A Little Yarn On The Side

I'm glad I had a big yarn-stash-busting year last year, because this year is likely to be dismal.  I did know that when I decided to make 365 ornaments, and because so many ornament patterns are improvised, I have no idea how much yarn they're using so will just count the entire skeins when they're finally used up, but it still makes for some very embarrassing February numbers: skeins of yarn used:  2 yards of yarn used: 689 yards of fabric used: 15.875 ornaments made: 18 I guess as long as I can see a visible dent in ONE of the stashes each year, that's something, isn't it?

This is not my fault.  It's Barbara's fault.  Today is March first, there might have been a bit of spring fever in the air, and I think we all know my weakness for playing along.  So, I am now participating in March Madness and will be attempting to knit this entire sweater before April.  Totally not my fault.  The fact that I have been wanting to start a new project for weeks and would jump at any excuse has nothing to do with it.......... Andy's been gone again this week, but I wasn't able to do as much sewing this time, though I did manage to finish his Valentine's shirt, except for the buttons, which I'll let him pick from the stash.  I also made some progress on my patchwork squares, though I'm thinking I have a long way to go.......... A long, LONG way to go...... I did get one final ornament finished for February, putting me slightly behind at 53.  I think the sewing mania needs to ebb just a bit, but not before: This mi...

My paternal grandmother, who had once been a "professional crafter" died today at 91.  She'd been hospitalized 2 weeks ago with pneumonia, had a heart attack last week.  For a while, it looked like she might recover from both, but as she desperately wanted to not have to be in a care center but could never have gone back home, we're grateful she was able to go fairly peacefully. Both my grandmothers were crafters, but this was the "professional."  She and my grandfather used to travel around the west selling Grandma's "tin-can crafts," which I will have to post pictures of as soon as I dig mine out.  It used to be quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but I can't even find pictures on the internet (this is as close as I can find ).  My parents have a big peacock that she made using different colored tin soda cans for the feathers.  My sister and I each have the miniatures--a little couch from (I think) a Band-aid box, rocking chairs made ...

To reach the possibly crazy goal of 365 ornaments by the end of the year, averaging an ornament a day is obviously the goal (see how nicely that works?)  So, to be on track I need to have 59 ornaments by the end of February.  Right about now is when I start wishing I had purchased a bit more embroidery thread for those lace ornaments............. I have another completed ball ornament, which I'm not overly pleased with. This is the first one I've made with the two-colors on every row of the center, and the colors get muddled.  Oh well.  I have two trees to decorate, which means I also have two backs of trees to decorate.  Looks like we'll be keeping two categories of ornaments this year:  my favorites and the ugly ones.  THAT should make an interesting decor scheme...... Having a ball turn out badly--or perhaps having made so many already--I've grown a bit bored with the improvised balls, so it was time to look for a new ornament pattern id...

I'm recovering from the fall fast enough to know I didn't do anything serious, but it still hurts enough to have stopped any real sewing for a few days.  I felt pretty good Friday morning, so we made a quick dash to a library book sale then stopped for lunch, and that seems to have been the limit for my back for the day.  So, no sewing projects, but...... remember these?   Tada!!!  One is now empty!!!!!!!!!!!  The bigger pieces have been sorted out and added to the stash, and the smaller cotton ones, have been ironed and are now being cut into backs for the quilted ornaments AND 3-inch squares to attempt a patchwork quilt.   I've never done one before, but I keep hanging onto scrap fabric, and it's time to either use it or throw most of it out (one always needs scraps for serger testing and that sort of thing).  I think this will be a fun experiment, and I am hoping the results will be some colorful baby blankets.  I tend to fav...

It would be hard to say whether the hour in the pool turned out to be good or bad, because yesterday morning while doing leg squats propped against my exercise ball against the closed bathroom door, the door swung open on the 10th one and I fell.   Right on my ego.  Apparently even Theo can recognize a cry of surprise, because Andy only beat him to the hallway by a few seconds.  Tonight I'm feeling good enough to know that I didn't do any serious damage, but yesterday was really, REALLY painful, and I spent the day on full medications and the heating pad.  So, if I was at all sore from the pool, it was pretty much covered up from being sore from a losing battle with a door.  Thank heavens THAT didn't have to go on my medical record.  The turkey incident was bad enough........... There was some very simple knitting, starting with finishing the green ball, then stripes when the drugs were at their strongest,  then getting a bit trickier as they...

The original plan was to maybe finish up the shirt for Andy's Valentine's ensemble today.  However, I was feeling pretty good and excited about spring, so I went to the gym and walked in the pool for an hour!  Okay, it felt better mentally than it did physically, quite frankly, and it has meant spending the rest of the afternoon on the heating pad, but it's the first time I've been able to do it since November, so it's sort of worth it.  Spring is in the air, and this knitter's fancy is turning to thoughts of getting out of the house occasionally...............