Post Surgery News

 I am getting excited. The stitches come out tomorrow.   Then I can work on some physical therapy to regain full use of my hand and hopefully get rid of the pain.  

I can also use some really big knitting needles to start knitting again.  I make it a point not to knit with stitches in my hand.  I have not been told not to, but all I think about is ouch.  I have 3 projects started that were interrupted by the last round of surgery.  Then maybe I can start knitting the knit along project that I was supposed to start in January and be finished in 8 weeks.  I was to sore and bummed out to go to the last 2 zoom classes.  I really felt like my hand had let me down.  

Shopping Again

 It was time to go shopping for smaller pants again today.  I landed up with 1 pair on sale and a new solid side  drop spindle bag.  No dress pants though, because they actually felt like I was crawling into plastic.  We as the human race need to start going back to natural fibers.  It is better for the environment and people too.  I guess I will go out next week to look for more.  Since I am down to losing a pound a week this current set of pants lasted 10 weeks.  I hate shopping for new clothing so often. When the clothes get too big I have no choice. 

I think I am finally getting the hang of the e spinner.  It is getting less frustrating.  I can still spin better on a drop spindle and double treadle wheel.  I should have lots of interesting yarn for handwoven projects.  

Losing It

 I lost 4 more pounds last month.  They tell me it’s perfectly normal and healthy for my weight loss to slow down after hitting the 20% mark.  I am just the impatient type and want things to go faster. This being said I will hold my course. 

In another area, I sat down with my Ashford E-Spinner3 this afternoon. I have to say from my personal perspective that it is much faster to spin yarn on a drop spindle than the e-spinner.  It took 2 solid hours to spin the yarn below.  I also don’t think that the yarn quality is better than a drop spindle or my double treadle spinning wheels.  I still am not sure what the hype is about.  I have made a personal commitment to spin 2, 4 ounce (100 grams) of a wool silk blend rovings that just happened to be with in reach. Then I will ply them.  Wish me luck. 

My personal favorite drop spindles come from Tom Golding, Krudent ( no longer available as new), Forester ( no longer available as new), Bosworth, Sherpard’s Woodworks, Gnomewood Creations, Akerworks and the ones my husband prints on his 3D printer that are only available at Grandmas Spinning Wheel in Tucson Az.  There are a wide variety of drop spindles in a wide array of price points and materials used. For a wide range of spinning options.  The lighter the drop spindle the finer the yarn will be. A 15 gram drop spindle will get you cobweb or very fine lace weight. A 1 to 2 ounce should get you around a worsted weight yarn. I use my heavier spindles for plying the yarn. 

What I Hate Right Now

 I can say with all honesty that I am tired of stitches in my hand and COVID19.  Both have put a big crimp in my life for different reasons.  At least the stitches come out on Monday for the second time in 2023 and it’s only February.  At the end of the day the stitches have a purpose.  My hand will function better.  COVID19 does not and will still keep me from having a fun retirement.  Keep me dining outside.  Not letting me go to fun indoor events.  

I thought retirement was supposed to be the best time in my life.  I think people lied to me so that I would work hard when I was younger.  Yes, I had a bad day.  

One Project Finally Finished

 The bookcase in the den is finally finished.  Even dusted.  Before you ask the cookbooks are not in any order. It still shows that I am missing one of Julia Childs cookbooks.  The cookbooks are not organized in any way. Not by region, country or regional style. They would not pass the library test.  

What it is about is being dusted. No books stacked on top of others.  Junk removed.  Parts of audio books tossed if the other parts could not be found.  In general neater.  

That being said the fiber arts books are organized.  John’s shelf was camera shy.  

3 More

 3 more shelves were completely reorganized today.  I also made a Bookman’s run today. I got enough store credit to get 4 pairs of socks for charity, 1 pair of socks for me and a new to me Wii Fit game.  

I also managed to make the main course of dinner using only my left hand.  Well except for the spices.  We both enjoyed a rare bit of home cooking.  We even have enough for tomorrow too. It was a turkey breast.  I put it in a cold oven. Then put the lid on and closed the oven door.  Only then did I turn on the oven.

I can’t wait to get the stitches out next week so I can start physical therapy at home.  Unfortunately I know all the exercises.  By that time most of the book cases should be finished.  Then it’s counter time again.  When I am tired I just put things on the counter instead of going the extra mile and putting things away.  

