WEEK 45

 

Happy Mother's Day to my US moms.   I have a lot to show and tell so let's get started.

Knitting

The needles have been smoking this week with activity.

It is amazing how fast a sock can be done when putting10 rows a day on it.  This one will be done this week for sure.

This one will also be completed this week.  It makes me happy to see two unknown WIPs to be getting accomplished.  I have checked my other 'bins' and did not find any other surprise items languishing in any of them.

The lap throw is finally using the last skein of yarn.

I was amazed at how many rows were knitted with that small amount of speckled yarn I had left last week.  There is a hope this will be done before the end of summer.  I really want to get back to crocheting prayer shawls and not knitting lap throws.

Crochet

The Lego blanket has progressed a bit

I have reached row 120 out of 228 (not to mention the edging).  Now that I have discovered how to crochet without a lot of pain I foresee getting this blanket done before 2027!  

Decluttering

I went back into my craftroom this week to see what else I could pull out of there.

I have removed 17 puzzles I will never do and still have 17 left to work on.  My cleaning girls love puzzles so I am letting them have first pick before the rest of them go to charity.  I am hoping the local senior center will want them.

These 4 crochet books have been with me for years.  I did make several of the snowflake ornaments but no longer work with thread.  The snowflake book has traveled to Indiana to it's new home.  The others are being donated.

These two books were given to me over 30 years ago from my friends grandmother.  They were printed around the1960's.  They have now gone to their new home in Indiana also. I am so glad someone still works with thread and makes gorgeous doilies.

Today, my Cricut is leaving my house also.  It is going home with my Daughter.  She has wanted one for sometime but finances have prevented her from getting one.  I have only used mine about a dozen times and really no longer have an interest in making things with it.

While going through my yarn bins I came across several mini-mini skeins of yarn.  They are 10 grams each and after much thought I have decided to try and make striped socks from them.

Here is the groupings I have decided to try them in.  As soon as hubby's socks are done, I will be casting these on.

Books

Right now I am reading two books at the same time.  One is on my Kindle and is my bedtime reading.  The other goes with me throughout the house to read when I have a few minutes of down time.  Luckily, they are so different I have no issue keeping track of the story lines in each one.

On the Kindle is "Spooked and Spackled".  It is #2 in a series of DIY mysteries.  The 'real' book is "Sworn to Silence" and is a bit grittier than I am used to but still a good read. 

Life

Yesterday, Hubby, Daughter and  I went to the Gray Matters Foundation Raffle.  

The last photo we were told to stick our tongue out to cancer.  Didn't want you to think we are always this rude in photos.  

Our daughter made this basket to go into the raffle.  The paper on the front tells Josh's story and it made all of us tear up reading it.  She is already 'plotting' a basket for next year.

It is Mother's day here in the US.  Our son had us over for a lovely steak dinner on Thursday and gave me a single yellow rose.  Our daughter came over this morning and brought breakfast burritos for us.  She made a cute floral arrangement for me.  It never needs water and will never die!

My flowers.  I know, the yellow rose is hard to see.

Now you can see the yellow rose.  This is my comfort zone in the house.  My book, projects, computer are all  within arms reach.  It is where I plan on spending most of my Mother's Day.

That pretty much covers my week.  I am still in OT and it is working quite well.  YAY!  This coming week is my last 2 sessions until I have a follow up with my Dr.

I will leave you with my weekly chuckle.

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

WEEK 44

 

Hello my lovelies.  I hope today finds you healthy and happy.  I am doing well and I do thing the OT on my wrist is helping me.  I still have 2 weeks left of therapy so am hoping by the end of that I will be able to just do exercises at home to maintain my progress.  I told my therapist my goal was to be able to crochet again and not just on small items.  I want to be able to work on the Lego blanket and not be in dire pain during and after a row.  Her suggestion to me was to wear the brace I wear at night and try to crochet with that on.

It has metal bars in the top so I can not do a lot of bending of the wrist.  I decided, what the heck, I will give it a try and see what happens.

See the bobbles at the top of the photo?  I did those plus the 2 rows above them in one sitting! I was so excited.  Maybe now I can get some rows added to it each week.  I can not do it for long periods of time as that thing is HOT and it is already A/C weather here.

Back to the brace, it works for crocheting large heavy pieces.  It does NOT work for knitting.  I have a different brace I wear for that. 

This one also works for when I am typing.  I do not wear either of them 100% of the time.  Just when my wrist is going to be doing repetitive movements.  And, before you ask, no, it is not carpal tunnel.  Been there and done that before on my left wrist.  This is 100% RA, according to the x-ray report.  Thankfully, I am a lefty and my right wrist is the issue.  Always look for that silver lining and gratitude!

