Birds, Bees...

...and knitting, of course... But first, another batch of masks. These will eventually be in the big bag that's going to the local hospital. I worked on ties today and pinning up a few more. And a friend asked me for 4 of the fitted ones. Hey, it keeps me occupied! 

Today was glorious outside so I spent a bit of time knitting on the porch. I had a few things "fall off the needles" into Finished Objects, which is always a good thing. 

I was mending some of my knitted wash cloths; I use them mainly for face cloths, because they're gentle on my skin, but they're really nice for exfoliation. But some of them are verging on ancient. So while I'm building up the "new" stash, I figured I'd just mend the old ones. Actually, after a few years of constant use, the 100% cotton kind of softens up a bit, and is even nicer on your skin. 

I did maybe 6 stitches (yeah, STITCHES) on the Simple Shawl, and I sit with envy looking on Facebook at people's knitting where it's some elaborate Estonian lace shawl and they're like, "Oh, I just did this in 18 days, it's my COVID project." Really? Or: "Oh, here are the 8 pairs of socks I've knitted since March 15..." Really???? Mind you, I'm mildly jealous only because (a) either these folks knit in their sleep; or (b) their needles are melting because of the friction because they're speed knitters. Which, maybe, should be an Olympic sport? 

My contribution to the COVID-19 Finished Objects compilation is this: 2 fresh wash cloths (well, actually FOUR of them; but I have to go dig the pics out for you). And one sock. In my defense, I'm going to count the "mended" blue cloth there. See the crochet added to the knitting? It just worked out that this seemed the best method. It doesn't have to be gorgeous; it's just the 2 of us and not like I'm taking them to the State Fair or anything like that. 

The one wash cloth is, obviously, crocheted. It's a simple "cast on about 25 stitches, then single crochet till it's about 6 inches high" thing. Crochet goes faster for me, but it does use a whack more yarn. On the other hand, this bias-knitted wash cloth was done this evening - about 3 episodes of Poirot. Maybe 4. Started it about 2:30 and just finished it, at 10:15 p.m. But I wasn't knitting steadily on it. I did cook dinner (see below). And eat. 

Also in my defense, I finished the Green Travelling Socks, so there's that. 

Dinner Plans...

Normally, lately, Hubby has been doing the bulk of the cooking. Since he works from home, it's easier. But - another benefit (?) of COVID and shelter-in-place is that I can cook more. And I do enjoy it; I just got out of the habit. 

So these beauties are from my friend C. I gave her a bunch of empty egg cartons, and I got 2 dozen of her hens' finest. They're lovely, aren't they? 

Frittata was on the menu tonight. So I layer potatoes in a pan, season with a little bacon fat, and this time I used some paprika, Penzey's Mural of Flavor, and Fox Point (which has salt in it). FULL DISCLOSURE: I get no $$$ for recommendations. I just love Penzey's spices. 

While the sausage and leeks were cooking in a separate pan, the spuds were browning nicely. I used the full dozen eggs (we'll be eating this dish for the next several days, so nothing gets wasted). Added a bit of skim milk and whisked the bejeebers out of it. Poured it into the pan then chopped up a tomato and tossed it in there with some roasted garlic, chopped up parsley (the first bit from the herb pots we did in April). And then I used a good handful + a half of Asiago cheese. And then, dotted it with some goat cheese that Hubby had gotten me. 

He's not altogether sold on actually EATING goat cheese himself, but he ate this... Under mild protest. It didn't kill him. But I bet he races me to make the next frittata... 

I had an avocado that was about 2 minutes from total destruction so I sliced it up. They're small; and I hate wasting them. Because you know they're rock-hard for about a week, and then just about the time your mind says, "Hey, there's that avocado"... they SENSE it. And they ripen in a flash. And then they die because you missed your nanosecond of opportunity. 

Anyway, eggs and avocado are delicious together. It's the perfect combo for when you want something sort of substantial but that doesn't take a day and a half to plan. It took about 45 minutes in the oven (just in that big saute pan there - it's oven-ready). And that's only because the tomato was pretty juicy. 



The Birds and the Bees...

Between Hubby and I, we've been enjoying the wildlife in the front yard. I have yet to get a good picture of the hummingbirds, but they are there! We have 2 female and one male rose-crested grosbeaks - they've kind of taken over the front yard. The blue jay is back! And we have goldfinches. And new this year: orioles! You can see the one pic where he's in flight trying to figure out my home-made orange + grape jelly feeder. 

The backlight from the sun today was nasty. We did the best we could without scaring everyone away. The bees are enjoying the hanging baskets as much as the hummers are. And we have a plethora of bunnies. Which are driving the dogs nuts. 

Oriole in flight

I'm hoping we get the indigo buntings back. The cardinals and woodpeckers have been frequent fliers. 

I think we may have a meadowlark hanging around, but I'm not sure. I haven't been able to spot it quickly enough with our Audubon handy. 

I hope you're getting time to look out at Mother Nature and really enjoy the show. It's not often we get the chance (forced on us or not - depending on your opinion) to really slow down. 

Rose crested grosbeak

So wear your masks (OVER your nose, please!), wash your hands, practice social distancing... 

The quicker we do what's right, the quicker we'll be able to get back to work and back to our families. 

PS: If you're looking for tools to help you work through some of the stress, connect with me and my teachers at Just Breathe Yoga Studio! www.just-breatheyoga.com -- upper left corner of the website: Livestream Yoga. Ten bucks a class... 

Pro-Tips...

I just about had a heart attack.... Today was Mask Sewing Day, and my old machine has been chugging along as right as rain. 