A Good Day

 I am starting to feel human again after my hand surgery on Friday.  I was a little more active today.

I did some very light deep organizing.  I filled 2 bags with books for Goodwill and 1 bag for recycling.  By the way I am now at 3 bags of books leaving the house with a few more places to go through this week.  Since Goodwill will no longer get the things out of the car John will take the Goodwill load in.  

I was able to do a very little bit of spinning on a small Turkish spindle.  I am very anxious to start creating again, however, I will take it very slowly until the stitches come out.  

John went with me for the fruit and vegetable run.  It went very smoothly.  

Weekend Shopping

 I think unless I can go very, very early.  I will try to avoid shopping at Target on weekend afternoons.  I did not mind the people.  What I did not like was a store full of dogs that were not service animals.  I know this because service animals have special vests.  Not one service animal vest in sight.  Also service animals are trained not to go up to people unless their person needs help.  There were puppies and some  dogs the size of small sheep or horses.  Going up to people wanting to be played with or petted. I am not sure what would have happened to my hand if I did not change my route because some of the larger dogs were jumping up on people or nudging them for attention. I am not sure who was needier the dogs or the owners. The city of Tucson and Pima County provide dog parks for the dogs and their owners to socialize.  I personally don’t play with dogs I don’t know. Also having dogs romp throughout the store including the grocery area does not seem like the best idea in the world to me.  I am wondering if that poses a health code violation because of the produce left in open bins and tables. 

There is nothing wrong with having pets.  I think at certain times of life they are great.  That being said, pets do not belong in the grocery store or restaurants for that matter.  Pets need to be left at home for certain activities. 

Also I do not like the attitude of the cashiers towards reusable shopping bags. I keep mine clean. One that I used today was older the the young lady who checked me out.  After I had paid for my groceries, she looked in the bags to see if I was trying to steal something then simply dumped my groceries and bags at the end of the checkout and went on to checkout and bag the items from the next customer because they were using Target’s plastic bags.  This leads to the following question. Target why do you even sell canvas bags if you check out staff refuse to use them.  Do you as a corporation even care about the world you are leaving to your children and grandchildren?

These opinions are my own. They reflect my shopping experience today.  My hand 1 day post hand surgery was not up to the task of bagging my own groceries.  That is why I choose to use a cashier instead of self checkout.  I guess the joke was on me today.  

Surgery #2

 It’s hard to type so here’s today’s picture.  Not fully recovered from surgery #1. Here we go again. 

Snow

 It snowed at the house last night.  This is what is left at breakfast today.  It’s a big deal for us in the desert southwest.  We don’t get it often.  Yes that is on the Barbecue.  Might be 1/8 of an inch.  

8 Feet

 I cleaned out 8 feet of shelf space today.  It is in the back of my car for drop off tomorrow.  John has really enjoyed this unique Valentines Day Gift. There is more work to do but the back of my car is full again with tomorrow’s charity donation.  

Hopefully my right hand will be functioning shortly.  I am getting tired of mass cleaning. I don’t know what else to do when knitting, spinning and weaving are very limited and make my hand sore.  

Valentines Day

 As I was doing more cleaning out of clutter. Clutter defined as things we no longer need or use, I admit I was thinking about tomorrow. Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. The restaurants are crowded and it might be a little too cold for outdoor dining, winter slammed into Southern Arizona with a huge cold blast.  As usual the Road to Mount Lemmon is closed because of snow and ice.  We had rain at our house.  We missed the hail and snow.  

We are in need of nothing.  So there was no need to rack my brain for what to buy.  I might buy some strawberries to go with dinner.  

So I started thinking, what if I filled my car with things that will leave the house permanently.  With everything going to Goodwill.  I can give John the gift of less clutter and more organized space around the house.  I told John about this and he is fine with the idea.  By the way I filled 2 more boxes today.  

We will go out and celebrate this weekend when it is supposed to get warmer.  

What is everyone else doing tomorrow?

Knitting Magazines

 I wish that I had discovered sooner in my knitting career that I don’t like to knit fussy knitting projects.  I am almost at the end of going through 8 feet of knitting magazines. I am honestly keeping less than half.  I am afraid that I many have more than one copy of some magazines, because friends gave them to me saying that I would look cute in a certain creation.  With the very odd hours and long days spent taking care of my wonderful children, husband, elderly family members, volunteering in the community and running a house I did not have the leftover brain power for anything fancy.  Sleeping was a luxury back then.  

