A Fantastic Day

 Today was one of the best days of my year.  My friends and I at Old Pueblo Knitting Guild were very busy knitting this year.  I was very excited and privileged to be able to deliver a trunk full of hand knit hats and scarfs.  Along with blankets, school supplies, and socks.   I was very excited to deliver everything to the Flowing Wells School District for their Clothing Bank. The staff was so excited that they emptied the back of the car for me.  I think they already had plans for most of the hats and scarfs.  

5.04 Miles

 I walked 12,063 steps or 5.04 miles. 130 minutes was in my fat burn zone.  That was on top of a very bad nights sleep last night. No caffeine was consumed today.

One Old Pueblo Knitting Guild meeting where we learned the magic loop knitting trick. I am still not a huge fan, but it works well for a lot of knitters   So watch a YouTube tutorial and give it a try. Then decide for yourself   

Then lunch with John. 

The off to a new to me club called the Pomegranate Guild.  I don’t do stitchery with floss. So I worked on a pounder charity scarf. 

Then a walk around Tucson mall, because it is still to hot for me to walk outside except just after sunrise and right before sunset. 

I was too tired to eat dinner so I had mixed vegetables, goat milk yogurt with raspberries and lots of water.  

I am hoping for a good nights sleep.  

TTFN

A Fun Filled Fiber Day

 It was a busy day on the fiber front.  This morning I washed and thwacked one skein of yarn by 7 am.  The sad thing about this is it was so hot that the water was drying up as I went to hang the yarn.  I then plyed a second skein and put it in its hot wash.  Since it was even warmer when this one came out of its hot bath the water dried up even faster.  Yet the full skeins of yarn are still damp in the garage this evening.

I finally figured out a glitch in a new pattern design. It has taken months.  I did have an epiphany last night. So this afternoon I cast on and it’s exactly like I want it. Now just to do the math so I can finish writing the pattern and knitting the sample. This made me very happy. Yes I am currently working on 3 new pattern designs at the moment.  I think the heat has gotten to me.  All I really want to do is go to a coffee shop and have a cuppa tea and knit like in pre COVID19 times. Now it’s outdoor dining for me, so it’s kinda not an option, because it’s too hot to sit outside even with misters.  So I go from room to room to work on different projects.  That’s just like going to a coffee shop, right?

With the exception of 1 skein of yarn drying in the garage, I have all the yarn priced for the knitting guilds Christmas in July event.  I even priced it at a 30% discount in hopes that it does not come back home with me.  I am also debating whether to make more stitch markers or move back to dog pillows, then on to a new blanket for my daughter.  Then I did get the parts to fix my small ridged heddle, so there are scarfs to weave also.  

I did say it was a fiber filled day.  

TTFN

Big Steps

 With Christmas in July coming to the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild on July 19th at 9:30 am,  I have been spinning up a storm and deciding which of my current hand spun yarns are going to leave the nest.  With my hand issues still not going away. Add to that my limited time to use my hands daily some big decisions had to be made. I only kept what is currently talking to me.  To that end, I now have over 1 cubic feet of hand spun yarn tagged and ready for the 19th.  I still have a bit more to tag tomorrow.  

When that is done I will come up with a few more simple things that I hope my friends will love.  I also have a bunch of dog pillows to make.  Then those will leave the house too.  I think I might be able to fill my car with dog pillows once I am done.  

I am really hoping we don’t have another summer like 1994 with over 100 days over 100f. On the other hand being just a couple of years older the heat seems to be effecting me a bit more.  I am less heat tolerant.  I am trying hard not to mope and being more proactive on getting things done.  

One last thing.  This is the first batch of Tour De Fleece 2023 newly minted or should I say hand spun yarn.  I had fun spinning it.  

Happy 2023

 I would like to start out by saying that I have not bought any new crafting supplies this year.  Today would have been a perfect day for on line shopping. I was having  a bad body day because of my stupid flare up.  I am not the biggest fan of arthritis.  I usually shop to make myself feel better.  No shopping was done. 

