A couple weeks ago, Alex had the “cyst” removed from her neck and because of her history with the malignant mammary tumors (that had been successfully removed) the doctor decided to play it really safe and have the cyst sent off for a pathology report.  Last week the report was returned to the doc, who turned around and had them redo the test.  I found out this Monday after the test had been double-checked that her cyst wasn’t a cyst after all.  It was an extraskeletal osteosarcoma.  In English that means it was a bone cancer tumor that wasn’t in a bone.  It’s a very aggressive cancer and with chemotherapy the median survival time is only 146 days.

We had a little hope since the pathology report said that the margins of the sample were clean — meaning the cancer was in the center and the outside edges weren’t showing cancer.  That was good because it indicates that all the tumor was removed.  (If you saw the pictures of her huge incision — you wouldn’t be surprised that it was all removed since it was clear a LOT was removed.)

She had her stitches removed yesterday and the incision is healing up well and the good news was that the tumor hadn’t returned in the two weeks since the surgery.  This is such an aggressive cancer that, from what I understand, returning that quickly wouldn’t be a complete surprise.

The bad news — she had a chest xray yesterday.  The cancer has metasticized  into her lungs.  She has several tumors there.  This makes chemotherapy no longer an option.  She will probably be with us for about 3-4 more months.

I’m on a mission to have the MOST SPOILED GERMAN SHEPHERD IN THE WORLD so I may be a little slow in visiting blogs while I think up new ways to spoil Alex.

April showers bring May …. sweater backs.

This is the completed back of my Henley Perfected. The color is a bit lighter in this photo than it is in real life. The last picture from a few days ago it a more true color. I have completely fallen in love with Silky Wool. This will definitely NOT be the last time I use it.

I didn’t get to see the Yarn Harlot when she was at WEBS last weekend because of previous plans, but we did make a run by WEBS to see what the sale they were having was. And I picked up enough Cascade 220 in Color 8234, Pistachio. Of course it’s green. It is slated to be…. St. Brigid by Alice Starmore.

And there was a special sale on sock yarn that day since the Harlot was there and I picked up one ball of Trekking Pro Natura (75% wool/25% bamboo) in color 1512 and it wasn’t until I was paying that I noticed it was the SAME color almost as the Cascade 220. I’m a green type of gal.

Thanks for all the inquiries about Alex. She’s doing really well and other than the Frankendog look, you’d never know she’d recently had surgery.

I’ll be spending this weekend playing nursemaid to Alex.  Some of you know that she had a cyst on her neck that we had lanced.  It came back in short order and it came back huge.  So yesterday she had surgery to remove it.  She’s now Frankendog.  If you’re squeamish don’t look at the pictures.  They are just of her neck and the big incision.

I’m making progress on my Henley Perfected.  Tonight Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Play Offs start so I’ll be knitting on it more tonight.  I’ll get some pictures this weekend.

Did you know that the Summer 2008 Interweave Knits preview is up?  If you like colorwork, this is a great issue.  I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it in person.

Today I survived 20 minutes on the Death Machine at the gym.  Granted, it was only on level one but I’m relatively sure that that’s the only reason I survived.  I guess some people would call it an elliptical trainer; I call it the Death Machine.  It’s not that different from the machine I’ve been doing my cardio on but different enough, I’d say.

My sock is coming along slowly since I’ve been spending more time working on Henley Revisited.  I’ve tried on the sock and I think I’ll be able to keep these for myself.  They aren’t snug in the leg, but they aren’t overly lose and the ribbing is right.

Next time, and I have no doubt there will be a next time, I’ll have fewer squares around but this number will do.

And I’m getting relatively close to starting the lace on my Henley Revisited.   I really am enjoying the Silky Wool.    I think this will be a much loved sweater if things continue to go well.

Wish the Rangers luck tonight.  If they win, it will be the end of this series against New Jersey and we’ll be getting ready for the next round.  It’s a best of 7 series and the Rangers are ahead in the series 3 games to 1.

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes.  I had the best birthday in ages.  It really wasn’t spectacular in an over the top way or anything but I just had a really good day.  I awoke to Jody being really proud of himself.  He was going to take me to lunch (I wake up late — and today was no exception — it was after noon) and then he wanted to know when WEBS closed for the day because he’d decided that we would go to WEBS so I could get yarn I wanted.  The poor guy!  WEBS isn’t open on Sundays.  I just figured that meant we’d go tomorrow or the next day.

A little while later,  he came to me and apologized for “ruining” my birthday because WEBS wasn’t open so there was no present.  So I had to make him feel better — what’s a wife to do.  I told him about Creative Fibers and we went there instead.  We got some Silky Wool by Elsebeth Lavold (65% wool, 35% silk) for the Henley Perfected.  I’ve never knit with this before and so far I love it.  I even let him pick out the color — blue, of course.  I don’t have a single blue blouse/sweater, so it will be a good change in my wardrobe.

