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.  

I Am Behind on Patterns

 Things are going pretty good right now. I just wish at times I had a staff to type up my pattern notes and take pictures of my finished objects.  I am about 3 patterns behind now.  Maybe I will just have to buckle down. When John’s at work I should be working too.  I think I will give it a try next week.  

I just don’t make enough on pattern sales to hire anyone.  If I am really lucky I sell enough patterns to pay for the yarn.  I usually don’t include time to design, knit, photograph or type my patterns. The numbers would be just to dismal even for me.    Bring a pattern designer is a lot like the other arts. A few make bank and the rest of us have a supportive spouses or full time jobs or both.  

Stay safe and consider wearing masks again. The COVID19 numbers are going up again.  

A BBD

 It was one of those epic bad body days.   Fold 2 loads of laundry and rest for 2 hours. Repeat.  

John did not want to go shopping at Tuesday Morning, but since I was too tired to drive he drove and found a new tool for the garden.  I found nothing.  

After a baked chicken lunch and shopping for coffee, ,guess what?  It was nap time again.  

I did manage to fill and sew one dog pillow.  John loaded my car for tomorrow   

I hope I got enough rest today so that I can sleep tonight.  Wish me luck.  

Errands

 A few errands left me exhausted.  Because of the Jiffy peanut butter recall Skippy peanut butter is still in short supply.  I will have to come up with another fast and easy protein.  I got 95 zone minutes for 5,200 steps.  I need answers.  I am just rambling. Time to go to sleep.  

Thank You

 This is a tongue and cheek kinda of blog post. Yes it will be cheeky.  

First off I would like to thank a nameless local Tucson home improvement store for refusing to help us with our shopping needs. They also had a front desk clerk that refused to get us a sales person to take our money.  Silly me. I thought green money was green money, good for helping the bottom line of any retail business during a recession.  We came dressed Tucson summer casual, what else are you supposed to wear during summer in Tucson.  We were even wearing tennis shoes and not flip flops. At this store it was apparently not good enough for help.  This in the end run saved us lot’s of money.  

Today we went to Lowe’s Store 1638 where we meet the most helpful and friendly sales associate Estevan.  I could not find a more helpful and knowledgeable sales person (outside of Grandma’s Spinning Wheel and Artemesia if I tried). Estevan helped us with a shower head, and plumbing supplies for the new sink faucet, to replace the one that broke in the guest bathroom. You know the one that made 3 full loads of towels . We also got a new rain gauge to replace the one that was literally crumbling in place. 

For everything we bought we spent less than the bathroom faucet cost all by itself at the local home improvement store.  They also did not have rain gauges which would have meant a separate trip.   I know the store manager made a very wise decision in hiring Estevan.  Friendly service, help and everything we needed all in one stop.  They also did not care that we were wearing Tucson summer casual or that my hair was still wet from my shower. So I will count today’s shopping trip as a win.  

Thank You Very Much  

John was busy too. He installed the new shower head and rain gauge already today.  All that is left is installing the new faucet.  We just have to figure out how to use towels to pad the sharp angles and the wood floor of the cabinet.  After that is done I can treat the wood with a 10% bleach solution once or twice to get rid of any lingering mold that might have occurred.  Let it dry a few more days and pit the pool towels away.   Then I can do a happy dance that the a hip high pile of towels will no longer be gracing our den.  Not that I don’t love our pool towels. 

So it was a very good day.  

366 Days

 It has been a year snd a day since we had a Summer Monsoon at our house. We got a good storm with most of the rain falling in the first 30 minutes or so. We had river’s flowing in the front and back of the house. We also had a little white water as the water flowed through the front yard over some smaller rocks. 

I was too busy sitting by the window watching the rain to take any videos. So you are just going to see the rain gauge afterwards and our double rainbow. The second rainbow was hard to see from where I was standing trying to stay dry.  

A Strange Week So Far

 This has been a very strange week for me so far. Somethings I will talk about, some things not so much.  Well here goes.  

I was at Whole Foods this week when a lady stopped me in the parking lot and wanted to buy my car right there on the spot. I suggested that she go to the dealership to see what they had. 

She said she did. However she wanted  my make and model which they did not have.

  I kept saying no.  I really have to learn to be ruder. 

She thought it was brand new. I reality my car is about 2 years old. It was bought just before the COVID19. Since it don’t go out much it sits in the garage a lot. It still looks new. I am about to cross the 5,000 mile threshold too.

She told me I could buy a Tesla and I said no, why not buy one for your daughter.  Maybe next time since the are in short supply I should just say I will sell it for some outrageous price like $ 1.5  or $2 million and if they are will to fork over that much cash, no financing, I would think about selling it.  I think I should be able to buy something suitable and add a little money to savings.  

I am finding that my hands are good for about 2 hours a day of crafting. Then they get too tired to move.  So I am rolling with the punches.  I decided to hand off 2 charity knitting projects at the next knitting guild meeting.  I am no longer going to finish a project for the sake of finishing a project.  I must love it or it will be handed off or tinked.  I must use my limited time wisely. 

