Finally a Finish

It takes me longer to work on crafts since naps are still a required thing for me.  Plus I have to keep my feet and legs elevated when in the recliner which makes crafting harder to do from that angle.

It took me five months to finish my sweater project.  Part of the lengthy process was due to my decision to modify the pattern.  I made the "Lauriel" sweater but only used the yoke instructions.  Then I made a plain cardigan for the rest. It came out a bit big but it's loose and flowy.  I intend it to be a layering piece anyway.  

Now, I pulled out my "Vivid" Blanket to get that put together.  I decided to just make it to the size of squares I already completed.  It's been languishing for so long I no longer love the project but don't want to abandon it.  It will be about a full-size bed throw which is good for using in the recliner.

I also finished spinning up 7.5 ounces of a gradient colorway.  Tour de Fleece starts June 29 and I'm looking forward to that.

Some stitching has been accomplished as well.  My Sophie cat project is about 75% done.  "Ambilight" also got some stitches put into it.

My upcoming plans are to spin for TdF, finish the cat stitch, start another sweater and crocheted blanket, and try to get more stitching on a couple other cross stitch projects.

I still need the walker.  I think that is a permanent situation.  I go in the stores now.  Pat brings the riding scooter out to the car for me, and I ride around doing my shopping.  It works well for me.  Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to walk that long.

Goodbye Sweet Sophie

Today was a sad day.  My 18-year-old cat passed over Rainbow Bridge.  She had been sick with congestive heart failure and thyroid problems since right before Christmas.  We had fluid drained from around her heart and lungs a few times.  She had a medication list my husband took care of.  She also had developed dementia at the end.

Now, she is playing all the other fur babies who met her at the crossing.  

I am stitching a picture of a cat that looks a lot like her and want to finish it as soon as possible.

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.

My Crafting Finally Returns... Goodbye SweetTipper

 It's been a slow year for my craft projects.  I had other things needing my attention and I also got into a slump.  There's been very little knitting or spinning, and a little bit of cross stitching done since the New Year. 

I did finish a sweater, a shawl, and the snowflake wreath.  There was some fiber spun, too.  There is progress, but none of my cross-stitch projects are completed yet.  They do take longer to do.  Plus, three of the four are larger pieces.  One is over five feet long.

I've been good about buying yarn and fiber.  I only added a few skeins and some fiber for dyeing purposes.  Since the basement stairs are still an issue for me, Pat will help me set up my supplies on the deck table and I will dye up some lovelies soon.  I am waiting for the weather to be a little bit cooler.

We had to say goodbye to our boy kitty, Tipper, a few months ago.  He had end stage renal failure and there was nothing we could do.  We do still have our old girl kitty.  Ironically, she was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2019 and we thought she would go first, but she's still here, looks and acts healthy, and being her sassy self. 😊

Giant Snowflakes and Shawl Progress

 The Fibre Friends Podcast has challenges every month.  October's was to try a craft you have never done or not done in a long time.  I crochet but have never made snowflakes.  The steel hooks and crochet cotton are just too fiddly for me to work with. On the show, Louise made giant ones and I loved them.  Bernat Blanket yarn and a size N hook got me the best results.  Hooks K and L made to loops too smooshed together.  My hands hurt after just one so I have to limit making them to one every few days.  Plans are to hang them in my picture window and make a wreath for my door with some.  The pattern is found on ExpressionFiberArts.com . I used the video instructions which are clearer than the written ones.

Love In the Time of Coronavirus Shawl was originally a MKAL.  It has seen some progress, and I'm ready to start Clue 2.  The pic is midway thru Clue 1.

Tonight will be spent with my Hansen mini spinner and some fiber.  It's been a while. 

Pat made me an attachment to hold my magnetic board on my metal floor frame and make it easier to see my pattern when cross stitching.  I can just leave it upright to look at it, and won't have to keep stopping to pick it up and check where I am. 

Crafting Progress

With the arrival of slightly cooler weather, my desire to be crafting has improved.  The Hoarfrost Shawl is finished and just needs blocking and a picture.  I did some stitching and spinning too.

I decided to do a finishing things up project for the next couple of months.  I'm calling it "Finish-It-Up Fall".  I have a list of several partial or waiting for a long time projects I would like to see completed.  My Vivid Blanket needs 5 more squares and put together to be next off the list.  A Shawl, socks, and cowl are also waiting in the knitting bag.   (Hope to at least get the socks and cowl done) There are a couple of spinning WIPs to get done so the wheels are empty again. 

There's also cross stitch projects listed. I want to finish the last of the back stitching on the cats, and a few small stitch projects for ornaments. 

That is more than I will finish, but I want to make a good attempt.  Remember the story of how to eat an elephant - one bite at a time.  Well, one stitch at a time will get stuff finished.  I want the blanket, cat stitching, and at least one fiber project off the list first.  Then I tackle the others and see how far I get.

