I'm a sickie sicker - or I should saw WAS (YOP)

I have been so sick.  I was actually going to get up early this morning and go to the walk-in clinic the moment they open the doors to have them check out my lungs.  If I go early I can avoid waiting in a crowded room full of other sick people and crying children for HOURS in very uncomfortable chairs.

I've been putting off going because It seemed like I was getting better but I started to feel like when I have an asthma flare up situation which can get bad.  I don't have that all the time.  I have allergy induced asthma but most of the time I have no problem.  I just don't think there's an allergen now but maybe just inflamation.  Sunday will be 2 weeks from when I got sick and it's been *rough*.  Everyone here got sick but I got it a lot worse.  Other people stayed home from work a few days and then went back to work but it seems like a lot of people had a round 2 and had to take a few more days off before they were 100% better.  I think that's what happened but I had a very short period of feeling better - less than a day - and then started feeling bad again - twice.  Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling much improved so I took some more meds and went back to bed instead of going to the doctor.  I no longer sound like a 98 year old chronic smoker who started smoking at age 8.  

This past week I did make a few things.  I have this ball of pink baby yarn that I've been trying to use up and I finally remembered what the yarn is.  It is Bernat Baby Coordinates in Baby Pink.  That is what I made the baby converse sneakers in.  This is left over from a baby blanket I made for someone a long time ago.  So I'm trying to use that up.  I made this baby dress that was in my Q.  The flower is made with Caron Simply Soft Party in Snow Sparkle (same as the shoes).  That pattern also had a diaper cover and booties but I didn't like them.  I feel like the diaper cover wouldn't stay on/up and I already made shoes.  I decided it would be cute if she had some little leg warmers.  I found a ball of white Bernat Baby sport in my stash that was left over from another project.  I used up that whole ball to make two pair of the leg warmers.  The pattern doesn't say how long to make them so the first pair are way too long - maybe as long as the whole baby lol  She's pretty small.  I made a small pair to go with the little dress.  I'm thinking the dress could be worn over a solid onsie so the butt would be covered.  Then I made a Bunny Lovey to match the blanket I knit in the Loops & Threads Soft Ombre yarn.  I am trying to fill up a small flat rate priority box so I keep looking for something else to make for it.  Last night I remembered that she likes angels so I made this angel out of a small ball of left over who-knows-what baby yarn.  I think this is a nice little starter kit and I'm probably going to be making a lot more baby things.  

I am rooting for a good week next week.  I have a lot of things to do and books to read!  

-Donna

Fiber Festival & YOP update

I went to the Fairbanks Fiber Festival last weekend and it was pretty neat.  I love seeing all the crafty people all gathered together.  There were so many amazing yarn venders!  I wanted all of it!  There was a lot of gorgeous fall colors in yarn of all sizes and I was loving it.  I was walking around looking at yarn and trying to work out in my head what I'd make with it and how much I'd need.  I was looking for the right yarn to make my oldest son a new hat but I never did find the right colorway in the right size yarn.  He likes dark reds, grey or black and is pretty peticular.  The hat that he is wearing now is looking pretty worn out.  I found one colorway would have worked but it was fingering weight.  We live in Alaska and that would not be warm enough.  My son walks to and from work a lot so I probably need a worsted weight at least.  My husband tried so hard to be patient while I was browsing but he wasn't enjoying it at all.  Poor guy.  He mostly followed me and reminded me when I was forgetting something on a table. They had bunnies upstairs and I would have loved to go see them but I'm allergic and had to leave that area.  I could only peek at them from across the room.  They were so fluffy!

I wish I had taken some pictures while I was there because it was amazing but it was so crowded.  I tried very hard not to buy more yarn because I really have way too much already but here are some I couldn't pass up.  

These two are definitely related and have to go together.  I wonder what I should make with them.  I was first drawn to the yellow.  I picked it up and put it back and least 3 times.  Then I saw the other one.  I wanted there to be one with just the blue alone too but no luck.  What will this become in the future?  Hopefully not just pretty bundles of yarn in my stash.  

Here are some others I was attracted too.  I believe some socks will be happening.  The top one makes me think of army colors but there is a little yellow in the there.  I believe there are actually more toasty warm colors that are hiding in that one.  I should have turned it.  

I do believe all of these will be gifts for me, myself and I.  

This last one is actually small.  It's a box of minis.  I must think of a really great pattern for this!  