But I did a stupid thing. See that bobbin up there? Well, I'd been stashing the full bobbin up there to keep it handy. 

It was a stupid thing to do. Better I should have stashed it on that pin next to the thread that I'm using. Because all of a sudden, my machine seized up. 

It would go neither forward nor back. I couldn't figure it out. I tugged at the wheel, I checked the needle, checked the bobbin....nothing. 

But then something made me look at the bobbin stashed up there on the winder. And at the string trailing down. And more closely at the wheel. Where, if you look closely, you'll see THREAD...wound AROUND the inside of the wheel. See that little bit of blue? It's deceiving because there was a lot of thread caught in the mechanism behind the belt. 

I took three deep breaths. 

Then I took four or five more. 

All I could think about was, "Nobody can repair this because they're all closed!"

Breathe. Think. Invoke Grandpa, who could fix anything. Invoke the memory of the US Army telling you in Junior College, that you'd make a pretty good mechanic based on the skills test they were giving students. 

And breathe again. And grab pliers, a good light, a crochet hook, and a screwdriver. I took the top off my machine. Got the crochet hook to pull out some of the thread, unwound, unwound, unwound, under and over the belt, tugging to keep it coming. Then I got to "ground zero" where I couldn't grab any more. 

I'd built up quite a pile of "thread barf" and it was just coming and coming... I think it was almost a quarter of that bobbin.

By that point, the limited mobility of my hands was telling and I had to call for Hubby, who removed the wheel assembly and squirted a bit of WD-40 into the assembly behind the wheel, where the last bit of thread was caught. 

It all came out. And it all went back together again just like it was supposed to. 


And I'm back in the mask-making business. Whew.... 

This is the pile of thread barf. And the bobbins are now stashed appropriately, AWAY from my machine. I would never have imagined that (a) thread could get there; and (b) it would wind so tightly as to be almost impossible to be removed. 

But that's what I get for "stepping on the gas" when I sew. I hit my goal of a dozen masks today. I did an inventory, and Hubby began to cut more ties and body parts. 

This is the Basket 'O Masks that I have for myself. I made 2 more for Kid #2 and finished 2 more for Hubby. It's a small basket; there are only 3 masks in there; one is in the wash. 

We're working not only with nice large swaths of fabric, but with the bits and bobs left over. You can piece together some of the parts to make the front/back pieces, but you do need to have straight pieces for the ties, just for the strength you need to be sure they're sturdy enough to stand up to daily use and washing. 

As you can see, I just tie a knot in the one end. I've seen so many sewists (sorry, not sure I like that word, but I'm going to try to use it) and they've done a great job finishing and making sure that every end is trimmed and folded... I'm not that kind of "sewist." 

The light in my sewing room (yoga/office/yarn/music room) isn't the greatest. We put in new halogen light fixtures with a nice ceiling lamp but it's just not enough some days. So I asked Hubby if we had a spare task lamp that I could use. Turns out, the answer was "yes." 

You can see the lovely little lamp to the right there. When the machine is closed, I can still use that lamp as a regular light in the room. It reflects nicely across the space so that when I'm doing Zoom calls, it's a balance to the lamp on the desk. 

It feels like I've got something accomplished even though part of the room is still quite a mess. I have to buckle down and really get moving in there. I put a yoga mat down, and now Quinn and Tippi like to trade "guarding" me when I work in there! Which means, though, that I can't do yoga...

Not Knitting Or Sewing...

So I also did this...It's a blanket for my grand-dog, Feleena. It's a bit small - she grew a lot since I last saw her! She lives in Colorado with Kid #1. She's a snuggle-bug and likes to wrap up in blankets; being a short-haired dog, that's probably a good habit to have in a state where it's snowing more than any other kind of weather. 

I got the color selections from Feleena's "mom" and did what I could to find the fleece. I think I should have made the fringe a little deeper, but then I should have done 60" fleece, not 45" ... it's cushy, and Feleena loves it but I wish it was a bit bigger. 

I like doing these blankets; our church's Youth Group did a bunch of them for the local animal shelter, so maybe the size was ok anyway. 

Mother Nature...

This is what I found in a basket of raspberries. They were yummy and sweet; the blackberries I got were bitter - I don't recall blackberries being bitter... but anyway, I noticed this heart among the bright, luscious berries. 

I miss having our own raspberry bushes; but in all honesty, they mainly provided berries for the birds and squirrels! We never got a lot of berries from them in the first place, but truly what we got were delicious. Much smaller, of course, than these. But our own. 

The other day, after teaching another virtual yoga class (I can't wait to tell y'all about our ZOOM classes coming -- and check out the PS below!), I was pulling out of the parking lot at the studio. It's really nicely landscaped; our landlords are wonderful people. And I noticed this: a little nest. I'm not sure what species. I'm not sure it's current but it looks like it's from this year. I know it's not a hummingbird nest because those things are the size of a thimble. But it's a tiny bird. 

Right now, it's bucketing rain and thundering; I feel for any wild thing out there that doesn't have shelter. I know in the last storm, the wind was so strong it blew over our hummingbird feeders; and I didn't get a chance to fill them today. With the rain and storms all day, it didn't seem like anyone was going to be feeding anyhow. 


I have to get the pictures of the orioles off the camera... but in the meantime, here are the lilacs. 

We thought we bought two of the same bush - the tags said "French Lilac" which is what we wanted. But somehow, there are slight differences between the two of them. As you can see, the far bush is already in full bloom. And up close, the flowers are bigger, and the scent is a little sweeter. 

The near bush, identical in size, same look of the leaves, has smaller flowers, isn't quite in full bloom yet, and has a sharper scent. It's still that "lilac" smell, but it's got a bit of a lemony overtone to it. 

