My mother was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and while she works her way out of denial, she signed us up for a workshop. Knowing that she was anxious about it all, I thought a pair of socks would make her happy.
Some time ago I purchased this Duet Yarn in DeKay weight from A Swell Yarn Shop (no longer in business, she's taking time off to have and raise baby) in all its purple-y goodness:
And made her these plain vanilla socks which I gave to her on the way to the workshop:
She loves them. I've never made socks in DK weight before, and I was pleasantly surprised at how fast they knit up. I used Addi Turbo DPNs in US #2 and I really can't stand the needles. Never thought I'd say that about Addis, but they're too heavy and too long and I'd trade them for some Addi Sock Rockets in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile, turns out that my mother inherited the gene for diabetes and she has been asymptomatic for years. Now that the symptoms have shown up she has to pay attention to it. I learned at the workshop that I could be at risk too. What?!
So the Acer Cardigan went back in the bag (I don't have the brain cells to deal with it just yet) and I went into denial mode. So, sidetracked once again, I pulled out some Lion Brand merino:
and knit a hat for my local bodega owner, Richie. He's been asking me for a long time to make him a hat and I needed some instant gratification. He said that he wants a hat in the same colors as the flag of Yemen. I had the yarn, it wasn't expensive to make, it was a fast knit and it was mindless. Instant gratification
And then, well, I pulled out the Acer and under the bag was some yarn I bought from Abi Grasso (KnitPurlGurl on Etsy) - watermelon yarn. Oh boy, after all the gray and white of winter, what could be more fun than this:
Bright, cheery, Springtime. I love the feel of this yarn and the way it works up in socks:
So, I'm going back to the sweater as soon as I finish these socks - in a day or two. After all the fun of knitting these socks, it's going to be hard to go back to slogging through sleeves, but I'm going to get to it.
Sweater progress will be in the next post. Promise.
Those watermelon socks are so cute! I'll have to look for that yarn because I think my sixteen year old son would just love them.
ReplyDeleteWow! You've been busy! I'll have to look for that watermelon yarn, too. My daughter loves watermelon.
ReplyDeleteAs for the diabetes. Well. I know that it can be hard to accept it. For myself, I don't deny myself things. I think, a lot of times, people are taught that they have to do without; to deny themselves. This makes it very hard for people. I "allow" myself to eat whatever I want to eat. But I do test my blood sugar often, and I have a really good feel for what raises my blood sugar. Sometimes the time of day makes a difference, too. I do find that there are certain things I can eat (like, Green Monsters) that help to regulate my sugar all day long, and eliminate cravings for (things that I know will raise my blood sugar). While I don't deny myself any food (including real sugar), I do find myself steering clear of things that I know will raise my sugar. There are times that I know that my sugar will be high (because of something I've eaten), but I "allow" myself that, too, and just make better choices the next day. Personally, if I have a salad with a meal, it really helps to keep my sugar in check.
The bottom line is, everyone's body works differently. It's important to find out what works (and what doesn't work) for you. It's also important to listen to your body. And, finally, it's important to forgive yourself.