My New Hooks from Boye

 Last year I bought a set of crochet hooks for people with arthritis from Grandma’s Spinning Wheel in Tucson.  They are made by Boye.  I do love how my hands don’t hurt afterwards. They take a very light touch. Not even a full grip. Since we got back from vacation I have put 3 1/2 rounds on a granny square blanket for me in cotton.  I will post a picture of my stash dive blanket when it is finished.

My on comment goes directly to the people at Boye.  It is really nice the you color Coordinated the color of the handle and the paint color. My only concern with this, is that they are very hard to read. I am now going to have to go through them with a sharpie to write the numbers and hook sizes in black ink for an easier read.  Otherwise you did a fantastic job on them. Also a nice case to store them in would be a nice extra. Thank you for thinking about people with arthritis.  

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.  

No More Knitting…..

 This is my last post about knitting for 2022.  I will not complete anymore projects this year. I have completed 82 out of 50 planned projects. These projects were all completed in the last week of December 2022. 

I plan on completing 50 projects for 2023.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2023.

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.

Done with Coasters for 2022

 I wove the last coaster for the year.  So after dinner I cleaned off my work table.  Packaged all the random yarn into bags by color. Then reorganized the weaving cart.  I have 1 3/4 trays filled with bags of yarn.  One loom and all the smaller weaving tools on 1/4 of the second tray. The top tray had the larger small loom and the warp.  I was told if I put everything thing away in an organized fashion, I would be more productive in the long run   

You might remember that before I started this small weaving binge for the mudd rugs aka coasters I had all 3 trays overflowing with small skeins of hand spun yarn.  This is a good thing.  Coasters are leaving the house as gifts. Well almost all of the coasters.  I did fall in love with 2 that I will be keeping.  

I also tinked a summer top that I had started.  With the rate I was knitting compared to how fast the inches and weight are leaving.  It would have been too large to wear before I even finished the back.  So after tinking the sweater, I cleaned out the bag.  I replaced the yarn with a skein of yarn to make a shawl.  I choose a pattern that will look good no mater how much weight I lose.  Even losing a few more sizes it will still look good.  

So this is how I left my small weaving cart. The small carrier bag is for yarn scraps that will go into future dog pillows.  No I have not organized the entire room yet.  I project at a time.  

Every Yarn Knows What It Wants

 Every once in a while we all acquire yarn for our stash.  Some one has an idea for the yarn, but me the designer in me  just did not see it.  So it just sat there waiting in a basket.  I tried knitting, weaving and crochet.  I just could not make the yarn sing.  

Then came the long scarf’s for a Knitting Guild project.  A scarf knit on the round with 2 strands of yarn, 1 sock weight and 1 of worsted weight.  The yarn is finally singing.  Combined with yellow, red and a dark purple cotton.  I am on the fourth stripe.  The scarf is just flowing off the knitting needles.  It is so bright and colorful.  I am hopeful a teenager will like it.  Nine inches down only 65 inches to go.  

Getting Dressed

 Today I channeled my inner teenage girl. I picked a few things I had not worn in a while. The end result was 2 more outfits going to Goodwill. The we’re both too big.  One pair of pants going back into the closet.  Me going back into the closet to find an outfit to wear.  This was the aftermath. A small pile for Goodwill and hanger’s thrown everywhere.  Today it was the 4th try that was the charm.  

Hopefully I have most of the clothing that is too large out of the closet and into the Goodwill boxes.  Yes, there are 3 full boxes at this point. 

My Hero

 I have been doing a wonderful job of shrinking out of clothing or to get a laugh line in this house the clothing has been growing in the closet. Dillard’s did not have much of a selection locally. I have also filled 3 boxes with clothing that have grown larger in the closet.  Yes, clothing can really grow bigger over a weeks time. I really need to make a trip to Goodwill. 

So today my hero drove me 2 hours to the Scottsdale Bryn Walker store. To buy local even if it was 2 hours away.   There was a huge selection of clothing to try on.  I came home with 2 bags of new outfits for the next few months.  I tried on clothes for over an hour.  Talk about your patient husband.  Towards the end when I got to tired to move he encouraged me to try on just a few more because after all it was a 2 hour drive each way. 

Most importantly was that I had lost enough weight to get into a few styles that were previously too small for me.  Kiko the store clerk was able to put a few combinations together that I did not even think about.  I have a few outfits for those really cold days. I got some Tucson dressy clothing too. We tend to be more casual even when we get dressed up.  

