Pacing Myself

I have found that I can do a bit more each day....a little more voice, a little less coughing. In the upright position, I used my warping board to prepare for my next weaving project-this is a variegated cotton I am going to use for the warp. The weft I will use is the SoySilk I spun a few years ago. I even have the weaving draft picked out and redrawn so that I got familiar with it, too. Since the SoySilk is a creamy latte color, the bits of blue/green warp will give it just the right seashore colors I envision. (No, I don't have strange stucco wall in the house, yet. This is the foam insulation in the south addition where I have claimed my weaving space right now!)
I cut the 'getting to know my loom' weaving off the loom and knotted the warps for fringe, washed and ironed it (even tho it doesn't look like it here!) I will be delivering it to Matthew on our next visit. (I made to go in his livingroom on his glass topped coffee table......) When I was back on the couch, I did a bit of this.........the shawl pattern is getting to be familiar now and that helps the speed. (So did changing to metal needles instead of the wooden ones-which are nice for starting out because it is easier to stretch out the stitches until I can see the pattern!)

Clear Sight-Can't Breathe.......

The second eye surgery also went well. I have a re-check next week but I don't anticipate any problems. Eye drops 4x a day are routine now. Thank you for encouraging me, for praying and letting me know!



All the side affects that weren't side affects from the eye meds turned into the nasty bronchitus that is sweeping the south. It had permeated Bruce and Marsel's church while I was there and many are down with it here in Florida, too, so as they say, my misery has lots of company. I went to the doctor's for some help-he has me on meds to help cough the gunk up and to help me sleep through the night because the coughing leaves me exhausted. At least the fever has finally left me. I have been too tired to even hold a book to read. And I have no voice above a whisper-some men would make a rude comment here but I will not give it any opportunity.......

I have a few hours in the middle of the day when I function a little. I did some cleaning but it didn't take long before I was back on the couch.

At least I did some knitting. This is the handspun Alpaca that has been waiting its turn under the needles......it is becoming a shawl- a rectangular one this time. It is a dresser scarf pattern but I just added a repeat to the width and it will work out just fine. It does have an edging that is knit and sewn on last-looks good to me. (It isn't dyed-just natural shading that occurs in the fleece.)

One Eye Done, One to Go!

Bill drove me in for my laser surgery this morning. I did pretty well except for the complication a terrific head cold/fever that invaded me over the weekend. My eye is a little sore but not much and even though the vision was a little blurry at first---there is no SMOKE OR HALOS!

The other eye gets done on Wednesday.

I am curled up on the couch with old Nova episodes, a tissue box, cough drops and ibuprofen.

Thank you for the prayers!

Oh, yeah, I am now the proud owner of some seriously cool sunglasses........

Shawl is Blocked!

Here is the finished shawl........see how you can see the stitches now?!

Nyki still thinks I made it for her......it helps her skid out so dramatically to catch her mousie!

I am not feeling so well this morning; the pressure is intense and so I am staying home from church in my darkened bedroom-no handwork today.

Savoring Sight

I finished my Rona shawl -here it is just off the needles at only a 36" diameter. I started this first Pi shawl project last June-ONE WHOLE YEAR AGO! I never take that long to knit something but I benched this several times when I got frustrated with it but with the encouragement of good friends, I perservered! This is a triumph for all of us!

Nyki approves the new..... cat mat but only got to enjoy it for a minute because she graced it with a wet mousie (fake one) within minutes, so the shawl went right into a basin for its warm water soak prior to blocking.

I put it in the dryer to spin out and then laid my cardboard sewing mat on the diningroom table, covered it with a plastic tablecloth and began to pin out the shawl. Think 48 repeats of seven loops on each and you get the idea-that is a lot of pins........it will be worth it! The shawl blocks out at 52"-quite impressive how the pattern blooms as you pull out the shawl. As the shawl lay drying, I turned my thoughts to conquering the warping of the new loom. Since I have learned that you have to be warped to weave, I just applied what I had learned on my rigid heddle loom and it worked! I used the simplest of 1,2,3,4 threading because I decided to follow my own teaching advice and start simple and get to know my new activity before I get too fancy(it is good to take your own advice whether you are trying knitting, sewing, quilting , spinning or dyeing!) Using some leftover cotton yarns, I began my plain weave tablerunner I told Matthew I would make for him. As with spinning, I found that I knew what to do quite instinctively----it is pure delight to treadle, throw the shuttle, release the treadle, beat the weft, change the treadle, throw the shuttle and so on.......the rhythm just flows!

