I had no idea how dangerous dry skin could be...

Until I almost ended up in the hospital.

I've always had dry skin, I don't like the greasy feeling of lotion so I've just dealt with it the best I could.  This summer I developed a itchy patch on the bottom of my foot that I scratched until I built up a callous.  The  callous cracked open so I started to peel some of the dead skin off causing it to bleed.  I didn't think to much about it because this has happened before.  I put some antibiotic cream on it, covered it with a band aid and forgot about it.  Sure a sore on the bottom of my foot hurt to walk on, but I figured it was just the tender new skin being exposed that hurt.  It started to heal and I completely forgot about it.

Fast forward about a week later, I woke up one morning feeling fine. I had plans to meet a friend for lunch.  I took a shower and immediately after my shower I started to shiver.  I knew it was chilly in the house but I didn't think it was that cold, so I went to check the thermostat and it was 69 degrees.  Not excessively cold for our house, but yet I was freezing.  Still undressed, I curled up in my robe and a blanket hoping I would soon warm up enough to get dressed.  I laid there for 20 minutes, still shivering until I finally had to force myself to get dressed.  I dressed as quickly as I could between uncontrollable shivering and put on the warmest sweatshirt I could find but I was still cold, and I was suddenly feeling tired and nauseated.  I laid down on the couch with a blanket, hoping I'd start to feel better before I had to leave to meet my friend.  After about an hour I realized I wasn't going anywhere expect back to bed.  I canceled my lunch date, crawled in bed with several blankets, still chilled to the bone, and now feeling dizzy and nauseous.  I thought it was the flu.

My son, who was also home sick that day, woke up about 11 and I told him he had to help me. I had to get to the bathroom, but I couldn't get myself out of bed.  He helped me to the bathroom and back.  Feeling that I could pass out at any moment, I told him if that happened to call his dad/my husband.  He was very sweet, he took care of me the rest of the day, bringing me water and anything else I needed.  When my husband came home I was still very sick and once again couldn't get myself out of bed.  Some time during the day a pain had developed in my lower leg, it felt like a charlie horse, but I couldn't remember having one.

The next morning I was still sick so I stayed in bed, while everybody else went to work and school.  The pain in my leg had gotten worse to the point where I could barely stand on it.  My husband came home to check on me around 10 and I showed him my leg, which was red all the way from my foot to my knee, very hot (you could feel the difference between the skin temp above and below my knee) and very painful to the touch.  I called the doctor and they were able to get me in right away.

After spending most of the morning in the doctor's office, having my blood drawn, and an ultrasound of my leg to rule out a blood clot; she concluded that it was cellulitis.  A staph infection of the deeper layers of skin, that if left untreated can spread to the blood causing blood poisoning and death.  Since it had spread to my whole lower leg and I was as sick as I was, this was serious.  She said we could do one of two things, she could put me on an antibiotic and I'd have to come back in 24 hours or she could send me to the hospital.  I really wanted to stay out of the hospital, so we choose to come back in 24 hours hoping that there was some improvement.

The next morning we when back to the doctor.  I had my blood drawn again and my white blood cell count had gone down a little so we knew the antibiotic was working.  She suggested that I have some penicillin injections to help boost the oral antibiotics.  I had 2 injections before we left and I had to come back the following day for another 2 injections.  She told me to stay in bed as much as possible  with my leg elevated over the weekend, and to go right to the ER if things got worse.  After going back in for the last 2 injections, I stayed in bed most of the weekend.  By Sunday afternoon, I was feeling strong enough to venture into the living room for a little while.

Yesterday morning I had to go back to the doctor.  My leg although still sore looks quite a bit better.  The redness had gone down to about mid-calf, but it's no longer hot so we know that the infection is going away.  I still have to watch it though to make sure it things don't make a turn for the worse, and it all started because the dry skin on my foot cracked open.  This was a hard lesson to learn;  but I've learned the importance of taking care of my skin and protecting any opening on my skin from now on.

Learning Entrelac

For a long time I've drooled over entrelac patterns, but thought they were beyond me.  Basically you knit a series of triangles and squares and they all fit together to form your project.  When I first saw this, I thought each square was knit individually and then seamed together.  I loved the look but it wasn't something I wanted to take on because I hate seaming.  When I found out it was just picking up stitches I thought I can do that, but it still took me years to even try it.

I'm knitting dish clothes for a girl scout fundraiser and using this as an opportunity to learn new skills and try out the patterns I've been wanting to try for a long time.  Turns out entrelac isn't as hard as I thought it was, just takes some getting used to.

Garter stitch entrelac dishcloth

Going green in more ways than one...

And I'm not talking about the color.