Summer Heat Wave and Crafting Progress

 The heat has been tough to deal with during the last few weeks.  I know it's all over the country and I hear some friends saying how hard it is to keep cool and safe.  Luckily, I do have air conditioning and stay inside with it most of the time.  I keep all the blinds closed to and that helps to keep the house from heating up.

My crafting has been affected by body aches and pains.  I didn't finish my spinning goals for Tour de Fleece this year because of this.  It's the first time nothing was completed during the race since I started participating in it.  My intentions are to finish the two fiber I started before the end of August.  My other crafting had to take a week long break as well so I could rest my hands.  Extremely small amounts of cross stitch has been done in the past week or so.  I did finish my "Skaha" sweater a few days ago, and promptly cast on for the "Hoarfrost" Shawl by Andrea Mowry.  That's moving along splendidly.  I have until September 30th to finish it for a KAL in one of the Ravelry groups I'm in.

We finally bought the new crockpot to replace the one Pat broke.  I picked a smaller one, since nothing seems to make it to the freezer.  lol  I mad Shredded Barbeque Chicken breast in it three days ago.  It was only two large breasts so I knew it would go fast.  Meatballs and sauce or a roast are next on the menu to cook in it.

Knitting Along in Slow Motion... Summer Heat

 It feels like I am slow motion knitting.  Plans were to have my Skaha sweater off the needles this past week.  The finish was so close, I could see it.   I had the yoke down to the last couple of decreases when I looked closer at it. It looked too wide at the neck.  Yep.  It helps to read the pattern correctly.  I had only done half the decreases required.  I had left out all the ones on the left of the markers.  So I was visiting the frog pond with it for a few days, ripping the whole yoke out.  Markers are where they need to be and sleeves are re-attached.   It will be in time out for a bit until I love it again.

Meanwhile, it's Saturday and Tour de Fleece starts now.  I have some fibers picked out and my wheels ready to go.  Plans are to spin every day but not to over do the time.  Taking breaks is very important not to cause an injury to yourself.

Pat made up the vertical support for my floor frame so the frames don't tip down on one end any more.  He made two so I can leave them attached to the scroll rods and just swap them at the clamp on the floor frame.  I am trying to spend a little time stitching on my current projects, but progress is very slow.

Summer is here and we are getting ready for sticky, humid, hot weather for the next few days.  I will be inside with the a/c on.

Multi-Timer, Project Finishes, Vaccine, Spring Has Sprung

I started using a Multi-Timer on my phone.  I saw it on one of the podcasts I watch.  You set it up with 12 hours for each of a few projects and only work on those items until they are finished or the 12 hours are up.  You can reset anther 12 hours for a project to continue working on it.  I did add 7 instead of the suggested 5.  You just can't add more projects until the original ones are done.

 My 'Frozen' Sweater was finally finished at the end of March.  Two spinning projects are also finished.  Right now I have my 'Skaha' sweater, 'Vivid' blanket, and the 3 cross stitch on my timers. One cross stitch project just needs the backstitching finished so I hope to get that done this month.  I re-set the spinning timer so its an on-going project.  Plans are to use it and finish a braid a month.

I went for my first Covid vaccine.  My husband had his in the morning and told me it would be impossible for me to walk the building to get mine, due to my back problems.  I had to try. I took the crutches instead of my cane so I could lean on them if I needed to. I got there, parked, and got out of car with the crutches.  A National Guardsman saw me and got me a wheelchair.  He pushed me through the entire process, and took me back to my car after the observation wait time.  I never could have done it on my own. The only side effects I noticed was a sore arm - no worse than with the flu shot last year.  I go back in a couple of weeks for my second shot.  There are no plans to go to stores or socializing  after the required 2 weeks after shot 2 as of yet.  

Spring weather has made an appearance and I look forward to sit in the back yard under my awning.  

Sweater Attempt Number 3

 It appears my "Frozen" color work sweater just does not want to become a garment.  The first two times it was much too big.  

Try number three has issues as well.  I think the size is fine this time.  After frogging the almost complete body, I started knitting with the same yarns, just not in the same order as I frogged the skeins.  I didn't realize there was a bit of a light blue tint on the natural cream (main color) from where I had used the darkest blue in the color work.  About five inches into the body, I could see this discoloration at about an inch from the arms separation point.  So, now I frogged back to a row under the arm separation, switch to a skein I know was just used in the body and have knit onward.  Here's hoping I finish the sweater and can wear it before Spring gets here.  I have plans for the other skein to become a hat after a good soaking.  I will put the same pattern in the area of the blue tint just in case.

There's still only a little spinning and cross stitching progress so far this year.

Time to feed the cats.  One is meowing and the other sort of makes a trill noise for food demands.  As they age, they are getting much more vocal and a bit sassy.   lol

A Demanding Old Cat

 My old boy cat has become quite vocal, even more than he was last month.  He goes in the kitchen and calls me loudly.  He even does a meow that sounds like he's hurt or in pain.  lol  His "pain" is a demand for extra canned food.

