A little knitting stuff (sadly very little) ... and other stuff

If you had told me 2 years ago, that I would have set aside my knitting needles for 9 or 10 months, I probably would have dramatically jump up and shouted with incredulity “Impossible” (and maybe pumped my fist in the air a few times  ... or something.😀)  

But it happened. I just stopped knitting.  There are no finished items to show, but I do have one work in progress.  (I actually have several unfinished projects - but only one that can be described as “in progress!”)

This pattern is a shawl but will be more of a shawlette.
 I have maybe 2 more rows until bind off.

I added beads.  Not the clearest picture.  
I’ll do another one when it is blocking.

The yarn is Neighborhood Fiber Company, Penthouse 100% Silk Fingering yarn in the color way called Cooper Circle.  The pattern is Simple Shawl by Jane at Hedgerow Yarns - free on Ravelry. It is a very simple pattern - designed to let the beauty of this yarn shine.  You need only 437 yards (400 meters) of fingering weight yarn.  I have 1600 yards - so plenty of yarn - yarn to spare for another project.  I have added glass beads.  All really nice elements.   Not sure why I let it linger for so long. But I am working on it now.

****

The knitting drought began last summer.  At times I was too tired to knit.  At other times my “to do” list was overwhelming. At still other times if I had 15 or 20 minutes of open time, I just sat in my LazyBoy recliner and looked out my window thinking, just thinking.  When I did have the energy and time, I found myself  restless to explore other things.  Simply put, knitting and all things fiber, slipped off the priority list.

What could possibly replace knitting?  Quite a bit, as it turns out.  I wasn’t idle  - I was dabbling in anything that captured my attention and a few things I thought about in the past, but put off 'till “tomorrow."   After my surgery last year, I decided that tomorrow had arrived!

I think I did this picture in June 2023.

This one was done in 2015.  Both pictures are from Lost Ocean by Johanna Basford.
I love her work and have many of her art books.

In sorting and decluttering stuff, I found my coloring books and colored pencils from 2015  when adult coloring was all the rage.  I started it up again.  I love playing with color and giving the flat line art some dimension.  I color in the evening while watching TV - it was something I could do for maybe 15 minutes and put down again.   In 2015 it relaxed me in an unexpected way, and it still does.

I did take a water color class, but it wasn’t the right time or the right teacher.  I still have all the supplies, but not the time or energy to seek out another class.  When the time is right - I’ll give it another try.

These are the shelves used to be full of yarn and so was the closet.  
The shelves have a few yarn items but not anything like before.

This is the closet that holds most of the yarn
 - and it extends about a foot further 
in each direction.  I don’t have a before picture, but it was pretty
much a mess before.

While this might seem yarn-y, it is more downsizing.  I don’t know if it is my age or if it is mentally just more calming to me, but I continued to feel the weight of too many belongings and my large yarn stash didn’t escape my attention.  Realistically, at 77 how much yarn can I use up?  How much do I want to leave behind for my family to deal with?   The stash is much reduced, but still feels “heavy” considering I am having some long knitting hiccups.  Oh well, minimizing is a work in progress.  

Traditional Journal on the left.  CommonPlace Journal on the right.

I did start two journals this summer: a traditional journal and a CommonPlace journal.  I very much like the idea of these two books. But I don’t return to them as often as I would like. Now that I am blogging again, traditional journaling has lost some of it pull. But I am not giving up on either of them. 

This is the foundation to my current Lego kit in progress.
Cinderella’s Castle  

Picture from the box.  
It will be stunning when completed.

My next project is this Dungeons and Dragons piece.  My husband is a 
big game player and when Lego issued this new kit, even though he 
couldn’t see it, he wanted it in our home.  This kit has a
higher priority than anything - because it speaks to his
interests.  And since D&D is a game of the imagination,
it is something he can still do with his friends.  They will enjoy
seeing it when they come for their monthly game dates.

I started Cinderella's Castle last fall and then stopped before last Christmas.  Just writing those words makes me want to get up and pick up where I left off.  I feel strongly enough about Legos that I will make time - especially for that D&D kit.

