Being the kind of woman she is, Joyce got a jump-start on dealing with hair loss from the radiation and chemotherapy she was going to face in the coming weeks. She had her grandson shave her head! We joked about temporary tattoos and fancy scarves tied up like turbans. With an incredibly positive attitude, love and laughter, Joyce has dealt with a bad situation in a way that is unbelievably admirable. Despite the treatments, the side-effects of the medications she has to take, she has moved through the process with the only word I can think to use ... grace.
So, with it being winter weather around here right now, and her having no hair to cover her noggin', I got busy knitting a gift for Joyce. Using the roll brim hat pattern from Simple 1-2-3 Knitting, Lion Brand Homespun yarn in the colorway Tudor, I knit up a noggin' cover. Very easy pattern on #9 circular needles, then switched to #9 DPNs to finish it off. According to the instructions it says you can make it in a couple of hours but, well, I'm just not a fast knitter and it took me longer. Meh, I don't concern myself with speed, just the joy of the process of knitting and I get there eventually! Anyway, the yarn (pattern calls for mohair) I used is soft, machine washable & dryable, and is a lovely blend of cream, tan, rose, lavender and blue. Being a boucle' yarn, it also has an interesting texture and has a slight "fuzz" to it which is somewhat mohair-ish, too. Yes, it technically called "bloom" or "halo", but I'm not technical.
With the studio in a somewhat more functional state I've been doing a little sewing for the home. Throw pillows! Ridiculously easy to do and they change the entire look of a room with a small amount of fabric and cost. I like that. I got these fabrics back in the fall with the intention of making the pillows after the major part of the living room renovation was done.
Alas, studio was packed like a sardine can and sewing anything just wasn't an option. I found the new fabrics in a stack of leftovers at a discount fabric store. I used the stuffing from the old pillows to stuff the new ones. I've still got another set to make for the chairs but I haven't found just the right fabric yet. Need something dark to balance the mulberry colored ones on the sofa, but I want to bring in some deep rust colors as well. I'll stay on the look-out for something. A trip to the thrift store might bear fruit. Come to think of it, I may have some old pillowcases in a dark rust color --- *Note To Self - pilfer linen closet! But here's what's done thus far ...
Back at the beginning of the month I told y'all about stumbling across Hip Mountain Mama and her blog about One Small Change. What a phenomenal thing it has grown into on the web! Inspiring! Please visit the Community of Change and see for yourself. Better yet, join in and make one small change in your own life. To update on my choice of a small change: Paper Recycling. I decided to clean out space in my pantry and put in a second recycling container for paper in addition to the one I already had for plastic bottles and cans.
Like it is for many others out there, times are tight and the husband and I are watching our pennies. We live out in the middle of nowhere so we don't get the fancy-schmancy recycling containers the city provides. My pantry is kinda' small, too. I had to be budget friendly and a little creative ... laundry hampers from the Dollar Store for $4 ea.! For the time being I lined them with large trash bags. Now that I have access to my sewing machine again I'm thinking of using some old sheets to make liners. Jazz them up a bit.
What I've found since starting this change of separating paper from my regular trash is that I've only had one bag of trash to take to the landfill. ONE! In a whole month! Amazing! Before I would probably have had five or six bags. I still have to get a burn barrel to burn the paper stuff but that's okay. I'll get one soon. Until then, there's still lots of room in my recycle bin.
I've been thinking about what the next "One Small Change" will be for February. With a closet full of fabric and a sewing machine at the ready I'm inclined to whipping up a stack of napkins. I haven't bought real paper napkins in years because the husband likes paper towels for napkins. For myself, I used dish towels. I think it would be nice to make the switch to cloth napkins, as well as cloth towels to substitute for the paper towels. Not to sure the husband will go for it, but I can at least use cloths for all the other things I've used the paper towels for ... wiping up spills, etc. It would be interesting to see how long a roll of paper towels would last if they were only used by the husband as napkins. Since he's only home about 10 days a month, probably a long time. Yep, cloth napkins for February!
Namaste,' y'all ...