Instead I napped. Did two 20 minute cleaning sessions. I also found the time to work on three different projects. I did not complete anything. If I have the energy tomorrow, I will warp a loom for a scarf so that I don’t have to figure out where to store the yarn, this might involve more than 1 scarf.  I always have bags of hand made items for children that leave the house every so often.  I just love the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank. They find homes for everything that I make. 

Use more stuff up is going to be my motto for the year.  Also as I complete more projects, if I am not in love with the project bag it will be filled with yarn and given to other knitters at our monthly Old Pueblo Knitting Guild meetings.  If you live or visit Southern Arizona, this would be a great reason to join.  

The Scarf Pictures as Promised

 As promised.  My first charity scarf for 2021.  The pattern is called Stash Dive Scarf by Summer Lee Design Company.  It is available on Raverly. Mine used 9 skeins of yarn.  6 skeins of worsted weight yarn and 3 skeins of sock yarn.  I did not follow the pattern to a T, but instead had fun with my colors.

I am showing 2 photos. The first folded over like it was being worn. The second to show off the colors that I used. This scarf was so fun to do that I started another one yesterday and have  20 inches out of the 60 knit.  The next scarf is a different color combination.  It takes me about 6 days to knit, the same amount of time as a blanket.  The kave just about the same square footage.  This will be going to a boarding school on the Navajo Reservation in the fall.  

This is my 25 completed project for 2021  I am ahead of schedule.

Knitting Scarfs

 Today was a very uneventful day. I decided to skip knitting blankets today so I could finish a scarf and start the next scarf. I have to say that the scarf had more ends to weave in than a 36 inch square blanket.  Since the scarf was knit with one strand of sock yarn and one strand of worsted weight yarn knit on U.S. 10.5 knitting needles in the round, the fabric is very heavy.  The scarf is much to heavy for Tucson use. So it is going up to a school on the Navajo Reservation.  It will go up with other hand knit items from other Old Pueblo Knitters Guild members. I think I can get 3 or 4, 60 inch scarfs from this batch of yarn. I am very happy that they use up a lot of yarn.  I am using mostly left over yarn and yarn from projects I decided not to knit.

I will show the picture and give the pattern name out tomorrow. I finished the scarf after dinner and there was not enough natural light for a good picture. Since the designer wanted at least one scarf from the pattern go to a good cause, I think that this will fit the bill. 

Modular Knitting

Thursday I am going to teach modular knitting at The Old Publeo Knitters Knitting Guild Meeting.  I am currently working on the samples. I will teach 3 different ways to connect the knitted squares so you do not have to do any seaming.  I will also give a brief history of modular knitting.  

So if you are in Tucson on Thursday our meetings start at 9:30 am at St. Phillips Church at the corner of River And Campbell Avenues in the Murphy Hall.  The first 2 meetings are free.  All you need to bring are 2 skeins of Sugar and Cream, one ombré and one solid color skein, US side 7 or 8 by 24" circular knitting needles, a Crochet hook, and a pair of scissors.  Yes, I will weave the ends in as part of my demonstration. I will be teaching the 9 Patch Dish Rag.  Here is the sample that I started tonight.  This is about an hour of knitting so far.  

In The Blender

My life has been in the blender, which is like dancing as fast as you can on the edge of a sword, but with an I interminted vortex being controlled by a higher power than me.  I am sitting with Eric who is having a bad tummy week.  We know what the problem is and tried the quick fix solution.  Since it is almost 12:30 on Thursday morning we know that is not the solution.  Weather we go down path B , C D, or E will be up to team Eric medical professionals.  

I am just wondering how early I can hand off my meeting notes for tomorrow, so that I can take care of Eric and someone else can run the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild Meeting.  I am positive that this is the wrong hour of the morning to call someone.  

I would also like to thank PBS Kids for running good programming for kids at a time when we should all be sleeping. If you don't already support public television, a small donation will keep early morning programming going for Eric and other kids..I also want to know why Sprout has changed their programming to run excercize programming at midnight for kids?

Well I think it is time to go adjust the air conditioning.  I usually don't run the air conditioning in February. Then I will do some charity knitting.  

