Five

 Yes, I have finally finished 5 projects.  Need I say more? Well yes   Four charity scarfs and a washcloth for myself. The great thing about teaching people new fiber arts skills is that I always get a new washcloth out of it.  

I am very hyper this week.

 I am on a roll today. I managed to finish 2 scarfs and 1 washcloth today. 5 total projects this week.  I also cast on 2 new charity scarfs and a pair of mittens for myself.  

For some unknown reason just getting rid of 60% of my yarn and fiber stash made me more excited to start knitting again.  It has also set off a reorganizing the house binge too.  John is doing the very smart thing and staying out of my way unless I ask for help.  I am excited to see where this takes me beyond sore muscles and extreme fatigue.  

My pile so far this week.  Once the pictures are taken of each individual hand knit items with the exception of the washcloth, they are going into the charity bag for the drop off before Thanksgiving.  The earrings that are in the back of the picture are my own designs.  

A First

 This is my first full bobbin for my Hansen mini E-spinner Pro.  It is a combination of Dorset Horn and Charollaise wool.  I started with the 4 ounces of the  Charollaise Wool and had enough room to add 4 ounces of the Dorset Horn Wool. Since this is going to be art yarn, I saw no problem with using 2 different breeds of sheep on the same bobbin. If you are a breed specific yarn spinner this is the point that you slowly walk away and do your own thing.  I am just tasting new to me fibers on my e-spinner. 

Tomorrow I will ply it with nylon novelty yarn.  Finish processing the wool.  Then weave it into scarfs.  They should make lovely holiday gifts.  

We tried a restaurant that we had not gone to in 6 years.  First off they did not have half of what I ordered.  Second, they asked John what I was going to have instead of what I had ordered, because of course they were out of it too. Really asking a man what his wife wants to eat. This is so 1950’s.  So my dinner consisted of 2 dinner salads, charred chicken and vegetables.  I really want to know how in world do you char carrots and leave a badly chard carrot to serve. If this is a new style of cuisine, I strongly object.  What did that carrot ever do to anyone. They also skipped the edamame that I ordered too.  I nibbled on some of John’s extra veggies too. Did I mention that the air conditioner was limping along too.  It went well with the food.  I think I will give it another 6 years before we go back. I will skip the name of the restaurant to protect the hard working wait staff.  

Where did Monday Go?

 Although I am feeling much better. My energy level leaves much to be desired.  After sleeping in and then taking a solo trip to Target for a few things,  it still required a nap after lunch.  I am snailing  my way back to health.  Maybe more like the inch worm  moving very slowly to get to where it is going.  I might now be able to move faster than a snail.

On the spinning front I should be able to get about 8 ounces of spun roving on the bobbin.  That will give me about 2 skeins of art yarn.  The art yarn will then be used to make holiday presents for the kids who use the clothing bank I support. Mostly handwoven scarfs because they go so fast, especially with bulky yarn. Don’t worry I have plenty of roving and novelty yarn to use up.   

TTFN

Spoons

 Today’s blog is brought to you by spoons.  Spoons are what I never seem to have enough of.  Spoons are units of energy.  

As I am getting older my body is changing. This includes my feet.  I have changed shoe sizes. So I have found a brand of shoes that fit perfectly right now.  I can wear them all day.  So after buying 2 new pairs of shoes, I knew it was time to clean out my closet of the shoes and high heels which I can no longer wear.  I filled 4 boxes with shoes that no longer fit and are still in great shape.  So I think I moved ahead of the clutter curb.  I have also run out of big boxes.  John will take the boxes to Goodwill tomorrow.  I will see what else I can add tomorrow.  

This evening I also started putting my earrings away.  I plan on taking the earrings that are too uncomfortable to wear and the singles to make more stitch markers.  Not that I need any more stitch markers. I just thought it would be fun to do. That they would be more useful as stitch markers than collecting dust.  

Now I am too tired to do anything.  

Not to change the subject, but I am going to change the subject.  Have you ever noticed that the last 6 inches of a 6 foot long scarf seems to take forever.  Maybe I will finally finish it this weekend.  Which me luck.  

