This is a small portion of a scarf that I am weaving with bits and pieces of leftover lace weight yarn. I could not part with the yarn without using it. I am using a 10 dent heddle. That’s 10 threads per inch. If it was wider than 6 inches it would make a great fabric for a top. So far I have done a good job of transitioning the little balls of yarn. In the picture below there are 3 yarn transitions. .
It has been so hot in Tucson that even my newest Yeti cups are being challenged by the summer heat. I find that instead of adding ice once or twice a day, I always have to add ice to the tumbler after a trip outside plus a couple more times. I can’t imagine how much ice I would go through without my Yeti 30 ounce Tumblers. Also since I am drinking to keep up with the heat my tumbler is being filled more often. I even take it to the bedroom at night so I don’t have to go as far to get water. That’s not all that the heat is effecting. My Fitbit watch bands need to be washed more frequently too. Even the trees look hot and tired. The little over an inch of rain was just not enough for them. We have a new batch of younger lizards using our front porch as a cooling station, which is fine because in return they eat plenty of bugs. They are even paving the roads at night because it’s too hot to pave during the day.
I did venture out to go to spinning today at Grandmas Spinning Wheel and had a great time. I took a drop spindle because I did not feel like carrying my Louet Victoria out in the heat. I left early when my hands got tired. I know that they were tired because I dropped my drop spindle 3 times in 5 minutes. That’s when I know it’s time to stop. I can home and took an unintended nap.
It need not be said because it is happening so frequently lately, laundry was done by 9 am. I gave my appliances the afternoon off.
TTFN
I am finding that the longer the summer temperatures stay in the really do you really want to go outside zone I am doing things differently. Like laundry. Tonight before bed I set up the first load of the day for tomorrow. If I get up for any reason after 3am, I will start the load and put it in the dryer 1st thing when I wake up. That way there is a possibility of getting a second load of laundry done. Towels and sheets can’t be done on the same day either. They both take too long to dry. I do this to do my part in keeping the stress off the power grid. No laundry after 100F. Which is hitting really early this year.
I will do a couple of laps around Target before I start my shopping to gentry to get enough steps for the day in. Same with the craft store. I am starting to get bored, but it is too hot to go out to eat even with misters.
I am playing too many games on my iPad and not doing enough knitting, spinning or weaving. I am doing more 5 minute Zenning periods during the day. I am enjoying watching the smaller lizards use our front porch as a cool down zone. The benefit of this is that they eat the smaller bugs. They have even gotten all the little spiders and egg pods around the front door. To read as one less chore for us. Also one fast food meal for the baby lizards.
Yes, it was another hot day in the Old Pueblo. The monsoons are late. The over night temperatures are not falling much below 90 degrees F. Which means I have to start the laundry earlier to have the washer and dryer off before it hits 100. Today I finished the laundry before 8:00 am and it was already in the high 90’s F.
So this afternoon was spent listening to a book and knitting. My hand is still very crunchy, but I have more use of it. I worked on 2 different knitting projects and 2 different spinning projects today. Nothing got finished.
Tomorrow it will be more of the same. Stay cool and hydrated.
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
Dispute my body and I not getting along today, I did manage to get out of the house early. We headed to Costco to pick new glasses and get the lenses replaced in my sun glasses. My new indoor glasses happened to be the first pair I picked out. For the first time in I can’t remember when, I did not need to get high index lens. This is all due to the cataract surgery. They should be here in about 2 weeks. As usual we bought more than was on our list of nuts and new glasses. It was not all me getting extras this time.
After dinner I was finally ready to spin, so I plyed 1 skein of yarn out of the 2 that needed to be plyed. The skein will hit the hot water as soon as I wake up tomorrow. Then thwacking and off to a hot garage to dry. The only question remains, will the thwacking water evaporate before I finish hanging up the yarn. I will ply the other skein tomorrow. Then decide on my next spin.
Did I mention that they extended the heat emergency until Monday? So there is not much to do except cleaning, spinning, knitting, weaving and deep cleaning.
Today was spent doing the usual Sunday morning chores. I did manage to get the bed stripped and into the washer for the second week in a row. This is one step forward in my Hand recovery.
