Home and Away is finally published!

 

I know that I have been away from this blog for some time.  That doesn't mean I haven't been busy writing, journalling, healing. 

My latest novel went live today on Amazon.  Home and Away, follows the adventures of Sarah, a sixty-seven year old widow, who finds herself, in March 2020, locked down in Croatia as the world struggles to manage the pandemic.  It is a story of love.  Love of herself, her family, a little one-eyed cat, and a certain Croatian gentlemen.  

This read would be a great escape from the news of today.  Buy a copy.  Make yourself a cup of tea, and curl up with my new book. It is available as a paperback and an ebook. 

I hope you like it. Let me know in the comments. 

Oh, and now this is published I promise to be post more often about the this and that of my life. 

Yopping Update #49 - New Technique

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It is Monday.  I think this is perhaps the first time I have posted late to Year of Projects.   This will be short - I am feeling yucky - I had a migraine earlier in the week and it has left me under the weather 

I did finish a watercolour painting

European Barn Swallows

I finished the second Patches testknit sock - but I cannot show it until the pattern goes live later this summer. 

I can show a testknit I finished a while back because the pattern, Diagonal Swirl, has gone live as the warm-up sock in the SuperSock World Championship on Ravelry. 

I started the qualifier socks in the SuperSock World Championship.  It's called Let's Roll.  I learned a new technique for stranded work called LadderBack Jaquard to keep the floats under control so toes don't get caught in the long floats.  If you are interested there are lots of videos showing how this technique works.  The pattern itself has good pictures and explanation too. 

front 

I knit the bicycle pattern using my knitting belt and long dpns.  It helped to be able to see the pattern develop.  After the bicycle was done I went back to my 9 inch circulars for the rest of the sock.  

LadderBack Jaquard

Uses jogless stripes technique for striping

I guess today I should cast on sock number two.  Yes, I probably should. 

I am continuing to work on FoxPaws.  I put in a lifeline now at row 3 because I find if a mistake is to be made it will be in rows 4 to 6.  

Other than that we have been geting our camper ready for camping.  We had the young woman who was helping me clean the kitchen clean the camper on the outside while I repaired some door and drawer hardware on the inside and my husband and I replaced one of the vent hatches.  We have a second to still repair but wanted to do one first to make sure the RV place sold us the correct size.  It did - so onward. 

There has been a lot of rain so we work outside when we can, and inside when we can't.  I did get out for a couple of walks and was happy to find my favourite flowers on my latest sojourn. 

Irises!

Hopefully next week I will be feeling better and will post on time.  My goodness it is almost time to start my project list for next year.  I can't believe this is week 49 already!

Yopping Update #48 - Meet Gnocchi

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It has been a busy few days - still a fair bit of knitting time, but not so much blogging time. 

If you are knitting Imagined Landscapes KAL Make Gnome Mistake and you don't want to know what Gnocchi looks like read no further. 

Gnocchi wants to HAVE dinner
not BE dinner

I also worked on Fox Paws a fair bit - still some curse words, but fewer as I get more and more familiar with the pattern.  It certainly needs my full attention, especially rows 4-6.  No TV, No Podcasts, No one talking.  I save those rows when my hubby is napping or out running errands.  THERE CAN BE NO DISTRACTIONS!

but worth every curse word

Tonight before getting to this blog I finished the 8th and final panel for my Christmas Tree skirt.  Now to block the panels, sew it together and start ALLLLLLL the duplicate stitch.  I am certainly glad I have quite a few months before Christmas.  Stay posted - there will probably be a slew of new curse words!

I added the initials to my son's gansey - and now it will have to wait for his input as to pattern motifs.  We have a phone date tomorrow to toss around some ideas. 

Other than that there has been lots of cleaning.  A friend has come over twice this week to help me clean - so far we have done the hallway and the kitchen.  We will continue next week and tackle the living room next.  She is a blessing.  If we get some sunny days next week she will help my dh to wash our camper.  I can't believe how dirty it got with the winter winds and rains.  It is so wonderful to have someone who can wash floors and walls and ceilings...and campers!  Her energy gives me the momentum to sort cupboards and clean counters off and go through things that can be either thrown away or given away.  It feels good. 

So now it is almost 11pm here and just about bedtime.  

May you all have a good week.  I have physio tomorrow, and I am noticing a little improvement in my hip and quite a bit of relief with my neck pain - so yay for that.  Onward!

My holly tree is in full bloom!
I swear I have never seen it do this before 
And I have lived in this house for almost 40 years!

Yopping Update #46 - So many gnomes so little time

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Wow - Update 46 - Soon it will be time to start thinking of my list for the next Year of Projects starting July1. 

I did finish my dragon Potholder and then started and finished by Prince potholder. I was worried I would run out of yarn - but I won the yarn chicken game. 

Phew that was close!

Otis staking claim on my Havana and not overly impressed with my double-knitting

I then worked on my Advent Gnomes #9 and #10

And now I have 10 of 24 done.

I have finished Clue 1 on the Make Gnome Mistake KAL, and finished clue #2 on the Mystery socks I am knitting.  Pictures will follow once all clues are done around the end of May I think. 

I did a few more rows on my son's gansey - I have almost finished the ribbing. 

I did make another 3D square.  I am quite proud of this one. 

and I finished the third panel of my Christmas Tree skirt - I might get this done in time for Christmas after all. 

