Chicken Soup for the Soul Celebrates Sisters

by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen with pictures by Maria Bushkin Stave

* * Another chicken soup book with touching stories about sisters and relationships between sisters. I got this book from my sister, Nikki, for my birthday and passed it on to my sister, Staci, on her birthday.

Hats

I finished my hat for February on January 31. Shhhh, don't tell anyone that I started early. The pattern is Edna Rose by Jacki Kelly, and it turned out great. I used Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel, which is the softest yarn I have used. It works wonderfully for hats made for people going through chemo, because the yarn feels like an old, often washed, cotton t-shirt. You know the one I mean, it's the one that is so worn it should not be seen in public, but is so comfortable you just can't throw it away. I gave it to Staci to pass on to her friend, Nell.

Speaking of Nell, her chemo is finished and it looks good that the cancer is gone. Now she just needs to gain some weight and keep healthy.

Merry Christmas

Ho Ho Ho Today is the day, I'm going to be so brave! I'm going to drive my car to dinner, all 3 1/2 miles.

I grab my keys and open the garage door. I back out, trying to get the exact right amount of pressure on the gas pedal. I make it out of the garage and past the place I got stuck yesterday. I back all the way to the shop and turn toward the highway. I'm doing great, but this is just the practice run.

I go back into the garage and then let everyone know that I can drive to dinner. I'm sure they are all thrilled beyond words.

Now it's time to leave. I get my purse, put on my boots, and I'm off. Watch out world, I'm back on the road. I get to the very end of the driveway, about three feet from the main highway and get totally stuck. Walk back to the house and call my most wonderful BIL who says he will come and dig me out, says it won't take but a minute.

Scott (most marvelous of BILs) and Staci (most beautiful of sisters) come to dig me out. Scott dug as much as he could then Staci and I were going to push. Almost instantly two cars stop and four very nice, wonderful, kind, and beautiful men (and young men) jump out to help push (sorry to the one who Staci smacked in the head). I got out of the driveway and went to dinner (a little slippery in town). Kyle came home with me and I let him drive (hahaha "let") and he got stuck at the bottom of the driveway, he dug, then I dug (okay, I only dug a little bit) while he tried to drive. He made it to the top of my driveway, where he got stuck again.

I talked it over with the car, and it decided to stay where it is until the snow melts.

Finally

Today my mail lady (to be known from this day on as Dawn) brought a package to my house and I was finally able to give her the socks I knit for her. I think she was a bit surprised and I also think she really likes them. It was fun to give someone something that they weren't expecting, but I'm not sure I can convince her to wear them, as she said something about hanging them on the wall.

Staci (my sister) has a friend who is going through chemo and losing her hair. Staci asked me to make her friend some hats. She also said her friend (we'll call her Nell because that is her name) used to knit but couldn't remember how and asked if I would teach her. Why not?

So we went to Wildfibers to get hat yarn. Now Staci is the least crafty person around and I'm positive she had never been in a yarn store, so there was a lot of discussion on why some things would just not work. Finally, we narrowed down the choices and Staci bought three skeins of yarn.

A couple of days later at Thanksgiving dinner, I jokingly told Staci that Knot Just Yarn had a 20 percent off the next day. She said oh do you want to go, I said no way am I going shopping the day after, are you nuts. So anyway the next day she called me and said I'm going to the sale, will you meet me?

I wade through the traffic (30 minutes/four miles) and meet her and she's picking out yarn to use to learn to make herself a scarf. She bought this amazing Jewel by Universal Yarn that is mohair and ribbony and you know a pain to knit, which she sends home with me for safe keeping. Of course, you know that while I was there I had to buy more yarn for myself.

Monday we go to Nell's for the lesson. I take all my stuff in my wonderful Mackinaw Moon rolly bag and they each get yarn and needles from the bag. Both know the basics, but neither can cast on. I show them and we sit and knit (although poor Nell was not feeling the best). Then Staci decides her yarn is too pretty for her to knit on so guess who made scarf.

You had to see that coming, right?