Apoligies Tendered

I do apologize for not posting in over a week. I have been busy and, for at least four days of the time, I was away from home and away from my computer. I will do my best not to be away so long again. (I make that promise to myself, and to anyone else that wants to be included.)

Last Wednesday evening my brother and nephew brought my treadmill over from my parents'. My mother gave me the treadmill back in April but I've had trouble finding help in getting it over to my place. I also only recently convinced my husband to let me bring it here. Now that I have it here, I have to start using it!

I spent the day at my parents' home Thursday with my brother, nephew and his two year old son. I then spent the night at my parents' home. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I house sat for my friend while she was out of town. I know, BORING.

On the third Tuesday or Wednesday of every month I go to a local church and get help from their food pantry. On any given Saturday, usually the last one of the month, I go to another church's Comfort Kitchen for lunch and help from their pantry. Our situation has developed in such a way that where we once only had to seek help with food once in a while, we now need to do it every month. I hate it. I wish we didn't have to do it. I am, however, grateful that there are places to get help from. If there is a food bank in your area and you are able, please donate.

I have started oldest son's birthday and Christmas gifts, a skinny tie and a pair of socks. (It's ok, he doesn't read the blog!) I have started my mom's Christmas gift, a Swedish Weave blanket/throw in her living room colors. I have youngest son's gift started, a red and white and blue afghan. Dad's gift is about halfway done, a red "Reader's Wrap". I have a handful of cowls made for generic female gifts for whomever. I have a neck scarf about a third done for whomever. Then there is the several UFO's that I have going.........but they'll have to be fitted in in between gift knitting, or so I am telling myself now.

Well I must go for now. Until next time, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan  

Nailed!

Just a quickie.

I am getting back into doing my nails, and in doing nail art. For the most part I won't clog the blog, so to speak, with that. That will be on my Insta Gram account. Look for me there I am @Caffinna on Insta Gram. Just for this time, here's my current mani!

All Tied Up

The night before last I couldn't sleep so I was awake all night. Then I was up all day yesterday. Then yesterday evening I laid down at 7:30 just for a few minutes. I woke up at 10 and took my bedtime medicine and went to bed by 10:45. I slept until around 10 am this morning. Hopefully I'll sleep ok tonight.

The local yarn shop owner is taking tomorrow and Saturday off because her grandson is in town. She asked if a friend and I would watch the shop tomorrow. So I'll be at the yarn shop tomorrow. I just wish I had enough cash to eat lunch out. As it is I'll have a delicious bologna and ham sandwiches to eat!

I am knitting a necktie! A skinny necktie. My oldest son said he'd wear one, I've been wanting to knit one, so I've started on it. I am adapting the pattern in the Early Fall 2014 edition of "Vogue Knitting". (The picture is on page 53, and the pattern begins on page 85.) I am not using the color, brand, or exact fiber content of the requested yarn. I shopped in my stash instead and am using Red Heart, Heart and Sole yarn in the Faded Jeans color. I am also not doing the color/yarn changes the pattern calls for. I am using a self striping yarn and feel that that is more than enough for my first tie.

                                                             A picture of the tie so far.

I haven't but half an inch left to knit on the front ribbing and my vest will be done. Well ok, the knitting on it will be. I'll still have to weave in the ends and block it, but it's almost done. Maybe I can get it done tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I have a few items that I actually have the knitting finished, I just have to weave in ends and block them. Not many granted, but a few. I then have quite a handful of ufo's {Un Finished Objects} that I need to tackle. Yeah I know, shut up and get to work on them.

Until later, I'll be stitching madly.
Jan

Friday

Well I spent the entire day upstairs. I didn't go downstairs even once. I stuck my head out the door once, but didn't even step out on the landing. Not even once! Why? It's blooming hot. The central ac doesn't and hasn't, in the nearly 7 years we've lived here, work right. So the window ac in the upstairs window is the only working ac in the house. In other words, upstairs is the only cool place in the house with a temp of 94 f outside! Yup, I am a heat wiener.

I played with nail polish and doing my nails today. Naturally that means I didn't work on kiddo's, youngest son, crochet birthday blanket. I so want to work on other stuff for awhile. Yup I have it the "Bored and Wanna Move On" phase of working on the blanket. If I could manage to make myself work on it steady like, without delays during the days I work on it, I could get this done quickly. I, however, keep hitting the antsy boredom thing and delay is the game. I keep telling myself maybe a little off would help. But I know it likely won't.

I go tomorrow to stay the night at a friend's house. She is allergic to wool and is going to give me the wool and wool blend sock yarn in her stash. Yah! Free yarn! Plus she wants helps doing some things around the house. I can help, even without the free yarn.

Well until later, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan 

Just A Little Stupid

I was working on my laptop, cruising online doing whatever, when our power flickered off and back on quickly. I tried to get my laptop to come back on to no avail. I texted friends for help, and nothing worked. I called the HP support line and we tried a few things and nothing was working. Then the tech suggests that I move the power cord to another plugin. I go to do this only to discover that the power cord wasn't plugged in to at all! LOL! I told the tech on the phone this and he was as nice as nice could be. Since the computer is less than a month old, has 235 days left on warranty, the tech took remote control of my computer and updated some programs, downloaded some needed stuff, cleaned up, and in general tuned up my laptop. So all is well, even if I do feel a little bit stupid!

I  am back to doing my best to counting points on Weight Watchers. I have been off it for awhile and it's a little tuff getting back to it. However, if I want to get this excess weight off I had best get back to work at it.

A friend of mine has learned that she is allergic to wool. She has a number of wool and wool blend yarns in her stash. She has said that she'll give me the sock yarn that is wool and/or wool blend. I hope to convince her to sell me the bag of Tonalita that she has, but we'll see about that one.