I found that I didn't like the end feed shuttle like I thought I would, changed it to the Harrisville boat shuttle and wow, I could really fly! The nubby yarn I am using went through much better with this shuttle. I sat and watched the news while I hand wound 6 bobbins (pirns)-not as troublesome as I was afraid that would be either-I actually enjoyed each step of the process!

There is no lighting in the south addition where the loom now resides (temporarily) but as it is by the window I could weave until 8:00 pm which was pretty late for me anyway. Here is what I got done just this evening!

The medicinal drops for my eyes make my head ache, my sinuses run and leaves a general irritated feeling BUT I can see so much better so I keep myself distracted........what an adventure!

You Just Never Know

Since I arrived home, I have complained of the atmosphere of the house looking smokey. Bill says he doesn't see anything. I do.

At night the lights had the strangest halo and still he couldn't see what I was talking about. I kept cleaning my glasses and trying to ignore it. No pain-no concerns, right?!

The house kept filling with 'smoke' and the lights were so bothersome I finally went to google these strange symptoms..........I called the doctor first thing Friday morning and they said I needed to be seen. Seems I have something called 'angle closure glaucoma'-who would have thought! After a battery of drops and lights to see into my eyes we left for home with a perscription for steroids/antibiotic drops.

I am so profoundly grateful to God that a bit of laser surgery come Monday morning should alleviate the pressure so I will not be in danger again of losing my eyesight! Selah............that little word in the Psalms is used when a thought that is too wondrous has been penned and you are to stop and savor it. That would perfectly describe the state I am in.............selah.

The drops beat back the smokey view and I am working my way around the shawl......taking it off the needles with a crochet edging that is pretty but a bit of awkardness to execute-but I can see what I am doing and so my needle flies!

(No picture today for two reasons.........a glimmer of life without sight and the fact that I have misplaced my camera!) ............Laughter is appropriate.

Back to Oz!

Drove all the way home on Tuesday.........encountered a bit more of the Atlanta traffic but as long as I was patient, it went okay. Didn't like the goodbyes...............kids promise to email me!

Nice to get home-haven't seen much of it in the last 3 weeks! Saw Caleb on the way home and he treated me by greeting me at the door with a candy bar! (I had gone chocolate-less at his house while nursing him earlier in my travels!) Sweet boy!

Bill treated me to a bouquet of roses when I got home! I guess he did miss me! He regularly presents me with a single rose for no occasion but 'because' but to see a dozen roses-well, it spoke volumes!

I emptied all my duffle and even got the loom into the house. On Wednesday morning I got it put together.....now it just needs some oil on the wood as it looks very dry. Then I have to tackle the daunting work of 'THE FIRST TIME WARPING IT!' All in good time.
I am finishing the last knit row of the Rona shawl and then just have to crochet some chain loops around the edging. I will finish it tomorrow and then block it-pics to follow soon. I also brought home some colorful plastic bags from Marsel's--they are all cut up into 1/2" strips to go into a woven tote-by posting here about it I will force my own weaver's block and start something on that new loom! (How can I mess up something like a plastic tote, right?!!!)

A Different Kind of Weaving

In the recent SpinOff magazine there is an article about weaving dried plant materials. It so inspired me , I showed it to my daughter. Well, it just so happened that Marsel had saved and dried some lavender from her garden a few weeks ago , so we went to work! Using the stalks, we removed the flower heads (which will go into a sachet later) we then proceeded to warp up my rigid heddle loom. We all took turns enjoying the easy rhythm of weaving. (Except for Abigail, who was napping.)

It will make a wonderful trivet and give off its scent each time a hot dish is placed upon it! A very satisfying conclusion!

What a Find!

It all started with a perusal of CraigsList; a Harrisville floor loom (36", 4 shaft, 6 treadle) with accoutrement and it was within driving distance! Gratefully, Marsel was up to the adventure as long as I drove. Another exciting fact is that it folds up and I think I can get it in my little car for the drive home! (The extras include a warping board, boat shuttles, bobbins and books!) See me smile!
On the way we passed a beautiful state park on Lanier Lake and Buford Dam; the road is right on top of the dam so the view was breathtaking! We will be coming for a family outing here when we come back in July.
We stopped for lunch at the Dawg House and can you guess what team they root for?!

On the way home we stopped at a yard sale. How could I complain about stopping after hauling them around for hours on my adventure! So, this is Marsel's revenge; a picture of me as proof that I went to a yard sale! Stinker......