His other activity is to stand in front of me when I am in the recliner, stare at me with his big Puss n Boots (from Shrek) eyes and then meow.  He wants his snacks.  He also is demanding I give up my chair to him so he can go to bed on it.  Ummm....no.   lol

Knitting and Spinning 2020 Tallies

My end of year totals are not that great.  It's like 2020 stole some of my crafting mojo.  I only finished 6 knit projects, 61.5 ounces of fiber spun, and 2 medium cross stitches.  The knitting included 1 sweater, 3 pairs of socks, and 2 shawls.  

My objectives for 2021 are simple.  Craft what I want when I want.

Starting of the year is my "Frosted" sweater which has been almost finished, frogged twice, and re-started for attempt number 3.   I still have "Skaha" kitted and ready to start.  There's also the "Love In the Time of Coronavirus Shawl" kitted and ready to go.  And, of course, the never ending Vivid Blanket.  I need to put some strips together on that.

My cross stitch plans are to finish my current WIPs.  "Curious Cats" cross stitch just needs backstitching of which there is a fair amount.  "Christmas Tree and Birds" is showing progress.  It's slow going because you have so many color changes with lots of 1 or 2 stitch sections.  "Seaside Lighthouse 2" hasn't seen much attention lately, but that needs to change.  There are a few small ornaments in the works too.

Spinning has been mostly in limbo since TdF last July with only a little done since then.  I need to jump start that and get some braids done. 

Goodbye 2020....Hello 2021....A Day We Will Never Forget

 The year of 2020 was the worst anyone had seen.  It brought such devastation, fear, and death from Covid-19.  It saw the entire world restricted and in isolation.  There were many protests across the country.  So much needs to be done to make our country fair and equal to all.  The start of 2021 was a continuation of everything, except for one huge hope - a vaccine to fight the virus.    Now we have mutated strains of the virus spreading it even faster to contend with.  I still have high hopes of the vaccine's success.

Then, yesterday happened.  The attack on the Capitol in Washington, DC was something I never dreamed would happen.  I'm still numbed by the horror of seeing it on my television.  It will take a long time for recovery from the trauma inflicted by it.

Re-Knitting my Sweater, Other Crafting and Thanksgiving

When I tried on my partially knit sweater, it was much too big.  So it had a visit to the frog pond, and has been restarted on the proper sized needles.  It will still have plenty of room in the fit but I won't be swimming it it.  Progress is slow with the yoke finished, sleeves separated, and almost half the body knit.  I decided to leave the color band around the lower belly and hip area out.  That area of my body does not needed added accentuating.  I plan to add a row of the yoke snowflakes above the sleeve ribbing instead.

Cross stitch and spinning projects have had a little attention too, but nothing completed at this time. 

I caught the tip of my slipper on the edge of my area rug under my recliner and fell last week.  There's an abrasion (rug burn) on my big toe with lots of bruising.  If it's not healed by the end of next week, I have to go back to the podiatrist.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we will be cooking our meal and staying home.  I'm still isolating with Pat doing all the errands and shopping. 

Have a wonderful holiday and stay safe and healthy.

Project Progress and Snuggle Kitty

I've seen some progress on many of my projects.  The color work sweater is slow going and has one more color to be knit in the yoke, then it's basic sweater knitting from the top down until I get to the color band just above the bottom rib.  I will have to adjust the neckband a bit since I did it on size 4 needles instead of the called for 3s.  It looked a little high in the pictures and I hate anything too close to my throat.  I did pick up a Vivid blanket square and knit on that too.  It will eventually be finished.  

The cross stitch projects are coming along nicely with about 80% of the "Curious Cats" (cats and tea service) one done.  There's lots of backstitch left to do and a couple of small areas to fill in.  I love using my new floor stand with the "Lighthouse 3" and "Christmas Tree and Birds" ones.  It makes it much more comfortable to work on them.  There's tons left on both of them to do.

Only a little spinning has been done.  I'm just not in the mood for it at the moment.  

Still no yarn purchases have been made this year.  I was tempted to buy a couple braids of fiber, but closed the shop window and didn't do it.  I slipped up early in the Spring. I bought only did one purchase of colored fiber, and one of undyed .  I'm shopping the stash for everything.  I plan to continue doing that next year too.

My cat, Buddy, has suddenly become much more attentive, is talkative,  and wants snuggles.  I find him sleeping in my recliner most mornings.  He will come over, head butt my leg and look at me for a treat.  He's also taking them from my hand which he never did before.  He's 15 so it's probably just old age settling in.  I noticed  a couple of my other cats got mellow as they aged.

Knitting Finish and A Treat

 I finished my Fonse` Shawl  last month.  I made it in the same color and yarn as in the pattern. I decided to knit an extra repeat of Chart 2, as directed in the pattern, to increase the size a bit. Then, I cast on for my Frosted Sweater in similar colors of the pattern. It's colorwork so a bit slow going for me.  I'm enjoying the process though.  The wheels have been slumbering since Tour de France, but I need to finish a project on one of them, too.