Granted, they're both lovely; you can see and smell them for quite a bit of distance, and I'm not complaining. It's just weird that as they get older you can see the differences so much more clearly.

Random Picture... 

So someone posted, "Show me the oldest thing you have in your house." I could probably have put up a picture of Tippi, though she would have been offended. But instead, I thought about it for a bit, and realized that it was this. 

My great-grandmother's wedding ring. 

I asked my mom, and we reckon it's about 120 years old... It's thin; and the edges are a tad sharp. When I inherited it, Hubby said, "Let's get it polished up." And I said, "Not on your life."

I wanted the patina on it that I remembered all my youth...My great-granny taught me to cook, and taught me to crochet. She taught me a lot about persevering even when you thought you couldn't do something. She spoke 4 languages. English was the last language she learned. She was dismayed at the "dumb immigrant" comments - yeah, even back then... And I had her in my life till I was 14 years old. 

This ring is the oldest thing I own. And it's the most treasured thing. 

P.S.: If you want to take online yoga classes during the COVID-19 crisis, please join me and all my teachers at www.just-breatheyoga.com and go to the upper left, under the "Livestream Yoga" tab. Classes are there; we ask a $10 donation so we can pay our teachers while the studio is closed to students. 

Technology Bites!!

Well. It took me a literal month to get my phone and my laptop to talk to each other. I was going through this cumbersome "attach this widgety thing to your phone, download, then upload the widgety thing to your computer so that you can share pictures" thing. See, my Windows phone just kind of automatically uploaded stuff. The OnePlus? Not so much. 

But...My pics are back! And Hubby had to order me a new hard drive - a larger one. My good old ThinkPad is still chugging along, but for a birthday gift, he got me a Surface Laptop that I can travel with...which is slightly ironic because I'm not really going anywhere lately! One of these days, when I can travel again, I can take this Surface, which is MUCH lighter than my "Old Reliable." 

Speaking of which, I've got UPDATES for you! I've missed blogging and I need to get on the stick - especially now that I actually have time. 

Vintage Sewing Machine...

Who knew I had a "vintage" sewing machine? I just thought it was old. It's a Brother Charger 661 and it was made in the late 60s to mid-70s. And it's mostly metal...which is saying something! It sews forward, backward and zig-zag. And it does buttonholes, but I can do those by hand. The only fiddly bit is the bobbin - not a drop-in, but a "pick it out of the hole sideways and put it back in the same way" thingie. 

These are the first batch of masks. I reckon I did about 58 of 'em and I have a large --- and I do mean LARGE pile of fabric for Masks, Phase II. I'm on pace to do about 150-175 of them before I run out of thread, patience and fabric. Two quilting friends of mine, K and D, donated. The "ugly" fabric turned into ties. The masks are two-pleat, except for the "family" masks, which are more fitted. 

The first batch were 3-pleat, but honestly, my hand mobility isn't what it used to be. I was really messing up not only the topstitching but the 3 pleats. Consistently. And it was frustrating me. I mean, my sewing skills can "kindly" be called "basic." But I wanted to do a decent job. These certainly aren't meant to be heirlooms - they're meant to be washed in hot water and kind of scalded...and I don't expect them to last for any more than a few months, with luck. But I'd like them to look half-way decent. So the next batch are all 2-pleat. and they fit the same - the basic size is the same; just easier for me to manipulate. 

The fitted masks are all the "male" sized ones, though. I found that the "women/teen" size shrunk and wasn't as comfortable. So we're all guys...

Kid #1's partner, J, asked me, "Can you make me some snowflake masks?" I wasn't quite sure what she wanted, and we had a discussion...turns out that folks in CO think she's a "snowflake" because she's wearing the one mask I made her. This is what I came up with -- I've ordered some snowflake material, but as you can imagine, it's more likely to be out at Christmas rather than spring! Anyway, the patch is making a point: "Kiss my snowflake keister, bub!" And besides, she's a welder - you really wanna poke a woman who wields a torch? 

The fitted masks are meant to have elastic - but I don't like elastic because I wear glasses; and because it's uncomfortable. So I've been making my own ties. Thankfully, Hubby is my "cutter." He can really maximize a piece of fabric! 

I'll be donating the masks to the local hospital, and then anyone who wants one. Since the fabric is all donated, I'm not keen on charging for them. A few folks have wanted to donate, so I've given them 2 charities to donate to: a local food bank and our local free clinic. 

The dogs think it's a "clacky machine." Of course, on a laminate floor, being a heavy-duty sewing machine, it IS loud. For the amount of hours I've been putting on it, it's gonna need a "spa day" after this is all done. And things are opened back up. 

As a matter of course, I cleaned out the drawer of the sewing machine cabinet. I found this vintage (there's that word again) magazine that I used to subscribe to in the Way Back Times. 

Boy, have things changed. Sizes, for one. Most of the knitting has "XL" as a size 12 with a bust size of 38"...
Yikes... There are a few patterns I'd be interested in doing, but let's just say I'd have to size them up a bit more. 

It's fun to see the recipes too. Jeeze - "cream of something" soup in just about everything, and lots of stuff in cans. I have to laugh too at the Bran Flakes recipes...this was 1984, when bran was The New Super Food. 

The article on Companion Gardening is still relevant; and a thing about creeping Thyme as a ground cover is kind of cool. But mostly, it's a real throw-back. 

The Knitting...




Tons o' stuff to catch up with in regard to The Knitting. So, all this time on my hands in quarantine has resulted in several FOs (finished objects) and a couple new ones started. One frogged, twice...which is my limit. 

