A patch a day...

Buffy, my sister has just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the silent killer.  She has surgery tomorrow.

Yesterday she had a colonoscopy, her first at the age of 72, to make sure that she had no colon cancer.  She has quiet a bit of health insurance along with medicare, and I just can't imagine what kind of medical care she gets when she has never had a colonoscopy. Neither had she ever had a CA 125 blood test that is a marker for tumors and costs about $60 (before insurance.)

So this has been my personal cancer awareness week. I had both a mammogram and a CA 125 blood test, and I read a lot on the internet about ovarian cancer and its genetic tendencies. Every woman should be mindful of symptoms. They are numerous and nonspecific:  abdominal fullness or bloating, urinary urgency, persistent indigestion or gas, constipation, frequent need to urinate, loss of appetite, lack of energy, low back pain among others-- easily ignored symptoms that let the cancer grow until it is third stage and deadly.

The jug coat has taken a back seat to health concerns this week, but overall, much progress has been made. The first patch has proven the value of adding a single strand of silk cloud mohair to the mix. Although the strand is hard to discern in fabric, the patch is very soft to the touch with the smallest hint of wispy mohair, so much different from the hard bath mat feel before.

The spliced together magic balls of short stands of multiple colors of yarn are working well. Over a single patch, there are usually three main changes of yarn, each new color made up of three separate strands. I keep each color in a small tub, and as I twist the colors, one under the other at the color change, I also shuffle the tubs. This keeps the yarn from tangling while the spliced yarns present no extra ends to weave in.

You can see three separate strands leading to each of the bottom tubs. I'm about to splice on that skein of blue Paternayan persian wool to the short end of one strand where the knitting pause is. At the end of the row, I lay the knitting on the tray, and give all a 180° turn.

So the art of the project is finished, and now the craft begins in earnest. I noted on your Ravelry project page that you have indicated that 30% of your Romeo & Juliet is completed. How will I ever catch up?

You know how people cross their fingers for good luck? Some pick up found lucky pennies from the ground. Me, I'm going to knit: " A patch a day keeps the doctor away."