I Lied

This morning I said I was only going to de stashing one carrier bag of yarn. Well I exceeded my goal by also adding a shopping bag.  It will all leave the house this week. If you would like a chance to buy some of my de stashed yarn please watch for the time and date of the next Old Pueblo Knitting Guild Annual Yarn Sale. It happens in January every year. The Yarn Sale helps us support our on going charity projects.  For more on the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild just click this link. 

I also had a major oops. I told John that I did not have any more of his 3D printed Yarn Butler's, that I desperately needed him to print me another one.  Well,

I found the original prototype for the yarn butler, it has a purple base, a red spindle and a white yarn guide. Also the bolts on the bottom are not covered. This was definitely the proof of concept and not ready for prime time yarn butler. It still works very nicely.

Now I am off to wind yarn, finish 2 projects on the spinning wheel, get a few more yarn magazines out of the house. I will be dropping them off at the Oro Valley Library, Friends of the Library section.  They sell for 25 cents and help buy new books and other things that all libraries need.  Check them out if you are in the area. I will also be starting a new charity project. It’s going to be a busy day around here. 

Getting Out

 I had to get out of the house today.  I was feeling blah for a few days and needed to rest.  So I was bored. I needed something different to do. I really wanted to start a new project today. Specifically a new pair of fingerless mittens for sleeping. However; between knitting, Tunisian crochet, and spinning I have at least 20 projects in different stages of progress. It also seems that when I organize my knitting room, I also find one or two projects that need to be completed or tinked. So the I have a never ending pile of UFO’s. Not to mention the couple of projects I am donating to a charity auction. The summer t shirts and unfinished class work.

My solution was to go to the grocery store. I was very nice and did leave a few pieces of fruit for the other shoppers. Even in season fresh figs.  Also on the plus side Sprouts does not carry any yarn or fiber supplies. 

Now I will go try to make some forward progress on a project or two. 

More Searching Through My Yarn Stash

 Over the weekend I was asked to knit a couple of shawls for a fundraiser by a friend.  So this morning I went through 4 out of 5ish shelves filled with yarn kitted up for shawls. I know I should really go through the rest of the shelves.  In my defense I have already filled a weekender bag full of shawl kits.  

I am also really afraid that I will find more than my 2 newly found UFO’s for me.  I was really thinking that I had whittled down my current batch of UFO’s to less then 10.  I really do not want to find more.  I swear UFO’s hide everywhere not wanting to be found. I wonder if the yarn just does not want to be seen in public.

I will start with some of the bulkier yarn as those shawls will go relatively quickly. Then I will work my way down to the lighter weight yarns. If I happen to make more than two for the fundraiser, so be it.

Now I have to go bring my squirrel cage back to the knitting room so I can skein up the first shawl.  

Below are the kits I pulled out for charity knitting projects.   

Time to Finish My Shawl

 The tinking is finally done.  It looks like I will have 3 or 4 rows to knit before I do my bind off.  The pattern is Grandma’s Summer Shawl available on Ravelry or your local yarn store.  The yarn is by the French dyer la Bien Aimee in Paris. The yarn is a DK four skein gradient in super wash Merino. I am using a U.S. 5 or a 3.75mm ChiaGoo SWIVEL Interchangeable needles. Near the end you will need to attach a 50 inch and an 8 inch cord together. It is quite wide at the bottom.  

The shawl is no longer a problem project. The shawl is now just a regular UFO.  Today I knit 2 additional rows and still not have passed the tinking mark in the final skein of the shawl.  I might be off on my final estimate of how many rows that I need to knit before I cast off. 

Below is a picture of a form problem project.  I brought it to Bruggers Bagles to work on it with friends. 

A Book Review

 I managed to snag a First Edition of Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz. It is a fabulous book.  The paper is a very good quality which made it much easier for this dyslexic to read.  Thank you so much for the high quality of the paper, it matches the quality of the book.  

For people who know me well, this will come as a huge shock.  It usually takes me a minimum of a few months to read a book from cover to cover.  I read Automatic Noodle in less than a week from the time the book arrived at my house. The writing is excellent. The plight of the robots pulled me in.  The biang biang noodles sounded so intriguing that I want to try a new food. I wonder if I can find them in Tucson? 

The story takes place in a fictional post war San Francisco. It documents how the robots manage to overcome adversity to build a new life and family. There are perils along the way. Along with flashbacks of the past.  This is a good summer read.  I highly recommend this book.  

I bought Automatic Noodle from bookstore.org.  I paid for the book myself.  I have not received compensation to write this quick review. 

