If it's not one thing, it's two

This past week, I have been fighting off the respiratory crud that has been going around. Then, to top that, I picked up a 24-hour bug (probably a norovirus) that laid me low. So not a lot of progress on fiber projects, at least not what I had hoped for.

Knitting: The knitting portion of the L-Bag is complete. I started knitting handles in i-cord, but I am not completely sold on that idea. The purse handles at Jo-Ann were a bunch of nothing burgers, but I saw some nice ones on Etsy. Undecided.
Spinning: Still spinning Shetland for that cardigan.
Needle felting: I want to finish up the fairy house from the class I took. The roof is now attached but it looks more like a hat than a roof. Contemplating how to correct that.
Weaving: Still working on the tote bag. The back will have stripes that match up with the flossa stripes on the front.

A big thank you to Janice for her comment last week. Some people tell me they are "good as new" after hip surgery, so it is good to get a reality check from the other end of the spectrum. I am almost back to where I was prior to overdoing it, but am careful not to repeat that fiasco. I have been overly optimistic and impatient, which only invites setbacks. Lesson learned.

One step forward, two steps back

A week ago, I was doing great, almost not needing the cane at all. Then apparently I overdid it. I went back to the walker for a couple of days, am back on the cane but not making much progress, let alone getting back to where I was. I called the phone nurse, who assured me this was normal. We'll see. The worry wart part of my brain assumes something catastrophic is wrong. I see the doctor in about ten days, so time (and x-rays) will tell.

A similar setback occurred with the L-Bag. First, my projected finish time was off because I neglected to notice that one of the final steps stated to repeat the previous two steps NINE times. Also, I decided to knit the bottom in all walnut, not noticing that there was a slight color change between 1-oz skeins. At first I told myself, It's the bottom of the bag; no one will notice. The problem is *I* notice. So I tinked back and am now close to being done for real, finishing in henna instead of walnut.

Knitting: Still almost done with the L-Bag.
Spinning: Basically done with the first "ball" of Jamieson Light Grey top; divided the next one into 1-oz bits. I find I can spin an ounce in about a half hour, which is my daily goal.
Weaving: I think I am finished with the front half of the tote bag, which is mostly flossa. I'm debating on whether to add another row of flossa, but frankly, I am flossa'd out. The back half will be plain weave, which theoretically should go much faster.
Needle felting: I've been working on a bag my granddaughter started, covering her previous embellishments. I think it is ready for her new artwork. I'm going to encourage her to sketch out a design first, like "professional" artists do.

While I haven't picked up my tapestry class again, I did watch a recorded webinair by Rebecca Mezoff (the instructor) about designing for weaving. She is basically flogging a new course she offers, BUT there was still some useful information in the video.

Finishitis?

I don't know why, but instead of suffering from startitis - the urge to start new projects left and right - I feel a case of finishitis coming on. I hope so. When I look at my WIPs in Ravelry, I'm a little embarrassed.

Knitting: I am almost done with the knitting portion of the L-Bag. I predict that by Tuesday, I could be felting.
Needle felting: Dill is done (see previous post).
Spinning: I purchased a lot more Jamieson Shetland top from Little Shop of Spinning, so I will continue spinning that for now. I think the last skein I spun is not super bulky, but that's okay because besides the cardigan, I plan to knit some accessories.
Weaving: I am hoping to commit to WEAVE EVERY DA*N DAY, just like I spin and knit nearly everyday.

Which WIPs should I queue up while I am feeling the urge to eliminate them from the to-do pile?

Knitting: There is the Veronika cardigan that needs just a bit of mattress stitch to be wearable. Also, a self-designed cape languishing in a bag by the recliner.
Needle felting: My granddaughter needle felted a bag, but now wants to redo the embellishments; I can cover up her previous work so she can accomplish that. And then there is the fairy house from the class I took that needs a roof... still.
Weaving: I have a tote bag on a loom that stalled. Also, time to get back into gear re the tapestry class I am enrolled in. Oh, and a pillow cover to finish. And a pillow top. And some triangle pieces to piece together. And will I ever return to inkle weaving?!?
Fiber prep: There is a scoured fleece to finish carding, plus three fleeces in the garage, just waiting for the right moment.
Dyeing: This is a must do - prep for a presentation to the weaving guild on natural dyeing. GULP! I also want to finish my experiment dyeing with false indigo.

