Yopping Update #39 - OMG I forgot a title

Well, it has been a roller coaster of a week mental health wise. I was excited to find a grocery store that would deliver to us on Tuesday and it was like Christmas morning unpacking the goodies.  Again on Saturday we called our local meat/grocery store and he put together two boxes for us that we picked up just as he was closing last night.  Next door is a small pet food store so I was able to get a few cans of cat food.  Not Otis' normal brand, but hey, we all have to make sacrifices in these times.

There have been a few melt downs (me) and a few fretful moments (dh) but all in all we are holding it together.  Himself is fearful to give me anything so he has been sleeping in the spare room, and as of yesterday I moved my toothbrush, etc. to the downstairs bathroom so we can keep each other well just in case one of us catches, or has, the virus.

Last night I woke up at 4am from a horrible dream that I was dying from the virus.  This is my second CoVid-19 anxiety dream.  Not fun.  Then between 4am and 5:30 am I took my temperature 3 times convinced I was running a fever.  Sigh.

On the plus side my CoDA 12 step group had an online meeting yesterday via zoom, as did my WW meeting last (and this) Sunday, and my knit group met online Thursday night.  My son is checking in with us via phone once a day, and my daughter and her precious daughter are video chatting with us every couple of days.

So, now to the knitting - or more correctly the crocheting.  I have become obsessed with all I am learning with the Wrapped in Jamie CAL.  I have completely finished square 1 and 2, and I have square 5 and 6 done up to the border.
I was quickly running out of stash as each square takes about 100 gms so I logged onto KnitPicks site.  It was March 23rd, and there was a notice that if you got your order in before midnight on the 23rd they would ship it, but then they would not be shipping until things settled down with the virus.  To make a long story short I order 14 balls of yarn!  It has been shipped and I am waiting for its arrival to finish the border on two of the squares and to start square 3.

square 2 - Sawny

square 5 - Chess and Manners

square 6 - L'Universitie

While awaiting for the Knitpicks order I needed something to do so after checking my queue on Ravelry I started the Spice of Life blanket.

Now I am done to only a few colours of the correct weight yarn, so the knitpicks order will help me finish this too.

that Knitpick order can't get here soon enough it seems

It is great TV crochet, not so with the Wrapped in Jamie CAL.  It needs ALL my concentration.

I think I will have to cast on a pair of socks that I will knit using bits and bobs of fingering I have around.  I will knit them TAAT (two at a time) so the striping will more or less match.

I did manage to cook one of our meals this week to give my hubby a break from doing all the cooking.

Sauteed chicken breasts with lemon and capers

The highlight of my week was when a book I ordered arrived.  It is The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.  Just what my anxious soul needed:

This caption is one I am taking to heart these days.

I also got engrossed in Dan Brown's novel Deception Point.  I stayed up too late last night finishing it so I will have to start my Neil Gaiman book, Anansi Boys,  today.

So there is my week.  Some crochet, no knitting (what?)!

I washed and dried my handspun and will likely start using it this coming week.

292 meters combined - I should be able to make something smooshy out of this

Some reading, some fretting, some tears and lots of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Crave.  I am enjoying Younger on Amazon Prime.  It is frivolous and light and just the ticket some days.

I hope and pray you are all doing well.  And.....

my son wearing the sweater I knit him in January

and.....

look who is learning to sit in a chair

Stay well dear friends, dear readers.  We will get through this.


PS:  I published this and realized I hadn't put in a title.  Who know what it is saved under - but I hope it will work regardless.

Yopping Update #38 - You were right!

The readers who hazarded a guess were correct.

This:

Became this:

I made him for my sister who is a great supporter of this Sheldrick Wildlife Sanctuary for orphaned and injured elephants.  Check it out.  The baby elephants wear blankets just like the one pictured on this little guy I knit.

I finished my St. Patrick's Day handspun - 132 metres.

