Thursday, November 5, 2009

H1N1

In the last 10 days of October I was on quite a roll, getting a lot of things done…weaving off a 16S network twill scarf, making progress on my current tapestry, knitting various things, and even spinning.  I felt unstoppable!….

Chloe sweater 001

“Shadow Baby” by Joan Somerville, using 2 shades of Tofutsies yarn. Check out the cute Gita Maria buttons! This sweater is for my new niece who will arrive in Dec!

Tapestry HRob progress 11.09

My biggest accomplishment this month was tackling the details on Rob’s face!  I’m at the halfway point of the cartoon, but have completed more than 50% of the difficult areas now. (Lots of ‘hand-holding’ from Soyoo Park to choose skin colors and to work three interlocking sections on five warps for Rob’s mouth!)

A few other things with no photos:  a pair of jaywalker socks where I tried to get the pattern part out of one ball of Regia Color Effekt, by using a solid color yarn for the cuff, heel, and toe.  Didn’t work!  I ran out of the Regia before I got to the toe, so part of the foot is done in solid color.  Bummer.  At least that won’t show when I have shoes on!

I’m also brewing another avocado pit dye.  This time I’m attempting patience, how novel!  Each time we eat an avocado I finely chop the pit and add it to the brew.  Every second or third day I heat the dyepot to a simmer for 30 minutes as per Carol Lee’s instructions.  She says this goes on for months before actually dyeing. It’s a luscious red!

Then, on the penultimate day of the month I began to malfunction…and by the end of the day I was in bed with the flu!  Seven days later I can barely get out of my own way.  I’ve lost momentum…. and I”m in a funk….

The last time I had the flu (12 years ago), I ran to my LYS and bought some lace weight merino (Grignasco?) and got in bed with a Eugene Buehler pattern from Knitter’s Magazine. This time I’d been eyeing the recently arrived box of Icelandic unspun yarn in six colors from Schoolhouse Press.  So I went to bed with my little laptop tuned in on Schoolhouse Press’s current shawl KAL by Maria Von Keppel.

Sleep, knit, drink tea…..sleep, knit, drink tea…. 4 days later:

schoolhouse press shawl KAL 10.09 003

I was able to get out of bed on the day I did the crochet loops.  I graduated to sitting in a chair!

10 comments:

Jennifer said...

Oh You poor thing - sick and on top of that just when you are on such a roll! I hope you are getting better and stronger each day - AND that you won't go through this again this season!

Benita said...

Whoa! It hit you hard!

BTW - I am totally impressed with the tapestry weaving of Rob's face! In fact, I sit here in awe. I cannot imagine the HOURS of work that has gone into it so far. Wow!

Feel better!

K Spoering said...

The tapestry is looking wonderful! And I can't believe you could knit with the flu - I just lie in bed and moan when I'm sick, when I'm not having guest caretakers (aka hallucinations). I also like the baby sweater - I'm not so fond of the one I'm doing right now.

Life Looms Large said...

Sorry you got the flu!

The tapestry looks amazing. You did a great job with the face.

I'm impressed with your ability to pull a knitting project together while you were sick. When I'm sick I'm not sure my brain works well enough to do that. I can knit a project that's easy and already in motion....but if the project is new, there's no way.

Such a cute baby sweater!

I would never have guessed that an avocado pit would produce red dye. Guess you're having guacamole on everything these days!

Sue

Bob Osborn said...

Brenda: Nice post. As I have said, for the 40 years that I have been hanging with you you have knitted nearly every day. I guess you can add "in sickness and in health" to that.

Can you say "too many sweaters, scarves, socks...."

Patron of Brenda's arts. Bob

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

That is very bad luck, what a shame! Stuart had the piggy flu in the summer, and was a very unhappy bunny until his temperature got back down to reasonable levels - not a lot you can do but wait it out... and knit, of course...

Unknown said...

BLIMEY!!!!!

What talent you have. Amazing. I like the tofutsies cardi very much but that weaving in process really impresses me.

Marissa said...

Wonderful work on the tapestry. The face looks very realistic.

OzWeaver said...

I am SO late in thanking all of you for your well wishes. I've been such a slug lately...

Many thanks!

Brenda