Just Maybe Catching Up

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

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

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

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

Sunday

I might be over the cold, but the I am still extremely tired.  I really feel that I lost a week do to the cold.  I am so far out of sync that I think I will need a week or 2 to get back in sync. Eric is still making lot of laundry. Eric is doing pretty good this week.  I stopped after 6 loads today, and did not get through all the laundry.  

Thankfully I received a phone call today to remind  me about a meeting this week.  I thought it was next week. I really did lose a week.  So I took an hour to get ready for the meeting.   I even managed to get the Adgenda typed up on my iPad.  I have not figured out how to email it out from the program.   Although I did manage to get it to print.  I went 1 step further and loaded the car tonight to make the morning go more smoothly.  

In between naps I finished knitting the scarf that I started last night.  I also wove about 8 inches on the scarf on the loom.  I might even get the scarf off the loom this week.  Then the rag rugs will start on the 19 inch loom and a scarf on the 10 inch loom.   I will try to catch up,on knitting hats, I only have 18 out of the 60 hats completed. 

Well it is time to get Eric ready for bed.  Maybe we can skip the 3 am kicking off the covers tonight.   

Spring Cleaning

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

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

Hanging Out With Eric

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

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

Feeling Better

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

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

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

60 Hats

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

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

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

The Day of a Sick Mom

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

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

2.  Start Roomba off in any given room.  

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

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

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

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

7.  Pick up Eric from his day program. 

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

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

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

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

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