If at First You Don’t Succeed.

I just love the color way and feel of this Queensland Collection Perth in Bay of Fires yarn. Please be forewarned that this yarn might not be in your local yarn shop anymore.  The explanation is quite simple really. I tried five different patterns with this yarn. The yarn was not happy with the previous patterns.  It was really saying I know what I want to be. You are not understanding what I want.  So after each failure the whole project bag was put in timeout.  Yes, sometimes yarn does need a time out.  Maybe, I just did not know what to do with the yarn.  

I need to start a different UFO,  I have completed 3 projects in 2 days. I still have to make time to take the pictures. I believe I am up to 5 pictures that need to be taken. It has been crazy busy since we got home from our last family trip. 

Well last night everything changed.  I tried knitting the project that was on the knitting needles.  The yarn said no.  So I frogged the work.  Using U.S. size 10 1/2 knitting needles and not the recommended U.S. size 1 to 3 knitting needles I charged ahead using a slightly different cast on count of My Doodling Shawl pattern, available on Ravelry.  By the third row the yarn was sing, she finally got me.  So I kept knitting until I needed a longer knitting needle.  Believe it or not I did not have a circular knitting needle in 10.5 by 60 inches long.  So out came the LYKKE interchangeable knitting needles to the rescue.  By the way don’t the copper knitting needles look good with the yarn?  

I don’t know how big the shawl will be.  I have 3 skeins of Bay of Fire at 437 yards each. Again I think the shawl will make the decision for me. This should make a great summer weight shawl for those cold places. 

Tuesday

 Meta has changed the rules yet again.  I am only being give the option of one Facebook page. So you will find me on Handmadebysheri on Facebook.  All my posts will go there in the very near future.  

Now that today’s business is taken care of. We go on to the real stuff.   I finally finished a UFO today, with the exception of weaving in the 2 ends. So you will see it tomorrow.

My new gloves shrunk as hoped for with the exception of 2 small areas by my fingers.  Since it supposed to be 110f on Sunday, I will try shrinking them one more time.  The garage should be nice and hot.  Along with the water temperature.

In looking at all my featherweight spindles today I have discovered that they are all between 10 and 29 grams.  I can’t believe that I did not realize that I had a 10 grams drop spindle.  Gee, that is awfully light. 

I Completed My Yearly Knitting Goal

 This has been a very rough year health wise for me.  There are still some days when I don’t have the energy to move let alone knit or even just listen to an audiobook book without falling asleep.  Yet today I managed to log my last 4 knitting projects for the year, charity hats 6-9 which brought me up to 24 completed projects for 2025.  Mostly charity projects.

In January this goal was a stretch for me.  I was dealing with my second bout of Pericarditis in less than a year.  I am on a new medication that seems to be helping.  However, this being said I never heal as fast as I want. The older I get, it also seems to take longer.  This go-go girl is not used to living life in the slow lane at all.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy to be alive and to be able to create things for kids whose families normally could not afford the prices for my work.  This beats customers who say that they can get a bespoke hat, scarf or shawl for less money than I pay for my yarn.  Then try to get the item for a loss for me. No way in he double toothpicks. From feed back I get from the Flowing Wells School District staff, all the kids and staff are very happy to get my mostly one of a kind hats and scarfs.  That makes me so happy.  That amount of happiness that I create is better than money.  

So without further ado, here are charity hats #6-9-2025.  

The Gloves WereTo Big

 When I wore my new gloves this week I was quite dismayed that they were about an inch too wide and let in a lot of cold air. The pattern said that they were meant for an adult hand. Apparently my hands are too small.  I do wish pattern designers would put the across the palm measurement for sizing.  So as you can see in the picture below I soaked them in hot water with a hot water rinse.  Careful not to agitate them.  I did not want them to felt.  Then I put them in a very hot garage to dry.  

If the easy method does not work, I will then have to steek them. I will put them on and put several marks where the seam will go.  Then I will baste them on the sewing machine, making sure I have a very secure seam.  Then it will be time for the surger.  I think the first run through will be without the blade.  I will cut them by hand. Wish me luck in this endeavor.  

