25 Pounds

 I hit a milestone that I thought I would never hit. Since September 8th I have lost 25 pounds and gone down one size. I gave up eating processed foods. This is a very healthy lifestyle change for me. I have more energy. I actually eat more food including nuts and peanut butter.  My skin is clearing up. I am following A Pound of Cure and it is medically supervised for those that might be worried about my rapid weight loss.  Best of all no surgeries involved.  

In crafting news I am making myself a very expensive blanket. This was supposed to be a gift. The one I went into project bags to repurpose, but John likes it so much that I am going out to buy a gift tomorrow.   It is 100% cotton yarn. I am crocheting it. You know how the price of cotton has gone through the roof this year.  I am on the 4th color. I went into my stash and found more yarn.  I am trying not to leave any currently priced at $25.00 a skein behind. I am using Butterfly cotton yarn. Since the were bought at different times, not all skeins are the same length.  Also as each round gets bigger the yarn does not make as many rounds   

I am using each skein of yarn to the point where it can’t make a complete round of the pattern.  Then I am switching colors.  The scraps of yarn will be used for charity scarfs.  Waste not want not. Also my knitting skills have taught me how to hide the beginning and casting off so it is invisible.  

The picture below has the blanket in progress. The current yarn color on the yarn butler. The bag is holding all but 2 skeins of yarn.  The knitting bag is available for purchase at Grandma’s Spinning Wheel in Tucson, in store or on line.  They also have plenty of Butterfly yarn in stock if you want to Crochet along with me.  Feel free to choose your own colors.  I am winging it so I won’t know until I am finished how many skein’s of yarn that I will be using. I am using a basic granny square pattern with a chain 6, join in the round. I have 8 stitch patterns in the center. All double crochet or if in Europe a treble crochet. If you want a pattern let me know, however if might be faster to Google how to make a granny square.

Now to set the 6 am alarm and call it a day  

Repurposing Yarn

 Today after physical therapy for my knee, I went to my project bags. I found yarn for 2 projects that had been shelved for various reasons. They are now going into a gift that is being crocheted because let’s face it sometimes crocheting is just faster than knitting with lace weight yarn. It was also my second fiber craft after sewing.  I figure that if I stop after one project I should be ok. I am already on the first color change, second skein of yarn and am in the middle of the 12th row.  I can’t show you a picture yet, because it is a gift. 

I am sure that my family approves of my stash diving for a new project.  I hope to use at least 6 skeins up in this project. There were about 15 in the bag.  The remaining yarn will be used for cotton scarfs. Yes, I currently have 2 of those going along with 2 hats. Go me. Use more yarn. Stash dive.

I also went shopping yesterday and found 3 pairs of pants in a smaller size. Hopefully they will remain a good size for a couple of months.  

A Very Long Day

 My day felt so long that by dinner time I felt it was Friday. My days with physical therapy are always long.

  Some knitting for kids got done. Nothing was completed. A couple of color changes happened on the next 70 inch scarf . I am using up a lot of smaller skeins. John even got a peak into the box of yarn that I want to use up. Even though I made a dent in the number of partial skeins, I still think there are about a dozen 70 inch scarfs left in the box. I really hope that I am wrong. 

I really think that measuring my yarn use in gallons and pounds means that even after 4 big destashes this year meansI still have a lot of yarn.   The good news is I finished 2 partial skeins tonight.

Some knitting got dropped off at the Family resource center aka the Flowing Wells Clothing Bank. They were very happy with an XXL Ziplock bag full of knitting and socks.  I try to find the fun socks because I know it is a rarity that the kids get the fun socks.  

The winter visitors are here and the supply chain has not caught up with them yet.  Target was was out of a lot of things I needed.  They had a lot of people stocking the store as I shopped. They no longer ask did you find everything, because they already know we did not.  

Bigger is Better

 This is a scarf for next year’s Tucson Knitting Guild’s Navajo knitting project. This scarf is long enough to be versatile. I used John for a length check instead of getting a tape measurer. It is a little over 6 feet long. Double layered for warmth. And used up 1 pound 1 1/2 ounces of cotton yarn.  Yes that is 17 1/2 ounces or 496.12 gram’s of yarn. In other words a lot of skeins and partial skeins. It is very colorful too. A fantastic stash buster for me. A very warm scarf for a young teen.  

The pattern is The Stash Dive Scarf by Summer Lee Designs. I plan on making at least 6 more. I have 2 more on the knitting needles. 

Off to Find a New Home

 Everyone that reads this blog on a fairly regular basis knows that this has been far from a normal year of making for me.  It really did not hit how little was created until I did the inventory to be brought into the Flowing Wells Clothing Bank next week.  So here are the numbers as of today. This is since my last drop off so some hand knit items are being carried over from last years making.

29 Hand Knit Hats

1 Sweater

33 pairs of socks were bought on sale, because I knew my numbers would be low.  

I feel like this is not even close to enough. My body limitations were the only reason.  I am working on my body.  When I fix one thing another seems to break or become dysfunctional.  John did say it is enough. So on ward to next year.   

Home Again

 My spindles, supplies and spinning bag are safely home. I accidentally left them at Grandma’s Spinning Wheel on Saturday. Since I am the only one with “so many drop spindles “ Vicky knew the bag was mine and put it away for safe keeping.  Thank you Vicky.  

Now if she only really knew how many spindles I have.   A lady does not discuss how many drop spindles she has. Now I can go back to spinning the batt that has taken me years, because I am spinning it on lace weight spindles.  The bigger spindle is my plying spindle.  The spinning bag is a Goodwill treasure, perfect for a small spinning project.  

Today’s Playtime

 I have a really good use for my hand spun yarn that is not up to my knitting standards for yarn.  For some reason it looks great in a weaving projects.  I have been bingeing on coasters. Pulling out bits and pieces for an abstract weaving.  I have been having a great time playing.  This is a bit of todays play time.