The Problem with Autoimmune Disorders

 There is one more thing that nobody tells you about autoimmune disorders is that I can be rolling along with my life and bam the next thing I know is that my body has decided to stop working as needed.  There is no rhyme or reason as to when this happens.  The autoimmune disorder does not care if I have plans for the day. That there are projects that I want to complete.  There are chores that need to be completed. 

I never know in advance what is going to stop working with me. How long this personal body problem will last.  How much it will hurt. If I have a full calendar.  

Will this wake me up in the middle of the night. It is now 1:00 am.  I am waiting for the aspirin to kick in so the pain will go away. So I can get to sleep. Never mind that I need more sleep with a flare up to heal the flare up, my body does not care. This time it he flare up hit my hands and knees. So no knitting for at least a couple of days. The combination is never the same. No this does not make my life interesting. I get very frustrated with my Sjogren’s. Every autoimmune disease presents itself differently with flare ups. Depending on the severity of the flare up Sjogren’s presents it self differently with each flare up.  This also makes it very difficult to get the right diagnosis and treatment.  

I missed the last Sjogren’s walk because of non autoimmune body issues.  Yes, I have to deal with other body issues besides Sjogren’s.  So, I did not do my annual fundraiser for Sjogren’s.  I know that there are a lot of different disease related fundraisers, because let’s face it, there are a lot of different diseases that need to be researched.  In the United States, government funding for disease research is at an all time low.  I won’t get political or name names here, but we all know who to thank for that. 

So during this time of high anxiety, high inflation including food, gasoline and other costs, I would consider it to be a blessing if you would make a donation to the Sjorgren’s Foundation or any other health organization that includes your family members or friends.  We are all in this together.  

Thank you for reading my middle of the night rant and research funding request.  This was typed using only my pointer finger, well because my hands are being quite cranky right now. 

My Must Have Tool for Tinking and Repair Work

 When I have repair work or a massive tinking project, like 80% of the cast-off row on a shawl. See the picture below.  I have one go-to knitting accessory. My Lantern Moon Repair Hook.  The Lantern Moon Repair Hook is small and easy to use.  The Repair Hook is a U.S. 3 / 3.25mm crochet hook, that is 3 inches/8 mm long.  Sized just right to fit in the palm of my hand. No more using full-sized crochet hooks for very delicate repairs or tinking back onto the knitting needle. 

*Now for the full disclosure. I bought my first Repair Hook and loved it. So I decided to buy a second Repair Hook just in case I lost the first Repair Hook. Also, the opinions in this blog are entirely my own. I am also not receiving any compensation from Lantern Moon.

!! More Socks !!

 I had enough spoons to go to knitting and almost finished a hat. I am currently working on the crown.  Then it was home to rest.  After a quick lunch, I went to Bookman’s to trade in some books. They had enough knitting books so those came home with me. They did take 2 other books.   With the trade I got today and the trade credit in my wallet, I was able to trade for 5 more pairs of socks for the Flowing Wells Clothing Bank.  I cannot supply everything the children need but at least I can make a small dent in some of the items that they need. 

Now it’s time to brew a cuppa of passion fruit tea.  I am also going to watch some Masterpiece Theater and knit.  I hope to make some headway on a summer shawl for myself.  I only have one shawl for summer since I lost so much weight. I would rather have to knit more shawls than carry around extra weight.

Fiber Arts Projects

 I finished  4 fiber arts projects this week.  It must mean on some level that I am starting to feel better.  

2 stranded knitting on U.S. size 15 needles.  

I finished the red hat on Thursday.

                                                          I finished the purple hat on Tuesday.

                                        I finished the combination Tunisian and regular crochet scarf tonight.

Desert Living Hacks

 If you are new to desert life one thing that you may not have encountered yet is the lack of cold or even cool tap water from April to the end of October in the Northern Hemisphere.  Please note if you are in the Southern Hemisphere you will have to flip the dates around to match up with your spring to the end of fall. The water going through the ground pipes will usually be a little warmer than the current air temperature outside. 

This does affect your cooking in very odd ways.  For instance if you are making bread, the tap water might be hot enough to kill off the yeast before you even begin.  It might be necessary to add a few ice chips to cool the water down to the proper temperature. Another alternative is to use rapid raising yeast that you mix in with your dry ingredients.  Any temperature above 120f will kill the yeast before you have begun.  