I have a little more energy so I am very slowly trying to catch up with housework.  Well I am running out of battery and it’s time to plug in and turn in for the night. 

Using My Wheels’s Again

 I found that using my spinning wheels, yes I have 2 spinning wheels. Has helped ease the arthritis pain in my foot. Some exercise is good. So today I finished filling up one bobbin. It was so full John could see it from the couch.. I don’t think I really could have gotten any more yarn on the bobbin if I tried.  I found more roving in the same color way in my stash and started another bobbin.  Yes, I did some stash diving. I also found some nice silk to ply it with from Ito.  I hope I have enough, because Ito Japan, sold out to a company in Europe which does not like to work with American yarn shops.  

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I thought I would save you some time.  Today in pictures.  The top picture is the really full bobbin. As you can see it is just about to go over the edge which is not a great thing. The second picture is about 8 ounces more roving. That bag should fill 2 more bobbins.  

Depending on how the yarn turns out it will either be woven into a shawl or knit into a sweater. Yardage will help make the decision. 

Today’s Balance

 Today I found out that I could only knit a row or 2 before I needed to take a break on my new shawl.  The rows are getting incredibly long. I increase by 6 stitches every other row.  I am almost back to we’re I was before I had to tink 10 rows.  It is going to be the perfect summer shawl. It just might be next summer before it is ready.

Ok, so I said I found balance today.  It was in the form of one of Mr. Golding’s drop spindles.  The spindle is so incredible.  It is perfectly balanced.  Spins like a dream.  With the weight of the spindle I was very surprised to find out how thin I could spin the 50/50 combo of Merino and Silk.  I don’t know why I can’t spin this fine on either of my spinning wheels.  I can’t wait to see what it looks like when I ply the yarn . It definitely needs to be a 2 ply yarn. Definitely for a one of a kind project.

In the rush to make yarn to sell, I forgot how much I love my drop spindles. I learned to spin on drop spindles.  Kathy Withers’s is a great teacher  if you want to learn to spin on a drop spindle and are on the East Coast you should really try and take her classes. She also teaches other forms of fiber arts  if you want to support a small farm and just knit or Crochet you need to try Kathy’s yarn which is available on line.

I decided today that I will no longer be taking commission work or repair jobs.  This is all me no outside influence.  I do know a few wonderful fiber artists at Grandmas Spinning Wheel here in Tucson who would be happy to help you out. Stop by during regular business hour’s for help. 

The picture does not do the roving, yarn or spindle justice.  I hope that you can see how fine the yarn is coming out. Yes it really is that thin.  

The Good and the Bad News

 The good or great news is that I don’t need hand or elbow surgery for now.  

The bad news is that I can only knit for a couple of hours a day.  

So I have been binging on audiobooks.  Reorganizing a house that has been reorganized way too many times since COVID19 hit.  

I need to come up with other relaxing activities like jigsaw puzzles, I currently do about 2 a day. I am not buying that many puzzles to clutter up the house, I have an app for that.  I also color occasionally using my left hand just to sharpen my fine motor skills.  

I am trying very hard not to shop. So far so good. I am only replacing worn out items and grocery shopping.  I really have to start cooking more too. 

So ideas that don’t use my right hand would be wonderful.  

Waiting

 We are currently waiting for our summer rains.  I think it is getting closer because I can smell the moisture in the air.  I am still waiting for the smell of the wet creosote bushes. That is the smell most people think about when they think of the after rain smell in the desert.  

I did get a bunch of errands done today too. The paperwork will have to wait for tomorrow.  I am glad it is cooler this week too.  Yes, I have hit the summer doldrums on the first day of summer. How is that for perfect timing.  

A Break from Cleaning

 I took a day off from the kitchen reorganization to do a bit of spinning.  This is a really nice and relaxing spin. The wool is merino which will be plyed with Ito silk from Japan.  I bought both from Grandma’s Spinning Wheel here in Tucson.  

This will be part of a shawl for me.  Now it’s time for a quick nap before dinner.  

Changes and Progress

 Today I decided to reorganize the kitchen including but not limited to moving things around on the counters to make room for my birthday present from John.  He got me an air fryer.  I am hoping to make things like taquitos and sweet potato fries.  There are just so many things I miss on a low fat diet.  I also flipped a couple of cabinets around, no not the cabinets themselves, but the contents.  Some things went to the trash. Other things made it to the Goodwill box.  I hope that the countertop will give good visual clues as to where things have moved.  

I also finished up plying the yarn left on 4 bobbins from Tour de Fleece 2021.  The art yarn all looks good.  Tomorrow I will skein it. Wash and thwack the yarn before I leave it in the garage to dry.  

Maybe the above activities will inspire me to get more projects finished.  Speaking of projects, I really need someone to remind me to call Vicky about ordering a new drive band for my Louet Victoria.  Who is going to volunteer.  It is for the large plying band.  I should also order a smaller drive band too. Also none of the above was on my to do list, so that was only half done today.  

See if you can spot one of today’s major kitchen changes.  From left to right our toaster, my beloved Kitchen Aide K-5 bought in 1977 as a present for myself, our tea set up and John’s MK.  The colorful squares on the counter are my hot pads from Trader Joe’s.

