Monday morning & I don't want to work


I'm writing another missive to the joys of fibre crafts in order to avoid getting dressed for work. I have a day's worth of data entry, bank recs & manual adjustments to a year end & I just don't want to get started. It's the lethargy before the panic I guess since tax season has officially begun. I won't have time to knit or spin for a couple of months . . . well, officially that is. I mean, a fibre junky has to have her fix!

While spending yesterday quietly with a very painful chest from that allergy attack - I took up my knitting again & have started the shaping for the heels on my Retirement Socks2. The Queen's method for heels has freed me from the drudgery of picking up stitches that I can't always see along the heel flap. This method lets me make the gusset with yarn-over increases on either side of the slip 1, knit 1 heel in the middle. It's turned with short rows with a knit 2 together or purl 2 together at one end. The colored rubber bands mark the ends of each short row on the increase side & will be taken off on the short row decrease side. This heel is also nice & deep with a cushy bottom that all the friends seem to like. In fact, I like this heel to wear a lot more than the old one. You CAN teach an old sock a new trick!

And here is the fruit of my Saturday spinning!

The lump is what it looked like before I started! This wool is so very wonderful to spin - soft, just like butter with all the natural oils remaining.And no little dry fibres in the air to give me an asthma attack!!! It doesn't require any washing after spinning. I just soaked it to set the spin & hung to dry outside after beating it against the post a few times to separate the strands. I'm thinking of dyeing this yarn when I get 4 or 5 skeins. I'll probably use cyan, magenta & a little black & nuke it in the microwave to set the dye. I'm thinking about a shawlette to wear to work to stave off the chill that I get in some of my offices. I go in after hours or on the days when they're closed to find the heat turned down low. Sometimes it can be really cool & I don't want to heat the whole building just for me. I'm lucky though, at least I don't have to knit fingerless gloves to wear in my office like Gail.