It wasn't my intention to go green with this sweater, but it just kind of happened that way.  The yarn is from Corney Goodness, a Minnesota company, specializing in hand dyed corn fiber yarn.  If you're not familiar with corn fiber yarns, it has the look and feel of cotton, but it's lighter weight, making it a perfect choice for summer knits.  The button, although it looks like wood is made from recycled plastic.

When I was planing this sweater I really had no idea what I wanted other than a circurlar yoke with one button and a wide neckline.  Using a very basic pattern I cast on and started knitting while I browsed though other patterns looking for inspiration.  I was about half way done with the body of the sweater when I finally found my pattern.  I decided to do Women's Eloise Eyelet Cardi with some mods. I had already started knitting in the round, so I didn't have to sew the seams, and needing a slightly larger size and I figured the eyelet yoke would be very easy to modify to my size.

There's only a few things I would change if I were to knit this again.  I thought I wanted 3/4 sleeves because I'm constantly pushing my sleeve up to my elbows, but I think they look a little odd, and I think I could of made the sleeves a little wider,  they're not uncomfortable they're just a little closer fitting than what I'm used to. For the most part I'd say this was a success, and I can't wait to wear it to an upcoming art festival and Hubby's class reunion, both coming up the end of September.

Up next: Fundraiser Knitting

The redesigned Alison Tank Top

After months of saying I was going to redesign this tank top so my daughter would wear it, I finally got around to doing it.  Originally, it had a low back and long skinny straps.  She refused to wear it because,  the long straps made the front neckline fall lower than she was comfortable with.  I tore it apart, added a few inches onto the back and gave it kind of racer back shaping.  She's much more comfortable wearing it now, although she'll always wear it layered over something.

In other projects.  My sweater is moving along.  I have one sleeve finished and started the other one last night.  My hope is to have the second sleeve done and both attached by the weekend, so I can start working on the yoke, which I'm sure will go fast.  I'm going to an art fair the end of September and I want to wear it then.

Writing a book

I'm starting a new project, but not a knitty one.  I'm writing a book, or at least trying to.  I've made several trips to my home town this summer; my parents still live there.  Due to road constitution I've had to take a different route though the back roads and farm country and I've been hit with a very severe case of nostalgia. As I drove though the farm country that I couldn't wait to get away from as a kid, I've come to realize just how much I miss it.  My book will be memories of growing up in rural Wisconsin, with my own experiences and some of my Dad's stories that he's shared about his childhood.  I have a feeling his will be more entertaining than mine.

I'm having a problem though.  When I sit down to write, I have a memory in mind that I want to write about, but the words just don't flow.  I can see it in my head like I'm watching an old home movie, but I can't describe it.  Then when I'm in bed and I think about what I want to write, the story just flows beautifully and I think I have to remember this, but it's gone by morning.  I'm a much better writer in my sleep.

Current projects

Even though I've been busy working this summer, I've found some time to sneak in some knitting.  I'm working on a lightweight cardigan for myself, but it will probably be next spring before I get to wear it.  It's been very slow going. It's a bottom up, in the round sweater, that I started in May.  I'm a few inches from being able to divide the front and back for the sleeves.  I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with it when I started, but I've decided now that I'm going to do a plus size version of Women's Eloise Eyelet Cardi

 

I'm also reworking a tank top I made for my daughter.  She didn't like the straps or the back.  I ripped it out yesterday and reworked the back so it has more of racer back shape.  I need to finish the front and straps in the next couple days so she will actually wear it.

Finding happiness on top a tractor

My husband along with his 3 brothers and mother own and run a sod and landscaping supply company.  In the 15 years that we've been married, I wanted every little to do with the family business.  I had my own job and my own life and I didn't want to feel tied to the farm 9 months a year.  But that all changed this spring, when I lost the job that I absolutely loved working as an Education Assistant at a local elementary school.

Due to some changes in the family business, they had an opening for me, if I wanted it, mowing the sod fields.  I really didn't know if I wanted to take the job or not, because I knew I had to work even when it was hot and I don't do hot, I knew it was going to be long days (10 hours), and I had never driven a tractor before.  I reluctantly  took the job, saying that I'd give it a try for the summer as long as I could start looking for another job after the the kids went back to school in the fall.

Here we are it's the beginning of August and the unthinkable has happened.  I realized yesterday as I sat in my tractor in 90 degree weather, that I really do like this job.  I don't feel the heat to much as long as there's a breeze.  I like that despite the noise of the tractor, it's peaceful, I know that sounds weird but it is. I like that I get to see wild life that I normally wouldn't.  Yesterday a bald eagle was roused out of some near by trees and swooped down in front of the tractor, I'd never seen one so close.  It made me wish I had my camera.  I also get to see some wonderful sunsets. Every day I'm in awe of how beautiful the farm really is, and I never noticed before.

Me and my tractor