Now for the treat:

I bought a new cross stitch floor stand in August.  It didn't hold some of my frames very well, and Pat told me to return it.  I told him I wanted a Lowry stand instead.  He was going to buy it for me until I said tipping was an issue with all floor stands and it would need a weight on the base of  it. He decided to make me a better one instead.  I love it!  It's sturdy, and holds my frames with no problem.  It works great with my wood or PCV type, including the long ones.  There's a grippy pad so the clamp does not damage my frames.  I can also use the clamp to hold my magnetic board with my knitting pattern on it if I want.  It fits well with my recliner's puffy arms.  I can adjust the height of the stand as well as the clamp arm length so my frames are in a comfortable position for stitching. I can flip it over for starting or ending threads, and it swings out of my way when I need to get in or out of my chair.    Here's some pictures he took outside after painting it. Top is the stand closed, middle is a closer look at the clamp part, and bottom is the stand extended.

I also have the two tabletop one he made me and the modified Edmunds floor stand.  (He made "arms" for that, but it gives me a backache after leaning forward when using it a while.)  I don't think I will need anymore.  :)

Tour de Fleece 2020 Finished; A Prize; Goodbye Tiger

Another year of Tour de Fleece is finished today.  I spun 1986 yards from 34 ounces.  I'm happy with that result.  I won a prize from The Corner of Knit and Tea chatter thread and am waiting for it to come in.  

In the middle of the race, we had to say goodbye to my boy kitty, Tiger.   We were spoon feeding him and using a dropper to get water into him due to his mouth infection.  He had lost so much weight and just laid in his bed most of the time. Then, he had a stroke and was blinded from it.  There was nothing we could do to save him.  

Since spinning is done for a while, I'm back to working on my Fonse` Shawl and cross stitch.  I do have a braid in progress on the wheel but, will leave it be for now.

I'm still isolating and staying home.  The heat of Summer is not my favorite time of the year anyway.  I'm enjoying the air conditioning.

Here's a picture of my pre-wash skeins.

My Tour de Fleece 2020 Plans

Today would have been the start of the Tour de France bike race if we were not in a pandemic.  It's also the start of Tour de Fleece, which runs concurrently with the bike race.  I look forward to this even every summer.  Even though the race is cancelled, the fiber event is still happening on Ravelry.

I signed up for the Corner of Knit and Tea team and will be spinning after supper tonight.  I'm hoping to spin at least a little every day of the event.  

There's 8 ounces each of Spunky Eclectic,  Loop, Frabjous Fibers, two 4 ounce bags of an alpaca blend, and 10 ounces of Corgi Hill Farm, sitting in my bin waiting to be started this year.  If I finished those, I will have my husband pick something from a bin for me. 

If you are a spinner, come join us and have fun spinning together in spirit if not in person. 

One Day and Step at a Time

It's just another day in my routine around here.  There's a bit of cleaning, cooking, exercise routine, and tending to the feline furballs.  My old Tiger had dental surgery and is recovering from the bad infection he had. He doesn't like his bowl and dish right now.  Sometimes he will eat after he gets a taste but, mostly we have to encourage him to eat by spoon feeding him most times.   There's also syringe / dropper usage for extra water.  

I'm still staying home with my husband doing the store runs.  I did ride to the vet on those visits and had an appointment with my diabetes doctor.  My supper insulin got decreased a bit because I lost some weight, my blood sugar testing numbers were lower, and my A1C test was down a whole point.  Yay!

My "Across the Pond Shawl" was finished yesterday.  It needs blocking and a picture now.  I picked up the "Fonse` Shawlette" and am doing the extra repeats as explained in the pattern to make it a bit bigger.  I have two skeins of the  purple gradient yarn and want to use as much as possible.  I'm slowly stitching on the "Curious Cats" and "Lighthouse" kits still.  Spinning wheels are empty, but ready for new projects. 

Time to make supper.  It's just a tossed salad with chicken breast left over from last night's meal.  There's some fruit for dessert later.

2020 So Far.....

My prayers and thoughts are going out to everyone in this horrible, scary time.

Since I am mostly a homebody, I've adjusted well to the stay home order.  Besides the diabetes problem, I had to isolate part of 2019 due to low blood counts and iron and am more susceptible to infections now. I'm not yet 60, but will be part of the population included in the extended stay home order when things start opening up thanks to my health issues and I am o.k. with that.  

I have only gone out twice since this all started.  The first time was the second morning at the very beginning (before the order) to go to the store for food and supplies, and once two weekends ago for a short ride. (I stayed in the car that time) It was decided that I will not do the shopping or errands since I am in the higher risk category thanks to health issues.  Pat dons his mask and heads out early one or two mornings a week for our supplies and stuff. I make a list of things/supplies I need and he gets them. He's doing a great job and taking good care of me.

So, my days are spent in the house, cooking, and doing some housework with my husband's help. There's also my back exercise routine to do every other day.  

