The Gathering

 This morning I went to World Market and bought a medium sized glass jar for my stitch markers. I starting the gathering of stitch markers after I came home.  Please be aware that I do have more stitch markers hiding in various knitting bags around the house.  I have stitch markers that range from lace knitting sizes all the way up to size 35 knitting needles.  I do not have any for the size 50 knitting needles, I don’t think that they make them, since very few people knit on size 50 or larger knitting needles. At this point I would say I have well over 300 just in the jar.  

Some of the stitch markers are hand made by me, they are mostly the beaded ones and the ones with charms. Some are from events that I have gone to. Some come with yarn and fiber orders.  I do realize that I could lose a stitch marker a day for a year and still not run out of stitch markers. Please send more. Perhaps we could swap some. 

I have stitch markers from New Zeland, Australia, The United Kingdom and of course the United States.  I even have some that my husband printed on his 3D printer. 

I did make a choice to remove about a dozen stitch markers in a style that I do not like and will pass them along to other knitters.  I also found one that is in need of repair. One that is broken beyond repair that will go into the trash.  

As I consolidate my knitting and notions bags I am sure that a lot more stitch markers will make their way into my jar. I always switch out the stitch markers so that they all get used.  Here is the best picture that I could take today.  Unfortunately I have so many that they could not be photographed individually.  

Stitch Markers

 I know I have a really bad stitch marker addiction. I have stitch markers all over the house and in multiple knitting bags.  So tomorrow I will buy a small cookie jar to stash them in. I will not include the ones I make for gifts and the ones people want duplicates of some that I can not part with.  Yes, I make more stitch markers when the mood hits. 

Day 2 post surgery I was still tired and spent most of the day sleeping.  I added a little bit of cleaning while I was sitting down.  A little bit of knitting, yes I fell asleep in my chair while knitting.  I did not do any damage to the glove I was working on. I still have big rings under my eyes too.  Just think next week I get to do this all over again.  

The Downside

 There is a downside to almost everything.  Take cataract surgery for instance. We all know the upside, better vision, possibly no more glasses, the ability to read printed books easier with cheaters in some cases.  Being able to read smaller print again. The list goes on and on.  

What they don’t tell you is that what you though was light brown hair with a touch of gray is actually very gray hair with almost no brown hair left. That the walls that looked perfectly cleaned are really a few hour scrubbing job to get them to what you saw before the surgery.  Which will have to wait until I recover from surgery. Dust bunnies that were too small to see before are now very much in need a chasing. 

The downside of stress cleaning is misplacing things. Take my clips that I hold seams together with when seaming found in a hat knitting bag. The U.S. size 8 by 16 inch knitting needles that I needed to do the increase for the hat at the top of that same knitting bag actually had a hat that was 2 inches away from the crown decreases. That is just a snap shot of the things going on around me. 

The superwash wool from a major yarn manufacturer that Felted resulting in 3 relatively new gloves being given one final wash before going into dog pillows   I am in the process of knitting the replacement pairs.. I am at 1 pair complete. One pair in progress. One pair that I will stash dive to find some yarn. 

I hope you experience more of the upside of life. 

A Knitting Hack

 My next pair of Maxi Fingerless Gloves are almost finished. I am sewing the final seam. You will notice that my seam clips are missing. Yes, I reorganized everything and forgot where I put them. However these movable stitch markers placed in strategic places long the seam work just as well. I have one gloves finished and just the thumb to seam. 

I will have nice new gloves to keep my hands warm tomorrow.  Of course the leftover yarn scraps will go to fill dog pillows.  

Knitting Humor

 The second Maxi Fingerless Glove has been finished except for seaming. I have cast on the first glove of the pair. I always try to finish the second one first because it is so easy to forget to knit the second of anything. The yarn is from Merino Y Vino.  

