knittingflitting

Shopping in Port Huron — yes, my Sis was an enabler for clothes but not to the extent that I had picked up some things on my own and not to the extent she had with the keyboard.  Nothing can compare to that day!

And today I went with Bev, my very best, truest and most capable enabler friend, to a yarn shop.  I came home with NO yarn.  Came very, very close but the colour I want in the Kaffe Fasset sock yarn was out of stock and the baby yarn I liked the colour of was not enough of an excuse to buy it.  It is one of their newest baby yarn in bamboo but it didn’t feel particularly soft.  By the time I next have to knit for a baby there probably be something even newer and softer so I will wait. 

Besides, to be honest, I have more than enough yarn in the house that I have bought because I liked the colour that I need to use a bit more of it.

The word conjurs up a picture of a drug pusher and in someway that fits in this usage.  Especially if yarn is your drug of choice.

Today I was one.  There is a knitter at the Senior’s Club I attend who did not know about bamboo yarn or the Mobius Band.  Naturally I had to share the information with her. 

It is nice to encourage someone to spend more for her materials to get a much nicer finished project.

On Saturday I am heading to Port Huron for a shopping trip with my Sister.  If the pattern holds she will be the enabler.  Last time we went down I ended up with a  musical keyboard.  Yet I haven’t tried it yet as probably best done with the Son is away.  Next week.

Must see a girlfriend soon, come to think of it.  Ordered a knitting kit for her.  We have a great relationship — we are only too pleased to enable each other.

One benefit I must mention in regards to gardening.  I can only do a bit at a time before I get severe back pain.  Being very stubborn, that means 3 hours or less of work and then I have to go several days of laying around.  That gives me more time to knit as I can’t move well enough to do much else.

Being able to knit while lying down sure does have it’s advantages!

I have also made myself responsible for the planters I have scattered through our patio area.  Not too many of them but enough to make the area look nice.  Beyond the patio there is a treed area about 10′ deep and then a larger garden area.  That is where the potatoes and tomatoes and such get planted.  It is very definitely my Son’s area.  I very seldom go back there especially as it is really too much for him.  I see all that could be done but not by me.

This past few weeks, as the weather has warmed, I have spent time with another interest. 

 When my Son bought this house I took one look at the front yard and saw it as a perennial garden.  It is not all that big, it did not have more than a dinner plate size piece of grass, and what plants were there had to be moved anyway as they had filled in a very narrow stretch across the front of the house.

It has turned out to be a huge project to get all the old weeds out, wait for the plants to fill in, find out which plants don’t work and replace them with some that hopefully will work.  It is getting close to what I envisioned but each year I think up a new improvement.  Worst part — there is no room for any more plants.  Would love a better walkway through it but maybe next year I’ll work on that.

Also do a band down the side of the house that maybe will fill in the 4 feet stretch.  Especially if the new owners next door wouldn’t put their garbage on that stretch and/or don’t drive over it.  Had a half barrel near the front corner by their driveway and they managed to knock it 3 feet over and on it’s side.  It is filled entirely with dirt. 

Due to rain tomorrow and I am working late so got some fertilizer down.  Bit more weeds to pull in the front stretch and then the mulch goes down.  That will mark the end of the major bit of work for this year.

Hope you have lots of flowers in your gardens.

One challenge I have no desire whatsoever to take — having the stripes of colours match in two socks.

There are people who will stress out the fact one band of the stripe starts one row before the band on the other sock.  (Lets establish one fact - there is often 10 rows in an inch of knitting a sock.)  (Another fact - the yarn is often hand dyed by someone who is not interested in percision.)

Some yarns have been dyed to produce some wonderful and exciting results when knit up in socks.  The size of stitches and number of rows means it can produce a different colour and/or colour design every 1/4″ when knit up.  Totally confusing to someone who hasn’t seen or used the new yarns and very exciting to see what happens next.

When they don’t match, to me it says that someone has taken the time and effort to make a unique pair of socks.  A statement I totally like to make.

You also have to understand that I have children and grandchildren who also believe that having 2 socks on at any one time is all that matters.  Colour, pattern, style — totally unimportant.  Never have to worry about matching or missing socks which is also a nice bonus.