Now that I have the time.  My hands are tired and wonky.  I don’t knit socks anymore.  I really don’t use small knitting needles much anymore except to get knots out of yarn.  I am also changing sizes so often that once I finish one part of a big project it will be to big for me.  I have a couple of sweaters on the back burner when my body gets to the size it wants to be.  

So for now it is shawls for me in smaller sizes. Spinning yarn on drop spindles.  Scarfs and hats for charity projects for kids once I can manage smaller knitting needles.  We find out about the next hand surgery this week.  Then it is physical therapy at home and gradually starting knitting again with lots of breaks.  

By the way, if you are looking for an older knitting, crochet or spinning magazine just ask. I might have it.  They are going for 50% off the list price except for the ones that sold for less than $5.00 from so last century which go for the original sale price. Yes I even have some of those.

Surprisingly, once the space is cleared and a bit of reorganization later the space is filled.  Things are looking neater every day.  

On Strike

 The washing machine went on strike today. At least I am mostly caught up on laundry.  I can still go to the laundromat or do a few loads of hand washing as necessary.  This is my personal experience. I don’t believe that LG is a reliable brand like Whirlpool.  The LG seems to break down every 2 years or so.  I think they need to work on reliability instead of how often can we make this washing machine break so people will buy more of them.  I even bet they don’t have a plan to recycle old parts or machines.

In other news 7 books are leaving the house on Monday.  I listed 6 inches of magazines and store bought patterns today.  I have 6 more inches of magazines to list.  I also found 2 more boxes of magazines to go through. That currently leaves over 40 books and magazines to browse through on my Ravelry book destash page.  I also have a bit of yarn listed on my yarn destash page.  After that I think it’s time to go through all of Eric’s CD’s.  If Bookman’s will not take them they will go to Goodwill.  

The more that is leaving the house the neater everything is getting.  

I also mentioned that our little free neighborhood library was nearly empty. So I like a bunch of other neighbors dropped off a few books.  

Busy

 I was on a roll this afternoon.  I managed to free up a lot of shelf space. I am dropping a few books off at our little free library this weekend. I listed more books on my Ravelry library destash page.  I have about a foot stacked of magazines and books to list tomorrow. I am also organizing by craft and author. This has lead to finding a few duplicates in my collection.  Not a good thing.  I know after this wild first cut that I will be able to winnow my collection down some more.  I also have sock knitting DVDs that I will try to list somewhere, as my hands no longer like smaller knitting needles. 

I will be going through all my cd’s this weekend. If Bookman’s no longer takes them they will be going to Goodwill.  

I think all this extra energy is coming from losing a bunch of weight.  

A Free Shawl Pattern.

 I actually started a simple shawl for my self today.  It’s a bit modified from a wash cloth pattern. I am knitting it on U.S. size 11 knitting needles. Using some Eco Cloud by Cascade Yarns.  Yes, this was the problem yarn of a few weeks ago.  I spent about an hour doing sewn together European joins formally called Russian joins.  I have not finished the joins, however I did join most of the smaller pieces.  

This is meant to be a very relaxing knit.

Sheri’s Simple Shawl

4 skeins of Eco Cloud by Cascade or any yarn from your stash that is 164 yards per 3.5 ounces or 150 meters per 100 grams.

U.S. Size 11 knitting needles with at least a 36 inch cable.

A darning needle to weave in the ends  

Cast on 20 stitches in your preferred method.  

Rows 1 and 2. Knit Across.

Row 3 and all rows except the bind off row. Knit unit you have 1 stitch remaining, yarn over, knit 1.  

When you have 4 times the last knit row do a loose bind off.

This will give you a nice subtle edge.  

Pictures to follow.  Please share the link to my pattern with your friends rather than photocopying the pattern. You many not give this pattern away with a yarn purchase, you must give the link.  I will give you the total number of rows later as I just started this today.  

I Figured It Out

 I figured out why I was in pain and cranky. A lovely little tendonitis flare up in both hands and one ankle. The solution was simple. Both hand braces and an ankle brace.  A lot of sleep. And I feel a little bit better. I will brace my hand’s again tonight.  

