Life has been very busy and lots has happened since the last post in late February. The weather has gone back and forth as though winter and spring are playing tug-of-war. Our activities continue to change and time does fly way too fast. So, what has happened? What are the upcoming plans?
At the end of February, DH informed me that one of his socks had a hole in it. Thankfully it was quite small still, so the sock was confiscated and repaired with darning behind. Unfortunately, I did not have any of the yarn that was left from knitting these socks, so I put a darker yarn behind that so hopefully it would not show too much and yet would be repaired. With the hole being on the bottom of the foot, maybe it will felt a bit and wear longer as DH loves this pair.
March came in like a lion with lots of windy weather, rain, and snow. This picture was captured near home when DH and I were returning from church in Boise on March 3.
This was a very clearly defined “wall” of clouds and rain from sky to ground not that far away. I took this picture through the driver’s side of the windshield while DH was driving. It was a very unusual sight that I knew would only be believed by a picture. The sky was sunny with pretty clouds right behind. Here where we live we do not have tornadoes. The closest we get to a tornado are dust devils so this was truly unique.
There has been some secret knitting that won’t be shown for a long time just in case a certain someone reads my blog. It is fun though and I hope to get back to it very soon. However, my BFF and I finally started our crochet scarves. I think she started before I did, and for sure, she finished before I did. Mine was started on March 2 and finished the evening of March 21. The yarn is a Caron Cake in the Honey Berry colorway. This yarn is 80% acrylic and 20% wool which was important for my BFF as she cannot wear very much wool. Crocheting this with a US size H hook soon became like eating potato chips. It was hard to stop at the end of a color and focus on other projects. There are two ends that I need to weave in, however you can get a pretty good idea of the colors and pattern from this picture. 
On March 2, I started my next ornament on the list. This one was challenging because of the double herringbone stitch around the edge. It didn’t help that I was stitching this on a scrap of cream Aida that I needed to use up. The design is by Forget Me Nots in Stitches from the 2008 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Issue with the called-for DMC.
In between preparations for the five-state Pathfinder event on March 9-11, I was able to work on the scarf and finish this ornament on March 8.
DH’s Rooibois sock #1 was also completed on March 7 and the second in the pair cast on. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the completed sock #1. The pattern for that sock is the “Earl Grey Sock” by the Yarn Harlot.
Thank you to everyone for the thoughts and prayers while we were hosting the above-mentioned Pathfinder event. Sixty-three people attended the Coordinators Convention that weekend and assisted in the Bible Experience competition on Sabbath afternoon where sixteen teams of 2-6 Pathfinders were tested on their studies and memorization in the books of Daniel and Esther in The Bible. Eleven of these teams qualified to go to Florida next month to compete on the national level with over 86 teams already registered for that event. The convention consisted of hosted workshops in four different tracks for leaders in the five-state area. For most, it was very hard to choose just one track and follow it through to the end. However, we hope that each person took back valuable information and inspiration for the upcoming year as they work with the Pathfinder clubs in their area. Meetings ended with a general session where information about upcoming events for both the immediate future and the next year were announced and details given. Then our team cleaned up the meeting area and by noon, we started heading out.
On our way home, DH and I stopped to pick up groceries as I had not been able to complete all of the shopping the Friday before. DH’s phone began to ring about halfway through the grocery store, and we learned that DFIL had fallen off of a scaffolding he had constructed so that he could put the roof on a shed he was building. The board he was standing on split, and he fell about 5 feet, landed on his feet but off balance, and continued to the ground. Thankfully, DS was just across the street so DH called to let him know that his grandpa needed him to be there until DH could get home, which was just about ten minutes away. DFIL was pretty sure he had broken his left collarbone. I finished up checking out the groceries and followed DH home. Groceries were handed off to DD and I raced across the street to find out what had happened.