I want to knit a sock monkey puppet for my tree, but I have no brown in my stash - so next up to the spinning wheel will be something suitable for a wee monkey.

I knit one of the Alan Dart patterns I had in my queue.  I needed some metallic thread for the wings and star so I ordered some from Michaels online that I could pick-up at the store.  Minimal human contact as I am seriously self-isolating.

Free Alan Dart Pattern

My cardiologist appointment was done via the internet on Tuesday as the doctor was not well and staying home.  Interesting how technology is saving the day in many ways during this CoVid situation.

I doubled my online meat/fish order so our freezer is well stocked, and I even got some of the powdered peanut butter I like from Amazon, because my grocery store was all out.

Speaking of social isolating, as I mentioned I gave up fb and instagram for Lent.  I was being a hard-ass and not taking advantage of being allowed to use fb on Sundays.  I am going to start doing this today as I think a lot of socializing is happening on my groups on fb and I want to stay connected during this time.  For some of my friends and family fb is our meeting place.  I will remain off Instagram though.  Small steps.

Speaking of steps I have been using my fitbit to make sure I get up and walk for at least 10 minutes every hour from 10am - 6pm and I did a bit of raking on Friday and Saturday.  Some days we drive down to the little park near our house and I go for a short 30 minute walk.

I was interested in starting the Wrapped in Jamie CAL but, oh my god, I downloaded the stitch compendeum and it is FORTY pages.  After hemming and hawing for a few days I decided to go for it, and after four days, and the great video help from the designer, (her voice is very calming) I finished the first square last night.

Year of the Ox

And even got started on square 2.

Sawny

I am super proud of myself for this progress.  I think I can call myself a real crocheter now!  Each square takes 100gms of dk weight yarn, so I may have to do an on-line order in the near future.

There have been lots of phone chats with friends and family, and video chats with my son, daughter and grand-daughter.  I am so thankful for technology.

This morning my WW meeting was done virtually via Zoom.  It was great to see and hear from my WW friends.  I have heard that CoDA has an on-line meeting on Friday evenings, so I will check that out this coming week.

Here is a picture of Otis and I chilling while watching Netflix last night.

And this is the picture I received soon after of my daughter and grand-daughter chillin'!

Have a good week everyone.  Stay the course.  Social distance.  Self Isolate.  Stay calm and knit/crochet/bake/garden/quilt/sew/stitch/paint (have I missed anything), on.

Yopping Update #37 - Did anyone call a taxi?

Remember this picture from last week?

Well, no-one answered the query. Here is what it became:

Clearly I had way too much time on my hands this past week being home with a cold and not going out anywhere except to the beach for a couple of short walks.  

Then this:

became this:

and together they look like this:

I also finished my tea towel:

Then I started on another toy - wanna guess what this will become?

I spun another 120gms of fibre.  I will ply it today.

Luck of the Irish - should be finished in time for Saint Patty's Day

I have been housebound for almost two weeks with this nagging cold and avoiding CoVid-19.  There has been an outbreak in my community which has made the news.  My husband is doing the grocery shopping, and we have been washing hands a lot!  I hope the next two weeks sees a slowing of this virus.  It is causing more than a little worrisome.  

On the upside I am getting lots of video chats with my daughter and grand-daughter.  Let us be like her and take time to admire the daisies. 

Okay dear readers.  Stay safe.  Be well.  Find a new binge-worthy series to watch.  We just started Ray Donovan last night. 

If you want to follow other yoppers check out their posts to the top right side of this blog.  

Yopping Update #36 - a little of this, a little of that

Well, first things first.  I did get out my spinning wheel, and finished some spinning I started last summer.

2 bobbins spun to go with the 1 spun last summer.

3ply - 160 yards, 95 gms

Prior to the spinning I got another sink cloth pattern called sinkmates.  It starts with an i-cord and then you pick up the stitches from the i-cord to complete.  Thereby getting a nice i-cord loop to hang the cloth by.  I made two with some cotton I had in my stash.

