Time to Go

I picked up my warp at the guild meeting last week for the Bobby Irwin iridescence two-day workshop the end of this month. She called it a color lottery in the instructions and I think I won it. All her colors were great but I'm in love with these. She'll bring the weft yarns when she comes. This is only my second workshop and it's going to be fantastic.

I've lost interest in knitting for the moment. I have two sweaters near completion and I can't make me pick up either one, so I thought I'd return to some Kumihimo braiding to provide me with some handwork. I had bought this turquoise cord from Kareen Huntoon last year and used it with some beads I already have.

The beads are more in the lavendar colorway but I think they have enough variety to work fine - not too matchy matchy. The instructions that came with a kit that I bought from her a while ago said she provided enough thread for a 20" necklace, but that she preferred the17" length. I've made two 20" necklaces and don't wear either one - too long. This one is shorter and I think I'll actually get some use out of it.

I got a call a couple days ago from a local artist named Jan Horton. She's looking for white crimpy wool to use for "woodland" the santas she makes and her friend in Fallon gave her my phone number. I was trying to think what I had that might to suit her purpose and then I remembered this bag of Romney wool that I got from Terry Mendenhall, about eight years ago. It was from the swag that our sheep-to-shawl team received and divied up among us. I was spinning a lot at the time and planned to put this to use, though I never got past washing it.

I sent her a couple of photos and she was thrilled - said it's exactly what she has been looking for. I forgot to ask her to message me a photo but the santas are fantastic, 10" tall with faces she sculpts with Fimo clay. She'll get a lot of mustaches, beards and eyebrows from this sack of wool.

I really enjoyed meeting her and found she's a reader too so we also ended up talking about books. I showed her the bag I made for craft fairs to put my cash and phone in. She said this is something I could sell at Ryries and suggested I stop in her shop for a chat. She also bought four bars of soap and thought Ryrie would be interested in it as well. I'll follow up on that after we get home.
I was hoping the inserted eye heddles I ordered from Gowdy Reed Company in Rhode Island would have come before we leave in the morning, but no. They were just shipped Friday. I've been planning to sell my Dorset workship loom after this workshop because I can't stand the Texsolv heddles and couldn't find metal ones. Someone on the 4-Shaft group told about this company and sure enough, he has them in 8 1/2" - I'm going to have a wonderful little loom after I put those on. They'll be waiting for me when I get home.
I had my cortisone epidural Friday morning at the St Mary's outpatient surgical center. Holy Cow! It's not small deal. I had the option of sedation and was pretty happy to learn that I could opt for a local pain killer instead. I had some moderate relief within the next day. Someone from the center called to check up on my today and said that today being the third day after the injection is probably the first relief I'll feel from it, the prior relief being from the local. She said that over the next week I should experience improvement every day. I hope it's not too much to hope for being pain free and a return of full motion.
I have to finish packing and then I'll ice my neck again. So far so good with the promise of even better. We're off to NYC in the morning! I guess there are still flight delays from the fire started in a Chicago control tower but we'll get there eventually. Time to go!

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Heck of a Thing

I finished another Kumihimo project and am really pleased with the outcome.  This time the cord and beads are of my choosing instead of from a kit.  My life has been so much fun since retirement.  I'm excited about the library job and was really looking forward to subbing for the 6th grade ESL kids yesterday.  I had a plan for potty breaks and was looking forward to the Athens and Sparta role play.  I had another story selected that I was pretty sure they'd love to hear and thought we do a couple of Mad Libs after lunch.

I jumped into the car just as it was turning light yesterday morning and started off on my customary hour drive to town.  I hadn't been on the road but about 15 minutes when I realized I felt a little off,  Within ten minutes it occurred to me that I was a little headed.  I rolled down the windows in the event I had a carbon monoxide leak, even though it was 24 degrees outside. I could see my breath.   By the time I hit the half hour mark I was driving directly into the rising sun which is always difficult but I already realized that I had full-blown dizziness.  The traffic had slowed and I was now alarmed that my reflexes might not be adequate.  I decided I needed to get medical help.  I left the freeway at Parr Boulevard, intending to drive myself to the St Mary's ER, but I finally had to acknowledge that it wasn't safe to drive that far and pulled over to call 911.  Then I realized that I had just passed the Sheriffs Office and went back there.

They were awesome.  It was really early so a lot of doors were locked but when I found the woman at the counter in the waiting area, I told me that I just needed to sit down, that I had been driving and but had become dizzy.  She asked if I wanted her to call an ambulance and I said not at the moment.  What transpired is that the jail nurse came up and made an evaluation, then called my doctor with her information.  He said the blood sugar was normal, as was my heart rate but my pulse was elevated, probably as a result of my alarm.  He diagnosed a viral inner ear infection, which he said was going around now.  The very nice nurse and a deputy were prepared to stay with me until Ian came, but he called a friend who is head of records in the jail who came out to get me and had me stay in her comfortable office while I waited.  She offered me coffee but the nurse told me that until it cleared up, caffeine would be a bad idea.  I leaned this morning how right she was.

Somewhere in there I called Ian who snagged a neighbor to drive the extra vehicle home.  He called the school for me and they were *not* happy.  I was so disappointed - by everything.  We missed the party at Red Rock Ranch last night.  I missed my guild potluck today - a celebration of our 40th birthday with everyone in 70s attire - and we will miss a party tonight at Joe's pottery studio.  I have medicine for the vertigo and nausea, have realized that caffeine is not my friend, and have settled down wait this out.  My doc says I should feel better in a week,which means Ian is now my temporary chauffeur.  I'm disappointed but not unhappy.  The outcome could have much different.