Stash Busting

I have 14 hats and 4 scarfs ready to go to the Clothing Bank, but with temperatures in the 100’s this week there is still time to knit and weave more things.  To that extent I have cast on another hat. I have picked the yarn out for the next hand knit scarf and will finish weaving another scarf tonight. If I have time I might even get the warping started for the next handwoven scarf done tonight.

It’s time to go play with fiber.

Tagging and Bagging

I am trying to get caught up on tagging and bagging my charity knitting and weaving.  This involves making a fiber content tag, which includes fiber, washing instructions and a positive note for each item.  I also count the rows for the one million row challenge on Raverly at this time.  So today I tagged and bagged 3 scarfs that we’re hand woven and 3 hat for 243 rows.  

I still have this bag to tag and bag plus whatever is on my knitting needles when the items are finished.

Tagged

I finally got the bag of hand knit items tagged today. It just took taking the tags, a pen and the knitted objects out of the house. So tomorrow I will divide the items for my two charity projects, the Flowing Wells Clothing Bank and the annual fall sale for the Taglit program. Before I take the hats and scarfs in To the clothing bank I promise to take a picture. As of today I have about 6 dozen hats and 1 dozen scarfs. My friend Eva knit a whole tote bag of sweaters for the kids too. Eva is just so talented. I will take and post pictures of her hand knit sweaters too.

My body is doing better than yesterday after the dentist, although I still did take a 1 1/2 hour nap before I picked up Eric. I also managed to get to the grocery store and finish 2 hats. The hat I started after dinner is only 60% done, it's not getting finished tonight. I think a good nights sleep is in order instead.

Zenning Again

This week with the encouragement of my friend Vicky, I am taking zenning to a whole new level. I have started going through my craft bags looking for unfinished objects. Henceforth to be called UFO's. So far I have emptied one bag completely. Finished three scarfs. Did I mention create more small balls of yarn for hats? Found a lot of knitting needles. In my defense in the past when I had too many empty knitting needles I just cast on a few more projects. Stash them away in a craft bag until I was bored and needed a new challenge. This is why I have so many bags filled with UFO's.

I am going to try to eliminate the extra craft bags.  There are no guarantees here though. I have so many beautiful project bags. I now have a lifetime supply of large tote bags and project bags. Some I will pass on to new knitters that I teach. Some will be used for shopping, although since the zenning project began a few years ago, I am less likely just to go shopping if I am bored. I am more aware of what I bring into the house. I just don't buy more stuff. The exception here seems to be yarn, roving and tissue paper. After all I have spinning wheels, looms and knitting needles to keep busy, not to mention my idle hands.

Eric is having less bad nights since we discover that his vitamin D was contaminated. Last night was an exception. I was up with him until 4 am. Got a little sleep when he settled in. We both took naps this morning. I am still at the point where my energy reserves are completely gone. So I need to slow down a bit until they are back. A perfect time to sit and knit.

Now what to make for dinner.

Projects Can Be Finished

Eric and I spent the day finishing projects. Eric and one of his Elmo's sat next to me as I worked. I managed to weight, label and tag all my Spinzilla 2016 yarn. Sorry friends have dibs on all the yarn. The good news is that it all leaves the house on Tuesday.

I managed to do the trimming on a dozen hand woven mudd rugs and trim the fringe. Next the failed attempt at twisting fringe was given up after 30 minutes. It did not help that the sound would not come up on you tube. The visual did not complete the necessary information to complete the task. So I did the fringe the way that I had learned.

Even without the sound I did learn that placing a heavy book on the woven scarf while tying the fringe did help a lot and made things go more smoothly. The scarfs were then washed and beat up. Yes, I slam freshly washed scarfs against a table. Then they get hung up to dry.

As as I was running out of energy, I decided to to set things up for tomorrow. I also emptied a knitting bag that tore and put the yarn away. I also decided not to repair the bag since it was not well made in the first place.

Sunday

I might be over the cold, but the I am still extremely tired.  I really feel that I lost a week do to the cold.  I am so far out of sync that I think I will need a week or 2 to get back in sync. Eric is still making lot of laundry. Eric is doing pretty good this week.  I stopped after 6 loads today, and did not get through all the laundry.  

