12 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 4

Catherine Basu in Texas is hosting a fitness challenge - here's the link to the Facebook group - though we're several days into the challenge, there's always room for one more - please join us!!

Today was another Qigong day. I did three Palms Rising and 5-Element Standing Stake, about 10 minutes. Plus strolling around our Farmer's Market, getting wonderful OG kale, Collards (for Hoppin' John New Year's soup), parsley, squash, apples, & then a pasture raised (no grain!) leg of lamb.

It was also our second family Christmas party, with my son & his family, niece & her daughter at my daughter Mary's home. I completed my knitting project for my son; this pair of fingerless gloves (knit earlier in the week) & the Jacques Cousteaus hat, which I finished yesterday! It took awhile to get the size 'just right' - & to figure out the decrease - LOVE it, & plan to make a few more!

The wool is from a heritage flock of Navajo-Churro sheep from Bide A Wee farm. I was able to show off the finished goodies to my farmer Karen. The darker grey was commercially spun from their wool, & I spun the paler grey from washed wool I carded on wool cards my mom & her mom used when preparing wool for hooked rugs. The wool is a joy to work with, & I am growing increasingly fond of the meat!

"The Navajo-Churro sheep were brought to the North America by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century as a source of food and clothing for their armies. By the 17th century Churros were popular with the Spanish settlers in the upper Rio Grande Valley.  Flocks of Churros were also acquired by Native Americans through raids and trading, and soon became an important part of the Navajo economy and culture.  A series of US Government sponsored flock reductions and "improvements" (by cross breeding) decimated the Navajo flocks until the old type Churro sheep nearly disappeared."

What did you do for your health & well being today?

Socks

What on earth do you do with your 'extra' socks??

This AM I decided to tackle the laundry 'pile' - fly-lady asks, 'where's your laundry?' & reminds us of the FIVE basic steps: Sort, Wash, Dry, Fold,& Put it away! (the link is to a variety of thoughts from 'fly-babies' on 'solving the laundry quandry)

I CONTINUALLY do all 5 steps with my massage laundry, (sheets, hand towels n face cloths) - so 'home' laundry is rather 'catch as catch can!'

As I sorted the singleton pile, I asked myself 'would I wear these if I did find the mate??? So thinking of sending them into the compost bin! & found several 'matches' that I do like, so put them in the official 'sock PAIR' basket, & saved some of the singles in another basket.

My son-in law is a pro at sorting/cleaning & all that! His solution - each family member has their own main sock pattern (the 5 year old: white with pink toes & heels, etc) so that it's easy to sort, & they ALL match! Yes, there are still some 'character' socks, but not as many!!

I enjoy more variety, tho I see his point! I've been knitting part bamboo socks -using 'left overs' from the fingerless gloves to do the cuff/foot, leaving the heel open, & knitting the toe with the bamboo mix! How fun these have turned out - a veritable rainbow! My intention was 'mix & match,' but I've done several pair (& left some toes open as well!) The photo on this link shows the first two pair, I've done some in 'thyme/green' which were sweet for St Pats :) - & 'of course' had to buy new yarn for pairs . . .

OK - back to the sock mine!! What's your task today??

Square through four

New Moon yesterday - how the year is flying! Molly offers some great tips on Clearing while you're cleaning - great to combine with New Moon (Would be easier if I could find my floor, lol!! But I am making progress & want to implement some of these ideas!)

I've been doing Lots of dancing - ballet, ecstatic, & I finished the 'basic' Square dance lessons on Monday! Our class 'graduates' this Saturday - & I feel much more 'at home' with the calls! One of my best friends through grade & High School & my college roommate both took up Square dancing in the late 70s, when I began studying Ballet. My roommate became one of the few female callers, & called for several clubs over the years. She's now 'retired' from calling, but still dances.
For about 15 years I took ballet classes several times a week, did some point work (beginning that when I was in my mid 30s!), was in performances with our local studio, & enjoyed it immensely. For awhile, the whole family took ballet, & this last winter, all my grandkids (& my son & dau-in law) performed in the Nutcracker.
Over the years, I added other dance forms - belly dance, Ecstatic (free form), Dances of Universal Peace, studied & teach Tai Chi/Qigong, & love them all.

I began taking ballroom classes about 10 years ago, & learned more about 'partner' dance, as much of what I'd done had been more core or individual work. With the ballet background, I was often chosen to help the teacher demonstrate, & that was fun too!
Though we have a lovely ballroom, dances haven't been well attended, & are rarely offered, & dances in other locations are often fundraisers & quite expensive, so there's not much opportunity to practice what we're learning! And while the teachers recommend 'rotating' partners during lessons, which gives the beginning dancers opportunities to practice with more experienced dancers; at actual dances, it's much rarer to dance with more than a few folks, as most couples dance with each other.

Then a couple of years ago, my Ballroom buddy Steven invited me to try Round Dance, basically, ballroom done with a 'cuer' who gives direction, so everyone does the same moves. Fascinating! It takes the pressure off the 'lead' to think of patterns. Our cuer teaches two step, waltz & cha-cha, & we took each series. Having grown up in the Grange, it was fun to go out to the hall for the Round dance lessons, & I went to a dance or two, but with only a sketchy memory of grade school Square dance, I sat out half the dances, which alternate square 'tips' & round sets.

