Yes, we CAN eat those . . .

Part of the reason I’ve slacked on my knitting quite a bit this year is because I spend a lot of time in the Diabetes On-Line Community (or D-OC).  Just like with knitting, it’s incredible to interact with a group of people who “get it”and know exactly where you are coming from.  (And we talk about “needles” in the D-OC too, although unfortunately we don’t use them for knitting.)

When one of my dear D-OC friends mentioned that her blood glucose meter was missing, I offered to send her one I had but never use.  You see, it was included when I received my insulin pump, but I prefer to use my old meter instead.

How does this story tie in with knitting?  Well, sending her the meter spurred me to finish up a little surprise I had been working on for this friend . . . um, since July.  (Yes, yes, I know, I really need to get my knitting mojo back.)

Cupcake from One Skein by Leigh Radford

Cast on: July 2010

Completed: December 2010

Yarn: Misc. from stash

Yes, it’s a cupcake.  For a diabetic.  Because cupcakes are quite a hit in the D-OC, with long debates over where to get the best ones (maybe Crumbs or Magnolia?).  And before you call us a bunch of “bad diabetics'” it’s important for you to understand that it is a misconception that people with Type 1 diabetes can’t have anything with sugar.  (We also didn’t get diabetes from eating sugar, but that a whole other rant.)  In fact, most of us find our blood sugar remains more stable after a cupcake than it does after an order of French Fries.  Sugar raises our blood sugar, yes, but so does fruit and bread and any carbohydrate.  Gone are the days of restrictive diets and taboos.  Now it’s all about understanding what foods do to our blood sugar and dosing our insulin accordingly.

So yes, we CAN eat those cupcakes . . . . except the ones that are made from yarn.