I originally started this post as a “whoa is me” post to complain about unemployment, not receiving my check, and sitting in the phone queue for 5+ hours. But I take that all back.
Yes, I am furloughed, I’m yet to receive a check from UI, I will be stuck in the phone queue until I settle this issue and my furlough has been extended to January 4th. But I can’t feel sorry for myself. That’s how you get stuck and curling up in a ball and not want to do nothing for yourself. Sometimes life is harder than you expected.
I told myself at the beginning of the furlough that I would make use to this time instead of festering and becoming bitter. It’s been a tough road, the unemployment situation doesn’t help a bit. But I still want to make the best of this time. When will I get this kind of time to do something for myself, to do something creative, to make something beautiful.
I decided to write this to remind myself I have this time to do for myself. To think about life and where it may take me. Here’s my list so far I hope I can complete some of it before the end of the year. I’ll be posting my progress and going ons at the home front with the my 4 roommates (haha).
for my aloha shirt quilt
#7 in the works
from my last hike
my lucky find
crocheted net bag
produce bags
seed stitch pouch with Hawaiian print lining
Thing I’ve been doing to get to items on my list
make my aloha shirt patchwork quilt
learn to double knit
finish my strand work squares, on #8 half way there
Got an unexpected gift of yarn from a friend of my cousin, it was her aunt’s stash. It came in box filled with plastic project jars filled with patterns, yarn, needles and notes, bags of yarn, many different sizes of needles, and a yarn ball winder. What a great surprise.
Lots of the project in the jars were partially finished projects with notes annotated on patterns. She loved fuzzy yarn of good quality and I thank her so much for her love of good needles that have become part of my ragtag collection.
I’m worked through the collection to see what I could finish, what I needed to frog to because of a missing parts, what would be give-aways, and what mom wanted for her stash. I found a partially finish hat in one of the project jars and that was first to be finished off.
Partially finished brown beanie
The brown beanie was almost done, lots of notes and a great donation knit for my pile of hats to Kuakini Hospital. The yarn had a nice feel to it would keep anyone warm. Pattern was pretty easy, after I read the notes on the pattern to figure out what she altered in the pattern.
Lots of annotations
Mom decided to try her hand on some fancy yarn. I suggested doubling it with another yarn so it’s easier for her to knit. She could pass up it up. Let’s see what she comes up with.
I think it was those dots of color that sold her.
After the brown beanie, I decided to frog bag project in tones of brown. She knitted together Crystal Palace Merino Stripes and a sueded yarn. It was 3/4 of way done but there wasn’t any more of the suede yarn left. I think that’s why she probably stopped. The merino stripes is a fuzzy yarn only a crazy person (me) would have frogged it. After a bit of gentle tugging and pulling, I think I have enough for a pair of mittens. I love the antler toque pattern from #tincanknits that I bought the mitten pattern.
This color way quite beautiful–medium to dark to light
This is as far I have gotten one side just need to finish off the top of the hand section then do up the thumb. This may be my project for my upcoming trip and maybe a hat or baby blanket.
There’s are much more to this stash but I that’s far as I got with doing anything to them They are living in their project jars or waiting to be organize in a new needle folder. More to come on the knitting front. May more yarn from trip. Hah! Because I just don’t have enough.
Started this cowl, found a mistake, got irritated, frogged.
Actually been frogging most things these days. Knitting isn’t making happy. After I bought all this beautiful yarn from Japan, I’ve decide to take a break to let my knitting.
Baking and Jamming
Cooler weather brings baking and jamming–banana chocolate chip bread, caramelized onion, carrots, and pepper quiche, custard pie, pickled veggies for salads, mixed berries jam, almond shortbread, and blueberry custard pie.
Sunset, Beer and Friends
Last minute sunset outing with friends.
Keep on hiking
Sights from my many hikes at Aiea Loop Trail. Maybe one day I’ll get others to another trail.
Sleepy cats
Orange and Ollie napping around the house. Ollie is usually up high, too hard to get a shot.
I decided to knit a hat with one of the skeins from the goody bag I bought from Jimmy Bean Wool, Madelinetosh DK Twist Desert Bloom. All of my recent projects at are still on needles, mostly going backward. Lots of ripping out or total start overs, have made those project very boring. I need a break. I needed something to make me feel acomplished.
The pattern I choose was Amida from by Maiko Hikosaka. I wanted something easy-ish but cute (of course) and I like the graphic quality of the lines.