We went and got a quick lunch. For most of lunch we had a private patio.  I am not sure why more people were not eating outside with all the numbers going up. John’s corn beef sandwich was good. The meat was lean and tasty.  My salad was a 3 out of 10. To rate higher a salad must taste good without any salad dressing. I do not like diving into a salad that is swimming in dressing, only to drain salad dressing off my salads to eat them.  Also a random question.  How do you get an avocado to go limp? I do give them credit for not burning the peach iced tea though.  

On the way home traffic slowed for a medical emergency on the side of the freeway.  So it added about 15 minutes to our ride home. After hanging up the clothes we got today I took a nap until dinner time. 

Another takeaway from today is that I don’t know which is harder on my body during a flare up:

1.    Doing 45 minutes of physical therapy. 

                            or

2.     Trying on clothes for an hour or so. 

I am sore and tired after both. 

Weaving

 I am really hooked on weaving smaller pieces right now. All from my own hand spun wool. Mostly on drop spindles.  It has proven to be good for my stash down goals as well as relaxing and meditative.  Suitable for small frames or coasters.  Since most will be gifts. I will only show you the one that is finished and has refused to leave my studio.  The picture does not do the colors justice.  It will reside in my studio until it wants to explore the house.  

Shopping Smaller

 Today we did more shopping for clothing to replace the clothing that is literally getting to big. It was the first week since September 8th that I have not lost 2 or more pounds.  That being said, the inches are coming off in droves.  Between my lifestyle changes and the physical therapy for my knee I am developing muscle mass.  I know muscle mass weighs more than fat. Muscle mass is also more compact which makes me look leaner. Muscle mass burns more calories. Win- win- win for me. Which also makes the clothing look and feel larger  

Yes, I know it has only been 4 weeks since I last went shopping.  I have shrunk out of those clothes already.  Hopefully I will hit a body size that I have clothing in my closet for in the near future.

I have also acquired some non caloric treats for when I hit certain milestones.  Getting smaller clothing is not a personal milestone for me.  Yes, I like shopping. It is just not as fun when I personally know that they will fit only a few weeks at best.  I really enjoy finding that classic piece of clothing that is well made , that I will be able to wear for years.  I have got to lose the weight equivalent of a few more toddlers for that to happen.  

I will talk about pounds lost. I will talk about sizes down.  However it is not polite to ask my current weight or goal weight. That is between me and the man upstairs. 

Also the clothing will not go to waste.  They will be going to Goodwill. Someone should get a Ganga of in season clothing at a great price.    

***Updated***Cranberry Sauce - No Sugar Added

 This is a new recipe to go with my new lifestyle.  No sugar has been added.  Some interesting substitutions have been made.  I added the walnuts for extra nutrients and crunch. 

Chunky Orange Cranberry Sauce

3 cups fresh cranberries rinsed

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons of Penzey’s  Lemon Peel California Minced or the zest of 1 lemon 

1 cup walnuts broken into bite sized pieces (Next year 1/2 cup)

1 cup of orange juice- no sugar added ( get someone else to finish the small bottle  or juice the fresh oranges for you) (Next year apple juice)

Place cinnamon stick, lemon peel, and apple juice into a 3 quart pan. Cover and bring to a boil.  Add the cranberries and walnuts. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. 

Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick. Place into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  

Makes about 3 1/4 cups. The estimated calories for the entire batch is 1,028.  I saved 662 calories by not adding sugar.  If you want a truly low calorie version leave out the walnuts which have 766 calories,  which would leave you at 242 calories for the entire recipe. All these calorie counts are from information found on Google.  This has not been lab tested for calories. 

The picture below is what it will look like when cooking.  It does not look or taste like a traditional cranberry sauce.  It looks more orange than red, because of the orange juice.

When I call out a brand name it is because I use the product in my house for cooking. I am not being paid to advertise the brand. You may use whatever brand you like.  

* The orange juice made it too tart and I will use apple juice next year and less walnuts. The tartness got stronger as the cranberry sauce sat in the fridge. 

Winding Yarn – Maybe?

I have found more yarn to organize for scarves using the Stash Dive Pattern  by Summer Lee Designs. I have been stash diving for bits, pieces and odd bags of yarn. This resulted in finding a lot of yarn that I did not know I had. Most left over from past projects or projects that were scrapped. I have already kitted up 4 bags for the knitting guilds Navajo Project and 3 for Operation Gratitude.  I have one scarf for each project on the knitting needles.  

