Thursday, October 31, 2019

Relaxed Days

I've spent a couple of quiet, relaxed days.

On Tuesday, I woke up feeling cold.   A hot shower warmed me up and I wore one of my sweaters.  This is one I knitted several years ago, using the entrelac knitting technique:

Entrelac Sweater

One sleeve is knitted with the pink yarn and the other sleeve with the white yarn.  The back is color blocked:

Back of Sweater
After I took this photo I thought of how my hair has grown back.  I had hair down to my waist when I started chemo:
Taken December 14, 2015 - 10 days after 1st chemo session
When it started to fall out, I cut it short on Christmas Eve and then, in early March 2016, I shaved off what was left.

It grew back a little finer in texture than before, I think, but, that's quite OK.  I'm glad to have hair!  And, that's the natural color, by the way.  I don't dye my hair.  It's still mostly black, with a little grey. 

On Tuesday, I called cousin P and friend R to check on them, did a load of dishes, and finished knitting the second sleeve on the sweater I am making.

On Wednesday, Aunt C called me in the morning to check on me.  Later, I watered the front garden and did a little weeding.  It was warmer, outside, in the sunshine than inside the house, where it was 60F.  That might be comfortable for some, but, for me, that's cold!  Neighbor E saw me out in the garden and came over to chat for a bit.  Afterwards, I drove to a nearby pizza place and bought myself a large pepperoni pizza for $5.00.  I had two slices for lunch and, later, two slices for dinner!  The other half of the pizza is in the fridge for later.

In the afternoon, I watched news coverage of the various fires, did a load of laundry, and sewed up the sweater.   I still need to tidy it up before taking a photo. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Relaxed days
- Warm sweaters
- Being safe from the fires
- Having my hair grow back
- Family and friends who check on me

Tomorrow is Halloween.  I didn't decorate my house, this year. Did you?

20 comments:

  1. Your sweater looks great and I just love how the colour blocking works.
    Your hair has grown well in a short time. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jules. Several people told me that I looked good with short hair, when my hair was growing out, but, I prefer longer hair, so, I'll let it continue to grow, I think, with an occasional trim.

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  2. I like your sweater - what talent you have to make a very complicated pattern. My friend is undergoing chemo & it was loosing all her hair that has got her down the most. I don't decorate for Halloween as I'm not a fan of what Halloween has become, all gore & gruesome. We decorate for Thanksgiving & the harvest celebrations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mary-Lou. Entrelac isn't very difficult to do, once you get the hang of it.

      The hair loss can be hard to take. I tried to be stoic about it, but, I was so happy when it started to grow back, about 4 months after I stopped chemo.

      I used to decorate for most holidays, but, now, I am getting lazy!

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  3. What a fun sweather! I'll say once again, you have amazing talent.

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  4. I don't ever celebrate Halloween. It was never an event as a child - back then in the UK the big event was Bonfire Night on Nov 5th. Nowadays I buy sweets for any children who trick or treat but I don't decorate the house.

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    Replies
    1. I, too, grew up without celebrating Halloween. I used to enjoy decorating for it, though, but now, decorating seems more work than fun!

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  5. what a beautiful sweater ...I love entrelac-
    in my family, we consider the phrase 'bald is beautiful' to be a very true statement- my late husband went bald in his early 20s (before I met him) and kept his head shaved until the end of his life ,,, youngest son realized he was following in his dad's footsteps at age 19, so he buzzed his off then and has had a shiny head ever since ... and now, oldest daughter (whitney) is styling hers the same- she began to shed after her first chemo round, so she said 'go for it' and went for the same look- we all now consider hair to be an accessory ... nice to have, but not essential!
    still watching the fires from here and thinking about all of you in that area-
    Happy Halloween and the usual fond regards-
    barb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Barb. You are right - hair is an accessory. My daughter, who has long hair, offered to shave her head when I shaved mine, in a show of support, but I didn't want her to do that. I was very touched by her offer, though.

      Wish you and yours a Happy Halloween, Barb, and best wishes all around.

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  6. Your hair is quite lovely and long! The sweater is really pretty! Have a great day today!

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  7. I'm glad to hear you are safe from the fires. It's just awful what I've seen on the news - so frightening.

    I made one project with the entrlac stitch. I really enjoyed making it.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Debra. I am very grateful I am away from the fires!

      I like how the entrelac works up. I might do another sweater using it, one of these days.

      Delete
  8. You got an excellent deal on the pizza. You are lucky that your hair color is natural. My mom was the same way.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Stephenie. I have two different pizza places, fairly close to my house, that offer pepperoni pizza for $5. Pizza gives me heartburn, but, every so often, I give into temptation (and take an antacid tablet!)

      I was starting to go grey when I lost my hair. There is some grey, now, too, but, I am comfortable with it. I didn't want to color it, before, and I am not interested in coloring it, now. :)

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  9. The sweater is pretty and your hair is amazing how much it has grown. One good thing about hair, when it is able to grow, it really grows! I've been growing mine but it is only chin length at the moment. Haven't decided what to do with it.

    I detest Halloween, it is such an ugly occasion now. We never encountered it until our first year over her, 48 years ago. We couldn't figure out why the kids from the upstairs apartment were about to knock on our door just as we were going out for the evening. Of course with our son, we did take him out trick or treating in fun costumes (not ugly ones). I can't wait for the stores to clear away all the ugly stuff and then, oh no, we will be inundated with Christmas "tat" from China!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Bushlady. I'm sure you'll find a nice style for your hair when it has grown out a bit.

      I enjoyed decorating for Halloween with Jack-o-lanterns, witches, and scarecrows. But, I am not so much into the rest of it. No trick-or-treaters, here, tonight. I don't hear them in the adjoining blocks, either.

      Over here, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas stuff all come out together! Which reminds me, I should make my jams for gift giving, soon.

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  10. Your hair looks healthy.
    I’d like to think that I will not to color mine when it turns grey. But I don’t know how I’d really feel if I have lots of grey hair. So far I have several, here and there.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Nil. It's a personal choice to color or not. Some people feel better when they color their hair and that is fine. Do what feels good for you. :)

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