Happy Summer Solstice

I just love summer. This summer is no exception. I am keeping way to busy with too many projects going at the same time. Spinning, weaving,sewing and knitting projects are getting finished at a good rate.  I am really enjoying my creative streak. 

We have hit a real cool down in the summer heat.  I think our wonderful days of 110f are gone for a while now.  There might even be rain in the forecast. 

My next deep cleaning project is going to be the kitchen.  It is going to be a real treasure hunt.  Who knows what will land up at Goodwill.  I think I will start off simple and just demagnetized the fridge, I bet I can fill a large Tupperware container with just the magnets on the fridge. 

I think that I will either spin or clean house to unwind right now. 

Lace Weight Yarn

I don't know about you but as a newer knitter I got caught up in the lace weight yarn, anyone can knit lace craze.  After all it looked so pretty. Did I mention how soft the yarn was. How the colors looked so pretty.  All you have to do is yarn overs and knit 2 or 3 stitches together. Just follow the chart, yes I did learn to read charts. So I got something out of the craze.  But and this is a big but, nobody told me it could take hours to knit a row without interruption.  If I did get interrupted I would need to rip out part or all of a row, or worse yet have to go back to the life line. Whom ever came up with lace knitting oh so long ago never had a child with the needs of Eric. 

Fast forward to 2015. I have a solution to all my lace weight yarn that I can not seem to resell.  Hats, yes hats.  I found by accident that if I wind the yarn into cakes and pull yarn from both the inside and outside of the cake and knit with U.S. Size 6 knitting needles.  It is a perfect light weight winter hat for climates such as Tucson.  

Here is the first hat in progress.  

A summer Sunday

The most remarkable thing about today was the 9 loads of laundry that I did.  The last load is waiting for the dryer at 10:15 pm.  This takes into account the 3 loads that were air dried. I guess since I left the laundry room with out any loads to do after my 2 loads yesterday, this was a bit overwhelming even for me.

I did find time to get to the grocery store, but left my list at home.  I think I will have to start putting the list in my phone.  I always take my phone. I still have not found the list, but I hope that I got everything we needed. 

Eric has had a runny nose today along with a low grade temp. I am hoping that he goes to program tomorrow. If not I will still have a busy day. I am hoping for no laundry, but your guess is as good as mine on that. I will also be looking at refrigerators and hope to narrow it down to the one. 

A Milestone

Today at knitting I was able to track down a pattern everyone was sharing from a supposedly out of print magazine.  I did not have the name of the pattern, only the designers name.  I then went to Raverly to find the name of the pattern and to see if I could buy a copy. The pattern was not available for purchase on Raverly, but it gave me the name of the 2012 knitting magazine it was in. 

So off to the publishers web site to find the pattern.  I first check under the free patterns, but no such luck.  So I went under the tab for old magazines. I did not find a hard copy but was able to find a digital copy for $1.75. So I bought a digital copy of the magazine. I got the pattern I wanted plus 19 other patterns for less than the cost of most patterns without denying a designer and a publisher of their money. 

In this age of the digital magazine, I would like to urge all my readers to check with reliable resources when looking for old patterns.  Please use places where you know if a designer chooses to try to earn a living selling patterns, that they have a chance. Not everything in life is free.  They have bills to pay too. 

This was accomplished all from my cell phone. A first for me.  It only took 10 minutes for all the research. Then another 5 to figure out their check out cart. I want to assure my readers that I was not hooked into the malls wifi, so I am hopeful none of my personal information was stored on the mall server. 

When John is available, I will down load the magazine to the computer and possiably the pattern to my I-pad.  By the way I also finished 2 hand knit items today.  It is time to put the last load of laundry I the dryer and head to bed.  

A long night

I am not quite sure what to make of last night.  I spent from 10 to 11 pm helping Eric clear his lungs. Followed by a complete change out, which resulted in a full load of laundry started just after 11 pm. Yes, if I have a full load I will start it any time of the day or night. I got back to Eric's room just in time for a seizure that seemed to last forever,but in reality was only about 2 minutes long. I helped Eric through the seizure aftermath and stayed with him until he feel asleep. 

I was able to get to bed by 12:30am, which turned into a short nap for me. At 3:15 am I was up with a very noisy and uncomfortable Eric. I started out with physical therapy, which helped a little. Then it was time to try to figure out what else was bothering him.  20 questions followed by a meter reading for O2 levels, normal, followed by temperature with a reading of 100.7. I found the problem. Then it was Tylenol followed by holding on to Eric until the Tylenol started to work and he calmed down.  

I got another nap at 6 am and I feel just like Eric and Elmo look, in need of a nap. Then again there are so many things to do today.  I may find time for a nap later, in the mean time it will not be a good idea to get between my caffeine and me.  

Have a great day everyone. 

