Weaving and other complications

I'm continuing to cut back on activities, because I get tired. There's a lot to do at home and I have to budget my energy 

The bathroom is still in the works and after that, this is the staircase for the stair glide 

Today I skipped the knitting group and got a text filling me in on the doings, complete with a picture of the writer's current project! Not my picture so I'm not posting it here, sorry.

My ballot arrived and is already set for the dropbox.

Also in the same mail bad news: my trusted longtime doctor who has seen me through a lot of difficult years, through the caregiving and on, is retiring. This isn't unexpected but I was hoping for longer. 

I have an appointment with her already for mid October, so that will be the last. She sent a list of other doctors in the practice and I've already set up an introductory appointment with one of them.

She's young, so she won't be retiring soon, wears a Moslem hijab, so is probably excellent, knowing the barriers she must have overcome, to get into a first rate practice. And she has her office in this town, saves me traipsing all the way to the other practice office further away. So I'm hopeful this will work out.

Then some very nice chukka boots I ordered arrived, really nice, ordered, at the retailer's suggestion, one size bigger than usual. But so sad, too small. 

They're going back tomorrow and I find they're charging me to return them. That's it for shopping with Lands End. I took their advice, they were wrong and I still have to pay shipping.   Sigh.

I have been struggling to finish the last pair of fingerless gloves, not easy with my current hands, but I'll get them done and given and it will feel complete.

And the embroidery is moving along 

I'm planning on a trailing vine down the front appearing to grow from the pocket.

And I have a weaving idea I want to get into soon, using a lot of yarns.

Then there was Textiles and Tea with 

An astonishingly versatile artist, painter, printmaker and now weaver, on every kind of loom, from antique to frame, to TC2. 

She really understands art and expression and using the medium of weaving for meaning. My new weaving impulse is coming from watching her energy at work.

Gold tokens. All her pieces are meaningful as well as free standing artworks.

She weaves large pieces for public spaces and teaches through residencies. She's a young and gifted artist, definitely worth following.

So that's Boud for now. Happy day everyone, vote, please, don't settle for tight boots, and remember recharging is important.

More than ever, after the hideous attack at Cornell we trust women. Then bears.

Painting a bit, Talking Heads and Boots Ahoy

Yesterday I took advantage of the new organizer, and lifted out the entire drawer of watercolor supplies. This works a lot better than assembling things every time.

Just messed about and had a lovely pointless time.  All the things available and I used very few. 

Finished crocheting the Boots. The pink yarn lasted till literally the last stitch. Then this morning I did the finishing and fitting.

And Pink Rabbit is back upstairs, booted. Here's Boots the Upstairs Bear admiring the summer icecream boots in action.

The Boot Crochet Shop is now closed before anyone else hears about it.

I watched the Thora Hird monologue from the Talking Heads series. It's confusing that the name is the same as the David Byrne group and I wonder who got there first. I'm guessing Bennett, since it dates way back.

It might account for the dislikes registered, probably people who expected Byrne and are confounded to find it's old Northern actors in brilliant form. 

I plan to watch more. They're difficult because so tragic, with funny sparks, but they're so well done. 

Happy day everyone. Mine has been less dramatic than this alert might indicate 

I live right in the middle of the red bit. No need to water today. I also got a phone alert. There's no standing water as of now, though we got a big downpour.

Striped spirals and getting dressed

I've noticed that I feel slothful until I'm dressed for the day. Even today when I fixed breakfast, aired the bedroom, changed the bed, laundered and dried and put away the bed linen, and cast on a sock. It didn't seem to count because I was still in a bathrobe.

Anyway here's the sock in question.

It's a tube design by Noreen Crone -Findlay, usual better known for tiny weavings and fantasy mixed media figures in a range of materials than for knitting designs. She recently had a big art exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta. 

This design has a long Icord arrangement as a cuff, quite fancy and I made a double rib instead, more practical for the Sock 'n glove Ministry. 

There's an odd number of stitches, which creates a spiral as you knit 6, purl 2, forever. No heel turn, because it shapes itself on the foot. But there is a shaped toe.

I've made several pairs of these over the years, as gifts, and the wearers attested to the skidproof effect of the spiral shapes. It's also fun to knit.  Hard to stop, between watching stripes and spirals emerge at the same time.

I'm walking nowadays in those boots you watched me stretch a while back. They're taking on my foot shape with wear now, and I need them because soon I'll be back to walking to the pond. 

Right now it's impassable, storm debris, snowdrifts, but soon I'll be able to get there for signs of spring. Or late winter. With pictures. Meanwhile I'm keeping up, and trying to improve, my stamina. It goes away fast if you don't pay attention.

Happy day everyone, pay attention to what you like to! There's no attention police. Yet, anyway.

On the resistance front I've written to my senators insisting they vote against the confirmation of the proposed surgeon general, basically chief doctor of the US. 

Usually it's gifted, real medical doctors and researchers who are appointed to this job.  This one is Casey Means who never completed medical training and is an online "influencer".  Not even slightly qualified. 

Nearer home, ICE just bought a giant warehouse for a concentration camp, in Roxbury Township NJ. There's already resistance, and I think local zoning and infrastructure issues might stop it. I wrote to my senators anyway, to increase the pressure.

ICE is promising revenue and jobs to the township, without mentioning the huge expense involved in basic utilities, water, sewage, heating, road usage, and the sheer criminal act of imprisoning over a thousand innocent people in their town.

There's an interesting political twist, too, since Tom Kean Jr, an apple who fell far from his decent father's tree, is the House GOP  member for the district. 

He will not want to be smeared with the rep of supporting a hugely unpopular ICE initiative. NJ already has all kinds of anti ICE bills moving through the State Legislature. And he has quite a bit of competition this time around for the upcoming Federal election.

Late edit: a friend nearer the action says Roxbury town council voted against it and HS is now denying they knew it was for ICE.  Sure, Jan.

Our senators are already on it, and ACLU.  Stay tuned. Never a dull moment, sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony.

No matter what shenanigans they get up to in Kansas. ACLU is on that, too.

Walking returns

Sunday morning was cold and windy but very bright, so I got out walking before returning to the sofa to read and weave. 

Before I left, I did a  few minutes' farmer's carry with 5lb weights, wearing my boots, around the living room. It's a gradual process, but Sunday was dry, so I wore Tretorns for walking. They're a bit too big, always something.

Chilly chairs for snowmen 

Look at the pale gold of these beech leaves, hanging in for most of the winter 

Creepy shadows, cue scary music. It's like good tree, bad tree.

Crowds of kids later in this area, kicking balls, throwing spirals more or less, having a great time, girls and boys all playing, reminded me why I like living here rather than in a  quiet,  little retirement development.  

A lot of my friends live in them and like it, I'd hang sooner, but there, you do you, they'll do them. I love the energy of kids fizzing about.

Happy day everyone, fizz away! Sez Ted and Big Ursy 

And here's dear G fizzing away with me on a recent visit. She's one of the few people this 5'2" woman can tower over, I love it.