Wool Fest Gloves

Here's how each finger starts...tiny tiny. That's the most difficult part, just getting it started with the first four stitches of each finger. So far I have finished all of the fingers and now have to connect them all together!

Art Update....

So here's the progress report!! I've begun adding my content! The piece as been officially titled : Mother/Daughter - A Family Portrait. I'm really happy with how it's working itself out! I'd love to be able to talk about how the therapy is working exactly, but I can't here, yet. I'll admit though that I've wept over this piece, and had moments of complete detatchment. And I can say definately that it is working. As I stitch, braid, and weave, I can feel parts of me mending. What began as a work of lashing back, and possibly even spite...has turned into a labor of love, and a continued struggle to understand addiction and mental illness.

I started beading my web....still have a long way to go. I have to coordinate my work time around my meds everyday, or I find that I'm far too shakey to work with the tiny beads and needles. I have to wait until things steady out.

I began building my frame this week. Mostly I've been working on miles and miles of knit I-cord, crocheted ribbon, cut strips of material.....and knit flowers. This is just a small pile of bits I have ready. The rest of them are in progress strewn all about the yurt and studio!!

Acceptance Letter!

I'm celebrating! And freaking out! I applied to the 2009 Taos Wool Festival.....and the entries were juried. So I had my doubts on whether or not I'd be chosen. But I got my acceptance letter yesterday!! So now, I'm excited and freaking out about what I have to make before October!! I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Twilight for helping me get in!! This wool festival is a very big deal in our area, and I've dreamed for the past few years of being apart of the hub-bub. Now here I go!! So, here's the first project I'm starting for the show. I'm going to do my first pair of full gloves, taken from the 2008/2009 Winter issue of Vogue....but add my own crazy gauntlet using Merce's handspun yarn. The hands will be done Knit Picks Gloss sock weight yarn. I'm starting today!! Cuz now I'm totally overwhelmed at what I've gotten myself into!!! LOL

Art Update

Here's the Mother piece that I took forever to start.....I'm having some trouble, I'm stumbling on my main content. I know what it is, just can't seem to put it together. But I guess that's why it's therapy. I'm doing the endless work on the "bits and pieces" that are really going to make it pop. More pics coming soon!!!

New Car Project

Another pair of socks!! These are for Daniel, and the pattern is "Undulating Rib Socks" from Favorite Socks book by Interweave Knits. Ever since I made a pair of these for Daniel a couple of years ago, and he said they were the best fitting and most comfortable socks that I'd ever made....I can't bring myself to try a new pattern for him!! But I have the entire sock pattern memorized and it's very enjoyable, so it's perfect for a car project!! The yarn is Austermann's "Step" with Aloe Vera. I'm loving the color way. I'm drawn to these striped sock yarns that don't have solid colored stripes.

Lupus Update about two weeks ago, I started having some eye trouble. I woke up and put on my glasses, but still couldn't see right. I had the sensation that I had one contact in and one out. My right eye didn't want to come into focus, as if there was sleep covering my eye that wouldn't rub away. It also affected my color sense, the warm colors all seemed to be cool. It improved within ten minutes, but the color thing lasted all day. The next day was better, but it's continued to bug me off and on. My right eye just isn't focusing all the time. And it comes with a headache around my right eye. Anyway, Twilight and I researched this and found that it's pretty common with people who have Sjogren's Syndrome. And it's treated with eyedrops, so I'll mention it when I see my Rhuemy in two weeks. But, bleh!! Another medication to pay for! Did I miss the National Feel Sorry for Yourself Day?? I really meant to take advantage of that this year!! LOL

Woo-Woo for Twilight

I finished this during the art show, and presented it to Twilight at the end of the show. It was her housewarming present, a little early. It's a meditation mat. The top piece is hand cast felt done by Merce. It's one of her crop circle/sacred geometry pieces. I took the top piece and added a knitted then fulled underlay in torquoise. For even more padding, I used old sweaters through the middle. Then I added fringe, because Twilight loves fringe.

