Where did the time go?

Here it is - already approaching the end of May. Where did the time go?

We spent a week in Livonia over spring break this year. It was fun and relaxing. We didn't really do much. I had fun setting up my new computer more, using their high speed. The kids were great. The weather was stinky, but we just basically hung around.

Then a week later, my cast came off. My hand really hurt ( it still does), the bone was not quite healed, but what a relief to have the cast gone. I can knit and spin again! Hurray!

Then we were back in Livonia for Alli's birthday party. We had a post-party for adults and made some new friends. That went on until 3 a.m. - too late for us old folks. But it was fun and I acquired a new favorite alcoholic drink - After Shock. It is a cinnamon liqueur and goes down very smooth.

Anyway, as far as my knitting goes, I restarted the Ravelry Lace KAL with some merino/silk yarn from Knitpicks. I just finished the May clue, so I am now all caught up with the group.

I also managed to fit in a baby blanket to replace the one that I gave to Stephanie - her baby girl is due in June.

Now I can get back to my shawl for the Festival. The knitting is all done, ends need weaving in, then it needs to be blocked. I also bought Clara Parkes book, A Knitters Guide to Wool, and there is a pattern in there, the Allegan Cardigan, can you believe named after a town in Michigan! My Allegan! So the cormo yarn for the aran sweater that I ripped out is now going to be the Allegan Cardigan. I can hardly wait to get started on it. Maybe yet this week. So much to do, so little time.

We spent last weekend at Rod and Beth's house. We had a really nice time. We cooked out on Saturday, sat on the deck and painted our nails (Beth and I did, that is), then played Sequence until the wee hours. After a short night, I made French toast for breakfast. Then Beth taught me how to make beads out of paper - what fun! Then Rod grilled hamburgers for lunch and we headed home. It was a very relaxing and fun weekend.

Today we went to the cemetery to put flowers in the urns there. The weather has turned beastly hot - over 90 every day so far this week. Summer has arrived.

March - Revisited

March 15 - the Ides of March. Et tu, Brute. Aunt Ede's birthday - she would have been 87 this year. The day I slipped on the stump outside the back door and chipped a bone in my hand.

So now I am typing one handed (well, maybe cheating a little and using my left hand a bit).

The morning started out with a trip to the bank to get my retirement papers notarized and sent in. Also got more nickels for playing cards. Then to McFarlands to return Paula's book (Knit Two - it was good). The to the furniture store right in Allegan to buy a new chair and side table. We got the chair home and were moving my old chair out when I stepped, empty handed, on the wet stump, and WOW! My feet went out from under and I put down my hand to catch myself. I didn't really think it was that bad. So I came in and changed my clothes that had gotten messed up in my fall, and then off we went to Kalamazoo to Best Buy where I bought a new computer (which I am using right now!).

By Tuesday morning (March 16), my hand was swollen and painful, so at the advice of my friend Suzie, off we went to the doctor's office, then to have x-rays, and then the cast.

I am now over two weeks in the cast - no knitting, very little spinning, not doing much of anything. I have read a couple books and have been hiking the trail a fair amount. And we did go down to Char's to see her new sheep when she was taking fiber samples from them.

But the past two weeks have not been all smiles and laughter. I had a few minor meltdowns (Jim threatened to call 911 at one point because I was being irrational). Partly due to problems getting the computer set up and running. I don't know what I would have done without Maria - my personal computer wizard. I count my blessings that she was willing to step right in and help me. That is one of those pay it forward things - she helps me, and in turn, I am called upon by others to help with their computers. I have learned so much from Maria.

Anyway, Jim has been a super-sport in helping me. I can't even get dressed without help. And he is in charge of all household chores. The problem is that I don't feel bad - I just can't do anything.

So my shawl sits waiting. I will be glad to get my cast off. It will be good to get back to normal - whatever that is. I am looking forward to playing cards and dominoes with my grandchildren next week during their spring break. And then the countdown to getting this cast off!

