There has been knitting! I am happy to say there has been knitting! One row here and one row there but I am slowly gaining back my momentum and making progress. I can't remember a time when I could not knit and I must say it stinks! My first treatment really through me for a loop and for two weeks all I could do was look at my knitting. My focus was gone and so was my strength. (the story of my cancer here and here) But I slowly started to knit a stitch here and then a row here. It's not a lie knitting is pure joy for my brain. I might not be able to get off the couch but if I am knitting I feel productive and I am thinking about something other then how miserable my body feels.  Kniting is the best therapy.


So I finished these beautiful socks......a Christmas present! I just did toe up 2 at a time and I used the OMG heel. I love this heel! so easy and the fit is perfect!! I used a lace stitch pattern and I am really happy with the outcome! (grey day today so sorry for the not so great photos)

I cast on for another pair of socks right away! These are socks on a plane and another Christmas present. They are  flying along!


I am also working on the Mont-Royal Hat in yarn that I picked up at Rhinebeck this year. I will be needing lots of hat options as I am already losing my hair. This is a fun pattern with just enough challenge to keep me going.


I am still listening to the second book in the Outlander series. Only a few chapters to go! And I have been reading Beside still Waters by CH Spurgeon it is such encouragement to my spirit.

I am excited for the upcoming weekend as Hubby and I will be heading to Canada to pick up our oldest daughter. Her internship is over and she is coming home at the perfect time to help us here as I continue treatment. I was worried about being able to go but my white blood cells are back up and I was given the clearance to travel.

There is another reason I am excited! I will be going to the Raimer's Spinning Wheel Workshop on Sunday to bring home the wheel I bought in September. I can not wait to meet them and put my hands on my wheel!


And then next Weds.Thurs. and Fri. will find me back at the cancer center for my second round of treatment. I can not even think about it. So I am going to knit on the couch and cuddle my kids and let God handle the rest.

I woke up Wednesday morning....my first round of chemo starting in just hours to find this first up on my FB wall. And so that became my verse over the course of the past days as I struggled through. Cause all I really could do was be still.....it hit me pretty hard.



Weds. treatment went ok with only a minimal allergic reaction and I went home feeling groggy but ok. Thursday I actually was able to knit my way trough the whole treatment and I was told it would be an easy day but that the days to come would be uncertain and side effects could range from severe to mild. Well my side effects started the moment I got in the car to head home....intense nausea and pain that I can not even describe. I took nausea meds as soon as we got home but they did not touch it all night and Friday morning found me back at the doctors for fluids and an IV of nausea meds.I slept the morning away there. Poor Brian I think he was worse then me.....so worried. I was able to get my shot which was the last part of my first round and we headed home feeling horrible. I barely lifted my head all weekend of the pillow. Waves of nausea and pain that came and went all over my body....I took every med they sent home with me.....no hero here. One put me to sleep for a few hours and that was my favorite.

Monday I actually sat on the couch for a while while my Mom and friend visited. They brought so much food from friends that my freezer is filled to overflowing and I am humbled that my family is being blessed and taken care of when I can't do it. God's people are truly amazing.....really.

Sleep is a problem .....I take a nice long Epsom salt bath with lavender at night and then get about 4 hours but then I lay there.....achy and uncomfortable but no sleep will come. So here I am early Tuesday morning sitting on the couch......feeling ok enough to post which is saying a lot.

One of the worse things is just not being able to do anything.....not even knit. My fibery friends will understand......at least if I could knit I would keep my mind busy.......but I just don't have the focus.

early morning snuggles from my littles

I lay here an listen to my audio bible and let God's word wash over me. I won't lie to you I wanted to curl up and die several times this past weekend and I was mad that God would allow this to be my path......I was screaming I am just not strong enough. I should be pumpkin picking with my kids and teaching math lessons and baking apple crisp and laughing with my family.....not this. But yesterday morning Hannah Grace came into my room and climbed into my bed and told me Jesus had sent her to take care of me and make me feel better.....and then I knew I would fight and the enemy will not win! I have babies to kiss and love and a life that God has called me to live and He is fighting for me so I know all will be right when this is over. His plan not mine.....but that is what I signed up for.

