WEEK 6

 

Hey there!  Good to have you back again.  Hope your week went well for you.  Mine was productive as well as enjoyable.  I have a finished item to show this week.

KNITTING

Hubby's RCR socks are completed and in his drawer.  I was so inspired by the completion of these I decided to cast on more RCR socks.  Yes, that is plural!

These are for hubby since they are wool.  Once again, the yarn is from Leading Men Fibers.

These are for ME!  It is Diversity Yarn.  I love this yarn for the stretch it has and yet never looses its shape.  Wears quite well too.  Hubby has socks in this yarn that are MANY years old and still look brand new.  My only complaint is all their yarn is self striping.  I would love to have a solid or variegated color in this yarn to play with.

DIAMOND ART

I only worked on my Diamond are 3 days this past week.  I was very focused on sock knitting.  Yet, I did get the section I was working on completed and started a new section last night.

Here is the current section I am working on.  The star is the halfway point for this project.

The left side is what I completed the middle of the week.  My biggest problem with working on this is, once I start I have a hard time stopping.  I worked on it 5 hours yesterday.  Time just slips away when working on it.

READING

The book I was reading last week got returned as I was correct and had seen the Hallmark Movie of it.  I did check out another book.  'Home for Christmas in July'.  I am thoroughly enjoying this little mystery/romance.  Naturally, as soon as I got started reading this book one of my 'on hold' books became available.  I had to put that book back on hold as I am not good at reading 2 books at the same time.  

Crochet

Not yet

Puzzles

I finally got all my boxes to Goodwill so my dining room table is now available to set a puzzle up on it.

Sewing

Keep on moving to the next category

Cross Stitch

Nope, nothing here either

Lego

Nothing new built and the Notre Dame build is still at a stand still.

I was informed that putting an 's' on the end of Lego is a big No-No.  Sorry.  I did not mean to cause any upset in Denmark.  Forgive us Americans.  We mean no offense.  

Life

Pretty normal week here.  I spent 1.5 days with Josh this week.  We saw a large change this week in his delusions, paranoia and anxiety.  This tells us his cancer is continuing to wreck havoc in his brain.  His short term memory has decreased to maybe about 2-5 minutes and his long term is laced with fiction along with facts.  It can make for some very interesting stories!

As you probably remember, Hubby and I have been getting up very early every Saturday, for several years, to gather food from local grocers to take to our church's food bank.  This week, we decided this will be the last month of us participating in this worthy endeavor.  My RA is preventing me from any heavy lifting and hubby is starting to have issues with lifting heavy items too.  We have enjoyed our time doing this but at some point you have to know your limitations. 

Here is your chuckle for the week.......................

Until Next Time.........................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 5

 

Once again it is time to fill y'all in on the activities of the past week.  Let's go!

Diamond Art

I am still working on the big Nativity scene.

This section looks like it is almost done, right?

Looks a bit different when I turn on my light pad, doesn't it.  Most of the dark beads have been added in this section.  Now I will do the lighter colors and move on to section #2.  

Knitting

The first RCR sock is completed!

Yes, I was a good girl and immediately started the second sock.

The heel is completed and I am on the boring foot part.  Only 68 more rows before the toe.  This wool yarn is my favorite to work with for socks.  It is Show Stopper from Leading Men Fibers.  Even though I am allergic to wool, this one does not affect my hands when using it.  When I discovered that, I tried to wear an item made out of this wool,  Nope!  Not able to wear this wool either.

Crochet

Nothing to see here

Reading

I finished my cozy mystery book 'The Mapmaker's Apprentice'.  The third book in the series is not available at this time.  I did put a hold on it.  So I started reading 'Crowned and Moldering'.  I am not sure I will finish this one as I do believe I saw the Hallmark movie done on this one so there will be no surprise as to 'who dun it' for me.  Hopefully, one of the 8 books I have on hold will come available soon.