Thankfully I received a phone call today to remind  me about a meeting this week.  I thought it was next week. I really did lose a week.  So I took an hour to get ready for the meeting.   I even managed to get the Adgenda typed up on my iPad.  I have not figured out how to email it out from the program.   Although I did manage to get it to print.  I went 1 step further and loaded the car tonight to make the morning go more smoothly.  

In between naps I finished knitting the scarf that I started last night.  I also wove about 8 inches on the scarf on the loom.  I might even get the scarf off the loom this week.  Then the rag rugs will start on the 19 inch loom and a scarf on the 10 inch loom.   I will try to catch up,on knitting hats, I only have 18 out of the 60 hats completed. 

Well it is time to get Eric ready for bed.  Maybe we can skip the 3 am kicking off the covers tonight.   

6 Dozen

The 6 dozen plus one or 73 hats (2,969 rows) were delivered to the Flowing Wells School District today.  I also threw in 5 scarfs (928) too.  So here is what a pile of 73 hats looks like, the scarfs look even less impressive. For a total of 3,897 towards the one million row challenge on Raverly. 

A Late Night and More Hats

Eric was up until the wee hours this morning. Do naps were had by all. I also managed to wrap the loon and then weave about an inch on the new scarf. I can now wrap the loom in about the same time it takes Eric to do his breathing treatments.

Three more hats got finished today. I also cast on 2 more hats.  I really have to start tagging them. I have 2 tall piles of hats that need labeling. 

Letting Go

Some dreams are hard to let go of. Take my Etsy shop for example. I am just not selling anything. It is way more money out then money in. So I have spent the last month or so deciding weather I should continue it or not. Then G'd puts someone in the right place at the right time.

I was standing in line outside the opening of the new Whole Foods Market on Oracle this morning. I was knitting as usual. I was working on a wool hat. Then the unexpected happened. A woman behind me asked why I was knitting a wool hat in the middle of the summer heat. I told her that this was a charity hat for local kids in need. Now this is where the conversation gets even stranger. She said that she had just retired from the Flowing Wells School District where I had donated bags full of hats and scarfs last winter. "Last year some one donated a whole lot of hats just like the one I was knitting. All homemade. The kids just loved them. Sometimes even wearing them in the classroom to show that they had a new hat."

She then asked where these hats were going? I told here that I just drop them off at the superintendent's office of the Flowing Wells School district and then they take care of the rest. That brought a smile to her face. In that moment my mind was finally made up. Everything that I have earmarked for sale that does not involve silk or other fussy yarn will go to the kids.

This does not mean that I won't take on commissions. It just means that I will put more energy into designing patterns, charity knitting, weaving and other fiber arts. I will not be knitting in hopes that I can sell something. I know a few of you who are very close to me will say thank goodness and at last.

It also means that more knitting will leave the house. I know someone that will be very happy with this decision. It also means that I won't get depressed over my lack of sales, or waste hours of thinking how I can fix this.  Now it is time to spring sloppy joe's on John.

The Crud's Go On and On

The crud's are still here in full force. I have hit tired and cranky. The only things I can seem to knit are scarfs and wash cloths. Speaking of the wash cloths I have made them over sized with interesting patterns through out. Right now I think they look pretty good but that could all change when I feel better. Also when you see the wash cloths if you would like me to write up the pattern please let me know.  When I am feeling better I think I will list them. I will post them on my twitter feed and face book page when I do the finishing work if you can't wait.

Eric has learned a new trick. He has figured out how to get the nebulizer mask off and dump all the meds on the floor by leaning forward and shaking his head. I guess I am lucky that it took him so long to figure out but why yesterday of all days. Yes he was very proud of himself for figuring that out.

Well Eric is asleep so I will go and take a nap.

My Art Fire Studio

I have been thinking about my Art Fire Studio http://www.tinyurl.com/handmadebysheri a lot lately. I still have not had one sale. So maybe it is time to take some things out and put others in.

For fall and winter I was thinking about adding some wool scarfs. I hope with the weather getting colder they might be useful in other parts of the country. I got a good deal on some nice bulky Cascade wool at a tag sale so I can do a bunch an list them for about $10.00 each and still make some money.

I was also thinking about a line of semi home made felted purses and tote bags. I would knit the blanks and the buyer can decorate and felt as they please. This will give the busy person a chance to say I made it myself.

So look for the changes to come soon. If there is something in my Studio that you like get ti now before i start de-listing items.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.