2023 Year in Review

This past year was not my most productive for crafting.  I only finished a few things - 1 cowl, 1 pair of socks, 3 sweaters, 1 small cross stitch, and 21 ounces of fiber was spun.  There was quite a bit of stitching on other cross stitch projects, but they are large and long term. The yarn stash saw 31.5 skeins used and 278 skeins added.  I couldn't resist that big sale at the end of the year from Knit Picks with a few orders placed.  Several sweater quantities were bought.  I only added 32 ounces to the fiber stash so that was not too bad of an increase of 11 ounces.  Several cross-stitch kits have been added to that stash as well.  

I was doing well until I got sick in May.  Recovery has been slow and includes many naps.  My energy level is still low.  I hope to knit 4 sweaters, and a few other items in 2024.  One of my targeted items is to finish my oldest WIP - Vivid Blanket.  I'm thinking of just sewing the squares I have and see how big it is.  My husband is not fond of the idea of putting it on the bed.  He thinks it will be too heavy and warm.  I can use it in my recliner instead.

I had cataract surgeries a couple weeks ago, so no spinning lately.  I have safety glasses to protect my eyes from any errant fibers in the future.  I hope to set my mini spinner up next week after my final post-op visit if the doctor says it's o.k. now.

A Year of Ups and Downs

My year has continued to be challenging.

Mid-May found me sick with what I thought was the flu.  I did two Covid tests and they were both negative.  I had contacted my doctor and he told me to give it a few days and call back if I felt no better.  I was worse.  I had a dry cough to the point of coughing up water and could not breathe well. I called back, and he told me to go to a walk-in emergency center.  I could hardly walk I was so weak and faint. I had my husband take me to the hospital ER instead.  I got admitted with what they thought was congestive heart failure.  It was actually a pericardial effusion caused by a micro-bug I had picked up somewhere.  My heart was drowning in fluid and my other systems were trying to shut down.  I had no idea how close to dying I was.  Meds didn't work.  I had to have a needle aspiration done   It drained about 100cc of fluid from around my heart.  I had to be awake for that, just numbed up.  My systems started to recover, and I felt much better. I was still as weak as a kitten and could hardly walk from the bed to chair with someone holding on to me. 

After 8 days, I was sent home with a walker and still have to use it to get around. My balance is still off.  When I came home, Pat had to follow behind me with the desk chair if I was trying to walk to the bathroom or bedroom.  I could only go about 20 feet and had to sit down.  Now, I can go much farther.  I can walk from the car into a doctor's office without taking a sit-down break.  I've not gone to any stores or other places except medical appointments. Going in the car just to get out of the house once in a while is all.  I keep the walker with me in the house but try just touching counter edges or tables sometimes. I am on fluid restriction, and a special low salt diet with many restricted items on that too.  I'm wearing the stylish compression stockings unless I am in bed for the night.  

I also had my annual eye exam, and the cataract is worse, so I need surgery for that soon.

Hubby is feeling better.  Thankfully, he has been able to take care of me 24/7 while I recover.  The hospital wanted to send me to rehab to build me back up, but I refused.  I felt I could do better at home and have,

And my 18-year-old cat has been diagnosed with heart disease and thyroid issues.  She has daily meds for that now.

Crafting took a back seat to all of this, since I still take a lot of naps.  I did finish the cowl from May, spin up a pound of fiber over 3 months' time, knit a sweater, and do some cross-stitching on my projects.  I added a medium one of a cat and have about half of it stitched.  There is a ton of backstitching to do after to it. 

Now the cooler weather is coming, I hope to get more crafting done.

Crafting and Life Updates

The last part of 2022 was not good.  My husband was almost killed in a car accident when he was struck on rte. 95.  The driver had a rental car and no insurance.  Luckily, my husband was driving the '79 Cougar which was totaled. He was spun completely around and hit the barrier and construction barrels. If he had one of the smaller cars, he would not have lived.  He had some injuries but is doing better.  He is having knee surgery later this month.   

Other than the chronic back issues, I'm doing well.  My A1C is down, and I feel better.

There was not much crafting in 2022.  I only finished one sweater and a crocheted blanket.  I did a little spinning (8 ounces) and some stitching on my three big cross stitch kits. The small "Curious Cats" kit was finished.  

So far 2023 has been better.  I started and finished a smaller cross stitch kit. It's two rabbits in the snow.  I have the body of my "Giselle" sweater finished and the first sleeve picked up.  I decided not to do the patterned part down the sleeves and the sides of the body, leaving them plain instead. A sock has been cast on too. 

I broke the use stash only plan early this year.

I spun 5 ounces but added 32 to stash in January.  I had 1000 points at Paradise Fibers, so I decided to splurge and use them. 

In March, my cord came apart at the metal part while I was knitting. I had to order replacement cords, so some yarn also was ordered - 46 ounces worth.  Knit Picks was having a 20% off site wide sale for that weekend.  I got three more colors to go with my leftovers from the previous blanket for another one.  Two sweater quantities of worsted weight yarn also were added.  One is a pretty pale baby blue, and the other is a purple so dark it's almost black.  Patterns are already picked for both colors.

Several stitching kits have also been added as well.  

Of course, Sophie is still here, meowing and being her sassy self.