Of course I worked on the lap throw this week too.  And, no, I have not used up this skein of yarn yet. *sigh*

Can you see the progress keeper?  Last week someone suggested using a progress keeper to show me my progress on large items.  I do use them.  Unfortunately, the one I chose for this project kind of blends into the fabric which is why I used blue dots and arrows last week.  I could change it out to something more visible but I know when I get back to the solid brown, this keeper will show up splendidly.  Not to mention, I am too lazy to pull out my tin of progress keepers and try and decide which one to use.

As you know from last weeks post, I have started my annual decluttering.  Since I am the only one that goes/uses my craftroom, I figured that was the best place to go after the kitchen was completed.  That may have been a massive mistake.  I did not get very far into the room before.........................BAM!  I found two socks that had been made some years ago for hubby.  They were so sad and lonely as their mate had died sometime with heel hole disease.  Luckily, I still had plenty of yarn for each of them to make them a new mate.

This is Diversity yarn which I have a plethora of.  I still find it one of the best non wool yarns for socks.  Hobby Lobby had one called Comfy Toes I liked, but they decided not to carry it any longer and have now gone to wool sock yarn too.  Cotton Sox by Cascade is ok but looses its shape the minute you put it on and it is a bit thicker than most sock yarns.  So, only short socks will be made with that brand.  

This is Leading Men Fiber Diva yarn.  It is SW wool, nylon, and silk.  Lovely to knit with for sure.  I originally made a shawl out of this yarn and tried to wear it.  But my wool allergy reminded me just how allergic I am to wool.  So I frogged the shawl and made a pair of socks for hubby.  He loved them so much he wore a hole in the heel in 3 years time.  It was unfixable.  The original sock had different colored heels and toes.  There is no more of the contrasting yarn, but who cares!  They are worn in shoes and no on else sees them but us.  So, I started the sock and got to the end of the heel and noticed it looked very different from the original sock.  So, I pulled my crafting journal to see what I did different.  Dang it!  I used a different needle size!  I seldom use a 2.25mm needle but for these I did.  What to do?  I frogged the partial sock and started again.  This yarn is VERY forgiving!  This is the third time it has been knit and still looks fresh and has great stitch definition.  

The decluttering kind of came to a stand still once I found these two sorrowful socks waiting for their mates.  I will be back at decluttering next week though.  It makes my heart happy to minimalize things.  The craftroom is the hardest for me.  I always think "I am going to need that someday" as I sort through things.  In the short 2 days I was in there I have discovered I have so many 'gonna do that soon' projects.  It is embarrassing.  Puzzles, Diamond Art, Cricut Projects, Sewing, Knitting, Crocheting, Ornaments, Cross Stitch and Lego builds.  HELP!  My name is Marsha and I am a craft-a-holic.

I got a new planner this week.  I have used Hobonichi Techno Weeks for several year and really liked it.  This year I decided to try a different planner and after 4 months can honestly say I dislike it greatly.  I was going to get another Hobonichi with an April start but the selection was not to my likeing.  What to do?  Go to Amazon and see what they have to offer.

Looky here!  Looks very similar to the Hobonichi and it is undated so was able to start it the first of May. If I end of loving this as much as I did my Hobonichi I will stay with this as it was less than half the price of the Hobonichi and it came with the protective cover too. Even though I keep my appointments on my phone calendar, I still write down on paper my daily 'chores' I need to complete.  Keeps me more focused and organized.  And at my age, I need all the help I can get.  LOL

I wanted to take just a couple of seconds to explain my header photo that will be used for this month.  May is the Gray Matters Month which bringing awareness to brain cancer.  This is what took the life of our son, Josh, in September last year.  Glioblastoma is so deadly with most patients dieing within 12 - 18 months of diagnosis.  We were blessed to have had 22 months with our son.  So, for the month of May I will honor him with a gray ribbon for my header.

That, my friends, sums up my week.  I will leave you with a chuckle that is so my hubby and myself.

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

WEEK 43 OF 52

 

Three weeks in a row I am posting!  Must be this gorgeous weather we are having that has me up and ready to attack the day.  The sun is shining, there is a cool gentle breeze and my front porch rocking chairs are calling my name.  Soon, sweet chairs, soon.

But first, I did a lot this past week and not all of it was crafting.  First, I will show off my crafting.

Still working on the lap throw.  The blue arrow shows where I was last week.  It is coming along and is not a hard knit but not something I will repeat anytime soon.  I was hoping to start a new skein of brown yarn before today.  Nope, I have this much left of the speckled to go.

SO CLOSE!  This week for sure.

I do have a finish to show.

I crocheted a doily.  It is been ages since I made a doily and I forgot how fun they are to do.  This one is larger than it looks here,  It is to protect my noodle board from being scratched by my 'treat' jars.

