Thursday, March 27, 2014

Crochet Hell

I am in crochet hell right now and can't wait to escape.  Sadly, I have a ways to go before I can get out of this hell.  I had I promised a friend a blanket and I am working on the thing.  I am sick of it.  I want it gone.  I get this way with several projects when I have been working on them for a while. 

I have 6 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun yarn in this project with 6 more skeins to go.  It is going to be a huge blanket by the time I am finished with it.  I am using a size N hook.  It goes quickly and the yarn is a dream to work with. 

I have  list of items that have to be taken care of after the blanket is done.  I have socks to knit for my SIL, Kim.  I have one more mitten to knit for my niece, Maribeth.  I have charity items to knit for the kids who are needy.  Thankfully, I have a yarn stash to support it all. 

I also need to paint my spring line up for the shop.  I have a color that has been zipping around my brain for a couple of months and I have to paint it in several different yarns.  It is that kind of color way. 

Just trying to find the time to deal with it all, that is the problem.  I am hoping to be able to finish the blanket by the weekend so, it will be ready to be picked up.  I don't like for these things to hang around the house.  No way!  The cats tend to claim things that they shouldn't. The cats have their own blanket now since they claimed the one I was crocheting for my friend.  They completely took it over. So, I was forced to re-crochet this blanket for her. 

Will I be making more blankets for people?  No idea.  I am to the point where I am almost out of Lion Brand Homespun in my yarn stash.  I think I have enough to make one more blanket.  I will stash the yarn for someone special.  It is my go to yarn for prayer blankets.  So soft and very huggable.  I have made several prayer blankets with it. 

I also have to clean house.  It is an ongoing issue.  I have to clean off several tables that have just collected junk.  I also need to move my yarn bins out of the upstairs hallway and into the office.  Now to tell my back that we have to do these things.  Killer.  I am still dealing with it hurting. I did a good job of it this time around. 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Hairy Larry and his Pee Pee Making Machine

This morning at around 2 am my oldest dog, whom I nicknamed Hairy Larry, was coughing and so, I knew that yes, I was bad and should have given him is Benadryl before bed.  I forgot.  So, I was woken up to him hacking.  I had to go downstairs to get his meds.  No one sleeps when he hacks and coughs and gags...poor old doggie. So, I went downstairs to get his cheese and meds.  I had to let him  out of his kennel so, he could go get his water.  He drinks like a camel and loads himself up with the pee pee juice. 
 
I was in the middle of a totally bizarre dream when I hear him whining and crying...remember the pee pee juice from 2 am, it had managed to make it's way through his body and had hit is bladder by the time I was in the midst of my dream.  I popped up out of bed, opened his kennel, opened the other two kennels for the other two doggies and ran down the stairs, or pretty much limped down the stairs...bad back.  Trying to work out my kinks and move as fast as I could for a person in my condition.  I get the back door open and out he goes.

I gave him his morning dose of his meds...it makes his life easier until he goes back to the vet to figure out what is going on with him.  We have been through antibiotics with him, thinking it may have been something bacterial.  Nope, that didn't work, I think he has a serious allergy to cedar because when it has been high around here, his coughing with the meds has been worse.  I know how he feels. 

I am starting to think he is asthmatic in his old age.  He is 13 years old.  His heart is strong but, he has skin allergies, and we have him on a special dog food that has no grains.  He can't even get near rice, he tries to tear his skin off, he itches so badly. 

My vet has let me know that since he has gotten older, he is more susceptible to having severe allergies.  It is all part of having a geriatric dog.  I have two geriatric doggies.  They are the best and both of them were shelter rescues.  They make the best dogs in the whole wide world.  They are very sweet and protective.  The third dog is a pure bred Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  He is a brat!  We should have named him, Mr. Happy since he is the happiest dog I have ever seen.  He constantly smiles.  Would I get another one?  Yes, I would.  He is the runt of his litter and there is no way that he will ever be under 30 pounds. 

Monday, March 10, 2014

Finished Socks! Yippee!

I finally have something to write about, I finished another pair of socks.  Yay!  This pair is the Melinda sock and I have another pair to knit for my SIL, Kim.  I even had to dye the yarn for her socks and I have been waiting for the yarn to dry. 

Am I sitting around doing nothing?  No way!  Since I knit every single day, I have a project that I am working on.  Maribeth, my niece needs a new pair of mittens, she lost one of hers and since she is now 10, time flies...she needs a bigger pair.  She informed me that she loves gold with purple, now.  Okay, that solved that problem.  I am knitting her a pair of gold with purple Selbu style mittens. It was requested by my sister.  I had picked out a gorgeous lace mitten pattern to use and since the request was made, they will be made for someone else. 




Bear with my pictures of the finished socks, no idea what my camera was doing since the hubby has borrowed it several times to take pictures of his pens.  He is turning pens on his lathe and does a beautiful job. 
  Go check out his shop on ETSY.

So, as I am waiting for sock yarn to dry, I am working on knitting the Selbu style mittens for my niece.  I decided to go ahead and make them bigger so, she can use them longer.  I am making a women's medium for her.  They fit my hand tight so, I am hoping her little hand will have room to grow in them.  When she grows out of this pair or wears them out then hopefully, by then, her mom can learn to knit in the round.  Hint, hint, hint! 
  I will be knitting Lipstick socks when I finish the mittens and those will be on their way to my SIL.  She offered to pay for the socks, nope, not going to charge her for them.  Anyone else, yes, but they do so much for us that we can go ahead and forget payment. 
  What are my plans after my current projects are done?  I have charity knitting to work on. Hats, scarves and mittens for the kids.
  Gary and I are doing a craft fair in April and he is selling his pens, I am selling my jewelry.  Yep, finally decided to go ahead and try and sell my necklaces, bracelets and anklets.  The yarn is staying home. 
  I have yarn to paint as soon as I can get back on my feet, I threw my back out yesterday and walking is a challenge today.  I am hoping tomorrow will be better since I need to clean my home up.