First is a shawlette that ended up being for my friend M. I had purchased this organic cotton from Le Mouton Rouge with the intent to do more face cloths. But it wasn't looking like it would work. So I found this pattern on Ravelry, and it fit the yardage. M likes orange (which is the main color) and the rose was a nice accent. I have blue and gold for one for me. I will knit a pattern several times (see Close to You Shawl, which I've knitted at least 3 times) if it's an easy knit and fun. This fit the bill for both things. And with it being cotton, it's kind of a 3-season item of clothing: you can keep the AC off your neck (which is what M is doing), and it's still light enough for when it gets warm.

Here's the pattern: Two Color Seedlings Scarf -- not the yarn called for, but it worked out just fine. And I may still use the leftovers for facecloths. This yarn I used is Mika, a 100% organic cotton. 

Being as we had snow in March and frost in May? "Warm" is a ways off yet. 

The green Traveling Socks are now done. I had to steek --- (cut my knitting!!) because I did a really screwy job on the one sock, and it was like 4" long in the foot. Seeing as I'm a size 9? Yeah... So I tried to unpick, but it didn't work. So I cut. Held my breath, grabbed scissors, and snip, snip, snip. As you can see by the right sock, it was only a few inches that I had to lengthen, but it made all the difference. So Sock #2 got done first! 

I'm going to start knitting my socks at 68 stitches. 64 is too small and 72 is too big. So I started another one. And it's too small in the foot, too... What the heck. I think it's the star toe. I have to add at least an inch to the foot length for the star toe. And I need to increase my heel flap to a full 3 inches. 

I'm plowing through the Opal stash like crazy. But I'm having an issue with finishing. So this blue one is still a tad tight at the toe - and I will do Sock #2 and see if I can make the improvements and then fix the toe of Sock #1. Why do them in order??? This pic here is all of my Opal socks. Yes, I finally got "enough socks to wear them all week long" because I'm not including the Sweet Georgia and MadTosh. Kid #2 wants me to make him some "scrappy short socks" which will be ok, except he's got huge feet.... 

Here are the rest of the socks. I'm rather chuffed.... I've got lots of socks! I'm aiming to clean out my sock drawer and basically get rid of anything I'm not wearing anymore. Replacing them all with hand-knits where I can. I do still wear compression socks when I need to, but the "novelty socks" I have by the dozens can be given away; they're still in good shape, but I don't wear them. I wear these and short socks when I wear socks at all. Two pair of Fluromania...and I'm using the other 2 balls of Fluromania for the Breathe & Hope shawl - I've got blue yarn as the "base" and the pop of the bright color will be just what I want. It'll be a fun knit - twice...

And here, left to right: the hiking sock out of 100% wool (Cascade 220) - I have yarn to do a second pair; these are cozy and great for winter boots. Center is the Trekking sock in "Ovarian Cancer Teal" -- and these have the honor of being "5-year socks" because it was 5 years between Sock #1 and Sock #2... and to the right is my Sweet Georgia pair. These are on 72 stitches and are wayyyy too loose; but the yarn is squishy so it's still comfortable. 

And then there's shawl #2. It was supposed to be Reyna. Except my pattern was wrong (my printer cut off a few rows and I didn't realize it). And then I mis-read KTBL as KFB and I was increasing by FOUR stitches every other row. This was my "frogged twice" project. And it's using yarn that doesn't take kindly to frogging. Expression Fiber Arts Pearlescent Fingering is 50% merino wool and 50% silk. It's got the most gorgeous depth of color and "squish factor" and it splits like a bugger... The bloom of the yarn is lovely. I can't wait for it to be finished. 


But it ain't gonna be Reyna...This was just before Frogging #2...

I've got a few projects "in my sights" to work on while we're under shelter-in-place. But I started Simple and I like to stick with it. I also still have to finish Kid #2's afghan, which is thankfully at 50%. That's going to be my next rotation project. I'm shifting between sock needles (size 1), this shawl (size 5) and the afghan (size 7) -- because I find if there's too drastic a needle switch, my tension goes all wonky. 

I'm doing Simple Shawl with the silk + merino - a Ravelry freebie. Which is dead boring right now because there's about eighty bazillion yards of plain knitting...and then a gorgeous lace edge with a picot bind-off. So it's a patience-pay off thing... I can mindlessly knit this after I've sat at the sewing machine or taught virtual yoga classes or worked at home with the church stuff...and it works for me. 

It's 550 yards, so it'll be bigger than what the pattern calls for. I weighed the yarn, because she says to start the lace section when you have 25 grams of yarn left. I bumped it to 30 grams - to give myself wiggle room. Maybe I can add a few more rounds of lace before I do the bind off. Which will be a test of my math as well as my patience!! 

Here's the Pearlescent Fingering in the hank. I thought it would be a bit brighter, but the sheen of the silk more than makes up for the long runs of the burgundy tones. It's primarily purple-to-burgundy and the white really pops in there. The whole thing is just an exercise in amazing color work. 

I just wish it was less splitty. That's frustrating; I'm using Chiagoo lace circulars which I think helps. I didn't want to use dull points, because I think I can keep it from splitting more with the sharper points. 

I'll work on this shawl till I get sick of it, and then I'll rotate to the afghan. The socks will wait a bit. As Hubby reminded me, "you have time." 

I also bought some Quince & Co. Sparrow yarn and have a beautiful t-shirt to knit. It's definitely summer wear, since Sparrow is linen, but I wanted to challenge myself with something with shaping. So that's got to be wound. 


