while on the pirate ship

During the trip on the pirate boat, I worked on a sweater I was making.  It meant I got to look at scenery going by instead if I had been reading and I would not have experienced anything.  There was some ripping out that happened.  Mistakes were fixed but in the end, I have a sweater.

I designed from an Eileen Fisher sweater I liked.  A bit cropped.  Oversized but not too oversized.  The grey yarn is a yak silk blend that I spun.  The bit of white accent is a cashmere yarn that I also spun.  I needed to spin the cashmere on a drop spindle so I took that bit of spinning with me when I was traveling.  It is an interesting fiber life to lead when you are making all the yarn you are using in your making.  But it is my current life right now and I like it a lot.  

I am still sleeping a lot so it has been a very quiet crafting, cooking, baking week.  I get tired or over heated and I feel horrible.  But I had ten minutes today when I felt very good.  I am hoping for more minutes tomorrow.  I will just have to take it easy.

first world problems

I went to start dinner last night and needed a recipe.  I have not memorized my sourdough biscuit recipe yet so I went to my blog.  This site was down!  I was more panicked that I could not get to my recipes then whether I could share my day or weekend with you!  That is how often I use my blog.  I usually have the recipe index up on my phone browser so while I am working in the kitchen my recipes are right there.  I am such a geek.  I do keep thinking that I should make hardcopy recipes in some form but I am not sure what.  And the recipes are still growing.

But I knew what recipe I used as a jumping off place and was able to pull that up for my biscuits.  My blog did come up last night but by the time it had, I was ready not to deal with a computer.  So, there was walk and an ice cream cone instead.  A simple slow life.  Some people call that the art of slow living.  I think of it just as an enjoyable evening.  I am odd.

Remember, I broke my favorite H crochet hook.  My replacement hook arrived!  I spent a few pennies on it.  It is a Furls.  My hands have been aching and they offer a hand health guarantee but I am finding in my limited usage that it is easier on my shoulder too.  I have been being careful about doing my shoulder exercises and stretches but I have noticed that crocheting for too long hurts the shoulder.  The shape of this hooks lets my hand and wrist relax more which is seeming to allow my shoulder to relax as well.  This is all good.  

Furls has a less expensive line then the handmade wood hooks.  I ordered some of those as well.  I will use them until I save the pennies for my most frequently used sizes to all be made in wood.  Tool junky.  I know.

the last planned forever shawl done

I finished the last planned forever shawl today.  Miss D, who saw it while I was making it, said green is her favorite color.  I lucked out in the picking of the yarn.

It is going to be interesting not having this at work to work on.  I am going to have to take one of the two sweaters I am working in.

While I was making this shawl, I shattered my bone crochet hook on Papaw's floor.  I came home and had a bamboo of the same size and there was just too much friction.  I ordered myself a Furls crochet hook that is supposed to help hand health.  I am hoping because I have been very hard on my hands lately.  It translates all the way up into my shoulder, back, and neck.  I have the aluminum hook to use until the Furls comes because that is how horrible the bamboo is.

I found it interesting that today I finished this shawl.  Interesting in a sad way.  My Grandmother died last night.  104.  She was in hospice and I knew death would be soon.  I know she lived a lovely adventurous life.  But that does not mean I did not hurt a bit at the news and I am just sad.

I realized today it is not okay to be sad in our society.  When people ask how I am and I say said, they try to cheer me up.  Tell me 104 is a long life.  She saw so many things and changes.  I would have to agree with that.  But I can be sad that the person who helped teach me to crochet and sew is not here to see what I make.  Or see Koda Bear grow.  Or find out what happens with the Tall Short Person next. 

In many ways, I want to be both my grandmothers when I grow up.  But I am sad.  And that is fine.

possibly a new stitch pattern for a forever shawl?

I have been spinning an alpaca silk blend on one of my smaller spindles.  The spindle is what I had on the mountain and when we got back, I have wool for a sweater I am planning on my spinning wheel.  That is the simple version, because the sweater may have multiple colors which means multiple bobbins and the little drop spindle is much more portable for wandering around the house of watching a video.  I will say not having Koda Bear's help right now with the spinning is quite nice. 

This fiber and yarn are so soft, I decided to try to make a forever shawl in shell pattern.  I am not sure about the pattern yet and I might take the next ball of yarn and start working a single stitch forever shawl pattern to see what I think.  I am also currently really liking grey and grey tones.  This silver would be very cool as a soft pull over to go over my sheath dresses that I made of superfine cashmere.  The single stitch will let me know if that is a possibility as well.

There are always too many ideas and not enough fiber to become yarn for the ideas.  I do not know if that is a blessing or a curse!

the start of sunshine version 2

This time last year, I was finishing this sweater.  I wore it rarely in the last year, not very happy with its asymmetry.  I love the yarn I made but the sweater itself was not me.

Sitting by a fire on the mountain, I ripped it all.  I snipped off the hooks, figured out how I put it together, and pulled.  I started remaking it into something more similar to the cardigans that I wear every day. 

I know it will be heavier then the cashmere I wear but that is part of what I am looking for.  Another layer to go over the cashmere that will help to keep me warm, especially at work.  Darker then the sweater I just made but a similar shape.  I am going to shorten it and shorten the arms of the last pattern.  That should work better.  I have not decided if I am going to do all the color work but I just may.  I am not going to do the texture pattern in the main body of the sweater and I have changed the stitch pattern a bit.

It is is also very good to watch videos by.  The other sweater and shawl I have working are a bit to delicate to work on when I am watching something new.  Though, they both work if there is an audio book on.  Part of going down the fiber hole.