This gives you a bit more perspective of the size.  Those are quart mason jars that sit in a wire holder.  We keep our hard candies in them.  There are wintergreen lifesavers, Werther's originals and Dad's root beer barrels.  The family loves to grab a piece or two when they come by.  Can you say Grandma's house?

That sums up the crafting this week.  I got struck by the declutter bug.  Hubby continues helping a friend clean out her Aunt's house and after I went through the house I immediately came home and decided it was time to really get serious about getting my house in order too.  I spent the entire week doing the kitchen.  This is my domain and so I knew what I wanted to keep and what had out lived or no longer had a purpose for me.

The first photo completely filled my SUV's trunk, back seat and front seat.  The second photo has not been put into boxes yet so not sure how much room it will take up.  All I know is I am very happy with getting rid of so much 'stuff'.  It is so freeing!

Last night, hubby and I were talking about which room I should do next.  There are 2 rooms that will require him to join me in going through.  So, I think I will either do the craft room or the room that Josie used as she was growing up.  I also have decided I am not going to hang on to my mom's Hummel figurines and plates.  She tried to sell them on eBay and I have tried many consignment shops here and no one wants them.  I even put them in a garage sale and no takers.  I will keep one figurine as a memento of my mom and offer one to each or the kids, grandkids and great grandkids also.  If they do not want one, the boxes of them will be donated to Goodwill.  I hate to do it but I can not keep housing items that no one has an interest in.  They have been in my home for over 10 years taking up space.  Time for them to go on their way.

I finished up a book last week and have started the last one in the series.  There were 13 books and I loved all of them.  Now I am looking for recommendations for my next read.  I love cozy mysteries as well as biographies and novelists like Kristin Hannah.  If you have any recommends, leave them in the comment section.  Please and thank you.

I started OT this past week.  I think it is going to be a big help with my wrist.  Right now they are working on getting more range of motion and then we will go on to strengthening.  I have daily exercises I am doing and already can tell a bit of difference in the lack of pain upon movement!  Hooray!

I do have a little chuckle for you this week too.

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

WEEK 42

 

Whoa! Updating my blog 2 weeks in a row.  Do I get a gold star for that?

It was an interesting week for us.  Also a productive week for my crafts.

I finished my RCR socks.

Matter of fact, I am wearing them today!  These were done on Tuesday.  That meant I either needed to cast on something new or pick up on of my WIP's that are laying around.  I decided to pick up a WIP.

Remember the lap throw I started ages ago?  I decided to pick it back up and work on it.  I put a progress keeper on it before I started back on it.  Luckily I am able to work this Portuguese style knitting, so it is much easier on my wrists and hands.  I am hoping to complete this skein of yarn this week and then attach the last skein of brown which will finish it.........eventually.

I went to my Rheumatologist this past week.  She did have me go and get an x-ray of my wrist.  NO FRACTURE!  But, it is loaded with arthritis.  I am starting occupational therapy this coming week.  I am hoping it will help me so I can get back to crocheting again.  After all, I have a Lego blanket I need to finish and get out of my home!

Hubby has been very busy this week helping a friend clean out her Aunt's home.  He has worked 6 hours a day with her for the past week.  After walking through her house and seeing all the STUFF that is there, I now know I need to start getting rid of all my stuff BEFORE I leave this world.  On my!  This lady's house would have made a great episode on Hoarders.  Only, this hoarding is all high end items.  (golf clubs, shoes, clothes, jewelry, etc)  He will be going back this week again to continue helping.

Yesterday, hubby and I were getting ready to walk out the door to go to Mass when the doorbell rang.  SURPRISE!!  Hubby's brother, from Las Vegas, and his friend decided to come and pay us a visit.  It was nice to see him again but I had to scramble to get the guest bed ready for someone to sleep there.  That is where we put 'stuff' until we get time to find a final place for it.  They left this morning, so it was a quick trip for them.

The Brother

His friend is a huge historian and loves looking into where hubby and his siblings grew up.  It was in a small copper mining town in Arizona.  The history of that town is very interesting.  The mine started in 1872 and is still operating today!  They predict it still has another 20 years of production.  

The rest of today will be just kicking back and enjoying the day.  I will be working on the lap throw while watching some TV with hubby. I am also close to finishing the book on my kindle.  So, will read a bit too. There will be homemade taco salad for dinner tonight.  A quick and easy meal with leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

That wraps it up for me.  Here is your weekly chuckle.

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

WEEK 41

 

Greetings!  Spring has finally come here.  We had a month of summer (March) and were kind of worried we would miss the mild spring temps.  Luckily, April has proven to be much more moderate in temps and our flowers and trees are blooming away.  

