Sunday, July 4, 2010

Toasted Hands

You have read about the fundraiser for Eric's camp. I have been trying to make a large basket full of handmade items. With so little time I decided to pull out the crochet hook because it is a lot faster than knitting. But after only four days I can sadly report that my hands are toast. They are swollen and stiff. I will finish the one wash cloth I have on the hook.

Yes I will still make items for the sale but at a much slower pace with my knitting needles. So this morning I will look for fast, easy and small items to knit for the sale. I am also thankful for my friends like Nancy of  knittinancy http://www.artfire.com/users/knittinancy who has donated 2 wash clothes to the sale. By the way check out her shop she makes wonderful bean bags and is one of our area best knitting teachers. I know that she has made my knitting much better, and I am not the best student in the world.

So I am off to look for some patterns and do some knitting. Enjoy your families and have a very safe and happy July 4th weekend. Please be sure to use your designated drivers.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Another Fundraiser on the way

I had a request from Eric's camp, people want to buy my wash cloths and what knots from the kids. So I will be making up a batch and put everything else on hold till I knit/crochet up a basket of odd ball yarns into what knots, wash cloths, scarfs and what every else I can think of that is quick and easy.

I just wonder why; if they like them so much they just don't go to my web site and buy them direct. I price them the same. Oh well I just have to look at the donation as goodwill and a nice tax deduction. Also it is a good way to get the odd balls out of the house.

The current count 7 wash cloths and 2 what knots done.  Not bad for 2 days work. Maybe I can get it all done before the July 4th weekend.

Well I am off  to do something non productive. Have a great evening and enjoy your families.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Knitting Update

I made a lot of progress knitting yesterday. It seems I spent most of the day knitting. I made it past the 3 foot mark on Teri's blanket only 4 feet by 125 inches more to knit before the boarder. I am hoping for a September or October finish on that one. By the way this was started January 15 and is a little large to knit anywhere but on the couch.

The sweater that I started in the spring of '09 is now on the road to being finished. This week I tinked the lace that came out oh so wrong. I am now doing a fan and feather bottom. This is a top down sweater. I have completed 4 pattern repeats. I just need to add 10 or 12 more inches to this one and then the sleeves and edging.

I finished Eric's new winter hat and blocked it. It was finished on a day that was 107 so needless to say he did not get to wear his new wool hat. It is the first item I have ever blocked and it does make a difference  especially  on cable patterns. Did I mention that this is my first time doing cables? Eric's camp one on one like it so much I have started one for her too. 

I have also passed the half way mark on the baby blanket that never seems to end.

I will post pictures when I find my camera, I know it is somewhere in my purse. Look for pictures later in the week. I am now going to go work on Teri's blanket. Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Exercise

OK it's just me thinking out loud and looking for answers. This is all about exercise. I get a good routine going and start to feel really good, but when I put in more than one 20 hour day in a week my exercise routines just go by the way side.

I know long work days are just part of being a part of Eric's life. I guess I just need ideas on how to balance long days which lead to exhaustion and no exercise. So dear readers please throw any suggestions into the hat. I am sure we could all use some more wisdom in our lives.

Well my help leaves in 10 minutes so it is time to start another long day. Chores don't go away when Eric gets sick they just seem to multiply so its time to go off to work. Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Today

OK Eric and I are both under the weather today. So I started with all those knitting projects I did not want to do. First I picked up a baby blanket in Eric's room and made good progress, at least 6 more rows done. It is a square blanket done on point, so the rows are getting smaller.

When I got help this afternoon I tore out 4 inches of lace knit with out a life line and then picked up all the stitches back on the needle and picked a different pattern. It's a fan and feather stitch pattern with 3 rest rows and 1 pattern row. This is the sweater that I want to finish but got mad at myself because I goofed up the lace pattern and it has been sitting almost a year. It is time to get this sweater done. I placed stitch markers every 18 stitches so if I goof this I hopefully will not have to go back very far. I figure stitch markers in knitting are like pins in quilting, you can never have too many.

Well it is time to go make dinner. so have a great evening and enjoy your families.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Day 4 of Over-tired Me

It has been 4 very long nights with Eric. Last night ended this morning at 2:30 am. I was just to darn tired to even do laundry last night. After getting Eric to camp late today.  I did take a me day today. Some knitting, walking and shopping.

I did run across a very interesting sales person today at a new store in the mall. I wanted a particular style and size they had it in stock but she would not sell it to me. The reason being she was a professional and she wanted me to wear a different style. When I explained why I wanted that particular style she told me that she still would not sell it to me a dismissed me from the store. I am sorry big company that hired you, this haughty sales lady but my money is just as green as anyone else's money and I am a few years past the point that I want to be bullied by a rude sales person. I want what I want; not what you insist on selling me. I will not be going back to your store again. By the way this was a store in Tucson, not on 5th Avenue, Rodeo Drive or other fancy local.

It is a shame that in this poor economy that companies still insist on hiring rude haughty sales people. I am quite sure I would have the same reaction to this sales person even if I had more than 16 hours of sleep in the past 4 days. No mall store can afford to turn away customers with money to spend just because the sales people want to sell something other than what the customer wants. I do understand incentive programs where you want to push a particular product, but to push a shopper out of your store without a sale just  because they won't buy the item of the day is just plain bad business.

Other than the rude sales person, I have had a fantastic day. I am too tired to nap if that makes any sense to anyone else but me. But I did take time to put my feet up and relax. I will shop for dinner after Eric's aide comes tonight. I need something light but hardy at the same time.  Well have a great evening and enjoy your families.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

This Weekend

This weekend has been a lay low weekend for us. Eric shared his cold with me which lead up to a flare up for me. Eric then became eyrpy tonight, cold followed by eyrpy is usually not a good sign. So we will probably skip camp tomorrow and join the crowd at the doctors office.

John has decided to post phone Fathers Day for a week to give Eric time to recoup. The plus side of this is that it will not be crowded next weekend when we go out.

I have a lot of yarn to keep me busy this week. I will post pictures of Teri's blanket when I hit the 3 foot mark. At that point the blanket will be a little over 1/3 done. I need to step up the pace to get it done for this winter. It has taken me 6 months to knit 3 feet, the question is can I knit 4 feet  plus a boarder in 3 months?

Well I am off to check on Eric and do some more knitting. Have a great evening and enjoy your families.