Yopping Update #6 - When in doubt do the math

I have been slowly working on the kerchief tank top and kept having to count every row to make sure I had the correct number of double crochets so that each square would be, well, square.  Finally after finishing square two I decided to do the math to see how it grew proportionally.  This made square number three much much easier.

Row 3                Row 4

44                       36
76                       52
108                     68
140                     84
172                     100
204                     116

Row 3 is dc in every stitch and Row 4 is dc, chain 1, skip one etc around the square. Both rows have 2dc,ch2,2dc in the corners.

Can you see the pattern?   A little brain teaser for you - I will post the answer next week.

I am part way through square four and then to put it all together and add the edging and the straps. (That will likely be a brainteaser for me).

After number 2 square I decided to rewind the cotton from the cone it was on into a proper ball so it unwinds easier in the yarn bowl.  This allowed me to weigh it all as well (remember the cone, all 454 gms of it came from the little island's free store).

So after knitting two produce bags and the four squares for the tank I still have at least 179 gms left.  This should be enough for a little baby sweater I think.

Other than that I did get to the pool 4 times, went to a couple of mental health group meetings, saw the doctor about my arm (I am getting a cortisone shot in my shoulder tomorrow), and spent time reading on the back porch and we even spent one evening lying on the beach.  Yesterday it rained so I spent most of the day indoors blogging, crocheting and netflixing!  (new verb).

Today it is raining still, and to be honest my anxiety is kicking my ass. I think I do know what has brought it on and probably a good session spent writing about it might help.  Stay tuned.

To follow other yoppers (and if you are a Ravelry member) check out their posts here. 

Yopping Update #5 - Queue reorganization

I forgot to report on an important task I accomplished last week.  I went through my queue on Ravelry and.....drum roll please.....organized it into sets!!!

I had upwards of 130 things I want to knit/crochet in my queue and while I was picking out all the advent things I wanted to knit I realized at the same time I could put all the sock patterns together, all the shawl patterns, all the baby knits, etc.   While doing this I also weeded out those patterns that grabbed my attention at one time, but which I am no longer keen to make.  (There was only about 3 of these!)

So as I work first through my advent knits, I am s l o w l y reducing my queue and when I do decide it is time to knit a pair of socks again, or a shawl, or a toy for the grand-daughter it will be much easier to find them.

This week I have continued to work on the advent calendar.  After I finished number 6 I decided to frog the number 3 because it was too big, and after number 7, I re-knit 3 with a more appropriate size yarn.  Much better. Here is my progress now - 1/2 way there!

However, knitting these little mitts are like eating potato chips - you can't just knit one.  One a day would probably be ok with my arm, but I am over-doing it so they will go into time out for the foreseeable future.  I promised both my hubby and our best man last night to give knitting a complete rest - and who could say no to these two guys:

free photo booth at Bard event complete with dress-up hats.

I also figured out the crochet tee pattern and have almost completed the first square.  I am sure it will not be something I will wear, but I will  find a recipient who would rock the look.  Otis photo-bombed my progress:

Last night we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary by attending a wonderful event put on at Bard on the Beach.  Every summer red and white tents go up at Kitsilano Point and they put on four different Shakespeare plays from June through until September.  On the nights that coincide with the Festival of Lights (fireworks displays by three different countries) the Bard hosts a salmon BBQ along with one of their plays and then the theatre goers have awesome front row seats to the fireworks.

Besides falling only a few days after our anniversary, it turns out that last night it was team Croatia that put on the display.  Since that is now my daughter's home we HAD to go and represent Croatia with our beach towels that display the Croatian flag and map! 

We took along our best man too (he is the one in the above pic with the 'stylish' dressup glasses!).  We saw Taming of the Shrew (done in a western theme) and that was exciting also because when I taught grade 8 in 2004 that was the play my class put on for the school and their parents. One of my students (the one who played Petrucchio) did the sound for the production last night.  He was my student for five years and it was exciting to see his name in the program.

The weather has been great this past week - good enough for another ex-student (now friend) to come and help rake up the yard and start to set things to right.  With my arm raking and mowing and sweeping are out of the question. 

We had company staying with us early in the week.  A dear friend is in the hospital and they live far away so his wife stayed with us for two nights while he received the treatment he needed.  We had a nice long visit with him on Tuesday and our prayers and love went with them both as they headed home on Wednesday.  Excuse my language here but....Cancer is a Bitch.  F&ck Cancer.

Thank you to my insurance company my car is now fixed and although I had to pay the deductible, insurance covered the rest without any hassle. 

Otherwise I did go for a massage on Tuesday for my hip and back and it helped a bit and she gave me some exercises to-do.  I have to get serious about doing ALL these exercises I have now so I can get back into the pool for some real swimming.  I miss it so terribly. 

My dear nephew posted this page on facebook yesterday and it so resonated with me.  I will share it here as a reminder to us all:

Blessings to all of you dear readers wherever you are and whatever journey you are traveling.  Life is not for the faint of heart - but we are brave when we are kind to one another.