Upper left purple striped socks. Just the toes. Straight down are the watermelon socks. Well into the arch ribbing. Middle row, top, lavender/pink socks, also to arch ribbing. Can barely see the white yoga socks in the middle but one sock is nearing the heel cast-off. I hate working a sock at a time. One sock syndrome is real. The bottom is new yarn from my son. I couldn’t wait to see what happens with this blue and white yarn. Upper right is the lonely yarn from my daughter. I will receive the new needles for this pair on Monday. They will be so cool!
While my daughter was here she bought black and white yarn skeins to teach herself colorwork. It looked like fun. So I pulled out contrasting colors to see if I could do it. Hey, this is fun. Now I need to try this on socks! And cabling. So I’m going to experiment on the pairs I’ve started.
My possible future young adult granddaughter had on a white sweater that inspired me. I printed up this pattern from Ravelry. But that much yarn will cost a fortune! And I’ll need needles. I like working in the round so I hope to get really long cables.
Does anyone else get like this? I want to try so many things?
Middle part in progress.
Printouts to practice from my 60s book.
One of my favorite composers. I have three volumes of his work . I’m sight-reading through these next.
Love this one. Ready to print it out and learn.
My brother found this for me. Now I need to look for John Denver songbooks
Yeah, moving right along. Italian is still my favorite.
I loved my week with loved ones and traveling. But I’m finding my equilibrium and energy levels blown to pieces. Bike and treadmill shame me this week. The weather is getting colder, less stable. I’m so glad my family members are safe and we can face the bad stuff from our homes.
Not to mention NaNo prep and character development is far from my focus right now
I’ll find my way back while teaching myself new passion.
Saffron complexion, hooded mauve eye color, bob nose, nutmeg bristly bobbed hair, moon shaped face, Cupid’s bow mouth, wattles chin, apple cheeks, gangly body, stooped shoulders were the physical attributes. Other interesting bits, she loved fishing and yearned to wash, manic for water.
Then the#Inkober prompts I could use were pierce, starfish, reckless, heavy, and sweep. Thus Sunn Aisley Yellowle came into being. (The name randomly generated by WriteItNow6)
Not one just to succumb to peer pressure, Sunn woke in the hospital, her yellow skin meant that she was jaundice from liver failure. Fishing was her favorite sport–could this all be related? The IV needle pierced her skin. She passed out. When she woke, starfish covered her yellow breasts. She struck out in fear, recklessly knocking over the nurses. She realized her heavy legs had become a tail that swept the room.
Progressed to the balloon part of the diamond painting picture.
I’ve finished sight reading through
Now I’ll go through my piano journal to find my favorites to print out and practice.
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The purple stripe toes are done ready for the foot.
The last pair of Yoga socks are nearly done. Next comes the heel cast-off, then the ankle cast-on. I’m finally getting used to these Hiya-Hiya Flyers.
I’m looking forward to seeing family this next week. We only get a day but it’s better than not seeing them at all.
Playing around with the colored pencils and getting bits of story wanting to be told has been inspiring and fun.
Not so finished as midway or just getting started.
I still had enough of this yarn to make one more pair of socks. Besides I can’t stand to see naked needles. Size 2 40″ Chiaogoo needles TwoAtATime socks, Turkish cast-on done now on increasing section. I’m at 20 stitches per side and foot. I need 32 so 12 more rows to the arch.
My last pair of Yoga socks. These seem so pretty and soft. These are the size 1 Hiya-Hiya Flyers. They take some getting used to, but I’m liking the process more and more.
Watermelon socks are coming along. Size 2 40″ Chiaogoo needles TwoAtATime socks. I’m working on the arches now.
I never quite know what to call these. They are acrylic. Still, the yarn is soft and warm. Thick socks or slipper socks. Size 7 40″ Chiaogoo needles TwoAtATime socks. I need 2 more inches of arch ribbing before the start of the Fleegle Heel.
Bottom third of balloon diamond painting picture is done. I have some Halloween DPs waiting that I am anxious to start.
Well, look at that. I still enjoy Duo. I am sick of ads but I can’t afford the super or max. Still, I’m learning as much as I was way back when everything was free.
I’m still sight reading my way through this book. I am highlighting the ones I really want to work on. Those I will print out and tape together so I won’t have pages to turn.
I’ve made it through the ‘S’s. So much fun!
