April 2023 Chatter

Sweater, a very plain one that puts all the interest on the unusual flecked cotton yarn.

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I was noticing last night it is almost time to start mowing!!

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Anything that works for motivation is a good thing!! :clap:

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Thatā€™s awesome! The people I see playing it are having a great time.
Sometimes my motivation is just to go see if there is a book I am interested in reading at the free little library box in the park. I also like to count the Yellow Beaked Magpies. I really like these birds.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-billed_Magpie/overview

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Iā€™ve been out pruning shrubs and cleaning all the dead stuff off my perennials and doing the dirtiest job - vacuuming and mulching leaves. I end up with chopped up leaves all over me!

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I love the watercolors!

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Hi Everyone, Happy April!
Despite being sick the past week with a throat virus, I managed to finish off the Summer Granny Squares Blanket. I just did a simple wave-like edging that kind of curls over, but I am ok with that . I just finished sewing in all the ends this afternoon in order to make myself sit down and rest.
I was itching to get outside so I could over-dye the fiber I cooked last week. It is a spectacular day today and Iā€™m glad I had an excuse to get some sunshine. Of course, Iā€™m exhausted from getting everything out, set up, mixing dyes and dyeing 8 braids, then cleaning everything up and hauling it back in the house, but Hey, itā€™s going to be great having some new fiber to spin. I saved back some of the fiber I dyed last week in order to try out a combo spin. We shall see!


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The blankets is sooo cute. It will be a great addition to your beach cottage.

Sorry you are sick. Are you taking your Vit. D3? I am convinced D3 is a miracle for boosting the immune system. Since I got mine to a good level (I know my level from blood tests.), I have been so healthy. Husband and son got Covid. I took care of them and didnā€™t get it. Husband and son both just had colds. I didnā€™t get it. I used to get every respiratory virus that blew by me and I got so sick. I havenā€™t been sick since 2017. I remember the date because it was right before my dad died.

Donā€™t forget to take K2 and Magnesium if you take D3.

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Wow! You have been busy. Hope you are feeling 100% very soon.

That blanket is absolutely adorable! The edging looks perfect.
Will you be keeping it?

Canā€™t wait to see what you do with the new dyed fiber.

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Does anyone have beginner vocal exercises? Turns out my voice is very weak right now. I need to start getting it in better shape.

I thought about just reading out loud each day and increasing the duration.
That and I really need to make sure I am hydrating.

As for craftingā€¦slow week over here.
What are you all working on?

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When you say your voice is weak, do you mean as in laryngitis? I was a singer, though I am no longer pursuing that vocationā€¦if it seems like laryngitis, to make your voice stronger you need to be silent. Especially do not whisper. With laryngitis, your vocal cords are swollen and rubbing together, but you cannot feel it because there are no nerve endings there. Whispering is the worst, but any noises you make rubs those cords together more and makes it worse. Rest is all you can do.

On the other hand, if you want to strengthen your voice, I could give you exercises, but Iā€™m not sure how over a written message. Weā€™d have to have a zoom call or something!

I hope you feel better soon. :hugs:

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@MBearMakes Thank you.
I will send you a private message. My life/voice has been very quiet since Covid started. I think the long covid shortness of breath issues may have trained me to breath too shallow most of the time.

Hey allā€¦Over sharing in case this can help anyone out there who may have similar issues since having Covid.
This week the pollen activity is through the roof here in the valley. So, I am walking around thinking everywhere smells dirty. I cleaned with a bleach water solution ( I canā€™t smell the bleach this week) Then, I tried to use a fancy plug in air freshenerā€¦but all I smell is salt. My default fragrance is something with a strong mint. That normally clears my brain so I can smell other things. Right now it clears things and I can smell pretty things for about 30 minutes, then things settle back into stink. I have started carrying strong mints and a mint oil in my purse. (a menthol cough drop will help as well) Yes, this is affecting my taste. Just have to trust the recipe this week. Wonā€™t do any good sampling to see if I need more of a spice. (Everyone loved the Enchilada Casserole with Green Sauce. I thought it mostly tasted like stale dirtā€¦and my water with strawberries in it tasted like stale water.)

Life lesson: Stay calm and carry mints.
The good news is the rooms of my house and my car get an extra cleaning during these times. LOL. (I had covid July 2020)

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Thatā€™s a bummer about your smell/taste. Mine came back right away after Covid, but have lost it with sinus infections, etc.
Praying that you find a solution for your voice. I know a (singing) voice coach who does zoom, but that is her profession, so she charges $$. Interestingly though, she had some vocal cord damage last year and had to take time off. She is since healed and is back to singing.
I assume you want to boost your voice for teaching/working, which I think is a very good idea. Iā€™ll never forget teaching crafts at Cub Scout Camp for 3 weeks! Totally lost my voice. It was fun to remember, but I know it was a lot of work and I didnā€™t want to continue after 3 years.

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Dye Project Results!
This is Wool of the Andes Roving (nonsuperwash)


And this is Superwash BFL/Nylon

And I saved back roughly half of what I dyed last week to use as a ply for combo plyingā€¦

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I knew that blanket was going to be cute, but itā€™s even more fun than I expected!

Thanks, it was a labor of love. :joy:

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Did I mention that I dyed the 1st two pictures above TWICE?

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The colors are great. I am fond of the green in the second picture.

You have been very busy/productive lately. :clap: :partying_face:

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I was trying to ignore being sick! It wasnā€™t a good idea. Iā€™m very achy but I think itā€™s partly due to the dyeing extravaganza.

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I made 3 samples of the WOTA fiber. I think the 3rd one is good and Iā€™m just going to start spinning up singles. Then when all is spun, I will ply 2 overdyed with one grayish and hopefully I will have a bunch of yarn to do something with. Iā€™ve estimated about 1200 yds of 3-ply Ww.
The sock base BFL will be spun on Kiki the Travelling Wonder Wheel so I can take it out and about.

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