Phone calls

I didn't want to receive.  My aunt called last night, she could not get a hold of my parents.  The hospice my Grandma is in called and told them to come - they live in Colorado Springs,CO &  Grandma is in Cheyenne, WY - Grandma's condition had worsened.  They had just left on Sunday.  Grandma is so much worse and so we are waiting for the next call, too late to fly out for another goodbye, we wait to fly out for the final one.  I finally got a hold of my parents to find the reason the were unreachable is they were stuck in ER determining if the hospital was going to keep Mom again.  My Mom's health has been like this since I was 12, it is awful, but you learn to accept awful as normal.  Dad decided not to tell my mother as the Doctor decided to keep her at least overnight, what would be the point? Her doctor knows what is going on and is hoping to release her today.  I called my sister and told her about both.

Nothing has changed this morning, so I am cleaning house and folding laundry, packing my bags, and tucking my projects away or finishing them quickly.  Hoping to make parent teacher conferences tonight. Wishing it wasn't like this. 

Grandma was always they healthiest and strongest of all of us.  She told Mom a month or so ago, that she always hoped to go by getting really sick so she knew it was coming but having enough time to say goodbye to everyone.  Really she has gotten, that wish, in July they told us it would be days... I just want more, I always would have. We lived with her for a while when my father was in the Navy and in a lot of ways she raised my sister and me, hopefully I can be half the woman she is. 

I have decided to take the rug I was working on for her before she got sick and bind it off there and send it with her.  I am too superstitious to bind it off before she is gone, and could not work on it again without her and even if I did what would I do with it.  

The picture is the grave site of the professor Indiana Jones is supposed to be based on.  I don't seem to have Grandma's picture on my computer.

In the kitchen...

 Thai chillies from the farmer's market ready to be dried, two trays plus a few more in the fridge for fresh use.  So pretty.

Candied lemon peel a bonus from the preserved lemons I am making, the ones in the bowl were meant to be chopped up to toss in hoska and other such breads in a few months, but is mostly being eaten instead. 

Yarn along - the start of Beaver's gloves

Having a great love of knitting and reading what could be better than a yarn along with wonderful artisans from all over the world. Nothing.  So head on over to Small Things and check out what Ginny and everyone are working on.

 There they are the much awaited double pointed needles from my local yarn shop - Beading Heart Studios - just when I was about to give up and find any needles from anywhere, they arrived.  I am hoping I will be able to get the fingerless gloves Beaver wants for this birthday (Nov. 1st) done in time but he has been warned it may only be one on-time.  I have never done gloves or worked on dpn for any length of time, a few rows here and there but knitting while holding a porcupine is something I have avoided.  I took these pictures last night then knit for an hour on the gloves - less than an inch - and 3 while gaming, talking and eating on the scarf (below) so it is almost done.

I am reading The Natural Knitter, it is interesting with some information on fibers, history, farming mixed in among the patterns.  I finished American Terrior this week and read Green Knitting which was very interesting with about 6 patterns I wanted to make in it.  When I have time....

 Quickie knit scarf for my cousin's nearly 3 year old daughter for Christmas.  Left over yarn from Cowl below.  This is on 17's and mostly done this morning.

Cowl for Jim's cousin for Christmas, she is 13 and I plan on making one for each of her sisters (different colors) and tucking a matching nail polish in the package.  This was done on the loom and finished in like 4 hours total, it still needs some blocking and tail tucking. 

Plans for the day/week.

Wrap the presents I got for Beaver's birthday (November 1st) and start the stuffed horse I am making him.  If the dpn's I ordered don't come in soon for his gloves I will have to buy some elsewhere. 

buy a zipper for Mouse's sweater and piece it together.

Wash comforter and hang on the line.

Prep model for mother v. son competition and paint it for Oct 29th.

Clean house and fold laundry.

Make bread.

Finish nightgown for Badger - made one for Butterfly yesterday.

Finalize crafting plans for Christmas presents and work fingers off.  I really want to make almost all gifts for everyone this year, partially it is money saving thing, but only partially. 

Clean front porch and build wool cabinet. 

Spin, spin, spin... This counts toward Christmas crafting as I am planning on given several knitters in family homespun and dyed yarn. (Total excuse) and get wheel working without child labor (doubt this will happen.)

Put the garden to bed.

I better stop planning now and get to work.

One happy thought for the day - the last afghan my grandma sent us hanging on the line yesterday. 

A new day.

Friday: Butterfly got to see her grandparents and get her birthday presents from them.  They had been sick (and still were not feeling great) so they missed her party.  She had a wonderful time, normally when she goes some where the division of kids means she is either with mouse (middle two) or with Badger (girls together) well as Nathaniel goes to dinner with his dad on Friday evening she got to go with him and it was different and odd for her.  I also took the car, better mileage, which she very rarely rides in so that was fun for her too.  Grandpa surprised her with an ice cream cake.

