Hats!!

Finished!  All the ends woven in--all inside the tube so you can't see where there was an additional yarns added.  This pattern is great stash buster.  This is the second one I've knit.  I keep thinking I'll add less stitches to begin as I want a tight fit.  But, so far, I've not achieved that goal--maybe, the next one will be different.

 

If you push one end inside the tube, you get this look

Push it inside the other end and you get this look.

Isn't that cool?

The designer is Ysolda and the pattern is Musselburgh.  I mentioned this pattern in previous posts--it is mindless knitting once you get the correct number of stitches on needles.

It is a great multi-gauge, double layer hat!

Quest for a Man by Laura Nelkin is on the needles now--I'm using some 'manly' yarn for this hat.

I like to knit hats, stash them and then send to charity--I missed the window to send my hats this past winter to Emily's Hats for Hope--knitting for Hope is a good thing!

Goodness Sake

 Today is our son's birthdate!  He can't be that old though!  Because I'm not that old to have a child, even though he's an adult child, that old!  My mind is stuck in the 20's--but the bod is saying 'no, no, no' when I try to fetch a dish from a shelf, hang a curtain on a windown, climb a step ladder, pull weeds from the garden, etc.   Muscle pains come the day after.  But, it's the truth--he is that old and so am I.

With age, your skin thins and becomes less elastic and more fragile, and fatty tissue just below the skin decreases. You might notice that you bruise more easily. Decreased production of natural oils might make your skin drier. Wrinkles, age spots and small growths called skin tags are more common.  

How did I get so Old so fast??  Whatever you do--don't look up the definition of Old AGE!  You will be depressed for hours, days, weeks, months, if you think you're in that 'old age' bracket.

What are the stages of old age?  Can you believe that someone has come up with a list of stages for old age?  Obviously, it’s youngster who did this study!!

1. Self-sufficiency. The first stage in the aging process is self-sufficiency. ...
2. Interdependence. Eventually, aging loved one will require some support and assistance. ...
3. Dependence. ...
4. Crisis Management. ...
5. End of Life.

This has become depressing to write--ALL I wanted to do was wish my little baby boy--

"Happy Birthday!"" 

Faster I Go, More Behind I Get

 

“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”  ― Lewis Carroll

That's my life in a ntushell!  I'm stuck in an Alice in Wonderland world!!

It seems I go fast, but I'm just spinning my wheels in stationery place!  Yep, I'm so far behind in my projects--especially my knitting.  I wanted to have the Lenten scarf finished in order to wear to Easter services--but, I'm behind one whole week--and that's alot of stitching.  The patterns have been interesting --thrown in some stitches I've not knit before.  As I knit, I try to catch up on TV shows--there is "Outer Banks"--and I love "Candice Renoir" (all in French so you need to read subtitles) that definitely slows my knitting attention!  

There is my Musselburgh hat waiting to be finished--just a few more rows and it would be finished!

There was an inquiry from family about plans for Easter!  What?? Is it time to plan for Easter?  Holy smokes—

I just need to calm down!  Breathe deep! and recenter myself--it's okay!  everything will be okay--even if projects sit for a little while longer----other things go by the wayside-- after all, it is Easter time!  Just be happy in the space I am at the present time--yes, this is a happy place for the time being!  So what?  If I'm still behind-- in the words of Lewis Caroll  "The more passionately you pursue your dream, the more demands you'll have on your time".  Isn't that the truth??

Exercise?!

 Whenever we go to a store,  the spouse will leave my side and go 'walkabout'.  The family hates that!  he doesn't say where he is going--just takes off and we can't find him when we're ready to leave the store!  Oh, he's just on a 'walkabout'.  

Meaning:  an informal stroll among a crowd conducted by an important visitor.British

AUSTRALIAN:  a journey on foot undertaken by an Australian Aboriginal in order to live in the traditional manner.

• noun: walk-about; plural noun: walk-abouts
• a walking tour is our meaning to this term!  He is doing a tour of the store to parts unknown to us!

Well, I'm going to do a 'walkabout' in my own neighborhood!  Beginning April 17, there will be 'walkabout' quilt a long==indeed, I need to move my bod and get more exercise and this quilt along will give me an opportunity to create and exercise!  Sounds like a fun event.  I've signed up for the daily activities--hopefully, fingers crossed I can keep to the schedule!      

Dishcloths

 Dishcloths!  Something about dishcloths that I like!  Especially if I can knit them with handspun cotton from my stash.  It doesn't take long to knit a cloth--just have to stay with it for a few hours

This was March’s  pattern from Kitchen Sink   GAlene has a  Year of dishcloth pattern club--it's free!

Each month you will receive the pattern along with a recipe to coordinate with the dishcloth--pretty clever if you ask me!  Last year, which I missed, was associated with spices--I think I might go back and knit those and include the spice with the cloth as a gift.

I've knit January, February and March pattern--now, onto April--I'm sorry that I've not baked any of the recipes she has included but someday! I will.  

April's pattern references Mini Easter eggs.  I've selected this lime green hand spun cotton to knit with. 

 This is a fun pattern to knit; think I'll have some mini candy eggs close to munch on as I progress! 

Cotton

I Love Love my little nano 2.0 electric spinning wheel!  It has sat in the box for several weeks--you know how that goes--you have something in plain sight and then you forget about it.  the other day, hubby said, "what's in this box?"  That woke up my spinning spirit!  Out of the box, it came and I've been spinning a few minutes every day!

What am I spinning?  Brown cotton!

This is brown cotton that I grew--didn't card it myself, but found a mill that would take my 3 lbs of ginned cotton and card into roving!  It's such a pleasure to spin.

I was worried at first that this little EEL nano wouldn't be able to put enough twist into the spin, but no worries on that front!  It spins perfectly!

Years ago, my partner in crime and I were at a natural dyeing workshop in Birmingham, AL.  There we met another cotton spinner who told us she could get "red" cotton, which is a darker shade of brown,

 

  She asked if we would be interested--well, YES!  It was selling for $10 lb--unheard of, but it was years ago when this happen!  We both said we'll take 25 lbs!!!

This was a bargain and we didn't want to pass it up!

Finally, it went out of mind until the day a large box showed up at the door!  

I mean a large box!! and inside was not 25 lbs but 10 huge carded balls of red cotton!  Only 10 lbs!!

Oh goodness!  So thankful, we didn't get 25 lbs!!  For years, some of those carded balls of roving were given as door prizes at our spin-ins.  I still have a box full of cotton to spin and my friend and I laugh often about out excited buy!!

 

Baby Update!!

I"m happy to report that our little great grandson, JD, is improving every day.  He's off all the bells and whistles; no more oxygen tube to tie him down.  He is gaining weight and eating steadily.

His intake is advancing every feeding--Thank you Lord Jesus!!  Our prayers have given him a new outlook on life.

He still has a feeding tube for small amounts of vitamins and nutrients he needs for the time being.  

Soon he can go home!

That is the greatest blessing to report!!

Now for more sundry news--not exciting or earth shaking but it is news in our household.

Hubby has wisdom spots!! say what??  Not "old age spots' but wisdom spots!

That's what doctors call those little brown spots on your face and arms--

extra wisdom, they don't give!

On this Palm Sunday--we have been blessed!  Count each day and minute as your assignment to be kind to each other