There's been lots of crafting going on (which is normal for me).  Spinning, knitting, crochet, and cross stitch projects have all seen a bit lot love and attention.  2020 is the year of only using stashes for everything. My last yarn purchase was in November on Black Friday (Holst Garn in Denmark).  There was a braid of fiber added to the stash in February, as well as a couple of Russian cross stitch kits (ordered in December).  

I'm looking forward to the warmer weather so I can sit on the deck under the canopy and craft soon.  Maybe even get out some dyes and play a bit.  :)

2019 - A Year of Good and Bad

I am finally updating my blog after not writing anything for over a year.

2019 finished with several knitting, crochet, and spinning projects completed  and the addition of cross stitch projects toward the end of the year.  Completed knitting projects were 5 large shawls, 2 cowls, and 1 sweater.  Spinning saw 41 ounces spun.

I was going for physical therapy for my back and it helped with the pain.  Part of it was aqua therapy in a warm salt water pool and the rest on land in the gym.  I have an exercise routine and equipment so I am continuing  at home since March of this year.

February, October and November were extremely heartbreaking with the sudden passing of my cat, Tipper, in February.  He had a brain tumor.  October was the loss of my little dog, Pooh.  Then, Thanksgiving week saw the passing of my kitty, Isabella.  Both had forms of cancer.  We still have the sibling cats, but, there will be no more furry additions to our family. 

Final Finished Items and 2018 Tally

Happy New Year!!  This is my end of year totals/tally.  My 2019 goals are simple.  Use stash, spin stash, make what makes me happy, and try to control what comes into the stashes.  (That last part always seem to be ignored.  lol)

I did finish a cute hat in December.   I just needed a break from the sweater and shawl knitting.  It was the perfect item, and only took  a couple hours.  It is knit in Malabrigo  Rasta in the "Fucsia" colorway which is a bright pink and has a huge pompom on top.  The pattern was "Perky Little Hat".

It seems most of my projects were larger items this year so the count is rather low.  3 shawls, 2 sweaters, 1 cowl, 1 hat, 1 queen size afghan for a total of 8 items.  

There's still the sweater and shawl in progress to start the year off with.  I also plan to start a "Find Your Fade" this month.  I have  it kitted up already.  Plans for more sweaters and shawls are also in the works.

I only managed to finish a little over a pound of the four I wanted to spin for the year.  I hope to get more spun in the upcoming year than in 2018.

Catching Up

It's been a while since I made a post here.  I seem to be in a pink mood last few months. 

My Sipila Sweater was finished and came out great.

I also started and finished the Fallen Cloud Shawl.  I used Malabrigo Rios in "English Rose" for this.  Since I had bought four skeins to make sure I had enough yarn, I just knit an extra repeat to use it up.  I had about three grams left after bind off.         

                        

My current projects are the unfinished "Spring Garden Shawl" and the "Triple Dutch Cardigan".

There hasn't been much spinning lately.  The last finished ones were during Tour de Fleece. 

There's a couple  of Corgi Hill Farm fibers in progress fibers on the Minstrel (Pink Peacock) and Hansen (Lavender Tea). 

    

The guild meeting is tomorrow and I plan to attend.  I also need to pay my dues for the upcoming year.

Pat took me to the New England Fiber Festival in November where I did some serious stash enhancement.  A few more shawl and sweater quantities were added the the stash.  There was also a visit to WEBS afterwards. 

A Little Knitting ..... A Little Spinning... Tour de Fleece Time

There's been nothing finished in June or July as far as knitting projects are concerned.  My Silipa  sweater is progressing slowly with most of the yoke color work done.  I only have about eight rows left to do.  Then it's plain knitting with the main color, split for the sleeves and stockinette all the time for the body.

I did start my Spring Garden Shawl.  Mine is much brighter in Mad Tosh "Neon Peach" and Hedgehog Fibre's "Kimono".  It reminds me of Tiger Lilies and those little dark blue flowers (Cosmos I think) found in summer gardens.  Definitely outside my usual colors.  

                    

My first Tour de Fleece spin project was finished but I still need to get the final pic of that.  It is a lovely BFL/Silk blend from Corgi Hill Farm in "Wood Orchid".  The colors go as a gradient from a purple to blue to teal to green.  The total was 428 yards of 2 ply from 5 ounces. 

My current spin is also CHF in a Polwarth/Silk/Firestar blend in the color "Oil Slick".  It's all the colors in an oil puddle.  

Crochet Sweater Frogged .... A new Project Starting

After fighting with my crocheted Lost in Paris Sweater, I've decided to frog it.  After doing a 24 stitches decrease, it's still too big.  I had most of the body done, but its not worth continuing if I'm not going to wear it.  The yarn will go back in stash and become another sweater in the future.  

Plans are to start Sipila by Caitlin Hunter now.  The main color will be this tonal pink.  I need to decide on the sparkly pale pink for speckled for the color work.  I'm leaning toward the speckled one.