The kids have really stepped up they run the house better then me. And Brian is even getting up and making me my green smoothies every morning......I need to snap a photo of that. We have 5:00 am green smoothies every morning now. He knows all about the goat's milk kefir and the greens plus blend and all the things he tries to stay pretty far from! Love him so much and am so blessed he is mine.

I will tell you I am worried about how Brian will get me back in that infusion room in two weeks......the thought just makes me sick. But I will just take it one day at a time. Tomorrow is blood work day and then no doctors visits unless something is wrong. So 2 weeks of recovery.  But for today I will sit back and let God do His thing........and maybe just maybe I'll be able to knit a few rows.....just maybe.

Resting in Him........Alisa

I have been putting off coming here to write. Trying to figure out the words and how or even if I would share. This is my happy spot where I share about my love of Jesus, my family......my fiber....my knitting....my life. I think writing about it will make it more real.....something I have been trying to not do.....cause it can't possibly be real.

I have a new pinterest board.....the name of that board is cancer.  It's a place where I am collecting remedies, recipes and all the things I have found over the past three weeks that will help me get through and beat my diagnosis of non hodgkins lymphoma. I have decided to journal here as we go down this path, I think it will be good for me and for my kids to have my writing in the future.

The past 3 weeks have been a flurry of tests and doctor appts. and lot's of waiting to see what was happening.  And here we are on the eve of my first round of chemo. The unknowing could eat me up....it could. But in the unknowing I have a knowing that can not be taken from me. I have a God who loves me and has always wanted the best for me and He is still sitting on His throne.....the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And I know He has a plan in all of this. I might not understand it or like it or even want it. But I am not the author of my story. That changed many years ago when I accepted Him and allowed Him to lead me in this life. So He is writing my story and I am praying for grace to be able to step back and trust Him as I never have. It's a hard place.

I am a Mom I have 8 kids to raise still and a husband to love  and a life to live. I decided from the start that we would not let the enemy steal our Joy. I have such joy in my husband......my kids.....my life. My Jesus has promised me greater joy then I can  ever imagine and that is what I cling too.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7

And so I have decided to only knit the fun things and spin the fibers that make me most happy. And I have been knitting up a storm......waiting room knitting is great for keeping my hands busy! Knitting is the best therapy!  These socks are going to be a Christmas present.


and knitting up projects that make little girls smile is also great therapy! I spun this yarn and then knit up a hat and mittens for my youngest.

 So I am hoping to keep writing here as I feel up to it. And I will leave you today with a verse I am holding tight too.

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

It's been a week of catching up and getting back in the swing of the schedule.  It's the time of year when we sit on the couch taking turns reading and I get to knit away or spin.

I had so many people asking me at the fiber retreat this past weekend, blogged here, how I find the time to knit and spin. All they could think of was with 8 children how do I have time to do anything? I get asked that a lot. I have always-made time for crafting and I try to include the kids in the process. Before knitting it was scrapboking and I believe it is such good therapy to have a creative outlet especially as a Mom! Including the kids just gives me an excuse to sit down and do what I love more! My oldest knits and spins better then me and I have a couple boys that knit hats and cowls to keep them warm during hunting season. Right now I am teaching a couple to drop spindle. And the three year old loves to treadle my wheel and play with her basket of fiber. I want my kids to love hand crafts like I do and giving them lots of time to practice is a good way to do that. As homeschoolers we can read and knit or do math while Mom spins. I can be there when they need me but also be enjoying my knitting at the same time!




So this week I picked up my Cozy Me Cardigan again and began fighting my way through the lace decreases. I have one side almost done. I say fight because the pattern does not have the decreases written into it and you must read your knitting every row. So I must be able to give my full attention to my knitting and nothing else. I am really liking how it is turning out and I am hoping to have this done for "Rhinebeck"!


 I also finally blocked my Penny Infinity Scarf  and can not wait to wear it! I am still listening to the second Outlander Book. I am about half way through and still really enjoying it. Joining Ginny for the weekly yarn along.......

