Knitting Hats by the Dozen

In order not to give everyone hat fatigue, I will only post 1 picture for every dozen hats. That means 10 more hats to knit before the next picture.  Also hats will only be knit in the den.  I have a better set up for patterns that I need to follow instructions on in the craft room. Next to my rocking chair, I have a music stand to hold my patterns.  It is wonderful.  I am wondering why this took me 20 years to figure out.

Anyway it’s late and we should all be asleep.  Stay safe.

Hats and More

Would you believe that 21 out of my 30 completed prior knitting projects this year were hats? If you know me the answer is is that all you’ve made so far? I am knitting hats like crazy and hoping that school will resume in the fall. Three of the 21 hats were gifts so that leaves so far 19 hats for the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank.  If school does not resume it is my hope that the wonderful superintendent Dr. Baker will be able to get the hats to the kids who need them. So I keep knitting. I also started the dozen bag today. This is the bag that keeps the clutter out of the den. When I have a dozen hats they go in to this bag and into a closet until school starts in the fall.

I also took the plunge and ordered some smaller clothing on line today.  I hope that they all fit.  For those keeping track, I have lost 8 inches off my rib cage and lots of inches in other places and 50ish pounds since 2009 when I started the make Sheri healthier project.  I have also gone from a 4x, I really don’t know how I let it go so far out of wack, to ordering a size large.  I know each store, designer and chain store have their own size scales.  This is crazy, right?   Today I ordered a size small (another division of the chain this would be a large or extra large) from one store and a regular larger from another.

Today was a relatively good day. Stay safe and stay 6 feet apart. Hat 21 is sideways.  

A Political Post

I don’t know how so many people shop on line for clothing.  I have only shopped for clothing on line after I tried it on in the store and wanted a second one or a different color.  With my clothing growing bigger every week and COVID-19, I might not have a choice.   The thought just scares me. What if I pick the wrong size or I just don’t like the way it looks.  What then?  The thought of shopping on line is panic attack worthy.

So here is what I need everyone to do.  Get out you magic wands or lucky rocks, and pray that the scientists find a vaccine for this scourge.  We need more people like Bill and Melinda Gates to step up, because Washington has become so patrician that the public be dammed.  I find it very sad that companies have to advise people not to follow what comes out at the daily press briefings because it will kill them as it has here In Arizona.  Can someone have the courage to say we are handing this off to the CDC, NIH and have Bill Gates be the point man.  This may add some calmness to this chaotic situation. It might not get things fixed any faster but the anxiety levels would be lower. It would also eliminate the anxiety that the ignorant man is spewing just to hear himself talk and get his ratings.  

The above rant has nothing to do with a poorly written set of instructions that left me so frustrated that the words I was using would make a sailor blush.  Or that I have been so tense that my back has been in spasms for almost a week. Or that my clothing is falling down or going on a growth spurt all on its own.  You can’t tell me that you clothes never got longer between wearings.

By the way the recipe will be added tomorrow.  Life happened today.

Waiting for Ice Break

It is not quite 3 a.m.m and I am waiting for my sinuses to drain. The Palo Verde Trees are in bloom and the grass pollen is very high too.   This is all because I wanted to take a walk last night to get outside for a bit.  Really dumb, but it was so nice.

This is where Ice Break in Tucson comes in.  Ice break is when it reaches 100 degrees for the first time of the year. Legend has it this is when the ice breaks on the Rilito River.  Then sand trout fishing begins for the first time of the year in question. After 3 days of 100 degree days the pollen count drops really fast.  Then I can go out on my evening walks again without worrying about waking up at 3a.m. Sneezing with an ear ache or 2..

I did not plan far enough in advance to get some hard candy to help relieve the congestion.  I was more concerned with getting the basics at Trader Joe’s then the things I would need in April.  Well I think things finally cleared up enough to go back to sleep.