And then I thought it would be cool to have one in hemp.  I had some hemp I had spun last year and so voila!

homespun hemp Sinkmate for the win!

I love this pattern.  It costs $2.00 and all proceeds goes to the special Olympics.  The designer has donated over $7500.00 so far. 

I was at a loss as to what to knit next - but then settled on this:  Can you guess what it will be?  Tune in next week for the reveal. 

hint:  joni mitchell song

Then, still at loose ends I started to look at my queue.  So many crochet items and the one I really want to try is Wrapped in Jamie CAL, but it looked too complicated for my cold-addled brain.  So, I started on this adorable little Dumpling kitty.  I still have to crochet the bottom before stuffing it.  I don't have any polyester stuffing and I can't go out right now to buy some so little Kitty will be on hold for a bit yet. 

this pattern starts at the ears and works down.  

So all in all I got some crafting done despite it being a sh&*^y week in other ways.

On Tuesday the specialist advised me NOT to travel to visit my daughter because of the Covid-19 outbreak.  She is concerned because it is still not clear why my heart isn't pumping as it should be. 
As you can imagine there were lots of tears as I told my family.  Sigh.  On top of that news the specialist the specialist is sending me to I probably can't see for two months. We had our flights reserved and after the doctor appointment we were going to pay for them, but instead had to cancel.  Very upsetting. 

Then on Wednesday night I started to get a sore throat.  You guessed it - by Thursday I had a cough and cold.  It worsened each day and today I still feel crappy.  Arggggg! 

So this week I had to miss all my fun things: tai chi, croatian, CoDa meeting, HOpe Centre meeting and the pool.  I did go down to the seawall for two short walks on Thursday and Friday.  I used my walking poles and it seemed to ease my hip a little. 

So there you have it.  My arm is still sore, my hip is still sore and I have a cold.  Whine whine whine. 

Last week, many of you commented on one picture that I seemed to have forgotten to post.  I won't forget this week. 

Rainy day fort - Look at all those bears!

Stay well everyone.  (Are you listening, Mary-Anne?)

Yopping Update #35 - Time to get the spinning wheel spinning

Another baby sweater done.  This is my 4th Elizabeth Zimmerman Surprise sweater and I love making these with left-over, or self-striping, wool because since it is knit all in one piece and then through the magic of origami  folded into a sweater that only requires sewing up the arm seam to the shoulder, the stripes always balance out. 

You go from this:

to this:

I even found buttons in my newly organized button jar.  I won't sew the buttons on until I decide whether a boy or girl baby will receive this.  The way the sweater is knit you put button holes on both sides and then once you decide you just sew the buttons over the holes.  Such a cool idea I think. 

It is now safely tucked away inside my cedar chest until it is needed. 

Once that was off the needles I started another wash cloth, but seriously, I must get out that spinning wheel.  So that is my challenge to myself for this coming week. 

Other than finishing the sweater I did work a couple of days this week, went to the pool three times, went to my Tai Chi class and Croatian lesson on Friday and went to a concert last night to see my brother's band play. 

My hip and arm are both really bugging me, but I am soldiering (shouldering) on.  What else can I do? I couldn't dance on the dance floor because of my hip, but you should have seen me dancing in my seat.  I was something else!! 

This coming week I also plan to sew the leather soles onto the 2nd pair of slippers and to line both pairs with fleece. 

So far so good with my stash busting and no new yarn acquisition.  (This is why I need to get spinning so I have some new wool to knit with).

Lent started last Wednesday and I have given up both Facebook and Instagram.  I know that some people say you can pick up the things you have given up on Sundays, but I don't.  I also have told myself I will journal about my spiritual questions every day during Lent.  Ok, technically I am already two days behind, but I can still catch up. 

I managed to edit 18 of my 30 chapters during February, so I will continue with that challenge through March. 

My mantra this month is 'baby steps'.  I am doing what I can do and it is enough.