Or: Poppy Fields Forever

Almost immediately after my last post, I suddenly got all fired up about the Road to Oz project, now subtitled "Poppy Fields Forever", and have made some great progress:

I have been combining both knit and crochet in this piece, using short rows for shaping in the knit sections, which I'd never done before. It's been a little tricky, because much of it is seed stitch, but it seems to be working. The advantage of crochet is that you can change directions anytime; building up an area at will, which is so much easier. I really like the way this is going; it's definitely a project that's pretty much telling me what it wants to be and how to get there. And, by the way; what it wants to be is a wall-hanging/shawl, in landscape mode.

The Road to Oz

The other night, we watched the Wizard of Oz again, and I was blown away by the glorious colors of the poppy fields.

So I immediately went searching through my stash; and this is what I've come up with so far:

I haven't a clue as to what form this will take, but one of the things I'm considering is a wrap that will double as a wallhanging. And I'm thinking about possibly crocheting this, or combining knit and crochet in one piece.

New Look, Pro or Con?

In response to a reader's request, I have changed the look of my blog to, hopefully, make it easier to read. I welcome your comments. Is it easier to read, or not; and is it more (or less) attractive to look at? Any thoughts?

Two Down & I'm Good to Go

I had the 2nd cataract surgery Monday, and except for the fact that they were running way behind, causing my blood presure to go sky high and needing to be medicated for it (or they wouldn't do the surgery) it went well. And I'm seeing faster results than with the first eye. Same brilliant colors, but now I can see them with both eyes; and same ability to read, knit and crochet, use the computer, and drive without glasses. I'll see the doctor in 2 weeks, to check whether or not I will need any glasses at all, or if I can just go as is.


The only drawback is still having to put drops in both eyes anywhere from 1 to 4 times daily for the next 4 weeks. Small price to pay for the greatly improved eyesight. I'll have to see how that translates when I start working glass again. The work on the glass studio is moving along nicely, and next week an old colleague of mine will come by to help us figure out the fuel and ventilation requirements. I am so looking forward to getting back to the torch. (I'm sure I've already said that, but it's true.)

In the meantime, I've been making progress on a number of projects:

The Pink, Blue, and Purple Layer Cake Vest 

also known as the 1000 Branches Vest, as it's a pared down version of the 1000 Branches Kimono 

The Night Sky Vest

which is a vest crocheted side to side, using multifibers and alternating stitches ala Jane Thornley. 

It's my own design, and presenting a challenge to match up the front sides; but I'm getting there. 

The Quick & Easy (also known as Quick & Dirty) Shawl

and lastly, I've started working on 
Hyundai, Here I Come, 

a shawl to wear in my husband's car to ward off the AC.

So, as you see, I've been, and am, keeping busy waiting for my glass studio. When it's ready, I'll probably suffer Fiber Withdrawal symptoms, but things could be worse.

One Down and One To Go (Cataract Surgeries that is)

It's been 3 days and many changes since my cataract surgery. The first noticeable change showed up on my way to Knit Night on Thursday. I kept thinking my driving glasses were dirty and needed cleaning, but cleaning didn't help. I then realized that I could see better without my glasses than with.

One of the signs of cataracts is often the loss of color perception, and after surgery colors are more vivid. I figured that doesn't apply to me, because I already see colors very vividly. NOT! By Friday morning, I started noticing that colors seemed so much brighter than usual; if I closed my right eye (the one in which I'd had the surgery) colors looked as usual. If I closed the left eye, WOW. And even with both eyes open, the brightness remained. 

Surprisingly, the third change is that I'm able to read, knit, and work on my computer mostly without reading glasses. This is surprising because often, even though the distance vision improves, you still need reading glasses. I imagine that there will still be instances where I will need some help reading small or faint print, but for now, I'm one happy camper. We'll have to see how my vision is when working at the torch.


The surgery on my left eye is scheduled for a week from Monday. I will be glad to have that over, too.