My weekend started last Thursday when I left my house and headed about an hour away to a retreat put on by my Spinning Guild, North  Country Spinners. This was my first time going and I was so excited!
I helped to set up and organize things with the retreat committee on Thursday and we had a huge issue because one of our main teachers cancelled at the last minute. But with lots of help it all got sorted out and the weekend was a huge success!

I took classes with Amy Tyler all weekend. What an amazing teacher she is! She is funny and can really explain technical things so well.
My first class was learning the long draw technique. And I have to say I had it going by the end of the class!


My next class was spinning energized singles and knitting with them. It is amazing what extra twist in your singles will do to items when knitted up! We added extra wist to commercial yarn and knitted right off the bobbin and the knitted fabric was biasing to the left or right depending on twist.....so cool! Spinning fiber and knitting off the bobbin had the same effect and our samples were zigzagging all over the place!
 
 


My last class was creating marled yarns. A marled yarn is 2 or more different plys......could be different colors or different fibers. It was a class mostly about twist and how to use different length fibers in the same yarn. We learned a lot about plying and how different fibers work together.


My brain is on overload with the amount of information "spinning" through it!! But I can not wait to hit my stash and look at what i can create with the fibers I have already!

Other retreat goers took classes in dying with Kathleen Taylor. I was lucky enough to have Kathleen in my lodge and what an interesting lady she is! She has written many books......this one called Fearless Fair Isle Knitting is on it's way to me right now! Her dying classes where amazing. They took knitting blanks and yarn and created self striping designs that were amazing!



We also had weaving, more spinning and natural dying classes that everyone was raving about! I loved the atmosphere at the retreat! All the teachers stayed in the lodges with the attendees and we all ate cafeteria style meals together. It was such a great way to meet and get to know everyone! We played spinning games at night.......spinning blind folded was really funny!


I was sorry to have the weekend end but glad to get back home to my family. I am so blessed that my kids were able to hold down the fort here so I could experience this weekend and grow in my skills as a spinner and knitter. I think I could get addicted to these retreats! Good thing they are only every 2 years!


My view for the weekend..........

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. It seems I have gone down a rabbit trail and there is no turning back! Don't worry it's a good rabbit trail and I am excited  to share it with you!

At my last spinning guild meeting we were discussing great wheels and antique spinning wheels. I adore looking at them and thought I would really love to have one some day. A working one that I could get my husband to help me restore and make it useful again. Hubby is a wood worker and loves projects! But I did not think I could get one right now.....too much money......no space.....no time! But I decided just to look around on Ravelry.......on Craigslist........and just dream.

I ended up on the CPW Lovers forum on Ravelry. (Canadian Production Wheels) and found a thread about Alvin Ramer. He and his wife have been finding and refurbishing old wheels in Ontario for over 20 years. She is a master spinner and he loves to build spinning tools. They had a museum for CPW's in their home for many years. He is retiring and they are selling a lot of their wheels to loving homes. Hundreds of wheels.......his collection is amazing and the wheels are gorgeous. Scrolling through the thread I fell in love with this one wheel. It has what they call a Christmas Tree Treadle. It's cast iron and is just so unique looking and totally refurbished and spins like crazy......it was calling my name. No really it was!! I showed it to hubby and he loved it an the next thing I know he bought me that wheel!!!!



 
It just so happens that I will be traveling to Ontario the end of October to pick my daughter up and at that time we will visit the Ramer's shop and pick up my wheel........I am still doing the happy dance!!

But wait the rabbit trail does not end there.......no!!!  The CPW Forum is addictive and they are also a group of enablers! They post wheels that they find from all over to see if someone can give them a home. Someone posted about a wheel they saw in a flea market in NJ and it just happened to be one I pass driving to my moms. I was heading that way last Saturday and my husband told me to just go in and look. Maybe it could be a project we could both work on together. So of course I listened to him and can you believe this wheel is now sitting in my living room??? It's in great shape and does not need much work at all and she is just beautiful!!! The best part was the price! They were asking $125 which was great to begin with but I was able to walk out with the wheel for $85!! After a little research I've found she is a Vezina wheel made in 1877.