Puzzles

Again, nothing here

Sewing

*SIGH* Nope, nothing

Cross Stitch

I actually did pull out one of my cross stitch projects and added about 15 stitches on it.  I just could not get the mojo going for it.  It is back in a holding pattern for now.

Legos

Nothing new has been added to Notre Dame.  Although, 2 more Lego builds were purchased this past.  They are small ones and I will probably work on those in times when none of my other projects call my name.

Life

I spent 3 days this past week being care giver for Josh while Stacie went to the office.  That is how the RCR sock got finished.  We also had a special birthday this past week.

Josie turned 20!  This is her and her boyfriend, Nate.  We had a small gathering at our Organ Stop Pizza restaurant.  There were about 15 of us there to celebrate.  We have done this every year since she was a born.  In fact, we did this the day before she was born which started the tradition.

I even managed to get a great photo of her and her parents!  Josh did so well this night.  I was impressed.  Since then, he has had some significant changes that have us a bit concerned.  Hopefully we will know more about these changes in the next week.  Waiting on Hospice to let us know what they want to do.  I know this is a bit cryptic, but until I know more I do not want to speculate as to what is going on.

I finally got my hair cut!  I have been growing out a bad pixie cut for a year.  Yes, a year this month.  There have been a couple of trims on the sides and many trims on the back.  But, finally I was able to get it cut into the style I have been wanting for over a year.  

It is hard to see from this photo but the back of this is 'stacked' and OFF MY NECK!  Super easy to take care of too.  Just wash, blow dry and leave the house.

Do you know how hard it is to take a photo of the back of your head?  Well, this is what mine looks like.  Yes, I have a couple of little 'spots' that need trimming up and I have no problem doing that myself.

Today, I am sitting here listening to copious amounts of noise coming from our roof.  We are installing more solar panels to our home.  We will then be 94% solar powered in our home.  We have been about 50% powered for the past several years and it has really helped with our electric bill.  I am excited to see what the increase of solar will do for us. We live in the perfect state for it too.

After the solar is completed, I am planning on doing some laundry, baking banana bread, working with my sourdough (which has been neglected for a few months) and maybe, just maybe go relax in the pool for a bit.  I did most of my 'kitchen duties' yesterday of cleaning all the fruits and veggies I purchased on Friday.  So, today is fun day in the kitchen.  

Here is your bit of humor for the week.

Until Next Time....................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 4

 

Greeting everyone.  Another week as gone by.  I managed to stay out of the ER this past week!  HOORAY!  I am feeling fantastic and had a blessed week.  Things go accomplished too.

DIAMOND ART

So glad to have this one done.  It was very involved with all the color changes.  Now to find a frame for it and get it hung in hubby's office.  

Bookmarks!  I need to seal these and then put their tassels on them.  These are great for the days I go to Josh's.  I have 4 more of them to do.  

I just started this yesterday.  It is a BIG one.  It measures 16" X  34".  Not a traveling project.  It has 37 different colors in it.  That is the most colors I have ever had on one project.  It will be well worth it when completed though.

KNITTING

Hubby's RCR is my constant companion.  I am very close to the starting the toe.  

My fingers are itching to cast on either a baby hat or a dishcloth.  I am trying hard not to do that as I really want hubby's socks to be 100% completed.  If I were to cast on, they would go to the back burner and languish for who knows how long.

CROCHET

Again, I am itching to start another shawl for the cancer ministry.  If I finish the first sock and cast on the second, I may allow myself the joy of starting a shawl.

READING

I finished 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah

I loved it!  Having lived during the Vietnam War, this book really took me back to my high school days and all the feels of that time.  It was so good I managed to finish it in 3 days time.  

I am still reading 'The Mapmaker's Apprentice'.  I did pause reading it so I could read 'The Women' since I had placed it on hold back in November.  I didn't want to delay my hold and end up waiting another month or more.  

PUZZLES

Nope.  Starting one has been on my mind but there are only so many hours in the day.  