Hopefully when all is said and done I will have 1 box of worsted weight yarn and another of sock weight yarn.  That way when I need to make more kits all I have to do is pull out the yarn and choose the colors.  I found this worked with the hats so well that when the basket is empty I will make more kits.  

This brings me to the organization part.  I am caking all the yarn in hanks and hand wound balls that won’t fit on the yarn butlers.  I made lackluster progress today.  I felt a lot like Jimmy Cricket dealing with  Pinocchio. Of the six hanks wound today, 5 required me to take the partially caked yarn and wind it into a ball before making the yarn cake.  I am not sure how the hanks of yarn became tangled while still in the hank in the original wrapping.  If you know the culprit please tell them to stop, it is not necessary. This is all cotton yarn.  For those allergic to wool and man made fibers.  The picture below is for the Navajo Project at the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild, the kids like things colorful for the most part.  

More Coasters

 I am making progress on my coaster weaving.  I went stash diving for more cotton rug warp. I found 5 rolls, it does not come in skeins. I have the yarn down to 2 shelves instead of 3.  The top is now reserved for the warp, small bits and weaving supplies. I will have room to put the small looms there too.  

All the yarn that I am currently weaving was all spun on drop spindles.  They were mostly small samples to try before you buy. 

I also have a rhythm down and can weave about two a day. Using up stash for useful things is relaxing and fun. Not sure what I’m going to do with them when I’m finished but I’m thinking gifting.

 

Stripes

 Today I played with stripes. The coaster still on the loom was from 1 skein. I just cut off each section of the yarn to get the stripe effect. The 1 on the left was from 3 different skeins of different weights.  Since it takes about 18 grams of yarn to make a coaster stripes are a great way to use bits and pieces up.  I am having fun with the stripes. This is my Purl & Loop Loom.  Check with your local yarn shop for availability.  I am using the Navajo style of tightly packing the weft on the loom. My friend Louise taught me. I agree with her that it makes a sturdier fabric. 

Besides coasters, these can be sewn in to a larger piece . Although I would personally sew the warp threads to the waft on a sewing machine first.  

These were woven today and need a hot soapy bath and trimming before they are finished.  

Finishing Work

 I don’t know about you but weaving in the ends and doing finishing work often takes a backseat to creating.  Tonight I had an ever growing pile of the evil finishing work.  I decided it was time only because I am currently creating more art the will require finishing work.  It is an evil, vicious cycle.  Create many, many things. Wait until I have a small pile and just sit down and do it.  Repeat.  

You know what comes next, don’t you. Taking pictures and posting to Ravelry. Well that will be tomorrow in better light.  In the meantime please enjoy the group photo.  Three hats for the Flowing Wells SD Clothing Bank, 2 cotton and 1 super wash wool hat made of hand spun yarn.  I hope the kids like the colors. Also 6 coasters woven from hand spun yarn. I wove 7, but one had a major problem not worth fixing so it is going to the dogs for pillow stuffing. Waste not want not.  

Then everything will go in the proper storage bags. 

25 Pounds

 I hit a milestone that I thought I would never hit. Since September 8th I have lost 25 pounds and gone down one size. I gave up eating processed foods. This is a very healthy lifestyle change for me. I have more energy. I actually eat more food including nuts and peanut butter.  My skin is clearing up. I am following A Pound of Cure and it is medically supervised for those that might be worried about my rapid weight loss.  Best of all no surgeries involved.  

In crafting news I am making myself a very expensive blanket. This was supposed to be a gift. The one I went into project bags to repurpose, but John likes it so much that I am going out to buy a gift tomorrow.   It is 100% cotton yarn. I am crocheting it. You know how the price of cotton has gone through the roof this year.  I am on the 4th color. I went into my stash and found more yarn.  I am trying not to leave any currently priced at $25.00 a skein behind. I am using Butterfly cotton yarn. Since the were bought at different times, not all skeins are the same length.  Also as each round gets bigger the yarn does not make as many rounds   

I am using each skein of yarn to the point where it can’t make a complete round of the pattern.  Then I am switching colors.  The scraps of yarn will be used for charity scarfs.  Waste not want not. Also my knitting skills have taught me how to hide the beginning and casting off so it is invisible.  

