One down and one to go

I hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend. At this homestead, there were people and food, but the most important part is the people. We don't need a holiday to bring friends and family together, but it is a good excuse.

Now that the dining room table is not needed for a while, I moved the inkle loom back there. The only reason it was clamped to the coffee table in the den was for Zooming and for the online inkle class - I need to be close to the modem if not actually physically attached to it for video to come through without interuption. It's not an ideal setup, though, for weaving or for watching TV.

(Some of my visitors came bearing gifts. See the xmas cactus in the background? That's new.)

Knitting: Each half of the Habitation throw is as big as the other, but I want it to be larger and I want to use up more yarn, so I will keep going for now.

I'm still busy with physical therapy. My shoulder feels almost normal, there is zero pain, and I feel at least five years younger. My energy is returning as well. A lot to be grateful for.

Ow

The physical therapist added strengthening exercises to my routine and I can do them only every other day because they leave me sore and achy. But it is a different kind of pain than what I experienced from the osteoarthritis or the surgery - it's a healing pain. Functionality continues to improve.

Knitting: Still working on the Habitation throw. The second half has almost caught up with the first.

Weaving: The waffle weave washcloths are off the loom! (I had to finish weaving them to clear the dining room table.)

I no longer experience any discomfort when knitting or when weaving on the SampleIt loom. Maybe I will try the inkle loom next, as it is clamped to the coffee table in front of the TV, still warped with the turned Krokbragd sheep from the workshop I took in September. I bought a pair of overalls and would like to add some inkle bands to make them truly mine.

Have a safe holiday weekend!

A slave to my body

It feels like all I do these days is physical therapy. I meet with the therapist twice a week for an hour, but am expected to perform the exercises on my own three times a day. So far, I have been fairly faithful with this practice, but I also still do PT for my back and my hip. Most of the shoulder exercises are stretches, and while I don't feel like I am making much progress, functionality is returning. Maybe someday I will be able to shave my armpits again.

Knitting: Plugging along on the Habitation throw.
Weaving: One wash cloth is woven. There should be enough warp for three more.

This past Friday I received my Covid booster shot; no side effects except for a sore arm. Cases are up in the US, but moreso locally. Right now, it is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. I continue to mask while out and about, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the car, and avoid crowds. Be safe!

Back in the swing of things (mostly)

The surgeon cleared me for knitting and weaving - huzzah! In fact, after I demonstrated the movements involved in weaving, he considered them good therapy for my shoulder. Otherwise, I've been doing everyday things like cooking and cleaning and repotting houseplants. Physical therapy starts on Monday.

Knitting: I'm back at the Habitation throw. I find that two rows is about all I can do at one time. Those knitting muscles need to be rebuilt.
Weaving: I warped the Ashford SampleIt loom for more waffle weave washcloths.

This afternoon, about a dozen of us from the local spinning guild spent several hours at the Wabash Woollen Works; separate post to follow. I had visited them once before, with the weaving guild. The trip seemed wasted on the weavers, as many of them don't work with wool. I thought it would be a great idea for the spinning guild, though, and I was right.

I am now officially off my fiber diet.