stripes

I have had an interesting week.  I have not been able to figure out where the time keeps going.  I also had one day where my joints were very hot and stiff.  They felt swollen.  I felt swollen.  But other indicators would have said not.  So I sat in my chair with this shawl, yarn, and hook and finished it!

I really liked how it turned out.  All the colored yarn is from the same fleece that the farmer dyed.  I spun all the yarn in this.  This is one of those times where my Dad would say the actual crocheting takes the least amount of time.  It would if I had not started it three times.  I kept having different thoughts about it.  I get laughed at on how many times I will start a project.  It is part of my process.  But in the end, I really like it.

Why do I like it?  Because there is a cozy weight to it.  I could see myself cuddling under this with a cup of tea and a book.  Especially if there was a fire place near.  I do make things I like so I admit to being very tempted to keep this.

But no, it is going into the shop.  Both here and on Etsy.

Though, if it does not sell, there will be great temptation!

stripes

When we went to Tennessee for PawPaw's funeral in March, I took the brown yarn in the pictured shawl with me.  I had to be able to keep my hands busy.  I was also trying a slightly different way to make my forever shawls.  What I realized on that trip was that I did not have enough of the brown yarn to make a shawl the size I wanted.  When we got back, I took it out.

I had another fleece that I had spun.  The fleece had been dyed.  There was a lot of variation across the fleece so the yarn was a range of blues to greens.  

After the making the earth, ocean, sky shawl, I started this one.  It will go into my shop, both here and on Etsy.  I seem to being drawn to stripes and this gives me a chance to create while sitting.  The weather here has the potential to be extreme this week.  The afternoon thunderstorms are not just due to humidity and heat but a larger weather system.  There is pain so sitting is good.  Not standing.  

I have another shawl I am working on as well.  It is going to be solid and soft.  I will embroider flowers on it to add color.  Maybe tassels?  It is fun.  And I can keep creating.

pain management

Yesterday was all about pain management.  I sat in one place most of the day trying not to hurt.  I was also trying to go to sleep so I could sleep last night.

I actually finished this shawl while I was sitting there.  This is a shawl that I made from leftover project yarn that was all a similar weight.  I also dug for more colors because I am also feeling the need for more color in my life.

It is a wonderful weight.

I actually put it right on instead of blocking it.  I picked up another shawl I am working on.  It is a place where I am testing shape.  The shape is just off on the brown one I am working on.  I think I will be ripping that on out!  But this.  This like.  

Tonight is an evening where I can go coach or not coach.  I have done alright most of the day but I can tell I am wearing out.  I will have to see what the rest of the day brings.

needing color

I should not watch movies about people who do not live the norm.  Or rather live the norm I always wished to when I was younger but do not.  Captain Fantastic is one of those.  

Good things that came out of it is that ir reminded me that I need to do more yoga.  Palo Duro Canyon helped remind me as well.  More movement for arthritic hips.  More strength. 

One of the things that came out of Captain Fantastic is that I want more color.  I do not mean more prints but more vibrant colors.  Jewel tones.  I am that crazy person though if I am wearing white you may wish to check if I am depressed.  I really like blacks and greys.  Woodland tones.  But I need to intersperse more jewel tones.  More tropical.  Not the prints.  Just the colors.

I went through some of my leftover yarns and started to put this shawl together.  I had some yarn leftover from my Taos Mountain shawl I had made.  I had some skeins I had purchased just one of because I liked the colors.  After pondering this through a whole yoga asana, I started to make a triangle shawl.  Honestly, my shawls are all triangles.  This is modeled after a granny square.  It is exciting to work on.  

I am actually almost done with all the bright blue in the picture and the green.  Which means I still have two dark blues and a grey blue to go.  That bright blue is the ball of yarn that decided to roll off a mountain.  

I am having a hard time settling.  Part of it is the air in Houston.  The sadness.  Part of it is that I still wish to be in the desert camping.  Or someplace in the middle of nowhere but with ice cream not too long of a drive away.  That is me.  I can be as happy with a bowl of ice cream as a glass of a tequila based beverage. 

I have also spent a lot of time on the computer this week.  That always makes me antsy.  I was redesigning business cards for letterpress printing.  I am going to need to spend some time printing soon.  Such exciting pictures!  I am being sarcastic.  Like pictures of my working on the computer are exciting too.  Not really.

I am now going to putter off to my sewing machine after some yoga.  I might even get a quilt laid out in the next week or two!  Another way to add color. 

Taos Mountain Shawl

I have been under the weather.  I am still not a 100% but I try to listen to my body when it says I should sleep or I can go.  This weekend was a lot of being asleep or still.  It has been a long time since I have sat and read so many books in a day.  It was actually really kind of nice!  I will call it a silver lining.

I finished the Taos Mountain Shawl I was making.  I crocheted it instead of knitted it.  I only took it out probably a dozen times and I could have taken it out a couple more.  There is that corner pictured above that is not quite the angle I would have wished.  And for some reason, I mixed up color order on the other border.  But it is done.

I am really pleased.  I used about twice as much yarn as the knitted version which means it is a bit larger.  I like large shawls.  It has been nice for when I want a little extra but not a sweater.

I usually wear my shawls a bit off center anyhow and this becomes even more wonky.  But it was designed after the mountains near Taos, New Mexico.  Wonky is okay.  The yarn is soft but not as soft as the other cashmere blend I have worked with.

I have another shawl I am taking from knit to crochet, Earth and Sky.  I find I do better using the pictures as a go by so I have no idea what the parameters of that one will be.  But I am going to give it a try.  I have only taken that one out three times so far.  It will be interesting.  Especially since I do not think I have enough of any one yarn for any part.  It will be a compilation.