A Fantastic Day

 Today I had my 1 1/2 hour targeted back yard sale. It was one day by appointment only.  I sold out of grab bags.  No additional discounts were necessary.  I sold a few cones and house hold items.  To make it easier on me, I will not be running around Tucson to try to get extra cash out.  I will divide it between 2 Charities, and either John or I will drop it off.  The house already seems emptier without the yarn grab bags.  

This is so freeing to get useful clutter out of the house.  Yes, the items are still very useful.  No, I don’t need them anymore.  So off it goes back out into the world.  

Yes 80% of that pile is gone and off to new homes   Hooray for us!!!!!

We Got Out Today

 Today we got up early and went to the 4th Avenue Street Fair.  We got fairly good parking considering that almost all the available parking even a decade ago is no longer available.  There was a church group asking or donations for their orphanage and the parking was only 2 blocks away from the street fair.  

After so many years everything seemed to be the same stuff  as the previous years. So no new items came home with us.  We did however buy 2 ears of roasted corn at $9.75 an ear.  Yes, that is not a typo. We used to be able to get 2 ears for $10 just a few years ago.  We debated burritos  at 18.00 a piece and went elsewhere for lunch.  

I came home and had a nap.  Then did some knitting while watching television.   I am into the longer rows on the Shawl and did 3 rows.  I have been too tired to knit a lot. 

Although something amazing happened this week.  I got so tired and depressed about missing my daily 10,000 step goal that I lowered it to 5,000 steps.  I have made and exceeded my goal every day since then. No I am not going to bump it up just yet.  I will be happy to make 5,000 steps a day, and elated if I pass it.  

Totally Mine

 There is just something so wonderful about knitting a pattern that I designed. In hand spun yarn made on a drop spindle that is truly fantastic.  I just started knitting with the third skein tonight.  It is going to be a truly bespoke shawl.  There will not be another one just like it.   I do love wearable art.  

Stitch Markers

 For those that don’t know me well, I have an obsession with stitch markers for my knitting. I have them in almost all shapes and sizes up until a U.S. size 19 knitting needle. The do break sometimes.  Which means I will put them aside to fix next week.  Well not quite next week from the pile of stitch marker repairs I did today.  I found 1 pretty white flower pot and 1 box of stitch markers that needed repair.  

 

This is the pile of repair work that I started with.  After a few hours of diligent work, I landed up with the next pile of repaired stitch markers.  If you really  want to know, I did not do a very through search for them. So there might be more hidden in the house. I just about filled up my smallest yarn bowl.  Below is a picture of the newly repaired stitch markers. You can tell from the natural light how much time has passed. Yes, there are Dr. Who themed stitch markers too. 

My Self Cleaning House is Missing

 Today was spent on chores and deep cleaning. Followed by an evening of knitting.  The most eventful event was getting out the hand vacuum to catch the dust bunnies.  They hide every where given the chance.  

I am stating to feel better, but still tire out very quickly. So it’s equal amounts of chores and rest.  I really want that self cleaning house of the future that G.E. Promised in the 1960’s.  It’s 2022 G.E. I really want my self cleaning house.  

Maybe?

  Am hoping that the swelling going down in my cheeks means that this round of Sjogren’s flare up will  Soon be history.  I am slowly starting to feel better, but am still very tired.  

In other news, my new shawl had to be switched to longer knitting needles.  I think that I might even go beyond the 100 rows of the pattern if yarn permits.  I am tackling spring cleaning in 5 minute increments.  So far so good.  I am busy pricing everything for my fiber de stash  / yard sale.  Once it is all priced I will hunt down more stuff to sell.  Almost everything is new or used just a couple of times.  Some was purchased or projects that I am no longer planning to do.  So it should be good.  Everything is being priced to sell.  

I also got to the loom today and wove for about15 inches.  Hopefully the project will be finished think.   I think I am going to call it an early night.  

Finally a Use For Some Hand Spun Yarn

 Sometimes it takes a very long while to decide what to do with my hand spun yarn.  Take this yarn below as an example.  I spun it on my first Jonathan Bosworth spindle gifted to me by Pat Woods.  On the very first braid of roving I bought from Cloudlover Fibers.  

Through the many years it was destined to be a hat.  I could never find the right pattern.  I was also not good enough to design a hat of my own back then.  Then it was gloves, but the yarn just did not feel like gloves to me.  Then it sat without a pattern for years.  Then I was going to weave it, but thought better of it  

Then in my lastest de stash effort I came across a lonely hand spun yarn.  Then I knew.  It had to be a shawl. Not just any shawl, but one of my own designs.  I choose Grandma’s Summer Shawl.  It is available on both Raverly and Love Crafts dot com, or your local yarn store.  If you do happen to purchase the pattern I split the sale price with the seller.  

I have to say being about 40 rows in I know that I made the right choice.  I am using US size 9 knitting needles. I will change to longer knitting needles tomorrow.   It is tight enough to hold the hand spun yarn in place. Also it is loose enough to show some great definition in the hand spun yarn.  It highlights the thick and thin of the yarn.  It will also be soft next to my skin.  The night time lighting does not do the colors Justice.  Or it could just be my screen.  My iPad is really old for tech. Over 10 years old.