 

                                    

Winning Prizes and Slow Craft Progress

The past month has seen me mostly staying home again.  There was a trip to Mermaid's Purl for a trunk show and book signing with Bristol Ivy.  A copy of her book and two skeins of yarn were purchased.  The drive home was a tough one since my back was acting up and it caused a lot of pain in my right side and leg.  The next day was knit group and I had to skip the tea room luncheon.  There was no way I could drive over an hour each way.

The Friday of Memorial Day weekend was our cemetery visitation day.  Pat drove me to Driftwood Yarns in Groton first.  I got to see Cindy who used to go to Happy Hands with me.  Four more skeins came home.  Two to go with previous projects and two for a new one.  

There was also a couple of online orders which I'm not going to list here.  About five sweaters worth have come into the stash as well as a few other projects.  

There was a skein of yarn and three patterns won between April and May.  This encouraged me to buy a couple of Powerball tickets but I didn't win anything - lol.

Photos are in the process of being taken to update my stash.  I'm trying to do as many missing ones as possible.

May was not a very productive month for me as far as crafting is concerned.  I did finish my Hemiphere half pi shawl at the beginning of the month.  I've been busy crocheting on my  "Lost in Paris" sweater.  It's had some sizing issues and been ripped back a few times.  

Only about an ounce of fiber has gotten spun.  It's a BFL/Silk blend that's spinning super fine and taking longer.  

My goal is to finish both these projects in June.  Tour de Fleece is in July and I have plans to spin for that.  My first fiber for that will be Corgi Hill Farm's Oil Slick.  (I still need a pic of my braid).  There's a couple other braids picked out to follow up with as well.

Knitting Finishes and Some Health Woes

Most of February and March found me settling in to staying at home most of the time since I had some health issues requiring me to stay calm and quiet.  I'm feeling better but still have stuff to deal with.  I only went to the yarn shop a couple of times because I needed something.  Otherwise, it's been mostly short, quick trips to the market or store and back home.

All this staying home means more time for crafting.  Here's a picture of my Corner2Corner Afghan I finished in the middle of February.   After finishing that, I started and finished a Basic Boomerang Shawl.  Then it was back to my Easy All Year Cardigan I knit with handspun.  It's big and comfy, with three quarter sleeves. The sweater and shawl pics are not blocked items.  After posting the pictures, I realized I must be in a "blue" mood.  My next project is pink, purple, and blue.  :)

I'm sort of in a monogamous knit mode right now.  My current project is the Hemisphere Shawl.  It's a half pi design and I'm loving how it's coming out.  I'm using the yarn called for from Craftsy in a sport weight superwash alpaca blend.  I just started Ring 6 so it doubled in size again. I have that, Ring 7 and the applied border left to do.  

My spinning has been almost non existent right now with just the singles finished from the second braid of Panda blend "Let Love In" from Spunky Eclectic.  I haven't felt like getting the Hansen out of it's bag to ply it yet.  I did buy a new tote bag in a Cheetah print for the mini spinner.  It's actually a sewing machine rolling cart, but works great for the spinner and all the paraphernalia I need to carry with it.  The Craftsman bag worked well too, but I am having problems carrying items long distance.  My back doesn't like it.  I found the new tote on Amazon, but I know Walmart has a black quilted version.  I still need to use a table since the top of the bag is not firm enough to support resting the spinner on it.

A Little Spinning,and Knitting ... .Lots of Crocheting

2018 has started off slow in the spinning and knitting portions.  Instead I have had a crochet hook in my hand most of the time.  I made a Corner2Corner afghan, using Premier Sweet Rolls self striping cakes.  I just continued with the same color as I finished each one.  It covers the top of a queen size bed, but my plan is to use it in my recliner on cool/cold evenings.  

I did knit a lacy cowl, using Madelinetosh Vintage held double.  I had enough to get through 2 full repeats, but not the half one before the garter row edge.  It's tall enough for me so I'm fine with that.

The Minstrel wheel still has the same Spunky Eclectic braid in progress.  I just haven't felt like spinning lately.  The Sonata and Hansen are both in their bags with empty bobbins. 

There was much retail therapy in both  the fiber and yarn departments.  One of my favorite fiber dyers used "Farscape" (one of my favorite series) for color inspiration and I had to buy two of her colors.  Of course fiber is squishy and must not travel alone.  Many other fiber "friends" had to be purchased as well.  lol  I look forward to spinning it all.  Plans are in the works to do a combo spin for a sweater some time in the future.

There was a visit to Driftwood Yarns with my knitting friends which resulted in yarn for three future projects.  On Super Bowl Sunday, Pat drove me to the same shop for a trunk show for Knits4Comfort yarn.  A sweater quantity came home with me from that.  If he had not been waiting for me in the car,  and I had gone alone, it might have been a different scenario.  The wool fumes would have sang their siren song and more skeins would have been put in my basket. lol

A Basic Boomerang Shawl by Laura Nelkin has been started.  I found it through a Craftsy email for a yarn sale.  The sample was knit in a brown color change sport weight yarn,  I bought the same yarn, but in the blue color change, and a skein of lighter blue for the ending.  I want it a little bigger than the original.  My Easy All Year Cardigan still needs finishing.  Now my hand is feeling a bit better, I can knit for short intervals.  My goal is to work on that a couple times each day.