Saturday: We went to the farmer's market, despite the cold wind it was a good day!  Huge beets from a very pregnant woman, tiny thai peppers, cayennes, shallots (I am plant half the bag and hoping)  pie pumpkins, soap (that is helping with my skin) kettle corn, cookies, coffee and cocoa.  We saw neat clockwork looking spiders, goat cheese in 2# block that I want but can't go through enough so I am hoping to find someone to go in with me, the river looked so wild and fast alongside the market.  Definitely have to go one more time before they close for the season.  

Then a friend and her soon to be husband stopped by and we ended up chatting about garden and plans.  They are getting married in May and the florist wants $20 a bunch for lily of the valley!  They are going to come up and pick my yard instead, hopefully the maiden's veil bushes will be in bloom in time so they can snag some of that too.  We ended up finding hidden treasures in the kids garden.  Mouse had beans hanging that we have collected for seed, Badger had tiny carrots, and Butterfly had a few cherry tomatoes.  They only could stay an hour or so but it was nice.

Then Beaver and I hopped in the car and drove to the Military Miniature Society of Illinois Show where his team competed, as adults.  The oldest is 17!  All of them did well.  Beaver's piece got a letter of merit in the general class showing he needs to work to compete but that he has the talent and is competing at the right level.  I think he was a little disappointed, I was proud.  He did get very inspired, and ended up talking to one vendor who gave him two flats to try painting.  They are revolutionary war soldiers and he will have to learn about the proper uniforms and how to paint a flat.  The team went out to dinner at a nice restaurant after.  The leader wants the kids to experience different things and grow not just as a painter but as a person.  I had the best mussels I have ever eaten, Beaver had a Caesar salad.

Sunday: We got up in time for church, have not been in a while, but since Butterfly had asked if Church was in season, I figured we ought to go.  Changes!  Beaver's class in Sunday school is gone in favor of a multiple parish youth group that meets at a different time, so he is going to help out in the younger kids class.  Butterfly is old enough to start.  She was very nervous at first, but Beaver sat with her and soon her friend showed up and she felt better about it and had a great time.  The adult class was very interesting, no plan due to the death of a long time parishioner, so the priest just opened up discussion with ask me anything and let the discussion move from there.  We ended up talking about the differences between the Western churches and the Eastern churches.  I did not realize that with regard to a lot of things Episcopal church beliefs are closer to the Eastern church than the Catholic. 

Then we raced home, quickly cleaned up and ate. My friend from the day before came over with her mother, future mother in law and another friend came.  We covered cardboard hat boxes with fabric.  They will be her centerpieces.  She baked scones and brought jam and tea and we had a bit of a tea party after we got the boxes done.  I was thinking the whole time if she leaves the scraps I am making her a table runner.  Her mom, dumped a handful or so into the garbage, when the left I rescued them.  The kids saw me, and I told them I what I wanted to do.  They raced out of the room, each bringing back a few scraps they had liberated during the day.  They offered up their treasures for the woman they view as aunt, I see her as family too, and immediately asked to help. Soon I will be helping to make her dress, my dress and the dresses of each of my daughters.  I need to make outfits for the boys too.  The wedding has a steam punk theme, so Victorian dress clothes.  

Then I fell into bed!!!

oops!

I spent a long time writing a musing post yesterday, then accidentally navigated away instead of posting it.  ugh.  I was so irritated and discouraged I just walked away and got to working on the house. 

Yarn along

Butterfly in her sweater.  Tiny Bunny buttons totally make it.

Mouse's sweater, it looks small - it fits but does not meet in the front - I am going to knit a border about 3 inches on either side in the front but not in the neck at all, then add the request zipper.  I will be making more of these with a few changes.  More on that later.  My sister may think using a loom is cheating I think I made a sweater in three days.

I started this flouncy scarf on Sunday evening and it took maybe four hours total.  It will be a Christmas present for my sister.  She knits so it had to be something weird and has MS, so she is not comfortable with anything heavy on her neck, very light weight.  I am not certain I liked the yarn but hopefully she will like the scarf.

Cowl for husband young cousin for Christmas.  It is actually grape in color. 

I am reading American Terrior still and can't recommend it enough.  The chapter where he compares modern wine to a pole dance, is amazing.  I did start back in on fiction too and am reading the Sign of Seven trilogy by Nora Roberts, again.  I really like the characters, just a nice good versus evil story.  Still fighting a cold that seems to have settled permanently in my lungs and every time I take the kids outside to enjoy the Indian summer we are having I break out in hives.   Starting to wonder it I am allergic to the sun.  So I am trying to keep my hands too busy to scratch. 

I am knitting with the inspirational ladies of the yarn along, check out what everyone is working on and reading at Small Things.