Meanwhile, Amidst the Towering Textiles . . .

There has been sewing and knitting and not much blogging or photography. I'll be taking the camera home for a few days. We'll see what is documentable.

Tonight's a night for finishing. I've finished knitting the second jaywalker, but I need to graft the toe. I still haven't woven in the ends of Steel Penny, the combo-sweater, nor have I blocked it. I have two pairs of twill trousers that are long overdue for a machine hem. Yes, I've worn them trailing on the ground, rolled up at the waist, or temporarily safety pinned. Before the condition of the hem worsens, I must prove myself capable of taking care of my wardrobe. Hem, I say. And when I was about to wash and put away my peace fleece sweater, I found a few ends I'd neglected to weave in.

I had needed to get some things tackled and cleared before I had surface space for drying sweaters. And of course, once I had all that space, I really needed to sew. I have finished sewing a pair of pants that I started last summer. I made myself a summer skirt, all marbley polka dots. I even knit up a couple dish cloths, I did, while I did some traveling amongst the family. (Another reason why there are no photos. I'm a great one for NOT taking cameras on roadtrips.) Started two sweaters, but I'm having a debate, naturally, about one of them. Don't want to frog if I'm not sure.

Sounds like a good night for some finishing. Maybe I'll finish up the last of the wheatberry chili I pulled from the freezer. No cooking, just me and the needles.

Greens that aren't

There's a paradox. Two greens that aren't green. One is a delectable deep brown indulgence of Green & Blacks dark chocolate with orange and spice. The other is an AbsBloomiNutely BeYooTiful hank of Handmaiden Sea Silk. Not your average bit of sea greenery, that.

I took a pathetic picture because I had the camera in the same place as the package from my wonderful knitty sp7 pal - and all of this was in the same location as the computer - and I was going to have to have a bit of that chocolate or Know the Reason Why.



The color in this photo, as it appears on my screen, looks completely wrong. Too much colorific camera enhancement. It's beautifully subtle and rich, the real thing. Greys and silvers and plums and lavenders. I'll take a better photo at home, but this was the moment to be spontaneous, so here we are.

I feel delightfully indulged. What a treasure. And my pal mentioned that it smelled like the beach. She's right. Intriguing. What a fine mailbox find!

Proof I'm a Peasant

I ate radishes for breakfast this morning.

(That's it. Can't post more. Must finish a paper of sorts.)

Some Weekend Knitting

I live excitement. Here are some photos of a weekend of Steel Penny. They are small for ease of loading, but you should be able to click through for a clearer view.


Maybe it's because I was focused a bit on whether there would be enough yarn.


I was fascinated with the changing nature of the balls of yarn.


Worked on the neck and arm trim so I'd be sure that I'd know how much I'd have for length when I got to the hem.


I-cord bind-off - first try.


Used up all of this, save about a yard or two.



Switched to smaller needle for the Bad Penny contrasting hem. Ribbing looked big on the original size, so I frogged back and switched needles. Now of course, it looks like it comes in a little too much for my taste. I'm sure I can cure that with blocking, though.


This is the end of the charcoal. I'm not yet good at estimating yardage needed for I-cord bind-offs. Fingers crossed.

Enjoy what you have

I'd hoarded this jar of Branston Pickle for too long, I decided, so I opened it up some weeks ago and have been enjoying it steadily. Let's have no pantry hoarding, I say. Not safe, not thrifty, and not fun.


The jar is now in the recycling, but for its celebratory photo I plunked it onto a clean but well-used knitted item from a standard pattern you might recognize. This particular dishcloth was from last summer - leftovers from niece ponchos and a string bag I made for thomasina. Was amused earlier this spring when my mom caught sight of a knitted dishcloth near my sink. "You made that, right? And diagonal - very you." She was rather taken by the idea of my bothering to do something stylish with something so pedestrian. Isn't it great when you can be this old and your mom still thinks you do things with flair?

But you know, I'm a bit taken with the whole thing myself. I'm impressed with all the pedestrian and artful dishcloths and washrags and swiffer covers and everything else being knitted out there. Every day works and every day works of art are ways to do more than use what we have - we can enjoy what we use.

Big Cheater

So Thursday, when I kept myself away from all things work, I cheated on my socks.


Stash yarns. Sale yarns. Lana Gatto Feelings. Pretty indulgent, so thank goodness for shop closeouts. Three of the light, one of the dark, the latter purchased one year later, even. In the spirit of a little of this and a little of that, I give you a little bit Piccovoli and a little bit Bad Penny.

I'm calling it Steel Penny. I had one of those in my coin collection, you know.

And already I'm further than this. Very comfortable knit, this yarn.
(I'm not going to say anything about how I hope to win the yardage race. Not a thing.)

Little Victories

June brings normalcy to my sleep patterns. I go to bed at decent hours and sleep well, getting up in the mornings to do the simple homefront things that many other people do all the time. Thursday morning I enjoyed a few minor little victories on the homefront.

Put together the oats & sour milk starter for a small batch of scones for Saturday or Monday.

Made blueberry pancakes with the last of the milk and the last of last season's frozen blueberries. No food photo here. Pancakes weren't up to food-stylist standards, but they were up to eating standards. I ate a portion and cooked up the rest for the fridge, taking a cue from a friend who cooks up all the pancakes, even if they're not all eaten at the moment. Leftover pancakes aren't always that desirable, but as my mother said, leftover pancake batter REALLY isn't that desirable.



I was out of coffee filters, but I found the cotton filter. I don't use it much in my current residence. It takes forever to dry and shake out all the grounds, and this kitchen has no sink disposal for rinsing away the last bits. However, during the summer I'll use it. I started drinking more tea last summer, and I don't need to make coffee everyday, so the filter will have a couple days to dry out. I make a full pot when I do and chill the rest for iced coffee.

Dishes were washed, and I tended to some little bits of mending. Actually got this button back on within the correct cycle. (Worn, button came off, laundered, button's back on.)



While I was at it, I learned a bit more about this camera's exposure and capturing black textiles.

I had such a good morning, I stayed away from work all day. Even better.

And no, I won't lose my job. Technically, I'm on a partial year contract.
Career-soul, though, not clock-puncher, I'm working a bit every week.
Be assured, though, I'm taking a lot of time off.