My Knitting & Spinning 2017 Review and 2018 Plans

Happy New Year!!  May 2018 be a wonderful, blessed year for everyone.

The numbers for 2017 are not as much as previous years, but not shabby.  My goal was 40 skeins, but I knit larger projects. Totals were 23 projects resulting in 25.25 skeins with 8117.5 yards used. Here's the breakdown:
4 Cowls (3 knit and 1 crochet)
1 Mitts (crochet)
1 Socks
6 Shawls (all large sized)
1 Sweater
10 Vivid Squares for the afghan

Spinning came in under my goal of 6 pounds thanks to having to rest the foot between spinning episodes and working on knit projects.  Still, I' m happy with my results of 64 ounces (4 pounds) with a result of 3160.15 yards  finished.

My plans for 2018 are:
4 adult size sweaters, two shawls, finish one of my 2 current afghan projects, finish some "old" WIPs, use 30 skeins, spin 4 pounds, do some dyeing and fiber processing at home.  My husband will bring the dye and processing supplies upstairs so I can use the deck in the Spring for that.  With the impending snow storm this Thursday, I might try snow dyeing for the first time.

I also hope to get some other crafts done as well. - Stained glass, paint ceramics, and use my sewing machine.

Thanksgiving Feasting and Knitting & Spinning

Yesterday was a quiet Thanksgiving for us.  My husband helped prep and cook our meal.  Since we both prefer the white meat of the bird, we bought a turkey breast instead of the whole bird.  Mashed potatoes, stuffing, carrots/turnips, butternut squash, and homemade cranberry sauce finished out the menu.  We skipped a few veggies, rolls, and dessert.  Of course, we both took long naps after eating.  lol

One of my Ravelry forum groups is having a "Big Giant Year-End Get It Done Challenge".  My five items listed are:

- Finish current braid of fiber plus at least 1 more 

- Finish current Vivid blanket square plus 4 more  (one left to do)

- Knit False Creek Cowl  (done)

- Knit Easy All Year Cardigan

- Add new yarn and fiber acquisitions to stash as the come in (done) 

Since I didn't go to the festival, there was a lot of online shopping as well as a bit at a LYS.  

My "Free Your Fade" shawl and another cowl were also finished this month.  I even made it to spinning guild two months in a row!  I'm looking forward to the next meeting now that I'm back on track with attending.

Sweater Weather Approaches ,,, "Duh!" Moments

Now the cooler weather is making an attempt to hang around, it's sweater wearing weather.  Both my Harvest and Miranda, as well as a couple others, are ready for the next few months of cold.

My "Duh!" moments are involving yarn weight.  Remember the Tappan Zee sweater I frogged because it was huge?  I misread the yarn as aran or bulky instead of DK as required.  The yarn is now being used for the Easy All Year Cardigan.  Another hand spun will be tagged for the original sweater. 

I also made my Decemberist Shawl a little bit bigger.  Again, I used the wrong weight yarn.  I thought I had a chunky weight and didn't realize that was just part of the name of the yarn.  It was actually aran weight. 

My Sorrento Shawl came out nice, even though I left off the picot bind off.  There's just something about that stitch I don't care for.  I think the little dingles of yarn bother me when they rub on my arms. 

Currently, my Free Your Fade shawl is about 40% finished.  There's also a couple of cowls on the side waiting to be cast on as quick projects.

There has been very little spinning lately.  A new braid of fiber was started on the mini-spinner, but only about an ounce is spun so far. The other two wheels are empty. Maybe the cooler weather will help me find my spinning mojo again.

Sweater Finishing, Shawl Progression

I am loving the cool weather of the last few days.  Of course, the heat came back today.  I was hoping to sit outside under my umbrella, but not in the heat.  It might be possible later when the sun is going down.  

My Harvest sweater is on the blocking board and almost dry.  Here's a pre-blocking picture. 

The Sorrento Shawl is progressing nicely. I started the second portion of short rows today, and hope to get that part done by tonight.  The third color (aqua) looks nice with the other two colors. This needs to be done by September 15 in order to enter it into the designer's KAL.  There's still two big lace portions and a picot bind off to do.   Here's a picture from when I was in the first short row portion.

                 

Plans are to get two other shawls blocked today.  I am just waiting until the sweater is completely dry to I can re-claim the foam boards. Both shawls are long and take a lot of board.  I really should pick up a third set.

There's been no spinning lately.  I've been concentrating on finishing up some of my knitting projects.  The next fiber is picked out and ready to go on the Hansen soon.  My foot has been sore lately, so I don't want to inflict any damage by treadling on my other wheels right now.  

Spinning Like a Dervish ... Knitting Progress... New Computer

 The first thing that happened in July, was a new computer.  I'm still learning it's quirks, but I love it.  My old computer files are on an external hard  drive and I still need to upload the ones I want to keep onto the new computer.