I spent a few hours making one of a kind stitch markers for crocheting and keep track of the front side of knitting projects. I had a great time playing with my beads. I also went through my bead crafting drawers and am going to destash some findings that I no longer need, because I am no longer doing fund raisers for Eric’s day program. I use to make between 50 and 100 pairs a year to raise money. That was followed by lunch and a very long nap. I find that by either using my hand or going to physical therapy both do require naps afterwards.
Tomorrow I plan on making more stitch markers. Of course a nap will follow.
Today I am working in the sewing room. Doing minor repairs. Making some stitch markers and stitch stoppers. Maybe even sewing on a button or 2. Maybe even a dog pillow or 2. The end result is going to be less projects piled up waiting for me.
The first completed repair jobs were 2 shopping bags that had holes that needed patching. The largest one with the turquoise bottom, got the small green patch today. You many have noticed that I tend to overlap the patches. I think that gives the bags more strength and less places to have break through holes. I have had this shopping bag since before we were married so last century. The one with the dark blue patch is newer. I find the newer bags need more repair work than the older ones. Just goes to show they don’t make things like they used to. Now they are heading to the laundry before they go back into rotation. I wash my bags with regularity and they seem to last longer. I also put my groceries in these bags so I want them clean.
Now back to the sewing room to see what I can finish today.
It was a 6 jigsaw puzzle day. I had physical therapy for my right hand today. After a few errands and lunch it was nap time. Afterwords I could not hold a knitting needle or do any spinning. So I listened to a book and did jigsaw puzzle after jigsaw puzzle this afternoon.
It was also pretty hot outside today with another day of 110f temperatures. This being Tucson it is not unusual for this time of year before our summer rains. No matter what they say on the national news broadcasts. I really hope we get some rain in the next week or 2. Otherwise it will be a very long hot summer. Also for those of you not use to this kind of heat if it is going to be above 90f you want to start your walk or hike very early and plan to be OFF the trail by no later than 10 a.m. Then go hydrate. If you feel thirsty you are already low on water. No matter what ads you see or read, water is the best summer drink around.
I will see where my hand is tomorrow. Maybe after my early morning errands I will actually be able to spin a bit or do some sewing. Maybe it will cool off tonight a little, it’s still 92f at 11 p.m.
TTFN
I was busy today. I finished 2 more dog pillows before breakfast. Went to lunch and knit with a friend. Truth be told we brought our lunch back to the house, it was even too hot for a patio with misters. Worked on a new pattern and got past the half way point and color change. Did some random cleaning. Grocery shopping. All this dispute my body and a heat wave. Tucson peaked out at 110f today.
I ran out of energy for spinning and tagging yarn. I am now going to call it an early night.
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.
I have released My Doodle Shawl knitting pattern today. I also have a version with a lighter weight yarn in progress. The numbers are totally different. I am knitting as fast as my body will allow me. My Doodle is currently on Ravelry or your local yarn store. Here is the link to My Doodling Shawl . Since the yarn I used has been discontinued by Cascade Yarns I would personally recommend going to your local yarn shop or Indy dyer to get 5 skeins of Aran weight yarn in your color choice. If you are giving this as a gift, yes it would make a fantastic gift make sure you use a washable yarn. If you don’t have them already you will also need a U.S. size 11x 60 inches or an 8mm x 150 circular knitting needle.
This is a beginner level pattern perfect for watching television for the more experienced knitters out there. Please post pictures when you’re finished. Also let us know which yarn you chose, and who the Yarn maker was.
It has been too hot to take out door pictures here in Tucson.
My biggest accomplishment today was dropping off 11.9 pounds of soda tabs to the Tucson Ronald McDonald House. They took up most of the back of my car. They will go to pay the utilities and the leftover money will help the families. I do this to remember both my dad and Eric. I know that their memories will always be a blessing.
Please feel free to drop off your tabs at your local Ronald McDonald House in memory of a loved one so that they may be remembered with fondness..
We took a small break from the everyday of life. I took a spinning class on the Navajo Spindle and wandered around the Flagstaff Wool and fiber festival. We then went to Page to explore. If you have not gone it has some must sees. More later. Also a bit of shopping in Phoenix at my favorite store.
