Just Jot It January,

The prompt word for January 22nd is “seasonal.” Thanks go to Kaye for the wonderful prompt!

Please be sure to check out Kaye’s blog here!

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/22/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-22nd-2023/ It’s fun!

Linda spoke of how her writing was seasonal. NaNoWriMo, CampNaNo and Just Jot It January becomes her writing time. Me, too. It seems those programs help motivate me properly. I haven’t won every time. And sometimes, like last month as I tried another goal, I made no progress at all. But often I make the 50k. Even on the camps. That would probably not surprise my teachers. Most of my report cards had comments like, ‘Darlene talks too much in class.’

This year I’ve over-goaled my life with all the gifts I’m trying to make and so writing has fallen by the wayside.

And I still have to podcast and start reading aloud my books, starting with my memoirs. The area in my house I planned on using, suddenly has Diamond Paintings.

My recorder playing, piano and voice practice have fallen off.

There are only 24 hours in a day. Still!!! I stay up reading until 3 or 4. With my old dog waking me often, sleep also seems seasonal. Heat and smoke and bugs of summer, icy cold and snow of winter affects everything in our house. Where we hang out, how we sleep, either covered up over my head with warmth or sheet to keep bugs off. And all this affects energy and pain levels, ya know?

Maybe I need to organize my day better and my week to include everything I want to do.

Thank goodness for the treadmill. It still gets used most days of the week.

How does anyone get anything done with a job? I did do NaNo. But the rest of this, writing, knitting, especially learning new stitches, artwork, music, etc. Little got done. Too tired. Housework. Phew!

Seasons of our lives are as influential as the weather. Whew!

Just Jot It January, Phantom

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 20th 2023, is “phantom.” Use the word “phantom” any way you’d like. Have fun!

By the way, the prompt is brought to us by Tuba. Thank you, Tuba! Please be sure to visit Tuba’s blog to read her posts and say hello

Since starting the Jotting for January a few of my own regular features seem to have become phantoms. I can feel them calling me like a phantom limb. Besides a couple reviews behind, I feel I need to catch us up on things I’m working on. Yes, I said ‘us.’ That is how I keep myself aware of what I’ve been up to lately. It helps me realize I’m not sitting and navel gazing. Things are getting done!

I’ve shared my two pairs of circular needle socks. But there are other projects getting attention. Just not as much.

A child’s hat, ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars.

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These are nearly finished. CinDWood sock looms. The part I like least, ribbed cuff

A pair of child’s socks heel started on left sock. Cuff complete on the right. These are using HiyaHiya Fliers and short small ChiaoGoo Circular Needles to help out.

Nearly finished on Flexee fine-gauge loom. Again, cuff ribbing is my least favorite part.

I shared my method of keeping the cable uncurled with friends today. And I can share the progress since my full frog of yesterday.

With the help of my toes, the toes of the socks are finished. These are Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles. Good thing I can still sit half lotus while knitting.

Lastly, Diamond Painting continues. Nearly finished with the dragon.

I love him! So all-knowing, don’t you think?

I’ll try to get my reviews done sometime this weekend.

Just Jot It January, Endurance

This post is brought to you by Linda G. Hill, Just Jot it January, and Destiny! Please be sure to check out her blog.

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2023/ It’s fun!

Occasionally I share projects I’m working on, or have finished. This picture goes with the posts.

Why? Because despite me, ADD, arthritis, and other obstacles, things get done. And I feel glad. Endurance is a similar word. Hands hurting is something to be endured, even if the hobby is enjoyable. So here’s my latest batch of projects in various stages of completeness.

Done! This is a small adult. I love working with the magical Fair
Isle yarn from Willows.

And I love the pattern featured below with ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars size 6 needle.

The dragon is coming along. About 1/3 finished. Lots of eye blurring black.

I’ve been working on these for quite a while. The HiyaHiya Fliers and ChiaoGoos are tiny and hurt if I spend too much time on them but, progress!

These are nearing the cuff stage so may be finished soon.

These are at cuffs now, so finished product may happen before long.

Started another hat. This is the pattern. The Fair Isle yarn from Willow is so soft!

Endurance of lack of Internet or streaming services is the hardest part of all of this. I need the distraction. And the chance to work on the web, especially GoodReads and the reviews I need to write. This is endurance. We may be up and running tomorrow when our local Internet fixer will come by. 🤞

Finishing Friday

Finished for one of my male offspring.

The dragon is coming along.

So far I only added the black drills.

I’ve been busy. I just wish I was able to be finished with everything at Christmas time. Oh, well the love is there.

All the other projects continue but not enough progress has happened to show in pictures. It’s interesting that my hands prefer knitting to loom knitting. I have to remember to put the needles down and pick up the looms.

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve, Yve.

Ta Da Tuesday

I need a hat for me in all this cold. So I made one. Yay!

It self stripes!