March?

Where did February go?

I can hardly believe that the whole month of February and a good portion of March has gone by since my last post. But February has been exceptionally busy for us, so that must be why it has gone by so fast.

I completed my two pairs of socks for the Ravelympics. It was okay, but not really fun. I couldn't go from one project to a different one while the socks were looming over me with a date to finish. I did finish with several days to spare, but it was not really fun. Just something different to do. Elizabeth finished her sweater - she brought it to Steve's shearing - and she did a very nice job on it. I am still saying, "Wow!"

I have completed the February pattern for the Lace KAL that I am doing. Interesting to do a project that bunches of other people are also doing. I have enjoyed it so far and I am looking forward to getting the March pattern when it comes out on March 14. I was going to do the whole thing again in a different yarn, but now I am reconsidering. I think my time would be better spent working on getting more yarn spun.

I went to three sheep shearings in February. I got Diana's fleece from Char, then I bought 3 Polypay fleeces from Shady Side Farm north of Holland, and last but not least, I bought 5 fleeces from Steve. All but the Polypay are washed and ready to card. The Polypay is going to go out to be processed. I am anxious to get started on the cormo from Char and Steve. Those fleeces washed up better than I had done on cormo before.

As for my shawl - it is off the needles and into the finishing part of the project. I have lots of ends to weave in and then it needs to be blocked. I am already missing the knitting part of it and it makes me want to get started on my 2011 shawl project. But I will finish this one first. It turned out good, but not take-your-breath-away. I will have to decide after it is blocked as to whether it is good enough to enter at the Festival this summer.

A Wintery January Day

The snow is blowing, temperatures are hovering around 10 degrees and it truly feels like winter today.

The shawl is progressing better than I could have hoped for. I am on the bottom lace edge and getting closer and closer to a completed project. I love how it has turned out so far, but I am not sure if I will enter it in the fiber festival. I will continue to think about it.

I am getting ready for the Ravelympics - I have signed on to knit two pairs of socks - one for me and one for Jim. I have sorted out the yarn and I have the pattern ready to go. Only Elizabeth and I have signed up to knit anything for TeamBackRow. She is going to knit a sweater - wow!

I have joined a lace KAL on Ravelry and I have completed the January pattern. I am using store-bought yarn, so it really won't be anything that special. I went as cheap as I could, but still getting decent yarn. If it goes good, I may spin yarn to repeat the pattern at some future date.

I am also starting another lace scarf pattern. I think I will use some of the leftover yarn from my shawl for this, so it will be a lovely ivory cormo in 2-ply yarn.

I am going to get spinning on the yarn for my next feather and fan shawl - it will be from the multi-sheep top from 2009 that Steve and I had done. I have rainbow dyed it with sapphire blue and vermilion, and it is ready to spin. I am planning on a nice random 2-ply yarn.

I am immersed in an upheaval that I am just getting my head around. A disturbing turn of events. Do I feel bad about it? Yes, I do. Will I get over it? Maybe eventually. Sometimes things happen for a reason.

I finished Breaking Dawn today - the last in the four books in the Twilight series. I think I enjoyed this last one the most.

I think now I will go knit for a while.

Knitting Begins

The yarn is all spun, the colors set and now the knitting has begun.

It is all 2-ply cormo is mostly natural colors. The softness is wonderful. Thanks to Char for putting me in touch with cormo. Most of the fiber came from Char, so she gets partial credit for this project.

I actually started knitting on Christmas Eve, but I am now on the horns of a dilemma. I am considering taking out the 13 rows that I have done to start all over again.

I am going to think about it while I dye fiber for my next big project. I am dyeing the top that Steve and I shared - the blend of junk cormo, Shetland and BFL - that turned out the most wonderful gray, and so soft. That is planned for my 2011 project - the feather and fan shawl.

