A Little Yarn On The Side

Yesterday was my birthday, and aside from being incredibly sore from a NEW spot getting therapeutic massage on Thursday at physical therapy, it was great fun.  We had intended to go to a concert at the botanical gardens on Thursday night, but between rain and not being able to sit down again, we postponed that for and a heating pad.  :) Yesterday Andy started my day off with breakfast in bed,  and I can't really think of a nicer way to start a day.   We originally had other plans, but my hip was so tender that any clothes but pajamas hurt, so I spent most of the day sewing.  I finished up the thread bowl experiment, and will try soaking and shaping it later today. I also finally found a solution to the rope-bowl finishing problem:  Elmer's glue!  It stiffens the fibers enough to not fray, but it's not visible once I rub it in and let it dry, so I finished the first bowl!   Obviously in most circumstances, this ...

Over a week later, we have:  One finished project--a rare thing around here these days, a bit of progress on the thread bowl, which I think might be ready to wash and shape, one not-quite-finished bell ornament, three more lace icicle ornaments, a double batch of fresh vegetable salsa, a double batch of roasted tomatillo-chipotle salsa 4 pints of pickles, roasted garlic pasta sauce, and 4 batches of poblano-cilantro sauce, which are frozen but still count anyway.  Or at least count in the "why I am now only ONE ornament ahead for the year" category.  I'm beginning to see a flaw in the plan...........

Originally, I had planned to can tomato salsa yesterday, but then I thought, "Hey, it's a HOLIDAY weekend.  This is not what normal people do with holidays."  So I'm doing it today instead--still a holiday, but a Monday, which sort of evens things out.  Besides, I think I sat too much yesterday.  And that would be because... I was on a crafting marathon yesterday!  First I stitched another bag, this one for a friend of ours who just purchased a new ukelele and has a birthday this week, then three more white lace ornaments.  Now that I only have 2 months left before I can buy more thread, I'm less concerned about running out of white thread and more concerned about having white lace icicle ornaments.  I just love these!  And 3 ornaments in one day during canning season isn't a bad thing--114 left to go!!! Then I did some stabilizing on the thread bowl by adding a grid: and while I've heard several theories as to why my machines hate Coat...

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...