 The yarn for the second pair arrived today so I can start the next pair very quickly. I also got yarn for a matching shawl too.  This came from Gingersnap Yarn

Knot’s Be Gone

 Well I finished my holiday weekend project today. Sometimes I can be an over achiever. So I guess I will just have to knit, spin or warp a loom this weekend. Maybe all 3.  After all I do have a new pair of gloves to make.  If I finish them I will stash dive and see if I have another skein of worsted weight yarn.  Now get off the floor and stop laughing, I might take time to find one.

I spent the evening working out the knots from the yarn throw up and it is safely in the project bag, all 3 balls of sock yarn. Did I mention that is was supposed to be a single 435 yard skein?  It did take a size 1 crochet hook at times.  Yes, I think everyone needs a size one crochet hook. 

Other than that I am getting moody about Tuesday.  

I am feeling better

 I am feeling better. I woke up at 3 am very hungry. I had 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich with water. Picked up a little. I have 3 loads of laundry going while it is still a relatively cool 80f outside. 1 hand wash, 1 in the washing machine, 1 in the dryer.  Now it is time for a nap. By the way I had all my laundry out of the dryer  or hanging on the Clothesline by 1030 am. Well before it it hit a 100f and something today.  

I am also going to use a different modular shell pattern for my new shawl.  I will start the search this weekend.  I was only 6 rows in so there won’t be much to frog.  So I started a much needed new pair of Maxi Fingerless Gloves in some wonderfully squishy and colorful yarn from Merino_Y_Vino on Etsy.  The turn around time for delivery was excellent too. 

My Thursday afternoon knitting buddy and I were working on a new skill.  She wanted to learn how to use the squirrel cage to wind yarn.  All was going well,  she was enjoying herself and relaxing until we came upon a 435 yard skein of sock yarn.  

Let me preface this by saying that yarn industry standards allow up to 5 knots per skein of yarn to prevent a mess like below.  Well this Indy dyer decided not to have any knots in her yarn.  So after the first break we restrung the ball winder and started again.  All went well for a while.  Then we started to get tangles that I was able to work through.  Then we got the knots. Not just any little knots but big ones, 4 to be exact.  So I took the reminder of the yarn off the squirrel cage and started to work out the big knots.  By the time I had to drive her home we were working with 3 separate ends.  This means that there is still a missing end in this yarn throw up.  She was enjoying herself watching me tango with this mess. Before you ask they were scissor cuts, not from moths.  

Pardon my messy work station as I seem to have many projects going at once, as usual.  I am currently working actively in tandem on 1 charity hat, 2 operation gratitude scarfs located in different parts of the house, 1 shawl on my couch and 1 pair of Maxi Fingerless Gloves, 1 project on the spinning wheel, and several projects on drop spindles. I also have 2 patterns that need typing and photos.  I do have other UFO’s that are in holding patterns. Also a lot of projects to be started and finished.   

A Surge of Activity

 Some how getting rid of the 6 cubic feet of yarn created more open space in my knitting room.  Which has lead to me being able to think more clearly. Find the projects that were missing in clutter. Found among the now less cluttered room was a knitting pattern and yarn bought almost a decade ago. It is a modular shawl  and I am using Koigu wool. Specifically the KPPPM wool which when I purchased it sold for $14.00 a skein.  I have no idea what it costs now.  

As you can see I do have a red themed stitch marker on one end which tells me in Sheri speak that this is a working row with stitch changes.  The other end is not red, so that is a resting row.  I also put a right side marker on the right side.  I will be doing a lot of casting on for this pattern and I want the seems all on the same side.  

There is not much shape to the first shell yet.  That will come towards the end of the shell.  

Would you believe I found another shawl from that same time period. I put it away because it vexed me.  I asked for help and even offered to pay for a lesson for the help. I was told then I should know how to do something that basic.  Well I did not and it sat on the shelf for years.  Fast forward to today and I know the person did not know how to do the stitch either and was to lazy to ask for help.  I know that now as a teacher of knitting.  I wonder if this was a contributing factor of the store closing down.  Since I can only knit 2 different shawls at a time and keep the patterns straight, this is number 3 and will have to wait. So you will have to wait for pictures too.  

