It's been a weird time

 I am still recovering from the past 2 years. I hope you've gotten through at least more or less intact. My iPad died and now I have an Android tablet. This means I also lost my tablet keyboard. I have an older iPad and according to Apple it couldn't handle the latest iOS and so nothing would update. It's a matter of time before it's a brick, I guess.

I also got a new phone. My previous provider's support was a crapshoot & I got tired of that. Alas, it also didn't permit me to keep my phone number. For literally the 1st time in my life, I have a new area code. It's a silly thing to bother me, but it does. 

I did finally finish my 2019 temperature scarf last year. Of course, I entered it in the State Fair (clothing accessory - other) & happy me, I won first place. Although it was funny when I was dropping it off, a volunteer tentatively asked, 'does this need a swatch?' as crochet and knitted scarves do need swatches. 

There was a scandal (I'm not sure where) about people buying a crochet or knit scarf, cutting the tag off, and entering it into competition. If you also provide a swatch, it means you made it. And the swatch is the reason I didn't enter my first hand spun (on electric wheel) yarn knitted into a scarf. I had about 6" of yarn left, aka no swatch.

Before I was done, I wrote an article for IOLA about my process and the picture was on the back cover!

I also entered a pair earrings designed by Phyllis Schmidt (fantail earrings)

My other entries scrap bag (designed by Karey Solomon from Bring on the Buttons) 

snowflake ornament (from the same book) - using vintage shank button & metallic thread

and framed Beginner's Doily by Shade Tree Designer did not win.

I've started a 2022 scarf (thanks Twisted Picot, formerly Black Sheep Fiber Emporium) & I also got those 2 lovely edging keepers from them.

My job is the same old same old. Although my office did have a leak in early November. I'm still trying to get my office back into shape.  

 

And if you're a gamer who enjoys D&D, do you have feelings about WotC recent actions?

 

I got sick (and Merry Christmas if that's your thing)

I started getting a sore throat on Wednesday, but thought it might be a response to the changing weather. I went to donate platelets, and they suggested I wait, as I wasn't well. And then I got worse.

I canceled my plans to go to the Tri-Tatters meeting. I didn't go do my last-minute shopping. I didn't even go to my Dad's and K's house (or anywhere else) for Christmas. I stayed home, rested, drank hot tea, and finished my knitting projects. At least I could handle those (they're presents so no pics until next week).

I've gotten a start on wrapping, but there's more to do. I gave C his present and he gave me mine. Needless to say, I don't feel very festive this year.

I am going through my hot tea stores. C went to spend Christmas with his family, so he hit the store first to get me soup, etc. I was going to be with my family, so we had pretty much cleared out the fridge of leftovers.

Here's the snowflake I made for the Tri-tatters' exchange (Lizbeth metallic, silver) and the one I gave our next door neighbor (size 40 silver grey Lizbeth). It's a free pattern, Editha.

silver

silver grey cotton with beads

And Now It's Over (for now)

Monday, there was frost on my windshield. Since then, it's been warm and almost rainy. We could use some rain. It's been dry to the west, drought conditions. The light rain we had helped control the wildfires, but it's still bad farther west, in Tennessee.

I'm still doing physical therapy. It's not cheap but it's helping.

Thursday, Dad and K met me for lunch. We went to Maggiano's They considered C invited, considered it implicit. I told them he preferred an explicit invitation. It was a lovely meal.

That evening, C fixed supper. Unable to get a non-frozen turkey, he made a roast beef instead. He also made mashed sweet potatoes, dressing, and mixed veggies (squash, zucchini, and okra). We finished the last of the leftovers Monday.

I braved Black Friday and picked up a couple things for mom. At least, I waited until mid-afternoon so most of the crowds were gone. I found a jade plant for her. I still need to find something to put in and also find her an aloe.

I picked up some plumber's tape to fix the faucet. It is mostly fixed. I had to use layers of tape. It was tape, test, tape, test, repeat, until the knobs caught and worked.

Our Pathfinder game on Saturday got canceled (one of the players could not make it, private stuff that I'm not going to blast over the internet). So I went to the Tatter's meeting instead. I made a snowflake for the exchange. I took a picture before the exchange but I haven't taken a picture of the one I got, yet.

















I'm also making another knit block, to try and make this rabbit. I know, I'm knitting just to make something else. But it's so cute.

Oh, and one of my friends pointed me towards this website. I've ordered a pair of leggings from the sample shop. We'll see how they work for me. They're expensive leggings, but if they're as good as the review I read promised, they'll be worth it. And there are so many cool designs (about 42 pages).  I'm thinking of designing my own, based on tatting.

A Week Older

A week since my birthday and I'm getting used to saying I'm 47 years old. Of course, by the time I'm really used to it, I'll be 48. And I still have birthday cake (from the cake my coworkers got me on Tuesday).