For pasta being used in salads you might want to prepare by putting about 1/2 gallon of water in the refrigerator the day before. Cook and rinse your pasta as normal. For the final rinse take the water out from the refrigerator and pour over your pasta. This should cool the pasta down enough to make your pasta salad right away.

For hard cooked eggs cook as usual. Drain the eggs, then rinse in the coldest tap water you can get. You will then dump 1/2 of the water out of the pan and add 2 cups of ice cubes. With your hand stir the ice cubes around the eggs. In the beginning the ice will melt very quickly. When the ice stops melting and you just have small pieces of ice, it will be time to start peeling your eggs. You will notice that the egg whites are a bit more pliable than your winter eggs.  This is ok, the eggs are fine.  

As for clothing you will want to protect your skin from the sun.  I would personally recommend blue jeans and long sleeve cotton or linen shirts Women can also wear long dresses or skirts instead of blue jeans.  You might think it is counterintuitive to wear long pants or dresses in the summer heat, but please hear me out on this one.  The cotton or linen will absorb the sweat and the sun will dry the sweat out fairly quickly.  This will create a personal evaporative cooling system. This is very cool. Also with the sun not touching your skin you will also get a feeling of being cooler. This will also protect your skin from harmful rays from the sun that can cause skin cancer with prolonged exposure. 

Now for the things you should never wear in the summer and the reason behind it. Polyester and acrylic fibers. Clothing manufacturers claim that they have moisture wicking properties.  Their public relations and marketing teams have obviously never worn their products in the desert in the summer heat. Polyester and acrylic do not absorb your sweat. The sweat runs down your body leaving a very smelly odor behind. You may also find yourself with a heat rash because there’s no way for your sweat to dissipate. 

Another type of clothing to avoid is shorts and tank tops. In other parts of the world, it’s perfectly acceptable. The sun is not as strong and the humidity is much higher, so it makes sense in those regions. However, in the desert, it’s a good way to get a sunburn, even if you apply sunscreen before you leave the house, sunscreen must be reapplied every few hours. Most people apply sunscreen once in the morning and forget about it. Any where the sun hits your skin will feel hotter for good reason. This applies to all races and colors of skin. We as human beings were not meant to be in the hot sun with so much skin exposed skin. Think blistering sun burns which are a very big warning sign that you have had too much sun. Tanned skin is not healthy skin.  Say no to tank tops and shorts.  

After swimming it is also a very good idea to dry off and cover up. Wear a wide brim hat with a 3 inch wide brim to protect your skin.  If I want to lay out in the summer sun after swimming I personally cover myself head to toe with a heavy towel and a wide brimmed hat.  I have been doing that since the mid 1970’s.  

It is also very important to stay hydrated.  Drink before you are thirsty.  Do my gardening or hiking before 9am on most days. Take twice the amount of water that you usually take on a hike. Pay attention to trail conditions. If the trail is closed because of extreme heat please don’t go around the barrier. This is done to protect you not to annoy you.  If you absolutely must go for a walk in the middle of the day go to the mall or big box stores and walk inside around the inside perimeter of the store. Since you are already at the store you can do your  grocery shopping too. 

You will also need to clear any dead trees and other plants from your property. Yes, we have fires in the desert. Even in suburban areas you need a fire break around your house. So no hanging branches touching your house.  Check with your local fire department to see what is required.  

Please don’t feed the wildlife in and around your home. The bunnies and other babies might look cute. The downside is that they bring Coyotes and Wildcats, because you’ve just fattened up their meal for them. This also puts small pets at risk, so never ever leave your pets outside unsupervised.  You may, however, put up feeders for hummingbirds, just be sure you sterilize the feeder every few days. You may also plant a butterfly garden that will attract bees and butterflies and help them on their journeys. 

Also talking about wildlife in your area please leave the snakes alone. They are beneficial to our environment. They eat pack rats and other small rodents that do harm to our cars and other wiring. If you happen upon a rattlesnake most local fire departments will remove them safely and relocate them to a more remote location.  

Below is a picture of how to deal with hard cooked eggs. 

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. 

Bits and Pieces of Yarn

I know that I do much better when my yarn is made into individual kits.  So far I have only gone through 3 boxes, 1 very large bag and a basket.  So far I have only made kits for my miscellaneous wool, both hand spun and commercially produced.  This has yielded enough kits for 18 ridged heddle loom made scarfs.  Yes, it is that big pile of kits on the den floor.  

