A Little Yarn On The Side

Technically, I could cast on something new today, and I don't really have any good "stoplight" knitting.....but I'm trying to hold strong. I decided it wouldn't hurt to move one of my WIP Wrestling entries a little farther along The Luna Moth shawl has 4 1/2 pattern repeats, and I just finished repeat number 3, so it's getting close. And the most marvelous part--NO EDGING!!! Theo thinks I'm cheating and doesn't condone such behavior. To make amends, I did some sewing while he guarded the material for the next project-- some summer clothes for Andy. Around here, our clothes are furry even BEFORE they're made. I also did a few rows on the Kimono Shawl, which has now become a Top Project because it's just about the only thing I can work on without having to consult the pattern for every row. If I can just make it past today without going near the yarn closet.......

And only in my world could that be a GOOD thing. The June Project of the Month socks are done, washed and blocking with 2 days to spare. I'm feeling positively giddy...and had fleeting thoughts of casting on something new before the July WIP Wrestling begins, but I refrained. For now... Theo refused to have anything to do with the socks. He presented me with a dead bird this morning, and seems a bit disgruntled with me after I threw it in the trash. I did praise him and let him play with it for a while, but I think he expected me to treasure it a bit longer. Maybe a little sewing in the morning will smooth things over....

The sock is fine, but I have lost my favorite cable needle--the one I bought 20+ years ago to make my very first sweater--has been lost while mowing the lawn. When last seen, the needle was hooked on my shirt, where I had placed it while knitting and forgot about it as I went out to mow the stupid lawn, which will just need to be mowed again next week. Sigh.......

There are four days left in June and most of a foot still to knit, but I think I will still get the June Project of the Month finished in June--which is sort of the point of the whole thing. Granted, it hasn't gotten much attention this week, which you can blame on this which represents four days of work, seven batches of jam, three burns, and an insane number of cherries. Theo doesn't really enjoy canning much, and has started an outright lobbying effort for sewing: The ham.

Not that the cherry situation is completely under control, but after 3 batches yesterday--and helping a friend's granddaughter with a new sewing machine, it was time first time for a little quality quadruped time. A little sunbathing with Calisto: who never has to worry about skin cancer, and a little email with Theo, who is quite enamored of the new laptop--maybe it's the color? Then on to the knitting! The newest shawl--just a border & stitch pattern-is finally past the bottom border and into the stitch pattern. Since the yarn is dark green, I wanted a stitch pattern that was about the pattern of the holes, not the stitches. Then on to the socks, which are ready for the heel. If they're giving me nightmares, it's time to finish the things. I think I only have two batches of jam to go (I already did one today, so two more ought to finish them up), so there could be some serious knitting tomorrow! Right after I clean the jam off the counters...and the stove......

which I can blame on a number of things: 1. The cherries 2. Being so enthralled by the doctor's okay that I am lifting, gardening, vacuuming, weeding, mowing, and now canning like a woman possessed. Sitting still to knit hasn't made the list for a few days. 3. The childish impulse to not knit unless I can cast on something new. 4. The lack of sufficient hours in a day. Really, why do we only get 24? And if I have to sleep 8 of them, how am I supposed to get everything done? Oddly, last night I dreamed about the purple sock. I seem to have been knitting along quite happily, until I discovered that I had knit a long cabled tube, without remembering to stop for a heel. That would be funnier if I didn't double-check the sock in sheer panic this morning, knowing that was indeed a real possibility.

* Your only fantasies about a tall, dark, stranger involve the aran sweater he's wearing. * Your spouse knows the term S.A.B.L.E. and knows whether or not you've reached it. * When you pet your cat, you can't help thinking what a nice yarn his fur would make. * When June is unseasonably cold and rainy, you're torn between worrying the tomatoes might die and being thrilled that you can still wear wool socks. * You're genuinely surprised when spell check doesn't recognize "tink" as a word. * You re-read all of the Harry Potter books because Hagrid, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley all knit. * If your cats can't find you, they wait for you by the yarn. * It's easier to give up processed food than buying yarn. * You can knit lace while still coming out from under anesthesia. * Your spouse knows that a yarn catalog in the mail will be the highlight of your day. * When you travel, you spend 4 weeks deciding what knitting to take and 30 minutes ...