAME. It will suck you in like a straw trying to get those last remaining drops of a vanilla McDonald's milkshake. THOOOOOOOOT! DANGER! DANGER! I'm warning you - for your own good - DO NOT PLAY SNOOD.

PS - In my brain addled ness I keep forgetting to mention something VERY IMPORTANT! The fabulous Wendy has set up a fundraiser for my favorite charity Heifer International. She's giving away some FANTASTIC prizes - so hurry up and show her the money!!!

Posted by Cara at 09:10 AM | Comments (26)

November 10, 2006

Bow Tie Template #1

{mini-rant} RUTGERS, the State University of NEW JERSEY, is now 9-0. The State University of NEW JERSEY. Why do the people of NEW YORK CITY feel the need to co-opt it as their own? They lit the Empire State Building in Rutgers scarlet last night. Please don't get me started on this. GET YOUR OWN DAMN SPORTS TEAMS! Oh that's right. You've got two that play right here - 2 miles from my house - IN NEW JERSEY!! How can the people of NYC stand themselves that they ALLOW the Giants and the Jets to play in NEW JERSEY. Both teams have signed big agreements basically promising they won't be leaving NEW JERSEY anytime soon. You know what? I say play on suckas! Guess who gets all the tax revenues from your OUT OF STATE football teams? That's right. New Joisey. {mini-rant over}

Okay. Sorry about that. That's two days in a row that I've ranted, but it feels good to let it out. On to knits.

Here's how the new project is going to go.
Take a hundred of these:

The goal is 100 little squares making up 25 large squares. That's the goal. The little squares are 6"x6" and the larger squares are 12"x12" and I'm hoping this will be big enough to fit on my bed. I see this is a VERY long term project. Very long term. So don't ask about it. ;-) First off, the yarn colors you see above are not the yarn colors I'll be using. But I am thinking of making a mini-template using the colors above and maybe a couple more that's at least 4 large squares big. You know - to work out all the kinks. Before you even ask - I'm knitting garter stitch on size 5 needles. The yarn is Socks That Rock Heavyweight in the following colors: Brick (red), Terra (orange), Spinel (blue) and Olivenite (yellow.) As always, if the colors aren't on the website, you can email or call Blue Moon to inquire about their availability. Thank you.

First off, I've got figure out how to get the squares together. The green blanket was super easy to seam because most of the edges were bound off - this time I'm working with garter stitch edges. I'm going to have to check the books on this one. I think I've got the diagonal square down to where I want it: basically knit into the back and front loop of your slip knot - two stitches. Knit next row. Knit into the back and front of both stitches. Now you have four. Knit next row. Now you K1, M1, K2, M1, K1. Knit next row. Continue increasing every other row until you have 50 stitches on the needle. Next row, K1, SSK, K44, K2TOG, K1. Continue decrease rows every other row until you have 30 stitches on the needle. Switch to contrast color and continue decreasing until you have four stitches left. SSK and then K2TOG. Next row knit. K2TOG and draw yarn through remaining stitch.

That's what I'm most happy with right at this moment. Subject to change, of course, once the seaming is done. I was trying to go for true corners.

I won't be starting the REAL afghan for a while. First, I have to collect the yarn. I'm in talks with my favorite dyer as to what colors are available in what I want to do. The colors I'm keeping as a surprise. I can't give up everything, can I? My biggest concern right now is how to put it all together. Question for you quilters - what do you do? Collect fabrics - then do one large square at a time - or do you go along making small squares with whatever fabrics speak to you and then put them together at the end? I mean I'm assuming you would have a color theme or something - but what a task! Color is the most important and hardest part of all of this I think. The wrong color can kill the whole piece. (And before you quilters tell me I could do this in 1/100th of the time it will take me to knit it - I don't quilt. Apparently it has a lot to do with ironing and I don't iron. I knit. Not that there's anything wrong with ironing....)

Whew! So that's where my head is at. I also ripped back the Casino shawl and I'm going to start it over again on 6s. I, thankfully, didn't lose the cast on when I ripped back, so everything's good in that respect. Heather was the one that tipped me over the edge: in the comments the other day she said that on 6s you can always block it out but on 7s - if its too big, it's too big. Thanks Heather! It all became clear after I read your comment.

It's back to work for me - I'm doing pretty well getting things done. But before I go, I leave you with a bit of eye candy. The squares and the quilt that took me over the moon!

Posted by Cara at 11:16 AM | Comments (73)

November 09, 2006

Lightning

Not the weather kind, although it's really kind of fascinating that Tuesday was pretty nice and today is beautiful and in between we got LITERALLY over 4" of rain. I had to go back and forth to the store yesterday and every time I went out my town flooded more and more and streets were closed all over the place. Oh and to the fucker in the behemoth SUV literally sitting on my ass: it was one fucking lane and I had ten people in front of me. Where did you think I was going to be able to go? I hope you don't drive like that when your kids are in the car. Fucker.