Lost Gloves

 The only thing to do when I lose my hand knit fingerless gloves after 2 weeks of searching for them is to make a new pair.  To that end as of tonight I am 1 1/2 way through knitting a replacement pair. I know for a fact that the only way that they will come out of hiding is to have competition from a new pair of fingerless gloves.  

How is your weekend going?

Trying Something New

 I am trying something new and different.  In the past 25 years of knitting I have always had multiple projects going at the same time.  Currently I have at least 5 scarves, 2 hats, various shawls and mittens on the knitting needles. It can be so overwhelming at times I just start a new project for a change up.  

Today, I started to try something new.  For me it’s revolutionary.  I have never done this before, well really after my first scarf.  I really wanted to start a new shawl today.  I currently have 4 different shawls on knitting needles.  I decided to try to finish all the shawls on my knitting needles / crochet hooks before I wind yarn to start another shawl.  Most of my friends only have a couple of projects going at once.  Some even only buy more yarn when they finish a project, this will not happen for me for so many reasons.  

So instead of winding more yarn to start another project, I put the project bag back on the shelf.  I pulled out a shawl in progress.  With plans to finish it and several other shawl projects before I wind yarn into cakes for the next shawl.  

It’s probably not conducive to a neat house having 10 or more UFO’s on the fireplace waiting for my attention.  Not to mention a few baskets worth in the knitting room. This does include weaving projects that have not been completed.  

So wish me luck. I will try my best to finish most of the projects, before I start new a new one.  I am trying to see if it’s more efficient to only have one of anything going at once.  I might not make it. I will at least give it a trial run before I can pass judgment on the plan.  By August I should have enough data for a conclusion.  

The Sewing Room

 My sewing room has been dubbed the black hole for small mending jobs.  Today I started to remedy that situation.  It did require me to rethread the sewing machine for each repair job. This being said, I repaired 2 pairs of pants, 1 shirt. I decided to giveaway 1 shirt rather than trying to modify the neckline. I could have done it given enough time.  Did I want to spend the time? Definitely not.  

I was in the middle of modifying 1 of 2 skirts when I noticed that I had bought the wrong size elastic for the waistband.  I had 1 inch elastic instead of 1 1/2 inch elastic.  Since Joann’s closed it has been a different store for each item needed for the repair work.  Cathy’s Sewing and Vacuum for thread.  Believe it or not Walmart had the right size elastic that I needed for the 2 skirts.  Also the poly fill for the dog pillow that I have to finish.

While going to find the right colors of thread, I noticed that some polyester thread had made its way into my thread.  It took about 30 minutes to clear out the polyester thread.  John and I decided that it will be going with my friend when she visits her family in Northern Arizona.  As her family lives off the beaten path, it will be a nice surprise to get a whole lot of thread in a lot of colors.  Craft supplies are meant to be shared.  

Given a few weeks maybe the sewing room will no longer be a black hole.  I even cleared off the ironing board. I even know where the iron is stored. I also know where the distilled water is.  

Playing Catch Up

 I spent the day doing little things that have piled up around the house while I have not been feeling well.  I spent 10 minutes organizing the knitting room. Then 20 minutes knitting and listening to a book.  I also spent 20 minutes looking for the sewing machine brush so I could clean out the bobbin area so I could do a 20 minute repair on a pair of pants.

  I think that I should probably get a spare sewing machine brush too. Just in case it happens again.  An often overlooked chore is washing the sewing machine brush with a little Dawn and water. They work so much better when they are clean   

My taller half got into cleaning out too.  He decided he as not going to be wearing a bunch of pants any time soon. So I bagged them up to go to a new home.  He also tried to fix the broken kitchen sink faucet. Alas it was installed wrong, parts were broken. We might have to get a new kitchen faucet.  Sometimes the little annoying things in life just build up.  

