More Stitch Markers

 I have finally finished all the repairs on my broken stitch markers. I redesigned three. I also made 6 new glow in the dark mushroom stitch markers in the smaller size mushroom. How cool is that.  I also made a new set of right side/ wrong side stitch markers more compatible with my arthritis by changing them from a larger claw clasp to an earring hook with a folding flap.  Now to put them in the smaller stitch marker jar.  I have my jars divided by types of stitch marker rings. One jar is solid round rings, yes, I have one rather full jar. After all I have been collecting them for over 25 years. Then my newer jar just for crocheting and Tunisian crochet projects. Now the smaller jar looks a little fuller and not so sad.

I also found a tool for tightening one of my interchangeable knitting needles I am pretty sure it’s for the Lykke set.

The Trouble With Some Shoes

 Sometimes I can be slow on the uptake of information.  Take today for instance.  I have been wearing the same brand of summer sandals for several years. They seem to go well with my summer clothes. I can order them on line knowing that they will fit out of the box, or so it seemed. I seem to get calluses and blisters on the same spots on my feet every year that are quite painful.  Today I had that ah ha moment when I put 2 and 2 together.  It was the summer sandals causing the blisters and calluses. They went away while I was wearing my winter clogs. Then came back just two weeks into the sandal season. 

I was too tired and sore after one hour of gym time to go shopping for sandals today.  So I will try again later in the week to get some flat sandals that don’t hurt my feet.  I still have shoes to wear; however, my back does not like to wear high heels all the time.  Thirty years of care giving has done a number on my back that retirement can’t fix. So I wear flats whenever possible.

In the meantime I am wearing my felted wool winter slippers around the house.  They are actually not that hot.  I will need to be more careful about my shoe selection this time around.  I am hoping to find a few pairs of flats and a pair of slippers too. Wish me luck in this endeavor.  

Stash Busting Again

 I am declaring that this round of stash busting is done. Over the course of 3 days, I filled 7 tote bags and one ornament box full of yarn, knitting needles, plus a few small kit bags.  I have filled most of the back of my car as you can see in the photo below.  There is enough yarn to knit at least 100 washcloths or several large blankets.  

I still have to put everything back together. Who knows how much more yarn will not make the cut before everything is put away.

The top picture is a scarf in progress. It will be over 6 feet long when it is finally finished   

The Cleaning Conundrum

 While getting some supplies together for a friend that is going to be teaching knitting to some kids in Window Rocks. I am sending some yarn, knitting needles and a few small project bags.  This of course lead to looking for small project bags. Switching some project bags around.  Going through bags, drawers and baskets of yarn.  Which has left a mess. 

So the only solution is to reorganize the knitting room again. Which will lead to more yarn leaving the house. I will fill a few more bags with yarn tomorrow. So far I have put together over 20 gallons of yarn in seven bags.  John promised to help me find more yarn too. Then send a few bags and yarn. After all new knitters also need yarn too.  

Right now my body says rest.  While my mind is saying it’s time to go on a yarn hunt.  As in I am going on a yarn hunt.  I am going to find some yarn.  The yarn will soon be leaving the house.  I wonder if I can find enough yarn to fill the back of my car?  I think I should at least give it a try.  However, I will take the evening off and practice some Tunisian Crochet.  I am on a washcloth binge right now. 

Covering the Bases

 I’m too short to get all the oatmeal on the top pantry shelf.  So I made two breakfast setups with the oatmeal, plate and spoon.  Now all I need to do is refill the tea kettle and put out tomorrow’s new sponge and kitchen towel. That will make me look so efficient.  

Not like I am dealing with a barometric change headache at the moment. Hopefully this cuppa will dull the headache and allow me to sleep.  

I would also like to say, since we got less than 1/8 of an inch of rain.  This headache is not justified, 

Stitch Markers

 While I was waiting for breakfast to cook, ie the water to boil and the quick cook oatmeal to soften in the boiling water.  I made a small batch of stitch markers easier to use by replacing the lobster claw hook with a closable earring wire.  This was a quick 10 minute process.  Just enough time to fill my heart dish. 