SEWING

Nope.  I do have several items That need hemming up.  Not sure when I will get to those.  They are not for me but for Jaxon.  My issue is they are super stretchy material and have a tendency to pucker when being sewn.  I know there is a way to make it work, I just have not taken the time to really work on it.  I bought the machine from JoAnn's and since they are no longer in business, I will need to find out who can help me with my Husqvarna machine.

CROSS STITCH

Nope.  I don't know why I don't pull one of the two pieces out and put in a few stitches each day.  Both of them sit right beside my chair.  It's not like I need to go scrounging to find them!

LEGOS

I did purchase a new legos kit.  It was on half price and one on my wish list.  It will stay in the box for a while though.  Notre Dame is still unfinished.  I would work on it but...........hubby said he made a couple of mistakes and needs to undo some areas before continuing.  Since I have no idea of where those mistakes are, I refuse to touch it until corrections have been made.

LIFE

The rest of last week was pretty quiet............for a change.  I did need to get blood work done for my Rheumatologist but that was easy.  I spent one and a half days with Josh.  He is spending more time in bed and becoming more confused about timelines and things that happened IRL.  It can be quite entertaining at times. 

Here is what made me laugh this week

 

My dog would attack me if I tried this with him.  He won't even let me put a sweater on him in the winter.

Until Next Time..............................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 3 OF YOP 15

 

Hey there!  Time to talk about my past week.  While there was not a lot of crafting going on, there was a lot going on.

I finished the last eyeglass case.

They have all been sealed and are waiting to go to their new homes.  

I have started another Diamond Art project.

I am almost half way done with this one.  Hubby fell in love with this so it will probably go in his office area when completed and framed.

I also worked on his RCR sock a bit this week.

I added about 20 rows to it.  The color keeps calling to me which makes it easy for me to pick it up and add a few rows now and then.

The best part of the week is the new crafting area we now have for our legos and diamond art.  WARNING!!!!!    Crappy photo coming.

You can not really see it in the photo but, this table has 2 drawers under the wood top.  The drawers span the entire length of the table.  I am able to store my lightboard and stand as well as my tools used for the Diamond Art in one drawer. The other drawer is for hubby's crafts.  The table raises and lowers so it is comfortable to whoever is using it.  I can sit there and still watch TV with hubby.  I had been working on a TV tray and it was a challenge to say the least.

I finished a book this week.  The Watchmaker's Daughter.  It was an enjoyable mystery and #1 in a series.  I started the second book in the series on Thursday.  The Mapmaker's Apprentice.  I get all my books through the Libby app.  So much easier than heading downtown to our library and trying to find a book there and then needing to take it back after 2 weeks.  This way I just find the book I want, check it out and read it on my kindle app and return it electronically.  I have read 14 books so far this year.  There are 5 more I tried to read but could never 'get into' them.  I go through spurts where reading is all I want to do and then times when I could care less about picking up a book. GASP!

Hubby and I just finished up watching all 5 seasons of 'The Chosen'..  We also watched the first season of 'Ballard'.  Hopefully they will do a second season of that.  Now to find another series.  Any suggestions?  

In other news................I ended up in the ER again this week.  I had mentioned, last week, I was having some tachycardia from the meds they gave me for my pleurisy.  Well, it did not improve over the weekend.  I headed to my primary Dr office Monday morning and was told I was in Afib again.  Luckily, I had hubby with me.  So we went to the ER to get fixed up.  They did an electrical cardioversion to get my heart back into normal sinus rhythm.  And, before you ask, they knocked me out for the procedure so I felt nothing.  I went for a follow up with my cardiologist on Friday and everything looks good.  Seems the steroids I got at the hospital as well as the ones I was given to take at home, caused the issue this time.  It took me a couple of days to bounce back from everything but I am back to my normal onery self.

