Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A Change In The Weather

I looked out my window and got the shock of my life. I saw near white-out conditions, with winds whipping gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. All this instead of a little rain. That's all it was earlier. Rain and 50 degrees (F). The last time the winter winds went haywire, my 9-foot patio umbrella snapped in half and the outdoor furniture started moving down toward the back gate. Good thing I still have cozy knits on my mind.

Raglan Cardigan
The start of a top-down raglan cardigan in Noro Silk Garden, color 224 (disc.)

Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton
Organic cottons from Blue Sky Alpacas, destined to be a textured knit throw

In the quick update department, I've got one Monkey done and I've started on number two. A new yarn, Fiesta Boomerang in the color "Sedona", is all wound up and waiting to be knit into Lisa Dykstra's "Sedona" socks. I thought the synchronicity was too perfect to pass up.

In Other News
Some of you know the details of my spinal fusion and how I tried to wait until artificial discs were available. Reading this New York Times article makes me glad I didn't. The article implies that some of the glowing reports of success may have been tainted by surgeons with a financial interest in the devices. In addition, research results may have been cherry-picked so that failures were under-represented.

My replacement discs came from bone harvested from my hip. It still hurts on occasion, but at least I didn't risk rejection or rupture of synthetic materials in my spine. Thank goodness for small favors?

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22 Comments:

Blogger Yarnsnob said...

What colorway/number is that Silk Garden, I really like and would love it in sock yarn.

1/29/2008 11:15:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am empathetic with your spinal fusion. i had one more than 10 yrs ago, and the only pain i had was where they took the bone from my hip...i have seen info on the newer implants, and wondered how they work. i am a nurse, but don't work in that area. hope you're feeling 100% soon!

judy

1/30/2008 12:49:00 AM  
Blogger Opal said...

I love the way that Noro is knitting up, but I'm really excited about the Sedona socks. I can't wait to see those on the needles! It really sounds too perfect for words.

1/30/2008 02:27:00 AM  
Blogger Lisa said...

Your Silk Garden is beautiful. That will be one gorgeous sweater!

I hope you enjoy the Sedona pattern. It sounds like you have the perfect yarn for it.

1/30/2008 06:23:00 AM  
Blogger The Ninja Knitter said...

Yoiks! Good to hear that you're doing well and that you avoided a questionable treatment. (That's always one of my fears re: the medical side of life.) The raglan looks promisingly beautiful.

1/30/2008 08:03:00 AM  
Blogger Jodi said...

That Silk Garden raglan is going to be divine... (unlike this weather which has been so bizarre).

Hooray for you, going ahead with the surgery and not waiting for the new one. As much as we like to think of medical research as benefiting humankind, much of it is run like a business.

1/30/2008 08:11:00 AM  
Blogger Ruth said...

I just found your blog through Jen's Knitting like crazy blog.

Good reading and pics and everything. I'm adding you to my blog.

1/30/2008 08:52:00 AM  
Blogger The Happy College Knitter said...

I totally know what you mean about the weather, it did exactly the same thing here yesterday! I love your blog, it's beautiful and fun to look at :)

1/30/2008 09:33:00 AM  
Blogger Angie said...

Beautiful sweater, I have still not given in to the sweater itch, by the time I do, it will be time to knit a summer sweater....it sounds from your knitting progress that you are feeling better. A toast to continued improvement!

1/30/2008 09:49:00 AM  
Blogger Courtney said...

Wow, I'm glad you went with bone from your hip now too! It seems like it was a much better result.
The raglan looks dreamy, but then it is in Noro! I love the cotton too, can't wait to see how they all knit up!

1/30/2008 12:14:00 PM  
Blogger sweetfigs said...

Cozy knits, indeed!

Oooo, I think I have that lucsious Noro colorway. Wait! I'll go check my stash page on Ravelry. Yep, I've got 5 skeins for the yoke of a cardi. More #224 progress shots please. :)

Sounds like you dodged a bullet by not getting synthetic discs!

1/30/2008 02:05:00 PM  
Blogger Brenda said...

Such beautiful colors in the Noro! That will be a lovely sweater. And I am really looking forward to seeing what you plan for the throw.

I hope your pain goes away soon, and I'm glad you took the route you did. Most research scientists have to report any financial conflict-of-interest before publishing results in a peer-reviewed journal. I would hope that MDs would have to do the same.

1/30/2008 02:48:00 PM  
Blogger Donna Lee said...

There is talk about a national test registry. It seems that drug companies only publish the test results that support their theories (no vested interest here,huh). The registry would require all medical trials and tests to be registered so that all results good and bad would be available. It sounds like a no brainer to me. I see how well some of the drugs work and I see how a lot of them perform way below expectations every day. It's sad. I'm glad you're mending. The colors in the sweater are beautiful.

1/30/2008 06:54:00 PM  
Blogger Debi said...

Once again I must restate that I'm not so big on purple but that silk garden is yummy! As is that plump looking cotton!

So toots, did you keep your promise to me???

1/30/2008 09:49:00 PM  
Anonymous Clasca said...

Wow Karen, it hurts just to read about disc replacement with hip bones. You must have been in so much pain. A deep bow to you!

1/31/2008 04:27:00 AM  
Blogger lu said...

gorgeous wool as always. i wish i had a knitting teacher like you so i can move past the scarves/toques/mittens phase that i have been in for years!

and thank you again for your concern. i really do appreciate all of your kind messages.

1/31/2008 04:32:00 AM  
Blogger Leslie said...

A lovely start to the sweater! And the cottons look yummy as well. We had similar weather on Tuesday, and it wasn't fun. Hope you're staying well and warm.

1/31/2008 08:32:00 AM  
Blogger Susan Pandorf said...

Just one more example of the natural choice being the best choice.

When will we learn?

Another example is your throw. I'll look forward to watching it play out.

Blessings twin; stay warm!

2/01/2008 02:33:00 PM  
Blogger a friend to knit with said...

wow. very interesting. so happy you made the right decision!

2/01/2008 03:52:00 PM  
Blogger Laura said...

That is good news about your disc choice! My mom used bone from her hip, too, and hers eventually stopped hurting.

2/03/2008 08:42:00 AM  
Blogger WandaWoman said...

Love the start of the new top-down sweater. That colorway of Noro is gorgeous!
Sounds like you made the right choice for your spinal infusion, good for you!

2/06/2008 12:21:00 AM  
Blogger KnitPastis said...

Thank God your body is not rejecting your own. Thank God indeed. So glad you found this information.
Blue Skys Alpaca looks so soft!!

2/10/2008 07:35:00 AM  

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