What I still need to do is NaNo characters and nearly two weeks of Inktober prompts. I tried today but couldn’t seem to get myself together enough. Maybe tomorrow.
Yay! Finished! I need to seal it but I’m starting another balloon diamond painting tomorrow.
I finished a Kindle book, an actual visually read book. I’ll post the review Sunday.
I love socks!
Up to the arches in this pair of Yoga socks.
Ribbing the arch on my watermelon socks.1
Almost to the arch on these slipper socks.
Future scrappy socks. Or should I frog and make yoga slipper socks? I don’t have much of my favorite yarn leftover.
Reawakening an old project. Convertible fingerless glove mittens. They are completely knitted, I just need to sew up the finger bits and attach the mitten part. I sewed one index finger. Nine more to go. Have I mentioned, I don’t like the sewing parts of knitting or crocheting? Ugh. But I feel it’s a good project for a gift or because it’s getting cold.
Look what I found in my piano bench! I’m sight-reading through the book figuring out what songs to concentrate on. Eleanor Rigby I can sing while playing. Most songs are too hard for me to do both.
I’ve skimmed through about a fourth of the book so far.Up, Up and away!
Here is where I keep myself accountable to me for progress on projects of my passions. But yesterday I got behind and then ahead on this episode.
Sometimes I feel I make other people feel inferior through my checklist. Please don’t. I feel inferior to everyone else in that I’m sure they’re getting other stuff done that they don’t even need to report because they are so good at getting their adulting jobs done that I feel guilty not getting done or just overlook, like dishes and shampooing. The same 24 hours is all we get and we make choices of what we can do. What we need to do. And what we can’t wait to do, leaving other necessities hanging with futile hopes.
And since this blog is attached to ‘Warts and All’ I’ll start with what hasn’t gotten done. My husband asked me today why I haven’t been playing the uke, recorder, or violin. Well, I thank Mrs. Skinner for this sidetrack path straightener.
When I got sick of practicing piano and ready to quit lessons, she came up with this bait and switch. Forced practice came from Mom. But I adore my teacher. She sent me home with her ukulele. It helped so much in bringing me back to the piano.
So in hopes of keeping my music alive I tried the recorders and strings. And sure enough it worked.
When my dad was in the rest home over a decade ago, the lady in the room next to his played her piano all the time. I decided I wanted to grow up to be her, or Huge Lauri of House fame. He would sit down and just play, no sheet music just music.
I’ve been stuck with eye music since I was 5 years old. My goal this time is to learn to improvise and play. Still, there is so much to learn to get to that stage of free-playing. The other instruments help with learning chords and meandering melodies. And a change of positions. So I need to get back to them sometimes.
Shiloh sleeps waiting for me.
Shiloh makes it hard to skip piano. So I’ll need to plug in other musical play elsewhere in my day.
Scrap socks 1 Milo refuses to look.
Scrap socks 2
Watermelon socks
Blue boho socks. Not much progress for research booklets.
Duo still rides my stationary bike managing a few lessons for the half-hour 4-5 miles on #3 grade. So… There’s that.
I started my revisit to playing the piano at the beginning of October last year.
At that time two of my friends were in the hospital. In my piano journal I mentioned the deep thoughts and how it might affect my “playing”. Three days later one of my friends passed away and I worried the other might join her. Outside of praying there was little I could do.
Birds sing. They just do. Creativity has to happen. Just because.
I think I started before October. But the journey back to the keys got serious then. I started keeping the piano journal then.
I remember trying to figure out how to start.
My friend and I were already working on bringing back our creative muses. She said I should make sure to say ‘play’ not ‘practice’. It has worked.
But when I started back I found I couldn’t play songs I memorized or at least conquered back when I was twelve.
It was embarrassing, depressing, in fact, to even think about some of the songs. And I had to have everyone in the house hide away while I played.
At first I would play for five minutes. My anxiety was so high.
I’d play far easier things or sight read what might be easy.
Early on I looked at the Shirley Temple Songbook and felt that there was no chance I’d get the rhythm. Modern rhythms, syncopation. Bane of my existence.
Well, I finally got brave and started hitting the Songbook.
Yeah, see the drawing at the top right of Early Bird? Mrs. Skinner drew that timing illustration for my 12 year old self. I’m getting it. Sort of 63 years later. Ta Da!
Still missing my Michele. But glad Yvensong is better.
