It’s very quiet at work these days. Very strange for public service. Things are ticking along, with little crisis to distort the daily routines. Considering it’s the height of winter, it’s really quite unusual. A normal winter day usually consists of damaged vehicles, urgent parts orders, delayed deliveries, etc. causing much grief. So there is a little newspaper reading and small conversations being done in between tasks, and people in general are in good humour – a rarity around here many days.
I have re-discovered my public library lately, especially of course the needlework and craft section. It seems that many newer books are there, and some that I have wanted to look at but that would be too expensive to buy. I checked out Handpaint Country, by Cheryl Potter yesterday, a book about hand-painted yarns and the artists who create them from all over North America, including Koigu from Ontario (why didn’t I know that?) and I simply cannot get the images out of my mind! Breathe-taking! And so inspiring! While some of the items are well beyond my scope, there are a few I can do, and one very easy ruana from the front cover that will be a pleasure to make. However, I priced the yarns this morning and with the shipping and exchange it is well over $200.00 USF – totally out my price range, even for a shawl of superb quality like this. So it will be into my stash and off to the discounted yarn bins at my LYS to re-create my economy version.
We are fortunate to have some great LYS’s around and for this project I need glass beads and we also have several LBS’s too, which are always fun to venture into. Once we go in, it’s is hard to come out without extra things! I love beads and buttons and little rounded things. The colors the shimmers, the finishes – I have old crow syndrome – you know, where you can’t not pick something up that’s smooth and round and maybe just a little sparkly to take back to your nest!
This week, I tackled my plan to learn to knit socks. I consider sock knitting a skill level that I need to attain. Everyone says it is simple, but until now I couldn’t get my head or hands around those small needles and thin yarns. But then I saw these amazing sock kits from Socken Wolle, enough for two pairs of sock, one plain and one variegated, plus the needles and simple pattern, all in one kit. I found the kits in Sutton, QC in a great yarn and craft store, run by a wonderful lady who fortunately spoke English (I regret I cannot speak French to save my life!). It was hard to choose a colorway, so I ended up with 2 kits, so now I am committed after spending all my play money in one place!
But I think it was worth it as I am halfway through the leg after just 2 evenings of fiddling with those small needles, and seem to gaining some ground. And in an effort to ward off second sock syndrome I will use the needles from my second kit to knit the leg of my second sock before moving on to turn the heel of the first. Each stage I will do the second sock before moving on with the first. That way when I’m done the first sock toe, I only have the second sock toe to do.
Sort of assembly line style I guess, but I have finish-itis very badly and am trying very hard to keep my projects to four or less on the go, and finish at least one before casting on for more than that. Still it’s hard, since not all projects are suitable to drag around or work on in certain situations. I need mobile projects, like socks and slippers and mittens, and TV projects, like scarves, garter stitch shawls, crocheted afghans, and S’nB projects like baby things, etc. And then there is the real challenging projects that require the house to be quiet, free of distracting chatter, and suspicious noises that would draw my attention away from my stitches. Usually these are the projects like my vest or pullover that have reached a point where decreasing or increasing is required and I must count. Although I like to think I am multi-tasker like the best of them, counting and talking at the same time, not so good!
Now be quiet – I’m counting……….
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