So Much Going On

Little Sharon and Noah came up from San Francisco, arriving the same day that Petey left.  We went back to Tumolo Falls - it's too spectacular to miss.  Sharon and Noah rode with Missy and Logan.  Logan came because he wanted to drive so Noah got to ride shotgun and the girls visited in the backseat.  Then the next day they went to Sharc, a water park in Sun River, and I think everyone had a good visit in spite of it being so short.

Chrissie and her family will arrive on Friday to spent a week.  Friday is Kiernan's 17th birthday which we will celebrate with a barbecue.  I am so looking forward to Friday.  I haven't seen my daughter and her family since last September - can't wait!

Sunday Ian and I went to our tai chi school for their annual open house and we are both so glad we did.  It went from noon to 3:00 and cemented our commitment to this discipline.  The school teaches Waishu to the kids because, as our instructor explained, tai chi is too slow and boring for them.  It's an acrobatic form of martial arts and best of all the kids absolutely love it.  Of all days to happen, my phone, i.e., camera, ran out of juice - kicking self.  The most important video for me was the adults 32 form with swords.  Bummer.  We're going to enroll in the form 8 class starting in August and put all the exercises we've been learning into practice.

My weaving has suffered in all of this activity but the space-dyed bamboo yarn scarf is finally finished.

And my sample 8-shaft tea towels are finished and since there's a treading error, I'm not selling them. I just wanted an excuse to keep them.  They really fit our kitchen.  This week I was skimming through past Handwoven issues and found the one with the weave-along for this draft that I thought was my own original idea.  They did it in 2011.  It just goes to show you that there is nothing new under the sun.

I've started winding another warp for dishtowels with these colors to weave on Maudie Mae.

Both looms are empty so I'm going to use this 3/2 cotton and get a baby blanket warp on Arthur.  My plans are vague to me right now, but I have my pondering cap on.  I guess it's pretty apparent what my favorite colors are, not that you'd see me wear any of them.

Meanwhile I'm receiving several "alternative therapy" opportunities, free to me through the Cancer Center, including the Reiki appointment I have in the morning. These are offered to me as a radiation patient but it's my neck that's enjoying the benefit.  I'm also enrolled in private two-hour sessions of Restorative Yoga once a week, also for neck mobility.  I am half way through radiation with a targeted end date of July 20th.  I'm going to celebrate that day by planting a cool plant, yet to be determined.

March Forth

Actually, it's March 5th.  I went to yoga this morning for the first time in two weeks.  I had a wonderful session and am getting that much closer to full mobility of my neck.  I stayed indoors for that two weeks and have bested the sinus infection, though I suspect a cough will hang on a bit longer.  I know tomorrow will be a rough day and I'll count on taking a muscle relaxer.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I had planned to drive to Barnes and Noble for a new world atlas when I realized that our local indie bookstore is right across the street.  After my yoga hour, I walked across the street and bought the only world atlas they had, a National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World.  My old one has a unified German, but it also has Yugoslavia and the USSR.  It's definitely time to update!

On my way home I stopped for a picture of the Shoe Tree, which is once again at about full capacity. Right about now someone will come along and clear it out.  I don't know who that "someone" is, but the tree is in California - a Californian?

I had finished weaving this yesterday, washed it and hung it to dry and fluff up.  After I got home I trimmed the fringe and pressed it on the mini mangle.

The scarves from handspun yarn are turning out better and better so that after each one I say - this is my favorite yet.  But this really is!  I love the pops of white from the undyed silk noil.

I was knitting on this scarf while Ian drove me to physical therapy and finished it quite some time ago. It's from two skeins of a cashmere blend that were gifted to me years ago.  I know I'll never wear it even though it feels heavenly.  I've decided to set it aside for that time when I'm asked to donate an item for a silent auction fund raiser.

I'm getting bold and reckless on scarves.  I spun up some hand-dyed alpaca that I got from Bhakti Banning at Spindle Camp last summer as part of a fiber exchange.  It's really hairy so I plied it with 16/2 bamboo. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Meanwhile, after all the mass of stash that Melissa left behind last August, I'm finally to the bottom of it.  This is the last 2.5 ounces and I blended up everything together.

I'm not truly completely out of stash.  She also left this 50/50 silk/wool roving.  I haven't wanted to spin it until I was sure what I wanted.  She left me another one that spun up last year and plied on itself.  The colors turned to mud and I have no idea what I'll be able to do with it.  I have clear plans for this - it's gorgeous!

Maddie finds the darndest things to crawl into.  I ran into the bedroom to grab that scarf and found her curled up inside Ian's jean for a nap.  I sure do enjoy my kitty, lucky me.