Then we went to Round Robin for lunch/supper.  They are a restaurant that serves hamburgers.  Lots of different burgers.  It’s a sit-down type restaurant.  I’m not a huge burger fan but he wanted to eat there and he’d just stood around and followed me around a yarn store so I agreed without a fight.  I’m not sure what the heck was in the water, but it was a GREAT meal.  I don’t think it was because I was hungry because I don’t think I really was, but that was about the best meal I’ve had in a long time.

So all in all I had a really good day (except the Rangers lost the hockey game).

I’m 44.  There was a time when I thought 44 was ancient.  It doesn’t seem so old anymore.  heheheh 

April is a busy birthday month for us.  Jody turned 48 on the 1st.  My brother, Jeff, turns 51 (YIKES) on the 28th and Hannah turns 7 on the 26th.  Other than Hannah, I’m the baby of the group so I will rest on those laurels. 

I ended up frogging the Central Park Hoodie a few weeks ago. I just wasn’t feeling it. It felt good to return it to the ball of yarn.

On the other hand, the Annetrelac socks are amusing me to no end. This is my first attempt at entrelac and I’ve really been enjoying watching the material grow.  I’m at the heel of the first sock and as soon as the torrential downpours stop, I’ll get pictures.

I’ve been knitting — a little.  And frogging a little.  I can’t make up my mind what I really want to knit so I start things and then frog them and then start something else. 

I did start to knit the Annetrelac socks (from IK’s Holiday 2007 issue — issue is sold out but the pattern is for sale at Interweave Knits) and I’m finding them to be very interesting.  I’m using Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn and I’m absolutely loving the way it’s looking.   This is my first attempt at entrelac.  My only problem is that since I didn’t get gauge, I’m hoping that my changes were sufficient enough that the sock will fit.  But even if it doesn’t fit me, I’m sure I’ll find someone that it will fit and these are definitely a “process” knit as well as a “product” knit.

While the colors are a bit bright, they are also a lot more subdued than they appear in this picture.  More rich.

Now for gossip.  I hope that if you had a pattern from Magknits in your To Do list that you (a) remember who the designer is or (b) you printed out the pattern.  Magknits has ceased publication and removed everything from its server as far as I can tell.  I think a recent trainwreck thread on Ravelry had a bit to do with Magknits going off the cliff.

Since that big yellow ball is out in the sky, I think I’m going to take this one for a walk.

Pattern: Plain stockinette cuff down sock with heel flap

Needles: US 1 (Knit Picks Fixed circulars)

Yarn: Opal Mosaic

Nothing to talk about here. There’s nothing spectacular about the pattern (C0 60, K2P2 for 1.5 inches and then stockinette).

Pattern: Decorative Rib Socks from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

Yarn: Brown Sheep Company, Inc, Lambs Pride Superwash in Blue Diamond colorway, approximately 108 g

Needles: U.S. size 5 Addi Turbos

Notes: I made these socks with an eight inch cuff—had I made them a little shorter, I probably could have gotten away with using only one ball of yarn. This winter we began to heat the house, for the most part, with our fireplace which leaves a lot of the house super chilly. What self respecting knitter would let her husband sleep with cold feet? Not this one! Because these are made with worsted weight yarn each sock only took a couple of days.

This is the first time I’ve ever done a plain stockinette heel flap, but I figure since these are really only going to be used as bed socks if this type of heel flap isn’t as sturdy it really won’t make a big difference. I must admit that I really do prefer knitting a heel stitch flap.

I will now be returning to my Opal Mosaic green socks—I’m working on the second of that pair so it won’t be long before I have another finished object.

In other news, we’ve had a couple of days in a row with sun and temperatures in the 40s. Does that mean that spring is finally here? I certainly hope so but I’m not holding my breath.

We recently went to my husband’s office party—they don’t have a holiday party, they have a winter gala well after the holiday season is over – and this year they were giving away a laptop computer. You may remember that last year we won the big screen TV. Unfortunately we didn’t win the drawing this year but from what I understand people would have killed us had we. * laughs *

We just got done watching all of the episodes of The Avengers that Emma Peel was in. I had only seen a couple of the episodes before but my husband was a big fan so I got him the set for our anniversary. Both Emma Peel and John Steed were holding back tears as Mrs. Peel’s husband, who had recently been found in the Amazon, came to pick up Mrs. Peel and she left the show. It turns out that Jody was holding back tears as was I. I can’t believe I got so caught up in that TV show.

Since I quit smoking we have spent a lot more time watching TV together and, frankly, the only types of shows that we agree on are ones we get on DVD. Right now we’re working our way through Babylon 5. When I first saw this series it was only on its fifth show I think and I hated it. I called it Babble On 5 and indeed, the early shows are crazy that way. But eventually I did start to like the TV show so I’m enjoying going back and watching the shows I missed the first time around.

I have to go get supper ready because my hockey game will be starting soon and I’m not going to want to cook while the game is on.

Happy Tuesday.