They Are Gone

 These 6 scarfs have left the house.  In late October they will be delivered.  These are the final pictures of them.  In the top photo all 6 are laid out side by side on a California King Bed. In the bottom photo they are rolled up, which is how I store them.  Each scarf is knit in the round with multiple strands of yarn.  All are 6 feet 2 inches long plus or minus a few inches.  No two are ever alike.  They are fun to knit. They use up a lot of odd skeins of yarn.  As a bonus for me, I know that they will keep kids warm.  

UPDATE: Compression Gloves : UPDATE

 There is an important update on the compression gloves from The Mailo Design. The new design price is the price for one glove. So if you are a knitter or need the compression gloves for both hands you must order 2 gloves. The site does not specify that they are selling a single glove or a pair of gloves.  Since it is a crochet site I forgot to make the assumption that I would not be getting a pair of gloves.  I am truly sorry for making that mistake. Please accept my humblest of apologies for not making that clear in the first post. I did not realise my mistake until I opened my package from The Mailo Design that I received in today's mail. 

My rheumatologist has suggested wearing compression gloves when my hands are sore or when I am knitting. I bought the first version of compression gloves from The Milo Design. They are the most comfortable compression gloves that I have found.  They are made of nylon and are cooler to wear than other gloves that I have tried. Since I have ordered them they have gone through a design change that will make it easier for the yarn to flow through my fingers.  I will also be able to leave on my rings.  The picture below is of the original design.  The newest design is on the website.  As of today May 7th, 2025 they are on sale.  I don’t know how long the sale will last so act fast if you want the sale price.  Go to this link to access the site The Mailo Design.  They also have a coupon offer for 10% off your first order if you sign up for their email list.  

*****Disclosure: I have paid for the compression gloves myself and am not receiving any form of payment for my recommendation from Mailo Design. As I always recommend, please check with your medical professional to see if this is something that would benefit you. I am not giving medical advice. I am sharing my experience with The Mialo Design compression gloves..*****

Have a wonderful day.  

Yesterday

 Yesterday was a busy day.  I started out in the garden cutting back a bush that had gotten all branch very little green.  Then it was laundry and chores.  

The good news is that I have completed enough UFO’s to send a laundry basket back to the laundry room.  Yes I was seeing what I needed to finish and organized things as I went.  Thus the knitting room got a small reorganization.

Knitting waited until dinner time.  Then I finished 2 charity projects,  1 hat and 1 pounder scarf.   Then I cast on another pounder scarf and hat for my charity projects.  

Compression Gloves

 My rheumatologist has suggested wearing compression gloves when my hands are sore or when I am knitting. I bought the first version of compression gloves from The Milo Design. They are the most comfortable compression gloves that I have found.  They are made of nylon and are cooler to wear than other gloves that I have tried. Since I have ordered them they have gone through a design change that will make it easier for the yarn to flow through my fingers.  I will also be able to leave on my rings.  The picture below is of the original design.  The newest design is on the website.  As of today May 7th, 2025 they are on sale.  I don’t know how long the sale will last so act fast if you want the sale price.  Go to this link to access the site The Mailo Design.  They also have a coupon offer for 10% off your first order if you sign up for their email list.  

*****Disclosure: I have paid for the compression gloves myself and am not receiving any form of payment for my recommendation from Mailo Design. As I always recommend, please check with your medical professional to see if this is something that would benefit you. I am not giving medical advice. I am sharing my experience with The Mialo Design compression gloves..*****

Have a wonderful day. 

13

Thirteen. This is today’s total of bags of trash and recycling that left the house today. Both trash cans are almost full. I was not able to do my normal pantry cleaning last year so this today was a two year clean out. Since I have been low on spoons for over a year. There was a lot of cleaning to do. It took me 3 1/2 hours to get it all done in the end. I have a cleaner pantry. It looks less cluttered and I actually know what I have. As an added bonus. I even have one empty shelf.

Just with the heck of it, I did Three loads of laundry. There were two loads of hand wash, and one full load of dress clothes.

