Lurkers

I mentioned a few posts ago that my Dad was in the hospital (thanks to everyone who sent me their well wishes, either through the comments or in person. I really appreciate it). It turns out he is suffering from a hemothorax, a condition where blood seeps into the pleural cavity and compresses the lungs. Anyway, he's doing much better now, but will still need to have surgery (he's scheduled for 12:30 today), because they still have to drain some fluid from around his lungs, and they don't yet know what actually caused the bleeding in the first place, so they want to check that out as well before giving him a clean bill of health. I tell ya, my Dad has had a rough time in the past couple of years.

What does this have to do with the title of today's post, you may be asking? Well, I'll tell you. It turns out that my dad's wife, Margot, had sent my blog to a bunch of her friends and relatives, and that her brother (Hi John!!!) actually found out about my dad being in the hospital from reading this blog. Who knew??? That just cracks me up, seriously. So a big Hidey-Ho to all you lurkers out there. I'm thrilled you're reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy it. It's a public service, and I'm happy to do it. :)

We've been buried in snow over the past two days, here at chez Dear. I've been nagging Phil to get a contract with a snow removal guy, and he's always dismissed this, arguing that we don't have lots of snow, and it's good exercise. Ha! Bet he's not so Gung-Ho now, eh? Actually, the only thing that really worries me is that there will be a giant snowfall like the one we just had, and he'll be out of town on business. Maybe I could put up a sign "Will Trade Handknits for Snow Removal"?.

I've made some good progress on my mom's husband's socks. I've turned the heel and am now in the home stretch of the cuff. Two issues are coming to mind as I think about these socks. First, how weird it feels to go from sweating through every stitch, wondering if I'll have enough yarn to finish (remember the gorfing?), to wondering if this cake will ever get any smaller. I swear, these are going to be hose, not socks. :) Secondly, even though Michel (that'd be the intended recipient) has size 10 feet, I decided to make a size medium, which is written as a 9 and a half inch circumference, as I like socks to have a little negative yield for a snug fit. However, the circumference is based on stockinette (76 stitches at 8 stitches to the inch = 9 and a half inches, you follow?). I DID do a gauge swatch, and my gauge is spot on, so I figured a medium would be perfect. Unfortunately, I neglected to realize that the pattern in based on a 2x2 rib. Aaack! I got Phil to try them on last night (if they fit him, they'll fit Michel), and even though I thought he had difficulty getting them past his heel, he swears they fit great. So I'm just going to keep at it and hope for the best. I'll definitely block these babies before I wrap them up, just in case!

Have a great day, everyone!