Birthday Month Freebies

I do love June for the birthday month freebies.  This is what I scored today.  I would have done more shopping, but I find it hard to carry much when I am in a flare up. Yes, it is the post Eric being sick flare up. He was sick for 2 weeks so I should be flared up for at least that long.  But I digress , I got samples from Origians, Clinique, Aveda and Shephora.  So a big thank you to all the companies that made this day possible.  Most of these are based on e-mail, Facebook and frequent buyer clubs. 

I was not paid by the above companies for this blog post. All offers are open to the public when you sign up for the programs.  

Fun Hats

I am getting to the point in the knitting of next winters hats that all I have are a couple bags of bits and pieces of yarn.  I like this kind of knitting because it challenges me. I want every hat to look like something my own kids would wear. They have to have a nice look and texture to the pattern. Most of all the color must flow so the hat looks well planned.  I even throw in bits of Hand spun yarn leftover from other projects. I like to go from this to that. 

Turning The Corner

Eric made it back to his day program today.  This gave me a nice down day.  I had no laundry or other chores that needed to be done. I finished weaving one rag rug and re wrapped the loom.  The good news is that I have enough of the dinosaur sheets to make a second rag rug.  I also finished another hand knit hat.  

I I spent the day fighting that nauseous feeling. Just eating crackers and sipping liquids.  I am hoping that I am just exhausted from Eric being home sick for 2 weeks and that I did not pick up his cold.  I know tomorrow will be a better day. 

An Update

I have used the time that Eric is home sick to catch up on cleaning and making things. Nap time is a perfect time to cut up old t-shirts and sheets for rag rugs.  I did not buy the special rag rug cutter as I feel that between my scissors and rotary cutter they do the job. After I finish my rag rug series, I will be creating a series for the Taglit Program at the JCC, I am hoping that they will go in the fall fund raiser, but I don't know for sure.

Knitting is getting done in bits and pieces, mostly while I sit with Eric. I am finding after a full day with Eric I am too tired to knit more than a couple of rows a night. I am hoping that Eric will go back to program on Monday. If he does, then I will spend the whole day on me and things I want to do. Two weeks of Eric being at home sick is enough to tire anyone out.

Well yesterday was the 1st 100 degree day at our house so its time to go get the laundry started so I can give the appliances the afternoon off.

Secondary

Eric has a secondary infection after last weeks tummy bug.  He was in good form at the doctors office, he not only coughed up crud, but also threw up on the floor. He had to prove to every but me just how lousy he was feeling.  We stopped by the pharmacy on the way home. Once home Eric went back to bed. He has started his medicine and slept all afternoon which gave me a chance to have a nap after being up half the night with Eric. 

I got the loom partially wrapped. Then I cut up some more t-shirts. Starting with clean old t-shirts the fabric balls came out much better than the bits and pieces I used on the last rag rug.  I am also cutting up,some old sheets which will be in the next rug.  

In the no good deed goes unpunished area.. My finger nails have started to crack and split all over the place from the 3 weeks of working with the polyester towels. This seems a bit odd to me, because my cuticles are starting to heal up very nicely. So until they stop cracking and splitting I will have very short nails.  

I have the Lendrum spinning wheel up and running, so tomorrow I plan on taking it to Grandmas Spinning Wheel for the afternoon spin in.  I am still learning all about the wheel and getting to know him.  Yes this wheel seems like a him to me.  So I will be taking small bits of fluff and making some very artistic yarns tomorrow.  If you want to see my new to me wheel bring your knitting or spinning and join us from 1 to 4.  

Now I just need to unwind from a very busy day. 

A Sensory Pad

Today I spent most of my free time gathering materials which took about 3 hours and sewing which took about 45 minutes making a sensory pad for a friend of Eric's. Since he likes the sound of Velcro pulling along with music, I incorporated those things in the pad. Along with a few things to play with. The smile and happy noises were well worth the time spent. Let me know if you want directions. Here is the finished project.

I am still very tired from Eric being sick over the long weekend, but I hope to catch up on sleep soon.

Sick Boy

Eric is sick again. There seems to be a very bad tummy bug with a high fever going around Tucson. Eric is holding on to the baby Elmo that Candy knit for him, it is the only thing besides me that he wants.  

Eric is now on Pedialyte. He seems to be tolerating it at 20 ml per hour. I wish I could get it higher,but I don't want the eyrping to start again.  As soon as he is asleep, I will try to get to my bed instead of sleeping in the rocking chair tonight. 

I did not finish the rag rug. I did however finish a hat that is was being knit on size 6 knitting needles. I also cast on the next hat and tinked it because it was not big enough to turn into a mobis scarf.  I am now about 1/2 inch into the brim.  

If Eric is feeling better tomorrow, more will get done. 

My random comment of the day is, if you want a fast check out at the store, don't get behind the person with the full cart and stack of coupons. By the way, I saved over $45.00 with coupons today and my friend Lisa saved even more. 

Exhaustion

Exhaustion and pain hit hard and fast today.  Thank goodness Eric was in a nap mood today. 2 naps latter and all I can say is my pain level is down. I am not sure why exhaustion and pain seem to go hand in hand for me.  I am hoping for a better day tomorrow.  My semi grand to do list was only half way done. As John says there is always tomorrow. 