About 2/3s finished. Lots of black and dark colors make this a tough one.
Two more inches until the heel.
Scrappy Socks. About an inch until the heel. I have more scraps below.
Should I use this for the heel and ankle?
Two more inches until arch ribbing.
Piano is harder to show progress. Has anyone noticed that once the usual mistakes are eliminated almost regularly, that brand new mistakes pop up? Even still, I think I’m ready to tape another Warts and All. While polishing up old challenges, I have new ones I’m learning bit by bit. I’ll list them later. I’m running out of energy and words.
Working the bottom fourth of my new Sea Turtle Diamond Painting. I’m listening to “Learn Faster, Perform Better” by Molly Gebrian during the painting. It’s very interesting.
Only because I knew I needed to report progress on my Two-At-A-Time socks on Chiaogoo needles, I put a couple rows in on each pair. I finally got new glasses for these up-close WIP. So my only excuse is arthritis and not even that so much as, um, life?
Some of the fun songs I’m learning. Shiloh, loves and comes running when I play or sing that song to her. My son wants me to learn Skyrim. It is cool. And Succession needs to be relearned. Too much time between plays.
My rebinge of Grey’s Anatomy is a part of ‘Life’ made it to S13E12 out of, what? 22? What’s funny is how the guys join up with me. Sometimes all four of us are watching.
I have finished three books and now need to write reviews.
My newest addiction. Another part of ‘life.’
The furry three take up the rest of my time. They keep us on our toes, laughing, caring, cuddling. Nothing gets finished when hugging or walking these balls of fun energy.
Milo volunteered to be the socks background. I finally knitted to the arch ribbing.
Only managed one row on the watermelon socks. Milo shows off the colors.😉
I have to admit that three furry babies take a lot of time and energy. Even when they are the best audience and supportive friends. I’m surprised at my slow progress on everything.
Nothin’ but blue sky…
Shiloh loves music, especially keyboard and piano. This is her before I started my session.
See what I mean?
Sammie is already asleep under the diamond painting table.
Shiloh finally secumbs
Sammie prodding his bed.
So here is the best of my Warts and All. Please don’t feel obligated to listen. I know it’s still way slow and bumpy. I am enjoying learning bluesy songs. Classical is predictable; key signatures make sense, rhythms aren’t wonky. Sure, I still make mistakes but I understand why. Modern, blues, jazz I understand in theory but my hands don’t get it sometimes. It doesn’t flow. Modes instead of major and minor throw me off. The one and three beats of classical are now the second and fourth as main beats. Sorry. A lot of excuses for why I’m not perfect. My purpose of this blog and YouTube is to veer away from perfection that is in our faces everyday. So here is God Bless The Child.
I’m still slowly coming around. I’m still doing little bits of everything. What I’m learning in my old age is how even little bits get the job done. What am I on some kind of race? Just with myself. I just need to be patient.
There are a couple rows I’ve added to these watermelon socks.
I’ve added several rows on this pair. I don’t know why I favor this pair over the watermelon but I’m nearly to the arch ribbing.
While we’re watching local news I use the stationary bike while working on Duolingo. It’s interesting how the exercise my legs helps my brain.
When I move to my Dabbling Den, Chris hops on the bike. He’s working very hard lately. He went from five minutes to 30 minutes for 5 miles (like I do). We are neck to neck in this gentle race.
I’m averaging about 45 minutes playing and learning improvisation. I try to do my vocal warmups before playing so that when I’m playing something fun I can sing along. These are some of my favs right now.
And Shiloh our black cat wants to make sure I include her song. That white and blue book? The journal I’ve been keeping up for piano and voice.
From around 10:30 Shiloh and Sammie gather in my Den. Shiloh will walk on the piano keys to let me know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve begun to call her ‘Mom’ as she gets insistent about my practice time. Sammie just sleeps in a little bed under my diamond painting table.
As you can see the sunset beach is nearly finished. Just a bit of sky. All the pinks are done. On to the blues.
This made me laugh. Milo is forever jumping and dancing about. He’s always making me laugh. And when he looks at me with his serious brown eyes, I can hear Morgan Freeman’s voice
Working on my series: Haven.
Doodler (zendoodle.com)
Music major: voice and piano
Mom of four great adults
Reiki II practitioner
I have been on disability/retired for 10 years now from depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia.
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