I still have 1 very large basket and some smaller stashes to go through. I might wait on those, it depends on how much energy I have. Then again I am now to the 100% cotton yarn which I use to make my pounder scarves. I only have 4 kits ready to go right now. These scarfs always take a bit of planning on the color way of each scarf. So as long as the yarn is piled on the counter I might as well make a few more kits. 

The net result is that 1 red plastic tub with some de stash yarn in it will leave the house.  Currently I only use clear tubs or bags for yarn.  I find it much easier to see what I have to use up.  After a little over 25 years of knitting I am currently trying to get a hold on my yarn and fiber stash.  

I have also come to the conclusion that she who dies with the most yarn loses.  She did not go to fiber festivals or spend money on other things she might have pursued in life. Also, after she’s gone, Goodwill or other charities will not treat her carefully curated stash with the respect she expects. They will take her entire stash and put it in kitchen or outdoor trash bags and sell it for $5 to $10 dollars a bag just to get rid of it if she is lucky.  The family is more than likely to put it all in the trash.  But on the serious side of this issue call your local Knitting Guild they will take all the yarn and supplies. The Knitting Guild will then make more charity projects than you can imagine.  They will help children, veterans, service members, people under going chemo therapy and more with hand knit items.  I know the old Pueblo Knitting Guild in Tucson made over 2,000 items for charity alone for charity in 2025.  This included hats, scarfs, socks, sweaters, blankets and mittens.  This is a win in so many different ways.   So if you are in Southern Arizona and have a yarn stash to relocate please feel free to contact us at The Old Pueblo Knitting Guild. If you knit by hand or machine, crochet or weave you can become a member.  We always love to see new people.  You can also make a monetary donation to help cover expenses. Since we are a nonprofit, you will be able to take a tax deduction, always talk to your tax advisor first.

I have also come to the conclusion that too much yarn leads to clutter and inefficiency.  I am really jealous of those knitters who can do one project from start to finish.  Then go and buy their next project. Instead of someone like me that has any where from 10 to 20 projects going at once with at least 100 projects waiting in the wings.  This is after rehousing about 95% of my yarn stash.  

I am also a someday kind of knitter.  I primarily knit for charity.  I also pick up yarn to make things for myself, someday when I have the time.   This year I actually started knitting some of those someday projects.  It was also very helpful that after losing 50 pounds most of my shawls did not fit and most were literally dragging on the floor.  

Now on to a picture of today’s progress.  

Happy spring equinox

 Happy spring equinox or if you’re in southern Arizona, welcome to the first day of summer. It reached over 100° in southern Arizona yesterday. This means that the ice broke on the Rillito River and it is now sand trout fishing season.  

To celebrate I put all my felted shoes on the shoe rack. To make room for my winter shoes, I took out all my Birkenstock and Finn Comfort sandals.  I took a quick inventory and do not need to buy any replacements. 

What this means for me is that I will be spending most of my time inside.  I have not been able to tolerate the higher temperatures since I got sick 2 years ago.  

So I have patterns to write, Christmas gifts to knit.  Jewelry for holiday presents to make and a few sewing projects to make.  I will be putting my feet up as per doctors orders by knitting, at which time I partake in reading and watching chicklit on television.  

Have fun and stay hydrated.   

Gym Etiquette

 I’m not sure what gym etiquette is supposed to be. This being said, at my gym there is a 30 minute limit on exercise equipment during busy times. When I got to the gym this afternoon, my starter piece of equipment was being used by somebody. I walked by casually. He was already passed 60 minutes, but he ignored me. So I went to the treadmill and did my 30 minutes there. The man still wasn’t ready to get off of the sitting elliptical.

So I went to see if I could find somebody that worked at the gym that would get him off for me. The only person working was with a client. So I did a kind of passive aggressive move. I got a cleaning towel and sprayed it down with cleaning solution and walked over to the machine. He noticed me and said oh, do you want to use the machine? I said yes he says wait a few minutes and I will wipe it down for you.

I replied no problem. I’ve got the cleaning cloth ready to go. I’ll just wipe it down right now. So he got off the seated elliptical and I did my 30 minutes on the seated elliptical. Cleaned off then cleaned the machine for the next person. In my humble opinion it was the best way to handle the situation.  

I would like to add that I accomplished 30 minutes on both the treadmill and the seated elliptical.  That is at my maximum exercise time limit right now.  That may or may not change depending upon the outcome of the tests my new cardiologist has planned for me.

I made a little progress on the pounder scarf.  I like how the color palette looks so far.  It has also reached, the need to constantly turn the work as I’m knitting. Right now this means about three times per row. I am starting to feel the weight of the scarf right now.