Clarfication on Today.

This is to clarify that Blue is not a type of fiber but a color. Any farm girl should know that, no matter how tired you are.

If you reek of cigarette smoke don't cram yourself into a full elevator, just wait for the next one. You left Eric and I gaging. You were also lucky that no wild eyrping went on because of the smell.

I can't figure out where the time went, but my best friend / love of my life and I have been married for 31 years as of today.

It is possible to design a hat pattern in 48 hours and have it typed up too. Pictures take longer. Where are all my models at midnight?

If you find yourself weaving all over the road, just maybe you should put that phone down.

Not everything gets finished in a timely manner when a big and urgent project lands on my sewing table.

A Senior Recital

I have been lucky enough to be invited to Brianna Finkelstein 's Senior Recital at the University of Arizona Holsclaw Hall.  I have know Brrianna since she went around on her mothers hip. It does not seem possible to me that she has graduated from the U of A.  This is her last performance in Tucson before she heads off to grad school to continue her studies in oboe.  

The program includes Oboe Sonata in G Minor, S 1020 with Allergo, Adagio and Allegro, Attributed: C.P.E. Bach.  Overheard on a Saltmarsh by Erin Goad.  three Romanzen, op,94 by Robert Schumann, Nicht Schnell 1 and 3. Finishing off with Fantaisie on Flotow's Martha, Op. 23 by  T. Lalliet 

I really enjoyed the piece Overheard on a Saltmarsh.  The only way I can really describe it was that the music flowed like silk in amazing colors of sound.  The English Horn played by Rachael Kamradt added a wonderful layer of texture to the music.  

Meily Mendez was wonderful on the Harpsichord and Piano.  She showed mastery and passion in her music. Although I do have to say that Brianna stole the show.   Brianna showed both mastery and grace while playing the Oboe.  She coxed a full range of notes from her Oboe.   All in all it was a very enjoyable evening.  If you ever have the opportunity to hear Brianna, Meily or Rachael in concert please take the time to enjoy a few hours of wonderful music. I am quite certain that Brianna will make the world a better place where ever her life leads her.  

Spinning Styles

I was taught to spin by the wonderful Kathy Withers and I really enjoy spinning. I aspire to be as creative as Kathy someday. I learned even more from the Journey to the Golden Fleece, I learned to get more creative. Although typical me, I did not finish the paper work. The yarn I learned to spin is gorgeous.

I really enjoy playing with fiber and seeing what develops. I find it calming. I find spinning relaxing.  I enjoy creating new yarns. I enjoy weaving and knitting with my handspun yarn. I have even mastered lace weight yarn on my spinning wheel, not just the drop spindle.  

I have learned to wash, card and comb my fiber from raw fleece.  I love to pull out my drum carder to create special batts to spin on occasion. I found that I prefer to send my raw fiber to Spinderella's Fiber Mill.  I do not need to process my fiber from fleece to yarn for every project. They also have a special needs adult child at home that requires full time care like Eric. I feel it is right to support those in my community that keep their children home like John and I do. 

That is why I don't like the trend by some in my local spinning community to master every spinning style from worsted to silk thread. Don't get me wrong I find learning something new everyday is essential.  To buy the raw fleeces, skirt, wash, and do everything including dying the fiber.  Then to do this with every project. It is not that I am lazy, but have a finite number of hours to play with fiber.  

Its not that I don't enjoy learning new things, but the constant push is just to much sometimes.  I do not feel the need to take classes on a weekly basis.  I do not need to become a master spinner. I am not going to become a professional teacher.  I prefer to be an artist. My need to create and relax are my priority.  I hope that this is the right track for me. I wonder what my fellow spinners feel about this.

Please feel free to use the links that I have provided to find some wonderful fiber people. The opinion's are my own and I have not been paid to include these links in my blog. I trust and like these businesses. I have also not asked for permission to include these links, so if you see blank spots in the future, it is because I have been asked to take down the link. 

My Fitbit

For those of you who know how much I love my Fitbit, you will understand why I was upset when I found out this afternoon that the battery died sometime yesterday.  I never received notice on my email that the battery was running low. 

Even though my numbers don't show it today I did a fantastic 55 minute workout today with biking, stairs and rowing. Well there is always tomorrow's work out. 

Have a great weekend everyone. Try to stay dry and safe. 

What Makes Us Good Mothers

With Mothers Day just over in the United States it brings yesterday's encounter even more revelant.  It always amazes me that whenever people learn about Eric and ask if he has any siblings.  When I say yes, the look I always get is should I ask her about her other child?  Some people start out by asking if they are in the same day program. Other just want to know if she still lives at home too.  Yet all are stunned to find out that Teri is a Copyright Attorney in California.  Like how is this possible?  