I will have 3 new shawls finished soon.  

The photo was deleted at the request of the pattern writer. No further photos of this project or mentions of the shawl will ever be posted again. Sheri

Too Much

 Well it seems that fried eggs are permanently off my menu. It seems that frying 2 duck eggs in 1 teaspoon of butter along with a teaspoon of butter for my toast is just to fat much for my system.  Can I tell you how much I really hate my low fat diet.  It’s strange because I can manage 2 hard boiled duck eggs with no problems.

My body was not really happy with me after breakfast. 

A Little Yarn Destash

 A little yarn destash has never hurt a knitter.  The yarn I am destashing today knit up well for a super wash wool. However after about the 5th time through the washer and dryer. Which this wool was supposed to handle with ease, it started felting and getting that burnt nylon crackle.  

I will not be replacing this yarn with any other yarn.  Instead I will diligently work through the yarn in my stash. Once I am down quite a few projects, let’s say in the few hundreds I might consider adding more yarn. Well I might get a skein here or there after all it’s yarn.

With the return on time invested on my last destash sale, I will be skipping that this time. Now that I have had a few minutes to rest and have some water.  I am loadings the three 64 gallon bags and the smaller 2 shoe box bag ( about 6 cubic feet of yarn in total) into the back of my car.  Then it’s off to Goodwill.  

If I have the energy I might just sneak into Target for some frozen vegetables and almonds on the way home.  

Yet Another Cut

 No sooner than I repaired the last cut 5 minutes ago, I found yet another deliberate act of vandalism on my shawl.  I really hope that I do not run out of Sulky 100% viscose/rayon thread in color 943- 1019.  Sighs.  

Another Cut in the Yarn

 Just when I think that I am making progress on the shawl repair, I found yet another piece of yarn with a deliberate cut. This one will be easier to fix because it is near the top of the shawl and I have less space that needs to be stabilized before and after the repair.  

The single double pointed knitting needle is pointing to the last patch repaired.  The 2 double pointed knitting needles are at the my latest find of Deliberate damage to the Shawl. I think I’m going to have to go over the shawl inch by inch to make sure there are no cuts because I almost missed this cut. This brings the number up to 6 repair’s that are going to be needed.  

I found that walking after each repair helps bring down my stress levels. I find this whole situation unnecessary and stressful. This is even more stressful than caring for a sick child.  I can not spin my way out of this   

As an artist, I truly think the people who destroy other peoples art need to be severely punished. I have more feelings on this subject but they are truly not fit for the printed word.

I Want to Cry

 After hand washing the shawl I blogged about yesterday in Soak Wash. I went to block the shawl.  As I was laying it out to my absolute horror I found another deliberate cut in the lace work.  So all attempts at blocking were stopped. I found 4 more holes in my shawl. Two of the holes were side to side. As you can see by the double pointed knitting needles I did my best to stabilize the area’s. I will also have John look over the shawl to see if he can find any other areas.

Thankfully I did not have time to put the thread away yesterday. So it is ready to go when the shawl dries. It will be a little harder this time because the washing brought up a beautiful halo in the mohair. The halo will also hide the repairs very well.

It’s Finally Finished for the Second Time

 About 10 years ago I finished a one of a kind shawl with the mohair spun by Kathy Withers.  I did not have a chance ro wear it before one of Eric’s aides took a scissors to the beautiful lace. Less than 24 hours after completing the shawl. It was placed in a canvas shopping bag to wait the needed repairs.  In his opinion all I was allowed to knit in my own home was hand knit items for kids in need.  This was the first but not the last thing he cut up or outright stole.  

Well he is long gone. 

Fast forward a few years and I could not get anyone to mend it for me. No matter how much I was willing to pay. I did however get some pointers.  I was really scared that I would ruin it.  

