Finally Finished

 Well finally finished applies to 2 projects. First is the remodel of the craft room. We just moved a whole lot of stuff around. I also got rid of some stuff. From where my rocking chair sits, I can not even see the store room supplies.  I also reorganized the supply shelf’s and found room for some craft supplies.  

The next blanket is finished. However, by the time it dried there was not enough light for a good picture.  So that will happen tomorrow.  I am also going stash diving tomorrow to see if I have a few skeins of a certain shade of blue for the current blanket. If I don’t have any more, I will just mix up the colors some more.  

Spring Cleaning and more...

 I spent part of the last 2 days doing spring cleaning. I decided to tackle the storage room.  I started by emptying the big storage shelf. Then I had John help me move it to a different place. That involved unscrewing one bookcase from the wall and moving it 1 inch to the left. Thank goodness I did not have to empty the bookcase too.  

Today I started out cleaning and organizing the kitchen pantry. I do this every spring. I toss the expired food.  Put the still good but what was I thinking to a box to rehome when I am finally finished.  Then I started loading the shelf in the soon to be partially recovered craft room.  

This afternoon I listened to Hillybilly Eldgy by J.D. Vance while I finished the 3 rd charity blanket of the year.  I will photograph the blanket after it is washed tomorrow.  I got the center square done on the next blanket.  I am on a slow roll here.  

Blankets and More

 I have 6 more blankets to knit unless I have too much yarn left over and then it will be anyone guess.  I basically have 2 large tote bags full of yarn for blankets with 4 partially completed blankets inside. Plus 2 more that I had inherited, one with no additional yarn and 1 with about half the yarn I need to finish it up. I am of course stash diving. 

I really want to buy more yarn. I just can’t until I have completed a whole lot of projects.  So every project finished and every skein of yarn used up, I am closer to being able to go out and buy new yarn.  

As for the craft room that was turned into a storage room, John think he can rearrange the room so I don’t have to look at all the storage stuff. This happened after he heard me dragging my rocking chair to another room.  The chair is just to big and bulky for me to lift.  

I also started listening to a new book today. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. I have finished 9% of the book and I don’t want to put it down.  Mr.Vance is an excellent story teller.  I can’t wait to listen to more as I knit tomorrow.  

A Sad Anniversary

 Today March 10, is the one year anniversary of the last time we ate out.  I have not been in a grocery store for a few days longer.  My much anticipated craft room has turn into storage and a quarantine area.  It is not comfortable to sit in my favorite rocker and knit. I no longer spin in there either. 

All I seem to do is figure out where to order in our supplies from. Clean house. Do laundry. Cook. Knit hats and now blankets.  Yes, I did have a yarn stash built for the proverbial pandemic. I am making small dents in it. Every 2 hats is about 2 skeins gone, I have knit 20 hats so far this year. Now blankets use a lot more yarn between 5 and 10 skeins per blanket.  I am trying to use up bits and pieces so hopefully a bit more yarn is gone.  The shawl I made used about 15 skeins. So I have used about 45 skeins so far this year. It is all going to be delivered to charity sometime this year. My goal is lots of empty boxes and bags of yarn and more boxes and bags of finished knitted items.  

I still feel very useless. As if life said I am making you redundant.  The sense of isolation is getting worse. Even when fully vaccinated I fear we will still be quiet limited in what we can really do. This is not how I planned to spend my retirement. I have not felt this alone and isolated since Eric died.  

So I try to get dressed nicely every day. Although this to is getting harder since I have dropped about 3 dress sizes this year. I am really tired of wearing shifts and skirts that have ties so I can take them in without sewing. My Goodwill box is getting fuller again. I am also slowing down in the speed at which I get things done.  Chores seem to be done in spurts.  

To plan John’s special dinner tonight, it involved shopping at 3 different stores and planning out delivery times. I also had to pray that between the 3 stores I could get everything I needed.  2 stores were out of bananas and tomatoes. I play grocery roulette every week.  Some weeks I am lucky, some weeks not so much. 

I guess this is a very long winded way of saying that I am tired and stressed out by COVID19.  I am tired of seeing people acting dumb.  I need to be around more creative people. I need to chat with friends.  

I know a lot of this sounds positive, but I don’t feel positive about it.  I am not really doing anything worth while. I really need my old life back.  

Finished

 Need I say more about the 100% cotton charity blanket?  Yes, I am working on the next 2. I am not sure what will be finished first.  

The Next Blanket

 I finally finished the next blanket tonight.  Tomorrow it will get washed, dried and bagged.  

Blankets on My Mind

 I am currently working on three different blankets at different stages of completion.  The closest one to being finished is one that came with 3 different sized 8 inch blocks.  One would think that 8inch blocks would be a standard size, but not in this case. So I made three 36 inch strips and am in the process of sewing them together.  Then I will add a broader. 

The second blanket is by my computer.  I work on this one when I am working with students.  I also have a scarf that is almost finished that I work on while taking classes.  

The third blanket is going to be a modified log cabin block blanket.  I started the center with 2 patterned blocks.  I will just add more yarn on each side turning it as I go. I started this tonight while watching television.  I do not have to keep track of anything. The first color addition is almost done,   When this blanket is done I might have a basket back.  

Hopefully I will finish at least one blanket this weekend.