Ahem.

I'm talking about the creativity kind. The stuff that hits you and knocks you off your feet and when you finally stand up everything is so crystal clear but just a little too far out of reach and you start running and running in your mind and you breathe a little faster with all the running but it feels so so good. You know what I mean?

I think Nona was right when she said in the comments yesterday that I might be missing my green blanket. I really miss my green blanket. So much so that last night instead of continuing on with my Pomatomus sock or my knee highs or making decisions about Casino, I got into bed - my new favorite place with my glorious new down comforter and duvet and gorgeous purple sheets - and pulled in Nancy Crow with me. I want to start a new blanket. The Palette one isn't doing it for me - something about the color combinations - and the Random one. Well, I love it, but frankly it's unwieldy at this point and it takes A LOT to finish a row or section and I'm not in a zen enough place to just knit and knit and knit. I want squares. Squares are extremely satisfying. You finish one and it's like LOOK! I finished something! Even if it's just a part of something, but still. It's a finish. And then you can move onto the next one that's different. Easy to not get bored that way. And, fresh off my seaming success, I'm all into the seaming of the squares.

So I'm in bed with Nancy and I'm flipping through the pages delighting in her color-eye - because really that's what it's all about isn't it? - and I come to p55 and I stop dead in my tracks. THIS. IS. IT. This is it. This IS it. This is my next blanket. It's going to be big and intricate and I'm going to have to use a lot of colors and it will be subtle and beautiful and I can see it already finished in my mind laid out on my bed when I come into the room at night or I make the bed in the morning and I linger with it. I touch it and smell it and admire it and I think I MADE THIS. THIS IS ME. And oh my god it was all I could do to get to sleep last night I was so excited. I immediately cast on for the start of a square and knit until it was time to go to sleep, ie, my fingers stopped working even though I had knit the whole blanket in my mind.

This project is so far from even being started and I think that's what gets me crazy. The creativity is flowing fast and furious but there really isn't an outlet for it. First off, the whole thing will be a collaboration because someone else will be dying the yarn for me and it will be my vision but it will be the dyers vision as well. You can completely understand why someone like Nancy dyes her own fabrics. It's all about control of the final product. And how much do I talk about it? I can talk talk talk talk and then when it doesn't work out or I get bored AGAIN or something else comes along - but whatever - these are my projects and I share them with you and ultimately I'm doing the knitting, so if I need to move along.... Ann mentioned to me yesterday, with almost a sigh (not a bad sigh just a sigh of an excellent friend who's seen this enthusiasm before and may even get swept up herself but should she really get invested because she knows that in a week it will be all over - it's like dealing with your best girlfriend in college and her mad love of the week) said that she guessed all my other projects would be taking a back seat. Well, yes, for now. That doesn't mean that I don't want to knit Am Kamin and that I won't knit Am Kamin but I'm feeling really interested in THIS right THIS SECOND. Really that's the beauty of my knitting - no deadlines - no obligations. Knits don't really have feelings do they? God I hope not.

The best part of all of this? When I first mentioned the genius Nancy Crow on this knitting blog, I quoted her:

I think every artist who succeeds (in their own terms) has some ability to keep moving forward in the face of constant obstacles...emotional, mental, financial, physical...and that is what sets them apart from those who always talk about trying or starting but never get beyond the talking stage. I WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD, AND I WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO WORK MORE ABSTRACTLY.

Turns out, that quote? The one that affected me so much when I first went through the book? It's opposite the quilt where lightning struck last night. Sometimes knits are just meant to be.

Posted by Cara at 10:16 AM | Comments (24)

November 08, 2006

Wednesday

WTF, Random, Walk with me, Hump Day - whatever you want to call it, it's still freaking Wednesday.

I've been wholly unproductive this week during a time when I should be doing NOTHING but working. The weather sucks ruining my one and only plan for the day (I may actually have no choice but to get work done) and my knitting is only blah. I fixed the Pomatomus sock out of desperation yesterday (I can only go so many days without knitting) and that was only because I'm at a standstill on the Casino shawl. Yup. You heard me. A standstill. After a WHOPPING three chart rows. In my defense, each row is 300+ stitches.

I ended up starting it on 7s, but I'm not feeling the love all of a sudden. I'm worried that when I block it the 7s will be too open. I want the pattern to show, not be a cobwebby mess of holes. So. Do I continue on in the 7s doing one whole repeat and then decide to rip, or do I rip now and go back to 6s. My swatch isn't helping at all, to be honest. I washed it and sort of blocked it and it's softer than soft but when stretched it looks down right meshy all over the place - 6s and 7s. One of the things I liked about the 7s pre-wash was the drape. But really - once it's all done and blocked will that even be an issue? It's Merino/Tencel. Isn't that just another word for drape?