I realized from my recent projects there were many false starts. Cast-on, knit, find a mistake, read the pattern wrong, rip out mistake or total start over. This process may repeat a couple of times and this project is no exception.
To change this habit, I need to read the pattern really well, account for stitches in the instruction to make sure I understand what I’ve been asked to do. Every pattern designer has their own way of writing a pattern, and I need to read the pattern and annotate what it means in my own words. This is what a good educational content designer would do. I’m just lazy. haha.
Once I got this pattern in my head, it was very easy and the yarn was a dream to knit with. I took the project with me on my trip to Japan and finished on my first full day of the tour while on the train to the first trail.
now to weave the ends in
By the end of my hiking tour, I decided to give the hat to our tour leader. We had a conversation on the trail about Hokkaido in the fall and the winter. I thought she could make good use of it on a winter hike.
Here’s a preview on the my next project. Pattern: Alicorn by Julie Crawford Yarn: Lecce from Puppyarn.com, color: 412 Bought the yarn from Masuzakiya Fiber: 90% wool 10% mohair Cast-on: day 7 of the tour in the court yard of our inn. Continued to work on in Kyoto. Probably use two skein (40g each) to get this done.
scarp yarn stitch markers to help me track my pattern
I didn’t realize that it was April 25 when I last wrote. Well, I started a draft and kept adding and editing it. Today I decided to dump it and start all over. Like in knitting, I frogged it. haha.
I decided this would be a crocheting, knitting, and quilting update. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
Project 1
A secret gift.
The beginning
I found this pattern, Windowpane scarf by Adrienne Lash. I liked how the pattern looked on people in the finished projects section of the pattern on Ravelry. It has a great structure to it and very easy pattern to follow that you can pick and put it down and still know where you left off.
I’m trying to let go my love of wool and thought buying a bunch of cotton/linen blends would do the trick. I bought this variegated Bella Lino from Classic Elite. It’s a linen/viscose/cotton blend of blue/green/stone. It’s discontinued and I got it on sale at WEBS.
Almost done, less than a quarter skein left.Trying to weave in my ends. Guess who thought it would be nice place to nap.
Project 2
I got me 6 skiens Zooey from Juniper Moon Farms in 2 colorways: taro and artic blue–3 each. I wasn’t totally sure what I was going to do it them.
My first thought was market bags but how many market bags can I knit or crochet before I get bored? I did find a few that had an interesting bottom or interesting netting pattern for the main area. Here are two links to market bags that I’d like to try:
Several people from my knitting group were knitting an interesting scarf pattern that they said wasn’t too hard. I resisted for a while. I don’t like making scarves. so repetitive. But I got sucked into it and I gave it a try. Kureopatora’s Snake Scarf and this is how far as I got. Love this colorway.
Looking sad from neglect
Project 3
My knitting group decided to do a toe-up, two at time, Judy’s magic cast-on as knit-a-long. I had just got a great Saver’s run with tons of wool. Yes, wool. The fiber I’m trying not to buy. haha. I’m hopeless
Saver’s stash! Nice!
I decided to use the gray and pink super wash from my Saver’s run to make a pair hiking socks for my trip at the end of September. I found a simple sock pattern I wouldn’t give up in the middle of the sock, Trusty toe up sock by Tanis Lavellee.
The beginning
After three attempt and one adjustment–picked a too big size, cast on the wrong number of stitches twice, and too out increases to get the right ease (tightness) on my socks.
Added a lifeline to rip out some rows for my ease adjustmentLeft the lifeline in after I adjustment was made to remember what I did.
Project 4
My Hawaiian quilt project with instruction from quilting master Kay from my knitting group. It’s sadly sitting in my quilting back waiting to be picked up again. Weather has turned hot and I haven’t been to the monthly quilting bee (no ac). I have a couple of other projects in my queue that have higher priority so I’ll wait till the weather turns a little cooler or finish the higher queued projects to pick these up again.
Pineapples positive pattern, all stitch downPineapple negative pattern: about half stitched down
I did find a partially finish Hawaiian quilt project I started many moons ago I guess that get put in the queue after the pineapples. I can’t even remember when I started it.
found project: anthurium quilting stage
Not too bad but not as good as the ones done under the supervision from Quilt Master Kay.
I have more to post about the going-ons of my life. I need to stop talking so much. haha.
Princess Hot Flash 