If One Nap is Good then....

Today started out very busy with 2 errands before Knitting Guild.  We had a lovely yarn tasting with Vicky Konecky from Grandma's Spinning Wheel here in Tucson. I so wanted to break my yarn diet and head over to Grandma's after the meeting, but I was so tired that I headed home instead.

I took some homemade chicken soup out of the freezer for lunch. John cut up some fresh carrots and celery to add to the soup. Before it had finished thawing and was warm enough to eat I had fallen asleep. Two hours later, I did not have time to eat the soup, but instead went and picked up Eric at his program. I did manage to cover a person's desk in yarn, knitting needles and knitting books before I left the building. I do love to do a good yarn bombing every once in a while.

We were not home for 30 minutes before I fell asleep again for another long nap. It is my hope that these naps today will help my body heal from both the cold, which is still lingering but also the arthritis flare up that it has caused. John served the soup for dinner along with some fresh bread.

After dinner I packed up some more charity to leave the house tomorrow. This time hats, scarfs and special needs bibs. They will head over to the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank.

No Workers Today

Today was a day without contractors in the house. So I tried to catch up with laundry and cleaning. I almost got through Eric's laundry today, all 5 loads. I am happy to say that the new larger counter is a great folding table. Apparently no matter how many loads that I wash and fold in a day, tonight's aide determined that I did too much of Eric's laundry and only put away 3 loads. Since Eric is asleep, I will put the rest of the laundry away tomorrow. Eric did manage to make another load tonight. I am debating putting on before I go to sleep so I can start with the fussy loads tomorrow.

I packed up the back splash tile that we did not choose, John will return the samples tomorrow. I also worked on the bookcase and have one shelf finished. I managed to fill another bag of books for Bookman's. The recycle bin is now half full, I hope to fill it by Sunday. I also sent a few bags to the trash bin. With so much tile, I also did a quick dust mop, I think that may now be a daily chore. Not bad for 5 hours of house cleaning.

I managed to get to Target for a few things we were out of. I seems like ages since I went shopping with coupons. I forgot to use my Cartwheel app in the store and left about $1.00 on the table.

I have made a decision tonight to go through all my knitting books and donate the ones that I no longer want to the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild for the monthly raffle prizes. Another great reason to join Tucson's only knitting guild.

I am hitting the 16 hour make of my day, with most of it working, so I think I will call it a night. 5 am comes very early, but I seem to be waking up at 5 am with no alarm like I did when I was younger.

Day 2

Today is day 2 of no knitting and both hands in splints. This is the result of the flare up.  The positive of this is that my hands are doing better. I can actually feel them tonight. I also got caught up on errands. Cleaned and organized 2 shelves of the computer desk, which resulted in a full basket of recycling. Organized some Old Pueblo Knitting Guild paperwork. I also walked over 10,000 steps today. This does not mean that I am not yearning to get my hands back on the knitting needles, but I know that I have to wait until my hands feel better. This is the really hard part. I like instant gratification.

Tomorrow the 10 bags of yarn and knitting needles that were donated to the Guild will leave the house. Hopefully not much will come back. Afterwards I also get to teach someone how to use a drop spindle over at Grandma's Spinning Wheel on Tanque Verde. I am so excited.

It is time to call it a night. I have another busy day tomorrow.

Playing Catch Up

I am doing a very poor job of playing catch up.  I only got 2 loads of laundry done today. I have not finished a hat, the hat I started tonight is only 1/2 way done. I did not get to the grocery store either. Maybe with more rest tomorrow will be better.

I did manage to drive to Saddlebrook to pick up a donation for the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild. I think I will have lots of happy knitters at the next meeting. I am almost through sorting the 10 garbage bag donation. I see, lots of hats,mittens, scarf's and sweaters in this donation. By the way if you would like to come to the next Guild meeting it is on October 16, 2014. At 9:30 am at Saint Phillips Church Murphy Hall. This is at the corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue in Tucson.

It's time to update my phone then call it a day.