So it will sit and I will continue to feel uneasy about it.

There's been talk of odd feelings around the blogs today - I saw it in at least two places - and I have my own oddness on a regular basis but today I'm feeling almost angry. Don't get me wrong - I'm deliriously happy that the election process went the way it did but I can't help but feel an extremely guarded optimism. ATTENTION DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: DO NOT FUCK THIS UP. A win is only a beginning. We, as citizens of this fine land, have done the best we can and given you the power - not because we have so much faith in your abilities but because the alternative was untenable. Do not think that this administration will go gently into the night. You must be dilligent and focused. We need CHANGE NOT VENGEANCE, as tempting as the latter might be.

ETA: Okay. Maybe I'm feeling a little bit better about things. But just a little.

And this article in the New York Times yesterday? As scathing as it is, it doesn't even come close to how bad The Gilmore Girls has become. Dude it's like the fucking Waltons.

Posted by Cara at 09:06 AM | Comments (46)

November 07, 2006

Coming Soon to A KnitBlog Near You!

Thank you all so very much for your comments about my green log cabin blanket. Rest assured, I've only lent it to Blue Moon - it will one day find it's way back to our home. I don't think Georgie would forgive me if I let it go forever. (Honestly, I don't think I'd forgive myself!) It's wonderful to knit such a project, but the cherry on top is your appreciation for its beauty. Thank you again!

The knits have been at a stalemate lately. Everything needs something - and I'm just not in the mood. The koigu knee socks are stalled out because I need to start the heel flap which means changing the yarn and I just don't have the energy for that. The pomatomus sock needs to be ripped back to the start of the gusset because the pattern called for a k2tog and I really think it needed a k2togtbl. I KNEW it when I first knit it but ignored it and now I don't like how it's laying so rip rip rip. Which I really don't have the energy for. The Random log cabin - eh. (One day I'll go back to that, I promise!) That sore throat I had after Rhinebeck somehow morphed into a dry cough a week later which only last night turned into a bonafide cold. I'm feeling drippy.

BUT! Something came in the mail yesterday to give me LOTS of ENERGY!!!! Remember how I said that the only thing I regretted about Rhinebeck was not buying any yarn at Briar Rose for the Casino Shawl? Well I bought the pattern from Anne as soon as I got home but the yarn proved a bit more tricky. Chris from Briar Rose told me that they were pretty much out of yarn after Rhinebeck, but I could custom order some Sea Pearl if I wanted. DID I WANT? You know I did! So I told Chris that I wanted purples - lots of different purples - because purple is the new black - and she came through for me BIG TIME!

I've never done a top down shawl before so it will be interesting starting out with all those stitches. And I've never really used a provisional cast on before so that will be interesting too. I cast on the stitches with size 6 needles, so I hope I can get the 7s to work with that - don't tell me if I can't. Recasting on all those stitches is not something I'm looking forward to. One strange thing about the pattern: It's called Casino because the shape running through the shawl is a spade. But the spade is actually upside down (yes Christy - I noticed that too.) Which would probably bother me except I think the upside down spade actually looks a lot like a heart. : )

Wait! There's more! In really blow your mind news I've collected this batch of yarns:

I'm off to vote. I voted. Have you?

Posted by Cara at 11:18 AM | Comments (36)

November 06, 2006

Money Talks

But it don't sing and dance and it don't walk.

Guess what though? Kay talks and sings and dances and walks. While I've long loved Kay for her many talents, she is definitely my new favorite traveling partner. Here are the reasons why:

- On the ride down to Stitches East, Kay indulged me in my spastic adolescent squealing about my love of Bootleg Bruce. She even sang along at times and participated in an almost intellectual discussion about Bruce's musical merits. This alone makes her one of my favorite people in the entire universe. Some people would have made retching noises the second I put the CD on. Kay may have actually gotten a few spine chills herself. Are YOU ready to Prove It All Night? Kay is.

- Kay thinks it's perfectly normal when you pull over at a rest stop on the highway to demonstrate knitting techniques.

- When you actually get to Stitches East, Kay thinks it's okay that you think peeing is a priority over meeting THE Fiona Ellis in the ladies room. Swear to god. We walk into the bathroom and I hear Kay going Cara, Cara come here and I was already peeing. Dude. When nature calls. Fiona Ellis was super charming and when I gushed she didn't seem flustered at all. I'm still on that Short Rows high.

