The Strange Compulsions to ease the Mind !!

For an entire week I have been trying to knit a shawl.Actually I started this cobweb shawl last year. Because of my state of mind I thought this is a much needed project . The shawl that was, is a designer shawl. I paid quite a bit for the pattern and every row is different. Well leaving a thing like that for an entire year and then thinking you can pick up where you left off, is how shall I put this, Nuts. OK Let's start from scratch . Hopeless my mind is going a mile a minute instead of being a soothing absorbing project its turning into another nightmare. But now due to my nature I have to crack the lace code. I decided to start on a totally different project. A giant of a shawl this is not looking how I wanted it too look. Pshaw! my husband who totally understands some of my eccentricities examines my work and said it" looks good to me my love". However this is not satisfying my senses. I wanted vines and leaves. OK plan A is on hold. Plan B is on hold .Plan C was started this morning Yes! this is it.Vines and leaves in a pale pink mohair. Its a lovely 18 row repeat that you eventually commit to memory. When I have enough dangling from the needle I will post a picture. Who needs a cobweb shawl ??? certainly I don't, however at my age I don't need an excuse to knitting what ever turns me on.I need to relieve stress. The fibre is extremely gorgeous, the colour is perfect. I heard that they paint mental wards pale pink because of the soothing factor. It actually works.
Yesterday my friend had her sale. She holds the sale in her house and sets up displays where ever. I'm always impressed with how it looks. Her sale is talked about because of talented artists who display there art. I took pictures but decided to only post this one. The rug in the background wasn't for sale. She bought that home from Israel. It totally looks like a Navajo rug I'm fascinated how designs seem to span time, age and the globe really. The rug is woven out of camel hair. The tree had the most lovely hand carved Christmas ornament. One of them went home with me.I will find out later today if the sale was a success. I noticed my hats seem to have sold. Well back to my knitting

On Healing the heart and the body

Yesterday my husband and I decided to go and get the h1N1 flu shot. They had it advertised in the local paper. Any one could go and get the shot.The location was the Activity Hall on the University Campus. I have only been to the University once before I was interested to see the place.

They certainly had plenty of volunteers directing you where to go. However I thought for old people it was quite the hike to actually get in to the building. I'm almost 70 and my husband is 74 we are both still able to climb stairs. I must confess though I felt a bit breathless by the time I actually got to the activity hall.

The line ups were short and in no time at all we had the shots and were told to wait the required 15 minutes. I met a friend from the guild so we sat and and had coffee and chatted away the 15 minutes away.

Today both of us feel horrible. I actually feel like some one took a few punches at my body. What must the actual flu bug be like oh mercy!!! When I'm feeling like that and just want to actually sit all day. Out comes the spinning. I do have a very nice little spinning wheel. However even that seems like too much. So my tools of choice are hand spindles. My toys. One of them is called a Spindolyn the other is a acrylic top whorl. I must confess since I've only been spinning for a year I'm not too good at it. But as GK Chesterton once said. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. I'm always in agreement with GKC

Guild Meeting and On Finding Courage

Well I went to the guild meeting on Wednesday. And I decided to be the designated driver. Which sounds very mundane, so what.

Well I haven't driven on a freeway in over 10 years. When I was younger I would drive anyplace any time. Then when I was in my fifties my thyroid stopped working, it took about a year for the Doctor to figure out what was wrong with me I actually thought I was going mental. I think my family thought the same. The chemical imbalance was quite severe and I started to have panic attacks, mostly it seemed to happen when I was driving. My Mother was terminally ill at that time. And it was a nightmare progression of events. Finally I was put on the correct medication ,my Mom died (of course I didn't want my Mom to die she had the most sound common sense of any one I know ) and the stress level abated to a normal cycle. However I slowly stopped going places except around town. and I only drove routes I knew. No more heading out to places unknown.

Since I have started to make changes in my life I decided to get going and find my courage. Your never to old that's what I tell myself. So with a full car load of lovely ladies I headed out on the freeway. We didn't have to take food as our hostess put on the soup pot and baked lots of goodies. Insane as this sounds I was so proud of myself we got there safe and sound and I had a great time. I took my Alice Schline runner. Network drafting twill. I was really happy with the way this turned out. My first computerized draft and the first time to use Cotlin? I may have spelt that wrong.I'm still fiddling around with up loading pictures and I'm learning about digital cameras. But as one of my fun friends said the other day it is what it is.

Mango and black bean salad

I was thinking about going to the Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting. This is a dish I made to take the last time. It was delicious if your into beans like I am. Also just playing around moving photos from different places on my computer. My daughter sent me a lovely photo this morning of my Grandson. OK that's it I plan to sley my double weave runner this morning . Got to go.

Pictures of hats and Yarn

I'm learning everything about blogging this is the first time ever that I have done anything like this. My age speaks volumes it the amount of times I can screw up. However my husband and daughter are very encouraging and tell me that yes indeed I will learn how to do this as I wish.What I need is my 13 year old Grandson he would set me straight.

That Was the Hat that Was!!!!

My friend phoned and asked me if I would please knit some toques for her upcoming sale. I decided that this would be the perfect use of some of my hand spun hand dyed silk. The first toque was complete. It felt a bit stiff so I decided it should be wet finished. I placed it into a large bowl of hot water and orvus paste. Then because of my (English bought up in the war nature. When everything was rationed) I decided to throw in a few skeins of silk that I have recently spun. The silk had come from Treenway and it was multi coloured very pretty. The dye ran from the skeins of silk into the hat. Not only that but silk stretches when wet. And it only partially recovers when dry. What a disaster!!! Oh I have a lot to learn So one of the pictures is the silk how it looked before it was knitted the other is the hat after it went through the wars. And the other hat turned out quite successfully with the bamboo eyelash bans however it has not been washed. This hat will not leave my house. I am now knitting toques in wool for the sale. Stayed tuned .

Pictures

I am actually fiddling around to see if this actually works out. This is a picture of some table napkins I wove.

Can you tell???

Can't you just tell that I'm complete dunce at doing some to this stuff. However nothing ventured nothing gained. I have so wanted to be able to do this and put pictures on the computer

To day was the day

Today was the day I decided to make a new start. I have been keeping an on line diary. That is now cancelled. I'm trying to move forward in to a more friendly update media