Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Just a Little Behind


I have cast on again (more times than I care to admit), my March socks.

I am only a little behind in my 12 Pairs in 2014 attempt.


February  - Husbands socks - still on the needles, they are for my husband and he has HUGE feet!!!  I am on the home stretch, doing a 2x2 rib for the leg.  Will stop when I run out of yarn!  And did I tell you, his feet are HUGE!


April - yarn (here and here) picked out.  Thinking of random stripes of semi-matched for my niece.

May - nope, but May isn't here, yet!

I have until the END of may.  Although it is almost the 5th month of the year, and I've only gotten one pair of socks completed, I'm really not that far behind.  Am I?

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

I Can Only Hope

Last week I saw a doctor that specializes in hormone balancing.
At my first meeting, the doctor informed me it sounded like I was suffering from Estrogen Dominance.

Every concern I have, since BEFORE my hysterectomy, is on the list.

Foggy thinking?  Uh, ya think?!  There have been days it has taken me HOURS, and untold trips up our stairs, just to put on socks (that day, my FitBit recorded 25 flights of stairs!).  I will go upstairs to our bedroom to get an item, see something amiss, like a messy bed, fix it, and go down stairs, only to realize, sometimes hours later, I didn't get missing item.  I have gone to work without make-up!

Fatigue/lack of motivation?  WOW!  I have never been so far behind in my Special Education paperwork.  I work 10 hour days, go in on weekends and, between the mental fog, and lack of motivation, I will "work" for hours, and get nothing done. I come home, eat dinner and off to bed I go.  I have slept more than 9 hours a night. 

The combination of mental fog and lack of motivation have caused me to have periods of time where I am not sitting doing nothing, not taking a nap, but NOTHING gets done.  I used to get more done before I leave in the morning for work, than some people do all day.  A couple loads of laundry, dishwasher unloaded, school work completed, lunches made, dinner planned.  I have no clue where my time goes. 

Today I will get results of blood work and further information on treatment.  She prescribed progesterone cream, which I began Saturday.  I am already feeling the mental fog lift. 

Yesterday, at work, despite no prep time, I still got a lot of  "behind the scenes" things done.  After students left, I was able to clear my desk, straighten the classroom, prepare for the next day, pack up work to take home, and leave, in under an hour (a task that has taken me up to two hours, and I return in the morning to a messy classroom).  Last night, for the first time I can remember this year, I was able to sit at my dining room table after dinner, and work on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  This morning I finished the IEP, and it is ready.  The IEP meeting is scheduled for Thursday - I don't recall a time this school year I've been ready for an IEP meeting so far in advance!

I am so hopeful that the old me is back!  I can only hope!  I am going to take my shower early, and see if I can read the paperwork on a new student before I leave for work!

Monday, April 7, 2014

A Day of Appointments and Knitting (a look at WIP)

I took today off from school/work.

Mom has had her driving privileges revoked due to a medical issue.  She has several appointments this week and was able to arrange most of them for today.  Tomorrow, my brother gets to play taxi.

I am not one who carries a knitting project with me at all times, today, I am wondering what I should bring as I'm seeing some down time between appointments.

I was am attempting to knit 12 pairs of socks in 2014.  I had visions of catching up on my socks during Spring Break, but dug out my wheel after acquiring a box of roving from a friend.

I think I should re-cast on my March socks.  They were frogged when I noticed an error in the lace pattern.  They were being knit two at a time.  I see them being completed on dpn's.

2014 - March Hawaiian Snow Daze
While envisioning getting back to my March socks, I realized I never finished my February socks.  They are worsted weight, toe up, heel has been turned, working on the gusset decrease.
2014 -  February - Dennis' green boot socks

There is always the Birch Leaf Shawl, which was started July 2012, or not!

Birch Leaf Shawl
 And then I have only the sleeves to finish on Lucy Cardigan.  It is far too large the haul around.......

Lucy
Can't drag my wheel with me, so spinning is out.

I think the winner is my February socks, but the yarn from the March socks is so yummy and reminds me of our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

FO - Journey into Faux-lags

Last half of the faux-lags gray to blue
 A fellow fiber-friend had to leave the state of Alaska rather quickly due to a family emergency.  She was looking for someone to buy some of her fiber.  I purchased a large box from her, sight-unseen.  In the box was a container of what she called "faux-lags).

While opening the container, I dropped it and mixed up her lovely faux-lags, so had attempt to re-order them, having no clue what their original order was.


They were a dream to spin with and I got a lovely thin thread.  I had visions of knitting something that had the color shift from one to the other.  My only choice of plying was to chain-ply (aka: Navajo-Ply).

I had never heard "faux-lags" and had visions of her combing all the fiber and rollling into roll-lags.  Not so, my pretty! Very quick, Check it out here on youtube!

I got 357 yarns of yummy BLF from deep brown to teal blue.  Found an easy pattern on Ravelry, called Old Shale Smoke Ring, for the yarn (one of those wonderful knit until it's long enough or you run out of yarn, bind off patterns).

The yarn knit up into a lovely color shifting Shale Smoke Ring!



 Spinning and knitting -- is that two FO?!