Living with Asthma

I think I have asthma. Further tests are being done. I passed the first breathing test and my Xray is okay but I have chest tightness and cough. It is scary especially at night. It's hard to sleep and breathe. And sometimes, I think all of it is just in my head. I get panicky when I think I can't breathe and so, I can't breathe. A vicious cycle.

Knitting relaxes me and alleviates the panicky feeling I get. I knew it was good for something--lol!

This is the cloth I wove yesterday. Yarn used is Peaches and Creme cotton yarn.

Weaving on a Hazel Rose Loom. I bought this loom from their website, set it aside for a few years, and have now just picked it up. Quick gratification since you finish really fast.

Latest spinning news: 4 ounces of Merino Silk variegated roving (Before)

Handspun singles on the wheel (after)

The grimace on Emily's face was not really a grimace. Her mouth was just too full of deep fried Oreo goodness. Waiting for her was a slab of tater twists, all bought at the Santa Cruz boardwalk--lol! We had a wonderful mini vacation at Santa Cruz. I swear, all we did was eat.

We checked in at the Best Western Suites near the Boardwalk. I honestly don't remember ever using Best Western. It's a little more expensive than Motel 6 but not as pricey as Holiday Inn. So, I signed up for a 2-queen bed room for 4 people. As we checked-in, they upgraded us for free to a two-suite room with a king-sized bed, a queen bed, a sitting room, mini kitchen, and huge bathroom. Whoa!!

Here is Emily taking over the master suite. Have I mentioned that there were 2 huge TVs as well?

Here are hubby, Emily and Matthew at the beach. The water was still cold.

Emily and Matthew (and me taking the picture) waiting for Dad. He rides with them. I have vertigo and therefore, cannot ride.

Picture taken in front of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. We had a mini vacation to Santa Cruz, and on the way back home, we stopped by WMH. I've been there in the early 80's and found this place really weird. It still is, 29 years later. The kids were fascinated by all the weirdness and the way Sarah Winchester had the house built. I'm going to include the link to the
house and you can read more and see some pictures. During the tour, we were not allowed to take ANY pictures, specially inside the house. They want you to go there and see for yourself. Outside, on the grounds, you can take limited shots but by then, I was too tired to even care. The tour of the house inside and outside took 2 and a half hours.

This is a finished shawl, designed by Stephen West, called
Daybreak. It was an easy shawl to knit. I used a cotton/wool blend yarn called Cestari. I'm not sure if they still make/sell this yarn though.

This last shawl is called the Ginger Leaves Shawl. I've seen a similar design from Evelyn Clark's Triangular shawl book where it teaches you how to design your own shawl. I enjoyed knitting this one as well.

I thought I'd share one of my own designs.

My cousins from Canada are here for a visit. We took them to the Jelly Belly factory. Inspite of the long line and 30 minute wait, I think they enjoyed it. The free candy also helped. We also bought some of our own favorites at $9.00 per pound of Jelly Bellys. They had some odd flavors which fortunately we did NOT try: Barf, Pencil Shavings, Booger, Toothpaste, Skunk Spray, Rotten Eggs, Canned Dog Food, Moldy Cheese, Centipede and Baby Wipes.

The yellow blob of lace knitting is now finished and here is the shawl. Sunflower fields shawl, with Emily modelling.

A new shawl in the making: Sunflower Field Shawl by Natalie Servant.

here's my version, so far:

I am using a hank of Knitpicks Merino Lace yarn which I hand dyed myself. I used a mixture of Yellow Sun and Astec Gold acid dyes. I think it turned out pretty yellow-lol!

This is the crocheted sock yarn blanket I am working on and it is growing slowly. It's getting heavier as well since each square is done with single crochet. Very dense even though I'm using a size G hook.

The Spitzbergen shawl as part of a Knit Along. It is finally finished, only one year late after the KAL ended. I used my own handpainted lace yarn. I should have used a single color lace yarn but I couldn't resist the Merino softness of this one. The picture is upside down since I couldn't figure out how to flip it over. Oh well.

Spinning Cashmere! This is a really old supported spindle that I bought years ago. It's a super spinner. You spin on that little dent in the center of the block. I've finished and washed the yarn and will soon post a picture.

Alien flower from space. I was so impressed with this flower from the San Francisco Zoo. Lots of different varieties there.


Some proof that I've been knitting. One of those long fingerless mitts that can cover the whole hands but when folded down, becomes fingerless. I have no idea what it's called.

Things I notice about myself lately:

1. I am very impatient.

2. I don't really care if the Sacramento Kings stayed or not.

3. I'm sad that Arnold and Maria are splitting up after 25 years of marriage.

4. I love my kids no matter what. I don't like what my oldest is doing with her life but she's still my oldest and I can only pray for her.

5. I like exercising, working in the garden, and re-decorating and doing the laundry.

6. I cannot just sit and watch TV. I have to do something with my hands.

7. I prefer listening to podcasts and audiobooks.

8. I love knitting and crocheting equally.

9. I have way too much yarn.

10. I love, LOVE, my iPod.

Emily: Any new Willow?

me: No.

Emily: Darn!

I've picked up this project that has been hibernating for a while. Now that I'm knitting socks again, I have a lot of leftover sock yarn. Hence, the blanket. These are crocheted 4 inch squares, knitted from sock yarn. Wool and nylon blend and all superwash.

This is what I'm spinning for April, 4 oz handpainted Corriedale cross roving.

My spinning homework for March

Before: a jumbled pile of Merino fiber from Ashland Bay

After: 2 skeins of jeweltone Merino yarn

Before: carded long wool of unknown breed

After: 2 skeins of sage colored yarn

I caved in

It was just too much pressure. I read Jared Flood's blog. You see, aside from being a gifted photographer and knitwear designer, he also sells yarn. Not just any yarn but American-made (spun) yarn from American wool shorn from American sheep. What stopped me before was the price ($12.50 per 140 yard skein plus shipping of course). Here's the picture of what I bought. I'm just going to try it and see what the hype is all about. It's not as super soft as Merino but not scratchy either. I will let you know how it knits up. I will design a one-skein pattern because I really don't know if I can afford a sweater using this yarn. One or two skeins is it for me because I'm cheap that way.

This is what I'm designing with the fingering weight yarn I bought from Great Northern yarn. One skein is 360 yards, so it should be enough for this cowl. So yummy to knit with.

I had one skein left of the Merino cashmere yarn I used for my cardigan and this is what I knitted. A simple ribbed cowl, using 136 yards of DK weight yarn.

I'm an avid reader of Anne Hanson's blog, Knitspot. She has some stunning patterns for lace and socks. One day, I read about the Great Northern Yarns company. So, I ordered me some:

These are amazing, soft, huggable yarns. Craig is the owner and he sells these at affordable prices. He ships really fast too. These are blends of yak and cashmere, mink, milk, and cashmere, and 100% cashmere. So many to choose from.

I have great plans for these yarns. Next-to-skin goodness.

An earthquake happened last night, in Japan, with an 8.9 magnitude on the Richter scale. A 23-foot tsunami followed almost immediately. Huge devastation in Japan. I can only imagine the fear and need for help. I don't know how other countries can help since the airport is closed due to damage. We will help, I'm sure.

I experienced the Loma Prieta quake in 1989 while I was 7 months pregnant with my oldest. That only lasted a few seconds but brought destruction. Having grown up in the Philippines, I'm used to earthquakes but you still feel fear.

Prayers going out to Japan and its people and other countries also affected.