Another Busy Weekend

Cleaning Fleece

I got all of the grey lincoln fleece washed and dried. I did a little bit each day this past weekend. Worked out well and the weather was very cooperative. Washed in the mornings before anyone else got up, laid it out on a windowscreen perched on a laundry drying rack and covered the clean fleece with an old sheer curtain until night fall. Worked great. Ended up with just about 1.5 pounds of grey/black/white wool. I plan to blend it with the rest of the grey alpaca and some black diamond soy silk to bring my total weight up to 2 pounds. That might be enough to make Ken a sweater.

Cleaning Out

I knew I had accumulated a lot of stuff and a bunch more junk I didn't need. I had no idea how much.

Ken took three full pick-up loads of junk and stuff to the dump on Sunday. I moved nearly all the junk and stuff out of the downstairs guest bedroom (otherwise referred to as the "front room" and normally used as a storage facility). Then I started moving all my fiber stuff downstairs into that room.

John will be moving into the little room upstairs because he is seriously talking about going to college.

But Ken decided 3/4s of the way through that downward move that he really needs to finish spackling and painting the front room before I move the rest of my stuff in. He also wants to install shelving all along a wall so, "you can get all this stuff off the floor," he said. He did patch the mouse hole that the little beasties had chewed through the wall at the outlet hole and put on the plate cover. And he was an absolute trooper about lettimg me toss even some of his old "treasures". And he and boys moved ALL the camping equipment into the trailer.

Mind you, this man works full time. When he thinks he's going to do all this spackle and paint work, I have no idea. But I will not nag... I will not nag...

He replaced the wallboard about three years ago. Never mind that what was there before, was too dreadful to discuss and a product of the previous owner and my ex-husband's handiwork.

Ken also removed all the drawers from an junky yardsale dresser that was in that room and then took a saw to the innards. I now have a good, sturdy work bench for my carder and combs and new inkle loom. Clever fellow.

Fiber Fest

Oh yeah, that was Sunday! I went to the Fall Fiber Festival at Montpelier Station on Saturday. Originally, I was going to go on Sunday and clean house on Saturday but Ken wanted to go to the blacksmith shop on Saturday so we switched days at the last minute.

I came home with an Inkle Loom (got it put together and now have to learn how to weave on it), a book to teach me how to do that, a brick of silk, a holder for my double pointed needles that is the wrong size, and a bunch of other small stuff like one of those gizmos that let's you figure out what size needle you have by poking through a hole. Oh yeah, I also bought a new Bosworth Midi. I really love those spindles.

Doctor Trip

I also went to the doctor on Monday to beg for help with my weight issues and basically bitch about heavy bleeding during my periods. Well, slap me goofy but it turns out it might be a good thing I went.

His diagnosis: fibroids in my uterus. This beer gut? It's not a beer gut at all but a massive uterus all distended and mis-shapen by 5 to 10 pounds of fibroids. The reason my belly is so huge (when the rest of me is not) is because of the fibroids and the uterus... they have taken over and are pushing everything else out of place. It explains the back pain, the incontinence, the heavy bleeding, the pelvic pains, and the weird weight distribution. The doctor was amazed I hadn't been diagnosed before. I'm still over weight but we can deal with that a little later.

Wow, imagine walking around with a five pound bag of flour inside your gut! And mine might be even bigger.

I will know more next week. I go for a sonogram on Thursday. I meet back with the doctor next Monday.

I've done a little research on the internet (and we know how accurate that is) and I'm probably looking at surgery. I may even end up having a hysterectomy. That wouldn't be so bad, I don't think. It's not like I'm using my uterus for anything other than growing fibroids just now. I just hate the thought of being out of work for a month or more. It's bad enough going back after a week of vacation! Yikes. Maybe I could do some of my work from home.

Secret of the Stole

I also started knitting on this KAL. I got the first clue on Friday. Got through most of the first point on Friday night. Was too pooped to work on it Saturday or Sunday evening. Sat down on Monday evening and finished the first point and started on the second. I may end up ripping out the first point because I made some errors that I now see because I'm doing the second one correctly... go figure. I hope to join both by Thursday and finish clue one by Thursday evening. Probably won't happen that way, but I have a feeling I may be able to catch up at some point in the near future while recovering.