It's a beautiful morning!

Beautiful!  The air is clear, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and between the houses I can see the ocean sparkling a couple of blocks away. . .






And I have an ear infection.  I may or may not have CAUSED IT MYSELF by pulling on my itchy ear last night like a foolish fussy baby.  Since then I have been mainly deaf (it sounds like I'm underwater in an aluminum can), and in a stupid amount of pain.

And I just burned my only full-hand oven mitt to A CRISP by turning on the wrong burner.  What am I, a hundred?  Do I need to be put in a home?  How do people USE these ovens that don't have flame?  How am I supposed to KNOW which burner is on when nothing burns?!

On the plus side, my inability to function like a normal human no matter how much I really, really, really want to (CAN I GO FOR A WALK YET?) has been beneficial to the craft department. 

• I have been spinning some, when I get too antsy for bed (thanks, Sudafed) but can't actually exercise.  It's like a low impact, low effort stationary bicycle.  I also may or may not have had a tax-return related Fiber Ordering Accident, based on the beautiful colors at Crown Mountain Farms.  Plus, you can get a pound of undyed wool there for less than $30.  That's like. . . half a sweater.  Purrfect.

• I also cast on a scarlet Ice Queen with bronze beads for my darling friend who should have something lacy and beautiful in her life - she's been having a rough time the last couple months, although she is very brave and strong <3

• I cast on the Juneberry Triangle out of Cascade's gorgeously shiny Ultra Pima cotton.  The yarn was going to be a tank top originally, but I can get tank tops at Target (unless they continue to, as it seems, have anti-gay political leanings.  SERIOUSLY, TARGET?  GROW THE EFF UP.  And do you hear me, rest of the country who hasn't caught on yet?  What do you think, this is the dark ages and this kind of bullsh*t discrimination is even vaguely socially/morally/ethically acceptable?).   Anyway, I need a prayer shawl much more urgently.  Deep breaths.  Cultivate my Zen mind and all that.

• I made a wee tiny ribbed arm cuff for my mum, whose medication makes her skin quite sensitive to scratches and things.  I used a tiny bit of the lovely dove gray extra Baby Cashmerino that I used for Karen's Mitts lo, those weeks ago.  I've only made one so far because I need her to try it on!

• I cast off the Emily capelet and am bereft without it.  It came out beautifully, and I should block it today while the air is clear and dry.  The buttons are perfect, and I'm SO excited about it.  Also, Madelinetosh DK yarn?  Not a single complaint.  Except that it would be excessive of me to swear of knitting with nothing else forever and ever amen.  As soon as the credit from my Eat.Sleep.Knit lotto tickets registers, I shall have to order more Madelinetosh and begin the Great Sweatering.  Which will probably be the Vine Yoke cardigan by Ysolda Teague (who I love).

• I cast off (did I post this already?) Chris' Beer Gloves, which are now drying.  The fingers are uneven - so sue me, I can't count consecutive purl rows, ok?  But it's Malabrigo, so it blocks however I darn well tell it to block. The fingers look even now, and that's what counts.

And now, I am getting back in bed where things are not quite as flammable as they appear to be in the kitchen.  Louie, it turns out, goes all rabbit-loaf big-eyes when the house is full of smoke.  Who knew?  She's fine now.  Just a regular rabbit loaf, sans the terror.

The Week of the Wheel

I hope, anyway, that this will be the week my spinning wheel arrives!  I've been doing a lot of daydreaming about it, and Althea has already said that she's going to dye fiber and have me spin it for her - which I think will only be the most fun!!!

In other news, I've completed Christopher's socks, his Jackalope, and just last night I finished my 198 Yards of Heaven shawl.  I was on a roll!  I was excited!  And then the fear set in.  How many projects did I have on my needles?  Just two?! But I didn't want to knit intimidating lace or an amigurumi tomato!  Gathering my fortitude, I blocked my projects and went to bed. 

This morning, I had the perfect plan.  I cast on this lacy snood, from Our Quiet Place - another blog.  I'm knitting it out of Royal Bamboo in a pretty pastel yellow.  Good winter knitting.

The last couple of weeks I've been having wonderful Sundays - getting Thai brunch with my pals Tillie and Althea, and then knitting the day away.  I think we should continue to do that.  I like Thai food, I like the gals, and I like knitting!

On the needles?

Part of what I love about listening to knitting podcasts is the commonly-present On The Needles segment   I find it intriguing to know how people prioritize, organize, and plan for their knitted items.  Another thing I love about podcasts? Their super cute accents.

My method seems to be thus:  Have one of everything on the needles all the time so I have knitting to suit any mood.
For example, on my needles now are:
1. Amigurumi Tomato
2. Secret Christmas project.  Pictures soon, I promise!  Chris is so patient - partly because my gift isn't done yet either.  At this rate, we'll end up having fake Christmas in July.
3. Lace shawl with worsted weight
4. Lace shawl with lace weight
5. Two at a time toe-up socks
6. The Talia vest, which I cast on during our Snow Day Outsourced Marathon.  But I cast on in acrylic, and do I really want to do that?  It's purple and soft (Berrocco Comfort), but wouldn't I rather work with wool or something that I'll like better?  But it is machine washable, so. . . I just can't decide.

Some people have even more projects on than even I do, I have found.  Jasmine over at the Knitmoregirls Podcast seems to have all the projects ever - and socks hiding around every corner!   Not all of them are active, but there are still many.  This sounds like a wonderland to me, where your house is just full of beautiful half-knitted items and you can pick and choose as you like. Meghan at Stitch It! Podcast said early on (I'm still catching up) that she can only ever have two things on the needles. . . which sounds much more productive to me, but then I would have to choose!

The spinning wheel update is that it will ship this week, so I should be able to pick it up at the shop the week after.  Two weeks!  I am practicing deep breathing.  Two weeks is only a very small amount of time, right?  Right?!