First
See those dots? Those giant, fluffy, white dots? Those are snow flakes. There are not many of them there in the picture (it turns out there is a distinct limit to how long I'm willing to stand barefoot in the snow in my pajamas waiting for snow flakes to alight upon my knitting in a picturesque fashion), but quite a few in the yard. It's our first snow of the winter and it's a good one. It's coming down hard as I type this. The grass is covered and it's starting to stick to the sidewalks. I wholeheartedly approve. I [...]
Seeking Balance
Real tentacles are damn scary. I think tentacle-bedecked sea creatures are among the creepiest things out there -- worse than bugs, far worse than snakes. Go look at pictures of squid and octopus and cuttlefish and see if you don't get a case of the screaming heebie-jeebies. If that doesn't work, read about giant squid. Guaranteed sea monster dreams for weeks, at least if your brain runs along the same lines as mine. Knitting, on the other hand, sometimes has a certain tendency to lean toward the overly cute. Certainly not all knitting. Maybe not even most knitting. But there [...]
Tick Marks
The good thing about a fit of profligate casting on is that you can have a whole host of projects that are mere minutes from completion. Last night I finished off the socks for Heather's book. I can't show you much, but I can give you a tiny peek of the toes just to prove they're done (still wet, still on the blockers, but done). They're in Briar Rose's Grandma's Blessing in...um...a lovely blue/brown/green color the name of which is forever lost to me as it isn't listed on the tag. It's also from one of their 450 yard put [...]
Bits and Pieces
Having the furnace on is lovely. It is definitely warmer with the furnace on, but it's not exactly warm. We have an old house (built in 1920), and it has the original windows and absolutely no insulation in the walls. We love it, it's beautiful, but it is more than a bit drafty. We also have an old furnace. It's not quite as old as the house, but is still rather elderly as these things go. The combination of old furnace and drafty house means the gas bill gets rather staggering if we set the heat above about 58. So [...]
I Caved
We did it. We broke down. Wool socks (and mitts...and little neck warmers...and sweaters) were no longer enough. We turned on the heat. We waited till November first and until the temperature inside fell to 50, but we still did it. It always feels somehow like I've lost a sort of virtuous struggle. I'm not sure why. Being cold does not actually build character. But it still feels that way every year. At least until it gets properly warm in here, at which point it just feels good.
Signs of Life
I have done a thorough investigation and can now confidently say that being sick sucks. Refusing to lay down and rest so as to get better seems to prolong being sick. Doing even more stuff than usual because you're busy and things need to get done seems to actually make it worse. Despite my very best efforts, I appear not to be able to will this germ away and have had to actually lay down and rest as opposed to saying I will lay down and rest and completely neglecting to do so. I really don't think this is fair [...]
One of These Things is Not Like the Others
I'm trying to decide between getting a fancy camera, an ipad, and a spinning wheel. I find the juxtaposition unreasonably amusing.
Zombie Knitting
I'm still not dead. I may even be showing signs of returning life. I say this because I've recently found myself possessed by the overwhelming need to knit something. Alas, I do not currently have the attention span or the stamina necessary to tackle the (somewhat complicated) project for Heather's book. So I cast on something idiot simple. So far the steps are, find some pretty yarn. This is rather easy to do in this house and so takes no particular effort. Cast on a sockish number of stitches. This is more or less second nature by this point. Knit [...]
Not Dead
Not dead, just sick and super freaking busy (not the best combination). I'll return when I can. Thanks to all of you who wished me well. The drugs should kick in any day now and I'm sure I'll be back to my normal chipper productive self shortly.
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