what I have been up to lately ( pictures coming later)

This fall has gone by so quickly! I have been working a lot as a home health aide, and a CENA also for home care & hospice, filling in when the regulars have days off. It is going well, but working every other weekend is something I will have to get used to.

Our daughter brought home a new kitten a month or so ago, and she is growing fast and getting along with the other pets around here. I wasn't sure about keeping her, we already have 2 cats and a dog, but she has become part of the family already. Our other 2 cats don't get along very well with each other, but both of them like the kitten, who's name is Alice. The dog even plays with her, although it was frightening at first to see the tiny kitten rough-housing with the dog who is so much bigger and stronger. But so gentle with her and our grandson, we are lucky to have her in our lives.

Alice chewed the drive band for my spinning wheel, so it took awhile to fix it. It's a poly band, so after reading online how to repair it, just melted the two ends back together, and now keep my wheel in a safer place! Am working on some coopworth now that is practically spinning itself, it's so easy to spin.

During the time the wheel wasn't usable, started working on some hand embroidery. Bought these stamped quilt blocks in Branson when I went there with my Mom last spring. I will post pictures later, we had a hard drive crash a week ago and I can't edit & save photos, it goes to paint instead. Will have to wait until my husband wakes up to help me.

My husband surprised me with a tablet for my birthday, and am enjoying downloading e-books. The internet on it isn't very fast, but it works well enough during a hard drive crash to keep me in touch with facebook, sparkpeople and email.

We had lots of fun with our Grandson this Christmas, he had fun opening presents, and spending time with family on Christmas Eve. He recently rode on a dogsled, too.

Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous new year, I am making a resolution to be more organized, and keeping in touch more regularly with friends and family.

Fall 2011

Here are Matthew and Lori at the Ghost Train event. We rode in the cab, thanks to my husband, who volunteers driving the steam locomotive on weekends!


This is the purple/pink wool dyed last fall, picked and ready to go to the the fiber mill. The plan is to blend the two together, and see what comes back.


More picked wool dyed with the color Cypress.



A friend's daughter is pregnant with twins, so this will be one of two baby sweaters. The yarn is Bernat Softee Baby, and the color is Soft Fern. Click here for the pattern.

White wool yarn hand painted a few weeks ago. Hope to make some kids socks or hats out of this, very colorful and cheerful.

End of summer blues

Finished Matthew's sweater coat, it got a 4th place in the fair last weekend. Hope it fits him. Also received three blue ribbons, for the pink and yellow handspun, a blue green handspun medium wt, and the miniature african violet was blooming, so entered that.

Ended up passing the state CNA test and got hired as a home service aide. Am not using my CNA training much but right now it is working out well, and best of all no midnights! Am not sure where this will take me, but it's time to see what is out there and what path I will follow next.

A friend came up for the weekend to visit, and we spent some time spinning, she was very interested in learning about fiber, and I was more than happy to oblige....

What's new around here?

Here is the finished yarn from the pink and yellow roving in the last post. It was wonderful to spin, I plan to ask if I can buy some more from Joyce on Wed, we are dying wool!!! Have missed our Wednesday spinning meetings a lot, work tends to interfere with things some times.

I was hired as a CNA at a nursing home that is adjacent to a hospital, but didn't make it through the orientation period. Wasn't the right person for the place, so will keep looking for another job. Something will come along, but for now I am where I need to be.

After three months of work/school, and a month of intensive training and work, my house is in need of some TLC, and catch up on family time, too. Our youngest daughter is having her tonsils taken out on Tuesday, and recently we lost a close friend that I wasn't able to travel to the funeral with my family, due to work policy. Also my state test is scheduled for Aug 3rd, will be practicing the clinical skills for that.


This is a Knitting Pure & Simple pattern for a bulky top down sweater. Made from Wool Ease chunky and size 10 needles, it is a fast and relaxing knit, just what I needed. It is for our sweet grandson, hope it fits ( size 2-4).



Part of the house TLC includes painting the kitchen. I have resisted painting because of these stencilled borders, just couldn't give them up, but it's time for something different. The birdhouses were over the kitchen sink and cupboards. The new paint is called Sugared Melon Crush. Today will be the day to cover the stencils with Kilz and have my husband take down some thermostats. Then tomorrow the actual painting can start.