What is leaving forever, tomorrow.  Four boxes lined up to go   

A Head Start on 2024

 Since I have delivered all my charity knitting projects it seemed like a fantastic time to start work on the holiday knitting for 2024.  So I already started the big Ziplock XXL bag with a pair of socks and these 2 scarfs.  

Now it’s time to make some dog pillows.  My yarn scrap bin is overflowing.  So it is off to the sewing machine for me.  I think I will make a few extra cases this time.  

A Rare Double

 Today a rare double was completed.  Yes, in that I mean 2 finished yarn projects were finished within 2 hours of each other.  They are both scarfs for a children’s clothing bank.  The red one is for a younger child. The 2 tone blue one is for a high school student.  Please note, not one knit 2 together stitch was used on either scarf.  The 2 streak had to stop somewhere.   

In case you were wondering, new projects have been cast on both sets of knitting needles so that they would not get lonely.  Now I am off to knit 2 more scarfs.  

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

A Cacophony of Scarfs

 A decision has been made to use all the yarn in the Bye-Bye project bag for one of a kind scarfs for a local children’s clothing bank.  Each one will be different.  I have 2 completed.  I have one that I am doing the finishing work on.  I have also picked out the next warp color for scarf number 4.  

Below is a look at the yarn I will be using. You might see a pile of odds and ends, but I see an endless cacophony of scarves. As it is still easier to weave and spin rather than knit, I suspect that I will have a whole bunch of scarfs done by the holidays.  I wonder if I will be able to fill the Bye-Bye project bag with hand woven scarfs.  It is a very good goal in my humble opinion.  

More Zenning

 If it is all possible, I am doing more Zenning around the house. It’s a good way to end the year. I figured that the first day back from vacation was the best day to start.  At breakfast I made my to do list, which was not comprehensive.  I started with the den fireplace and removed all my spinning and weaving projects and supplies. Everything has a new home.  Even the skein of yarn that went to the Goodwill box  

This lead to needing more shelf space in the knitting room. So I went on a Sugar and Cream hunt. I almost filled a 32 quart box. I decided not to finish the 2 blankets in the bag so they went into dog pillow stuffing.   They were not even a complete block of a 9 block pattern.  Sometimes to move forward I need to let go of things that are not in the least bit useful.  I have learned that it is not necessary to keep or complete every project, or reuse the yarn.  I even put the knitting needles and accessories in their proper homes. 

I came up with an absolutely brilliant idea for a color combination for my next pounder scarf.  So I went on a hunt for black worsted weight yarn. The black combined with a very bright and bold variegated yarn will make a nice one of a kind scarf.  I will be winding additional skeins of black worsted weight yarn tomorrow. The scarfs after that will either be black and white or a scrappy scarf of many colors. I have the first 2 1/2 rows knit and I am in love with the combination of yarns.  I also finished one hat and another pounder scarf tonight. I call them pounders because each weighs in at at least 17 ounces. They are also 6 feet long, which is good for a cold climate.  Pictures are going to happen tomorrow. 

The most interesting part of the day was watching John.  When I finished cleaning up the fire place, he had to do more dusting and tie up the cables to make things look even better. He then went on to his own cleaning agenda.  I can’t wait to see where this leads us.  

Well my typing hand is getting really cranky so I will call an end to this post.

The Hunt Starts

 The hunt for smaller clothing started today with p.j.’s. I really lucked out on this one. Because of the sale at Kohl’s and the only fabric that I could wear, I got 2 pairs of p.j.’s for the cost of one pair.  This is a good thing.  I just don’t know how long I will stay in this size. I also lucked out by finding Simply Vera by Vera Wang.  She knows how to design for curves. The p.j.’s are well made too.  

Next on the agenda are pants and a warm sweater. Yes, I know that I have enough yarn to knit a couple of sweaters but the chances are that after a month or 2 of knitting that they will be to big. I have done that twice before.  So I am going to get a sweater to tide me over along with a couple of pairs of pants.  Wish me luck on those.  

