I never seem to have the time to post what is going on in life and work, not that much has been different these past 20 months! I wake up and hit the ground running, tending to hubby’s needs, then the running of the household.
I don’t measure days anymore by their names – instead, it’s whether it’s his shower day, or laundry day, or cooking day, or ordering food day. My head juggles the daily minutiae, whilst trying to remember what day I need to take vitamins D3, K, A, E, and CoQ10. The D3 and K are super important, since doing a Dexa bone scan recently and seeing that I have osteopenia. Fixable, eh, and preventable.
I’ve know, for many years, that my VDR gene snps point to needing a lot of D3 to get my levels up, but the workload, after hubby came home from the hospital and nursing homes, derailed my self-care. When we’re young (pre-meno), self-care can slip a bit, without adverse effects ensuing, but not when we’re *mature*.
I’ve tweaked the household schedule several times, in an effort to have the time for rest, time to care for myself, and time for my work, which is crucial for my well-being. The *last* thing I want to be turned into is a drudge, which caregiving can quickly make one feel like.
Having time to spin and weave gives me something to look forward to most days, as no-one looks forward to the repetitious daily slog!
Although August’s weaving began slowly, I still managed to make 9 more scarves, just as in July. New baby alpaca yarns came in, which will keep me weaving through at least September!
Then I’ll need to get back to spinning to refill the bins. And, at some point, I need to plan afghans for the floor loom, after I either remove the rug warp that’s been on that loom, aging in place, or just use it up to weave 3 more rugs in the series I began several years ago!
Here’s the first 18 scarves I’ve made. The all white ones are 2 tweeds, alternating thick handspun with thin (baby alpaca) wefts on the thinner warp. One scarf used my handspun Falkland Intentional Slub. And with the last one, I used 6 different smooth and voucle yarns, for allover texture.
Then come the plaids! I love to chart plaids, but they're not all quick enough or fun to weave, so, some patterns get repeated, whilst others are one offs!
Most are in calming blues, fawns and greys, though I'm weaving more in warmer colors. They'll all be going into my Etsy shop, but first I need to note their measurements and weight, sew cork labels on, once I re-order them, take all the photos and write up the listings – these things are always a process!
I’ve been using a wool/superfine alpaca, baby alpaca from several sources, superfine merino, kid silk, and handspun Falkland. The kid silk lightens the fabric and adds froth, the baby alpaca is so soft and adds drape.
I’ve knit design samples in the wool/superfine alpaca, and love how it wears. If and when I ever get to design another aran sweater, this will be my yarn of choice!
Onward!
Dawn