Motherhood gives each mother a unique opportunity to interact with each child as an individual. I have found that both my child are very unique. My children are polar opposites.  My job as a mother has been to help Teri and Eric each reach their unique potential in an optimal way for their learning style.  

Since Eric was about 6 months old I have always stressed to Teri, that Eric is her brother and not her responseability.  I have always stressed that mom and dad are responsible for the care of both Teri and her brother.  That Teri's job in life is to be the best possible Teri possible, even if it meant leaving Eric behind at times.  In that endeavor Teri has exceeded what I thought was possible.

Each child has made my life so much better in their own unique way. Eric has helped me learn patience. Teri has help me learn to dig deeper for the answers, although on technical issues I am quite sure she hates the line "wait until your father comes home".  Eric has helped me find the time to knit 100's of warm winter items for kids in need. Teri has taken me to England and Italy, which were life time dreams of mine. I would still like to go again and explore some more.  It is not possible now.  Eric has taken me to our nations capital and explore all the history, something that I have dreamed of doing.  Yes each has given me so much. 

I guess in my own meandering way I am trying to say thank you to my 2 increadable kids. They along with John have made my life so rich. For that I am very thankful. 

The Last of the Week

As I write this post load number 30 of the week is in the dryer.  I am thankful that this week of sheer laundry madness is almost over.  I am also thankful that I did not run out of Tide Unscented this week. Just to let you know the wonderful people at Proctor and Gamble did not pay for this blog post and all the opinions are my own.  However, I am grateful for the Tide coupons in my Sunday Arizona Daily Star and the sales on Tide that occur about the same time. 

I know with Eric being sick, that I had a few extra loads of laundry this week. This is a picture of just 2 days worth of laundry for Eric when he is feeling good.  Yes he did go through 5 night time t-shirts in 2 days. That is just Eric. Also if I did not wash the dozen bibs, I would have had a whole lot more laundry to do.  Every bib saves me from washing 1 additional outfit. 

I hope to do a few less loads of laundry next week and spend more time creating. 

Over 800 Yards

I just finished spinning and plying over 800 yards of Merino, Alpaca and Silk today.  Now what should I do with it?  

25

Today is only Wednesday and I hit the 25 loads of laundry mark. I know part of this was do to Eric being sick, yes he made 4 loads in under an hour on Monday night. So I asked Eric if he could possibly slow down his laundry production for the rest of the week and all he did was laugh at me. I think that he is taking his job of being the chief laundry maker a bit too seriously this week.

You would think by the amount of laundry that I am doing this week that I either had a larger family of a small washtub. Sadly neither is the case. There are only 3 of us at home and I have the largest washtub in my machine that Whirlpool made 20 years ago.

On a lighter note Eric is feeling better and is back on formula. His fever is also down below the 100 mark, the 1st time since Monday night. With Eric feeling better I also took the time to clean the stove and the kitchen like I should have done before Passover. Better late than never.

Well I think that I am finally unwinding form my busy day and week. So I think I will try to get some sleep.  It will be time to get my day going again in a little over 5 hours.

The Laundry Monster Rears its Ugly Head

Laundry seems to be my downfall this week. As of this morning I have done 15 loads of laundry since Sunday, 4 of them were made in just a few hours last night. Yes Eric did have a very eyrpy night last night. The outlook does not look much better for today.  I have at least 3 more loads of laundry as of 7:00 am this morning. Its only Tuesday morning!  

I asked Eric if he could slow down in making more laundry this morning explaining that after I finish what is in the laundry room I will have done 18 loads of laundry this week. That we still have 4 more days to go this week. I asked if he could limit his laundry production to only 7 more loads this week to keep his total at 25 loads of laundry. His response was to roll his eyes and give me the look like its my job to make laundry.

Thank goodness Target had Tide on sale a few weeks ago so I won't run out of laundry detergent. Laundry detergent is like gold around here, I can never have too much. I seem to go through detergent like water, even using line one on the cap I am lucky if the 75 ounce bottle lasts for 2 weeks.

So I plan to spend the rest of the day doing laundry and knitting. If Eric does take a nap, I will see how many of the 5 towels that I can get finished, so I can can get more sewing projects out of the way and get some weaving done.

A New Record

Today I actually did 9, yes 9 loads of laundry.  I really wonder if The Whirlpool Corporation makes anything similar to the Imperial Serries Washing machine that I got so last century.  It has a tub big enough to wash 3 bath sheets in 1 load. Also a whole set of California Knig sheets in 1 load.  I just can't imagine how many more loads of laundry I would have to do per week with a smaller tub.  

Conversely I wonder why it is getting harder to get parts for a 20 year old washing machine.  All I need is a work horse that can keep up with Eric's average of 25 loads a week.  I must have laundry on the brain tonight. 

I am Overwhelmed

I agreed to do a project on a very short time frame. I knew going in that it was going to be nearly impossible to finish without someone else helping with the sewing. With any luck at all, I think I should reach about 75% completion by my dead line. I feel really bad that some very good people will be given IOU's,but then again I don't think that I can sit at the sewing machine for another 8+ hours again tomorrow.  

