Depth Perception

My left eye did better yesterday...I was able to see, mostly, without pain in it.  Unlike my right eye which was still a misery and so I taped it shut and it then wasn't as painful at bedtime last night-- which was a major improvement.  I am well acquainted with pain yet the eye pain put me right over the top of endurance!

So I still didn't do much yesterday but by late afternoon, I was going stir-crazy.  I had loaded this hunk of wood on the lathe the other day so I decided to try a little bit of turning.

Do you know that with only one eye, you lose your depth perception!  I know this is true but it sure was driven home yesterday.  I moved so much slower and that wasn't wholly a bad thing.  After a few hours of persistence, I had the bottom of the bowl finished.  This is a piece of Camphor.

I turned it around on the lathe and will get to it again later today.  You can see how much wood was removed just on the one side of the bowl;  there is three times this amount on the floor!  I usually clean up completely at the end of my lathe time but I had to walk away this time...I can guarantee the mess will be there for me later! lol
 

Visually Impaired

I was able to sew the blocks for a row together before the dr appt yesterday, to be sure it fits--math can be elusive sometimes! lol  But this time I am glad to say that it fits perfectly!

Since my vision is so miserable, I pulled out the classic dishcloth because I can knit this with my eyes closed, literally!

I'm on meds for the eyes but I am still waiting for it to kick in.

Pain is a miserable companion.

 

Goldilocks is Quilting!

I felt like Goldilocks trying to find 'just the right size' of the blocks for the crosses!  First they were too big, then I made them too small (on the mid-left) and finally I settled on medium and they were just right!  I was able to rip out the old blocks and remake them with only a bit of fabric waste!  It just goes to show that on paper it might look right but in actuality, it can be quite different!  I'm on track now.

After lunch, I was itching for a project in the woodshop.  I wasn't feeling able to think at the lathe so I pulled out some boards for two shelves to go in my studio.  I will put some of the knick-knacks on them that had resided at the recently sold house.  I was able to rip these on the table saw, use the jig saw to round the edges and glue on the support braces.

One of the shelves is four inches longer than the other--they will be placed over the doorway-which is up very high so it will mean some ladder work, finding studs, and getting Bill to help me!

Last night, I tried to start a new colorwork pattern for mitts but the colors are too close in tone and the contrast of the pattern is lost!  I will rip it out and try something else!

First thing today, though, it is off to the doctor's to get some help for my eyes, they are still too painful-something is going on with them.  Sigh.  Too much fun.
 

Plans and Re-Plans!

I tackled this week's prompt ;  I vacillated between 6" blocks and 3" ones.  Since there are 3 more prompts, I will have a bigger quilt than I am used to making for charity quilts.  As I look at the picture here, I think these blocks are too large and out of scale.  Sigh.  What a pain but I will make some small blocks today and compare them!  I think I already know the answer but it will ease me into the recutting all of the pieces!!!

Lean advised making the bigger ones and to remember to brush her between each block made!

Look at the wood Bill harvested for me--grapefruit wood is the vertical piece, there is sycamore in the back and some grapevine in the forefront.  Let's see what I can do with each!

I've completed another pairs of mitts;  the yarn is CoBoo in the back and the darker pair is Berroco Comfort DK yarn.  I am going to try a pair of Mosaic mitts next while I wait for some sweater yarn to arrive!

We signed papers yesterday-the sale is complete and we have the money in the bank to prove it.  An end to a chapter....
 

Whimsy

 I think these two little spinning tops are just ready for a challenge!

They look like antiques;  something you found in your grandma's attic, don't they?!

Square is Cool!

The square Maple bowl is completed!  I only had to sign and finish the bottom of the bowl when I got home after the MRI.  I did fine and will get results next week.  

The bowl has worm holes and trails...it is very unique!  It measures 5 1/2" square and 2 1/2" deep.

I'm always happy to see it sits flat and level on the table!

Signed and sealed, it is ready to go in the mail to my Dad for his birthday!  Shhhh!  He is turning 88 next week!

Just before bed last night, I finished the second mitt in Lion Brand's CoBoo yarn.  Silky smooth and very comfortable.  I sure was glad when I brought mitts and socks to wear in the 'tube' yesterday--it is freezing in there, no matter that it was a very warm day outside!

In fact, the sunset last night guarantees another warm day today-red sky at night and all that!  It is nice to get a reprieve from the chilly temps we have had this winter--I will sit in the sunshine for you today, if you are having snow!

 

Living it Up!

 I did finish the second sock last night.

The blue is so striking;

just like the sky over the ocean on a Spring day!

#1 needle, 64 stitches with the little lacy insert

Second pair of socks for the year.

Off for the annual MRI today.

It takes several hours- brain scan and then my neck and then we do it all again with dye the second time.

The 'tube' doesn't bother me, and the dye doesn't affect me but the really awful part--I can't knit the whole time! lol

Out of Commission

 

I woke yesterday with both eyes in full pink eye mode--a lot of pain and crud and PINK!  On top of that, I had a volcano of a cold sore on my lip.  Needless to say, I stayed in bed all day, listening to free Audible books of Agatha Christie.  I could doze and listen and hold my knitting like a lovie blanket!  I slept in late this morning and feel a bit of improvement-enough to see to type, at least!  All I can think is that I picked up something on my long day out for appointments on Wednesday--my body handles viruses by sending them to my eyes!  Some people get chest colds, sore throats, etc but I tend to be very susceptible to this!  I'm gonna be fine.

I 

Taking Shape!