After all that, I thought I was going to have the energy to sit and knit or crochet all afternoon. After all, I do need to learn a new Tunisian crochet stitch. Instead, I rested, listening to a book and taking a nap. Not as productive as I wanted it to be today, but I did get a lot done.

Oh well there is always tomorrow.   

Unconscious decluttering

 I have lost something yet again. This lead to a 2 hour cleaning spree. Which lead to a giant pile of recycling for my husband to break down. More yarn being taken out of shopping bags and put into proper project bags. Which lead to more shopping bags no longer needed for yarn projects. Which lead to more laundry to do. It also added 3,800 steps to my day.  

Did I find the missing object? Of course not.  It will show up when and where I least expect it to.  

How is your day going?

Another one bites the dust.

 I have finished my fourth hat of the year. Of course it’s another charity hat. That means that I am at 71% of my goal of 24 finish projects this year. Depending on how I feel, I might even exceed my goal this year. I must knit faster winter is coming.

Pictures Taken

 

I have finally gotten around to taking pictures. In the above picture, there is one handwoven scarf, One crocheted scarf, and four knitted scarves. Also included our two of the three mud rugs that I have recently finished. They are now all logged in to ravelry so I have completed 16 out of 24 anticipated projects this year for 67% completed so far this year. They are all being put in the appropriate bags to leave the house.

I have had a lot of health issues this year, so I have not been doing much Crafting. I have mostly been resting this year, however, as I start to feel better, I’m starting to get things done and I’m going after my WIP’s So I can have a sense of accomplishment. I continue to empty the WIP basket. So this is a good start and as I get as I feel better, I’m hoping to accomplish more. 

All the above projects were stashed dive projects. So no new yarn was bought to complete them. Although  I still seem to be losing the stash war..

I still have good days and bad days. So some days, I don’t accomplish anything at all.

I hope everybody has a good holiday season and enjoy your friends and family.

*WIP is works in progress.  

Cooking More and other things

I have been feeling well enough to do more things like cooking. In the past 2 weeks I have cooked 5 times which resulted in 9 homemade dinners for my husband and myself.  The home cooking is great and some creative recipes have come into our dining rotation.  A new favorite is Scottish Loch Trout, which is similar in appearance to salmon but with an entirely different flavor and texture.  I am happy to report that the Scottish Loch Trout tasted even better the second night.  

You have guessed that there is a down side to all this cooking.  Yes, there is a downside. I plan my shopping trips early in the morning.  Then after the food is put away I take a 2 to 3 hour nap.  Wake up in time to start dinner and nap again while dinner is cooking.  

I am also working on a small shawl.  It has a 7 row repeat.  I find that since I am on the second skein of linen yarn I can only do 1 repeat of 7 rows a day.  That’s ok with me.  The shawl is slowly getting finished.  Any progress is good progress. 

As for house work it is all done in 5 to 10 minutes at a time followed by resting or a nap.  Sometimes I wonder if the old energizer bunny will ever return.  Other times I am grateful that I can get so much accomplished between my many rest and nap breaks throughout the day.  

A Fairly Good Day

 I managed to sprain my ankle yesterday.  Please don’t ask me how I did it.  I honestly don’t remember.  The good thing about the whole thing is that I managed to get my foot wrapped up all by myself.  This is the first time in years that I have been able to do that.  

I also managed to shop for and make dinner tonight. This is the second time this week.  We will eat the leftovers tomorrow night.  

Then the major accomplishment for the day was doing a Russian join on fingering weight linen yarn.  Even if I have to say so myself. The join came out fairly smooth and flat.  Once knit in I personally don’t think anyone will notice it especially from 5 feet away.  

The Trouble With Cooking Beef Stew

 I made a beef stew for dinner from scratch today.  Hours later the house still has the wonderful smell of beef stew.  It is making it hard to fall asleep.  The recipe I used is below.  

Beef Stew

1 pound of flank steak cubed

1 large onion peeled and diced

1 pound of carrots peeled and sliced. 