These went around both ends of our kitchen.


These little borders went over a wainscoting of sorts, a wood grain panelling that needs to be replaced one day.

This was taken on the 4th of July, the wind picked up and everything started looking very ominous. They blew away almost as fast as they got here, fortunately.

Taking a break

This roving was a Christmas gift from my Mom, started it today for fun, taking a break from the blue sweater. The second sleeve is about 1/3 of the way done, have been working on it, just needed a renewal today.

Here it is on the bobbin, don't have any idea what to make out of this yarn. Might need some more for socks, or mittens. It is Joyce's wool, dyed then sent out to a mill, probably Zeilinger's, they do the striped rovings I believe.

Had a job interview Friday at the place where I messed up the online application, waiting to hear from them. They will let me know, was there an hour and a half and answered many difficult questions. Some of them not very well, but it was a good experience overall.

Just a little bit of catching up

This is what I have been doing for the past 8 weeks. It has been 28 years since I have been in a classroom, and am really enjoying it! Having a little trouble remembering medical terms, but will just have to work harder... Monday is the final exam, clinical skills test, and graduating! After that, we can take the state board test.

In the meantime, I have turned in applications, and am hoping to hear from somebody soon. One place I went to handed me an application and when I turned it back in was told that they don't take paper applications anymore. Would have been nice to know that earlier. After going to the web site and making an account, the site was having technical difficulties and sent my form in incomplete. They sent a confirmation email, then another email stating that it was incomplete and to resend. Okay. Wonder if I'll get that job?



Here is the sweater coat, still working on it. Wish you could feel how warm and heavy it is. Probably will get lots of wear out of it with our long cold winters.


Mr. Greenjeans, a better picture than the last one! So nice to see green grass again. This will be a fair entry if it's done in time. You might notice a blurry spot in these photos, it is from my grandson playing with the camera. Didn't realize it was there until now, and just wanted to spend a little time blogging tonight then get back to studying so it will have to wait. Matthew's birthday party is Sat., he will be two. Where did the time go?

Bleeding hearts, much bigger this year, and lots more flowers. They are in a mostly shady spot, with poor soil but it seems to like it there...

The primrose are bigger also this year.

One lone pansy that survived the winter and came back.

April

Here is Matthew after getting his face painted at an Easter event for kids. He didn't want to play the games, just wanted the chocolate! I know how he feels...



Enjoyed weaving this one, it went fast, and is only about 24" x 27". Some strips I had sewn awhile back, and just enough to use up the leftover warp. Time to warp again, with colored warp this time and play with some placemats and chair pads for our kitchen. Starting a new adventure tomorrow, will update later.

accomplishments

Latest progress on the greenjeans sweater. Am enjoying the cable section, tried working without a cable needle and it's pretty easy.

Here is another shot of the blue rug, am looking forward to finishing these, but it will be the last batch of consignment weaving for the church group. They aren't meeting anymore due to lack of members and helpers.

Two different rugs, same colors.





This will be the last rug, also did placemats of this awhile back. They wanted to use up what was left, not my favorite, but will get it done.

Here are some daffodils coming up. First year for these, hope they do well. We will find out if it's really true that deer don't like daffodils.

How resilient they are, we are supposed to be getting a winter storm tonight with 3-5 inches, hope it doesn't affect these too much.

Five minutes here & there

Our youngest daughter on her 17th birthday.

Grandson at the party, he loves straws!

Friend's entry at the outhouse races. They already have ideas for next year's model. It was a fun weekend reconnecting.

Finally finished this one, will be starting the next one today.


The blue handspun sweater. The bottom needs adjusting to fit the zipper, so was left on the needles. Will need at least two more skeins spun up to finish the other sleeve, collar and bottom ribbing.

Mr Greenjeans, made progress on it during the weekend away with friends.

Some corriedale top I bought at FiberWhims last Sat. Can't wait to spin this, am getting a little tired of the blue, but looking forward to finishing the sweater! The shop is open during the week now, also.

Gauge is off

After a good start on the sweater, checked the gauge and found it's off, need to swatch again with smaller needles. Am not sure what happened, unless the metal needles caused me to knit with less tension? Will swatch and start over again.

