Still March and I Am Finishing

That pullover is problematic.  I have now misplaced this pattern and so I'm waiting for a new one to arrive.  Meanwhile I've knitted a hat for chemo patients, started socks. Oh, wait I mentioned them already.

This is the same photo I posted, but I'm a bit further along.

And I mentioned weaving 

And spinning.

Here is what I have finished. 

Another scarf using a Noro Kuryeon weft.

A first skein of handspun and pied Falkland wool yarn.

Did I forget to mention sewing?  Shame on me.  I bought a magazine called "Stitch" and wasted no time making something from it.  

Strangely shaped pillows. Good for decoration and for a nap.

I think I'll take a nap right now.

Sweet dreams.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Years ago we celebrated this special day.  My dear mother-in-law loved her Irish side. Her father was born there.  We would gather for corned beef and cabbage and just enjoy.  This morning I was thinking of her and hoping now that she has ascended to Heaven that she has met the man in person.

What person other than family members and close friends would you like to meet there?

It is turning green around here.

Looking down on the top of a young oak tree  The baby leaves are "spring" green, they'll turn dark soon.

This is the mother tree. She, too, is leafing out nicely.

WEAVING!!!!!

I'm mad about weaving.  I have woven a whole towel on my floor loom. And started the second one.

See the black line on the cloth?  That is the end of one and the beginning of #2.  Boy, am I excited to get them finished.  

Rigid heddle weaving.  It's different and similar and portable. I've have a Schacht Flip Loom.

Here are some photos of a scarf I just finished.

It's warped and I've woven some waste yard to spread the warp fibers and make a space for the fringe.

It's coming along. Perhaps you're wondering about the spaces between the weft threads.  You can see through the scarf, right?  Those will disappear.  I was told.

Off the loom, wet and wrinkled.  But wait . . . 

Long shot.

Close-up.

I love it so much that I've already warped the loom for another one. Soon I'll have towels and scarves.

Joy.

See you soon.

What's Happening

Here's what's happening around here in March so far.

I took Alex's suggestion and bought some trading card sleeves for my "Photo a Day" project.  I put the photos in and then slipped in an explanation and date for each on the back.

The photos

The descriptions of said photos.

Thank you for the great idea, it's working well.

Here's what's happening in my knitting world.

The pullover.  It is possible this is the last sweater I will knit. Unless perhaps a baby one.

I have started another pair of socks in self patterning yarn. They will look something like these.

I did not knit these, but  this is the yarn I'm using. These are from Stephanie Pearl-McFee.


Weaving is coming along very slowly.

Spinning is fun.  Here is a photo of my wheel which doesn't look anything like the more familiar wheels like the one I use at Coloma. 

It's a Schact Sidekick. It's easy to carry, but too modern for the Gold Discovery Park in Coloma.











Here is some fiber I purchased on ETSY from Three Waters Farm.  I've almost turned it all into yarn.

Muted Conversation is the color.

Stitches West was lots of fun  I love riding the train even though it's a bit of a long walk to the convention center after you arrive.  Stitches South is in a few weeks in Nashville, TN.  All about Stitches events here.  I went with guild friends to SW for the market place.  I bought three things. Stitch markers, yarn and fiber. Believe me I was being restrained.  The stitch markers are gorgeous so before I close for today, here they are.

Ciao amici.

In the Time of Blah

Have you ever lived in the Time of Blah?  It's not a good time or a bad time it's just BLAH.  Actually it is not such a good time.  Well, all right, let's just say it  Blah is Bad.  Of course it's not horrible, or tragic, or physically painful so what's so bad about Blah?

Blah is like a white sky or a dry brown lawn. It's like beige walls with a beige carpet and beige furniture.  Beige lovers please don't be upset.  The same holds true for most monochromatic neutral colored rooms.  They're just blah.

In the Time of Blah, endless movies play on the screen, no work is done neither pleasurable nor menial. Little physical movement happens and sleep is fitful. One's attention span is short.

This photo blah?  Yes of course it's blah.  I mean, dirt, dead grass, rocks, an old board.


Perhaps the little gopher head sticking out saves it from complete blah-dom, but not likely.



Sorry, there's no more blah photos that I could find.  I try not to take boring photos.  Honestly I'm sure some of my photos would be boring to others, but if they're not boring to me I can't claim them as 'blah.'

There is a good thing about living in the Time of Blah.  It's over fairly quickly and I return to the time of Joy and Contentment.  Here's hoping I make that transition sooner than later.

I finished only one of the goals for January in January and I have hopes of finishing one more before February's gone.  The sewing one.  I haven't started to weave, but I'm all tied on and ready to go. The knitted pullover is sure to be done in March.

Now to end on a not so blah note.    

JOY!

