mar1107

Marginal
Notes:

Weather: Rainy and mild. The snow is melting!

Current projects:

Winter Projects:
Toddler pullover sweater of my own design. Made out of Louet worsted that I scavenged from some socks that were not working out.
Still have to make the other glove for Dennis
I have not begun the scarf for Ryan. His band is working on a logo and I will make it with the logo once they decided upon it.
Various hats, scarves and mittens. I want to have some on hand to sell at the CT Sheep Show in the Spring.

Projects on hold. I'm bored with these!:

A lace scarf out of hand painted Merino. This is a test project for the business. I might start to sell this yarn. Haven't finished it. Not crazy about the colors. Maybe I'll make it into socks instead.

Charcoal gray alpaca sweater. I have misplaced the instructions. Should be interesting to finish it without them.

No quilts in progress

Can I hear a WOO HOO? I had my annual mammogram this week and I'm cancer free for another year! WOO HOO! I really thought this would be the year that the cancer returned. My oncologist told me to expect it to return. But I've dodged the bullet another year!

I've been so tired lately. I was out of work last Thursday and Friday with some kind of flu. On Thursday, I slept 20 hours! I still don't feel up to snuff yet. I've got to back in the swing of things. I have too much to do and no time or energy to do it.

Dennis seems to be getting stronger every day. He has gained weight, but so far it's not an excessive amount. He is actually enjoying food now. Something that he hasn't done for a long time. He has more energy than I do! Before, he would be the one wanting to nap all of the time.

Still have not finished our taxes. Last weekend when I told Dennis I need certain reports to finish my ledger, he wasn't ready this time. We'll try to get them done this week, although in all honesty, it's not looking good.

The weather this week is supposed to be Spring like. Do you know what that means? The bunnies go out to the barn! Use your imagination to think of how stinky a tiny Cape Cod style house can get with 2 humans, 1 dog, 7 cats and 5 bunnies living it. Not pretty, is it? We have to clean out their cages later this morning before hauling them back out there. It's pouring out right not. Most of the snow is gone however the glacier in the driveway between the house and the barn was still there about an hour ago.

I invested in magnetic curtain rods and some eyelet lace curtains (Everyday Martha) at Kmart this week for the windows in doors of the barn. I had some tie dyed fabric on them before. Trust me, the curtains are much nicer. Now the barn does not look like a meth lab from the street. I had visions of walking out there at 5:00am some morning to feed the buns, bowl of kale and carrots in my hands, only to be confronted by a SWAT team. The newspaper delivery man always slows his car down when he drives by and I'm out there in the dark early morning hours. I'm sure rumors abound in the neighborhood about what is possibly going on in that little blue barn in the dark. We never did get that heater installed for the bunnies. We still plan on it, but the hill on the back of the barn has to thaw out so they can stand on it to get a vent cut in the wall.

The warmer temperatures are great for melting the snow and ice however it means another problem. It is the start of MUD season. MUD season does not affect city people. Our area is zoned as Rural Residential. There is a farm at one end of the street and another on the next street over. We have a state owned wetlands area at the other end of our street. But that end of the street is the one we use most frequently as it is the closest to our house. There are no side streets off of our street. It's just a straight shot of just about 1.5 miles. There are only 2 ways to get out of our street. The further end by the farm or the closer one in the wetlands. Problem is that the closer end is not paved. It is dirt. Or more precisely MUD at this time of year.

We have a flock of bluebirds living nearby. I haven't seen their nest, but 5 or 6 of them will swoop to the feeders at a time. Dennis was feeding them mealworms for protein. I saw Robins in January this year. Temperatures later this week should be up near 70 degrees F! Crazy New England weather.

Recently completed projects-most recent first:

A Shetland lace scarf out of baby alpaca spun on Prudence my antique Shaker wheel.	Mittens for a woman in my unit made out of bits and pieces of yarn from the stash	Mittens for my supervisor out of some Noro I had in the stash.
Mittens for Ryanne to match the Shetland lace scarf out of the softest Merino wool	Shetland Lace scarf out of pink angora. I need to block it as it seems to have grown when I washed it. It's now about 8' long! I gave this to Ryanne's mother. She loves it.	A blue and multicolored handspun, multidirectional scarf. I gave this to Ryanne's father as a combo Christmas & birthday present.
Finished a hat out of multicolored handspun from roving I purchased at Rhinebeck last year. It's pretty shades of blues and greens. I made it for the Tamarra the temp that left work and now is in school in NH. I need to make her some mittens too and I will mail them to her.	Finished a Shetland lace scarf in greens & orange hand painted Merino from the NH Sheep show. It's for Ryanne for Christmas	Started and finished a quick multi-directional scarf out of the same green homespun for the other temp at work (Tamarra) who was leaving. She's going to school in NH so she'll need it.
Knit another hat for Ryanne. This one larger and out of green homespun. I added a few stripes of orange to make it the colors of the Irish flag. She's very Irish.	A blue hat with pink embroidered flowers and beads. I gave it to another girl at work for her toddler daughter.	Little basket weave socks for a toddler. I gave the to a girl at work for her 18 month old daughter.
A hat for Ryanne out of some blue Merino. I think it's too small though.	A homespun wool scarf in Autumn colors using a Shetland lace pattern. It's my first attempt at lace and I'm enjoying it.	Socks. Two pairs. One for me and I gave the other to Ryanne.
Made a quick scarf to wear to work out of the recycled silk I purchased on vacation.	Ryanne has the green sweater. I haven't seen it or her for a while. I have no idea what stage it is at. She was lengthening the sleeves (I have very short arms) and adding volume to the neck.	Socks. Blue & green variegated yarn. I gave them to Ryanne
Multidirectional Diagonal scarf out of brown homespun wool and alpaca. I gave it to Jack the Therapist. He didn't have a scarf.	Finished the never ending cardigan turned vest! The buttons are sewn on, I just have to make button holes and block it.	Pair of mittens for a child. They are knit out of Blue Wool-Ease from Lion Brand so they will be washable. I gave them to Chef Dave at work for his little boy Michael.
A multidirectional diagonal scarf for Dennis out of blue homespun wool.	A scarf for the scarf swap at our spinning guild made out of a mohair blend I purchased at Rhinebeck and some blue homespun wool.	Mittens for the girl who lives down the street made out of brown alpaca and a wool in autumnal colors.
Another hat for my chiropractor's baby out of multicolored acrylic..	Blue mittens to match the scarf for Ryanne	A simple gray winter hat. It's from the Border Leicester fleece that I bought last year. It's for LP for Christmas.
A turquoise blue wool and silk blend scarf for Ryanne.	Socks out of hand painted wool in lovely muted, "desert" colors. I inadvertently washed them and the wool felted. I now have slipper socks.	A grass green colored angora & alpaca simple raglan sweater
Hot pink hat for my chiropractor's baby.	A cowl from a blend of Cotswold wool and alpaca.	A glittery scarf with yarn purchased from Threadbear.
Hat for Dennis of homespun charcoal gray Corridale wool.	An ugly brown sweater for Dennis out of a mix of homespun wools. He loves it	Multicolored socks for me.