It’s a little too big for the form but fits my head perfectly!

This yarn is soft as butter and seems to knit itself.

I finally got progress on the dragon. There is so much black that I’m checkerboarding to keep it interesting.

Finishing Friday

Click on the pic to enlarge that picture in the corner. My new DP.

It came with this sheet of paper. Not only the symbol for the color but quantity. And another pic to show what you’re working on.

As all kits so far, the wax and pen. I love the little white tray. Most have the green ones that don’t line the diamonds up so well.

And rather than a long strip of drills, each color has it’s own baggy. The bags of black. Yikes!

The other side of the drill package.

But that’s not all I’m working on.

I want a collection of the many Fair Isle, self-striping super washed wool cakes from Willows. I just discovered I don’t have a hat of my own. I’m hoping one of these will fit me, if not gifts!

Both these hats are being knitted on ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars 16″ cables, the brown hat has size 6 US, the pink size 7. This wool is so soft!

I’m still working on the HiyaHiya Fliers sock. I only have that Pretty White skein. It is a light green. At first this was only an experiment. I had planned to frog the sock when satisfied, but I’m so happy with how it’s going that I want to make a pair. So I picked up the denim color to help there to be enough yarn for a small sized pair of socks.

I wanted to be finished with these boot-socks today. But I still need to do the Kitchener cast-off on the last toe. Sadly these  turned out slightly too large for the giftee. Maybe they’re okay for slipper socks. They will be warm!!!

These bamboo on the CinDWood sock loom are nearly to the cuff and finish.

These socks on the Flexee fine-gauge loom are nearing the heel part that will be white like the toe.

Two more projects hang out in the bin as there isn’t enough room to have everything out. Cotton slipper socks on Flexee fine-gauge loom. And a plarn water-bottle carrier. That’s a crochet so not as finger friendly for me.

That’s all I can think of. My poor writing project seems stalled again. Maybe after Christmas I’ll have less pressing projects and can get back into it.

Happy

Ta-da Tuesday

Finally finished with Sunflowers!

Making Monday

Icy snow hasn’t had much chance to melt since it snowed so beautifully a couple weeks ago. Though pretty, still, the cold is getting old. Even blue skies don’t make it better. I’m fact, clear skies almost guarantee colder than norm temps. It is always warmer here if there’s a cloud cover.

So maybe that is why my mood has gotten less than sweet. My creative writing muses walked out on me. So no writing has happen for a couple days. Not sure what to do about that, or if I should keep the 50k goal or make it a little easier to reach.

One thing I have been doing non-stop has been knitting, tinking, and reknitting rows and rows of these socks. I think I finally have it right.

The heel turned on the top. That’s next on the bottom sock.

The NaNoWriMo stopped all interesting TV watching. Suddenly I noticed I missed a couple weeks of The Walking Dead. Yikes! So today I caught up. I don’t think I have any tears left! Two of my favorites didn’t make it. 😭

I’m almost finished with Sunflowers.

I’m getting back to knitting. Now that I get it, the heel turning, again, I need to practice.

How’s your Monday?

Making Monday

Started Monday with this gorgeous scene.

Hard to see but it was blustery for a while.

Kali still lives playing in the snow. All her footprints from running up and down the steps and driveway. As old and feeble as she seems, some things still seem to make her happy.

We’re currently at 27.

Cold nights ahead

Almost done. Maybe by the weekend?

Flexee fine-gauge loom socks nearly ready for the white heel. Very soft wool.

Double pointed needles. First time. Needed lessons for heel. Got the first part done. Hope I can get over for my lesson tomorrow to finish the heels. Then I’ll probably need help with the toes. I hope to get more of this yarn to make a smaller pair.

Bamboo yarn on CinDWood sock looms. Heading for the leg, then cuff.

My experimental HiyaHiya Fliers sock. These are so thin I can only do a row or two before my hands tire.

Time to get busy. I should have 11,669. And I still need to do Duolingo for the day.

Finishing Friday

Making progress. It sure needs straightening.

Received the book inspiring my NaNoWriMo for this year. Lots to do before Halloween midnight!

Kali sleeps while I display the DPN socks. Next I learn to finish the heel. That lesson is on Tuesday. I can’t wait!

Meanwhile, I think I have enough yarn to make one more hat for charity.

No picture of plumbing issues. I don’t want to see it. But my shower is weeks from being done. The floor is finally dry. Now to get rid of the mold that has formed in the wall for years, maybe decades. The plumbing is put together. Once mold free the walls go back up. Meanwhile, I’m sorting

Yes, still letting ‘sleeping dog’ lie. The sock on the left had to be frogged and started over. It seems like no progress but that sock is now past where it was when I had to reknit.

I’ll probably get more done on these this weekend.

Mostly my aim is to have enough characters and a bit of plot on some kinda world. Three days!!!!! Yikes!!!!

What are you working on?