So instead of knitting for me I am knitting for the kids again for next winter. At knitting guild we tend to knit a year ahead.   I have 2 scarfs going for young teens that are going to be long enough to wear in different ways. I also have 2 hats going. I hat needed to be tinked out about 3 inches because I was not paying attention and lost a stitch marker. I did not notice it until I had 4 stitches on 2 double pointed knitting needles and a whole bunch on the circular knitting needles.  That is all fixed and ready to go again.  I also have the 2 weaving projects going.  

It’s going to be busy tomorrow.  Do it is time to call it a night.  

2 Down 0 To Go

 I had my second cataract surgery earlier this week. Everything went well. I am healing well too. There are some things that I have noticed. First being that sometimes I can even read with out the readers the eye doctor recommended.  Things are definitely brighter and I can’t go outside without sunglasses. So I keep a pair in my purse and a pair by the back door.  I have also noticed that the colors are more brilliant. Today’s trip through Costco was amazing. I made John go up and down every food aisle even if we did not need anything on the aisle just to look at all the colors. The packaging was an amazing Kaleidoscope of colors. I am not sure if it was dorky or my inner artist coming out from a years long nap. 

The strangest side effect of the surgery involves the scale. As of this morning I have lost a total of 8 pounds. Strange right?  I am not craving sweets or other carbohydrates. I am not eating to keep myself awake. If I am tired I take a nap. I am actually happier than I have been in a long time. It’s almost like I got rid of the cataracts and my body is coming back into balance. I can’t wait to see where I go with this.  

I woke up from a nap and reached for my glasses and they were not there  it took me a few minutes to realize that I did not need them anymore. Well except for my readers.  I now have four pair and I know that a day will come when I can’t faint a single pair. So I have them strategically placed around the house.

I have not wanted to do any fussy knitting like hats, gloves or shawls.  Instead I am working on 2 different Operation Gratitude scarfs. One for the car because I am still not driving.  I can also knit these with my eyes closed if the sun is at a bad angle. I need to give my eyes time to heal and balance out.  The good news is that I figured out what I thought needed a small revision in a pattern and will fix it as soon as I feel like taking pictures and editing a pattern. 

It’s getting late so it’s time to call it a day.  

More UFO Progress

 On my poncho I made it to the next project change.  I am checking every few rows to make sure everything is even. So far so good.  

On my scarf for my knitting guild, I have 40 of the 60 inches needed to complete my scarf. Hopefully by Friday it will be ready to weave the ends in.  

I did not work on my hat or other scarf today. 

I think I will start shopping for a more comfortable chair for knitting. I slide out of the current chair which leaves my back sore   

Below is a partial picture of he poncho.  

It’s Finally Leaving

 Almost everything that I have worked on since January is leaving the house today.  The count is as follows: 50 hand knit hats, 21 hand knit scarfs, 4 hand woven scarfs.  I acquired 33 pairs of socks and 12 backpacks. I really think the volume of items Surprised John this morning. I  know that I fell short of my yearly goal of 60 hats, but I must face the fact that it was a bad hand year. The fact that my hats are knit on US size 6 & 8’s verses the scarfs which were knit on no smaller than a US size 11. By the way the larger the number the bigger the knitting needles are. This makes them easier to hold on a bad hand day too. 

I used John’s couch to lay out everything for one last picture before they left the house.  I almost covered the entire couch. Everything is now packed up to drop off at The Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank.  It makes me very happy that I can use my idle time like this.  

A Warped Warp

 There are times I can tell a weaving project is a no go.  What I mean by this is that there is a structural problem with the warp.  I have been making scrappy scarfs with odds and ends.  Yes after 22 years of knitting and spinning, I have lots of odds snd ends.  If paired right these odds and ends make fabulous one of a kind scarfs.  They in turn are used as holiday presents for kids who go to the clothing bank I support.  

This scarf turned into a problem child.  I suspect that one of the 100% cotton warp yarns was mislabeled.  My personal guess is it was a cotton rayon blend.  Rayon does not hold up to the tension I put on the yarn when adjusting the loom after each section is finished.  I started having tension problems with the right 1/3 of the warp.  Most of the time it is a little hiccup that disappears in a few inches.  This just kept getting worse. This just seemed to be getting worse. I could have just cut out the bad part, then pulling out the bad warp yarn and put new yarn on. That’s a lot of work so I just cut it off the loom. Dumped the scraps into the next dog pillow.  Then I will start a new warp for the next scarf.  Sometimes a clean slate so to speak is the best solution.  