Hubby and I did not have any days of being with Josh, last week.  Our youngest son and his wife took all the times needed to give us a little break.  It was greatly appreciated.  We go back to splitting shifts with them this week.  Those days are when I get the most of my knitting done!

Here is your chuckle for the week...............

Until Next Time.....................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 2

 

Hello to all.  It was a busy and productive week for this crafter.  Let's not dawdle.

I have finishes again.

#1

I finally finished up the first skein of the Sugar Wheel Cotton yarn with this dishcloth.  I got 6 clothes out of the skein.  Since I always wait for Hobby Lobby's 30% off yarn, it comes to less than $1 per cloth.  I do have another skein but have not started anymore since then one came off the needles.

#2

Shawl We Wear is completed also.  This think is really long.  I did adjust the width of it before I even started.  It will be perfect for someone to keep the chill off while sitting in the cold infusion room.  Yet it is light enough not to over cook a body.  I did like making this.  It also is more unisex than the other shawl I make for the cancer ministry so it might need to go into rotation.

#3

 Our Lady of Grace Diamond Art is done and sealed.  Now to find the perfect frame for it.  The photo is a bit dark as I took it early this morning.  She was a joy to work on and this was normally my evening project while hubby was watching baseball on TV.  

#4

Diamond Art glass cases.  I am doing these for the ladies in my life.  (Granddaughters, daughter and daughter in laws)  I actually have completed 5 of these but Josie already claimed hers.  I have one more to complete and then will let the rest of the ladies choose theirs.  Doing these little projects is like making dishcloths.  A real palette cleanser.

Amazon days just ended and I was able to stock up on many more Diamond Art projects.  Between the yarn I got from JoAnn's close out sale and the DA I got from Amazon, I have enough projects to keep me entertained for many years.  I haven't even mentioned all the puzzles I have acquired from a good friend.  She has given me over 20 puzzles that went with my already 20 puzzles I had.  Guess I need to get one of those going too.  So many things to do and so little time in each day to do it.

I did cast on a new project,

Another RCR sock for hubby.  This is wool from Leading Men Fibers in the colorway Anne with an E.  I started this on Tuesday to work on while taking care of Tiffany after her procedure.  The heel is completed and I am on the long boring foot part.  It is being done with magic loop this time.  It is easier on my wrist than DPN's.  Although, DPN's are my all time favorite way to do socks.  Hubby was quite excited to find out a new pair of socks were being made for him.  It has been a while.

Speaking of Tuesday......I went to bed that night all fine and dandy only to wake up at 2AM with severe chest pains & shortness of breath.  It hurt so bad to even try and catch my breath.  I woke up hubby who called 911.  They came and took an EKG which was normal but could see I was in extreme pain.  I went by ambulance to the hospital and after 5 hours and several tests they discovered I had pleurisy!  What a joy that is!  I have had it one other time and it is not a fun gig.  I was put on steroids which in turn has caused tachycardia (fast heart rate) and elevated my blood pressure.  Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, right?  I am just about done with the meds so things should settle down.

I spent the day on Friday with Josh.  I had not seen him in a week!  He was in such good spirits that day.  We had lots of laughter and really enjoyed our time together.  Those days are getting farther and farther apart.  While I was there I got the sweetest photo,

Josie's little kitten all curled up in his condo.  He is so cute and is very friendly.  Almost too friendly.  He really likes to be in your business, especially if food is involved.  

On Sundays, Hubby works with Jaxon on Geometry.

This was last Sunday.  Notice he is smiling, her not so much LOL.  Math is not the strong suit of any of our granddaughters.  He has tutored almost every grandchild we have in some subject.  So glad I married a brainy guy.

That about covers my week.  Here is my humor for you today.  This goes for knitting too.

Until Next Time.............................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 1 OF YOP 15

 

Welcome to my 15th year of being active in the Ravelry group, 'Year of Projects".  I choose the July 1 - June 30 year.  This being the first week, I am posting my 'wish list' below showing the categories I will be filling in over the next 51 weeks. 