Oh, I have a new swift and ball winder!! And the set was on sale!!! My swift bit the dust a while back and Hubby was my stand-in. He got tired of that quickly! We'd been researching them anyway; and we came to the conclusion that this table-top model was my best bet. I don't have to clamp it to anything, and then I got the extra-large ball winder. My other ball winder works just fine; so I can wind regular hanks; just the larger ones (like the 550 yards above) were a stretch for the smaller winder. 

This works a treat and I don't have too many moving parts to fiddle with. The ball winder is a tad more complex to put together and storing it isn't fun, but it's also incentive to get my yarn room/yoga room/office in shape. I'd love to have space to keep the ball winder "handy." 

Elder Ladies...

Well, I'm lumping myself with Tippi.... COVID-19 has wreaked havoc and there's lots of drama and tragedy around. Tragedy in that this virus will kill you --- or severely impact your life if you manage to survive. And drama with the queens wailing about wanting to go out for dinner and get haircuts.... Queens of both male and female persuasion because I think all of 'em are whiny babies. 

For some reason, my stylist cut my hair shorter this last time....and thankfully!! So far, it's behaving; but it's starting to curl at the back, which is my clue that it's getting to be "a mess" sooner rather than later. I've got a good blow dryer, and I've got hair combs that I can use. But heavens.... So. Much. Hairspray.... I'm putting the hole back in the ozone layer. This is today, just before my yoga class. Believe me, if I slipped on my mat and landed on my head, my hair would protect me. And not be moved! 

Tippi has regained 90% of her coat since chemo; frankly, it's doubtful she'll ever regain her ruff, even though it's "tufting" somewhat. Her 6-month post-chemo check-up was great. Numbers are where they should be; and I got the 'she's a bit fluffy' chat...but I did deliberately let her eat a lot when she was having chemo. I felt like she needed to have that extra "beef" to carry her when she wasn't feeling well. And that also carried her thru a subsequent bout of pneumonia. Yeah, this dog doesn't do anything the easy way... This was just the other day; she's almost back to her sassy self. She spends a lot of time resting. We're easing her back into walks; the vet said to take our time but definitely have her move more. She likes to have "selective hearing" when she's doing her 'snoring meditations' on the couch. 

She's officially retired as a therapy dog. When we go back to Lewis University, it's going to just be Raisa. I'll probably take her back for one "final" visit, just so everyone can say goodbye, but at age 13.5, her back end is a little wobbly, and I want her to enjoy just being Queen of the Household. She and I will be taking more walks and just hanging out together. 

Random Picture...

This is my favorite time of year. In spite of the freeze that slightly burned my parsley and almost killed off my tomato plants. 

It's lilac time. Pro-tip: If you have allergies, try not to put a big honking vase of lilacs next to you; you'll cough and everyone will think you have COVID-19. Our bushes are 5 years old and this is the best year yet. We keep them at about 7-feet tall, and prune pretty strongly, taking all the suckers off too. 

Funny, we thought we bought 2 identical bushes - the same variety. But nope. Looks like we have two different varieties. Similar - but just slightly different. The right one (at the end of the front sidewalk) is an early bloomer, bigger blossoms, and a lighter French Lilac scent. Lighter, but still quite strong. 

The left one is blooming a bit later, smaller blossoms and a slightly sharper scent. Again, still a French Lilac, and believe me -- you can see these bushes from the end of the block and smell them 4 houses away. When I have my kitchen window open, I can smell them all the way to the back of the house. I love it. 

I know they'll "last longer" if I leave them on the bush, but I'm cutting with abandon, and letting them scent my house. I'm happy to have them and I'm happy to have neighbors walking by and taking deep, deep breaths!

Life in the Time of Covid-19

I've been trying to blog for about ...well, a month now. Trying to get back in the groove. I take a picture and think, "Wow, that would be great for the blog." And then? Pfffffffth. No mojo. So, pardon the whatever-it-is that I'm feeling (lots of things, simultaneously, honestly).

The "shelter-in-place" order we've been under for about a week now isn't what's bothering me. Honestly, as a high-functioning introvert (meaning: I can ACT like an extrovert when I have to, but I'd prefer to just not "people" if I don't have to), it's not too bad. I've got the Internet, yarn, books...I've been baking up a storm (see the pics) and I don't have to put shoes on. All good.

Let's just go to pictures and we'll start from there. So I guess the bad news is that I'm one of the "laid off" folk again. That being said, this pic was from the local store near where I used to work. That was the "wipes" section. Empty.

Kinda like the paycheck I'm not getting. Kinda like my attempts to call the Department of Employment because I need a password reset. And I can't get a human. No answer even on the day that I spent calling every ten minutes. Hoping to get an answer. Not sure how or if that's going to improve, and it's frustrating as all get-out.

The one good thing is that I still have a part-time gig that I can do at home. Which leaves me time to clean out and purge my home office (it's either that or drink WAYYYYYYYY too much tea, which doesn't make my heart happy). I've been seriously purging stuff and tossing. I have a great idea for the old "The Sun" magazines -- I'm taking my address info off and donating them to the local Little Free Libraries. I hate to toss them because they're treat magazines. But I don't have any reason to keep them. Maybe if Kid #2 ever gets anything published in there, I'll keep one.

The Knitting...

And the other good thing is that I'm knitting like crazy. I took what turned out to be a "last" trip to my favorite LYS, Le Mouton Rouge Knittery in Bloomington -- which isn't exactly LOCAL, since it's 2 hours away, but I like to support Kelly because I've been a friend & patron since she was actually "local." Do a gal a favor -- check out her site. I don't get any compensation -- but you'd be helping a young woman business owner. Who also happens to be a fantastic knitter, designer and person who can help you pick colors and yarns. And who does a great mail-order business as well as the brick & mortar store.

