A Little Yarn On The Side

Yesterday, after having almost forgotten all about it, I received an email from Elann.com telling me that the stock levels had increased for the yarn I had planned to buy on January 1 for a sweater for Andy. Excited--since I had already DECIDED to buy the yarn at the end of last year so it would be fair game to order now--I eagerly clicked on the link and found they did indeed now have the yarn in "licorice." 2 whole skeins Not even 2 skeins of the same dye lot. To be fair, Elann has no way of knowing that I am actually looking for an entire sweater's worth and had no interest in just 2 odd balls, but that is a really cruel thing to do to someone who's in the second year of a total yarn diet.....

So.....in my last post I blithely mentioned making the tablecloth 10 squares by 18 squares. Now, I'd like to think that in normal circumstances it would have dawned on me that 10 times 18 would mean 180 squares, but in this case, it did not. It didn't hit me until last night. 180 squares!!! I don't even have the material for that (Dana, I might be buying your material after all), and considering I've made something like 70 blocks now, I may not have the strength. 180!!!!!! Sure, I love how it looks, but 180!!!!!! Aside from washcloths, I have been knitting the shawl for my mother's retirement (a year ago now): It's making progress, and I was just beginning to get frustrated thinking I should have used up at least one 440 yard ball of lace yarn by now, when it dawned on me--this yarn is in 880 yard skeins. In fact, I specifically bought it BECAUSE of the larger skeins because it meant fewer joins. Really, I swear I did not have a lobotomy when I went in for ...

However.... I finally committed. Having the black next to the strawberries had been my first choice, too, so it's pretty much unanimous. The blocks aren't sewn together yet, but I like how it looks. I'll be putting 10 blocks across and 18 down, I believe, which should be a big enough table cloth to cover our dining table. Then I'll back it with 2 layers of flannel to protect the table, and bind it--maybe in black. Because there won't be any batting, it won't need to be fully quilted, but I could do a little decorative stitching on it--maybe on the green?

I think it might be an addiction..... Theo can no longer stand the sight of cotton dishcloths... Are there knitting interventions???? On the sewing front, I decided that if indeed I need to take a break from a sewing project because of fatigue from the surgery, that would qualify as a "darn good reason," so I have ventured into the tablecloth project. I think all the strips are cut out for a "rail fence" layout, and now I just need to decide if the black or the green looks best next to the strawberry print: One moment I like the black better, then the next minute it's the green. The green actually matches MUCH better than it looks like it does in the picture. Earlier today I was leaning toward the green, but now I'm back to the black. I do NOT remember them mentioning indecision as part of the surgery recovery process!!!! Thoughts?

Meet cloths 10 and 11: So, I'm either REALLY doing the Project of the Month, or I've sprung a screw & have become addicted to cotton circles. Either way, it adds 660 yards of yarn used up from the stash. Sewing project number 3 is done: For an experiment, I thought they turned out pretty well. It's hard to see, but the thread is a metallic gold that really looks sharp on the plush. I haven't decided on sewing project number 4. I'd like to start cutting these for some summer table cloths, but cutting things out is still really hard for me, and I have promised myself to finish whatever I start for the 10-in-a-row, so I need to be able to do the next project. I was thinking of playing with some ideas for decorations...or if I get REALLY desperate I can look through the rather large pile of sewing WIPS and finally finish a few of them. Yikes--that really would be a sign of pure desperation......

After a slight rearrangement on the sewing front, I have finished the dress, so number 2 out of 10 is done (the bags all getting to count as one). I am getting stronger every day, but I think it will still be a bit before I could actually lay out and cut out a new pattern--everything taking a surprising amount of energy--so I decided to play around with a simpler sewing project: OK, looking at that picture, if you guessed I was trying to make fabric bacon strips for some unfathomable reason I can't say that I could blame you, but these bizarre objects are napkin rings. I am a big lover of interesting napkin rings, but so often the ones one can find in a store are both badly made and expensive, so I had been thinking about playing around with ideas for a while. I think they would be fun gifts--especially personalized ones with favorite quotes or names.... It was 94 today & we have opted to not turn the air conditioning on yet--in fact, I think the heat is still on as it FROZE ...

There is SUCH a fine line between "optimist" and "slow, slow learner." Really, somewhere deep down I know that it takes a while to recover after surgery, but every day I'm still surprised by my inability to do things. I had my first outing on Thursday--my mother taking me to the grocery store--and I had to spend the rest of the day in bed. If I'd have known that I would have aimed a little higher than fresh produce. Did you know taking a shower can be exhausting? I didn't either, but I actually have to lay down and REST afterwards!. Three and a half more weeks.....three and a half more weeks....then, LOOK OUT WORLD!!!! I'm still struggling with sewing for any length of time, but I did get the bags finished and because I really need to be DOING something, I'm stockpiling gifts. Yet another washcloth: I like Alison's idea of using them for baths instead of dishes--at least the round ones. Who really feels that festive about washing dis...