My 'wish list' has been set up a bit different this year.  First, there are more categories than in the past because my interests have expanded.  Secondly, each category will contain everything pertaining to that specific craft in it from beginning to end.  Third, each item in the category will be one of three colors and the legend for the meaning of the colors is at the top of the page.  Why did I change?  Boredom LOL.  I felt like I was getting into a rut and needed to spice things up a bit.  That being said, here is a look at my wish list for this year.

LEGEND

WIPs

COMPLETED

FROGGED

KNIT

MKAL Gnome 4/20/24

Dishcloth x 2 6/26/25 - 7/5/25

CROCHET

Shawl We Wear 6/2/25

CROSS STITCH

Madonna & Child 8/7/20

Madonna & Child 6/18/24

DIAMOND ART

Our Lady of Grace 6/13/25

Perpetual Calendar 7/2/25 - 7/2/25

LEGOS

Notre Dame 6/1/25

PUZZLES

SEWING

BOOKS

Through a Glass, Deadly 6/22/25 - 

There are not any 'planned' projects as of yet.  We all know I will continue to make shawls for our cancer ministry at church as well as newborn hats for the hospitals.  But, right now, I have plenty of things on the go that need to be completed.

I did complete 2 more dishcloths this past week.

I also completed a Diamond Art I had received for my birthday.

The dishcloths and Diamond Art were great take along projects for this past week as I was helping out with my son, Josh. 

This past week Hubby and I went to a Diamondback Baseball game with our youngest son and his wife.  We lost the game but had a great time with the 'kids'.  Last night we had a little pizza party with Josh and his family.  Our daughter was there as well so we have managed to see all our local kids this past week.  Always a joy for me.  

Today I plan on taking my kitchen apart and cleaning it.  I had a sewer roach show up late last night and had to use the bug spray on it to kill the nasty thing.  So, sanitizing the counter tops is top priority for me today.  We normally get several of these critters each year.  Usually they come up in the bathrooms from the drains.  Luckily, this is the first one we have had in well over a year.  May it be our last one too.  They give me the creeps!

This coming week I am busy again with caring for members of the family.  I have 2 days scheduled with Josh, one day with our daughter in law, Tiffany and possibly one day with our daughter, Jenn.  I knew I should have gone to nursing school! LOL  Luckily, I have plenty of projects I can take with me as I go from home to home.

Let me leave you with a little chuckle.  I think we all can relate to this:

Until Next Time............................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S A WRAP OF YOP 14

 

This is it!  The last post for my 14th Year of Projects.  This year saw me missing several weeks of blogging.  Something I had not really happened in prior years.  But as we all know, life does happen and sometimes a person just needs to regroup and recharge.  However, I did continue to craft in many areas even when I was not blogging about it.  So, to wrap up this last year of projects I need to start out by posting a photo of my last finished object of this year.

My RCR (rose city roller) socks were completed this past week.  I cast these on in March but lost interest in them for a while and then had issues with my wrist.  But, finally they are completed and in my drawer.  They were made with Cascade Cotton Sox yarn.  It is a bit thicker than standard sock fingering yarn so I had to go down 8 stitches to make them 'snug' on my foot.  They will be perfect this summer to help keep my feet dry while in sneakers.

So, how did I do this year?  Here is my Wish List.

WIP CARRY OVERS

Madonna and Child XS 8/7/20 -

Rolling on the River 3/20/24 -FROGGED

MKAL Gnome 4/20/24 -

Madonna and Child XS 6/18/24 -

Felt Christmas Ornaments 10/18/22 - 

GOALS

Find ways to use up a plethora of fingering weight yarn!!!!

Mainly focus on the WIP's that are begging to be completed.

Enjoy the process of what ever craft I decide to focus on at the moment.