1 whole celery cleaned and sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound frozen mixed vegetables 

Water as needed

1 Le Creuset soup pot*

Heat the olive oil in the Le Creuset soup pot over a medium heat.  Add the flank steak, salt and pepper.  Brown the meat.  Add the diced onion.  Cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the carrots and celery. Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Turn the temperature down to medium low.  Simmer for 3 hours or longer if you have time.   Add the mixed frozen vegetables. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.  

Refrigerate the leftovers and you have a delicious meal for the next night.  

Makes 5 to 6 servings.  

*I used my Le Creuset soup pot for this recipe.  My husband bought it for me when we no longer need the 7 1/2 quart pot. I am not receiving any compensation from the Le Creuset company for my recommendation.  I just think it makes a better pot choice and I am less likely to burn the stew with a heavier pot. I also love the even heating.  

Feeling Better

 The new medication is amazing.  I am slowly, but faster than last time, feeling better.  I am slowly getting my energy back.  I am playing catch up right and left.  I can even drive myself to the store, do the shopping and still have enough energy to drive home.  Naps are less frequent, which is a good thing.  I am sleeping more at night.  

That being said I am still hopping from project to project.  I still have a very short attention span. Occasionally finishing one every few days.  Maybe this will actually help lower my UFO pile. I can at least hope that will be the case.  

TTFN, I have a sweater to pull out of the hand wash sink before bed.  

Another Project is Finished

 Another project bites the dust and goes into the storage bag until October or November when it will get delivered to the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank.  This is the second completed scarf and the 7th completed item for the year.  I have less energy right now, so things are going very slowly.  

This came off the loom a few days ago, then it was wash and thwacked. Rinsed and hung to dry. Today I did the trimming  and took its picture.  It will probably go to a high school student. As you can probably tell it is another stash buster scarf.  

Spin Together 2025 Has Ended

 My total spinning for Spin Together 2025. 

8 ounces of plyed yarn.  I did not check my mileage before washing.  

1 ounce on a Navajo made bottom whorl spindle.  My first spin on a bottom whorl spindle.  

1/2 ounce on another bottom whorl spindle.  

I do think that I like bottom whorl spindles.  

Also after the yarn bath, my hand wash sink turned purple.  The only thing that got the excess dye off was Comet Cleanser with bleach.  Now I can wash an ecru linen shirt tomorrow.  

That is one full bobbin.  

The Next Bobbin

 Today I started the next bobbin for Spin Together 2025.  

Time to Pivot

 For Spin Together 2025, I had originally planned to master the supported spindle spinning.  My body however had very strong reservations on the subject. So today I did a major pivot and  looked in my fiber stash and choose 2 color coordinated roving’s that I bought at my favorite Local Yarn Store, Grandma’s Spinning Wheel . By the way I am on the Grandma’s Spinning Wheel team  for Spin Together 2025. 

I switched to my Hansen mini pro e-spinner. Since I was not planning to use my e-spinner this week, I spent the morning finishing up some quick plying and skeined in the yarn off the bobbins.  I do not have enough bobbins to cover unplanned projects. Of course the four skeins had to have a bath and are now drying in the garage. You can find Hansen Crafts at this link.  I do love my Hansen e-spinner.  One of the best things about it is that I can use it when I am in a flare up and can’t use my Louet Victoria or Lendrum DT.  It’s the whole bit that I must rest as much as possible during a flare up. But as long as I am not treadling I can still spin.  

I am a little over 1/3 of the way through my first roving.  This is my spin from this afternoon. 

Spin Together 2025

 The first day of Spin Together 2025 was today.  I chose to challenge myself with learning to spin on a supported spindle. The first spindle I tried I did not get the knack of it. After an hour I changed spindles.  Maybe I need a little more practice before I go to something like that again. So I picked up another spindle, yes, I brought several with me to spin in public day. This Spindle was made by a Navajo artist. It was a better spin experience for me. The spindle was more balanced and easier to use. I wish I could find his card because I’d like another one. Alas I am getting ahead of myself.

