Marching Into Spring

The weather is changing.  All of the snow has melted.  The temperatures are creeping higher.  Birds have begun to sing.  The daffodils are popping up.  All signs that spring is on its way. 

I am still out of work so I've been occupying my time with many fiber related projects.

Stitches At Home offered a natural dyeing class, which I decided to take.  It is 6 hours of instruction spread over two weekends.  The first two classes were last weekend and the final 2 hours are this Saturday.  I've really enjoyed the class and have found that natural dyeing is not as hard or intimidating as I thought.  The class included a kit with 3 skeins of wool, 3 cotton handkerchiefs, one vintage handkerchief, 2 dye extracts, 1 bag of Osage orange wood chips, mordants and some iron.  In the first class we learned how to dye using the extracts.  The second lesson discussed mordanting and using Osage orange wood chips.  I suspect the last lesson will be about using the iron to modify the dye.

Here is the dye pot with Osage orange.  I really am pleased with how  brilliant yellow the wool turned out.

One of the extracts was logwood.  It produced a beautiful purple.

This is the logwood on the cotton handkerchief.  This picture was taken when it was still wet.  Once dried, it produced a softer shade of purple.  I noticed the cotton handkerchief from the Osage orange was less intense also.

Not sure if I mentioned this project yet.  As I was finishing up Love Notes and City Limits, I cast on the Pajama Cardigan by The Autumn Acorn.  This pattern is an oversized cardigan that looks just absolutely comfy to wear.  Judy of The Autumn Acorn uses it in place of a bathrobe with her pajamas.

It is turning out to be a very fast knit.  The back is finished.

I decided to cast on both front panels and work them together so that I'm sure I have the same.  I'll probably do the same with the sleeves, provided they are worked flat.  I haven't looked ahead in the pattern to be sure.

Another knitting project that has my attention at the moment are Arne and Carlos's 12 Easter Eggs.  Above are the first two.  I have 2 more done.  It seems to be taking me about 2 hours for each egg.  I can see  my stranded colorwork skills are improving, but I desperately need to work on my duplicate stitch.  Egg #3 has a bit of duplicate stitch in it.  I think if they have any more with duplicate stitch, I might just try doing 3-color stranded knitting instead.  It will be a lot of yarn and needles (using double pointed) to manage, but I think I'll be happier with the results.

I'm also filling my time with quilting.  This is a quilt that I'm making for my quilting group.  We haven't met in over a year and honestly I've done nothing to contribute in that time. My excuse has been that even during quarantine, I was still working full-time and had a wedding to plan with my daughter.  Now that I don't have those excuses, I need to get some sewing done.  I have the quilting done on this.  All that is left is to apply the binding and put on a label.

I also completed this quilt top for another local quilt charity.  The Stitching Sisters makes quilts people going through breast cancer treatments at the OSU James Cancer Hospital.  They ask people to sew the tops and backs and then have other people do the quilting and binding.  This particular pattern is a favorite of mine to sew.  It is quick and easy.  I can get one of these done in a day.

Last week was my birthday.  It was a beautiful spring day so I took a walk and then spent the evening with Ed and the kids.  Kristin invited everyone over to her apartment for dinner and drinks.  Blake came home and brought the game Catan, which we all enjoyed playing.  It was a fun game even though I did not win.  I think they should have let me win since it was my birthday.  Both Kristin and Blake had played it before, so they better understood the strategy.  The game we used belonged to Blake's friend.  I think since this is a game I see us playing often, I may use the Target gift card I received yesterday to buy our own copy of the game.

I got the Target gift card as compensation for participating in a research study for the OSU College of Optometry.  A couple weeks ago I went to the Optometry clinic for an eye exam.  My niece is a second year optometry student and has just started seeing patients in the clinic.  I was long overdue for an eye exam so she scheduled me to be one of her first patients.  During the exam, she detected that my eye pressures were elevated.  I knew I had certain risk factors for glaucoma, but had never had high pressures.  After a couple more screenings, I was officially diagnosed with glaucoma.  One of the professors asked me if I would consent to participate in a research study, which I did.  Yesterday I went to a clinic and went through 5 different tests to measure my eye pressure.  It wasn't unpleasant and was an easy way to make $50.  The research assistant said that from what he could see I might also qualify for another research study.  I told him that if I do qualify I would be willing to participate in that also.  I'm waiting to hear from the research assistant to see if I qualify.

 

City Limits

 My City Limits sweater is done.

