Monday, March 31, 2014

What A Roller Coaster!

Some days there is sunshine and warmth; some days there are clouds, rain, and coolness.  Today is the latter.

My friends CJE and AE took the maps that have been sitting in my kitchen.  I had seven sacks of maps from my friend G's file cabinets when I cleaned out his house.  So I finally decided that my so-called help was not coming.  I sorted through the sacks one by one.  I now have two sacks of recycling material.  I had two sacks I burned.  That left four sacks of maps left.  They  now have them and the wall maps that were standing propped against the wall.

I have been going through a strange bit of not sleeping.  It is very strange to go through my day groggy and discombobulated.  At bedtime I am so tired and sleepy.  Then I lay there thinking and thinking and thinking.  I eventually get up, go to the bathroom, and rearrange the bed covers.  I tell myself that it is 12:30 am and you have got to go to sleep.  So I lay there and lay there. 

Of course, the animals still get up at their usual time.  And I go through another groggy day.

I finally got one shoulder grafted correctly on the medieval sweater.  It is not as perfect as the messed up one.  I don't care at this point.  It is done.  I have knitted a bit on the socks.  I have knitted a bit on a bookmark.  That's it.  I am not inspired.

I finished replying the yarn that I am going to do something to it.  CJE came over Friday, and she felt the color was beautiful as is.  So that's two people that like it anyway-counting myself of course.

I have been doing some writing.  I have a new story going through my head, and I have done a bit of research.  Finally I sat down today to begin.  "The new story" is the part I like.  I don't like having to go back and flesh things out and edit things out.  I like the new story to flow out of my head.

Otherwise there is nothing new to tell.  Another week of weather blahs.  Hope things get better.  Of course, we are now starting our Spring storm season.  I am sure that will be the topic of interest now.

Have a great week.  Hope to have more cheery news next time.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Come On Spring!

This is the hardest part of the Spring awakening.  It is only March, and it is almost April.  Some daffodils are blooming.  So-why is it still so blasted cold?  Then I try to remember that the blasted cold of April is not the blasted cold of February.  My mind is not so plastic any more.  I want sunshine, flowers, and warmth.  Sigh!


I have finally returned to the Starry Sky sweater from Medieval-Inspired Knits.  I cut the armhole steeks and now will graft the shoulders.  Then arms added.  I am so slow knitting this.  I am trying to not beat myself over the head for being so slow.  It is a very complicated pattern, and I am so OCD about making sure I do everything correctly. 

When my friend passed away, I had so much on my plate to clean out his house, put things in storage, sort maps that were in a file cabinet and now are in sacks, and just dealing with legal matters.  Now that my part is complete (except sorting maps), I can return to my normal knitting routine.

I am knitting on a pair of socks for a customer, but otherwise, no knitting in this house.  I found a new website called Creative Bug.  There are a lot of classes that I want to take there.  The prices are more reasonable than Craftsy.  So yesterday I sat down with Brandon Mobley and learned how to do his magic-ball trick.  My selection of yarns wasn't as exciting as his.  Duh!  I do like the idea he conveyed.  Not difficult to do, just a little tedious.  It is a way to control the colorways that one can't control with Noro or Freia yarns.

I have not been a very spinnery mood lately.  I finally decided to take a skein of my yarn that was not attracting anyone's attention.  I am replying it, and I am thinking of dyeing it another color.  I am famous for overdyeing something.   I have always told folks, "If you don't like the color, dye it another color." 

This is a horrible snapshot of the pastel cardinal I have been watching for a coupla months.  This is the first time she has been so close.  I know the screening distorts it, but I wanted to prove she is still around.  Where the brown should be, it is a pale beige color.  Her red parts are salmon pink.  I call her Blondie.  I notice that she is still not accepted by the others.I guess that catches us up.  Our Mirkwood group had its Meat Fest on Saturday.  Of course, it had to rain, but Parker and others still started a bonfire for all the kids.

Have a good week.  Do the Happy Spring Dance and maybe it will get warm sooner.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Whew! We are almost to Spring!

