Out With the New, in With the Old?

Woven scarf finished.

Done blocking and ready to wrap and give. (Watch after Christmas for photos of the gift items I made other than the rabbits. The kids don't read my blog yet, so I could show those.)

Part of this past week has been spent in organizing my fiber studio again, now that the weaving is finished (for now) and the loom can be folded up and moved against the wall to make room for family visits and space to play with the bear house.

You can see the pups' bed is right in front of the fire. Here's another view:

The pups, however, prefer the couch. That black blob on the couch is Rocky, wearing his new sweater.

Here's another view, showing the cleaned-up quilting area.

My Featherweight has been put away to make room for wrapping packages for the kids.

Speaking of the grandkids, three of whom are still in diapers, we have been concerned about our washer of late. It makes sort of a grinding noise just as the tub is ready to spin. The repairman who came to fix the dryer (just lint build-up inside the works) and the stove, thought the problem with the washer might be the motor. We were concerned about all the laundry we'll have to do, and we don't want the washer to go out when it's needed, so I called Maytag. The technician there thought it might be the pump. He indicated that this 32-yr.-old washer was the one the company was able to build its reputation on. "If you replace it you will be sorry, I promise!" he said. Seriously!

We made an appointment with our local repair company to replace the pump and possibly some belts. If it turns out we still need a new motor, it will still be cheaper than a new washer that would be expected to last at most ten years. The pumps are new, but a motor would have to be ordered from a department at Maytag called "Angel Parts." Presumably from machines that had gone to Heaven. Stay tuned.

Speaking of the pups, Sunny went in on Thursday to have a very large adenoma removed from her left hind leg. When they shaved the area, they found two more. They were all removed without resorting to general anesthesia, and Sunny didn't bat an eye. We hiked the Gorgoza bicycle trail the next day. I'll spare you the photo of the disgusting things (the adenomas are disgusting, not the pups), but the big one was making it impossible to groom her without nicking it, so it had to be done. Our vet takes good care of the pups. Maybe it's the home-baked bread I give him for Christmas every year...hmmm?

Thursday (while Sunny was under the knife) I went to Redstone Shopping Center to make an appointment for pedicures for the "ladies" for my birthday. (Miss Daphne is considered one of the ladies.) While we're getting pedicures and stopping by Park City's only local yarn shop, a few doors away, the dads and granddad will do something manly with the three boys. I made the appointment at California Nails and then stopped in at Wasatch & Wool. I couldn't resist. I had to pick up some goodies:

The yarn from Manos del Uruguay is probably going to be a winter hat. The yummy spinning fiber from Greenwood Fibers is for my spinning enjoyment during the "spin-in" on the Knitting Community from February 27-March 2nd.

Park City Singers will be over after Tuesday night's performance. we had our first performance last night. Tuesday I missed my iPhone when I got home from practice. My music bag had gone flying from the seat when I had to stop suddenly, so I assumed it was on the floor in front of the passenger seat. A search with the flashlight failed to reveal my phone. I was afraid I had left it at the church where we practice, but the "Find My iPhone" app said it was at my address. Since I couldn't find it with the flashlight, I had to wait until daylight to take the car out of the garage, and then call my number with my iPad. The phone, set on "vibrate" made a buzzing sound in the door pocket, not at the bottom of the pocket where I expected it, but in between the pages of a map higher up in the pocket. Whew!

The holiday letters and cards are all in the mail, headed to distant locations. And finally, Soren is as big as a Christmas tree:

And happy birthday to my number one son, Timo, born this day in 1967. What adventures we've had!

What's on my needles: The Johan socks and Mr. F's clothes. Still hand-quilting my Spring Flowers quilt, only a little progress this week. I've been busy, as you can see.

What's on my Featherweight: Put away in its case, so I can use the space for wrapping presents.

What's on my loom: Still some warp for another scarf, but the loom is folded up to make room for Christmastime play.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Dyeing Wishes by Molly MacRae from Audible. Still reading Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel, from Book Bub on the iBook app.

What's my app of the week: The "Find My iPhone" app. I would probably have driven back to the church the next day if the app hadn't told me it was somewhere at my house.

What's in my wine glass: Charles Shaw Shiraz, one of the best of the "Two-buck Chucks."

What's my tip of the week: This photo says it all:

Thanks to my friend Jean for sharing this with us! She points out you can even keep one of these clips in your knitting bag. Or it can stay on the loose yarn when you're in between bowls. Happy knitting/quilting, everyone!

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.