Steven wasn't interested in Square Dancing, & is busy with the ballroom (which he manages), so last fall, I decided to join the Square Dance lessons on my own. (& invited a gal friend who used to dance to join the lessons mid-stream)
Our club hosts dances twice a month, & area clubs offer 'New Dancer Dances' (& our members car-pool to attend) around graduation (they offer classes around the same time); so I've gone to a couple of dances already - & rarely sat out!! One of the 'rules' is that NEW DANCERS NEED TO DANCE! So the more experienced dancers dance with us!! There were enough dancers at our last dance for 6 squares (48 dancers on the floor, with another 8-10 sitting out!) & I only sat out a few dances! I was asked by THREE different guys (inc. a teen who took the lessons with us) to dance when I did sit down!!
The club also has 'experienced' clothes sales, so I've picked up several skirts (remember tie skirts?? They make a great square dance skirt, with a bit of eyelet sewed to the bottom) & one outfit; usually $5-10 per piece, & several soft petticoats. A number of the gals dance in 'prairie' skirts - about calf length, & not as full as the shorter skirts. My galfriend also got a skirt & top - pink Seminole style patchwork - lovely!!

Yikes!! It's almost 11, time to join my Red Hat sisters for lunch (& get all dolled up!!)
My most recent project is starting some socks - bamboo & superwash wool!! Several of my friends have been knitting socks, so I got a book from the library with a likely sock pattern, some of my mom's kneedles, & (sigh) another trip to the yarn stash store, to choose something yummy to knit with - I'm calling the colour 'nutmeg' (BBQ sauce doesn't roll off the tongue quite right, . . . ) cheers, babuskas!

Holi-Daze

Whew - seems like 'forever' since I've written!

GF Thanksgiving went very well - was at my son's & they'd gotten a GF baking mix, so Angie made a GF pie crust, & I mixed up the pumpkin filling, using coconut milk so my lactose intollerant former hubby could have some (& reminded them to save some mashed potatoes before adding the 'fixings') . . . my daughter made stove top stuffing, & just used veggies in the bird, & we had both wheat & GF rolls - delightful!
Over on 'Grain Damaged, there's a great post on gluten sensitivity,Several of my friends seem irritated that I'm avoiding gluten, tho I 'don't have celiac disease' - I tell them I'd rather not 'find out' by becoming seriously ill! This article really explains it well!

I've been divorced ~ 20 years, (& married ~ 18) & my 'X' & I were always friends, so it's pretty easy to spend family holidays together. His 93 yr old mom & ~ 15 year old son both came as well.

Since then it's been work n dance & reading & . . . Knitting!
It's kind of 'if you give a mouse a cookie.' (if you start knitting a project, you're going to want to visit the yarn shop, if you visit the yarn shop, . . .)

My mom, majorally 'crafty,' taught me to knit when I was a kid, & then again several times. Over the years, I've knit various things - socks (usually in the round), leg warmers, dolls (basically like a gloves), shells - but I can't recall ever knitting a 'grown up' sweater! My mom made her own sweaters, using pretty sport weight yarn - usually synthetic, as the crutches wore holes in wool pretty quickly. I've made doll sweaters, & sweaters for kids . . .

So a few weeks ago I was at the library, looking for a book in the Young Adult area & kind of browsing the shelves, when I came upon Elizabeth Lennard's 'Chicks with Sticks' - a series about teens in Chicago who take up knitting, & form friendships & a S & B group 'don't mind the Frogs' (ripping out 'mistakes')

A few weeks before that , I'd paid a visit to our local yarn shop & picked up a couple of skeins of varigated yarn for leg warmers (for me) & some pink to begin ones for the little ballerina granddaughters. I'd run out of one of the pinks (all gathered from the 'sale' boxes :) so ventured back, hoping to find one more ball of that pink 'superwash' wool. YES! Mmm mmmm mmm

One of the 30% off boxes held a pile of soft & cushy'Merino Frappe' & I got a handful of skeins in pink, then looked through the sale books. Like cookbooks, folks probably only knit (or crochet or . . .) a couple of patterns from any one book, so I often just get a few from the library. But this one had a cute ballet sweater, & I thought it would knit up nicely in the 'frape' . . .

So I also got 'Speed Knitting' (Kris Percival) & began the sweater with a delightful raspberry pink yarn. The ties turned out way long (I followed the instructions!) So I think I'll trim them back, & maybe felt the leftover ends! My mom had a sweater in almost the same raspberry, so it reminds me of her. Lois had a great 'eye' for matching colours, & would knit afgans in sport yarn, slippers, & for awhile, cotton bandage 'strips' for soldiers!

Today the project is some fingerless gloves - it's COLD outside (OK, so it is December!) I chatted on the phone to a crafty friend who lives in Portland & also knit as we talked - our own little crafty session!

I need to begin making my 'Mom's group' gifts for our Brunch next weekend! (I've knit cute little neckwarmers, this year I'm sewing something) . . . but also need to finish that glove . . .
What are you working on??