Today I left the sewing room ready to throw the sewing machine out of the window. John in a perfect way that only John can do, ushered me out of the sewing room and closed the door for the night. Then redirected me towards dinner.  The chicken and roasted vegetables were even better the second night.   I am so glad that the asprain kicked in before bed time. 

I think tomorrow I will limit myself to no more than 4 hours at the sewing machine.  I tried the impossible today and did not make it.  My body is worse for wear. I think it's time to rein in my goal to be more realistic. My body and family will thank me. 

Lesson learned from this fiscaso. If I think a job will take 3 weeks, ask for 3 weeks.  Never say that I will try to get it done in 1 week. It's just bad in so many ways. 

I got the cold

I really don't know how I did it. I meet my 10,000 step goal for the day. The cold Eric had this weekend hit me with venengence today.  I landed up taking a 4 hour nap today.  I still managed to knit 1 hat and finish part of a comminisioned project.  

Even with a long nap I am tired and calling it an early evening so I will have energy to finish the major project of the week.  

Summer is Coming

I know that summer is coming because I drove through my first dust devil of the season.  

Note to Self

I am writing this as I am dealing with a migraine. It has been one of those days and if you have not been told all the details you probably do not want to know about it.

What I can say for sure is that I did cast on 2 more hats. Did I mention that I already have 2 hats in progress on the needles. Also 2 ponchos that are 3/4 of the way done. Today just seemed to be a day of new beginnings. I got more joy in casting things on then in actually finishing them, this is not really a good idea right now, because I have so many knitting needles asking for projects. Did I also mention that I did not finish one project today. I also really want to cast on a scarf or 2 but I am trying to hold off until I finish some of the hats.

We have also been working with Eric for what is at least 2 decades to tell us what he wants. I think that he is finally getting the hang of it. Sometimes the answers just leave us in stitches as they are so spot on. Up until Sunday I was not aware that Eric did not like estate sales, I mean who does not like the hunt at a good estate sale. Apparently my son.

I am taking tomorrow off. I can not decide if I am going to hide under a rock or behind a Cholla Cactus tomorrow. If I am hiding behind the Cholla Cactus  please be careful as I will not be available to pull the stickers out.

Just Maybe Catching Up

I just might be just a little ahead with things.  I might only have 20 hats completed so far this month, but I am also completing UFO's that have been on the knitting needles for to long.  Tonight I finished the second panel of a poncho that I started several years ago, all I have to do is the assembly. I am also nearing completion of a second poncho that was started at about the same time.  I am knitting through yarn at a good pace.  I even pulled some yarn out of the garage today, don't get to excited it was only a couple of skeins.  

I have also been doing a lot of cleaning too. Today I tackled the mess behind the treadmill. It was amazing how much either found a new home or got recycled. The yarn I found behind the treadmill will go for hats since I can't remember what I bought it for in the first place.  This is a good thing because the basket I use for wool hats was in need of a refill.  The living room was also worked on today. I have enough room to do some assembly work and not have to move it before I am finished with the sewing.  

I made the mistake of starting to warp the loom when I was sick. Lets just say that I learned my lesson and I should have the issues fixed in a few days and then start weaving a few rugs.   I am also turning that 2 pounds of awful Shetland wool that I spun in to a few rugs too, it is not as soft as I would like for a shawl. 

It is getting late and I have to convince my body that it is time for sleep. Iced tea was not a good beverage choice at 9:30 pm. 

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.   

Spring Cleaning

I started spring cleaning today. 4 hours of cleaning left me exhausted, but visable progress was made. One thing that I can say for certain is that the more sweeps I have made though the house over the past couple of years has made the process much easier. I have much less clutter to deal with each time.   

On top of the spring cleaning I got 6 loads of laundry done. 2 hats knit and a hand knit scarf started.  I am sore and tired to the bone but it was a good day around here.  

Hanging Out With Eric

Today Eric had a day off from his day program.  So we spent the morning watching Sesame Street and getting ready for our shopping trip to Target. Eric likes going out to the store.  2 hours later and hugs from total strangers for taking Eric shopping with me we headed home.  Just a hint to the general public, when I am out with Eric, I don't need to be told how heroic I am for being Eric's mom.  Also hugging total strangers is a little odd in my book.  We did a great job with coupons saving a little over $68.00. I even have almost everything put away. 

Eric kept me very busy today; therefore I did not get everything on my to do list done.   I had hoped to knit 3 hats today, I only finished 1 and got 1/2 way through a second hat.  Even though Eric makes a huge amount of laundry, the washer and dryer got the day off.  I also did not finish the scarf on the loom or spin the rest of the brown Shetland wool that I am spinning.  Well ther is always tomorrow.  