I listed a whole bunch of weaving books on my Ravelry books for sale page.  I might have just sold a few this evening.  Wish me luck.  Also more shelves of books to go through.  

TTFN

I made it through the day.

 The arthritis won today.  

Progress

 This is progress at a snail’s pace.  I started spinning this beautiful Masham dyed by Indigodragonfly before COVID19 when I was still teaching drop spinning.  I found it during the organizing of spinning baskets.  I decided it must be finished.  I spun it on 5 different drop spindles of the same weight by 3 different spindle makers.  Today I finally finished the first spin.  

Now to get it off the spindles to ply the 5 skeins.   

The spindles from left to right: 2 Foresters, 1 made by a midwestern maker, 2 Kurdants

Fly on the Wall

 This afternoon we went to a “juried” art show.  It was interesting to see what was actually acceptable to the group.  Since it was billed as a “Fine Arts Show” I personally expected something a little more upscale.  About 50 percent were truly artistic and had really nice work. Really one of a kind pieces with thoughtful consideration in to what and how the items were made.  

Then there was the “artist” who went to sip and paint workshops.  I say this because they all have a certain style to them.  A customer was trying to get his motivation behind the paintings.  They reply of it just came to me did not quite cut it with the potential buyer. The potential buyer started asking more in depth questions.  The “artist” was out of his depth and could only come up with it came to me.  In my humble opinion this did not reflect well on anyone.  There is always a plan for a project.  A note on a scrap of paper. A crude drawing. A photograph. A note on the phone.  Colors that are calling to you.  Unless of course you just like throwing buckets of paint on a very large canvas and call it modern art.  

Then there were the jewelry “designers” who bought partially pre made beads and added an earring fish hook.  I find it amazing that someone can do so little work and call it original.  Spend maybe fifty cents on parts and sell it for $45.00 or more.  I guess it’s what the market will bare. This takes away from the actual jewelry artist who hand craft each piece..often working for less per hour, but making beautiful one of a kind pieces.  

On the way out I over heard a buyer telling her shopping companion that she did not particularly need more jewelry.  Was not that fond of the piece. Here comes the, But the artist was nice and needed the money.  I will just give it away later.  No one has to know.  Really.  I just don’t know what to say   

I find it amazing what a group will do to fill its coffers. To string people along both the artists and the buyers.   They have to do better.  

On the bright side it was a nice day to walk around an outdoor mall.  

Out and About

 We got out today.  We headed down to the Kino Sports Complex for a Tucson Gem and Mineral event.  I did get 2 shorter silver chains for 2 pieces that John got for me on our last vacation.  I also found a little mounted stone to make into a stitch marker.  

What I did not find were any great deals like in the past.  Charms that used to go for 5 or 10 dollars a scoop of about 20 were at the low end $1.00 a piece today.  Thank you big oil for raising the shipping costs, thus the overall cost of everything.  

We found a new out door lunch spot. Seis on River Road off of Campbell.  They had a salad called a Rustic. I then added some squash and chicken.  I of course left off the salad dressing.  I could eat that salad a few times a week.  

*Edited to correct the restaurants name   

Something Different

 I am trying something different to try to change my perspective on life. I bought a journal today at Target, actually 2. I just could not decide which I liked better.  My goal before bed is to write down something positive that happened on that day.  I got the first entry in.  No, I will not be sharing most of them.  

I have got to climb out of my COVID19 burn out.  I have got to work my way safely out of isolation.  Maybe with an outdoor knitting or spinning group.  Unless the looms are smaller, it might be hard for outdoor weaving.  Even the smallest looms can be awkward to carry around.   Maybe just going to the park to knit or spin with a drop spindle might be in order.  

I am working on getting healthier and more active.  To be totally honest I don’t make my walking goal every day.  I came really close today, even adding a loop around Target before shopping today.  Although I did skip my favorite Starbucks tea and replaced it with a tangerine and cashews. They are about the same number of calories, but nutritionally the tangerine and cashews were a better choice.  No processed foods of any kind involved.  Everything in my life is about baby steps right now.  

Shopping Smaller

 Has anyone else ever noticed that when clothing goes on sale they always have many more options in the size you are not looking for? Yes, it was shopping for smaller size pants today.  So far it has seemed to hold that for every 5 percent weight loss from my original weight, I go down 1 pant size.  At least tops and dresses are much more flexible in sizes, so they get replaced less often.  Usually after about a 10% loss.

