A Little Yarn On The Side

From September 1 until November 30, it’s time to fall back in love with the things you already have. New yarn cannot compete with a long-term love. Complete as many of the following as you choose. As always, please feel free to involve other hobbies or crafts as well: Love at First Sight - pick a yarn in your stash that was truly an impulse buy--a yarn you just fell in love with. Find a pattern that will do it justice. Soul Mates - make a pair of socks, slippers, booties, or stockings from stash yarn--the deeper the better Glass Slipper - Match a pattern you already have with a yarn you already have and put them into a project bag to surprise yourself with in 2014 ‘Til Death Us Do Part - complete FIVE rows on a WIP that is at least one year old, or your oldest if they’re all more recent “Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Complete TEN rows on a second WIP “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” - Complete SEVEN rows on a third WIP “Killing Me Softly” - complete SIX rows on ...

Thursday and Friday were taken up with canning and exercise and all that sort of thing, but since I'm really, really, REALLY tired today, it's a sewing day! First I set up Jeeves to start on two denim bags for gifts,  and got this far before I remembered that I should change to a heavier needle for denim. I don't think I've embroidered on denim before, but it is a very heavy fabric for a regular embroidery needle.  Luckily, the last needle in this package was a heavy embroidery one, which never happens.  I'm a bit delighted to have used up another package of machine needles, because I have a stash of those as well, but that's almost mandatory.  Between the ones for different fabrics, different threads, and having 4 machines, I go through them regularly.  I don't always remember to change needles for each new project, but I try, and every time I have a problem, the first thing I do is to check the needle.  These are expensive machines, and I...

As you know, for the last few weeks I've been seeing a soft-tissue physical therapist (if that's the right way to describe it), and it is helping enormously .  I still have a long way to go, but I think this is finally going to get rid of the back issues for good (provided I continue to always exercise and that sort of thing).  So, it's all good.  However, if you have ever had a deep tissue massage, or a massage on knotted muscles, you'll know that it starts out hurting like crazy.  By the second session, I'd have spilled any state secrets if I'd had any.  By the time she's finished, I usually feel pretty good, though sometimes a bit shaky and always nauseous.  I don't know what exactly it is, but I've started just planning on not doing anything the rest of the day afterwards.  So, this morning I went for my appointment, she was thrilled with my progress, she made it painful to sit again, gave me a new stretch.........and I feel good.  Not perfect...

My little sidekick seems to have gotten back to his usual self, including one of his favorite games, which we refer to as "trip the human."  He's still on a de-stress medication and the glucosamine blend for bladder health, but the longer he can go without a relapse, the more likely it is that it won't reoccur.  So I keep a close eye on him, but it's harder than one thinks to de-stress a cat. Monday I had warned him that this   was a bad place for a nap.  But you know pets--you can talk until you're blue in the face and they just won't listen.  So Tuesday, he fell off.  He did actually land on his feet, which I thought was just an old wives' tale, but I wasn't sure if it was stressful for him or not.  If I fell 3-feet out of bed while asleep, I don't think MY stress level would be great, so we had an extra petting session.  All seemed fine and then.. Wednesday, he got locked in the garage.   Not realizing how much we would re...

This might be surprising, but I have actually been following my doctor's instructions to not do anything that hurts my back.  However, my back made no such promises.  Driving down to the physiatrist's office on Monday, it started to hurt, and by Monday night had wound up my muscles enough again to set me back about a week when I went in for therapy on Tuesday.  While the soft tissue work is quite painful, it really seems to be helping, but after pretty much two years of pain, I've made quite a knot in my muscles, and it's going to take a while to unwind it.  Especially if it's going to hurt for random things.  I am keeping the Valium close, just in case.  It can ache a bit from being tired (which it does), but as soon as the muscles start to clench up from the pain, I'm in trouble.  So, there's been lots of heating pad time, as well as,  lots of canning because it's August.  Canning gives one some "waiting while....." time, but not any lo...

I would be showing you the new scarf with a little spot of steam blocking, except My little sidekick has commandeered (and furred) the ironing board.  I thought I might get it back earlier today, as he almost rolled off, but he caught himself in time.  He seems to be doing better with the stress issues, but falling off the ironing board probably wouldn't have helped.  So, it isn't blocked.  I almost tried for one final pattern repeat, but I'm glad I didn't.  There isn't enough yarn there for a whole pattern, which makes me rather pleased with my guessing. I am back to working on the sweater now, which will be the most time-intensive WIP I have, I think.  I thought if I finished THIS one first, everything else would be fast comparatively, but monogamous knitting has never been my strongest point.  Maybe if I get some progress done on this, I can swoop in and finish off something else when I get tired of this, and then when I come back to thi...

There is a finished Ostrich Plume Scarf with beads! I have now knit up more than 5000 yards of yarn from my stash! I have finished TWO whole WIPs and only have 13 more to go............ Dang, that started out better than it ended.................