A close up view. It turned out to be a pretty well padded and heavy rug. I knew while I was putting it together that she'd be sharing it with her cat Prana, and I was right. I'm hoping she'll take a picture of the two together!! My goal was to support and encourage Twilight in her mediation/yoga pursuits on the path to over-all well being. We refer to it as "woo-woo". It's become one of our favorite words because it can be used as a verb, or noun, or adjective!!!
The backing is a heavy duty upholstery material.

Happy Mother's Day & Happy Anniversary!!!!

Today is my one year Anniversary of living with lupus, not my blog, but the disease. Although, we're sure I've had it much longer, it was a year ago today that I was first hospitalized and knew that we had a big problem to deal with. It was a scary strange day, and it's seems like sooooo long ago now with the past year of doctors, and tests, and medications, and lifestyle changes. I've been on my low dose of chemo and steriods for 11 months now. Alot of my hair fell out, then grew back (kinda). I gained weight, and poofed out. I had to change my wardrobe. I changed my lifestyle. It's been a year full of studying and learning and coping.

I have to give special thanks to my awesome friends and husband. The support, the laughs, the tears, the comfort, the flexibility, and all the love!!! I couldn't have done it without you!! Twilight, my sister and bestfriend, you rock!! Carmen, thanks for reaching out to me!! It's meant alot to have a Lupie Friend!!! Helen, always on the search for higher healing, I love you. Thank you Sarah, for sharing with me. Misery is less with company!!
Daniel, my lover, my rock, my caregiver and ass-kicker!! Would have burned down the house by now without you!!!!

Here's to the next year with Lupus!! May it be a peaceful and uneventful one!! To Life!!

Knitting Progress

I used two new yarns. I tried out the new Red Heart sock yarn with aloe, it was priced at $4.99 a ball and it was 25% off, so I couldn't resist. I'm going to give it a great review. I like the feel, very durable and pretty soft. Great for Men's items I think. The colorway was really nice!! These knucks are for my friend and neighbor Gypsy. (Merce's Husband)

The other new yarn is Panda Silk from Cyrstal Palace Yarns, and oh my!! I love it's color, it's incredible sheen, and wonderful softness. I used this for the Mother's Day socks, and you can tell by holding the sock that the drape of this yarn is awesome!! I can't wait to buy more to try another lace scarf.

New Art

Progress is still being made! I'm having another exhausted day. I'm too tired to lift my arms again, but I'm pressing through!! I've been on my bed surrounded by all my favorite things, just seeing what happens. I've been planning a large piece that I got the "canvas" made for. I'm already calling it my "Mother-Daughter" piece. Both my Mother and my oldest daughter, suffer from mental illness and drug addiction, and creating this next piece is apart of my therapy for healing and coping with these two outta control women who are missing from my life. This is an old wool cabled sweater that I washed until it was 75% felted and then I cut it into pieces. This is the front and back of the sweater joined in the middle by the bottom ribbing.

Even though I've already put in two months of planning, I have yet to begin because of it's overwhelming emotional content. So I took a little side line break to make something that's just pretty and fun. After I got the back ground made, it just called for a fairy.

I used new needle methods that I hadn't tried. I did most of the fairy with a single fine felting needle. I have a bag of novelty yarns that I never use, but have just in case. So I broke out some of that to play with.

More Gifts

I always get a little crazy when I don't have enough projects on the needles. So I CO for some more goodies. A pair of men's knucks, and a pair of ankle socks for my Mother-in-law for Mother's Day. Also, I'm still working on my comfort shrug and Daniel's cabled sweater. I love to sit surrounded by my many projects and spend my weekend afternoons knitting on each of them in turn, Round Robin style!! That's what I'm doing today, on this rainy Saturday afternoon!!

Happy May Day Girls!!!

My girls have claimed that I love my yarn more than them. They base this on the percentage of blog posts that they're included in!! So here they are, my beautiful teenage girls, Samantha and Saschia!!! Saschia is the one with the shorter hair cut. Both of them are such goofs!!! I love you girls with all my heart!!! You are always in my thoughts......yes, even while I'm knitting!!