- When you go to drop off your superfabulous blanket at the Blue Moon Booth, Kay doesn't make fun of you when you bury your face in the blanket to smell it just one more time. Or when you end up buying more Socks That Rock, because, you know, you might not have enough.

STR Lightweight: Sherbert, Lover's Leap and 24 Karat


STR Bambu in Banded Agate

Shawl pins that end up being too big for my shawls. But oh so pretty!

- When you go to buy a really cool Lexie Barnes knitting bag only to find out it's really a diaper bag, Kay calms you when you get all superstitious about buying baby stuff before there's actually a baby and offers to take the diaper pad for you, so, you know, you're not tempting any fates.

Lexie Barnes Superstar bag in the Makiko print
T-shirt from Modern Yarn

And finally, when you consider going for the Nesquik Milk Shake from the vending machine at the rest stop on 95, Kay stops you and says when it comes to chocolate milk, you gotta go with the original. Oh how right she was!

Thanks Kay! Next time I end up driving 6 hours to spend 3, You're THE One!

PS - If you haven't already - make sure you go over and wish my favorite Cheesehead a Happy Birthday! GO! NOW!

Posted by Cara at 02:46 PM | Comments (31)

November 03, 2006

Verde! Verde! Verde!

Take a look at the seam here - can you find the seam?

Log Cabin Blanket
Pattern: My own design - inspired greatly by Mason Dixon Knitting. Basically I knit twelve squares using three colors - there are four different square patterns. I alternated light, medium and dark greens within each square pattern.

I absolutely LOVE this project - conception, process, finish. I'm delivering the blanket to the Blue Moon booth at Stitches East later on today. If you happen to be there this weekend - check it out. If you happen to be there today, well, then, see if you can find me and tell me how much you love it in person. ;-)

(And don't laugh at me because I'm wearing the same outfit I wore at Rhinebeck. Gotta get as much mileage out of the knee socks as I can!)

I'm leaving you with some artsy outside pictures of the blanket. I miss it already.

Posted by Cara at 12:04 AM | Comments (90)

November 02, 2006

Countdown

Yesterday, as most of you probably know, was November 1st. Always, always, always November 1st starts the countdown to my birthday. I love my birthday. So much so I named this here blog after it. And without fail on November 1st, I start thinking about my birthday. I may not say it out loud, but inside, where it really counts, I'm going two months until my birthday two months until my birthday two months two months two months!

This year? Not so much. Somehow I'm not so into the two months until my birthday mantra. Now I'm more like let's get through November let's get through November let's get through November.

Georgie's hip surgery is scheduled for the Monday after Thanksgiving and if we can just get through November everything will be a-ok. He's having hip resurfacing, which is actually a misnomer because it's really a modified hip replacement. He's getting new parts. My own Six-Million $$$$$ Man! (Don't ask how many times I'm going to be ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ing every time he moves. It will be a lot.) I'm praying that this surgery is the beginning of a whole new life for him - for us - PAIN FREE! It's going to be a hard recovery, I'm sure, and unlike his numerous other surgeries, he's actually going to be staying in the hospital a few days (trust me, I'm already thinking about the knitting projects) so there's that extra added seriousness factor. Rehab is of the utmost importance and it's looking like he's going to be home for a while. There's a lot to think about.

Add to that the fact that this is my busiest time professionally. Last year I couldn't think straight and this year will be a bit easier since I'm not taking new jobs right before the surgery (and none after) but still - I've got deadlines and worries and the birthday just isn't taking priority.

And I'm going to be 37. For some reason that seems old(er) to me. I don't know - I don't feel old necessarily - at least not mentally old. But my husband's having hip replacement surgery and I don't have a baby yet. I thought for sure I'd have a baby by now. If I get pregnant when I'm 37 but my embryos were fertilized with eggs that are 34 do I still need to do an amnio? These are the thoughts that run through my head. I'm feeling SO MUCH BETTER these days about so many things, but will that be enough? Am I old enough now? All of these thoughts just make me feel older.

Last year the birthday was all about EXTRAVAGANZA! There were prizes galore and funny photos everyday and while I will be doing a contest for the actual day - assuming we get through November - I'm going to be keeping a bit quieter about my birthday this year. I have so much to celebrate EVERY SINGLE DAY of my life. I have long considered myself one of the luckiest people alive and the older I get the more I appreciate every day as opposed to singling out ONE DAY.

In the past, I've been afraid of odd prime ages. 13 sucked. 19 wasn't the best. 23? One of the worst years of my life. I got married when I was 31 so that might have reversed the curse. Here's hoping 37 brings about a score of new beginnings - atop the list a pain free life for my husband. But I'll settle for a year of ordinary every days. With maybe a couple extraordinary days thrown into the mix.

L, C
I love Georgie!

Posted by Cara at 10:05 AM | Comments (54)