Friday list

I just found out that A will not be working at her regular Friday office this week, so she will be working from home. That means that I won’t be, and will have a day free to putter to my heart’s delight. So I thought about what needs to get done and what wants to get done. Here’s what might get done:

Some vacuuming. Roomba needs to be let loose in the living room.

Some laundry. Where does it come from?

I will work some more on warping the loom. Though it seems to be taking an eternity to do, I can see progress.

I might cut out a skirt. I found some summer fabric I forgot I had, and so I should work it up. I don’t need as many skirts as in the past, but they are cool and comfortable in the summer. And if I get it done in time,perhaps it will do for the wedding next weekend.

And on the chance that I won’t get it done in time, I want to replace the elastic in the skirt I probably will wear to the wedding.

Then there is the grocery shopping. That needs to happen, and early in the day is better for that.

So it seems like a full day, but not an overwhelming one. And you know I will manage some knitting time in there as well, right? My odds and ends blanket is growing and my sweater is not. I need to reverse that.

Friday 4/22 list

I realized I never updated you on my list from a few weeks ago. I think I did everythingI wanted to from the list, though it took a few days. I always have such great ambitions for my Friday’s!

I will try to keep it under control today. A will be working from home, doing a zoom training, so that rules out vacuuming, yea!

I will start the morning with a few hours of data entry, if the internet allows it with the zoom thing happening. We bought a second laptop and monitor so that theoretically we can both work at the same time. we will test that right off.

I already did the laundry and some general tidying, so there won’t be a lot of housework on the list. But we have company coming on Sunday, so a few additional things need to get done before then. I will putter a bit and get them done.

I am back in the groove of knitting my Gramercy Park, so though I have another cowl on the needles, I no longer need to bribe myself to knit on the sweater. It is coming along, and though it might be a tight race, there is a chance that I will get it done in time for niece B’s wedding in one month. A slight chance… so I plan to work on that for an hour or so.

The dish towels are still not all the way on the loom, though I have done some work on that over the past few weeks, there is still more to do. Maybe I will get to it…

A’s truck is up in Bangor getting new tires and an alignment; we will have to pick it up at some point in the afternoon or Saturday morning. I should slip away and get her something nice for her birthday. If only I knew what that something is…

That’s it, a pretty reasonable list, I think. What are you doing today?

P. S. Here’s a little knitting photo for you… a cowl I finished last week.

The pattern is earthshine, and it is so fun to knit! And wear, too. It’s warm and stays put.

Well, that was ambitious!

I took a look at my last post this morning, and it made me chuckle. Here’s how I did with it.

• Sleep late! At least until sunup. Check! I call this a win, we slept past sun up every one of the three mornings!
• Spin a bit. Fail! I did look at the wheel, and once or twice I intended to sit and spin, but got distracted and never came back to it. Thankfully, it isn’t going anywhere and it doesn’t spoil from lack of attention.
• Knit on my sweater. Check! I actually knit on this a lot this weekend. I finished both sleeves, ripped out the trim on the neck and started redoing it with a larger needle.
• Knit on the Estonian lace scarf . Check! I haven’t done a lot, but I did do a few rows on Friday.
• Knit some on the Ocean Currents wrap. Fail on Friday, but I did knit a little bit on this over the weekend. It is lovely and oh so very boring. I need to power through it and get rid of it.
• Go to the lumberyard with A to select the new decking. Check! We went, we talked to a guy who didn’t know much and wasn’t impressed at two older ladies doing their own decking; we took the books home, and OF COURSE we do not agree on a color. But we will get there eventually.
• Help her remove more of the deck boards that we so securely screwed in place ten years ago that they are hard to remove! Fail! A was too sore and tired from her Thursday adventures with the deck to want to do more last weekend, but she is planning on doing some this weekend, so if we can’t con someone else into helping her, then I will do it.
• If I have the energy, dye the rest of the Plymouth Galway. Fail! lol what was I thinking? That I would want to stand in front of a hot stove for hours? Yet, I really need to do it while I remember how I did the first batch. I want to knit it up this winter, so it gets moved to a list for this weekend.

I did do a bunch of other things this weekend, it wasn’t all sitting and knitting! Saturday I had a meeting in the late morning, starting our tax prep planning already., We have to figure out how to offer the service while never being with the client for more than 15 minutes, and how to work with volunteers in a way that everyone feels safe, but we are still efficient and build a team. With everyone having different levels of discomfort and when the voice from on high has not yet spoken about what we will be allowed to do, the meeting was hard to keep on track. But we started the conversation, and I managed to escape by 11:30.