The picture below has the blanket in progress. The current yarn color on the yarn butler. The bag is holding all but 2 skeins of yarn.  The knitting bag is available for purchase at Grandma’s Spinning Wheel in Tucson, in store or on line.  They also have plenty of Butterfly yarn in stock if you want to Crochet along with me.  Feel free to choose your own colors.  I am winging it so I won’t know until I am finished how many skein’s of yarn that I will be using. I am using a basic granny square pattern with a chain 6, join in the round. I have 8 stitch patterns in the center. All double crochet or if in Europe a treble crochet. If you want a pattern let me know, however if might be faster to Google how to make a granny square.

Now to set the 6 am alarm and call it a day  

Repurposing Yarn

 Today after physical therapy for my knee, I went to my project bags. I found yarn for 2 projects that had been shelved for various reasons. They are now going into a gift that is being crocheted because let’s face it sometimes crocheting is just faster than knitting with lace weight yarn. It was also my second fiber craft after sewing.  I figure that if I stop after one project I should be ok. I am already on the first color change, second skein of yarn and am in the middle of the 12th row.  I can’t show you a picture yet, because it is a gift. 

I am sure that my family approves of my stash diving for a new project.  I hope to use at least 6 skeins up in this project. There were about 15 in the bag.  The remaining yarn will be used for cotton scarfs. Yes, I currently have 2 of those going along with 2 hats. Go me. Use more yarn. Stash dive.

I also went shopping yesterday and found 3 pairs of pants in a smaller size. Hopefully they will remain a good size for a couple of months.  

A Very Long Day

 My day felt so long that by dinner time I felt it was Friday. My days with physical therapy are always long.

  Some knitting for kids got done. Nothing was completed. A couple of color changes happened on the next 70 inch scarf . I am using up a lot of smaller skeins. John even got a peak into the box of yarn that I want to use up. Even though I made a dent in the number of partial skeins, I still think there are about a dozen 70 inch scarfs left in the box. I really hope that I am wrong. 

I really think that measuring my yarn use in gallons and pounds means that even after 4 big destashes this year meansI still have a lot of yarn.   The good news is I finished 2 partial skeins tonight.

Some knitting got dropped off at the Family resource center aka the Flowing Wells Clothing Bank. They were very happy with an XXL Ziplock bag full of knitting and socks.  I try to find the fun socks because I know it is a rarity that the kids get the fun socks.  

The winter visitors are here and the supply chain has not caught up with them yet.  Target was was out of a lot of things I needed.  They had a lot of people stocking the store as I shopped. They no longer ask did you find everything, because they already know we did not.  

Bigger is Better

 This is a scarf for next year’s Tucson Knitting Guild’s Navajo knitting project. This scarf is long enough to be versatile. I used John for a length check instead of getting a tape measurer. It is a little over 6 feet long. Double layered for warmth. And used up 1 pound 1 1/2 ounces of cotton yarn.  Yes that is 17 1/2 ounces or 496.12 gram’s of yarn. In other words a lot of skeins and partial skeins. It is very colorful too. A fantastic stash buster for me. A very warm scarf for a young teen.  

The pattern is The Stash Dive Scarf by Summer Lee Designs. I plan on making at least 6 more. I have 2 more on the knitting needles. 

Off to Find a New Home

 Everyone that reads this blog on a fairly regular basis knows that this has been far from a normal year of making for me.  It really did not hit how little was created until I did the inventory to be brought into the Flowing Wells Clothing Bank next week.  So here are the numbers as of today. This is since my last drop off so some hand knit items are being carried over from last years making.

29 Hand Knit Hats

1 Sweater

33 pairs of socks were bought on sale, because I knew my numbers would be low.  

I feel like this is not even close to enough. My body limitations were the only reason.  I am working on my body.  When I fix one thing another seems to break or become dysfunctional.  John did say it is enough. So on ward to next year.   

Home Again

 My spindles, supplies and spinning bag are safely home. I accidentally left them at Grandma’s Spinning Wheel on Saturday. Since I am the only one with “so many drop spindles “ Vicky knew the bag was mine and put it away for safe keeping.  Thank you Vicky.  

Now if she only really knew how many spindles I have.   A lady does not discuss how many drop spindles she has. Now I can go back to spinning the batt that has taken me years, because I am spinning it on lace weight spindles.  The bigger spindle is my plying spindle.  The spinning bag is a Goodwill treasure, perfect for a small spinning project.