Clean as a Whistle

I had my screening colonoscopy today and it went fine and everything looked 'normal'. The consultation beforehand was very easy - just filling out forms and answering all the questions. The doctor was very cute and the sedation very effective. Last thing I remember was rolling over on my left side and then waking up afterwards. Skip dropped me off and then went to visit his nephew's wife, Linda, who just works 1 block away from the clinic. He was there to collect me after I was OK to walk down the stairs. We went and had Mexican food in Ajax at Mexico Lindo. I'm sure my guts will rebel but it sure was good.

The 'clean out' last night was not so pleasant. I had to drink 2 litres of a solution in 250mL (1 cup) portions every 10 minutes. Before the second litre was finished, I was 'cleansing' my colon. Of course, this was the time Skip and I chose to move our very heavy 20th Century TV to make room for our lovely 21st Century TV in the family room. It was comical actually; every time I tried to lift the old TV, I'd have to put it right down and run to visit the 'loo'. We finally gave up and the TV is still sitting on the TV stand in the front hall. The new TV is sitting on the floor in the family room and I'm unable to get it to find channels. Arggghhhh!

I remembered after 6pm that I was going to make some treats for tonight's Sit 'n Knit. I had bought the ingredients for the Rolo Pretzel Turtles a couple of nights ago so I whipped them together and threw them in the fridge to cool down. Now, I'm not the most confident person in the kitchen but this recipe is a snap. I don't even use Rolos, I get the generic caramel chocolate cups at Walmart and I'm pretty sure you can buy them at Bulk Barn as well. And to make cleanup easier, you could use parchment paper or cheaper yet, aluminum foil on the cookie tin. I then just slide the entire batch on the aluminum foil onto the cooling rack. Once cooled (I use the refrigerator for 20 min. or so) I just peel the treats off. Then I recycle or throw the aluminum foil away and put the cookie tray away - no washing! It's the easiest treat to make and has always been very well received.

The Rolo Pretzel Turtles were a big hit again tonight at Martina's festive Kniterary Sit 'n Knit. Lots of people were there, too. I met Shawna (below on the left) who was allergic to what she was knitting; yet she soldiered on.

It reminded me of when my step-mom (who later legally adopted me) joined our family and she was trying to win over my teenaged brother by knitting him a Mary Maxim sweater (it was the early 60s so they were ubiquitous - now they're 'vintage') . It had a motorcycle on the back and goggles on the front with checkered flag pockets. I think my sister has it. It was 100% wool and Mom was allergic to wool. It didn't bother her eyes and nose until she had knit for a couple of hours but the wool irritated her hands and arms so she wore kid gloves that went up to her elbows (gloves were big then, too). The sweater was a big hit with my brother, thank goodness.

I sat beside Kathryn tonight and she was knitting the ribbing of a hat with some lovely Norwegian yarn. I introduced her to the magic loop method (third technique under Small Diameter Circular Knitting). She has the same aversion to dpns that I do and instantly saw the merit in using only one circular needle. Here's a link to a webpage that describes the crossover join method, however, I usually just cast on one extra stitch and move it over to the other needle and start the round by knitting the first two stitches together.

Lisa (in red above) brought the Christmas cardi for us to admire. We all remarked that we didn't realize that it was a child's sweater - it looked full-size in all the pictures.

One of the gals showed us the comfort dolls she is knitting.

They get sent to Malawi and are handed out to orphan children (many of whose parents died of AIDS no doubt). It is a project with ICROSS (International Community for the Relief Of Suffering and Starvation). The 5" tall dolls get shipped among medical supplies. Several of us took patterns. The pattern is also available here. They were SO cute, particularly the ones with black Afros. And they look like they have their hands in their pockets! She has 122 done and will sent them once she has 150.

I really enjoy my time with this lovely group of women.