Which left me with just enough time to get to Belfast to meet up with A and her sister L for a picnic in the park. We haven’t seen L since late spring when we did a driveway visit with her. She works in a grocery store, and has been really careful to isolate herself when not at work. But we realized that the good outdoor weather is nearly gone, so we got together, and A picked up sandwiches for us all. We visited for a couple of hours, until we got really cold. It was so nice to see her! The Whorls and Purls zoom knitting group had to meet without me, but I expect that they managed OK.

On the way home I stopped to do the dreaded grocery shopping in the “big” store. I have been boycotting our smaller store because of their unwillingness to enforce the COVID-19 rules. They have them, arrows on the floor, signs up. But shoppers and staff alike ignore the one way arrows, no one is required to wear a mask, and after complaining to the manager and filling out countless surveys, I decided I just was not going back until the tourists leave. The manager actually told me that they could not force people to wear masks. I said he could, the governor gave him that authority. He said “we aren’t going to tell people that they can’t get groceries if they don’t wear a mask.” I gave up on him, but wish I had thought of this at the time – if I went in with no shoes or no shirt, they would tell me I could not get groceries. How, exactly, is it different? It’s all about public health. So anyway, I now go 20-30 miles away to go to a larger store, with more room to pass safely if someone can’t go the right way in an aisle. (I do wonder how all of these people drive, don’t you? Do they not see one way signs?) I notice that there are a lot more masks in the other stores – all part of the same chain, so I think my store is just a rebel store.

Anyway… Sunday was a pajama day, I think we did dishes and laundry and that is it. That is how I got so much done on the sweater.

This week I am meeting my SIL D (outside, after work, I think we might freeze!) to try to teach her brioche. She knits eastern European, holds her needles and yarn continental. I knit combo, and I throw my yarn, so it should be an adventure. She has taken a class, but she and the teacher could not figure out how to alter things to accommodate the eastern European bit. I hope I can. However, it meant I first had to learn how to knit brioche! I did that with the help of a couple of you tube videos (I like Sweet Georgia’s the best, as she explains what it is she is doing, instead of just treating the whole thing like one big mystery. Just yarn over and slip and K2together. Magic.)

So that is another bit of knitting I did on Sunday – taught myself Brioche and cast on a hat. I haven’t raced through it, but I am enjoying it now and then.

We have a three day weekend again this week, always nice! I work on Friday, so you don’t get a Friday list, but you can have a weekend list!

• Plant the new mock orange I got two weeks ago. Mom helped me choose a good spot for it where it is out of the way, with room to grow, but we will be able to smell it on the porch and in our bedroom.
• Plant the garlic for next year.
• Help A with some decking removal.
• Knit on all the things.
• Dye that yarn!
• Do the grocery shopping.
• Do the laundry.
• Clean something. Anything. 🙂

What are your plans for the rest of the week and this fine fall weekend?

Friday list!

As I told you earlier, A had most of the week off this week. I took a half day Thursday and all of today off. So you get a Friday list!

First let me tell you that A has done pretty well with her vague pile of things to do. Tuesday, she made a triple batch of strawberry raspberry jam, and somehow to do that required cleaning out both pantry closets. And doing it freed up loads of space in the freezer. Today mom and B and B’s son J came over, and the guys and A tackled removing the front deck. They made a good start on it. She also vacuumed because they were coming.

So tomorrow we both have the day off; here’s my plan:

• Sleep late! At least until sunup.
• Spin a bit.
• Knit on my sweater. Sleeves are nearly done, but of course I am putting on a fancy cuff so it is a bit slow going.
• Knit on the Estonian lace scarf —the October clue is out!
• Knit some on the OceanCurrents wrap.
• Go to the lumberyard with A to select the new decking, so she can order it when she is ready.
• Help her remove more of the deck boards that we so securely screwed in place ten years ago that they are hard to remove!
• If I have the energy, dye the rest of the Plymouth Galway.

I feel reasonably confident that I will get the knitting done, and probably the spinning. Not sure about the rest of it.

What are you doing today?

A Friday list for May Day

Strange as it might seem, I am on vacation this week. We booked several vacation weeks at the beginning of the year, thinking it would be, ya know, another year like all the previous ones… taxes would wind up in April, I would be exhausted. A would be about to launch into her busy season, but still able to break away for a few days of time off.

Who knew?

