Month: March 2022

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Behind the Curtain

Thought I would give you a little peek behind the curtain. See that? That’s what I have going on at the moment. Almost. There are three projects missing. This is what’s going on right now in Knitsville. Finally finished the front (or back) of the poncho. Almost done with the 2nd of 3 golf club covers. There are also two hats in there. And a bag of yarn I’m not using.

So what’s missing? An afghan. A new scarf I’m designing and a bandana from Purl Soho.

There is busyness in the business. These are good times. 

In the other news, I have taken some more selfies and I guess they will be coming in other posts. As of today, I am -58lbs. 56 days and 58 lbs. Not bad at all. I can take averaging more than a lb a day. I can take 1/2 pound a day so I’m not blocking the blessings by wishing for something different. But enough of that. Back to knitting.

I am having the urge to buy yarn. When I don’t need it. When the yarn I want to buy is sitting in the closet and I think there’s some in free range. I am on the lookout for some chunky yarn and since I can’t get the anniversary cakes anymore, I’m thinking Brett Marble Chunky. I think I bought some the last year or so. The fact I can’t remember should tell me something. But what it seems to say is I should get some because I only have one skein of the colors I bought that’s sitting in the closet with the domesticated yarn. Then I look on the Premier yarn site and they have chunky galore and I think I will be buy from there. I probably will buy from there. They have solids, tweeds and other chunky goodness.

Heaven help me.

 

 

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The Forest For the Trees

Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. But sometimes, looking at a tree doesn’t let you appreciate the majesty of the entire forest. I think I can explain what I mean. See that? That is a dresser in my craft room. That dresser looks pretty neat. And it is. But it wasn’t always. A few scant hours ago, it was cluttered and dusty. I decided to clean it and dust it as part of Lent.

We usually give up something for Lent like chocolate or coffee. But then, the day after Easter, we have chocolate and coffee. I don’t have coffee; don’t drink it. Haven’t had chocolate in a minute, either. You get the point. We pause something; we don’t actually give it up.

That makes Lent kind of a game. I wonder if God has that kind of humor. We certainly aren’t fooling him. In the past, I didn’t give anything up for Lent. Even if it was a game, it was one I didn’t play. But this year, I want to be more mindful. So I gave up being cluttered and untidy. Not for me. But for Mr. Honey who likes neatness. I am working on a lot of things about myself for myself. This thing I am working on me for him. I didn’t tell him because that would seem braggadocious. I’m just doing it. Starting with the dresser.

In knitting news, look what I’m working on. This is Robin’s poncho and it’s being worked with that big cake of yarn known as the Caron Anniversary Cake. Now, as far as I know, these are all out of stock and they don’t have any new ones coming down the pike. But I have a couple of these to make this poncho because the client wants it big and squishy. There’s 1000+ yards in these balls and I want to use all of it to make it.

I am enjoying it. I will write a review on it just in case it comes back. (hope it comes back with some great colors.) I have a ball – maybe two – of it somewhere in the free range stash. 

This has spoiled me for chunky knits. I will turn to James C Brett and hope the Marble Chunky that I’ve been keeping for pets will suffice.

 

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Learn Something New

I decided to learn something new today. It’s already bigger than what’s in the photo. This is the 3D Petal Granny Square. (I’ve linked to the video here.)

I purchased this yarn just because I liked the color. I don’t usually do RHSS. It’s rough. Though I’ve heard it softens a lot once it’s washed. But the colors spoke to me and I had a coupon so it came home. Then I was back at the store and I saw just three lonely skeins of it on the shelf and decided the family should stay together. So, I had 1928 yards of a yarn I had no idea what to do with. That blows the year of yarning dangerously all to heck.

There was the thought it would make a great beanie – and it would. But then the 3D square popped up on the feed from my phone and I thought: ‘Pretty square. Won’t have to change colors. Let the yarn do the work.’ Cue the video. Video was easy. Square looked fun. Could sell the afghan. Everybody wins. And here we are.

I also have a bandana on the needles. Haven’t taken a photo yet. I am frogging the Hooded Turtleneck Cowl I was making. I didn’t like it in the end. The problem could be I followed the pattern and you know that never ends well for me. This is part of what happens when I learn something new. One of the new things is I will change the pattern.

There are no plans to redo it right now. But should the urge hit me, I will definitely rework to my taste. The Bandana Cowl is a Purl Soho free pattern and will look pretty in Autumn I Love This Yarn stripes.

I also started Robin’s poncho over. There isn’t a needle long enough to hold all the stitches. It’s being made in two pieces and will be joined at the seams and then the neck picked up.

I’m off to take a selfie and to get dinner in the oven. Today is Thursday and that’s leftover night. I have a Bible Study at 7 so dinner is at 6 or so. Mr. Honey is having spaghetti and I am having leftovers from our date night last night from Famous Dave’s.

Good night all around.

 

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Free Range Yarn

This is the free range yarn. On my daily schedule, I have some sessions set aside to tidy the workspace. It can be a most productive 12 mnutes 34 seconds. The last time around, the yarn was all over the sofa – no one could sit down – and more scattered than it is here. So, I gathered it all up.

There is plenty in there to show you. The yarns to replace the fiber of my best seller hat. There are two of them. There are new yarns for prayer shawls and for some new items I have in mind for the new shop. New shop, you say? YES! Whole bunch of new going round here.

I have something on the hook that is really going to be cute and you will see it in due time. It is not my design and I haven’t even modified it yet. I’m doing it in a yarn and color I’ve used a lot but it will still look great.

The free range yarn is going to stay there for a bit because there is no place else to put it. I am hoping I won’t need to get to the domesticated yarn in the closet because that would be a pain to get to. I’m working on one final order and I have all the yarn on the back of the sofa. So, we should be good. 

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Three Weeks Ago Today

Three weeks ago today I was in surgery. Actually, by this time, I was back in the recovery room. I went in one way and came out another. As I awoke from the anesthesia, I realized 80% of my stomach was left in the operating room and my life was changed.

The change started 8 weeks ago and has been on the books for a year before that. 8 weeks ago, I had to start a liquid diet that was to last 2 weeks. I somehow contracted Covid 2 days before my surgery was slated and it was delayed two weeks. During some of those last days, I didn’t stick with a strict liquid diet – my two big splurges were gyros salads – but I was very good. I lost 23 pounds.

This road had been traveled before. But this time I knew I would go through with it. Still, as I was being prepped for surgery and as my doctor was explaining to m husband what was going to happen, there was a voice inside my head wondering what the hell was I doing. All because I didn’t want to disappoint my PCP. I had trapped myself and there was no turning back from it now. At the same time, there was another voice who thought this was m best chance of building this new life that had already had a spiritual reset. A physical and mental reset was earned and due. Though I had started down this path well before the spiritual reawakening, the spiritual was happening before I knew it.

This is scary, exciting and new.