My councilor wants me to share my poetry with her next week at our appointment. I said no problem. I post it online where anyone can see it so why not share it with her as well!  (By the way, the poetry blog is" Words On The Edge Of Maddness " if you want to check it out.)

Until later, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan

Just Another Day

Yesterday I spent the day at the local yarn shop. I was crocheting on a red, white, and blue afghan for my youngest son who turns 24 today. I don't know the name of the pattern offhand, but I think of it as the Wedding Blanket pattern because when I got married the first time my mother's friend gave me a afghan of this pattern. With any luck I bought enough yarn and will be able to finish within a week or so.

After this afghan it's back to finishing ufo's. I have a vest, a couple of cowels, several shawls, a couple of bags, and that's just the stuff I can recall off of the top of my head!

Today is a bit stormy and a day to stay inside watch tv, and knit/crochet. Until later, I'll be stitching madly.
Jan

Words of Wisdom

I wanted to write some wonderful words of inspiration and/or wisdom. But when I try I come up blank. I don't know who I was wanting to impress. I am not the wise and inspiring type I don't think. On a one to one basis I can cheer you on. Impart words that help to inspire. Offer support when it is needed. But here and now, in this forum, I don't know who I was wanting to impress.

Today was uneventful in the extreme. I spent the entire day upstairs. I didn't venture downstairs once, not one single time! I sat upstairs and made one attempt after another at starting the red, white, and blue afghan. I would start then decide against that pattern so I'd start over. I tried crochet patterns. I tried knitting patterns. Always the same end, ripping out and starting over. I have one more, a crochet pattern, that I am going to try tonight before calling it a day.

I often complain about my husband, about his cantankerous demeanor. But when you get down to it I wouldn't change him for the world! He loves me, and in spite of his grumpiness, I love him with all my heart. So do me a favor, go hug your Shrek and I'll hug mine!

Until next time, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan

A Gathering of Needles

I spent the better part of the day knitting and hanging out at the local yarn shop. A group gathers there Tuesday thru Saturday when the shop is open for business and knits, and sometimes someone crochets. For twenty dollars a month you can do this as often as you like and get help with your knitting. At lunchtime you can either bring your lunch, or we order carry out and bring it in for lunch. It's not just a knitting group, it's a gathering of friends.

 Oftentimes there will be group projects that a bunch of the ladies will choose to do together. Recently was a vest that a number of decided to do. I am behind and just now getting to the final bit of knitting on my vest. A number of ladies are about to begin an afghan of patchwork squares. While I am doing an afghan, mine isn't the group project, my afghan is a striped chevron pattern that I found on Ravelry. There have been quite a number of group projects over the eight or so years that I have been going there.

Speaking of knitting projects, I have quite a number of UFO's: Un Finished Objects. (I also have some crochet ufo's as well.) I need, or rather should, start working on some of them and getting at least a few done and off of the list. Here's just a few, and I mean just a few: crocheted multi colored shawl; mohair green fichu shawl; off white fichu shawl; green leaf shawl; small OSU Knook bag; small OSU Ipad bag; striped sweater; red, white, and blue afghan; purples afghan; and these are just the things off of the top of my head!

Well I need to get back to my knitting. Until next time, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan 

Knitting Purple

Next year's family reunion will be the 20th Annual Family Reunion. We, the family as a whole, discussed doing some extra things as a way to celebrate. I am doing something on my own to help celebrate. I am knitting an afghan. A purple afghan. There's at least two family members who LOVE   purple, so I am hoping this afghan will be sought after in the silent auction.

 Anyway, the pattern I am using is a zig zag or chevron. I am not using the yarn or colors in the pattern, but I am using the striping sequencing: 20 rows color A, Encore color # 2426; 4 rows color B, Encore color # 7400; 16 rows color C, Encore color # 1033; 8 rows color D, Bentley color # 12; 20 rows color E.Encore color # 1308; repeat sequence. I have enough yarn to make a large throw or small/medium afghan. Hopefully it'll earn some money for the reunion next year.

I have other knitting projects started, too many to mention (lol), but the afghan is the project of the moment. I don't know what else I'll work up for the reunion, but I will work up something.

Until another time, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan

More Tomorrow

I was home from the family reunion for two days then spent a week away house/animal sitting for a friend. And as of yesterday, I am back home again.

My mother and I spend a day together, a girls day out if you will, each month. We eat lunch out, go shopping at "Sam's Club"{SC} (in Joplin, MO) for bargains, and this month because it's bigger, has a wider selection of items, and lower prices than the local the store, we added grocery shopping at Walmart (in Joplin, MO). July's day was  yesterday, on the first.

We ate lunch at "The Olive Garden". We each had their unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks. We ordered a small order of hot marinara sauce to eat with our breadsticks. I highly recommend you try this as it is yummy! Each of us had a bowl (and a bit) of salad. I can't recall the name of the two soups we each ate, but one had sausage, kale, and potatoes in it. While the other was an Italian chicken and dumpling type of soup. They were both yummy. I also can't recall the name of our desert, but it was to die for!

Over the last three months I have managed to stock up and save a great deal of money by shopping at SC. I purchased two different generic allergy medicines at SC spending less than what I normally spent for a month's worth for the local generic but getting over a year's worth of the medicines each! I bought 9 month's worth of foil for what I had been spending for three months worth. I'll save you from the whole list, but I have a list of things I want to stock up on, and slowly but surely I'll stock up on them at SC!

There's sure to be more tomorrow, until then....I'll be stitching madly!
Jan