Something to Brag About

 It has taken a lot of years to get this far on my lifestyle change journey.  Notice that I said lifestyle change journey, instead of just weight loss more on that below. A lot of changes have been made.  Some of those changes have resulted in a big change in what gets recycled and what is trash, more on that later.  The journey has also impacted the overall quality of things I choose to keep and those I choose to let go.  

First off I started this lifestyle change journey wearing a size 4X. I no longer wear a size 4X, instead depending on the brand I am wearing regular size medium to large.  I also am not measuring myself with a tape measure weekly or monthly, that only lead to my frustration. The scale is used weekly instead of daily. The only thing that sees a tape measure is my rib cage for obvious reasons.  I am happy to announce that I have lost 14 inches or 35.56 centimeters or 355.6 millimeters. I have only 4 inches or 10.6 centimeters or 101.6 millimeters to go before I reach the same size I was on my wedding day so last century.  I may or may not make that goal. My goal is to live a healthier lifestyle.  That is where this journey began. 

Next these changes have resulted in a huge shift of what lands up in the land fill and what gets recycled.  The change has been very dramatic over the journey.  In the beginning we had a lot more trash than recycling. I attribute that fact to eating a diet full of processed foods. Processed foods come with an awful lot of non recyclable packaging.  Pizza boxes, even though they are made with cardboard can’t be recycled because they get greasy, that goes for a lot of processed foods.  The wrapping on frozen foods along with the boxes can’t be recycled either.  Snack food comes in containers that usually can’t be recycled either.  There is a definite trend going on here.  Highly processed foods usually come in non recyclable containers.  Which leads to the following question. If highly processed foods come in containers that are bad for the environment. Are highly processed foods good for the human body?  My non-scientific answer is a definite no. I phrase the answer like that because I am a fiber artist and not a scientist. If you are a scientist and disagree with my statement, I will happily give you a chance to rebut my argument. 

So what did I replace the highly processed food with? The answer is very simple, non-processed foods. I am talking about fresh fruits, raw nuts and vegetables. However, I still do use canned fruits without added sugar's and vegetables that come in recyclable cans. I also use frozen fruits and vegetables depending on the area you live in this material can be recycled or at the very least takes up a lot less space in the trash can.  

I usually eat between 1 to 2 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables per day alongside traditionally processed food like cheese and tofu. Cheese and tofu have been around a very long time, they are considered a way to store excess fresh soybeans and milk for later use by preserving them.  With the exception of the cheese all of these foods are lower in calories with a higher concentration of fiber which is good for the health of the gut. I also eat a fair amount of tofu, fish and chicken.  Beef is an occasional food to be consumed no more than once a week. 

I usually drink iced water year round.  I like my Yeti 30 ounce metal tumblers, yes I have 4 that I rotate through.  I refill them about 3 times a day in winter and more in summer, I live in the desert southwest.  This also eliminates plastic waste.  I find that my YETI tumblers last about 10 years, so if you price them out by years of use each cup cost about $3.00 a year to use.  Plastic water bottles cost more per use and leave micro plastic in the water.  Another recent article said that the high energy drinks are bad for gut health too. They suggested tea or water instead.  I have replaced almost all soda with tea or water. the exception is when a migraine hits and I don’t have time for a cuppa tea and a 4 hour nap. To clarify this, I have had exactly 2 bottles of Mexican Coke in the last decade.  All sodas and high energy drinks are considered a highly processed beverage. They are also very high in sugar, at least 12 teaspoons of sugar pre can or artificially sweetened, which have been shown to have bad side effects. My arthritis hates artificial sweeteners, they cause my inflammation to worsen.   I would strongly prefer not to have any inflammation.  

I have also been trying to lighten my life in other ways too.  I have gotten rid of all my purses that were too heavy when empty.  I go through my books and magazines every so often to see what I no longer find useful, they are passed along or recycled.  A couple of times a day I spend five minutes or so putting things away or deciding if they should be recycled or passes along.  During one of these 5 minute cleanups yesterday I found 15 hats and scarfs that needed to be photographed and placed in the right bags to leave the house. I am still a work in progress. The house is still a work in progress. I am going at a snails pace right now which is perfect for me.