I guess I expected something a little different when I hit the 20% weight loss.  I was really not envisioning trudging through 2 different malls across town from each other trying on loads of pants and only coming home with 3 new pairs. Which means that I will be wearing more of my dresses and washing dark dress clothes more often.  In addition to being tired, sore and hungry.  

Let’s me explain the hungry part.  I no longer eat fast food.  That leaves out the mall food court.  In addition to that, I still do not eat indoors.  I always wear my mask inside.  I have yet to figure out a system where I can eat with my mask on.   So it was a quick packet of peanut butter and ice water in the car before I went shopping for dinner.  Yes, I keep a few packets of peanut butter in my purse for things like today.  Then it was home for a very late lunch.    

Tomorrow is almost here so TTFN. 

If you want to know my origins of TTFN you will just have to read When WeWere Very Young by A.A. Milne. A Fun fact. On January 1, 2022 the  original Winnie-the-Pooh series entered Public Domain.  Although Disney still holds rights to its versions of Winnie-the-Pooh.  

20 Percent

 This week I hit a milestone stone in my weight loss journey.  Since January of 2022 I have lost 20 percent of my total body weight.  My reward is going out to buy smaller pants.  I have also eliminated a lot of medication and cut the amount in half for 2 others.  

They say the first 20 percent is the easiest.  I still have more work to do.  Let’s see where I am next January.  

I am following the book “A Pound of Cure” available on Amazon.  I will not get a commission on any books sold. I just like the theory behind the lifestyle changes.  Please consult your medical professional if you want to follow this program.  Not every program is right for everyone.  

TTFN

The Award Goes To…

 The Award for Lack Luster Quality Control in a Mid Range yarn goes to Cascades Yarns, Eco Cloud.  For a mid range yarn going for $14.95 a skein when I bought it. I give this award in the spirit of everyone gets awards for everything now a days.  

Please note the store I bought it from is no longer in business.

 With a 75% failure rate. I bought 4 skeins for a shawl.  Only 1 skein had no breakage. It was stored in a plastic tub. There are no pets in my home. 

Let’s be clear about something up front.  The yarn industry standards allow for up to 5 knots per skein.  I only had 1 knot in the 4 skeins. Which is very good.  It exceeds industry standards. I am not sure of the industry standard for the number of loose strands of yarn allowed per skein.  I will have to look that up someday when I am not so frustrated. In my small sample it ranged from zero to 4. As seen in the picture below. 

This yarn gave my squirrel cage a hard time today. I have never seen yarn knot in the middle with my squirrel cage. I have never seen so many loose ends in a single project worth of yarn.  There should have been a total of 8 ends, instead ther were 26. Yikes. That averages out to 3 separate pieces per skein.  I even had pieces of yarn fall to the floor. I sure hope it knits better than it caked up.

I will spend a lot of time doing European joins so that I have less ends to weave in.  

Please be aware that this is my opinion of the yarn. I bought the yarn because it’s so soft and natural. If you have had a better experience with Cascades Yarns, Echo Clouds please be sure to tell them.

Getting Scrappy

 After a busy day of organizing yet again.  Some day I will finally be organized, I hope.  Then listing things no longer needed on eBay, Raverly, Facebook and Instagram.  Then selling and packing the boat shuttles that I just listed. It was time to listen to a book and knit.  I am currently listening to Glass Houses by Louise Penny. I am not listening to the books in order from the library, I just get them when I can.  They are very good books. There is also a Television series on Amazon Prime called Three Pines which I highly recommend.  

You know if you have been reading my blog for a while that I am obsessed with knitting The Stash Dive Scarf by Summer Lee Designs.  So I have mid sized basket of smaller skeins and bits.  Single skeins too. Since I am using 2 strands of yarn I am making the newest one as colorful as possible by blending colors.  Letting one yarn go through several smaller colors.  The central portion of the scarf will be longer color ways.  The ends will be very colorful to say the least.  This is from the last 2 days of knitting.  I think I am going to break it down into 2, 24 inch segments at the beginning and end with the center section being 26 inches.  These are more or less measurements depending on the yarn in my basket.  