It's an Open Secret

 I have decided that John needs some new towels for Father's Day. First I checked out the mall and found nothing. Then after searching the internet for a couple of hours and finding nothing, I went to Costco.com and found just about the same ones we bought years ago from our local Costco. So the open secret is John is getting 2 new towels for Father's Day. Yes. he already knows that they will not be delivered until after Father's Day.

Just in case you need any new towels here is the link, Turkish Bath Sheets. I am not getting any commission off this link. I just thought that they were good towels. The price might be higher for non Costco members. 

By the way, I noticed a new feature at the nearly empty mall. The mall now includes armed Tucson Police Offices in Tactical Vest. I know its suppose to reassure me that things are safe. I have to tell you it had the opposite effect.  I mean the officer was friendly enough, but still....

In other news, John taught me about right clicking on the mouse for spelling corrections. This is my new skill of the week. 

My Sjogren's is still kicking my behind this week. So I have been super tired. It's got to get better soon.  

It’s Summer Hot

 Today was a hot day in the Old Pueblo. So we took it easy.  A little picking up, knitting and spinning.  John brought in dinner so we did not have to heat up the house.  My body needed a quite day.  

The Real Reason

 The picture below is the real reason we went to Flagstaff for vacation.  I would like everyone to know that I showed great restraint in my purchases.  I really, really did. I could have bought so much more.  Knowing full well that I could have filled 3 or 4 booths with my stash alone.  So here is my list.  

1. A small Takai Spindle and bowl from  The Natural Twist in Albuquerque,New Mexico 

2. Hand-Dyed Fiber by Kimberly Perkins of Colorado. A pack of minis and a skein to go with for a shawl.  You can find her at yarngalleryonline.com

3. Some Hematite balls from a shop near a restaurant we ate at.  I might need some squares or rectangles to properly play with them.  

4. Some lovely comb covers by Mrs. Aragon, mother of Artie Aragon who made the weaving needles.  From Dine Weaving Textile & Looms  From Farmington, New Mexico 

The whole lot fit neatly into one bag.  

Vacation Part 1

We were to busy having fun to take many pictures. We took more on our second part in Sedona Arizona.  This was our first vacation since the end of 2019.   I lost 5.5 pounds because I was limited to outdoor dining, low fat and carbohydrates meals. I hope that I can keep the trend going.  We also walked an awful lot.  No days of less than 10,000 steps.  

Vacation

 

My Learning Curve

 I needed to develope a new learning curve for knitting. I am taking a multi facetted approach. The first thing I did was figure out how I was holding my knitting needles. It turns out I was holding them too close to my body. So I am learning to hold my knitting further away from my body. This has changed a couple of things like muscle memory for one. I am now prone to make more mistakes and can not knit with my eyes closed when I am tired. 

Which brings up the second change which is a major one for me. I stop knitting when my hands or arm gets tired. This means I have less knitting time on bad body days. I used to do more knitting on bad body days to keep my mind occupied.  Now I read more or listen to books on tape. I am actually watching television during the day. This is something I reserved for sick days in the past. 

I am also doing more things with my left hand. I am teaching myself knitting with my left hand for starters. I am practicing coloring with my left hand and then onto writing which I have not done much of since 3rd grade when my teacher did not let us use our left hands at school.  

No my arm is not totally healed by these changes. My right hand is more useful. I am dropping less things. My right hand is not in as much pain. Less pain is always good in. My humble opinion.  

I know that there will be other changes along the way. I need to learn to live within the limits of my body instead of pushing my body to live beyond its limits.  I still push it a little, but not like i use to.  

A Successful Version

 My fingerless mitten version 2.0 is a complete success. I will be knitting up the 1st mitten starting tomorrow. You know I always knit the second mitten 1st. That way the second mitten always gets knit up. With any luck I should publish this pattern before the end of the month so that you can start your holiday knitting. This will make a great gift and you can get 1 1/2 pair per 100 gram ball of worsted weight yarn.  

Then I will pick another color and knit Another pair for myself. They are really comfortable and the yarn is really great. I use them for sleeping to keep my hands warm at night. And also other things. I find fingerless mittens so useful. I also don’t have to take them off to use my iPad.  

A BBD

 My body and I are not on very good terms today.  The only major accomplishment was that I got my 5,000 steps today. I am hoping for a better day tomorrow.  

My Appoitment Was A Bust

 I made an appointment at the app;low store in La Encantanda to get my battery replaced.  They were out of stock. I guess John was lucky when he got his replaced. This was not the only item that they were out of stock on this week. John went to go buy a new IPad and they were out of stock on those too. You need to preorder any iPad and some other items and then you can go in and pick them up. 

We as a world are still working through supply chain issues caused by Covid-19. Since we are still having break outs of Covid-19 variants I personally think it will be a year or 2 before we get back to some semblance of normal. In the mean time please be kind to the store personal, they are just as frustrated as you are but have to deal with it hundreds of times a weeek.  

So I am taking this time to finish up Version 2.0 of my Fingerless Mitten. Then do some spinning.  My version of lemonade.