In between buying wheels there was some spinning and some knitting but it's hard not to just sit and look at this beautiful wheel! We should have her up and running in a couple of weeks. Right before we bring home the other wheel! Looks like my husband and I have found a new hobby!! Hope you are having a great week of knitting and spinning!!! Joining Ginny in the yarn along.

I have had the most amazing weekend! Full of fiber and friends and fun! A jam packed weekend that I am now trying to recover from! But so glad I got it all in!

Friday found me at our monthly Spinning Guild Meeting The North Country Spinners. Where Nelda Davis gave a workshop on identifying fibers and we talked about our Guild Retreat which is happening in 2 weeks.....Fiber Fallout 2014! (another weekend of fiber fun! Woo Hoo!!)

Then on Saturday I headed up to the Pa Endless Mountains Fiber Festival. My 3 daughters came along for more fun and we really enjoyed the day even though it was extremely hot and humid, it never rained and we were thankful for that. A special treat was seeing Karen of  the famous Pumpkin Sunrise blog who was there with her daughter. We chatted in between buying skeins of lace weight......hmmmm.....I wonder what shawl she is thinking of for that?!?!  It was great to meet an internet friend in real life!




Sunday had me heading in the other direction and going to the Garden State Sheep Breeders Festival. Our guild runs the skein competition and holds demos all day. I had entered 2 skeins for the first time and actually placed with both of them! So fun!! We spun all day and taught drop spindling classes.....the weather was just gorgeous cool and breezy! I also got to meet an internet friend today! Lexi is the owner of Queen Bee Fibers. Where she and her husband raise bees and dye beautiful fiber! I picked up a few braids of fiber and their famous bee cream.....it's amazing!!



Whew! What a weekend! Not a lot of knitting got done but I did do a lot of spinning! I bought this adorable little drop spindle on Saturday and can not stop spinning with it! I am spinning some shetland roving.


So now it is back to reality......but I am already gearing up for another big weekend of fiber fun! Only two weeks till Fiber Fallout 2014! Happy knitting everyone!!

I took a journey this past weekend and of course it involved yarn shops! But that was not my main purpose although it was a delightful part of the weekend! I ventured on my own........yes ......did I say I was by myself? No children......not a single one and let me tell you that I can not remember being alone for more then a day in a very long time. And it was odd and yes.....I talked to myself and  missed home and all my little ones but it was also lovely and I was not always alone because I had headed north to visit with my oldest daughter who is on an internship in Canada.

I left Thursday for the 7 hour drive and got through a good part of the second book in the Outlander series. It made the time fly by and I enjoyed the ride. Thanks to Holley at English Girl Canadian Man who I found a few weeks ago right here on the Yarn Along I had some yarn shops to visit and a few sites I wanted to see.  Hand knit Yarn Studio was a cute little shop with beautiful yarns in Hamilton where I picked up a skein of indigo dragonfly yarn in the colorway Tickle Fog......sooo fun!

 I hiked Bruce trail and saw Albion water fall in Hamilton

 I also walked along the Water trail in Burlington which was lovely


 We headed into Toronto on Saturday and visited the Toronto Textile Museum which had an education room filled with all types of looms and drop spindles. Then we also visited the ROM. My daughter Emily and I also visited Spun Fibre in Burlington and we really enjoyed their selection of yarns and fiber. I picked up some Malabrigo nube fiber in the colorway poison and also some Regia sock yarn.


 While in Canada I finished my simple toe up SKYP socks and I was happy to get them off the needles. I immediately cast on for a pair of tube socks for Hannah Grace who is growing so fast I think that is all I will be making her for a while so they fit longer. We have been reading nothing but this adorable book I picked up at the Textile Museum. It's called Feeding the Sheep by Leda Schubert and is about a little girl following her mom and learning all about wool from the sheep to the sweater. So sweet and the illustrations are lovely. Perfect for us moms that love fiber!! 


And of course a few photos from this proud Mom of my girl doing what she loves! She has been in Canada for over a year now but only has 2 more months and then she will be home. For a time before she heads off again.  Here she is riding the horse she has been training.




Well my post had a lot more then yarn and reading but