I don't think I mentioned here that I bought a new ball winder a while back.  I bought a nice sturdy one that can make bigger cakes.  I wanted to be able to cake up worsted weight yarn without having to separate into smaller cakes.  It's a Stanwood Needlecraft Large ball winder.  I got it on amazon and it's a really good one.  My husband helped me rearrange things so I can have it set up all the time.  I have my swift there too so I can just open it up if I need it.  I hated having to climb up and get that stuff down and set it up everytime I needed to use it.  So now I've been looking through my yarn for any messy partial balls that need to be caked up.  My buddy Stan and I are going to be busy.  I really enjoy caking up yarn.  I love how the neat cakes of yarn take up less room.  

I had this one messy bundle of pink baby yarn that I caked up and now I'm trying to use it up.  I have no idea what brand it is or how old but it's time for it to be used.  It has that little bit of pearl shine in it but you can't really tell in this photo.  So far I've made these little Converse baby sneakers.  They do have the converse circle thing with pink star but you can't see them in this picture.  There was a few things I did wrong or wish I did differently so I'm going to make some more and I want to make more colors of these.  The white yarn I used has sparkle and I think it is Simply Soft Party.  I want to make these in a lot more colors.  Oh and these were #5 in my ravelry queue which is ridiculously huge.  It's about time I made them.  

Now I'm sick with a nasty cold and can't really do much.  I've been sleeping a lot and my eyes are really blurry.  I keep thinking about making something but end up mindlessly watching TV.  I really hope I get better soon.

One thing I think is kind of cool.  There is this new show that came out on Apple TV called The Last Frontier.  It's set in Fairbanks, Alaska where I live.  I was watching the first episode and it shows the hospital were my husband works and I used to work.  Then it showed this swing set that is right across the street from my house.  This is my street.  If you look between those trees you can see a white car and a little bit of a house.  That's my neighbors house. My kids played T ball at those ballfields. You can see my reflection in this but I couldn't avoid that so HI.  I actually played at his same park when I was a kid but everything was different then.  The main character of the show, deputy marshall whatever of alaska, asked his wife if she wanted to have lunch with him at the Chowder House.  That is a small place down the road from my house.  It's just so weird to hear and see such familar things in a TV show.  I did have to look up where it was actually filmed because it didn't quite feel right.  It was filmed in Canada but they had some shots... maybe just still shots from here.  Still kinda cool.  

YOP Update - I'm still alive

I've been feeling bad a lot but I don't like to write about that stuff here.  I try to keep it positive.  I recently saw a new doctor that would increase one of the meds I was already taking.  My primary wouldn't increase it - period.  They were willing to put me on multiple drugs that cause side effects and then more drugs to help with the side effects when this ONE that I already take and tolerate fine can treat 3 different things I have at a higher dose.  This new doctor called them and took over that prescription and now I'm starting to feel better.  It never occured to me that the key person to have in my corner would be my pharmacist.  I've been using the same pharmacy for years and years!  When I was worried about the side effects of the drugs I called her and she stepped up.  I'm doing much better because of her helping me get in with the doctor I'm seeing now.  

I had a few days where I felt really good and actually got some things done around the house.  One day I actually drove and went somewhere by myself.  It hasn't been very long and it takes a little while to work so I'm excited about this.  It has to keep getting better, right?   I'm hopeful.  Keep your fingers crossed my brain cells come back to the party.  

I have been knitting on the baby blanket and steadily making progress.  It is slow going though because it's a challange for me and I don't want to mess it up.  The baby I'm making it for was born on Sept 19th and she is so precious.  Everyone is really loving her but I'm so so far away.  I want to go see her but that's a really long flight (more like 2 - 3 flights from AK to GA and I just can't handle that right now.  It's over 4,000 miles.  I can't believe I have 2 great niece, 2 others that are unofficially adopted, and 3 great nephews.  I ordered a personalized baby onsie for the new baby and my niece loved it.  The problem is I ordered a 3-6 month size and she's tiny so I won't be seeing her in it for a while.  I didn't see there was a newborn size because it was at the bottom of the dropdown list after the biggest sizes.  I am thinking about ordering it but she will probably grow so fast. My 2 boys were both close to 10 lbs so this little 6.7 lb baby looks super small.  They just gave her her first bath in one of those little baby bathtubs and she looks super tiny in it.  Everyone thought my boys were a few months old when they were newborns because they were so big and long.  They had big heads that's for sure.  

I do have to say, I like that now the baby is born I feel less pressure.  I still need to get the blanket finished (before she goes to college) but the deadline has passed.  Now I can just knit and try to do a good job.  