Anyway... I got some Cascade Yarns cotton, and finally, instead of stashing it, I had Hubby be my yarn swift and wound up the cotton. I needed to replenish my stash of washcloths, so I did. Here are a few of them. A simple bias-knit one, a ribbed one, and a circular one. Kinda liking the circular one. The ribbed one - I'm not sure how I got the 2 ribs in the middle; could've been during a binge of "The Royal Now" - a UK hospital soap. Again, no matter.

It was the "last" trip only in the sense of the "shelter-in-place" order we're under here in IL. I actually put in an order for Kelly to send me because as you'll see in one project, I want to make it a little larger. I wasn't sure what I was going to knit out of THAT cotton yarn (I seem to be on a cotton binge these days), but I ended up with a lovely shawlette.

I got 3 cloths out of the Cascade Nifty Cotton Splash, colorway 204. It's a bit more drapey than Sugar & Cream; I'm sure it's more intended for garments than "washrags" as my Granny used to call them. But it does work for a cloth, and I could see a baby ensemble out of this. Knits up nicer - it's got some give. I have already used and washed these; they don't shrink like the Sugar & Cream ones but that's ok.

The circular one was a fluke - if you look at it, it's vaguely like the top of a hat. I did kind of ham-hand the finishing, but hey - not like I'm entering in the State Fair. And this one looks like the top of a mushroom if you flip it over!

I have ordered another hank of this, in a "Lime Splash" color. I'm not wedded to any color; I just use them in my bathroom. You want to know why I get so many compliments on my skin? These cloths and goat's milk facial soap. That's it. My "beauty routine" in a nutshell.

The other cotton was going to be destined for cloths, too, and it was on sale (pitter-patter goes my heart!). But after looking at it, I decided not to. I went tiptoeing thru Ravelry (and really? If you're NOT on Ravelry?? ... ) and found the Two-Color Seedlings Scarf. This is a vaguely crescent-shaped shawlette with a Feather & Fan border. It'll look nice when it's blocked... The yarn called for, Classic Elite Seedlings, wasn't what I put in my basket.

I bought Classic Elite Yarns Mika. It's discontinued, so I got the hanks for $7 each. It's 100% organic cotton, with a little wrap on it. The border is in "Rose" and the body is in "Terra Cotta." I do want to make the body a bit more substantial; I'm playing yarn chicken as it is, but it's also for a friend of mine who's on the tall side. I don't want it to be too small for her to wear.

She loves orange; this picture is a bit deceiving; it looks coral, but it's more like pumpkin and the rose border stands out a bit more. I think she'll like it. Her purse is a bright orange - not "traffic cone" but a nice deep orange.

I'm hoping that my order gets here soon, so that I can drop it off.

I'm also working on the Green Travel Sock; I'm just going to put my head down and knit a bunch of stuff that's been sitting around far too long. I did a bunch of prayer patches too, and a friend of mine asked me to knit a crown for her granddaughter - which I will, in pink, and find some jewels. I may have some buried in my sewing box.

Life in the Time of COVID-19...

Speaking of sewing, it's a "thing" to sew masks for the healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. After talking to Hubby, I've decided NOT to sew those. First off, I honestly believe they give a false sense of security. Oh, I know - what our government has done is criminal. That Mango Maggot in the WH is a crook.

He's mentally and socially retarded, and I do use that word in its traditional sense of "stunted" - as in, "the growth of the organism has been retarded."

He's thumbing his nose at everyone and doing exactly what he wants to do; he's aiming to be the Emperor of America and he doesn't care what happens to anyone but himself.

Back to the masks. I've seen several patterns and I think that they're just not effective. I wonder how many hospitals are actually accepting them and I'm not sure I want to go through the time and expense to do them, and for what? Maybe I need to find another way to help out. Rather, I absolutely KNOW that I need to find another way to help. I believe, in spite of rosy predictions from DC, that we're not going to ease up anytime soon on the social distancing and other precautions. There will be opportunities for me to help in some way.

Bread Bonanza...

I've been baking. Thankfully, I've not been eating; I'm a huge stress-eater. Unfortunately, since the bout of bronchitis I had at the beginning of the year, my A-fib seems to have come back, so I do have to watch my tea consumption. So to keep myself busy otherwise, I'm baking bread. Lots of bread.

Kid #2 taught me a "no-knead" recipe which gives you an amazing rustic loaf. The downside is maneuvering it into the scalding hot Dutch oven you bake it in. That's still something I'm practicing.

It also has a 5-hour rise. That's totally different for me. You make it in a tub. No mixer even!

The recipe is all in grams and you use a scale. Another first for me.

I must confess that I did try to make bread with my "1:1 Gluten-Free Flour" --- "use just like regular flour." Not so much, it turns out. It was a brick. A nasty, pale, raw brick. No pic, just trashed. Hubby got me a fresh yeast supply and I made my old standard: Potato bread, which was delicious and not gluten-free. I've discovered that I can bake bread with organic flour and it doesn't make my stomach go nuts.

Of course, with the hoarding going on, flour and yeast are in short supply. Seems like there's a rash of Instagram "sourdough" posts. Everyone is rediscovering bread. Thanks to Kid #2, bread is actually not a "new fad." He's been baking it since ... well, about 2 years ago, he bought himself a bread book and decided to make one new kind of loaf a week. Took off like quick-rising yeast, and now, he's a regular bread guy. Pizza crust. Donuts, English muffins, Poolish (look it up - it's a kind of bread)... all kinds of stuff. Japanese Milk Bread. I just drool from afar.