Feeling Better

I am feeling better today. I even got out of the house for a few hours of fun.  I went to Grandmas Spinning Wheel for the Thursday afternoon spinning group. I even learned a new way to hold the roving to get a different response from the roving.   I think I may have to read a few books to learn some of the technical side of spinning.  

I finished 2 more hats today to bring my total to 15 hand knit hats so far this month. I have hat number 16 started, I have the 1st 1.5 inches of the brim done.  I like to make the brim between 2 and 3 inches wide. Then add 5 to 6 inches for the body of the hat, before I do the decreases.  

I am giving Eric his last breathing treatment for the night.  When I am done I will call it a night too.  Eric and I are hanging out tomorrow, his day program is closed for the last day of Passover and I will need the rest to keep up with him.  

60 Hats

My informal goal was to knit 60 hats in April, I normally try for 30 hats in 30 days. That would be an average of 2 hand knit hats a day.  Today is April 8th and I only have 13 hats that I term are ready to tag and bag.  A hat is finished,except for washing instructions and rows counted for the 1 million row challenge on Raverly. 

I am doing this for two reasons this year. The first is that I just don't see the improvement in the local economy as the politicians are touting.  There is still an escalation in the demand for services like our local food and diaper banks.  The second reason is, because of the first reason more groups are asking for hats and other winter items.  I normally only knit for 2  groups. I can only knit so much.  I average between 11 and 13 dozen hand knit hats per winter.  Yes I start knitting them in the spring.  I am wondering if I should try to knit more hats to help more kids or hope that some else takes up some of the slack. Yes I know that knitting between 143 and 156 hats, is a lot of hats, but I don't think it even makes a dent in the need.  I just have this need to make the world a better place for the kids. At the same time I have things I want to knit for myself too.  I wonder if I will ever find a balance in life?

On the health front, I am starting to feel better.  Somewhere around 5 pm, the sore throat just seemed to hurt less.  Dinner went down very easy too.  I still think I will give it a day or 2 before I head back to the gym though. I also think that I will call it a night.  

The Day of a Sick Mom

Ok, so I am very grumpy, as this is day 2 of the bug and my tummy is still yucky. In addition my throat also hurts. So this is what my day looks like when I am sick on the second day. 

1. Drive and drop off Eric at his day program.  

2.  Start Roomba off in any given room.  

3.  Gather, sort , prioritize, then start the laundry. It is nearing knee high because I skipped yesterday.  

4.  Start the dishwasher and do the dishes in the sink.  John, can empty the dishwasher later. 

5.  Make a cuppa tea and rest for a bit. 

6. Knit hats, because I don't have the energy to do anything else. I can also knit a basic hat in my sleep. 

7.  Pick up Eric from his day program. 

8.  Watch PBS Kids with Eric until his aide comes. 

9.  I put John in charge of dinner before he left for work, so I can skip cooking dinner tonight. 

10. Help get Eric ready for bed. Tell him he can not have a good night kiss because mommy is still sick and watch him pout.  

11. Hope I get a good nights sleep knowing that I hit day 2 of the cold because my body was back in kilter.  Also knowing that this cold will cause a flare up and that there is nothing that can be done about it.  This is the reason I hate my own body sometimes. 

Time for more rest and tea.  I promise that if I am feeling better tomorrow, I won't be so grumpy.  

I Got Sick

I landed up with the latest tummy bug that was going around.  This basically meant that I was up half the night and did not get any laundry done.  The only thing that got done was knitting 3 more hats for next winter to bring the total for the month to 11 hats finished.  I have not made much of a dent in my yarn stash either.  

Basically the house falls apart when I get sick.  So tomorrow is pay back time. A lot of laundry and other stuff to do. 

Spring Knitting

Well it is spring. It is time to start next winters batch of hats. I have 8 hats, of the first dozen completed. With 2 more on the needles, different sizes on the needles of course.  I hope I can knit a bakers dozen of a dozen hats.  13 dozen hats sounds like a good number of hats to me.

Of course I will throw in some other winter things like scarfs and ponchos too. What are you knitting up for those who could use a little extra help next winter?  You don't have to knit as many things as I do.  I just tend to go overboard on some projects.  I just have a need to repair the world. After all we are all in this world together.

Enjoy you families and our mostly nice spring weather.

The Darkside of Copyright Infringement

Here in Tucson we are losing a second local yarn shop this year and it is only April. As with any small business, every sale makes a difference towards the bottom line. Even though the prices seem higher than the large craft retailer down the street, in actually your local yarn shops carry a wide selection and better quality of yarn. They also provide help to get you through the hard part of the patterns you are working on, just try to get that help at a big box store.  They provide classes to teach you new techniques. They also carry a wide variety of books and patterns. Since they do not have 100's of stores, they can not get a volume discount.

I am going to be focusing on the books and patterns in this blog post. For the sake of speed, I am going to assume that you all know what a copyright is and how long it is good for. If not I will refer you to The Copyright Office in Washington D.C.. If you are not in the United States, your country should have the equivalent legal body. I would also like to state that this is not legal advice since I am not a lawyer. This is written from the point of view of a consumer and a pattern designer of which I am.

