WEEK 45

 

Good Grief......week 45 already.  Why does the second half of YOP seem to go so fast?  I do have some things to show you this week.  No finishes but I worked on quite a bit.  I will warn you, my entire post this week is a little longer than normal.  So, I will divide it into sections.  That way, you can read what you want and skip what does not interest you.  

CRAFTING

I finally got hubby to try on his new socks to make sure they fit the way he likes them.  (Not that I would have done anything to them if they didn't LOL)

He loves them just the way they are.  Do you see Enrique's leg in there.  He is such a photo bomber.

I worked many more rows on my shawl.  In fact, I can no longer get a photo of the entire shawl since it is scrunched up on the needles.  But I do have photos of each section.

The lace section is so much fun to work.  It is pretty much memorized now which makes it go a bit faster.  This part will be on my back.  I like the idea of it being an open weave.  It makes it the perfect weight for cool evenings or buildings with super cold A/C.

The sides are solid which makes for nice warm arms.  You can really see the gradient colors now.  Last week I said I was half way done.  Well, I don't know who taught me math, but I was only 1/4 of the way done.  I am now officially half way done with this part of the pattern.  Then there is the edging to do.  Each row increases 4 stitches and by the time I bind off there will be 481 stitches on my needles.  

I also worked on one of my cross stitch pieces this past week.

It is starting to take shape now.  I did need to un-stitch some of it as I counted wrong.  It is all fixed now and I work on it in the mornings when the house is quiet and I can concentrate.  Evenings are for knitting with the TV.

There was a cast on this week too.

Toe up Two at a Time Socks.  Again, I am doing contrasting toes, heels as well as cuffs.  The solid blue yarn has been in my stash for several years.  The variegated yarn was purchased last year from my non-fiber festival.  It is from Blackcat Fibers and the colorway is Conchology in nomad sock.  Blue is my husband's favorite color so he is already excited to see these being made.

TREASURES

It has been quite a while since I have attempted TAAT socks from the toe up.  Mostly because the needles I have do not make me happy to work with.  That changed this week.  I ordered myself a circular needle in 2.50mm (US 1.5) from Signature Needles Art.  I love their needles and have all of their circulars......well, now I do.  They just came out with this size of needle and it is my preferred size for sock knitting.  It fits my gauge perfectly.  Amazing how just .25mm can change gauge.

These are the needles.  I chose the stiletto 5 inch tip and 40 inch overall length.  This was my Mother's Day gift to myself.  These needles are not cheap.  I have tried so many brands of needles in the past.........These are the only ones I do not have to fight with to knit lacey patterns as well as lace weight yarns.  

I ordered My Birthday present yesterday.  I know, my Birthday is still a few weeks away, but I wanted it delivered in time for my birthday.

SILK & SONDER

I wish I could post a photo for you of what I ordered.  Unfortunately, I can't.  What it is, is a monthly journal that is sent to you.  In it you can keep track of all sorts of things as well as to do lists, and journaling about your day.  The one I got at the first of the year is not doing it for me.  It is great for me to write a to do list in but as for journaling or keeping track of other areas of my life, it is not working at all.  I was also lucky enough to have a coupon to apply which brought the price down quite a bit.  I went ahead and ordered the years subscription which will start on June 1.  (that is my birthday!)

Today is Mother's Day in the US.  Last night, our daughter and her husband took us out to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.   What a lovely evening we had.  The food was wonderful, the company exceptional and it made my heart happy.  They also got me a personalized cup.

If you are having a hard time reading it let me tell you what it says.  "This is what a bad ass bonus mom looks like".  Yes, I am our daughter's stepmom.  But since Cinderella made all stepmother's look like horrible people, I have been blessed with the term, Bonus Mom.  

And the last of my treasures is from my husband.  He surprised me this morning with gifts.

Two books by Matthew Kelly.  I love Matthew Kelly.  I have almost all of his books as well as a CD set of his.  If you have never heard of him you can look him up on Google.  He is from Australia and I could listen to him all day just to hear his accent.  LOL  He has a great sense of humor and is a fantastic motivational speaker.  

LIFE IN GENERAL

This past week has been great.  We are finally going to be adding solar panels to our home to help with our energy consumption and bill.  We have wanted to do this for many years but our electric company was making more expensive for us to go solar than to just use their energy.  After several town hall meetings and lots of consumer complaints, the electric company decided to make it so solar usage would be a smart move on the consumer's part.  Fingers crossed, our panels will be installed and ready to power us by the first of July.  That is when we really use a lot of electricity to keep our house cool.  With our town having about 325 days of sunshine, it only makes sense to go solar.

I had 2 days of dog sitting this past week too.  Thor is really developing some bad separation anxiety.  His owners are now looking into getting him a playmate.  They are hoping it will help him be a bit calmer when they leave. As well as giving him another dog to rough house with.  I think it is a great idea.  I know it has been so much better having 2 dogs at our house than just having 1 dog.

I got up early this morning and am in the process of making sourdough bread.  I am hoping it will be all done and ready to eat by dinner time tonight.  It has been quite a while since I have made sourdough.  I thought my starter had died this week.  I forgot to feed it one day and when I looked at it the next day, it was all brown and gross on top with a nasty scum.  I pulled the scum off, discarded quite a bit of the started and started feeding it again.  It came back quickly and is super active now.  

If it had died, I was not too worried as I have discard in the fridge I could have pulled out and started making active again.  It is always good to have a plan B.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day.  

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

(PRAY FOR INDIA!)