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Update to update: It is finished! I feel like I leveled up with this one. I did so much tinking and tried to catch all the mistakes and fix them but I did forget the P in the psso a few times.  I am so P'd about that but I was several inches away by the time I noticed.  I did decide to end it a little early because I was running out of yarn (and patience).  It will be plenty big enough.  I did lose at yarn chicken though - on the bind off.  I was not happy but my husband is awesome!  I texted him since he was out and about.  I sent him a picture and he took his too-manly-self to the girly craft store and he bought the last ball of this colorway.  He even sent me a text with a picture asking, "This one?."  Yes, that one!  Guard it with your life!  I needed less than a yard.  I just wove in all the ends and washed it and it's ready to go transfer all my love and hugs to that baby girl.  

Update

I've been having a rough time lately.  It has been one thing after the other causing me pain so I haven't been doing anything fun.  I feel like things are starting to improve so my focus is on doing whatever I can to help keep that momentum going.  I started the day with some yin yoga and I feel like my body really needed that.  I feel like a got a nice adjustment for my posture that helped relieve some pain.  After spending a lot of time in bed or slumped in a recliner unable to focus on anything, the yoga really felt good.  Well, it was a little tough going at first and I had to adapt some poses with yoga blocks but then things loosened up. I need to keep doing that on a daily basis.  I let the habit of doing nightly yoga slip but I was doing 30 min on the treadmill instead.  I think I'll add in the yoga in the morning.  I use Yoga With Kassandra on youtube and she's great.  

I'm also playing music today instead of turning on the news or other TV.  That is helping to lift my mood.  

I picked a project to focus on and I decided to paint my little metal table with two chairs that goes in my yard since it is finally not raining or super wet from recent rain.  They are a little rusty so I'm trying to sand some of those spots and then get them painting today.  Winter is just around the corning and I can feel it in the air.  I haven't seen many yellow leaves yet but I am pretty sure fall will be short this year.  I hope I'm wrong.

I haven't been reading because I'm having trouble focusing on a book.  I recently listened to a few Alex Cross books.  I'm trying to catch up with that series.  I have finally read all the James Patterson books I have.  I am going to listen to a Clive Cussler book from the Isaac Bell series as soon as my brain reunites with my body.  

I have been knitting on the baby blanket occasionally but it is slow going.  I keep messing up or dropping stitches and having to tink back to fix it.  I am determined this blanket will not be full of mistakes.  I didn't take a picture because it really looks the same but just a little bigger.  

I did buy some new yarn for a new crochet project and I'm excited to start that.  My yarn ball winder broke about a year ago so I finally ordered a new one.  I should get it on Friday and I want to try to figure out a place to put it where I can leave it out.  I'm just not sure if that's going to be doable though.  Maybe my husband can figure out a way.  He's better at that.  I need to take a picture of the beautiful blue yarn I bought for it.  

Another one of my fish died and I have no idea why.  He wasn't really that old so I'm sad.  He was a little rubber pleco so one that doesn't get real big.  He crawled up in a hole in the bottom of a tank decoration and my son thinks he may have gotten stuck in there.  Maybe that's it.  My son pulled him out for me and I really appreciate him for that.  Maybe that decoration thing needs to go.  I'm bummed because he was such a character.  Also, the only pet store we have here is having trouble getting shipments of fish now.  The tanks have been nearly empty so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get another one.  I think I'll rearrange the tank and enjoy the fish I have right now.  I need to make sure no one else dies.  

And knittin', knittin'....

  "I am not the weather. I am the wide and open sky, and so I can let pain move through me and out of me." - Josie George

Let's get it started....  

song by the Black Eyed Peas  

I have not been feeling so hot lately but I am doing my best to do life.  I haven't been able to knit or read much for a while until last night.  I picked up the baby blanket I'm working on and got some done.  I've been knitting on it today in between household chores.  I have finally gotten the groove of this pattern.  I made so many mistakes when I first started and took it out several times but then I looked at the pattern repeat and counted the stitches.  I put in markers between where each repeat should be and that has helped a lot.  If I have extra or too few stitches I'll notice before I move on.  At first I was counting after each repeat to make sure I hadn't missed a yarn over or something.  Now I don't have to do that anymore.  There are 16 rows to the pattern but the even rows are easy (just knit the knits and purl the purls & yo's).  I think this will be a very pretty baby blanket and the yarn is so very soft.  I like that it is a light weight yarn because it can get hot in Alabama.  