Friday, I took the day off to meet my dad for 'lunch.' We met at 9:30 and had breakfast. Then we kept talking until we went to lunch. He had found some old negatives from when he and Mom got married. There were pictures of the first house they rented after they got married and pictures of Aunt Carole and Uncle Dick, and cousin Beth, and Grandma and Grandpa. There was also this wedding portrait.

My parents, on their wedding day

Dad also gave me my birthday present. I now have a gift card to Michael's. Bwahahaha.


I 'found' the empty light on the gas gauge of my new Honda. Now I know when to expect it.

I spent over an hour Saturday morning looking for my phone. I left it on the charger on Friday and took it off when I got home. I thought I slipped it into my purse, but when I looked I couldn't find it. I checked other possible locales, then looked through my purse again, repeat a couple more times. I took a break to see if thinking of other things would bring it to mind. Emptied my purse and looked through it again. Finally went 'duh, use the landline and call my phone.' Listen, listen, hang up, call again, and yes, it was in my purse. It had been concealed by a fold of fabric in a pocket.

The actual drive didn't go much better. I missed my exit but that's no big deal, I just took the next one. It's been awhile since I took that one and I missed the turn that would quickly put me on the road I wanted. FYI, the road I was on is a curved, winding 2-lane 45mph road, often with trees or farms on either side. I noticed an oddity for the area, a trio of bicyclists. You never saw them on this road while I was growing up.

I was careful and went by them. Then I passed another one. Then two more. Then three more, and another one. Then a quartet, and a single. After the 1st two groups, I was thinking bike tour. By the time, I'd passed a dozen, I'm thinking, bike race of some kind. Especially as I saw of quintet of bikers ahead. I gave up and turned off.

I proceeded to get thoroughly lost. My hometown was laid out logically, once up on a time. Now? Not so much. At one point, I ended up on a highway; what I thought was a right turn was an on-ramp. When I hit downtown and saw another trio of bikers, I gave up and called my mom for help. She gave me some direction and I finally made it, in time for us to go to lunch.

I worked on this post Tuesday night, but something went wrong and nothing saved after this point and I've had to rewrite it. Oh well.

Mom and I had a nice visit. We took some things to a church who is active in helping those people in economically distressed areas. The next day we hit the thrift shops so I could find another pair of jeans and maybe a couple more pairs of pants to wear to work. I also found a fabulous toy gun that is begging to be transformed into something steampunk.

I mailed some snowflakes to Palmetto Tat Guild, to be part of their fundraising for the Tat Days scholarships they offer.

I left the threads in case they were needed for hangers. The snowflakes are from Kaye Judt's Oh My Stars book.

 Tuesday night, I had a nice date with CC. We had supper and conversation. We've gotten to know the waitress and when she's not busy, we include her in the conversation.

Afterward, I started sewing the edging onto one end of the scarf/shawl. It's about half an inch too long. I have since removed the edging and I will attempt to ease it to fit. If wait until the last, like I did last night, it bunches awkwardly.

Tatting: snowflakes, all of them are Ribbon Floss snowflakes from Sunderman's Tatted Snowflakes. They aren't blocked or fully finished yet.
perle 5 thread, no beads

same thread, with pearl beads


Size 80 DMC, variegated blue

variegated blue thread, but I've lost the label


size 10 thread; it's from a ball that I picked up at a thrift shop in a bag with others so I don't know the brand.

Same thread, with silver beads

I've made a couple other snowflakes, but I haven't taken a picture of them yet. I've also made some butterflies & flowers from the leftover thread on the shuttles.

Yesterday at work we had the annual Jingle Bell Jog. It was a mile and a half walk (or three mile jog) with snacks to follow. I didn't win anything in the door prize drawing but I did give some stuff to the Food Bank. I don't know if that's why but I was so tired last night that I went to bed at 9 pm.

I planned to get more done, like another Viking wire knitting bracelet, my Christmas cards, or wel, anything. So far, I've done diddly and squat.

Weather: Gah, it's cold. Yesterday only hit the 40's (for those used to colder weather, yeah, that's nothing but for us, it's cold for this time of year) with a wind chill making it feel like the 30's. It even snowed yesterday. Of course, it was mostly just flurries and nothing even made it to the ground but it's not even Thanksgiving yet.

And yes, the walking group met & we walked outside, all three of us. We did the Gimghoul route. We just went along Gimghoul Road, not up to the castle. I wore my sweater, even though my coat's heavier, because the sweater has a hood; a vital necessity considering the wind.

Christmas cards: it's about that time. And here's a little something to think about when you are making out your Christmas card list this year; send one to the following:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Carolina Troop Supporters were in the Pit last night, gathering letters for our soldiers. I stopped to write one. It meant that I missed my bus & had to wait half an hour for the next one, but I think that it was worth it. My toes disagreed (until they warmed up).

Tatting: I have finished one small flake in perle 5 and started another one, with pearls. The pattern is from Sunderman's book, p 12, Ribbon floss snowflake.