All Fingers and Thumbs

I get a big hit of creative inspiration from finishing knitting. On the whole I'm better at starting stuff, always flitting on to the next exciting new thing and I'd forgotten a little of the power of having a completed knitted item that you're totally happy with in your hands and in your brain. Those socks gave me a real jolt of sock amour and I couldn't wait to get going on the next pair. The plaintive begging of the Mr caused me to take pity on him and it had been agreed that I would make the next socks for him, it was just a question of yarn and pattern choice. The perfect incentive to get my mighty stash of sock yarn from the various crevices it had squirrelled itself away in and play. Look at it all up there. So delicious! I'd started to feel a little bit burdened by how much of it there was - especially when I didn't get so much knitting done last year but now it's all tidy and together and I can easily see what I have, remember the lovely pl...

..and my toes have got their socks on. O.M.G - an F.O! Pattern: Spring Forward Socks  Yarn: Spirit Trail Fiberworks Sunna Needles: 2.25mm Started: January 2nd 2012 Finished: February 26th 2012 Ravelry page Such lovely socks - an absolute joy to knit and they make me very proud to have knitted them. It's that magic 'looks more complicated than it really is' lace pattern. Two times through in the space of a few months and I actually had it memorised towards the end of these - unheard of for me!  I'm glad this yarn told me what it wanted to be. The yarn sings for me in this pattern in a way it didn't quite in the shawl and the pattern sings in this yarn in a way it didn't quite in the stretchy cotton I used before . I've wondered along the way if this is the perfect ladies sock pattern and perfect sock yarn but I've finally accepted that I won't find my perfect yarn or the perfect pattern; it's about what works together and what fee...

I'm sure if I had to make bread every day I would feel it was just as much of a chore as changing the bed or dusting. Luckily I could skip to the shops and buy a loaf and so it comes to pass that I am driving home from work on a Friday night thinking - ooh I could be really indulgent this weekend and bake some more bread. I guess at least this current passion beats knitting socks as those without the imagination to see the glory of homemadeness can't say you could buy a loaf of bread for less than the cost of that yarn. Well you know what I mean! Bread making (like all of life you might say ) is quite like knitting really. It's definitely feeding that basic need in me to MAKE. After another day at work of emails and conversations and nothing I can put my hands or eyes on and simply feel the pleasure of having created I know for sure that all these makey things are part of my elaborate balancing act.

Number one is light! I've got a meeting that will keep me at work late tonight so instead of going in at my regular time and doing more work I agreed with my boss that I'd start a bit later. Later means I'm home and there is light and time this morning. Light to see all the buds coming on my lovely plum tree. Time to enjoy a cup of tea in bed with the latest Interweave Knits which arrived through the post last night and a certain purry someone. She looks so sweet and innocent there but for the last hour of my sleep she was haunting my dreams. The Mr had slipped down and fed her before coming back to bed leaving the door open so she could come up for a cuddle when she was finished. She's a girl who likes her breakfast as soon as she can rouse a human, the Mr would like her to sleep with us, I value my sleep and so insist she stays downstairs where it's much harder for her to rouse a human. Unfortunately he'd fed her a disdained flavour of cat mush which...

  We had another little dusting of snow at the end of the week but though it's been cold enough for mittens and squishy socks this weekend one of each does not give the coverage required. This is the downside of being a multi project knitter! Oh but they are both mighty fine and maybe their friends will be done before the cold is gone - if not expect to see a strange new fondness for mittens and summer dresses round these parts.

On Monday we did a strange shuffle around trying to think of an out of doors adventure we wanted to go on. Having concluded that we are bad at having fun it suddenly became clear that what was fun was close to home so we got our favourite take out lunch (Lebanese sandwiches from LBs ) and then squidged on to the sofa. The Mr had wound some very special yarn for me and I finally cast on for my scarf. Long anticipated it felt suitably honoured. Don't you lace knitting supremos laugh at my little lifeline up there. That yellow thread is where I got to on Monday afternoon and I'm so likely to make mistakes I wanted to make sure I preserve at least those few precious rows. I've managed just a couple more since and in the mindset that all good things come in time I won't be rushing.  It's an easier pattern  to be building up my lace skills with in that it's a small scarf, only one chart to follow, no provisional cast on, no borders to add later and no fancy sti...

The big work deadline has passed and with a three day weekend to enjoy as my self congratulatory pat on the back I'm trying to keep it very slllloooooowwww around here. It was tempting to come up with a list of activities and catch up chores to pack the days with to make the most of the time but somewhere along the way I realised that the way to make the most of this weekend was to plan as little as need required and go as slowly as I could, taking time over things in a way I haven't so much this since the start of the year as work has squeezed my free time. I like efficiency but I don't like it so much that I never want to dawdle. There's been insufficient dawdling, I'm putting it back in this weekend.   We were up and out early yesterday, our bodies still on working week awakening schedule. So cold and crisp and the prettiest pink blushed sky. There have been so many beautiful sunrises and sunsets so far this year. So I took my camera along and played with ...