Who knew AARP would shut the tax program down literally overnight? And that the rest of my job would be deemed essential? I am thankful for that, but March was very confusing and stressful. I suspect I am not alone in that feeling! A’s town offices reacted to March differently, some were happy to have her come in on her usual schedule, others wouldn’t let her in the parking lot. So there was a bit of scrambling to figure out how she could work remotely (yea, TeamViewer!) and a bit of anxious planning on our part as we figured out budgets for different scenarios.

But we were so lucky, so very lucky, that both of us were able to keep working. And she was able to keep working safely, no public interaction, socially distant while at work.

I had to work harder at being socially distant for those first few weeks of everything shutting down. I put a line of tape down in my office and asked people not to cross it. They thought I was nuts. I made cloth masks and wore them to the office. They told me I inly needed to wear them “in public.” Hello! What are all you people if not public? And I chafed at my boss saying he needed me to be in the office every day. Really, I do grantwriting and communications. I get that our industry is essential, but not that it was essential for me to physically be present.

Then the governor issued stay at home orders for April, and I was able to convince him. So for the month, I worked at home 4 days a week and went in the office one day a week.

A works at home a few days a week, and we quickly discovered that our lovely open floor plan is not particularly conducive to two of us working from home! Let’s just say that it is good that we have closets. Many a phone call has been taken in ours.

So when this week arrived, I was ready for a break. A had filled most of the week with consulting; back in March when things were uncertain, it seemed prudent to maximize income. That means I have been home alone. How sad! 😜

I have been puttering and doing lots of knitting and spinning, and a little sewing and weaving. I have tackled a seasonal chore a day, but not anything too time consuming. One day it was cleaning the bathroom fan, another it was washing the bedroom windows. I have enjoyed my staycation, but the new reality is creeping in, and I want to go to work Monday. Even though I love being home, something is seeping in…anxiety because of all the people who gave no choice? An awareness of the need for human interaction? I am not sure what it is. So here it is Friday, and I have a bunch of things I want to get done. I thought I would share the list with you!

• The seasonal chore for today is to hook up the pool filter so the rain we get stays in the pool.

Also, call the pool store, hoping that we can figure out how to get the water tested and chemicals bought.

• If that means I have to go out, I will do the week’s shopping while I am out.
• And drive through Dunkin for a free donut.
• And go to the PO.

• Spin for half an hour. I did that yesterday and liked seeing the progress.

• Pick up the last weekly clue for the Romi Hill MKAL shawl. It usually releases mid-day. I am totally loving this knit, but not the online group. I won’t do an MKAL with that group again, though I will knit more of her patterns, they are lovely… and have charts as well as written directions. It takes time to do that, I really appreciate it.

• Give all my other knitting WIPs some love… the latest monthly clue for the Estonian Lace scarf came out this week, I started that as soon as it did. A few rows a day keeps me up to date on that clue. There is also a lace wrap I am knitting for a customer, I do a few repeats a day on that. And a sweater I started for myself that I try to work on each day. Then there is another lace and beaded scarf I have going. Thankfully that one is at a stage where I have the pattern memorized, so it is the one I work in when only mindless knitting will do. And then there are some mittens for A for Christmas. I am about a quarter of the way through the first one, but I have time. 🙄

• Lastly on this list is sewing masks for us. Restrictions are easing, but with the freedom to move comes the need for more masks. I hope to bang out several today.

By the time I get through all of this, A should be home from work and the weekend can begin! Weekends are so different now, aren’t they? We kind of like the freedom from social activities, but miss seeing the people. Still, we are grateful to both be introverts with hobbies…

Well, I had better get up and moving, that list won’t do itself.

A Friday crafting list!

It’s been a while since I had a whole day free of obligations and work, but I scheduled three days off in August such that I have two four day weekends, and four four-day weeks! Ahhhhh!

This is the first of the long weekends, and while it is not as clear of obligations as I would like, I did keep Friday free for ALL THE THINGS.

As soon as my coffee is made, I am heading to the craft room, where I will

• unpin biophilia and get photos for you
• Gather my dye equipment to bring downstairs
• prep some handwoven cloth for hemming into placemats and napkins
• Cut a strip of fabric to use to finish a skirt I started last year
• Maybe sew some of those things.
• Maybe start warping the loom for the next project.

Then downstairs today, I will have fun with sock blanks and dyes.

I can’t wait to see what exactly I get done on this ridiculously long list!

And I also will vacuum the pool, maybe while the dyes are setting.

Friday list!

It’s been a log time since I gave you a Friday list. Today promises to be exciting. 😉

Started the morning with cleaning up some cat puke, and scooping the boxes. Get the worst over with early is my motto! (and it goes to show the gritty reality of my glamorous life) Yesterday they went to vet, so all the throw up is normal punishment, I guess. 😜

Next up is the truck service which is where I am now. 8:30 appointment, at 9:15 they said I would be the next one up. This is not normal, usually they are quick.