David helped me unload most of the treasures we found but Marsel did have to suffer with the exertion of carrying in the loom with me-we were ALL excited to see it set up and check it out. I did tucker her out though, she is back in bed where she belongs.

(To see her treasures, click here!)

One of the hardest parts of keeping house here is the progress I make ahead of me is sucked into the vacuum of David/Abigail's imagination behind me..........I had forgotten how much energy it takes to pick up but how little it takes to make a mess! This is the livingroom which just minutes ago was spotless!

Here is the new loom in Marsel's room so she could lay down and see me play around with it!

Memorial Day 2009

The kids are playing, Bruce is puttering, Marsel is mostly resting and I am savoring the family time.

Bruce came home with the groceries and a bonus for the kids......a wind-up airplane!

Nyki is having fun visiting with the fish.

I made myself bring the previously dissatisfying Pi shawl but I figured out where I got stuck and am making progress again. It takes an hour to go around a row and a row only adds 1/8" to the shawl but it is working and I have added an inch since arriving. (The shawl even survived a mishap with a pair of scissors............don't ask. This shawl has quite a history even before it has been worn !)

Georgia Doings

I arrived at 2 in the afternoon on Thursday; my first solo flight (car trip) from our house to my daughter's in only 7 hours. Traffic was pretty light for the Atlanta area and I was grateful Nyki (kitten) only threw up once early on in the trip! When I arrived, I had the joy of surprising the grandkids with my presence but they were confused that I didn't have Grandpa in the car, too!

To celebrate their last day of school, they had planned a dinner at BeniHanna's, a Japanese restaurant. I was excited to be included even though I have never eaten Japanese food. The evening was a delight in every sense of the word! Notice the sweater that Abigail is wearing-it is the 'baby' sweater I pictured just a bit ago-it is only right that the sweater should go to her as the original UFO was one for her as a one year old-now at 5 she is finally getting a sweater out of that yarn!

After a day at doctor's appointments, library and Walmart on Friday, we were all ready to drop!

That is it for appointments , though, so it will be just rest next week! Doctor Mom's orders!

Since I am here to make Marsel rest so she can recuperate from the tendon inflammation caused by an adverse reaction to the antibiotics for a kidney infection......that is what she was forced to do on Saturday. While she took a much needed nap, I played LOOM with the kids. Remember playing with these when you were young?! See Abigail use her left hand (cerebral palsy makes this feat a miracle)! We really had a great time together.

Sunday evening they had a special time recognizing the students of their church family by having a recital. David and Abigail participated in their first 'public' pieces and it was wonderful to get to share. They were both excited about doing this so neither were too nervous. The much older students went first and set a good example for the younger ones-good idea!

Marsel felt better after her day of rest yesterday than she did today but being in church was worth it.

A Yarn to Share

I finished the dusty rose tablerunner! (This is of the handspun/dyed Suffolk fiber I bought from a local shepherdess.) It is still pouring rain out so I haven't wet finished it yet but it turned out so nice. The gold adds just enough sparkle to make it special. I am bringing my loom to Marsel's to make another tablerunner and look forward to the kids helping me warp it and then to weave on it! We have read a lovely kid's book about spinning/dyeing and weaving cloth so it will be nice to share the loom with them! (Marsel has had a very nasty reaction to an antibiotic and it has inflamed her tendons in her hips and shoulders; she could use some prayer and I am going up to help with the day to day responsibilities as she is supposed to rest........)

I finished the baby sweater! This is the project that languished in a drawer forever (4 yrs actually!) which I unraveled and reknit. I am glad it is completed and off the pile of UFO's that nag at me. See the texture, Lynne?!!

I got the urge to see just how much usable fabric I had in my stash of old jeans........I think they are going to be slashed into 1/2" strips for weaving a rug. Thanks to the inspiration of this website (May 13 post) I have a plan in mind.

Rain and Flowers

Our 50' Magnolia tree (grandiflora) is doing its thing......... We are having a ton of rain-5 inches over the last week and more is due all week, too. It is wonderful for this area. The rain lilies are in full bloom-the yard is so pretty.

The rain keeps Bling in except for quick excursions to bring in 'live' presents for Nyki and then they play cat and lizard......

Catching You Up

While I was on duty with Caleb, Bill was supervising the process of insulating the house.

The open areas of the south addition now look like this......

The breezeway has a whole new look, too.

This is the panel box pic for my dad who spent many loving hours running wires to get it to this point!

The ceiling and outer walls were sprayed with open foam and the interior walls were insulated with mineral batts in case you were wondering. It is so much quieter now and no more drafts! Amazing what a difference it makes!