Fast forward to today.  I finally got the nerve to do the repair on this hand spun mohair lace yarn spun by Kathy Withers’s and a pattern designed by me.  Really I just wanted to clear my backlog of repairs, UFO’s and long ago purchased projects.  I pick out the right shade of thread. I did not have any yarn leftover, let’s just say I won at yarn chicken. I secured the thread and trimmed the end. I started weaving everything together. I was so tense that my shoulders throbbed. I carefully did tiny French Knots to gather the tiny clipped yarn. I did the final thread tie off and clipped the excess thread.  

Tomorrow it will get washed in Soak. Then blocked. It should be ready to wear this weekend. 

Below is a picture of the repair work.  The picture below that is halfway through the repair work. I know it’s not perfect. I did my best.  You can also not see it from 5 feet away, which is my gold standard for knitting boo boo’s.  

To Much Salad Dressing

 I tried a new recipe for a farrow salad. I followed the directions including the dressing.  I came to 2 separate conclusions on the recipe.  

1. The recipe calls for too much salad dressing.  The recipe made a 1/2 cup and I used less than half.  John and I agreed that it was still too much salad dressing.  I personally think that Americans in general use too much salad dressing. I really want to enjoy the flavors of the salad and not some greasy concoction.  Most of the time I do not use salad dressing at all  

2. I need to go back to California Olive Oil and not the store brand which has a greasy texture and flavor.  My preferred brand was not available for a while for home shopping during COVID19.  I don’t use much oil on a low fat diet.  I need to pick up a bottle next time I am out shopping.  Along with red wine vinegar.  Don’t ask. 

By the way it was so bad hat I will not share the recipe. John will not eat anymore than the taste he took. I have it sitting over night in the fridge. I hope that this settles the flavors out a bit otherwise you do know where it is going, don’t you?

What Storm?

 On Thursday night the weather man warned of a huge multi day monsoon storm.  Well Friday morning I got up early and went to 3 different stores to stock up on a few things.  

We debated going out for lunch. We stayed home.  It did not rain.  They kept pushing the time line back.  Yes, it did rain in the usual places. Flooded in the usual places. Yes, there were stupid motorists who drove through flooded washes.  Even school bus drivers who were to green to know that they had to call dispatch if they had flood water on their routes to be give a different route to drop their riders off. The news had to look really hard for flood disasters.  We even had one news caster comment on how awful it must be for the plants and field to get water. Ah, this is a drought, the plants loved it along with the farmer on reduced water.  Free water that is not metered is always good in moderation.  

Today it mostly drizzled. We landed up with a 1/4 inch of water for 2 days of severe rain storms.  

Also I would like to officially announce that I am very tired of COVID19 and it’s variants.  People if you are sick stay home.  I am so sick of staying home most of the time to avoid getting COVID19.  I want my life back.  I want to eat indoors in a place that is not home.  I want to get a pedicure. Is that really too much to ask? I want to eat and talk indoors with my friends, instead of grabbing food and going outside to eat.   Is that too much to ask?  I want to stop calculating on how crowded a store is going to be before shopping and skipping shopping if it is too crowded.  Etc etc etc.    

Finishing UFO’s Creates Problems

 There is a downside to finishing a lot of UFO’s very quickly.  

The first problem is just how many knitting needles do I really have? Yes I need all of them.  I know I have several in every size. There are times when they are all in use in one size an I contemplated getting another pair.  Yes, the beginning of the UFO problem. 

The second problem is knitting bags. When I am finally finish a project, I then have an empty bag that either needs a new project or a new home.  The last 5 out of 6, went to new homes.  Bag six had yarn sneak into it saying knit me. Sometimes yarn is worse than chocolate when it speaks to me. 