After blocking, the yarn bloomed and became very soft.  I love the fit and the fade.  Since I have short arms (a former yoga instructor said I have T-Rex arms) I skipped the final decrease and shorted the fade of one or two sections.  The only thing I don't like is how the fabric bunches in the armpit.  I think that is a typical issue of a raglan sweater.  We will have a few more weeks of cool weather so I can wear up, but it's going to be put away until the fall soon.

Spring is coming.  The birds are back, singing early in the mornings.

Squeaks has adopted a new vantage point to watch the birds.  She climbs to the top of the armoire in our bedroom.  From there she can look down through the window to the bird feeders in the front tree.  The first time I saw her up there I told her she was on her one to figure out how to get down.

This opossum is another sign of spring. He appeared on my neighbor's fence one afternoon last week.  He sat there for about an hour in the sunshine.  He looked sleepy so I wonder if he just came out of hibernation (do the hibernate?).   After he jumped down, he was scavenging under my bird feeders and then crawled into my holly bushes.  The next morning he was no where to be found, so I guess he found better accommodations elsewhere.

I'm still unemployed, waiting to hear the decision on a proposal I was part of with my former vendor.  While I'm waiting for work, I decided I'm going to make the most of the time sewing and knitting.  I have converted Kristin's old room into a sewing room.  Since Ed is working at the kitchen table, I bought a small TV to put in the sewing room so that I can watch things while I sew.

Speaking of which, I think I'll refresh my cup of tea and head up to my new favorite room.

Project Time

After a week or so of feeling bad about the termination of my contract, I decided it was a good time to get moving on some of my projects.

The City Limits sweater is in the final phases of the sleeves.  I am working them together to make sure I have similar sleeves.  Last thing I want at this point is to knit a sleeve and then run out of yarn on the second sleeve.  I should have this finished next week.

Years ago a friend and I bought loads of Knit Picks Palette with the intention of making a very color shawl.  The shawl was never cast on and the balls have been sitting in a bin for years.  After some thought, I decided to use the wool for an Astri afghan.  Arne and Carlos's pattern calls for DK weight.  Palette is fingering so I just adjusted my hook size accordingly.  The final product might be smaller than called for in the pattern, but it will still be colorful and lovely.

Another project I have in the works is making vanilla extract.  This could not be easier.  I bought bottles from IKEA, cheap vodka from the liquor store and Grade A vanilla beans from Amazon.  Following the instructions on a YouTube video, I split open the beans longitudinally and then cut them in half crosswise.  After putting a couple beans in each bottle, I filled with vodka.  Since I had extra beans and vodka, and we don't drink vodka, I tossed the remaining beans in the vodka bottle.  I'll be set for years with vanilla extract, even after gifting the pretty little bottles to my siblings and children.

Since I am not working, Ed has been giving me tasks to do.  (Funny how he seemed to avoid doing all of the tasks I asked him to do when I was working and he wasn't.)  He mentioned the other day that he hasn't had crepes to eat in a long time.  So the other morning I made a batch for our breakfast.  Honestly it was a nice treat.

Speaking of nice treat, Squeaks is happy that my daughter's cat has finally moved out.   Kristin and Nala moved out last weekend.  Actually Kristin moved out last weekend and she came back Tuesday evening to get Nala.  Squeaks is still suspicious that Nala is hiding somewhere.  I don't know how long a cat's memory lasts, at least when it isn't food related.  I'm guessing Nala's scent is still lingering in the house.

 

More Unnamed Shawl Pictures

Here are a couple more photos of the as of yet unnamed shawl.  

I sent this off to a friend as a late Christmas, early birthday present.  I asked her to let me know if any name comes to mind when she first puts it on.  Maybe I'll get inspiration for a name from her.  My hope is that she uses this when she needs a little hug.  Hugs are hard to come by these day, especially for her.  She is a widow and her two grown sons live out of state.  Despite having one of her three brothers live nearby, she is the sole caregiver for her 89 year old father.  Her days are filled with working and then taking care of him, and then if time permits, her own basic needs.

Plans for the mini-wedding are coming along.  After trips to IKEA, Hobby Lobby and Joann's, I think I have what I need for decorations.  Well, this is once my order from Amazon arrives today.

Ed and I have discovered that our little kitty is a television addict.  She will often sit in front of the TV with us in the evening.  Her favorite show is Nature on PBS.  We have to watch her though.  She'll jump up on the television stand and swipe at the creatures on the screen.  Last thing we need is to have our television knocked over by the cat.

Time now to do a little knitting and reading.  Have a wonderful day!