• The pattern is Bernat #778 Cable and lace Blanket (intermediate level) 
• The yarn is Loops & Threads Soft Ombre in Plum/Periwinkle/White (light 3 weight)

I have gone on a few small adventures that I will have to post about later.  I did not go very far but found some interesting historical things close by.  A few of them I have seen before but didn't really explore in a thorough fashion until recently.  

I did listen to an audiobook although not the best.  It took a crazy long time to listen to an audiobook I would normally have finished in 1 or 2 days.  It was James Patterson's Cross My Heart (Alex Cross #21) James, I'm not thrilled.  It was really only half the story.  I'm continuing on with the next book, Hope to Die.  I hope it is better and less depressing.  I'm sure he didn't die though since the series has more books lol  

I've had a few medical adventures that were not nearly as fun.  I got a new med, it started working and then I had side effects so had to stop taking it.  I got a different new med and when I added it to my Samsung health app on my phone where I can set up reminders it popped up a warning about a serious interactions with another med I take.  It said it can cause heart rhythm problems among other issues. I called the clinic and the doctor was out of the office.  The nurse there did not seem to take me or my health app warning seriously.  While talking to her I just googled it and got the same exact warning.  She said, "oh but that's google.  You can find anything on google."  She wasn't interested when I said I could check the source (NIH).  I told her I would call my pharmacist then and my Rheumatologist who prescribes the other med I have been on for years.  My pharmacist is phenomenal and really went to work for me calling different doctors and other people.  Now I have a new doctor who is apparently skilled at figuring out the best meds for people that won't cause interactions and hopefully without side effects.  To be fair, I am a tricky patient but tricky patient does not want to die from a drug that is supposed to help.  

Off to another day...  hopefully full of fun adventures and chocolate.  

YOP update

I've been sick and having some other health issues so I didn't get as much done as I wanted.  I did get a lot of knitting practice in.  When I feel bad and try to knit anyway I usually mess up a lot and have to redo it.  I just call that knitting practice which I can always use.  I started knitting a baby blanket for my niece's new baby and it was more challenging than I expected.  I had to tink back and fix mistakes a lot and I improvised corrections in a few places.  I finally got irritated and tore the whole thing out.  I'll start over when I feel better.  I haven't knit for a while so I guess I'm pretty rusty.  I don't want to send her a blanket full of mistakes.  A hundred years from now my niece's family would be passing around my handiwork saying... God bless her, at least she tried.  

© Bernat

Cable and Lace Baby Blanket

I found a headband pattern (Wheat Headband) and made two with the green yarn.  I still have enough yarn to make one or two more.  Wouldn't you know that little skein is not enough yarn to make most things but when I finally find something it is suddenly way too much.  Well, now my sister and I will both have one of these and possibly a few nieces/cousins etc.  At least this pattern is easy.  I have been having a lot of dizziness and headaches or migraines (side effects of a new medication).  I can knit this pattern with a headache and while watching TV.  What's that Kelly Clarkson song?  What doesn't kill me makes me.... crazy?   

On a side note, I did win at Bingo a week ago.  I'd been going occasionally with my husband.  We tease each other about trying to steal the money from the old people even though we fit right in lol  We have both gotten so close with only 1 ball needed on multiple cards and someone else calls bingo every time.  This was the last game for the night and I was already checked out.  Then my husband said you got it about 3 times, nudging me, and I was confused...  I got what, looking at my hands.  He said, that's your ball.  I look up and was stunned.  I won a $1000 bingo and no one else called.  I'm still stunned.  

Well, there will be more fun to come.  I am hoping I will start feeling better so I can get some real work done.  

YOP Week 1

Premier Yarns: Deborah Norville
Serenity Garden Sport in Grass

My main goal for YOP (Year of Projects) is to use yarn that's been lingering in my stash forever.  If it is still there after many years, it is because I actually do love it but haven't found the right pattern yet.  What is this yarn going to be when it grows up?  I think it is at least 7 years old.  

I have a vague memory of seeing this yarn in the store.  I fell in love with it because I LOVE green.  I just didn't know what to make with it since it is a sport weight yarn.  I decided to just buy one...groan  and I could kick myself.  I used to do that a lot but now I've learned my lesson.  When I went to get more it was all gone and it was discontinued.  I even tried to buy some on ebay a couple of times but someone else outbid me.  I am determined to turn this into something and it has to be for me.  

Here is a link to my goal page which I will probably be adding to.