The third problem is knitting accessories. Take the Fisherman’s Wife’s scarf that I finished earlier in the week.  I freed up some cable needles, scissors and stitch markers. Yes, I know I have some others in the house, but they are all in project bags of UFO’s. So now I need a system to keep track of them and other accessories so that I don’t go buy what I already have.  The craft store holders just don’t cut it.  Maybe a sportsman’s box or a small toolbox would work. 

The fourth of my problems, but not the least of my problems  is stitch markers.  Yes, I do know that are classified as accessories, but are they really accessories? In my humble opinion definitely not.  They are stitch markers.  They are knitting jewelry. An art form of their very own.  I must have enough to lose a stitch marker a day and still have too many at the end of the year.  I even give stitch markers away randomly and to large groups of friends.  This is what my stitch marker cups look like when I finish too many projects at once.  I normally like to keep about 20 out at a time  rotating them every so often. This is how it looked today when I finished knitting a new pattern. This is at least the second project this week.  It’s time to thin them out yet again.  Perhaps start some new UFO’s.  It’s just a random thought   

Passing Supplies On and More

 Today I filled the back of my car with quilting supplies, mostly fabric  to give to a friend. I even gave her a few storage containers to put the fabric in.  There was more in the back seat too. I did not realize that fabric  had gone up to $15 a yard. So I came home and started going through the rest of my quilting fiber to see what I really won’t use in the near future. It will give 3 church groups fabric to make blankets for those in need. It will make John happy and give me more space. We are going for less is more around here lately. 

At guild today I also gave away 4 more knitting bags each with a skein of yarn to make a scarf for Operation Gratitude.  Less is more.  For those counting that totals 6 less knitting bags.  4 less skeins of yarn and 2 unfinished blankets. 

Talking about less. I have 1 less UFO ( unfinished object ) Yesterday I finally finished a scarf in the Fisherman’s Wife pattern on Raverly after over 4 years. It was a cool 89f when I finally finished it last night.  It fits perfectly.  It is going into a drawer until the end of October when it gets cooler in Tucson.  Next time I make it I will use a solid color to show off the cables better. 

To Be Filed Under WTF

 Dear Lab,

A patient should not be able to knit over 2 inches on a hat while waiting for an appointment.  

I do admit that I don’t get out much. But I do not like what happened today.  I needed to be at a lab at 7:00 am for a 7:45am test or it would be rescheduled.  I saw most employees arrive at 7:30am including the gal who did my testing today.  Why do I have to be there  30 minutes before the employees? I can see 10 to 15 minutes early but 45 minutes is getting a little rude.   What is the justification for this? Do they literally call the employees to come in once we the patients show up and check in.  

They also did not pay me to sit around or give me a discount on the bill. They did not offer my ride a refreshment. But if I would have been late they would have canceled.  If I was a no show they would have billed me.  

Is this the new normal for lab testing?  When did some provider’s become so rude?   Yes, it is rude to make the customer show up before the employees and just wait.  

The gal who did the testing was nice snd polite. I know she did not set the policy.  

By the way I got the first stripe knit and the second started on my current hat.  Thank heavens for my knitting of I would have been more irate than I was.  

More Stress Cleaning

 It took me less than 1 hour to go through my fabric cabinet and fill 2 more bags of fiber to give to a quilter I know.  I will also give her the inserts for some weighted blankets for charity.  That means I cleaned out 3 square feet of sewing supplies this afternoon. The bag I brought in from the garage is already put away.  I feel a little shaky from getting rid of so much in one fell swoop. Bring on the lemon or chocolate cake I’m ready for it, just kidding to much sugar.  

Now I am off to finish the hat I was playing yarn chicken with.  I won.  By a whole lot. See that little ball of yarn on the left side of the hat?  

History

 The purpose of history is not to Vilify historical people centuries after they have died. The purpose of history is to learn from their mistakes and their accomplishments.  As not to repeat their mistakes, but rather double down on their accomplishments to make the world a better place.  

We are standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before us. Only if those shoulders are strong and just shall we create a better world.  