With the second spindle, I spun until my hands were too tired to work. I think I did a pretty good job on a brand new to me spindle. I was also trying out different fibers in 1 ounce fiber samples. The picture below shows about a quarter of an ounce of hand spun yarn.  I think it will ply to a DK weight. I have a bunch of other spindles to try so once I get this spindle full, I will go to the next. I will put aside the ones that I’m finding difficult and then decide what to do with them. If they don’t work for me after several tries, it might be time to thin the herd again. I think I might have another spindle de stash.

The above spindle is a keeper.  

Completed Projects

 These are my completed projects for the week as of yesterday.  The 4 blue skeins of yarn are going to my sister. The 2 small skeins are going into my hand spun yarn stash.  The 4 skeins of pink were responsible to compress some of the air out of the yarn to make it more suitable for weaving.  The green skein of yarn is going into a new pattern design.  The hat is part of my holiday knitting for the kids clothing bank here in Tucson that I am supporting.  That would be 6 more completed projects for the year.   

Now to pit everything away or get it ready for mailing tomorrow.  I hope to have a big stack to bring to the post office.  It’s always good when things leave the house.   

The End Is Insight

 This scarf has been on the loom since early last year.  The end is finally insight.  The color combo was not that inspiring to me. But I need the loom so it has to be finished.  

Lace Weight Yarn

 I managed to spin lace weight yarn on something besides a drop spindle. I spun it on my Hansen Mini Pro e-spinner.  I got 493 yards out of 4 ounces of roving.  I am really proud of my accomplishment.  It’s not like I have not spun lace weight yarn before, but it has always been on a drop spindle.  

I spun 4 ounces of Targee Wool plyed with Ashford Caterpillar cotton.  It should have a definite artsy look when it is finished.  The roving was a fairly fun spin, but it took a long time. I also found that it was easier to sit on the left side of the e-spinner. With the e-spinner on my left side instead of the traditional way of being in front of the orifice. I set up the yarn in multiple skeins so it would dry faster.  

I also put so much plyed yarn on the first bobbin that the end popped off when I took the bobbin off.  Well there is a first time for everything.  Note to self: don’t over fill the bobbin ever again. 

Don’t worry. It is not being added to my yarn stash.  As soon as I give it a hot water bath.  Thwack it.  Then line dry it. It will be leaving the house with other yarn in a big box.  

So Many Projects

 I have so many projects that I want to work on: however, this little energizer bunny has run out of batteries. I spent the day resting.

That being said I decided to do something different for this year’s Spin Together event. A no pressure spinning project.  I decided that I am going to finally tackle the supported spindle.  I will gather my supported spindles in a basket and get a sampler of different fibers to try out.  At least from a Navajo spinning class that I took several years ago, I already know that I will spin to the left which means putting everything on the right, I think.  I will have to look that up. 

Still Exhausted

 Yesterday I started a new medication.  I am still exhausted. I spent a good part of the day sleeping.  I am, however in less pain. Which is wonderful.  

Just in case you are wondering about today’s race, the snail won by several yards.  Autoimmune diseases really are awful.  

My Creative Energy is Back

 I am starting to feel better after my bout with food poisoning.  I have got my creative energy back. Now I just need my body to catch up with my creativity.  I am on day two of winding yarn for various projects.  I also managed to find room in some bins for yarn.  That might have something to do with pulling out yarn for projects from the bins.

I have also found that if I sit to the left side of my espinner it has some definite advantages.  The first being no sun in my eyes during afternoon spinning sessions.  The second being that I get a smoother thinner yarn. I can also see the yarn at a better angle. Did I mention that is also easier to spin that way?  If it is written in stone that you must sit facing the orifice of the spinning wheel or espinner, I have just broken that silly stone.  However if you must really have it written in stone the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is going on until February 14th. 

Just Reading

 With one hand out of commission due to tendinitis I spent the day reading.  I almost finished a book that I started in December 2008.  We will file this under no book should be finished before it’s time.  It’s a really good book.  Let’s just say I had a lot of distractions at the time, I am not mentioning any names, but that is a period in my life where sleep became a luxury.  If sleep was a luxury reading fell further down the list.