July also saw me constantly at the wheels - Minstrel, Sonata, and Hansen.   So, in order not to put too much pressure on my sensitive foot, I alternated between a treadle wheel and the mini-spinner.  I have taken a break since Tour de Fleece, but, think I will pull some fiber out soon.  Here's a couple pics of the finished yarns.








With all the spinning, there was still some knitting accomplished.  I've finished the body and just have the sleeves left to do on my Harvest.  I also knit a Decemberist Shawl.  I used a thinner yarn and have decided to add more to it to make it a little bigger.  I also started my Sorrento Shawl in two shades of teal and a variegated yarn.  I'm also thinking of starting a Free Your Fade with the other three skeins shown below, but want to finish my other shawls first.

Crafting Slump, Tour de Fleece Prep & Computer Woes

For the last month, I just haven't felt like working on my current projects.  This may be because they are all larger ones and take longer to see progress.  Plus, ripping out an entire sweater after separating for the sleeves didn't feel too good.  It could have wrapped around my husband and myself at the same time.  I'm not sure my gauge was so far off.  All I know is swatches lie!

I have a different sweater on the needles (Harvest by TinCanKnits) and it's coming along nicely.  I'm into the straight stockinette portion that seems never ending.  I put a progress keeper on it so I can actually see the difference.  The yarn is Wool Pak from New Zealand in a pretty pink color.

I did finish my first pair of socks for 2017 in May. The Corgi Hill Farm Rambo/Silk braid in "Door to Monte Cassino 1" was also finished.  I decided to chain ply it instead of using it with a similar colorway.

Another LYS closed at the end of May and I visited it twice before it closed.  Yarn for an afghan, sweater, three shawls, a scarf, and felted slippers are now added to the stash.  I am participating in the Biggest Loser Stash Down but am going in the wrong direction!  There also was a visit to Mermaid Purls in Wickford where I used my gift certificate toward part of my purchase.  One of the yarns bought was my first Hedgehog Fibres.

My wheels are all cleaned and ready for Tour de Fleece to start  this Saturday, July 1.  If you don't know about this, it's a spinning event in which we spin on our wheels, spindles, charkas or tool of choice every day the competitors ride their bikes in the Tour de France Race.  We make our own goals and challenge ourselves during the event. Currently, I have three projects planned. - One for each of the two wheels and one for the mini spinner. 

Now, the bad news,  My 10 year old desktop  computer has quit on me.  It was a good faithful friend but it died last week.  We are taking it in tomorrow to see if the tech can pull my pictures and files off it.  I would hate to lose my knitting info and patterns as well as some of the pictures.  At least I have the laptop to use.

Keeping the Carrot in Sight

I've been monogamous in my project this past week.  The crochet bug bit me and I've finished with the mitts and working on the matching cowl of my Maniac Fingerless Gloves and Cowl set.  It's a free pattern on Ravelry.  I'm using Ella Rae Lace Merino DK but the yarn is more of a sport weight.  My set will just be a bit lacier.

The carrot reference is in regards to my current project.  The carrot is my Tappan Zee sweater.  I will return to knitting on it only after finishing a project, since April hasn't seen many items leave the WIP pile - only two squares for my blanket.

My back is messed up again so the regular wheel spinning is on hold.  Treadling pulls on my right side, causing pain.  Thankfully, I can sit and use the Hansen.  Plans are to finish the cowl and spin some later tonight.

My oldest WIP is  Swan Lake/Mystery Stole 3 and is 10 years old.  While looking at some of my hibernated projects today, I fell in love with this pattern all over again.   I think Ravelry started about the same time as I found this through a Knitter's Review (no longer available) post.  The KAL was hosted through a Yahoo group.  It was my first project involving charts, beads, lace, and a mystery.  I jumped into it with both feet.  lol   It's being frogged and re-started since my gauge is so different now. 

Part Butterfly

I must have become part butterfly because I'm flitting from project to project and not finishing anything this month so far.  There's the hand spun Tappan Zee sweater, felted clogs, two different fibers on two wheels, a crochet mitt and cowl set, a pair of socks, and Vivid blanket squares all in progress.  

My foot is doing well as you can see from the spinning mentioned above.  The blue sparkle fiber is half way through the second braid on the Minstrel.  The little mat my husband picked up for me works great for keeping my wheel from "walking" away from me.  My Hansen spinner has some beautiful Rambouillet and silk blend on it.  I'm debating about spinning a similar color and plying them together. Both have grays, pinks, and a peachy shade. They are the same blend and from the same dyer. What do you think?

I did manage to finish my Garter Path Shawl and love it.  Two more Vivid squares are finished and a final decision made regarding the placement of them when it's time to attach them together.  All the pictures are unblocked items. The yarn pic is before I gave it a soak and set the twist.

 

 

Here are pictures of the latest completed projects:
Kindness KAL Shawl, Oceanbound Shawl, Rippling River Cowl, and the Raspberry sparkle yarn.