It Had to Happen

It’s been needed for over a month. The dreaded to do list. I think I need a little more structure in my life right now. A lot of structure has been missing since late November 2019.  So tonight I made my first to do list of the year.  Not long, it fits on a Post-it Note.  Don’t get me wrong an awesome amount of cleaning and organizing has been going on around here. Yet I still can not find my second 16 x US size 8 knitting needle for hats. Don’t forget about knitting too.  I have planned my stash to last a long time without yarn shopping.  How many things can I finish?

I am loosely planning dinners around a shopping wish list.  I put down what we need and wish that we get most of it.   One thing that I cannot seem to find is Excedrin Extra Strength for my arthritis.  The plant that makes it, is currently closed. You can’t get it online and they won’t add it to curbside delivery. I know kind of lame.  Because of stress some days I am taking all I am supposed to be taking instead of 2/3 of what I should take. My normal amount. This means that I am using up my precious supply faster.  Tomorrow I will try driving up to the drive through pharmacies in the area to see if I can get some.  If not I hope they restart production before I run out.  It’s the little things in life I like, like not being in pain that I love. Not to mention a good sunset.

An Important Announcement

John and I will no longer be sheltering in place. Sheltering in place is drab and dreary. It fills me with unnecessary anxiety.  It bring unnecessary tension to our lives.

We have decided to share an Artist Retreat here in the beautiful Sonoran desert. We we’ll be surrounded by beautiful cactus. There is a large lizard guarding the walkway to discourage interruptions. We will also have a wonderful view of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The residence includes a kitchen and fully stocked pantry. Room for John’s 3-D Printing with plenty of filament. Also separate area for fiber arts. As a bonus there is as much fiber as I can use. There is also a full library of fiber arts books.

I will try to get a few new patterns published.  Of course Grandmas Spinning Wheel should have the supplies.

I Hate to Disappoint People

There is some dunderhead on Raverlry that has decided to name themselves the official judge of others people’s knitting. You know the type, the dreaded Knitting Police. You all know how I feel about these self appointed idiots.   Knitting is one of my own art forms and I like to push the boundaries as much as I can.  I like each piece of my work to be different and unique.  Seriously if I wanted conformity why both knitting at all? I would save the time, space and money and just get what ever cheap crap you can get at the dollar store. The kids in Tucson deserve much better than that.

The thing about this idiot,  is that they don’t know that my hats go to a clothing bank for kids.  These kids don’t have much, so getting something that no one else in school has is pretty special. I have heard stories from people who work with these kids how much they love their hats.  Not many know that I am the Hat Lady. I will not let one very insecure person stop me. They can give me as many ugh’s as they want. That won’t stop me.  They were too much of a coward to leave their name. How childish is that?

Which brings me to another point. I was raised with these quotes among many.  “ If you do not have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all.” Another that comes to mind “Silence is golden.” With everyone around the world dealing with the pandemic of COVID19, none of us need this. I knit to relax, have fun and escape. We all need to relax and chill for a while.

This is the hat that got the ugh.  I personally like how the blue and red swirl and mix.  I hope it will be going to a future University of Arizona Wild Cat.  Have a Great Weekend everyone and remember to social distance.

That Feeling

I am having that feeling today that I am stick in school in the classroom waiting for recess.  Knowing that something bad  happened and waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop and I will never be able to go out to recess ever again.

This is what the COVID19 virus is making me feel like today.  Each new outbreak makes the feeling worse. If the president would just keep his nose out of things and let the well trained Doctors and other specialists do their job we would be in much better shape.

G’d will really understand why you are not jamming into his places of worship.  Even G’d is smart enough not to interfere with Mother Nature.  I am hoping that in the long run this will help the environment and our grasp of what we need to do to end global warming.

I really want to go to recess again. So just do me a favor if you can. Just stay home until this is over.

My Production Line

If anyone would have told me in April 2019, that I would be sewing mass quantities of fabric face masks to protect us against a virus called COVID19, I would have asked them what Fantasy world that they were living  in. Mass quantities of sewing were for Eric’s bibs and a few bibs that I donated to charity. This was only a dozen at a time. This is what my sewing table look like today. Yes, they are sliding off the table into a laundry basket. I did chain sewing.  I ran out of pins and had to pin the second half when the first have were finished.

