FOs...IRL

(finished objects...in real life)

Eldest on the beach in her cover-up. Even after a week, it was still good to go, if sagging just a smidge.  She tells me that once home, a round in the washer and dryer brought all the bounce back.

My shoulder shade at the wedding.  It served perfectly, as the wedding was moved inside due to the weather.  I was wanting something on my shoulders through the evenings activities.

As I said, when knitting meets real life and works, well, that's real nice!

Back Again

My back has been giving me grief.  So much so that the end of last year I went to a physical therapist.  She who detests such infringement on time, finances, and prefers more of a holistic approach to healing...went for some PT.  And apparently I whined about it enough that Eldest Daughter deemed yoga might shut my trap, and has been paying for some sessions.

All joking aside, my back was not letting me sleep at night, and seriously not getting any better, and I was very frustrated because I try very hard to do...well...everything right.

I was even more frustrated because during the time we were in Cancun, and for a few days upon our return, I had respite from pain!  I thought I was cured by the beach and seawater!  But alas, it was 'back' on me by the end of the week.

But then I thought to myself...self...there was another time recently that it wasn't so bad...upon the return from your recent visit to see Eldest.  I had put that to a new mattress and starting yoga however, and also starting up the biking again, and really altogether too many variables to zero in on a cause, and who cared because it didn't last.

However, I am of a scientific nature.  And I continued to hurt.  And I wanted to figure this out and find an answer.  Why did my back not hurt so much those two times?  Was there a common variable?

Why, yes.  There was.  I didn't carry my fabulous hand tooled red leather bag on either trip, that I bought in October, right before my back went south big time.  (I knew that thing was too big when I bought it.) (But, oh...it was...and is...fabulous...)

Last weekend I changed out bags.  I am still getting past the twinges and the soreness, but I am getting past it.  I don't feel worse daily and I am sleeping better. Seriously I felt the difference almost immediately.

Crazy.

In the meantime?  I have fallen in love with yoga.  Behold.

Om Nava Shivaya Yoga Mat Bag, by Audrey Loopy, out of Tahki Cotton.  (If it stretches?  I can toss it in the washer and dryer!)

The i-cord handle threads though the top and is grafted back at the bottom!

That's an i-cord bind off...my first, and it was tricky!  I need to do it again before I can claim that I know how to do it.

I think the bottom looks awesome. I might firm up this with a circle of cardboard.
Maybe. Maybe not.

Why, No...

I am not dead.  Thanks for asking, though.  Summer has had it's way with me.  I certainly feel worn through.  Leaving yoga last night, it was noticeably darker, and the light in the morning has a different slant already.

Gah.  But enough with the whining.  There is plenty of good without feeling the need to complain about the change of the seasons.

First off, the camera has been sent off, repaired, and returned.  Halla-freaking-lujah.  So that's one extended warranty I am glad I was persuaded to purchase.

I have finished and mailed off two pairs of socks.  I got photos of one pair and forgot to photo the other.  The tiny camera...it makes me forget things.  Wisest Sister has promised to tie up the photo loose end for me.  However, the unphotographed socks apparently fit.  The vote is still out on these...

Water Fall Rib, from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks, out of Lonesome Stone's Mountain Feat.

Many and other items of note have been happening here at Chez Irons, little of which I have photographic evidence of, and literary descriptions will have to wait....because what I really want to show it this...

Done and ready to send off for arrival by Grandbebe the Third's second birthday (which was my goal).

The quilt she is finished...

And photographed...

Embroidery by Dearest Sister...who already has the panels for Grandbebe The Fourth's quilt done, and is talking up Number Five...which isn't even...in the planning stage yet...the bebe that is. Obviously the quilt is...

Clicky for biggy...these are fun to see up close!

Quilt ended up about 62"x62"...more or less...

Machine pieced. Hand quilted. All of it...quilted and bound by hand...



Fabric mostly vintage, supplemented with some reproduction.



Material is sorted for Number Four.

Wisdom (On The Cheap)

On the way to work (when I am driving), I pass a couple of churches with message boards. When I am biking, one church even has a small one close to the bike path.  These message boards sometimes tell of upcoming church-y events, or sometimes their owners use them to impart words of advice and wisdom.

Which can sometimes be a bit obnoxious…from my perspective.  I remember, back in the day of being 'the minister's wife', looking over such platitudes and helping to decide which #1 would work with the letters we had available, #2 would work with the space/lines available, and #3 wouldn’t offend.

One of these message boards I pass is a new-fangled and modern electronic gizmo, so #1 has no implication, and really, I am not sure that this particular establishment is too concerned about #3, because sometimes?  I get a bit chapped passing that place.  I mean sometime I just want to roll my window down and yell….’whatever! BOZOS!!!’  I don’t even remember what today’s words of wisdom were.  Something about experience and knowledge and THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW ME SO SHUT IT!!!!

In front of the other church today…something about not finding the real meaning of life using Google.

All this for free.

However!  For a mere $3.97 (plus tax), I could have bought a magnet on Sunday from a little independent shop in our Old Town that spoke to my heart, and I remember oh. so. clearly.

“I wish I were as thin now as when I thought I was fat.’

The choice is mine.  Refrigerator wisdom that I have to pay for, but apparently sticks with me, or religious bleatings for free that irritate (but apparently not the hell out) me.

This Time I Did

When it comes to extended warranties, I usually decline.  I read…once…somewhere…that seemed very reasonable and reliable and convincible at the time... that, generally speaking, extended warranties were an income stream for the provider.

Well, they wouldn’t be getting any income that way from me! Nosirreebob!

Even when my computer crapped out after 17 months (or so...I forget now) and the Office Depot guy said, ‘if you had an extended warranty, we would be giving you a new one free right now’ I figured all the times I didn’t buy a warranty and DIDN’T use it paid for the new laptop.

But right after I purchased my fancy smancy camera, a fellow from where I purchased said camera calls me and says ‘…have I got a deal for you…’ And proceeds to offer me an extended warranty, which I declined, then he offers to upgrade my shipping, which I also declined, then he throws in some free filters, and lentgthens the warranty deal…and I start adding up what he is offering, which I know isn’t really costing him much, but it would cost me some dollars to buy, and is really sounding like an okay deal.  Sure it upped the cost of the camera a bit, but I took it.  I got my camera faster, I got extra lens filters, and I got a 3 years extended warranty with a couple of camera cleanings, for the cost of the filters.  I called it good.  I wanted my camera fast…and I also got a sidewise look from Wonderful Guy.

Whatever.

It was aggravating in Cancun when the lens fogged up, and perturbing when it wouldn’t power up.  I was relieved when the problem went away.

Over the 4^th, we traveled to see Wonderful Guy’s family in eastern Kansas where there is a wonderful fireworks show.  I was primed to try my hand at some night photography.  The night we arrived, I checked to see if I knew where the settings were that I needed to adjust.  Camera was fine.  Next morning, taking the pups for a walk, I wanted to take a photo of a cut wheat field….and the dern thing would NOT POWER UP!!  And remained in such a state until the MORNING WE LEFT.

Upon our return, I fished out that extended warranty, and started the process to ship the camera to the fixer-uppers.  Of course, the thing is working, so who know if they will see what is the problem.

At least, I will get it cleaned.

Sunday night, Lovely Step Daughter was in town with her mini-doxie pup.  We cooked out at Only Step-Son’s with his 5 chocolate lab 6 week old pups.  There is a nest of baby birds tucked in the eaves of their front porch.  GrandGirls One and Three enjoyed the Son, and the pups, and their ice cream.

And I was without my camera.

And pouting, so apparently the point and shoot wasn’t good enough to take along…