My random thought of the day. 

Yarn Chicken and More

 Today has not been the best day for me.  So I started doing what I do best.  Stress cleaning. I filled 1 box for Goodwill.  Filled 3 bags of quilting and sewing projects that I am going to pass on to a friend. Emptied 6 inches of books on quilting to give to the same friend. I figured that if she could not use them she would know someone who would.  Emptied half a craft cabinet drawer.  Tomorrow I will go through my fiber stash and see what I want to keep.  The rest I will pass on to a friend.  I also emptied 3 large plastic storage boxes that I will pass on to the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild next week.  

After all that you would think that would have made a dent in my mood.  Sadly, no.  It only left me questioning my life choices.  Would I have done anything differently? Probably not.  

I am also playing a game of yarn chicken with a charity hat.  I am not sure that I will win.  To win I need enough yarn in this little ball of yarn to finish this hat.  I am at the point where I need to change to a set of double pointed knitting needles. Wish me luck. 

A kick back day

 Even after 9 hours of sleep I spent the day exhausted.  I was too tired to pick up my knitting or spinning.  Way to tired to warp the loom. To tired to play Wii tennis or bowling . Too tired for Cubii2 .  

I did do a Bridgerton season two marathon. I watched 2 1/2 episodes. I am liking it so far.

We did do a Disney+ shorts marathon on “I am Groot”. If you love Baby Groot you’re going to love these minis. It was very relaxing.  Baby Groot is always amusing.  

Off the Loom

 Teri and I made a mother daughter silk scarf for Teri.  Teri choose the colors, warped the loom and started weaving it.  She choose Debbie Bliss Silk yarn for the weft and cotton cone yarn for the warp  

I offered to send the loom home with her so that she could finish the scarf.  She politely declined.

So in between other projects I finished the weaving.  Did the finishing work and the final trim.  I bet she is sorry that she missed the hot water bath and thwacking.  The thwacking can be a great stress buster.

Tomorrow this is being mailed to Teri.  I do have the scarf folded in half for the picture. The edge of the loom she used is in the background. 

Progress Maybe?

 I did my first 30 minute workout since I got sick last November.  I am really hoping that this is not 1 step forward 2 steps backwards.  It did leave me tired. 

My Oatmeal Cooker

 After finding I like long cooked oatmeal rather then instant. After the daily boil overs on the stove and the ensuing mess to clean up. I got this Hamilton beach rice cooker.  I just love it and it has not boiled over the stovetop once.  I get the first bowl hot from the cooker and refrigerate the other four servings eat them cold. Yes this is so good you can eat a cold. But if you would like you can also microwave the others for one minute.

My favorite recipe makes 5 servings. 

Sheri’s Favorite Oatmeal Recipe 

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of rolled oats, they include a measuring cup with the rice cooker. 

Fill to the #4 water line.

This is my basic recipe. You can also add flaxseed, nuts or dried fruit. Stir in well before adding water. I also like to stir it after adding the water too. 

Press hot cereal and 10 minutes. You do this by pressing the Hot Cereal button until it reaches 10.  Do some chores.  After the oatmeal is cooked wait 2 minutes and measure out 1 cup servings. The calorie count will vary depending on what you put in.  Remember that nuts and flax seed will up the fat grams.  Anything you add beyond the above recipe will add extra calories so be prudent on your add ins.  

John likes this for steaming vegetables. He likes how easy the clean up is.  For Spinach he set it for 2 minutes on Steam Cook and it came out perfect. 

Hamilton Beach Digital Programmable Rice and Slow Cooker & Food Steamer, 20 Cups Cooked (10 Cups Uncooked), 14 Pre-Programmed Settings for Sear Sauté, Hot Cereal, Soup, Nonstick Pot, Stainless Steel. Look for it in your Google Search engine.  

I am not receiving a commission on this item. So look for the beat deal you can. 