Wow. That is a lot of work fun just waiting to happen. I may outsource some of the fleece prep. One thing I AM going to outsource is adding a zipper to my bog jacket; lucky me, a LYS owner does finishing work.

Do YOU have any fiber goals for 2020?

Dill is done

In case you don't have a YouTube-obsessed kid in your life, you might not know that Pickle the dinosaur is the hottest item around. My granddaughter just HAD to have one, but of course they were sold out. When I saw the picture, I said I could make that. "Noooo, Grandma, you have to be able to sew and it's made of plush!" Well, I could needle felt one. "But Pickle comes with a birth certificate and a tee shirt." Well, so what? I can still make one.

I thought maybe the granddaughter had forgotten about what I said, but the next time she came to my house, she asked about the dino who came to be known as Dill, Pickle's little sister. I tried to get her interested in helping more with the needle felting, but she just doesn't have the patience for crafts yet.

Initially, the granddaughter was a bit obsessed with Dill looking exactly like Pickle. But once I finished the body and added the green "skin", she took over, adding embellishments like a scarf and boots.

I tidied the embellishments a bit, plus added a flower on one side of Dill's rump, but otherwise, the extra bits were from the granddaughter. She is quite enamored with Dill, even though Pickle is now pre-ordered for a March delivery.

Last night I took Dill to the weavers guild meeting (there is a side group working on 2-D needle felting). The response was "AWWWWW!" I'll take Dill to the spinners guild meeting so my needle felting instructor can see what I have wrought. Then Dill will go home with the granddaughter - and hopefully stay out of the paws of her dogs.

That 70's Kitchen socks

I am guilty of choosing colorways based on their names. While I would have thought the colors for this colorway should be avocado green, harvest gold, and burnt orange, I still liked the way they look. I also liked the sunny yellow I used for the toes, heels, and cuff. So cheerful!

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Sock, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Company Poste Yarn Striping in 'That 70's Kitchen', Simply Socks Yarn Company Simply Sock in 'Golden'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

These were specifically for a friend who decided I needed her Roomba. That's a fair trade, right? Handknit socks for a Roomba? The swap occurred tonight. The previous pair of socks I knit her developed a hole in the heel, probably because they were knit too small. Because I have big feet, I think everyone else has small feet, but this is not so. I knit this pair to fit me, so they should be comfy on her. And last longer.

Included in tonight's swap was the holey pair of socks. I'm not sure I can repair them, so I might turn them into a pair of fingerless mitts.

New hip, new year, new hair

My gray hair doesn't hold color very well, but that doesn't stop my stylist from trying once in a while. She actually *sampled* the dye on a snip of my hair from a previous haircut; the magenta came out a soft pink. We'll see how long it lasts.

Pay no attention to the grimace - I'm selfie challenged

Knitting: The socks are finished! (Separate post pending.) So now I am free to return to the L-bag.
Needle felting: The order arrived from Living Felt, so Dill now has lime green "skin" plus a dorsal ridge of darker green. And hands? Paws? Something at the ends of the front legs.
Spinning: YES! I have returned to spinning, only after rearranging the studio a bit in order to be able to enter the room without taking a fall. It's back to the light grey Shetland from Jamieson.

Life is becoming a bit more normal. I am transitioning from the walker to a cane, which enables me to do more. For example, today I fetched the mail (the postal box is across the street from my driveway), filled the bird feeders, cleaned the litter boxes (my SO gifted me with a metal long-handled scooper), watered houseplants, baked scones, etc. In another week or so, I may even try driving. Woohoo!