Another Thing I Do

Last year on 4 June 2014, I started taking and recording "A Photo a Day".  So easy to do with a camera phone. Except do you remember you were going to do it?  Not always until . . . you put a reminder in your phone.  Every day my phone tinkles a reminder at 1645. Often I've already taken one, but if I haven't, I take one wherever I happen to be.  If I forget entirely, this is what goes into the spot where the day's photo should be. 

If I take one at the time the reminder goes off, it often looks like this.

June 6

or

September 19

or 

November 12

Many times the pictures were taken first thing in the morning. Looking out of windows or on a walk.  I love morning.

November 8

or 
August 3

Often as not there will be photos of my pets. Sophie, Zeke, Zorro and Eddie.  They live with me an so are always available for pics.

June 5

October 17

September 7

My thought was to do this for one year and then print them out in wallet size and make an album.  Recently I printed out some.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any album pages for 2x3 size photos.  I didn't want to the paste them in or use photo corners because I want to make a note of the date and a little description on the back.  It's been fun and funny and interesting.

We're having stormy weather this weekend, but it's a good thing. California needs rain.  This morning there was a lovely sky.

"For the beauty for the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise."

F.S. Pierpont

Another Day

About those resolutions.  I haven't given up on them, but I'm running behind.  The socks are done as previously mentioned.  I've fixed my weaving problem so will soon be weaving on those towels.  I've worked on the knitted pull-over, but it's slow going.

I've not been idle though.  I've made 12 bags for the Co-op. Here are a few.

Someone else from the Co-op, puts the drawstrings in.  

I've been practicing my spinning.  I can do it for hours without getting dizzy or falling down.

This is me at the Gold Discovery park for the 167th anniversary of finding that first nugget.

Also I knitted some dishcloths

They look pretty fancy.  I got this pattern from Knit Picks.

They're offering 52 dishcloth patterns so one can knit a dishcloth a week.  The patterns are a free download.  They also sell a cotton yarn called Dishie.  I didn't have Dishie, but I had some Peaches and Cream by Pisgah Yarn Co. and Sugar and Cream by Lily. Here is where to find the patterns. 

52 Weeks of Dishcloth Patterns

I have also been practicing my dulcimer.  What's that you say?  A dulcimer?  Yes.  I bought it 20 years ago and played it and had lots of fun. Then I went to nursing school and didn't have time to play.  I put it away.  Two days ago I got it out and started playing it.  I didn't remember very much, but I didn't forget everything.

Who's that sitting in my chair?

So long.

Pinterest

A show of hands,please, if you have a board or two on Pinterest.   Hands?  Ummmm. How about a show of hands if you have 5 or more boards?  Ahh, yes.  Now I see them.  Mine is also raised as I have a whopping 8 boards.  One of which includes Miscellany.  That one is so I can pin things I like that don't fit into other categories but I don't have to have another board.  When I decided to because a 'pinner', I decided not to be "one of those"  who have 25, 50, 100 or more boards.  I started with four and had only four for quite a while.  Then I added one more, later the Miscellany one I mentioned and just recently I added two,  the last ones are "Fabric is Fabulous" and "Yarn is Beautiful".

Some people who know me, know I am a stasher.  I have fabric, yarn, art supplies, and beading things stored throughout the house.  (I live alone so no one complains about this)  However, I have, or perhaps I'm starting to, become aware that stashing and my income are much less compatible than they were when I was working.  Hence the two new boards on Pinterest.   This way when I see fabric I want or a gorgeous yarn, I can have it at no cost and in a matter of seconds.

The following are photos from my Pinterest boards which I have often pinned from other places on the internet.

The "My Guys" board is a place to look at and remember heart throbs of the past and a couple of handsome guys of today.

Rossano Brazzi




"What I Will Wear"  is to help me with style.  I actually haven't got a style so I need help.  Some of these photos I pinned from other boards on Pinterest which you can do,

I like this, but not the blue hair part.

Not all of the ones I chose from Advanced Style are ones I would actually wear, but are ones  I admire when other older ladies wear them.   I just read today that some style magazines are starting to feature women of 'mature years' on their covers. Who gave them that brilliant idea?  It's about time!

From "Things I Might Make"

These are pretty cool.  I'm going to try making some, but I'm not sure when.  Summer?

And from "Home, garden, my place..."

Pinning dreams.

Next is from "Miscellaney"

Someone on Etsy does these.  I love what this one says.  I want to always "look again".

And last but not least one pin from my board "Where I've Been Where I'm Going".  ( I'm not doing any from yarn or fabric today.)

Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.  I was here in 1967 on my honeymoon. I did not take this photo, however.  From the internet.

Ciao. Ci vediamo presto. (Bye, see you soon.)