What a Week...

I don't think I've ever been to relieved to make it to the end of a week. For one thing, work has been even busier than usual, thanks to the busy-ness of the summer season here in the entertainment world. But on top of that, it's been emotionally exhausting.

My poor dad hasn't been feeling well lately. He's just been really tired, and it's been getting worse. This week, Mom had had enough, and she told Dad that he was going to go in for a heart catheterization -- a test that we here in my family are pretty familiar with, since Dad had a heart attack back when I was in high school, and we've been keeping an eye on his ticker ever since. On Tuesday, he went in for some preliminary blood work -- and on Wednesday, his heart specialist called to say that the heart cath had been cancelled because Dad was dangerously anemic. He contacted Dad's regular doctor and called for an immediate transfusion. So that's when it began -- right before I had to go to the Click screening on Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, Dad's doctor called to say that he wanted to do more blood work -- because Dad had some strange-shaped blood cells, and there might be something wrong, perhaps with his spleen. So Dad had more blood taken yesterday, and the rest of us went online to read everything we could about spleens. Then we had to wait until 4:30 this afternoon for the results.

Needless to say, it's been a long couple of days. I spent today doing laundry and laying clothes out on the bed -- so if I needed to drive up there right away, I'd be ready. Fortunately, the Sock Princess was available for coffee, and she did an excellent job of helping me pull myself together for a bit. Thanks, SP. :) And thank goodness for the new KnitPicks catalog, which showed up in the mailbox today and acted as a wonderful distraction (more on that later...)

The call finally came at 5:45, and I knew from the moment I heard Mom's voice that everything was okay. The blood tests showed no signs of lymphoma or leukemia, as the doctor had feared. And it doesn't look like whatever's going on is nearly as serious as it could have been. When I talked to them, they were headed to the hospital to get Dad a blood fill-up. He's still going to have to go through some icky tests next week -- to try to figure out what's up with his blood -- but everyone's in great spirits. Dad's as cranky as ever, which means he's happy. Since we were already planning to head north next week, we'll just stick with the plan. I can't wait to see Dad and give him a big hug -- and then to smack him upside the head for scaring the living crap out of all of us.

So now...back to knitting. Thanks so much for all the comments on the sweater. I'm at least halfway through sleeve #2 now -- and I'm hoping to have plenty of chill-out time this weekend to finish it up.

And how about that KnitPicks? Have you seen their new Options needles? What do you think? Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on 'em. I love my Denises, but I'm still looking for something that's not quite as sticky. And I love the fact that you can just create your own set. You can buy a pre-selected set, or you can just choose the needles/cables you want. I know I could buy extras of my Denises, too, but I'm willing to try something new. And for those prices ($4 for two cables -- up to 60"! -- and $4-7 for the needles), if I don't love them, it's not a huge loss. But, really, they've got to be better than some of the old circs I've got. Next time I order from KnitPicks, I have a feeling I'll be ordering some needles (though I noticed from the cart page that they're not actually going to be able to ship them for up to two weeks -- so I'll wait).

And finally...Beth asked which projects will make the trip to the cottage with me. Well, here's what I already had thrown in my giant green bag, ready to throw into the car:

- The sweater (of course -- though that'll be finished by next weekend, I hope)
- The Muppet Wrap (which, due to shedding, is an outdoor project -- good for knitting on the patio)
- Picovoli (in a lime-y green)
- My next lace shawl (though, as SP discovered while flipping through my Treasury, choosing a pattern isn't all that easy -- I'm just going to have pick one and run with it, though, because my fingers are itchin' to do some lace!)
- Another baby sweater
- And, of course, plenty of stuff for dishcloths and some odds and ends

I think that'll keep me busy for a week (especially considering I've got a pile of four books, too), don't you?