The book is called Deep Blue by Meir Uri Gottesman.  A little warning there are a lot of Yiddish phrases and transliterated Hebrew phrases.  So either keep a Yiddish to English dictionary on hand and use google translate.  

Two More Done

 So far I have completed 2 projects this week.  I will show you my spinning. It’s a huge skein.  It came out perfectly balanced too.  It is a wool for the first spin, plyed with a darker silk yarn.  This is a one of a kind spin, so I will not spin more of this.  I will show you the picture.  It is already in the box to mail out. Just one more skein to spin and ply before I mail it.  

The next one I will not show you because it is a new pattern.  I have two more to knit. Pictures to take and a pattern to type up before I send it to my test knitters. Whew, it sounds like a lot of work.  Since I am using larger knitting needles it goes fast.  

I have also made the decision that I will no longer knit with a double strand of worsted weight cotton  it is just to hard on my hands. 

I am a Book Dragon

 Let’s face it.  I am a book dragon.  I tend to collect books faster than I can read them.  Once read I hate to let them go.  This is the pile I have on my nightstand waiting to be read.  I find it a bit overwhelming and daunting at the same time.  

So with some clever organizing I was able to clear one bookshelf off by rehousing everything on the shelf.  John then graciously dusted the shelf and moved a shelf of books for me to the higher shelf.  He then dusted the lower shelf too.  

Then it was my turn to prioritize which books to leave on the nightstand and which books to move to the shelf.  Then I went and gathered books off my dresser and some from the knitting room.  The empty shelf is now almost full with knitting books on the left and smaller fiction and nonfiction books on the right.  With the taller knitting books on a different shelf.  It feels good to get more organized.  

One of the books that was waiting to be read got started tonight.  I really love the ease of reading in short bursts.  The book is very spot on about our hectic lives.  I would highly recommend reading this book.  “ I’m not too busy “ by Jodi Hills. No, this book will not be leaving the house when I am finished because I managed to snag an autographed copy. This book you will have to find on your own.  

TTFN

Life in the Slow Lane

 I am having trouble adjusting to a slower pace.  I am having trouble just sitting still and resting.  In this endeavor practice does not make perfect.  

Oopise

 Oopise. The pattern that went wrong in so many ways will be going to a kids clothing bank. This goes under waste not want not.  A child will have a one of a kind winter beanie for next Christmas. 

Repeat after me. 

 Never ever try to write a pattern during brain fog. 

Never ever try to knit a sample during a really good television show.  

It never turns out well.  

I started rewriting the pattern and making the new sample tonight.  I foresee many, many changes along the way. 

I am still counting this a a completed UFO. 

An Empty Project Bag

 I did not complete any projects today.  This is even better.  I emptied one project bag.  I can now transfer a work in progress to this empty bag.  I do think the project will easily fit inside.  It has a shoulder strap so I don’t have to leave it anywhere if I have to get up.  Even better, I can put my wallet, car keys and glasses in the bag too. Less stuff to carry. 

This is because of a recent incident.  Some went into my project bag while I stepped away from my seat and stole 1/3 of my projects yarn.  A friend said that I had to stop trusting people so much.  Stop giving everyone the benefit of the doubt that they will do what’s right.  I have heard from several other fiber artists and they have had the same experience.  So now I will never leave my project bag alone on a table again, unless it’s a charity project. I tend to use less expensive easy to replace yarn in charity projects. A cup maybe, those are easier to replace and will not put a project on hold. 

I really don’t know what to make of this 2 year old mentally in older women.  If they wanted white yarn so badly they could go to a local yarn shop or buy from an Indy dyer on line. It is not necessary to steal my yarn. Also there was a lot of white yarn on the stash table that day. So I am cutting them no slack. If I do find out who did this, I will demand that I be reimbursed for the cost of replacing the 2 skeins of yarn. I am really getting tired of the entitlement that some people think that they are owed. 