I did production line sewing where I could.  Tomorrow after ironing the seem flat it will be one mask at  a time.  I will see how many I can get done before I run out of ties.  The next batch of ties will be wider so that I have less cutting to do.

Busy at Home

For a couple who is staying home to avoid the COVID19 pandemic we have been extremely busy which has lead to exhaustion.  Let me explain further. I told everyone the my craft space has even turned into another dual purpose room, part pantry and part fiber room.

So Saturday we cleaned the room out. We scrubbed the walls, guess what we still were scrubbing formula off the walls.  I got down on my hands and knees to scrub the stubborn formula stains off the tiles.  Thank goodness for my bottle of Parsons.  Then we ran roomba and scuba.

Sunday we set up a 6 foot tall by 24 in wide shelving system.  Then we started to load it, don’t worry I saved the top shelf for fiber.  I might have also put a few small baskets on the bottom shelf.  I also did some deep cleaning and emptied 2 boxes.

Today we got our 5 cubic foot frostless freezer.  With not wanting to go into the stores even during the times set aside for older people, getting food has been interesting to say the least.   We make a fantasy wish list of everything we need and the stores send us what they have or have too much of.  On one order we ordered a variety of meat and they sent us the equivalent servings of ground turkey even though we did not order turkey at all.  On another order we ordered a variety of frozen vegetables, green beans, spinach and mixed vegetables. For the 2 packages of mixed vegetables we ordered we got the 1 pound bags for everything else we got huge family sized mixed vegetables.  This is one time I am glad to be older, the grocery stores here were trying to tell everybody to skip the stores for the first week of the month so the people who receive food stamps and seniors can shop. I am so glad I put my birth year on my loyalty cards.

Besides setting up the freezer we got Wednesday mornings delivery this morning and today’s delivery this afternoon. This involves unpacking everything in the garage. Wiping down the cans with alcohol and putting it on a shelf in the garage for a few days.  The meat in plastic wrap has to be sprayed down with alcohol and for it to evaporate, then it goes in the freezer.  For meat packed in paper we put it in a ziplock and then the freezer. Everything gets cleaned off. We even bought a fruit and vegetable wash.  The whole process takes at least 30 minutes if not more per order.  This leaves us both exhausted. Then there were a couple of boxes delivered too.

I have set up a quite spot with my rocking chair and knitting in the dual room and for the first time in weeks was able to relax.

It’s Official

It’s official, I will not die with the biggest quilting fiber stash.  I told John today that I would make face masks until we no longer needed them or I run out of fiber. After listening to Bill Gates speak on television tonight it might be as long as 18 months.  So much for traveling in our retirement.

Tomorrow marks the lasted change in our life’s.  The proposed craft room will be a long term temporary pantry complete with a small freezer.  I am sure we can convince the fiber to get along with the pantry supplies.

I have a big day of sewing and remodeling planned for tomorrow so it’s time to get some sleep.

Wondering

I am wondering if this is how my grandmothers and great grandmother’s felt as they were knitting socks as part of the war effort of their generations.  No, I am not knitting socks but rather sewing face masks for a local Tucson non-profit.

I am using the material that I had purchased to make quilts some day and some sheets destined for another project.  The material went through the 4 1/2 hour sanitary wash and a very hot dryer.   I will make the first one and then if all goes well I will mass produce them a dozen at a time.  If the first pattern does not work there will be others to try.

I am not sure if this will help with the current COVID-19 crisis.  I was asked and will do my part and hope it helps.  Using the old biblical adage “ If you save one man, you have saved the world”.  Now I am off to pull the dried fabric from the dryer and iron it before I cut the material.

Additionally these are my prototypes.  I will make one change tomorrow.  I will have a different fabric on the back.  For these I just used a sharpie pen to mark the back.