We have some delightful days of warmer weather.  When the cold comes, it doesn't stay as long.  When it is supposed to snow, it doesn't last as long.  Yes, I remember that last year it snowed in May.


I have been piddling along on the medieval sweater.  I really haven't done much knitting at all.  I don't know why, I am just tired of it at the moment.

I haven't really been spinning, either.  I finished the pink yarn, and that was it.  Done for a while.

What have I been doing?  Writing.  I submitted a manuscript to a publishing company, and it was accepted.  So began the long and tedious editing part.  We are really close now.  The cover art is almost done.  I have two folks who have agreed to endorse the book.  And then the fun really begins.

So when time comes, I will be sure to let everyone know what is happening.  I am not looking forward to the marketing part, but it is part of the package deal.  Sigh!

I have also been extremely busy cleaning out my friend's home that is a total mess.  He died in January, the attorney/executor hasn't filed the estate, and it is a crazy mixed up mess.  The owner of the cabin is also a friend of mine, and he has been reaching out to me to help.  So for three awful days I got to help box and sort and get everything in storage.  And the house was a total filthy awful place.  I half expected that a t.v. show would be filming this for Hoarders.  I am almost done with the things that are in my home.  Friends are going to sort the maps tomorrow.  All seven sacks of them!

So I have created a new website, and I hopefully have this blog connected to it.  This is my first experiment to see.  It wears me out mentally to spend so much time trying to figure things out.  I am exhausted.

My friend CJE's mother is in the hospital again.  She has pneumonia, but the medication they are given her causes her blood sugars to soar to unbelievable heights.  I told her today her mother may have a stroke with the blood sugars so high. 

Otherwise, I am still trying to enjoy the sun when we have it.  Today is overcast, but warm.  We are supposed to have gobs of rain tonight, and a cold front will turn it to snow tomorrow.  We will see.
I am not going to get too excited.

So I am going to close now and see if this posts on my new website.  Crazy, huh?

Monday, March 3, 2014

Finished Just In Time For Spring



This is Mr. Greenjeans from Knitty.com.  It is merino roving with some alpaca added in for more softness and airiness.  It is really a deep burgundy color.  There is black and other colors added to darken the color.  It was a top down raglan shaped shoulder.  I made the sleeves three-quarter for my own personal choice.  It was an easy pattern.  It just took me longer to make it because of the craziness in my life this winter.

It feels like I lost two months or more of my life this winter with GO's illness and death.  I am still moving along on the other sweater.  I am now shaping the back neckline.  About three more rows on that.  Then put the shoulder stitches on holders.  Then finally I can cut the steek on the armhole and start the arms.  Yeah!  So, yes, moving along.

I finished the pretty pink yarn.  I will wind the final bobbin on the skein holder and then wash and block that and be done.  It was a joy to spin.  BFL and silk are two of my favs.

We got another cold spell with ice, sleet and snow.  I am so ready for this to be over and done.  I am ready for Spring.  I have begun digging up the front flower bed and trying to get grass out of it.  It is a chore that I don't like.

This past weekend we began the dirty, nasty, odious chore of cleaning out GO's cabin.  I am now aware that I really didn't know him at all.  He was very secretive, and even though I have know him  for twenty-five years, I still am amazed at the hording and clutter and mess.  I don't think he ever cleaned.

So now I am down to one knitting project.  A customer in Little Rock wants some red socks.  I have ordered some yarn, but nothing else planned.  I guess I should just concentrate on the medieval sweater and get it done.  Soon I will not be interested in knitting as much, and I would like that sweater finished.

CJE has two sick mamas in her house.  H is feverish, dehydrated, and not eating.  She thinks she has won the lottery.  C started with a sore throat and is now having a respiratory infection.  I don't know how she does it.

So now I will go open the front blinds and knit on my hard sweater.  I use my insulated blinds when it is really cold.  Which it is right now.

Keep warm.  Keep going.  Winter does have to end sometime, doesn't it?