Day 3

 I have been knitting for 3 days now. Not more than an hour a day.  Just what am I going to do with the other 23 hours? Just kidding, I am starting more projects around the house that have been neglected. I am using U.S. size 11 knitting needles to make it easier on my hand.  I have some fabulously soft 100% cotton yarn that I am using.  This is the start of my holiday knitting for charity this year.  Yes, I knit all year long to make sure as many kids as possible get gifts. 

As you can see I am working on a broken rib pattern.  This is one of my favorites to knit.  It takes a little counting so it is not boring.  If you would like to knit along with me, just cast on in multiples of 4 plus 1 extra stitch at the end of the row.  Then it’s knit 2 Purl 2 across the row ending with a knit 1.  Repeat this row until you have the desired length or run out of yarn if length is not that important. Cast off in the pattern for a nicer looking finished piece.  Use the knitting needle sized for your yarn. If you are a loose knitter go down one needle size. If you are a tight knitter go up one needle size.

If you knit this scarf for Operation Gratitude it should be 4 to 6 inches wide and be 48 to 50 inches long.  It should be made of nice washable yarn.  If you do use super wash wool, please label its wool content. Also include a small card say that you made this for them and appreciate their service.  You can get the mailing address off the web.  

Yes this is really 3 days of knitting for me. I am starting off really slow.  Really, really slowly. It should take about 7 to 10 days to finish.  I am using knitting as part of my physical therapy for my hand.  This scarf is going to the Flowing Wells SD Clothing Bank. 

A Rest Day

 Do to yesterday’s over use of my right hand it was a rest day.  It was also very cold by Tucson standards so we decided not to go out to lunch in 50f weather.  We still only do outdoor dining and I thought it was a little too cold, even with a heavy coat, mittens and a blanket for my lap.  We did wait until it warmed up this afternoon to the mid 50’s to dash out and resupply my fresh fruit and vegetables.  It’s supposed to be even colder tomorrow, with a chance of snow depending on where you live.

Even my small looms have not been warped. I was voted down 2 to 1 on starting a weaving project. Knitting will have to wait until I can hold a U.S. size 19 knitting needle in my right hand.  Spinning is going very slowly.  

Basically I am bored out of my mind and in pain.  Not a very good combination.  I am trying to keep an even keel, but I don’t think that I am succeeding in the effort.  

TTFN

Over Done

 I over did my hand before lunch. I guess I am not up to hanging a full to the top load of wet laundry.  Nothing else got done today.  

Right on Schedule

 My recovery from this latest round of hand surgery is right on schedule.  It is always slower than I want.  I am doing the usual post surgery hand therapy several times a day.  Now that the stitches have healed, I am also working on minimizing the scar tissue. 

I am at the stage where I have big plans for the day.  These plans go as scheduled until my hand gets tired, sore or both.  That usually means stopping progress dead in its tracks for a rest until my hand feels better.  John and I used team work to make an awesome turkey chili for dinner.  I love how the onion is cut in perfect squares.  He is also on opening cans and bottles right now.  The best part is we only made 1/2 a pot so it’s a 2 night meal.  

I also managed to wash and fold almost 2 loads of laundry and get it put away. I say almost because I ran out of bend in my hand to finish folding the socks.  I put off load 3 until tomorrow. 

Tomorrow I plan on warping the loom before every chore but starting laundry.  If I wait until I finish my chores, my hand is too tired for precision work.  That way if my hand is too tired to spin, I can always weave while watching television.  

Ready for Wednesday

 My hatchback and back seat are loaded with fiber and yarn to give away tomorrow at knitting guild.  There is not any room to put anything else but my purse and drop spinning for tomorrow.  Everyone knows that it is coming.  It seems to me I go through this cycle a lot.  Like every time I have hand surgery.  Yes, I seem to have a lot of hand surgery.  I seem to get more realistic as to what my hands will be able to to. Thank goodness I did not choose Pottery.  So I send it off to people who will enjoy it.  

The antibiotic is really kicking me in the behind really well. Instead of warping my loom I rested most of the day.  Since my Thursday has been rearranged I guess I will try then.  

TTFN

A Little Progress

 The stitches came out today. My hand is still sore. No schedule date for the next finger.  No knitting for a while yet.  So tomorrow I will warp a loom with a 12 dent heddle. Take some Cascade lace weight yarn and weave myself a shawl.  I have a truly awesome idea in my head. It will be a one of a kind creation.