Low Hanging Fruit

 I managed to finish 2 projects today. I just did the easy work of finishing weaving in the ends on a wash cloth.  Then I pick up a hat that had been on the back burner for 2 years.  All that needed to be done is finishing the crown and weaving in the ends.  

I am also thankful for my for my Hanson Mini E-spinner pro.  I don’t think that I would be able to do much spinning without it right now.  

I know that I am making more Tunisian crochet washcloths than I need. I have been teaching Tunisian crochet to a group of friends.  So I keep starting new ones to show various aspects of the stitches.  

The Blanket Reveal

 Since the blank has been gifted, I think it’s ok to show the whole blanket now.  

Another Finished Project

 Project number 5 for the year.  A gradient spin with 5 different yarns from the same 8 ounces of roving.  This roving was thinner then pencil roving. Yes, it is possible.  It was a tricky spin until I got my rhythm down.  The biggest skein was a two ply of the yarn.  The 4 smaller skeins were plyed with commercially produced yarn. This will be off to a new home as soon as it is packed up. 

Finally

 I finally got 3 low hanging projects completed.  One project in each of the following categories: knitting, Tunisian crochet and quilting.  I added 3 more stitch markers to the counting vase.  Without further ado here they are.  The quilt is a present so I can’t show you the rest until the quilt is given.  The scarfs are a head start on next year’s holiday gifts.  

Projects by the Dozens.

 This is the year to complete as many UFO’s as possible.   Every where I look in the sewing and knitting rooms I  seem to find more UFO’s without even looking.  I just seem to be scattered trying to finish everything at once.  Right now I have one on the sewing machine with two more lined up, meaning under two hours to finish each project.  One on the espinner, a little over halfway done with the first spin, then plying, hot bath and thwack. Too many on Tunisian Crochet Hooks and knitting needles to count. 

Did I mention I still have to write the directions for a beginner weaving class on mudd rugs?  That will be two different pdf’s. 

Now if I could only be more organized.  Wait a minute, if I was more organized I would be able to complete one project before starting another project.  I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon.  

Spinning Yarn Right Handed

 I did not realize how hard it is for people to spin right handed.  I started trying to spin right handed when my left hand started to get sore.  I am ambidextrous and try to learn everything with both hands. I have been spinning left handed for over 15 years. I guess by now the sensation of the spun yarn going through my left hand is ingrained. So it might take me a while to learn spinning right handed. 

On my e spinner I am currently working on a project for my sister.  The roving is thinner than pencil roving. If you can believe that.  The rolls are huge 270 meters per 100 grams plus or minus the industry standard of 5%.  Which translates into United States measurements as 295.276 yards and 3.527 ounces plus or minus 5%.  With any luck the first roll will fit on one bobbin. I am approximately half way through the first roll. As you can see from the bobbin this should ply into a Worsted or Aran weight yarn.  Once I finish spinning this roll and the second roll my sister will get 2 to 3 skeins of  plyed yarn. Since she has a skein winder at home I am going to give her huge skeins and not break it down to 100 yards per skein.

Time to Wash the Mittens

Hand knit woolens don’t have to be washed very often.  When mine do I use cool or cold water with some Soak Wash.. The soak label says that you don’t have to rinse, but I rinse anyway.  Today since it was nice and sunny I hung the mittens on the fence to dry so that they would be ready for bed time.  

After I brought them in I shaved off the little balls of yarn that happen with very frequent use.  My sleeping gloves are now ready for use again.  

The yarn is by Merino-y-Vino on Etsy.com.  She does a fabulous job. Her color combinations are delightful.  She is a one woman show. The gloves below are a little over a year old and are used nightly. 

The Soak Wash can be found in some local yarn shops or www.soakwash.com or www.soakwash.ca

The pattern is on www.ravelry.com under Sheri Karobonik. The pattern name is Maxi Fingerless Gloves.

*I do not make any commission from Merino-y-Vino or Soak Wash. I do however try to recoup some of the cost of the yarn for my designs from pattern sales.  

Happy New Year 2025

 I am wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.   Happy 2025.