A Wonky Hand Sorta Day

 It was a weird sort of day for me.  There is a small leak in the roof above my bedroom, with the rains this left the room damp with a funky smell, so I slept on the couch last night.  I know that this has nothing to do with my couch surfing last night, but it took over an hour to get my right hand moving this morning.  I am hoping that this is just the damp weather and not more hand surgery.  My right hand spent the day being wonky.  So no knitting got done.  

I managed to warp the loom and start another scarf.  I was not happy with 2 of the yarns so they made it to the goodwill box.  Better there then me forgetting that I don’t like them and trying to use them again.  By the way that topped off box one and another box is ready to go.  I did manage to get 2 loads of laundry done.  I did a couple more stages of finishing work on the scarf I took off the loom last night.  

Making dinner was interesting tonight.  I made my version of Turkey Taco Meat.  I would strongly suggest that onions not be chopped on a wonky hand day. That onion thought it was on a slip and slide, I even managed to feed the floor some raw onion. Once the onion was in the pot I added everything else with ease.  I just squeaked by on my carbs. John found a wonderful low fat tortilla under the Kroger in house label that was very low fat and tasted great too, so I made my fat by .50 grams of fat   

I even found a great Ganga , which is Tucson speak for a great deal.  I had a handful of coupons from my last shopping trip to the pharmacy, they allow you to stack in house coupons, so I got a 16 ounce jar of Skippy peanut butter for 10 cents plus tax.  I have not done that in a while, it felt good. Yes, I know we pay a lot for our medicine, so the is my version of a mini claw back.  

Well it has been a long day and we are going to get up early to try to patch the roof.  Wish us luck. 

Final Drying

 These two scarfs got washed in very hot soapy water and roughed up today. I moved them into the house to take better pictures.  In the back you can see the really weird skein of yarn that was recently spun.  Half of the skein turned out perfect, the other half turned out highly energized.  My solution for this skein of yarn is a handwoven scarf. Highly energized yarn weirdly enough makes a wonderfully textured fabric.. You might notice that I have hangers hanging from the bottom of the skein.  I do this in hopes that the skein will balance out while drying, this time I don’t think it worked.  

Tomorrow the scarfs will get their final trims and touch up.   They will then go into the bag for the children’s clothing bank.  My handwoven scarfs are always held aside for the older kids for holiday gifts.  I know I can’t make one for everyone who needs one, but I will make as many as I can without burning myself out   

I really don’t know if I will finish the scarf that I warped last night finished tonight.  I started it out with some sock weight yarn which is very thin.  Most of my other scarfs have been woven with worsted or Aran weight yarn.  I just love taking bits and pieces of yarn to make one of a kind scarfs, that don’t look scrappy.  

More Scarfs Equals Less Yarn Stash

 More scarfs are on my knitting agenda. This bag is full of bulky wool and cotton yarn. Since I don’t need it for sweaters I think I’m going to use the yarn for knitting scarfs.  This is also a great stash buster project.  These will make great Scarfs for the students who need them. I will also have 14 less skins of yarn in the house when I am finished with this bag. I can usually knit a bulky scarf and an evening.

The down side is I will Probably need to start another bag for hats and scarves for the kids. Although Teri and John will agree that this will not be a bad downside.

 

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. 

Blankets on My Mind

 I am currently working on three different blankets at different stages of completion.  The closest one to being finished is one that came with 3 different sized 8 inch blocks.  One would think that 8inch blocks would be a standard size, but not in this case. So I made three 36 inch strips and am in the process of sewing them together.  Then I will add a broader. 

The second blanket is by my computer.  I work on this one when I am working with students.  I also have a scarf that is almost finished that I work on while taking classes.  

The third blanket is going to be a modified log cabin block blanket.  I started the center with 2 patterned blocks.  I will just add more yarn on each side turning it as I go. I started this tonight while watching television.  I do not have to keep track of anything. The first color addition is almost done,   When this blanket is done I might have a basket back.  

Hopefully I will finish at least one blanket this weekend.