A Little Yarn On The Side

Yesterday I shipped this leftover yarn to its new home, so in my Raverly stash (which I sincerely hope FINALLY lists every bit of yarn lurking around here), I have 316 entries IN my stash, and 111 either used up, sold, or given away.  I wish I'd started keeping track the minute I joined Raverly, because there would be a lot more "used up" entries, but 111 is pretty exciting.  It would be even MORE exciting if the sewing room wasn't still overflowing.  The fact that I could have 20 yards of something lurking in my fabric stash was a pretty big shock--even for me.  What else could be lurking in here--50 yards of blue cotton? Fabric for 28 dresses?  Jimmy Hoffa?  I have kept a spreadsheet to try to keep track of fabric (and yarn to begin with), but obviously it hasn't worked that well.  Things that I use a lot and buy in big quantities--white, black, and red quilting cotton, felt--never get listed because I am always using them but often in small a...

The last spicy spiral table runner is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love these, and am tremendously pleased with how they turned out, but WOW, are they complicated!  In spite of a busy 3-day weekend, I also finished the latest socks, and the second Magic-themed table runner:  58 finished projects so far this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still have a table runner I need to finish by mid-June for another anniversary gift, but Andy has been loving the shirt I made him for Valentine's Day,  so I decided to try to make the shirt I originally bought the pattern to make.  It's been on my project list as "colorblocks peachskin shirt for Andy" for a while, so I did actually remember what the fabric looked like, but when I had Andy help me dig it out, I don't know WHAT we were thinking when we bought this.  I'd even sent a picture of it to Andy before I bought it, but looking at it yesterday, we both realized this is fabric Andy would NEVER wear.  EV...

Did I sound at all freaked out that there was a mouse under the bed?  Well, it got worse--he got into my closet! I am not a bold or exhibitionist sort of person, but if it came down to getting clothes out of a closet containing a mouse or going naked, going naked would win--believe me.  I made an unsuccessful dive (which will NOT be mentioned to the physical therapist) to head him off, but I am not the mouser I once was.  Andy stopped what he was doing and we went ON THE HUNT. Armed with a cardboard box and a plastic lid to slide under it, we found he had taken refuge by one of my old tennis shoes, so Andy slammed the box down over the shoe, slid the lid underneath it, and we hustled downstairs and outside only to find that we'd captured a sheepish-looking old nylon.  Gathering up the shoe and the old nylon, we tried again.  He darted into another part of the closet, where we caught an old hanger.  And the petticoat to my wedding dress got a lovely air...

So Sunday night I discovered a new "social media" website called prabook.org , and the WAY I discovered it was to find out that someone had created a profile for ME-- without my permission or knowledge --INCLUDING date and location of birth, who my parents are (including my mother's maiden name), and they even had a copy of an old resume and had uploaded all the details from that. I immediately contacted them to tell them to take it down, which they did, but they said that since anyone can add information, it could be restored, they would do nothing about it, and they assumed no responsibility for anything about their website. I know there's a lot of information and public records available online, but the resume they got hold of was from around 1997, so it would have been printed on actual paper and mailed to companies.  It was never emailed or uploaded to anything.  So the copy they have, if not obtained illegally, was certainly obtained in an unaut...

4:30 AM: squeaking mouse wake-up call. 4:31 AM: cat drops mouse, which promptly runs under the bed 4:31-4:35 AM: join cat-human task force work on finding mouse 4:36 AM: cat gets bored and leaves 4:37 AM: sleep-deprived human decides a mouse is likely to stay where it thinks it is safe for at least a little while 4:38 AM: sleep-deprived human decides that the idea of a mouse roaming the bedroom is NOT conducive to going back to sleep Which is why there are two peanut-butter laced mousetraps under the bed and humans and cats are not currently on speaking terms.

.....I found approximately 20 yards of white cotton in my stash: The bad news  (besides not knowing that I had 20 yards of something squirreled away) is that this is what 20 yards of fabric looks like.  To date, I've used up just over 26 yards of fabric--mostly in cotton--so this is just about exactly the physical stash reduction so far this year.  EKE!  Fleece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I need to sew with fleece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The other good news is:  I have graduated to 6 weeks between physical therapy appointments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That would be even MORE exciting if my backside didn't still ache from yesterday.  To be fair, the spot that has hurt at almost all previous appointments didn't hurt at all, and I had just relaxed and was starting to even enjoy the backside massage until she got to the two unexpected sore spots.  Once she peeled me off the ceiling it did probably help, but that little flicker of hope was cruel, just cruel....