The dryer will be delivered and installed today!!! That was supposed to be at ten (meaning the slow service here would have messed me up) but they called to change that to 12:30 or 1:00. Which works for the car…

But might mean my quiet lunch/ afternoon with Mom isn’t so quiet!

Before Mom arrives, there is a bit of tidying…

And after she goes is some grocery shopping, plus a stop at the hardware store to get the necessary equipment to hang my new hammock! I am so excited to be able to nap on the porch and sleep there on hot nights. 😊

That’s this list – busy in spurts with knitting on the side. A splendid way to spend the last work day of a stay-cation week!

A month

What can I say? It’s summer.

I’m on vacation this week because of all the appointments. Three down, two to go. I think.

A has to work this week, so I am free to do things at my own pace. Who cares if the breakfast dishes wait until the lunch dishes are ready to be washed? There is knitting to do!

Today was repairman day. Mixed results. It would cost nearly as much to fix the dryer as to but a new one. So, there is a new one in our future. At least we have a large drying rack.

I was not crazy, the pool pump was sucking in air. There was a clog that was causing issues. It is fixed now and working beautifully. I will vacuum the pool today and get in it. None too soon!

In fiber land, lots going on! I have been warping the loom to make some fabric that might be napkins someday. It is so much easier with the stand for the loom. The stand was a birthday present from A, and it is so nice! Fewer clamps to let go in the warping process.

I have several wips on the needles right now, and they are all getting loads of attention. The Japanese MKAL scarf has two small charts to go before the next clue comes on August 1 or thereabouts. I am through the largest chart, so think that is good. Biophilia is growing, the rows are SO long! But I haven’t got too many to go, a chart and a half left, and they are short charts. Durrow moves steadily onward, I am more than halfway done filling the center triangle.

And then there is the special order knitting. One infant hat done, one infant dress that will be done today, just have to crochet the edging at neck and armhole. Then I have to cast on the black and white checked pants.

No spinning yet this week, but I will get to it! I haven’t had time to go to work this week!!

She’s fine!

A little sore and tired, but all went well. She even drove me around to do the errands yesterday, and came in the grocery store with me. Though, that might have been too much, she was pretty tired when we got home.

I skipped knitting group yesterday to do the chores, but still found plenty of time to sit and knit. Nothing I have pictures of, but A’s Christmas mittens just need thumbs. They feel a little snug on me, I am worried they will shrink too much. I did them two at a time and I know that fighting all those needles and yarn ends affected gauge. So, I am prepared to redo them if necessary after Christmas.

I worked on mom’s sweater, too. Almost to the sleeve divide. Won’t finish it by Christmas, but she won’t mind opening a wip on Christmas morning.

And I worked on the rhinebeck hat. I’ll get pictures of that today if I can. I am about 1/3 done on that. It’s going much better now that I drew vertical lines on the chart to help me count.

And a few little presents got finished today as well. Still more to do but I am getting there!

Today I have to clean the pellet stove, then hit the craft room. I have some Christmas sewing to do, and I want to do some more weaving. Haven’t done any of that all week, with all the commotion. Nor have I spun! I’d like to find time for both of those things.

So a busy day, but with fun things. Once I clean that stove, that is!

She’s fine!

A little sore and tired, but all went well. She even drove me around to do the errands yesterday, and came in the grocery store with me. Though, that might have been too much, she was pretty tired when we got home.

I skipped knitting group yesterday to do the chores, but still found plenty of time to sit and knit. Nothing I have pictures of, but A’s Christmas mittens just need thumbs. They feel a little snug on me, I am worried they will shrink too much. I did them two at a time and I know that fighting all those needles and yarn ends affected gauge. So, I am prepared to redo them if necessary after Christmas.

I worked on mom’s sweater, too. Almost to the sleeve divide. Won’t finish it by Christmas, but she won’t mind opening a wip on Christmas morning.

And I worked on the rhinebeck hat. I’ll get pictures of that today if I can. I am about 1/3 done on that. It’s going much better now that I drew vertical lines on the chart to help me count.

And a few little presents got finished today as well. Still more to do but I am getting there!

Today I have to clean the pellet stove, then hit the craft room. I have some Christmas sewing to do, and I want to do some more weaving. Haven’t done any of that all week, with all the commotion. Nor have I spun! I’d like to find time for both of those things.

So a busy day, but with fun things. Once I clean that stove, that is!