Anyway, back to the Potato Bread. It's an old recipe, and honestly, my next challenge will be a good Challah bread because I want to try braiding.

This bread is easy; and it makes a nice loaf. I'll make it again, but I want to work on a bread we can actually use for sandwiches. This one can be a bit crumbly. But it toasts up lovely and it's nice with fresh butter on it.

I have not made sourdough and I'm not going to. People don't realize that those starters practically turn into sentient beings and I don't want to make a loaf a week. I love sourdough, but not that much.

Moving House...

No, we're not moving. I'm talking about a house that moved. In the downtown of the next town over, there was a huge push to save this house that was on the chopping block for a gas station. Yeah, that's preservation in our area: tear down the old stuff and build yet another gas station, mini-mart... This is the Cassaday House. It's a rather nondescript house, but what it DOES have is local limestone. And history. It dates back to the 1880s and it might've been a hotel or something commercial. We have a nasty habit of destroying our own history. Our courthouse for the county was an architectural gem, and it got torn down for an upside-down concrete monstrosity that's on the verge of being torn down for a glass-and-steel monstrosity...

Anyway, it moved this week and it took 14 hours to make the move about 2 blocks up. I can't wait to see the museum they'll be creating. I believe they're going to make it about prominent African-Americans in the area, which is cool. The county has been around a long while, so I'm happy that our museum system is going forward.

In Memory...

So on the 22nd, it snowed. A lot. My dad died on the 23rd, at about 2:20 a.m. And it snowed. A lot. My brother and I shoveled a good bit of snow off the driveway so the hearse could get him. This will be 27 years since he's been gone. We didn't always get along, but I can say I have several of his traits, among them a talent for cooking and baking. 

We ended up with more than a few inches and it made me smile. It was the same day I made the Potato Bread. He taught me to bake bread. He taught me to make potica, bake cookies, cook from my imagination and intuition. Using a recipe as a jumping-off spot.

The snow doesn't last in March; it just falls to scare the crap out of people. I predicted this. I told people that we were in for some snow late in the first quarter.

Random Picture...

Madame Tippi is enjoying me being home. She's getting her fill and more of belly rubs and attention.

She's recovered nicely from her bout of pneumonia and her X-ray is clear. She's got a lot of her spunk back. Her voice will never be the same, but that's ok. Her personality is back.

All the dogs are enjoying me being home; I realized how much time I've spent away from home. What with teaching and working, I was running in several different directions.

Maybe this "shelter-in-place" is a blessing in disguise. At least my office is getting purged and my dog is getting spoiled.

I Have Not Died...

Good Lord. October. Thinking back, if I can remember that far back, I believe that was the time when I was hunkering down with The Neverending Wedding Afghan.

Which--- ta-da! is FINISHED. A week before the wedding, Jesus, Mary & Joseph! It's huge. And I think that future brides/grooms are getting a "throw" rather than a nearly-6-foot afghan.

It's partially my fault; I started it then set it aside. I foolishly thought, around October, that I could complete THIS (February wedding) with a Christmas shawl and Kid #2's afghan. Ha.

The shawl got set aside for Christmas 2020. And the Kid afghan? Well, it's at 50%.

So there's that.

Anyway, since it's been forever-and-a-day, here's the 411 on that afghan (411 = information for those who may not know... used to be you could dial 411 for information and the operator would give it to you.)... The yarn is Caron Simply Soft. Colors are (from the bottom): taupe, ivory, ocean. I don't think the "taupe" is very taupe, if you ask. I think it's brown. Looks like coffee in real life. But there you go. Ocean has a tad more green in it than this picture shows. It's lovely and I'd use that color again. Ivory is ivory, and all in all, the colors work well.

The pattern is "Stepping Waves" from Bernat. And I did a WHOPPER of a boo-boo. I used their yarn calculations. By that, I mean, they said "4 balls of this, 4 balls of this and 3 balls of that." And that's what I bought.

ROOKIE MISTAKE because now I have a literal crap-load of the ocean and ivory. Maybe that's ok. I have babies to knit for and this might be an advantage. The hand of the yarn is lovely and it seems to wear ok. Maybe a baby blanket. I like super-wash wool for the hats and sweaters.

I used a size 7 (24") circular needle. Sonda, my knitting guru (RIP dear friend) always said that a 24" needle could handle just about anything larger than a hat.

I got a basket from the local craft store, used some clear wrapping paper, and bought a pew bow. I know - I should've gotten something more "bow" and less "pew" -- and I'd have paid a lot less for it, for sure! But the ivory goes with the afghan and it's my nephew, so there you go.

Other knitting includes crochet (a scarf that can go with me to appointments) and socks. I found a great hack for the sock needles. My hands have been horribly dry, and so I grabbed a "finger" from the office, and I tried that. Voila! $3.45 for a dozen of them...

You can get them in "nude" but I don't really care. I ended up pushing this one inside-out and it was even easier to knit with. I've tried the leather thimbles, tried metal ones. Ran through BOXES of bandages.

So far, this works.

The sock is Plain Vanilla, Opal as usual. Colorway is Klangwelten, color 9044, lot 1302. I want this pair done. Just to get a pair done, because I'm tired of afghan knitting. I know I need to pick Kid's afghan up again soon, but I want to work on something that's just for me. For the First Socks of 2020, I'm committed to getting these done in record time.

Record time for me, that is.

The scarf is some little piffle...I got the yarn for one thing, that didn't work out and it was just sitting there. It's a Lion Brand skein where you do a one-skein scarf and it's ombre.

It's not great yarn. I'm sure I'll find a home for this scarf. But it won't be for me. Do I sound like a terrible snob?