By that time, DFIL was sitting in a chair with an ice pack on his shoulder and DH was putting his left arm in a sling to try and help brace his shoulder. The injured area was rapidly swelling and when asked, I indicated that he should be taken to the ER to find out exactly what his injuries were. At 79+ you just can’t be careful enough and since I am in the ER most Sundays registering patients, I see lots of stuff. We took him to an ER in the hospital group that has his health information and I was able to observe how they handle things while making sure that he received the appropriate care. Poor man! He was in so much pain and that made him extremely cranky. He also was already imagining all the things that he wouldn’t be able to do. For a very active man, this was a huge setback.
After x-rays and careful examination, it was determined that he had indeed broken his left clavicle and he would need to see an orthopedic doctor the next day if at all possible. The ER doctor did not think that he needed emergency surgery. To make a long story short, DFIL obtained an appointment for the next morning and learned that he would have to wait a week for the swelling to go down. There was hope at that point that the bones would pull back into place and surgery would not be necessary. Schedules were rearranged so that we could check on him frequently and/or sit with him if necessary. This last Monday he went back to the orthopedic doctor and learned that the bones had not pulled back into place and after a day or two, surgery was scheduled for Friday afternoon. We will see how that goes as they have to scrape calcifications, pull bones apart, put in a plate and screw it into place. He should have six weeks of therapy and the be able to pursue a mission trip that he wanted to help with north of us a ways in May. We are hoping for his sake that he is able to go on this trip as he wants to very badly. He wanted to go on this same trip last year and a heart attack in Fiji kept him from going then. Needless to say, we told him that March apparently is not his month. He lost his wife in March in 2010, had the heart attack in Fiji in March of 2017 and now this. Somehow I don’t think he will let this slow him down, though.
On March 15, I began my next ornament from the same magazine. The designer is Patricia Ann Designs. I used DMC, Kreinik and chose to only use two colors of small beads. If I had not already purchased three different sizes and types of beads and the fabric for this, I would have tossed this project half way through. It is lovely as it is, however, I wish the designer had been clearer on instructions. Backstitching was with one thread over two threads but it was not clear if I was to use the Kreinik or the DMC. Additionally, nowhere did they inform the stitcher that to purchase two packs of the larger beads as there are only three beads in the package and you need four! I had waited 3+ months for 123stitch.com to have these beads available again and now have to order 1 more package to finish. I am waiting for a bit until I place a larger order, but am considering this finished.
If you look closely, you will find a mistake on the right middle motif, however I was way past it and chose not to change the two stitches. Also, you will notice there is a blank square in the bottom middle motif. That is where the last large bead will go. All in all this is very pretty, but given the instructions and struggle, I did not enjoy it.
Plans: I am hoping to get some work done on DS’s stocking here in the next few days between now and the end of the month. I am also thinking about FFOing some of the ornaments. I also have the sample paints for DD & DS’s bathroom to paint and see how we like the colors and that needs to be done soon. Next week, DD will be home from work on her spring break so that she can go car shopping and hopefully purchase her very first car. That should also keep us busy along with continuing to watch/be with DFIL after his surgery and during his rehabilitation. And lastly, DH and I are starting to make plans for a trip to see my mom in April and our first vacation together without kids in July. We have not done that since DD was born almost 23 years ago. Reservations are made, but now we have to flesh out our plans. We will see about sharing how those trips go.
Thanks for sticking with me through this long post if you are reading this part now! Keep your needles busy and enjoy your spring or fall depending on where you are!
While this is not the greatest picture, it shows the stitches clearly. The colors are a bit darker, but this was the best I could do for now.
This section is in the middle of the stocking and needs lots of work to tell what the picture is. Hopefully when I post again I will have more to see.
Additionally I worked on a secret pattern for a gift and ran into a problem. My cast on stitches were too many so after a few days of denial, I ripped everything out and started over with a smaller number of stitches. Things have progressed nicely and I am hoping to complete the first part of this project soon so I can gift it. One note: I am learning that I am a yarn snob as I prefer the sproing in wool to acrylic. The colors are lovely, however there just is not the same feel to this yarn as to a nice wool. Acrylic is necessary however, because the recipient becomes very itchy when wearing wool so I will continue knitting away until it is done. I have to say that these colors would be lovely in a wool yarn. Just saying!