I have my monthly physical therapy appointment this morning, and while by now I have grown used to the idea that I pay another human to rub my backside, I still rather dread the appointments because they generally hurt.  So I make conditional plans, such as "If I can still move, I'm going to go to the grocery store."  Sometimes it works fine, and other times I have to walk around for a bit before I can drive home.  Did I mention that I pay money for this? Today I had 3 potential stops lined up, because we need groceries, I want to go to the library, and I realized the final spicy spiral runner's backing was going to take up most of the piece of white cotton I've been using, and there was a distinct possibility that I'd be braving Joanns for some extra fabric.  But, see that white up there?  I think it's cotton!  And, even though I generally try not to do such things before I see the therapist, I'm going to run and grab the stepladder to make sur...

Okay, maybe it just feels like that. Though they don't call that one the "spicy" spiral runner for nothing...... In a rare feat of being ON TIME, I finished a gift for this weekend, and after 4 hours spent machine embroidering that center block, I have found that piecing is NOT the slowest method for a table runner ever.  That would be 3 guitars.  It does have a few issues, but don't we all? In my little episode with the credit card and some clearance embroideries, I actually did display SOME sense, and found a "magic" set, which we thought would work for our niece and nephew who are into the game called "Magic."  We did briefly debate whether or not a table runner was appropriate for those in their 20s, but they generally don't thank us for anything ANYWAY, so we wouldn't know if they have liked ANYTHING we've given them. LOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The third and final (of this color scheme) spicy spiral runner is cut out and und...

In deference to my back, I have made the decision that I shouldn't garden on the days I go to the gym! Moderation!!!!!!!!  Maturity!!!!!  I know--two words which generally have NOTHING to do with me, and certainly nothing to do with my back/hip issues.  It probably helps that after two rounds through the weight machines, my arms are really tired, but lets not even pretend that such a thing has stopped me before.  Or last Wednesday, for that matter......... So, rather than being out gardening, I am working on the music table runner and rummaging through the sewing room for fabric for a new summer dress--or ANYTHING not resembling a table runner or even remotely rectangular.  And that will use up stash fabric in greater than 1/2 and 1-yard increments.......

And I am getting stronger!  It doesn't always feel like it to me, because healing is such a slow process in general, but I'm exercising, gardening, crafting--all in the same day!  I'm still being careful and being very, VERY firm on not doing things like long car rides and too much sitting.  I'll probably never see a movie in a theater again because I don't like movies enough for the risk, but that's okay.  Besides, it's too hard to knit.  SPEAKING OF KNITTING: There has been some!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'll wait a minute for you to recover from the shock.  Lately most of my crafting time has been taken up with sewing, which makes some sense as this year I'm trying to free up space in the sewing room and this shows progress faster than yarn.  Or it would if I were making something besides table runners.  I'm sure there were more time-consuming projects I could have picked for Christmas gifts, but I'm not sure that I didn't find...

At the beginning of the year, my craft goals were:   Finish 115 projects WITHOUT counting any lace embroidery ornaments unless they are the applique ones  Paint 2 ornaments Try a bargello quilting project Try a braided quilting project Try a stained glass quilting project Make a shoulder bag Make 3 colorwork ornaments Finish 3 ornaments from the ornament kits  Of which, I have so far only been working on #1.  Technically, the Spicy Spiral table runners are probably bargello, but I'm not going to count them because I want to motivate myself to try the one I had in mind in the first place.  I'm also not exactly making any real dent in the stash.  So far I've used up: Yards of fabric: 23.375 Yards of yarn:  4843.1 skeins of yarn: 26.615 BUT, with 50 projects completed, I am REALLY smoking that first goal!  Now, one might wonder why a (somewhat) sane person would make crafting goals or keep track of tallies or any of this....

 Sunday morning Andy and I went to the gym, and after that, gardening was out of the question.  So, I worked on a new table runner for some musical friends, and put together the snowflake blocks I'd worked on earlier: Really, I'm almost a bit tired of the winter/Christmas theme going on around here.  Almost........... I did have to try out another of the new free-standing lace ornaments.  It's so nice that I don't get obsessed or anything.......................