Always time for knitting

Yes, there was time for knitting today, even with the sunshine and warmer temperatures. Was I out in it? Yes, skiied about 7 kilometers today,even went on a trail I have never been on, never thought I could go that far. De-iced the back steps while the sun was out, vacuumed, cleaned a bit and while everyone was away doing their own thing, had some time for me.

Started this sweater tonight, having run out of handspun for the blue one. It has been in the works for awhile, couldn't find the right yarn for it. After some looking around, found this in of all places, the scrapbooking store in town. It's Wool-Ease and the gauge was right on.

Am having trouble with the needles,too slippery. Usually bamboo are my choice, but they didn't have them in the store so gave these a try, but on Monday will probably pick up some bamboo circulars .

Here is a close-up of the yarn over increases for the shoulders, it's another top-down cardigan. Here is a link to the pattern if you want to check it out.

Blues

Made these toddler mittens for Matthew, they are doubled strands of Wool-Ease from the stash. Didn't want wool, so his mom could throw them in the washer and dryer. The pattern is here, if you want to take a look. Also would like to make a pair of felted mittens for him, probably about a 4 year old size, then slightly felt them.

He won't leave mittens on, so they go through a lot of them, and in our climate he needs them, especially with the recent weather we have been getting. Single digits, with high winds, very low wind chills and blowing snow. It is supposed to warm up for the weekend, so there won't be much knitting going on here, I'll be out on the ski trails and making up for missed dog walks.


Here is an update on the handspun sweater, it is coming along. Have one more skein of yarn left, then have to finish spinning up some more of the yarn.

Photos

Here is the latest rug, still on the loom.

Our daughter took this one of our grandson, seems he wanted to do some baking....and now you know what I have been doing instead of weaving.

Weaving and knitting

Just finished sleying the reed and hope to start weaving in a little while. Had to come upstairs and warm up! It's pretty cold downstairs where the loom is...

Also finished up three more skeins of the blue yarn for my handspun sweater. Have about 8 more inches to knit for the body of it, then the sleeves and collar. Can't post any pictures tonight, for some reason when I try to edit and save photos, it goes to paintshop instead. I can't wait for Saturday, it has been one of those weeks, although a nice thing that happened was a friend invited me to join her to demonstrate spinning and drum carding last weekend at a festival. We had a good time, and people are always so interested in what we are doing.

Time to get back to weaving, will post pictures soon.

knitting, cooking, and a dog

Started the back of a baby sweater today, click here for the pattern. The yarn is Bernat Softee Baby in mint, but it looks blue on our monitor. Still finding projects to use up the leftover yarn from Matthew's log cabin afghan. Wish the texture showed up better,even a closeup didn't show it well, you'll have to go to the pattern site to see it. Lots of purling, which isn't a favorite but so far it is a fast knit. Stopped at the point where you are supposed to place markers for the sleeves.

Still working on the handspun sweater, have one and a half bobbins spun, and should finish the second bobbin by tomorrow night at the latest. A day for the yarn to dry, then back at it. Anyone else have multiple projects going lately, and what are they? Would love to hear what you are working on.

Tonight's dinner,lasagna. It's been awhile since we have had it, and sounded so good at the grocery store. Good and filling for the weather we have been having lately. Lots of snow, and zero degree temps will zap anyone's energy.


This is pseudo sourdough bread, click here for the recipe. It didn't turn out like I expected, but it made a soft, tasty bread all the same. I didn't use a bread machine, though; used the mixer to mix and knead the dough,let rise, then baked in the oven along with the lasagna.


This is my walking buddy, Noel. aka Alice ( Cooper) She found us at the humane society last summer, and has been entertaining us ever since. Every day we walk, unless the weather is too nasty. She loves running up the snowbanks, which are 6-7 feet tall at this point and will get higher.

Some progress on the handspun sweater

Here it is after 4 skeins of yarn are almost used up. Time to make more, there is plenty of the roving left. I will probably get started on it Wed. at our spinning meeting. Also have another baby's top down pullover on the needles in a dark rose color, and it's time to weave rugs, also. The shuttles are wound with rags, and waiting for me, just don't have the inclination to get down there right now.

I taught a group of knitters how to make stitch markers a few weeks ago. We had a pot luck, lots of knitting and fiber talk, what could be better than that?