Your local yarn shop relays on knitwear designers and authors of knitting books and patterns that you use for your projects. They gladly carry all of these items for you to buy. No, it is not OK to ask that they photocopy the pattern from a book or that you copy the pattern down in your pattern note book. After all these patterns help to sell the yarn that they carry.

Now here is where we come in as a consumer.  This is where a lot of knitters fail their local yarn shops and designers. They buy one copy of the pattern that they want to knit. After they knit the item their friends want to knit it too. So, instead of referring their friends to the yarn shop where they went,  they go ahead and make photocopies and freely distribute the patterns. Technically you just broke the law, although copyright does let you make photocopies of the items you buy for personal use, giving the pattern away is not personal use.

To put it another way if you bought the pattern for lets say $5.00 ( I like easy math) and then gave that pattern to 10 friends. Your local yarn shop had $5.00 in sales and the pattern designer got money for the sale of 1 pattern.  If you instead did the right thing and sent those friends to the yarn store and they each bought the pattern for $5.00, your local yarn store would have $55.00 in sales and the possibility of additional sales of supplies and the pattern designer would get their rightful share of the use of their pattern.

Depending on the location of the yarn shop, the monthly rent is upward of $1,000 or more per month. Add the cost of utilities, wages of employees and other business expenses, you can see that it takes a lot in sales to run a business. This is before the owner even draws a salary.

Depending on the pattern it can take upwards of 1 month to write, test and knit a sample of the pattern that you are using assuming 6 to 8 hour work days. It takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to get a pattern book out. If the pattern is from an indie designer they  will get about 40% of the sale price of the pattern. If you buy a knitting book, the author will get between 4 and 10% of the wholesale price, with most authors getting 4 cents on the wholesale dollar for every book that they sell. So for a $25.00 book the author gets about $.50. unless they self publish.

So what I want to know is, if you want to have local yarn stores  and designers in your communities and are willing to pay the price to keep those small business running? Are you willing to send your friends into your local yarn store to buy the pattern that they want to knit? Or can you say, that I personally help close another local yarn store by buying 1 copy of a pattern and making copies of that pattern to freely distribute? The choice is always yours.

Busy with a Chance of Knitting

My guess last night, that Eric would be home sick today was spot on. Eric was running a fever all day long and it seemed to get higher as the day wore on. I am really hoping it was do to the family outing on Sunday and not the really bad cold that is going around his day program. He was cranky all day and wanted me close by all day.

So my day consisted of catching up on laundry, a little picking up around the house and lots and lots of knitting. I started out the day on size 6 knitting needles working on the stripes of a hat. Then when I got tired of that I went to size 7 knitting needles and worked on a poncho, 1.5 inches later it was time to switch things up. So I went to size 10.5 knitting needles. I started 3 hats and finished 2 of them. This was more my speed today. I wanted to finish things fast. For some reason I just need to get things finished quickly when I am sitting with Eric all day. I need to feel that I have accomplished something besides sitting all day.  I also took the time to weave in the ends of another hat.

I don't have a row count yet. I just threw all the freshly knitted items into a laundry basket to be tagged and counted at a later date. If worst comes to worst, I will count all the rows when the laundry basket is full.

Well it looks like Eric is going to be home tomorrow too, so I think it is time to call it a day.

More knitting

Today I got more knitting done. I finished knitting another hat, but still have to weave in the ends tomorrow.  I also made progress on a poncho. I might get more knitting done with the bad allergy season we are having here in Arizona.  I think it might have something to do with all the rain we had this winter.   

I have a question for every one.  Does anyone else walk and knit at the same time,like I do? Nothing crazy hard like lace.  Just washcloths and hats.  

This is today's hat. 

It's That Time of Year Again

Its the time of year to finish all my knitting UFO's.  There is a method to my madness.  You see I am running out of yarn for the scrappy hats that the kids love and I find so fun to make.  No, it is not necessary to send me your leftovers, I need to make my own.  So in my looking around the house at various UFO's I have found at least a few scarfs and 5 ponchos that will go to the kids.  I also have quite a few for me.   Not to mention the never ending blanket. 

I think it would be fun for you to join me in finishing UFO's.  Then use the leftover yarn to make some funky scrappy hats for people in need in your own area.   If you are very proud of a finished object weather a former UFO or a scrappy hat, then send it to me and I will post it on my blog.   Common sense and decency rules will apply.  Please send the pictures in j-peg format.   Who knows, there just may be prizes involved.  

Happy knitting,crocheting or weaving.  Now it's time to tackle this bag of projects.  

A Very Busy Day part 2

Today I managed a full workout.  Then I had planned on a cleaning spree in the storage room for 2 hours.  I lasted a whole 70 minutes.  The good news is that I have made a dent in the clutter.  I have also decided not to work in there again until Friday or Saturday.  This will give my body time to rest and recoup.  I will need to get it a bit cleaner and dust free before I let John help in the cleaning. It is very dusty in the storage room. Hopefully it will only take a few more cleaning secessions before we can get John a work bench. 