I came back with a cold because a twenty something turned around and sneezed in my face. Yes we were outside with no masks on. However there is no way to avoid the fall out when someone is just that rude. Please remember for the health and safety of your community to sneeze into your arm, elbow, tissue or shirt or if you have a really good friend the back of their shirt will work too.
In this case offering to wash said shirt is just a very humble suggestion. It is never ok to sneeze into someone’s face.
We have already unpacked and the laundry is sorted. The beds changed. Laundry will start tomorrow. I will be going in the speed of snail for a few days. I can already feel the achy feeling.
TTFN
After almost 24 years of knitting I have finally figured out that “Sheri you should know” is knitting speak for a yarn shop owner (By the way those shops are no longer in business.) saying I don’t know what to do. I have no idea how to knit the stuff that I am selling you. If I make you feel stupid you will just go away…so will my local yarn store with time.
Well the pattern Anne Shoulder Scarf came up on my UFO rotation. I started it when the kids were in elementary and middle school. Yeah, as I said it’s been a while. So it was best to start it over from the beginning. So this morning I have frogged it, which is knit speak for ripping it out. Cast on again. Gone to youTube to look up how to do the stitches that I still did not know how to do. So far this morning I have learned 3 new knitting stitches. Yeah me. I am also 6 rows into the knitting of the pattern “Anne” as designed and knit by Chris Carroll. I am using Schaefer yarn call Anne. A really nice Superwash Merino, Mohair and Nylon yarn in a variegated pink, yellow and orange color way
Did you notice that after 6 months post surgery I can knit again. Yeah hands.
Well it is time to get my day going so I can find more time to knit. Have a fantastic day.
I am still dealing with a stupid sinus infection. I am almost done with the 2nd round of antibiotics. Not much else is happening here.
Well everything is off both looms right now. I was a bit to tired to take 30 minutes to warp the smaller loom for a scarf. There is always tomorrow for that. I say this because I have a bad sinus infection and don’t have much energy for anything.
I finally finished tying the ends of my open weave summer shawl. As predicted by John, the colors did not look right on me. The yarn pooling though not done on purpose was spot on. The width and length were perfect. It’s just that the color did not look good on me. I also have 3 full cakes of the yarn left over. I really hate bringing back unused yarn to exchange, but they are the same color and dye lot. I guess that I can always use the yarn for warp for scarfs. Also since this shawl is going in my give to people I like gift box there will be no pictures until gifted.
I am really tired so it’s TTFN.
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.
I was given quite a few cones of very fine cotton yarn for weaving cloth. Since I don’t anticipate getting a multi heddle loom any time soon. I decided to try an experiment with the yarn for my warp threads. Instead of threading every other slot on the heddle I put a double thread through the slots and holes. It does take longer to thread. However once the threads are all through, I just roll everything on to the back roll. Then tie everything down and start weaving
The first scarf I tried this with was on a 5 dent heddle. I wove this with a combination of hand spun yarn and yarn that had a hand spun look. That was taken off the loom tonight and still needs finishing work. Tonight’s warp is on a 10 dent heddle that will be woven with sock yarn recovered from last night’s Bye Bye project. I think I will have enough sock yarn to weave at least 3 scarves.
At this point if you are a weaver and are offended by this, sorry not sorry. If I were not meant to experiment like this, the cones of yarn would not have been donated to a Knitting Guild. Also you might just like the way the weave turns out. It is not textbook weaving, but it does create a nice scarf with a pretty texture. So give it a try before you start making the comments that I am doing it wrong. Just weaving outside the box.
Nothing in my book says life is unfair more than having to donate a white shirt to charity because I shrunk out of it. Those that know me well, know that I have a very bad habit of staining white shirts beyond use. It just seems so wrong.
My reading glasses were found neatly tucked in bed under the covers last night. I must have been in a hurry while making my bed up yesterday morning. The remote control for the fan was found underneath what was a very big pile of paperwork. I think I need to be more mindful about things.
In much better news, I have lost another 2 inches around my rib cage. I predict smaller summer dresses in my future. Unfortunately I might have to drive a bit to find some new summer dresses. Tucson Mall had nothing that I liked. It is nice to be able to be picky about things like new outfits, instead of just buying what fits.
So far today I have lost one pair of reading glasses and one Dyson fan remote control. I think I will call it a day before I lose anything else.
