Is it ME?? or Is It Chilly Outside???


Just a little greenery to cheer everyone up. No flowers, no pollen, no fruiting bodies, Just green. I couldn't keep anything alive in this coconut fibre lined basket so I planted a hen & chicks with a little Sedum to keep her company a few years ago. Since then, the Sedum has crawled into everything & Mom has repopulated the whole back yard! They never die. You can't over or under water them. They survive flood, snow, hail storm, heat wave & wind storm. This one hangs in her basket under the stairs, beside the door to my basement suite, next to the wind chimes. She's a great place to lay my socks when I shoot them.

I've been coughing up half a lung in the mornings lately - nope, ain't a smoker - I suspect it's probably a combination of allergies, new BP meds, dust mites, mold & the new yarn I've been playing with. I notice my nose runs, I sneeze a lot & wheeze when I'm knitting with the Kauni yarn. It has a lovely blend of colors but it's a little rustic & puts tiny fibres into the air as you work with it. I have the same problem with other "rustic" yarns, linen, hemp, some dyes too, anything over processed or plant based except for cottons. No problems with fleece, silks, minimally processed or smooth yarns. Kind of weird, eh?? Remember Phentex??? My nose seizes up at the memory . . .And Yeah, I was the kid, with hay fever so bad my eyes were almost closed, who insisted on driving the haymow anyway because I loved the smell . . .
So, I've been working on the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket designed by EZ herself. What a neat bit of architecture it is! What a pain in the *#% it's been! Stupid me, I didn't look closely enough at the yarn before I began. It's a little thick & thin in places which doesn't look so good when you're striving for perfection in the wrong needle size! I started off with my 3.75mm Denise needles - just because I love them. Didn't like the overall texture - I had thin spots which I didn't like very much. So I frogged it. And went down a size or two to 3.25mm needles - liked it much better overall. Was almost to the neck shaping & contemplating adding a hood to it when I realized one of my increase rows looked odd. Bloody hell!! I'd moved over a stitch when I did increases on one side so I frogged it back almost halfway . . . . . So, now it's straightened out & I'm carefully making my way back to the neck. Grrrrrrrr . . . . .

And I'm finally on the last ball of handspun for Danish Working Shawl!! Looking forward to the end & finally being able to wear it! I love the color and the texture. I really like the yarn I spun out of the ovoid mill ends from The Sheep Shed. This wool is NOT over processed. It's smooth, silky & just spins itself. After washing, the yarn is springy with a spongey feel that makes you want to wrap yourself up in it like a big hug. I think I'd love a garter stitch jacket in this wool.

And waddayuknow??? Not a sock to be seen. Nothing on the sock needles! Nadda. Zilch. Zip. Not even a baby sock. It must be the end of the world.