But now back to the present. I was having a bit of post-holiday sadness. Our festivities were all done a week ago, so it has been a denouement for the past week. I did have a fun time putting on a high tea for Steve and Suzie this past Tuesday. Spur of the moment and just a fun time. It reminded me of my Aunt Edie (my father's sister, since I actually grew up with three Aunt Ede's) and her high teas. We have been doing a movie marathon this week, watching Jim's Christmas gift movies. I Always enjoy this time of year when we get a batch of new movies to see. And looking forward to a movie day out in early January to see Avatar in 3-D with Steve and Char. What fun that should be! I hope that Jim doesn't fall asleep this time...

Real Progress

I am finally feeling a real sense of progress!

First, I had an awesome weekend just past - Rick, Taylor and Allison were here to visit and we had a great time. Played a lot of cards and just basically hung out. Then, Jim and I went to the spin and grin at Stephen's on Sunday and had another great time. I got my money from Char for the things of mine (mostly felted flowers) that she sold at the Ann Arbor fiber thing in October. It was really a great weekend.

Jim and I did the major-house-cleaning-during-deer-season that we do every year. We got done in record time and started right in on putting up the Christmas decorations. The only glitch with that is a malfunction on our tree which is still covered under warranty. I am waiting for the resolution of that, so the tree is the only thing remaining to complete the decorating of the house. I hope it is done by the time our first party of the year takes place in early December.

Then yesterday I did some carding of cormo for the shawl.

I am blending colors to come up with the needed eight different colors, and I am very pleased with the outcome so far. Did I tell you that I love my new drum carder?

I have the white, beige, and light gray yarn completed and ready to wash. I have the gray-beige and dark brown ready to spin. I still need to card the medium gray, dark gray and black. I am going to anticipate that I will have the yarn for the needles before Christmas - woot! I am really getting excited about the project now.

In between working on this yarn, I am also spinning more novelty yarn. Mindless and fun. It is so neat to see how it turns out. I am using some Shetland roving that I dyed, plying it with chenille. I bought a new, larger roaster to dye in, and it is working superbly.

And in between everything, I am starting to think Christmas gifts and shopping, Christmas letter and cards, and life in general. I am having to make lists so that nothing falls through the cracks. I can hardly believe that it is almost Thanksgiving already.

Maybe by my next post, the needles will be clicking!

Washing Cormo

Today, after a discussion with cormo guru, Char, I dug out some of my cormo stash from Char's shearing and I have just finished washing it again. I had washed it right after the shearing, but I knew that it wasn't completely clean and by now, these months later, it was rather sticky. So today was laundry day anyway, so I did an extra load and washed part of the lovely cocoa brown of Diana and the dark chocolate of Dixie. Now I am wishing it was dry so that I could card it and start spinning it.

I have changed the pattern that I am planning to use. It calls for eight different colors/shades of yarn. I am going to make do with five. I have the white top, Diana, Dixie, the black from Alice that Char and I bought at the festival (and Char washed for me, bless her!!), and then some light gray that I bought a year ago from Char. Now I am again fired up with getting the fiber ready to spin. I think that I might have enough of the white ready to ply, so now I will be dealing only with the colors - which are fun to spin anyway.

I am getting anxious to start knitting!

It seems good to be done with the mittens for now. None of them sold at the Ann Arbor show, which was disappointing. However most of the felted flowers did sell, so I am happy about that. When I get tired of spinning or knitting, I will work at creating more flowers.

On Wednesday, the trees were still covered in leaves, now, these few days later, they are basically bare. The yard is a foot deep in oak leaves. I raked area in the back yard around the fire pit last Friday, and you cannot even tell that I did it. I enjoy raking them - great cardio exercise and a real sense of accomplishment.

Taylor's football team, the Falcons, have won every game this year including the playoffs yesterday. They will be playing at EMU on Saturday for the championship. He called to tell me about it. I am so happy for him! Go Falcons!