My daughter’s dog, Tatter Tot or Tate for short. As a baby he looked like a baked potato.
He now looks like a spud ... I mean stud! 😂  He developed a real attachment
to his grandma during the 5 months he lived in her condo.
Described by a private professional dog trainer that my daughter hired
as the smartest and most stubborn English Bulldog she ever worked with.
Indeed, I agree.

My son’s English Bulldog, Ragnar, Rags for short, who loves is Grandma dearly as well 
and who eats things that are not digestible - like
that tennis ball in the picture.  Yes, a piece of
tennis ball resides in his stomach - and tennis balls are now
 nowhere to be found on the 6 acres he lives on. That is what happens when you
eat your favorites toys! They go away forever.

My son’s other dog, Olivia, Livvy for short.  She is a mixed
breed rescue and the sweetest personality ever.  My daughter-in-law
picked her out in a shelter when she was 2 years old
and from that time Livvy’s ‘person' has been my
daughter-in-law!  But she is happy to accept hugs and kisses 
from everyone.

My 3 grand dogs ... Those mutts are so very, very dear to me.  I did a whole lot of dog and house sitting in the last year.   Right now, however, my knees are my “achilles heel” and they need to be in better shape before I return to dog duty.  That makes me sad no matter how logical and mature that decision is.  With my husband’s cancer treatment looming ahead of us, it is hard to know when I can get back to that most lovely past time.

It was time consuming to set up the first planner.  It was
just as time consuming transferring over to this second planner.
But I am good now until December 2025, I hope.

The first 6 months of this year were devoted in part to setting up a Laurel Dennis (LD) Planner - and getting really wrapped up in decorating and list making and seeing what others were doing.  Don’t get me wrong.  LD is a sensational system and you do as much as you choose to do.  I extended beyond what was good for me, and I did myself in. No matter.  I am happy with my new more traditional and minimized planner.  

These tomatoes were planted in November. 9 month old.  It has given me
multiple pints of tasty grape tomatoes. These 3 plants would
probably continue to produce well past their 1st birthday.
But I will be changing it out soon, and plant lettuce.
Yum!

In October 2023 I got the bug to try my hand at water gardening.  Amazon was having a sale and I purchased an Aerogarden Harvest Planter.  I wanted to grow herbs.  That was 10 months ago and I have done herbs, grape tomatoes, mini bok choi, mini cucumbers and lettuce - not all in one planter, of course.  I was up to 4 planters by Christmas (warning - this kind of planting can be addictive. There are people who have whole rooms of water gardening projects.). Cucumbers were a fail for me, tried twice, great leaves, lovely flowers, and awful cucumbers with real no taste - but the other stuff was great.  I think I will stick with lettuce and herbs.  I may try some flowers.  

****

The background “noise” on these fun activities listed above is this:  I rarely have more than an hour in a day to participate in any of them.  Besides being the primary person who makes this household operate, I am my husband’s eyes - from finding a lost item to attending all his appointments.  It's like living 1.5 of a life.  Not a criticism - just a reality.  

And a second barrier to pursuing these things is this:  I have energy issues due to some deficiencies in the lone kidney.  Just a side-effect of going down to one kidney at 77 when kidney function is normally reducing due to age.  It is not clear if this will eventually correct itself, but for now I am getting iron infusions, and kidney hormone injections may be in my future.  Since I am retired - when the fatigue hits (which it does every day) - at least I have the option to lay down and rest. 

Fun stuff gets tabled all the time.

The up side .... I have a cleaning lady!!! Actually 2.  So I don’t waste any of my limited energy on cleaning toilets, kitchen floors, vacuuming, etc. etc. etc.

Getting a cleaning lady really freed up some time.  I highly recommend it even if you do have two fully functioning kidneys!! 😁

Next time ... 

I have no idea.  But it probably will be next week. It won’t be this long - but I had a few things to catch up on - AND Sunday I will have my grand daughter so you can be sure there will be a few pictures of her in the mix.