See, I really did finish the Stay-at-home-Round-Robin QAL!  I'm ready for the next prompt on Monday.

And I finished the table runner, too.  30" x  42"

It picks up the color of the dining room and the kitchen/family room just through the doorway!

(see-no baseboards!  but that is going to be happening very soon!)

And I did some more work on the square bowl--it is hollowed out and has finish drying on it here.

I love the shape of this--worm holes and all!  It is 6" x 6".  I will be finishing the bottom today.

The closing was delayed-not because anyone had cold feet (gratefully!) but because the bank made a mistake on the check and couldn't issue a new one in time for the closing.  Now it is postponed until sometime next week.  What a let down.  That's pretty common, I know but all the same, it is an emotional roller coaster!
 

Would I?!

I'm making a square bowl on the lathe!  What a great exercise!  This is the bottom.  Today I will be turning this around and scooping out the bowl portion.

This is the other half of the maple log so it , too, has worm holes.  It is so pretty to work with!

I signed and sealed the first maple bowl.  The signature is working out now and feels natural.  (I sign with the wood burner.)

I also did an hour of sanding on the table top for the drafting table.  I am not taking the wood back to original colors but removing a few decades of dust and grime!  It is smooth and polished now.

I can't wait to sit and draw out the plans for putting base boards in the house!  I have to figure out how many boards we need for each room-I am going to do it a bit at a time-I will put the miter saw to work on this job.  

I also cleaned several old tables and cabinets that will be in the garage sale-there is so much stuff, we could fill another two more portable garages!

It's hard to see, but I also sanded an old cutting board and then polished it with food-safe polish.

I have to figure out what this little table would be good for?  It is only a foot high.  Perhaps we have a piece of glass to go in the top.   

I also finished the table runner on the frame and added my other two borders on the SAHRRQ!

Today we go and sign papers to turn the properties over to the new owner.  It's good timing for us.
 

Just a Day of Waiting

 What do you do if you have a day of medical appointments and have to do an incredible amount of waiting and waiting?  You knit.  One of a pair completed.  The color matched the sky over head when I walked outside between destinations!

Fat Quarters to Quilting

I am going to join in on the Stay at Home Round Robin Quilt Along #2.  I did a bit of figuring for week 1's directions to make a center block.  (it started last week but I wasn't ready in time!)

I cut out all of my pieces and made the hst's as needed.

Soon, I had all of the pieces sewn and was ready to think about some more math.

I had to add a 1" border to separate the center from the next round.  (you have to think about the size for the blocks to work out for the next round of blocks!)

I got this far with Chris's prompt for the week and Bill came in the house with the news that we are closing on the house this Friday!  We dropped what we were doing and headed over there to finish the house--I scrubbed and cleaned and the place is spit-spot now!  We have a ton of stuff to sort and get it ready for the garage sale in a few weeks!  We worked over there 3 hours and another hour once home again emptying my car! 

I needed to unwind at the lathe for 30 minutes before dinner! A new Maple bowl is beginning to take shape.  I'm going to be trying a new-to-me shape on this one!

Where There's Wood There is....

The Magnolia wooden vase is finished!  It stands 9" tall and 3" wide.  

The wood has some wonderful coloring which is a treat!

The center has a glass test tube, 3/4"  in diameter, glued to the hole I drilled into the vase so I can put real flowers and water into this vase!

This is the tool that came!  It is called a Forstner Bit and extender;  you can see that I am at the very edge of my length for this smaller lathe! (the tail stock is leaning almost off of the lathe rails!)

But I did it and drilled to the full 8" so the test tube would sit well into the vase.

When I went to remove the face plate to remove the waste wood at the base to shape the bottom,

STOP READING HERE IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH....!

I notice a bit of movement in the middle hole--could those be....termites?!

I freaked out and grabbed the nearest can of pesticide--and sprayed into the hole of the face plate and all over the lathe table as I banged the bugs out of the base!  When Bill came in , I showed him what I had found and he confirmed it--yup, termites!  (Remember, this vase was from a downed branch to the magnolia tree in my front yard.  Were they the reason the branch fell instead of the windstorm?  They certainly weakened the branch, at any rate.)
  

The good news is, I killed them all and the vase itself was fine.  I learned a good lesson today--it's why woodworkers leave unworked wood outdoors!  I think I will ask Bill to spray my little woodpile!

The Beauty of Wood-New and Vintage

After church and lunch, it warmed up enough for me to go in the garage and play in the woodshop.  (5 1/2" wide and 1 1/2" tall)

The Maple bowl is finished--it is thrilling to make something beautiful.  This bowl was finished way too quickly!

Here is the size of the split log the bowl started as; I can't wait to try another one, I have a fun shape in mind for this one.  First thing tomorrow-well after it warms up again, I have a project to finish since the tool I needed arrived Saturday.

Bill discovered this drafting table in pieces, filthy and covered in cobwebs.  Thankfully, there were no living insects to deal with!

The wood drank the Howard's Feed 'n Wax but it immediately brought the beauty of the wood and metal back from its doom!

The elbow grease paid off and this is indeed a thing of wonder!  The label (in the center of the top horizontal brace) which says it is a Hamilton wood goods, steel goods, Two Rivers, Wisconsin, made in the USA.  A quick search on Ebay says that it is selling for $900-$1000.   New ones sell for $675.

Bill had hoped to get at least $50 at the garage sale!

  Now I have to decide to if I will sell it or to keep it!

It is really a thing of beauty 

and history just oozes from every inch!  Sigh.

I started a pair of socks with the little lacy insert....it is calming.