Well I still have to duplicate stitch the gnome but that will come much later. 

Other than knitting and playing the in the Harry Potter Knitting Crocheting House Cup I have been walking a little, doing my physio exercises for my hip/back/neck and not too much else.  It has been very cold and rainy - unusual for May - but it is what it is.  At least since Monday I have been migraine free.  A blessing inded. 

I may have mentioned that I am not buying any yarn until the end of the summer, but I never said anything about not buying patterns.  I succumbed to this at the Post Office yesterday. How could I resist. 

I also purchase fox-paws on Ravelry.  I have had this in my queue for years and decided this is the month I am going to cast it on.  Wish me luck.  The instructions say it has 'interesting' increases and decreases. 

It comes with a colouring sheet so I can play with my colours before starting.  I have lots of Palette in blues and greens so I think it will be subtle but interesting. 

And even though I am on a yarn diet a friend gave me a sweater quantity of silk/rayon yarn and I am going to make Vroda with it.  I think it will make a nice summery top - and a little fancy too. 

She also gave me 3 balls of Cascade Fixation so I think another Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Sweater will be started shortly.  

I am still transcribing my parents' war letters - I try to do about three a day - my Dad's handwriting is very hard to read but it certainly is illuminating.

It has been too cold yet to go to the beach for a swim.  I am aiming for June 1st but the weather doesn't seem to be agreeing with me.  My poor jade tree is usually outside by the third week of April, but not this year.  

At least someone is enjoying the beach with her friends. 

Today I plan to knit.  LOL.  How unusual.  And I will go for a short rainy woodsy walk.  I do want to get started on the 2nd sock of the test knit.  I don't usually have secondsockitis so I need to tackle this before it gets any worse.  

Happy knitting/crocheting/spinning/walking/paddling/cross-stitching/living to all.  Until next week....

P.S. I have changed my comments section to pop-up in new window so I hope this helps those who were having trouble commenting and had to remain anonymous (but I appreciated you letting me know who you are!)

Yopping Update #45 - Oh my - I am in WIP Heaven (Or is it WIP Hell?)

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This will be short and sweet and mostly pictures because I am in also in migraine hell this weekend. 

I finished another 3D Crochet square:

I have made a wee bit of progress on my son's Gansey:

I have done the first clue of the Mystery Sock - but no pictures because,well,  it's a mystery and no spoilers allowed. 

I am almost done another double knit potholder:

and I am progressing along on the next piece of my Christmas Tree Skirt (hey I have until December 25th right?)

this is number 3/8

I still have to cast on the 2nd test knit sock, and I will get to it....soon. 

I also want to start one of the sea creature 3D crochet squares. (I have nine I want to make).

So I organized all my wips into project bags and so, unusual for me (the monogamous knitter) I have six projects on the go! (not pictured here are the 2 advent gnomes and gnome KAL I have planned for May as well so I think that makes nine wips - ala Dante's Nine Circles of Hell. )

I blame the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup group.  I want all the points! (To date I have already got 35 points.)

It is Mother's Day here in North America.  So here is to all the Mums, Moms, Mamas, Mothers near and far. 

Yopping Update #44 - 3D crochet and other news

 

I have a couple of finishes - my son's potholder

and I made a going away gift for my neighbours who moved yesterday

I have finished the first test sock - well except for kitchenering the toe - and I will post pictures once the design goes live. 

The big news is I ordered this book and it arrived yesterday

and last night I worked on my first square:

I used my stash of Brava sport, and today I am going to tackle the sheep that you can see on the front cover of the book. 

The other exciting news is I got sorted in Hufflepuff in the Harry Potter Knitting/Crocheting House Cup group on Ravelry and today is the first day of the Spring Term challenges.  From here until the end of July anything I make will be for points for my house.  It probably sounds silly, but it is very motivating for me to craft for points and my fellow badgers in the Hufflepuff den are fun to interact with.  

My back is royally f&$*#@^d up.  (By the way did you know that the string of characters used to indicate a swear word is called a grawlix?)  I went to the physio last Wednesday and go again this Tuesday.  I was needled, tractioned, taped and manipulated and sent home with some gentle exercises to do.  I have been trying all sorts of different pain relievers and none work (well except for one that just zonked me out for a two hour nap!

I did get out for one bird walk despite the discomfort and got this cute shot of a Spotted Towhee among the dandelions.

I also wandered by a murder of crows - not sure why they were all gathering there - it reminded me of a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds!  The picture doesn't do it justice - I counted about 25 as I walked about six steps. 

My other new habit in the making is bullet journalling.  I spent all day Thursday setting it up and I have some new coloured pens arriving from Amazon today to make it even more fun.  Who knows?  I may get organized yet. 

pages to track my Hufflepuff projects

I have also decided to cold sheep (not buy anymore yarn) for the next three months (at least).  I mean really I think between my Brave Sport and my cotton I am good for whatever projects I want to tackle. 

And anyways the Frangipani arrived for my son's gansey - It only took nine days to arrive from the UK.

My apple tree is beginning to bloom.  Despite the cold weather Spring really is coming. 

Last, and of course not least my daughter sent this picture of my granddaughter's french braided hair. 

I loved french braiding her Mom's hair - so the tradition continues.

Okay - now it is time for lunch and then a gentle walk in the trails near my home.  Take care, dear Readers.  Let me know in the comments how Spring is Springing in your neck of the woods.