I am. BUT - in this case, I don't want another scarf. I really do have plenty of them. And I have nothing red that goes with it. Not that that ever stopped me, but I don't need another one and I'm sure someone will adore this.

Simple double crochet. Easy and I can do this till the cows come home. Which, with the size of the skein, I'll be doing. But again - no rush.

I'm tempting the Knitting Fairies, but I'm a bit ahead on the baby knitting. I have one afghan all ready to go. Just need to whack together a hat and sweater for a boy (I know it's a boy, not sure when it's coming though). Hopefully, my friend will give me a head's up when her grandson is coming.

One final knitting thing... Prayer Patches. This is the bottom layer of a bag full that I'm hoping to complete. These are, quite literally, swatches. About 3-4" square, they're great stash-busters. I'm working through a bunch of hat yarn. We take them to church, they're blessed and put in a basket. If you don't want a whole prayer shawl, this fits in your purse or pocket, or heck -- use it as a luggage tie for all we care. It's just a nice thing for those of us who don't have a ton of time to knit entire prayer shawls.

Not Knitting, But a Craft...

This is a silk shawl my boss gave me for Christmas. The beauty of this is that it really IS a one-of-a-kind design. Because she made it. There's a woman locally who runs this studio where you can go paint these. Actually, one of my oldest friends did one for me, in tones of orange and cream, which is lovely. This one is more in the tones I wear.

I wore it to the OTHER job and people kept asking me to pet it. The silk is really, really luscious. I need to research how to tie them better. This is kind of plain, but it still shows off the scarf.

We're looking at hosting a sort of fundraiser for this project. I think it should be easy to do; might be expensive, but that's not a big issue. If it's a fundraiser, that's the point.

TIPPI Update...

Well, good news & bad here. In November, she finished her chemo treatments. She actually retired as a TDI therapy dog, because they require vaccinations and with her recovery from Lymphoma, she's not going to be vaccinated anymore. Vaccines "excite" the lymph system, which is just what you do NOT want with a lymphoma survivor. So. TWO kinds of cancer this dog survived (Thyroid,which I found around Treatment #2 for Lymphoma, and she had surgically removed). We are - or were - still visiting.

But. Today, honest to God. I thought "this is it." I thought she'd be at the Rainbow Bridge by dinnertime.

She was up most of the night "yarking" up bile periodically. Now she'd been doing this every so often, but I was told it was "doggie reflux" from the chemo & cancer. But this was different, because she also had accidents in the house, and wasn't moving. Hubby said she couldn't make it up the steps after her morning "toddle"... And she looked absolutely rotten. She was panting and snorting and breathing heavily.

At the vet's office, they took an x-ray (There went $650, but after we've spent what we spent on the chemo and thyroid surgery? We almost didn't notice it...) and said her right lung was "cloudy." Dr. Katie said it looked to her like pneumonia, given her other symptoms of the bile and the breathing. She couldn't address the weak legs, but suggested it was because of the pneumonia doing a number on her breathing in general. In good conscience, she reported also that it could be "diffused cancer" - we won't know till the radiologist renders a verdict.

Pneumonia is treatable in a 13-year-old dog. Lung cancer, not so much. I'll keep you posted. Pray, if you're inclined. Just that she catches a break and gets to live to her natural lifespan.

Speaking of Therapy Dogs...

We can't call her a "therapy dog" because she's nowhere NEAR being certified. But Raisa had her first visit last month. The folks at the university don't really care if she's TDI or not. Which is good, because she's a long way off from that!

That being said, she had her first visit and she didn't do too badly. She's a lot "kissier" than Tippi, but she didn't get the idea that she'd get belly rubs. Which is also ok. She'll figure it out.

They were kind of fascinated at her. And she was a goofball.

The original schedule was Tippi the first week and Raisa the 3rd, but now with Tippi's diagnosis of pneumonia, visiting is out till she's better. Or till we have an alternative diagnosis, which will kind of tell us what we have to do.

So, what with the Democratic Primary coming up March 17th, Tippi won't be visiting anyway. I'll be Election Judging...

The Weather Outside...

WAS frightful. We had a mini-polar-vortex and then it snowed. And now it's thawing and we're set to have higher temperatures. Welcome to February. So this is me outside the church on a sub-zero day. See that cowl? That's one other reason I don't need another scarf.

That's a TEN dollar cowl from Walgreen's. Seriously. And it's toasty-warm and washable. Can't beat that bargain...

And then there are the orchids. We're up to 2 cattleya and a bunch of mini-phals. One big phalenopsis, because the others died off. But the mini ones are blooming again, so maybe that's what our house does best??

Anyway, Hubby got some "real" orchid lights. They look a little weird, and I had to adjust one because it was hitting me right in the eyeballs as I was in my knitting chair.

But they're automatic, which is helpful, since neither of us could ever remember to turn the light off in a timely fashion. And they're LED bulbs, which last a long time and are energy efficient.

As long as they're growing, we're both happy. We're avoiding the orchid house's big sale. We just can't! Well....we COULD...

Random Picture...

The other day I was going to the cardiologist. It's not great news, but it could be a lot worse. It appears I'm in A-fib again but for now we're just watching it. I kind of figured. But I didn't want to think about it.

This and having to get a tooth replaced with an implant? I'm kinda wishing 2020 started over...

Anyway -- I was really early so I stopped off at the local greenhouse. It's a great place to sit quietly and contemplate when it's "butt-freezing cold" outside.

There are two water features and this one had koi with a turtle...I didn't catch the shot with the turtle, but these guys were pretty feisty.

It's late; I have more to tell you but I want to go to sleep. It was a long night; and I'm not sure what tonight will bring.