Eric was so cute this afternoon. I told him that I was tired and needed a nap. He spent the next 90 minutes holding my hand in a very tight grip so that I would rest.  I even tried a caffeine boost while I was sitting with Eric. Unfortunately it did not work.  I landed up taking a nap anyway.  

John was wonderful and brought home dinner. I am finally winding down for the day. I have a busy day tomorrow too. 

A Very Busy Day

Today Eric had no day program.  I had a to do list from he double toothpicks.  With 10 loads of laundry and 50% of a pattern to finish writing.   I must admit that I fell short on finishing the laundry, load 8 is now in the dryer.  Eric was watching PBS Kids and I was getting distracted by Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George.  My solution was to give Eric a Sesame Street marathon.  For some reason I can write with Sesame Street on and not get distracted.  

I managed to get the pattern transfered from my iPad to the Dell computer.  From the apple words program to Microsoft office without help from John. After reformatting the pattern and doing spell check I realized that I had forgotten to add punctuation. At one point I felt like I wanted to channel e.e.cummings.  One hour later everything was done, including adding the picture.  Unfortunately, it is sideways on the blog.  

After dinner I managed to get the pattern uploaded to Ravelry.com and love knitting.com.  I will try to get it on Etsy tomorrow.  The pattern is called Cactus Washcloth.  I based it on the saguaro cactus that I view when sitting at the kitchen table.  It is also my first reversible piece.   

In between all of that, I also managed to clean house and put a few things away.  All the laundry, except the load currently drying in the dryer, is folded and put away.  

Life with Eric

I was joking around with Eric this morning about laundry. I told him that I had 7 loads to do this morning and that he will bring me 2 more this afternoon since it is swim day.   I asked him if this was his way of keeping me out of the yarn stores? He smiled.   John said that it was not working out very well.  That left Eric with a look on his face of how can I make more laundry?

For a gift certificate to my etsy shop to the first correct answer. How many loads of laundry do I do in an average week?

All Spinning

Tonight was all about the spinning.  No plying was done.  I should have started earlier in the evening.  

Thrush Again!!!

Believe it or not Eric has thrush again. This time he was not even sick or on any antibiotics.   So between the thrush that Eric has and the cold going around his day program, not to mention staffing issues, he will be home helping me for the rest of the week. Yes I have thrown out the toothbrush, toothpaste tube and have sanitized the electric toothbrush. All have been replaced with brand new or newly cleaned items.

On the bright side I am almost through my current deluge of laundry, just please don't tell Eric. I really need to finish the samples for my new patterns and get one ready to print up by Thursday. Then it would be nice to finish the scarf on the loom and any UFO's that can be finished. Oh, did I mention I do not have my piece to model for the Guild Fashion show a week from Thursday.  I am debating using one of the UFO's or taking some Addi turbos circulars in a 10 or 11 and a skein of sock yarn and just whipping up something while on the plane and airport wait time later in the week.

The house is almost ready for a girl friend to come and stay with Eric while John and I sneak off for a few days for a late 30th or early 31st wedding anniversary trip. So the plans are on a need to know basis. If you don't already know the details you did not need to know. I do promise a few pictures along the way.

Today's Finished Project

Plus 5 mini skeins of hand spun yarn from Friday. 

Here is today's finished project. 

More Organized

The bright spot of the day was that by spending only 2 hours cleaning I got 1 room ready for dust and vacuuming and the other room 3/4 of the way done. On the down side the laundry room is back to knee high.  The 4 loads of laundry I did today did not make a difference.  

I have also decided that I need to schedule about 2 hours a day for crafts and fiber play time.  

Change is Good

A change is in the works.  I think I am going to just do what I want to do on the creative side of my life.  

I have finally finished the baby blanket.  All 360 rows of it.  Eric gets to deliver it tomorrow.  

The Downside of Exercise

I am finding the downside of excercise.  No I am not dropping much weight, just inches.  So my clothes are getting too big.  This means that I will have to try on a lot of clothes both in my closet and the the store.  Every thing that is too big will head to Goodwill.  

Believe it or not, clothes shopping is something I dread.  I like to limit it to once or twice a year.  It just leaves me sore and tired.  So I will be grumbly over the next few weeks of shopping.  Anyone up for the challenge of shopping with me?  

On the other side of my life, I am in a very productive period of time.  Lots of work is getting done.  A lot of crafting is getting done too. 

Project 6

Project 6 for the year. I took a braid of Cloudlover's wool and silk blend and hand spun it. Next I wove it into a scarf with a pink cotton warp. You can find Cloudlover's Fiber at this link. I just love the way it spins up.

As with any item posted here that is not made for someone special please contact me if you wish to purchase this one of a kind item.

 I purchased the fibers on my own. No compensation was received for this recommendation or blog post.