COMPLETED ITEMS

Habitation 5/20/24 - 7/17/24

To The Point Shawl 8/8/24 - 8/15/24

To The Point Shawl 8/19/24 - 9/6/24

Wee Sherlock 9/27/24 - 10/19-24

Basic Baby Beanie 10/19/24 - 10/22/24

RCR 4/23/34 - 11/16/24

Toe Socks 11/8/24 - 11/15/24

Toe Socks 11/20/24 - 11/22/24

Baby Sea turtle throw 10/28/24 - 11/27/24

Toe Socks 11/23/24 - 12/6/24

Toe Socks 12/7/24 - 12/21/24

Azel 11/28/24 - 12/21/24

Simnia Cardigan 1/8/25 - 1/25/25

Quick and Easy Baby Hat 1/24/25 - 1/31/25

Half Granny Square Shawl 1/27/25 - 1/30/25

Quick and Easy Baby Hat 2/2/25 - 2/4/25

Simnia Cardigan 2/5/25 - 2/20/25

Mehujaa 9/14/24 - 3/3/25

To The Point Shawl 3/4/25 - 3/8/25

RCR 1/2/25 - 3/12/25 (one sock)

Quick and Easy Baby Hat 3/13/25 - 3/17/25

Lapghan 3/12/25 - 3/22/25

Quick & Easy Baby Hat 3/23/25 - 3/31/25

To The Point 4/2/25 - 5/1/25 This is the 44th one of this pattern!!!!!

RCR 3/13/25 - 6/25/25

 Lapghan 5/8/25 - FROGGED

Dishcloths X3 6/9/25 - 6/15/25

NEW WIP

Shawl We Wear 6/2/25 - 

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I did acquire quite a few skeins of yarn this year.  Two of them were cotton sock yarn of which I already have used up one of them for my latest RCR socks. I bought copious amounts of Caron Simply Soft yarn for prayer shawls and lapghans. This was all purchased from JoAnn's going out of business sale.  There were 2 skeins of Sugar Wheel Cotton purchased for dishcloths as well as several skeins of Sweet Delight DK weight for baby items. (Those were from Hobby Lobby and on sale too)

If asked which was my favorite make.......................The Mejuhaa is still my favorite to make.  It is time consuming but is such a gorgeous shawl and so easy to wear.

 After that, it would be baby items.

I made several baby items but this cardi was my favorite.

My plans for next years YOP are already in progress.  Again, they will be vague as to what will be made.  I will also be including ALL of my different crafts I am involved in this year.  So stay tuned for that to appear in next week's post.

This past week saw so many things happening.  We have a guest staying with us until Monday evening.

See that furry thing?  That is our daughter's dog, Celeste.  Mom and dad are in Minnesota for a family reunion and we offered to take her for them.  They have 3 dogs but this one is the only one our dog gets along with.  She is extremely quiet and sleeps most of the day.  Yet, when it is feeding time, she is alert and prances around like a puppy.

This also happened.

Josh and Stacie's plumbing when haywire.  The plumber has been out twice and it still is not fixed.  They have hot water but no cold water.  Only 1 out of three toilets works and their washer won't fill for laundry.  Josie and Joe are looking to see if there is anything they can do to help.  Nope!  But at least they tried.  The next step is for walls to be opened up to see where the plumbing comes into the house to find out where the plug is.  Not something they needed.  They are wanting to sell their house and move into something all one floor that Stacie can manage on her own once Josie moves out and as Josh's terminal cancer progresses.  A few prayers are needed for them.

Then there is this little monster.

This is Meatloaf.  Although, I do not think any of us have used his given name yet.  He is so cute but so much a kitten and into everything.  He is very friendly unlike her other cat that stays in his 'room' 90% of the time.  He is about 3 months old now and will soon be going in for his little 'surgery'.

Here is your chuckle for the week.

Interested in joining in on the fun with the rest of us crafters?  Here is the link where you can join.  It is free and open to all no matter what craft you enjoy.

Until Next Time.............................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!