This tree is in our neighbor's yard.  It is a Plumeria tree.  I have never seen one in our area before.  They are very fragrant and the blooms are gorgeous.  Wish I had known they were good desert trees and I might have gotten one or two of those for my front yard last year when we landscaped.

I can not believe it has been 3 weeks since I last posted.  Time always flies by when we get close to Easter.  We have so much to do with the church, it tends to keep me away from my crafting.  But, that is fine.  Since Easter day, I have had more time to work on my RCR socks.

They are well past the halfway point on the foot.  Depending on my wrist, I would like to have them completed by the end of this coming week.

Speaking of my wrist, I see my Rheumatologist this week and am going to ask her if I should possibly get it x-rayed since it has been quite troublesome since my fall in February or if she thinks it is just more RA in that joint.  All I know is it is troublesome to knit and impossible to crochet.  This makes me very sad.

I did another craft while I was quiet on my blog.

I made the pink Lego roses bouquet.  I got these done on Good Friday so they graced my table for Easter Dinner.  Yes, I hosted Easter Dinner this year.  We had a total of 13 people for dinner and fun.  We planned the food much better this year and had very little leftovers.

Last time I was here I told you Josie got engaged.  Here is her photo of him asking her.

It was at the Renaissance fair.  And here is one of their 'official' engagement photos showing the ring.

They have the venue booked, invitations ready to mail, an engagement party set, and THE dress is bought.  They still need to do flowers, catering, his ring, and cake/cupcakes.  All this while he works full time, and she is going to nursing school and working as many hours as she can at the restaurant she has been at for almost 3 years.  

As for hubby and I, we are finally getting used to not having a pet around.  We have never been without a pet in over 45 years.  We have found it a bit freeing.  This is a true empty next now.  As much as I loved having a critter around, I am finding it ok to be without one.

We are starting to do a few minor repairs to the house.  It seems like when you have a 50+ year old home, things start to need more and more attention.  Hubby is trying to do most of them and when he can't we call in the professionals. 

I am wanting to dig into more decluttering.  We already did a bunch in hubby's office areas.  Actually, he did it all by himself!  I took a load to GoodWill just before Easter with all he cleaned out.  I am slowly working on other areas of the house.  It is amazing to me to see how much I can find to get rid of in an area I already had gone through last year.  My rule is, if it has not been used in 6-12 months, it is not going to be use in the next 6-12 months so donate it to someone who could use it.  Of course, this does NOT apply to yarn or crafting supplies LOL!

Ok, I have rambled on long enough. I will leave you with a little chuckle

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

WEEK 39 OF 52

 

Back again this week with another update of my crafting and life.

Crochet

I did work on the Lego blanket for a bit.  I am offically half way complete with the blanket itself.  In case you need a reminder if what it looks like.

It is laying on the hearth right next to where I sit.  Hoping I will pick it up and give it a bit more love this week.

Lego

I completed the Lego Bouquet this week.  The base of it had given me fits getting it to stay together.  My son, Jay, came over one day and put the base together for me.  After that, all I had to do was make the top of the base and the flowers.

It is so pretty.  I will turn it periodically as there are different flowers on the other side of this too.

Knitting

I did work on the lap throw a bit.  Not enough to really show much difference from last week.

I succumbed and cast on another pair of RCR socks.  These will be for me this time.

I was very lucky in being able to matchy matchy them up this time.  I like doing them congruently on DPNs.  No second sock syndrome for me!

Baking

I pulled my neglected sourdough starter out last weekend.  I gave it a couple of healthy feedings and then baked a loaf for St Patrick's day dinner.

It was so yummy and our guests enjoyed having home made bread.

Life

Last week I forgot to post a video of what we saw going on at our home while we were away in Las Vegas.

Now, we do not live anywhere near a forest or open land.  We are smack dab in the middle of a city with over half a million population!  Finding two javalina walking nonchalantly across my front porch was a bit disconcerting to say the least.

HAPPY NEWS

I would like to introduce to you, Josie and Joshua.

Yes, that is our Granddaughter you have all known for the past 20 years.  The young man she is with is Joshua (he prefers Josh) This young man came into her life about a week after she lost her father  (also named Joshua).  He is so kind and considerate and a joy to be around.  Which is a good thing since it looks like he is going to be around for a very long time.  They are ENGAGED!  Wedding plans are already happening with a date set for August of this year.  We are very happy for her and him.

Oh, they do not dress like this full time.  They go to the Renaissance Festival and love to dress in character.

As for the ring....She was given the rings from her mom and dads marriage.  Josie told me "My dad sent me my very own Josh to love forever".  Made me tear up a bit.  

Now, I leave you with my humor for the week.

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