For Operation Gratitude

 I divided my time today between making more stitch markers and knitting Operation Gratitude scarfs.  I won’t sho the stitch markers, they are all red.  I have been working on this scarf for a few months at my slower speed.  I do have 2 more scarfs for Operation Gratitude in different parts of the house.  

Play Time

 This afternoon I was bored and decided I needed some play time.  So I got out a drawer of beads. Pick out a few strands of beads, then got out my box of findings.  Findings are the bits and pieces that are needed to make jewelry and more importantly stitch markers.  Today I made 2 strands of glass mushrooms and 1 strand of ladybugs into stitch markers. I also took a few miscellaneous beads , then made a few more stitch markers.  I have a few more strands pulled for tomorrow too.  The stitch markers on the left are the ones that just happened to wonder off to my knitting room. I finally made the hand carved bear bead into a stitch marker, it has been in my box for years.  The rest I will bring to knitting guild with me.  

Another One Bites the Dust

Today’s first finished project is a scarf for the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild Navajo Project. It is knit with 2 strands held together. 1 novelty yarn in black with 1 strand of super wash wool in green. This is the last for this series because I am thankfully out of the novelty yarn. The empty shopping tote will be used for another project, it is from one of my favorite clothing designers Bryn Walker.  

You many notice a second picture.  This beanie is another Old Pueblo Knitting Guild charity project. This one is a cotton hat going to the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank. Since I consider hats like M &M’s I have already started another cotton hat. My 2 hat bags will never be empty because I am always knitting hats.  It is my mindless knitting for car rides.  

UFO’s

 With my limited knitting time my goal is to finish as many UFO’s as possible. Some of the empty project bags I will keep. Others I will destash with enough yarn for a charity project. So hopefully you will see lots of project pictures in the coming weeks. 

Maxi Fingerless Gloves

 The thought occurred to me to night that you have not seen  me wearing my new Maxi Fingerless Gloves. I have got to tell you that I did not take time to set up my tripod. I also found it hard to take a picture of my own hand.  None the less, here it is in action. Yes I did type up this blog wearing my new gloves.  I tend to like warm and toasty hands at night and on cold days. It helps me sleep better.  

I will try to take a picture of the red ones at a later date. 

Finally

 I finally have found a path to take. I know it’s been a while. 

In knitting, I found that if I knit a few rows and rest a bit. Repeat until it’s time to stop. I do not have pain. Yes, I am not knitting as fast, but I am knitting again.  Also no more big projects. 

I can really Start exercising again.  I will ramp it up slowly so I don’t injure myself.  I wish COVID19 was over so I can walk inside the mall without a mask.  It’s a lot cooler there. 

I have also discovered that I am really, really bad at judging water and ice tea intake when we go out for lunch or dinner and it’s over 100f.  Yes we are still only doing outdoor dining.  I drink way too much and spend to much time getting rid of the excess.   Although I personally feel it’s better to drink too much than not enough.  

Not A Great Day

 Today was not great so tomorrow has to be better.  

Going Old School

 I have been hiding out in my knitting room listening to an audio book alternating between knitting a UFO That was started before Eric went into hospice.  Then was tinked because I should never knit lace work when I am taking care of someone going through hospice.  Then thinking it is time to spin on every drop spindle I currently own.  Maybe even fill up a basket and ply them later.  

I am so totally exhausted and out of sink that I totally forgot about Tour de Fleece. At this point 11 days in I am not going to stress myself.  I will just look at my lovelies as I spin on the drop spindle of the day or 2 it takes to fill them.  I will pull one braid at a time and spin until I run out and then go to the next one.  

I am currently on an Orson Scott Card binge. Currently Invasive Procedures. The last book was Stone Father. Both good reads. 

Below is the first spindle filled in this endeavor. A Golding that has an amazing spin on it.  I did not think I would be able to spin lace weight on a spindle this heavy.  I spun a blend of merino wool and silk.