I also listed several books and magazines on Ravelry for sale in the Destash and ISO Library group.  I will add more. All books are 1/2 the retail price plus postage.  Other things will be added when I take their pictures.  

Not to Plan

 The day did not going according to my plan.  I got up early to go to an out doors artist market and museum activity.  By the time I was finished with breakfast, it was raining. So on to plan B.  I went through my fiber closet and decided want I no longer wanted to spin.  This will be divided between two friends. The extra empty bags will go to the knitting guild. 

Well one thing lead to another and I decided to go through the rest of my inside yarn stash. The net result is more craft bags leaving the house for other people to knit charity projects.  One empty 36 quart tub. I also managed to get both larger suitcases in the cleaned out spot.  The smaller one is stashed in the larger one and tucked into the corner of my closet.  This took one thing off John’s to do list.  

Did I mention the best part yet? I guess not.  I will be having a stash down sale in different areas of Ravelry.  There will be books, weaving shuttles, 2 Turkish drop spindles, knitting kits and yarn.  Most will be priced to sell fast.  These are things not suitable for Bookman’s or Goodwill.  I hope to start listing things tomorrow.   My excuse for today is the antibiotic wiped me out.  After this morning’s cleaning spree and lunch I took a nap.  

Moving Forward

 I had the energy to do a mini cleaning spree this afternoon.  So I can say 4 storage tubs are gone. Well actually 3. One dropped and cracked and since it had no recycling number on it we threw it away.  So I guess it is actually 4. I have 2 more bags of quilting material, mostly kids fabric going to a friend who works with 3 different church quilting for charity groups.  Spinning fiber going to 2 friends.  Yarn going to a bunch of people.  Also 2 more boxes are ready to go to Goodwill.

It feels good to share. I want to get my projects down to a reasonable level. The arthritis in my hands is not getting better. So I will make the transition to work on only things that I want to do. Yes, I will still knit charity hats and scarfs because they bring me joy.  I get to create pretty things and send them into the world.  What could be more joyous than that?

I found a tub of yarn for my charity scarf project too.  Knitting will have to wait a bit longer though.  The stitches got infected.  I did go to the doctor and have to take antibiotics until the bottle is gone.  We caught it early before much harm was done.  My hand is a little more sore this afternoon.  

I am also going to de stash 2 more spindles.  These are pretty Turkish spindles in layered wood.  They are going to be looking for a new home too.  They have been lightly used. They are pretty and spin well.  They just don’t fit in to my herd anymore.  I just have to figure out where to sell them and determine the price.  

Life in Left

 I still have stitches in my right hand, in a very awkward place.  So if I forget and use my right hand I have quite the opposite of instant gratification.  Things like opening doors are really designed for right handed use. Things like brushing my teeth, I find that I tend to miss different spots unless I am very careful.  

Since I use both hands interchangeably this is usually not a problem.  I do notice that I am breaking more fingernails than usual on my left hand.  I still can’t try knitting until the stitches are out.  That is until round two this time.  So spinning it is for now.  

It is not a good thing that I have a small 3D printed Turkish spindle in a “me time” bag hanging from my purse.  I have one project on my knitting room table.  I have a full basket of half done projects for television watching time.  I think I am just as bad with spindles as I am with knitting needles. This means too many projects going on at once. I have managed to complete 3 spindles up until the point of needing to ply them. This is a plus.  I also have one less spinning basket. I put yarn for a knit along that starts this Saturday, what was I thinking? I will try to use my very limited daily spinning time to get as many done as possible. This means that more spindles will be leaving the herd soon.  I will not be able to ply, wash or thwack them until the stitches come out.  

*TTFN.  

Spinning Again

 I think the hand surgery went well on Friday. The compression bandage came off today.  I also started spinning old school today because I cannot knit until the stitches come out.  I will just keep filling spindles until the stitches come out.  I cannot ply or do much housework yet, but I can play and read.  

I have set up a basket to hold all the filled spindles until I can ply.  

Just Spinning

 Today was definitely a spinning day for me.  By the numbers. One bobbin skeined, washed and thwacked.   One very heavy bottom whorl spindles project was finished. I could not spin more than 6 inches before it stopped spinning or the weight was too much for the yarn.  I need to research this type of spindle more.  By the way the yarn was skeined, washed and thwacked.  One skein of cashmere was plyed, skeined, washed and thwacked.  

