UFO’s Progress

 Today I worked on 2 UFO’s.  One was a charity scarf for and older child. Once the scarf is 60 inches long it will be done.  That way it can be folded in half and worn in a stylish fashion. This should be done by the end of the weekend.  

The other is a poncho knit in linen with lots of lace.  I started it when Eric was in hospice.  I have learned that there are 2 things in knitting that don’t go together, lace work and hospice.  I finished the first side, it was something besides a rectangle that the pattern had called for. I had to  Tink* the first half. Today I finally found my rhythm, it only took 2 years and a quite room. I almost finished 1 pattern repeat.  A week or so of quite knitting time and it will be finished.  *Tink is knitting backwards, in other words ripping out the 1st half.

I also have to say that the photos look great  under the Ott light.  They came out nice and crisp.  Also my attempt to shrink the sweater was a total failure.  It shrank about 8 inches in length and not enough in the width.  I put it in charity.  I am done with it.  

UFO’s

 Well now that my knitting room is more put together I find myself looking for unfinished projects in bags, in the hiding place I put them. So from now until the end of the year I plan to finish as many of the projects as possible.  With the exception of charity hats which I knit when John is driving and charity scarfs that I knit when watching television, no new projects will be started.  I have started stacking the bags at the sides of the temporary work table and I don’t want to lose the table.  

This comes with a heads up. There is a good possibility of a lot of new knitting patterns that will be released next year.  I know of 2 without even looking in the bags.  

I have also figured out why some people only have on project bag for knitting   Am I headed that way? Don’t be silly, of course not. 

Wish me luck because I am so good at starting knitting projects, but so awful at finishing them. 

The Next Step

 This is my next step in my knitting room.  I now have a sturdy table and a new Ott light.  The Ott light even has 2 compartments for stitch markers, a total design for knitters.  I will be getting a different table so that I don’t have to pull the table out to get to my roll aways.  

It’s been a long time since I have had a hideaway for fiber crafts.  My spinning hideaway disappeared with   John using the front room for his 3D printing and a new neighbor putting up an 8 foot wall which destroyed my view of nature.  I can now turn on my audio book, music or have silence while working with the door closed. An added benefit is that when I am working on a project, I don’t have to put everything away before meals. 

I added the step stool as a foot rest.  It’s nice to sit in a comfy chair and put my feet up while knitting   I have a few pictures to put up too. That also takes time. 

I have a couple more upgrades planned. Everything takes time and consideration.  So I am taking baby steps in this redesign. 

 Today was a busy but fun day.  Well almost.  A house issue slowed down my start.  Then it was off to Bryn Walker for some smaller sized tops. Yes the tops that are too big are starting to go into the Goodwill pile. Then off to the post office to drop some outgoing mail in the mailbox.  Then off to Joann’s for an Ott light for my new work space.  

Then there was a very brief check in with my friends at Grandmas Spinning Wheel.  Then it was time to get my 6 month supply of soap at Tracy’s shop Artemesia,  the only winter favorite not in stock was gingerbread, but I got some pumpkin spice soap instead. If you are not in Tucson go to byartemesia.com  If you are in Tucson you can visit her shop at 6538 East Tanque Verde Road.  It’s in the same plaza as Grandma’s Spinning Wheel. After you finish shopping stop by a Tucson favorite of mine, Savaya Coffee.  They roast their own coffee and brew their tea by the cup.  It is well worth waiting for the tea to be brewed.  

Then home to do some cleaning and organizing.  I rested by starting a new charity scarf while listening to an audio book. . So my active UFO’s are 2 different charity Scarfs, a charity hat, a new pattern and too many more to list. Since I made a couple of small upgrades the knitting room is more comfortable.  

I have a busy day tomorrow. Also the cold weather of winter will arrive.  Burr.  

Masks

 Masks. What could be more controversial in this day and age. Yet it was weird at the super market today. Only about 10% of the people were wearing masks.  Half of these were store employees.  John and I decided to divide and conquer today.  John stayed in the bakery area to get his bread sliced. The only people in that area wearing masks were John and the employees.  Forget about social distancing, they were packed in like sardines. John moved over to the cheese area to get space.  

On the other hand I went to the produce and fresh fish area. Almost totally deserted.  Everyone was wearing masks and keeping good social distancing. By the time I filled the cart with fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, John was just finishing up.  We meet up at the milk section and John just wanted to leave.  His only comment was no more Sunday afternoon shopping until the stores were less crowded.  This will be about May when the Snowbirds  and college students leave town.  

My very unscientific take on this is that people who choose healthy foods tend to make better health care choices.  You also have to remember that we had 6,000 new cases of COVID19 reported yesterday with only a few ICU beds left.  There is also a new variation of COVID19 out and about.  

So my take on this is wear your masks. Choose a healthy diet.  Get your vaccines and boosters. Avoid large indoor crowds and if in Snowbird area shop really early in the morning.  

10,000 Plus

 Today was absolutely awesome.  I had my best walking day since the third quarter of 2019 when I got sick and needed major surgery.  It has taken a long time to get close to my daily step count. I need to thank my cheer team of John, my taller half and my daughter Teri.  Teri surprised us with a membership at one of my favorite garden spots in Tucson, Tohono Chul Park.  There is a lot of landscape that reminds me of Tucson in the 1960’s and even when I moved back home in the 1990’s.  I got 4,000 of my steps there today.  

In that time Fitbit even developed a new watch award for 10,000 steps.  My Sensi watch did all kinds of fancy things.  I hope that today was not a fluke and is repeatable.  I would love to be able to walk a couple miles at a time again.  I know this is a major step that took a long time to achieve.  So it is on step at a time until 2 miles in a walk. 

Another Outdoor Dining Spot

 We found another out door dining area with excellent food. It is the Tea room at Tohono Chul Park just west of Oracle, off Ina Road. Just follow the signs.   The portions are huge.  Most is locally sourced, some even grown on the ground of the park.  Don’t forget to visit the park after your meal.  

Also if you are looking for a scenic out door area for a wedding in Tucson be sure to check it out.  They have areas for small intimate gatherings to larger areas.