Alpha Testing

The alpha testing continues on John’s new 3D printed knitting accessory. I am really loving the new design. It is so portable.  It traveled with me to Northern California and back. I also love giving positive feedback for changes and seeing the changes made.  I also learned that .05 millimeters can make a huge difference in a 3D design.  Not so much in knitting.

The engineering design work is so different than designing with fiber.  It seems to require a lot more pre planning and tweaking than with fiber.  Don’t tell anyone that you heard it from me, but I am learning a lot about the process.  Some of this might be incorporated in my fiber design work in the near future.

Of course when the design is finished it will be sold exclusively at Grandmas Spinning Wheel here in Tucson.  I will post when that happens.  With pictures of course.

More 3-D Printing

John’s latest 3-D printing project is designed to make my life easier. John designed and built a custom suctioning station. John the mounted it over Eric’s bed so that I could reach it. So no more running to the other side of Eric’s bed, then pulling Eric into suction machine range. Eric has already tried it out and likes it. If you think that this is cool, please let John know. Now to find some 18 ounce Hefty clear plastic cups so that I can see the water level in the rinse station.

I do expect Eric to be home for the rest of the week and maybe into next week. I do have plenty of knitting, weaving and spinning projects to complete, if I can find the time and energy. Mostly I have been trying to keep up with laundry and dishes, the operative word here is trying. Bits and pieces of house work are getting done in 2 to 3 minute spurts. Since I am not zenning the house it is OK that they are not 5 minute spurts.

I Am Happy

Today I actually got some knitting done on U.S size 19 knitting needles. I still have to weave in the ends. I even have the perfect outfit for it. Things ended well today.

Eric is feeling better, but his asthma kicked in with vengence. That is manageable.

John even got the roof fixed and finished a new prototype for me to try. I just have to warp the loom.

Gone Buggy

We welcomed an unwelcome visitor at the house last night. Even with Eric getting the flu shot, he got the flu. He is miserable. We are wearing procedure masks when we are around Eric. We are washing our hands after each contact with Eric in hopes that we do not get the flu. To the point that the skin around the scar tissue on my right hand is sore. This evening I started using lotion after each hand washing to keep my skin from drying out too much. Yes, I am washing my hands that much.

This is not surprising to anyone who knows Eric, but he is making more laundry than usual. So we are going to the phase of “Laundry is like fine wine. No laundry shall be folded before it’s time.” As long as the laundry gets washed is all that matters now.

So as not to spread this yucky flu bug and the fact that my hand is not up to par yet, John and I are working in tandem to get Eric back on his feet. I am cancelling every outside activity on my schedule until Monday. This may be a little over kill, but we do not like to share some things. Also at the moment Eric is a 2 person job.

This week will be a real challenge for me as I am not up to knitting yet.
Spinning for any length of time is still iffy. I might get some weaving done if only to test a new design from John’s new 3-D printer. John is trying to come up with a modern twist on the rigid heddle for my loom to make it easier to warp. If all that fails I will put ruts in the tile by walking around the house to relieve stress. Wish us all luck.

Eric is Sick Again

The cold symptoms started last night. Eric has the Cold Du Jour.  Eric is miserable The three of us are not very happy with this cold. We know that is just a matter of time before John and I get sick. We are not fully back to our version of normal from this summer.  What we don't understand is why people continue to go about their daily activities  when they are sick, knowing that they are spreading the cold. 

John and I continue to prepare for the Taglit Fall Fundraiser in between taking care of Eric. I managed to assemble 10 pairs of earrings today. John has the 3-D printer running at a good clip. He is making some really cool things. We are both very happy that other artists have agreed to let us use their designs for the fundraiser. It is not a hard sell when we tell them that 100% of the sale price will go to Eric's Adult Day Program. We are both very grateful for the community support for this fundraiser year after year. 

I am really hoping that Eric has a good night tonight but I am not very hopeful at this point. I hope that Eric makes less laundry tonight then last night.  Eric managed to fill the washing machine to capacity today. Wish us luck and if you don't see us for a few days you will know the reason why. 

Sleep

This weekend was spent catching up on sleep. With at least 12 hours of sleep on both Saturday and Sunday.  I can say that my body feels a little better. The house looks a little worse. I am behind on laundry and changing out linens, there is always tomorrow for that.

Eric had a very late night asthma episode, so I am trying to relax so I can get to sleep. I think it would help a lot if Eric decided that it was sleep time instead of play time. This always happens when his treatment happens after 10:30 pm. Timing is everything in life. 

John spent the weekend designing 2 new drop spindles for me. I know, who would have thought that he would ever design and 3-D print drop spindles for me. He is now enabling my fiber addiction. I will have two new spindles to play with. Tomorrow I need to find time to do an alpha test on the first model.  I wonder how thin I will be able to spin the yarn, the spindle is very light.  Since the spindle design is his, all I will be able to post is the finished yarn for now.