This evening I went on a spinning basket hunt.  I found 5.  Yes 5 spinning baskets.  One small basket was left with a project and multiple spindles. The other four baskets were brought to the den to empty and sort out.  I landed up with 2 empty baskets.  Then I went on a hunt for sampler roving and batts. I found 4 bags which were all put into a bigger empty basket.  My plan for this fiber is to pull out different colors that will go together and make one of a kind skeins of yarn.  My first one is yellow, pink and green. I should be amazing.  The fiber that is not spin able will go to do pillows.  Life is to short to spin crappy fiber.  I also landed up with 4 more empty bags.  

I also did more spinning to night. I have just a little more fiber to add to this before I ply it, skein it, wash it and thwack it   

The empty project bags better be careful or I might just fill them up with yarn and send them to new homes.  I am not kidding about this.  

The picture below is the heaviest of my drop spindles. I mentioned it in the first paragraph.  If you know anything about the maker or spinning on a spindle like this let me know.  

My New Hooks from Boye

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

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

Happy 2023

 I would like to start out by saying that I have not bought any new crafting supplies this year.  Today would have been a perfect day for on line shopping. I was having  a bad body day because of my stupid flare up.  I am not the biggest fan of arthritis.  I usually shop to make myself feel better.  No shopping was done. 

Instead I napped. Did two 20 minute cleaning sessions. I also found the time to work on three different projects. I did not complete anything. If I have the energy tomorrow, I will warp a loom for a scarf so that I don’t have to figure out where to store the yarn, this might involve more than 1 scarf.  I always have bags of hand made items for children that leave the house every so often.  I just love the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank. They find homes for everything that I make. 

Use more stuff up is going to be my motto for the year.  Also as I complete more projects, if I am not in love with the project bag it will be filled with yarn and given to other knitters at our monthly Old Pueblo Knitting Guild meetings.  If you live or visit Southern Arizona, this would be a great reason to join.  

No More Knitting…..

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

I plan on completing 50 projects for 2023.

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

More Zenning

 If it is all possible, I am doing more Zenning around the house. It’s a good way to end the year. I figured that the first day back from vacation was the best day to start.  At breakfast I made my to do list, which was not comprehensive.  I started with the den fireplace and removed all my spinning and weaving projects and supplies. Everything has a new home.  Even the skein of yarn that went to the Goodwill box  

This lead to needing more shelf space in the knitting room. So I went on a Sugar and Cream hunt. I almost filled a 32 quart box. I decided not to finish the 2 blankets in the bag so they went into dog pillow stuffing.   They were not even a complete block of a 9 block pattern.  Sometimes to move forward I need to let go of things that are not in the least bit useful.  I have learned that it is not necessary to keep or complete every project, or reuse the yarn.  I even put the knitting needles and accessories in their proper homes. 

I came up with an absolutely brilliant idea for a color combination for my next pounder scarf.  So I went on a hunt for black worsted weight yarn. The black combined with a very bright and bold variegated yarn will make a nice one of a kind scarf.  I will be winding additional skeins of black worsted weight yarn tomorrow. The scarfs after that will either be black and white or a scrappy scarf of many colors. I have the first 2 1/2 rows knit and I am in love with the combination of yarns.  I also finished one hat and another pounder scarf tonight. I call them pounders because each weighs in at at least 17 ounces. They are also 6 feet long, which is good for a cold climate.  Pictures are going to happen tomorrow. 

The most interesting part of the day was watching John.  When I finished cleaning up the fire place, he had to do more dusting and tie up the cables to make things look even better. He then went on to his own cleaning agenda.  I can’t wait to see where this leads us.  

Well my typing hand is getting really cranky so I will call an end to this post.

Done with Coasters for 2022

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

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

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

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

Every Yarn Knows What It Wants

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

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

Getting Dressed

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

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

My Hero

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

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

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

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

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

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

1.    Doing 45 minutes of physical therapy. 

                            or

2.     Trying on clothes for an hour or so. 

I am sore and tired after both. 

Weaving

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

Shopping Smaller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chunky Orange Cranberry Sauce

3 cups fresh cranberries rinsed

1 cinnamon stick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winding Yarn – Maybe?

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

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

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

More Coasters

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

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

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