A Good Dose of Diligence

After years of working more than full time, I determined that now that I am at home full time, I would get so much done. Not so, I think I'm getting less done overall, but I am having a lot more fun not getting there. If you know what I mean. I've been thinking about the Agatha shawl a lot and there are other things piling up. Time to be diligent and stay on task.

This past week has been busy with many adventures. Last Saturday I went to one of the local area yarn shops to meet a bunch of Ravelers who could not make it the first time due to a spring snow storm. I did plan my purchases carefully knowing full well how I am in a yarn shop when I don't have a plan. Monday, I picked up a large package from the post office.This isn't stash. It's educational materials. (yarn to dye)

Yesterday there was only a very little knitting happening. I went visiting instead. My inspiration for learning to spin has come from many sources, none more so than Mrs. R. She is elderly now, and no longer actively spinning, but I suspect she has more knowledge about spinning in her little finger than I could ever hope to know. I aspire to Mrs. R's skill.

Mrs. R broke her hip last week and is now confined to hospital. She is doing well, and should be going to the rehab hospital soon. I spun some yarn on my spindle yesterday morning and took it along with me. She was pleased as punch to have been involved in the enabling, and we spent a good couple of hours talking about fibres, and fleece. Mrs. R said that Mr. Needles, whom she has known for years, was going to have to get some sheep. I agreed.

She talked about spinning poplar fuzz (with wool) and cattails, and the fluffy seed heads from fireweed too. She spoke of felting long before felting was cool, for bed pads, and horse blankets. She talked of washing wool, and recommended Custom Woolen Mills as a very good place to get your yarn ready to spin. She is a treasure and a rare gem and I was pleased I could bring a little brightness to her day.

I was inspired by stories of what she did with her first yarn to do something with mine. So I spent the rest of my evening knitting this small swatch from the initial yarn to be added to swatch central. (Bad photo alert. Swatch central is a bulletin board on the back of a door that I plan to fill with swatches of all the yarn in the stash.) With my first decent yarn, Mrs, R recommends a good garter stitch scarf and I think I agree. The variations of thicknesses won't matter at all, and I will have something sturdy for long winter walks next year.

And last but not least in my list of things piling up while I was thinking about the Agatha shawl, is the Picovoli sweater converted to a cardigan. I finally got someone near the right size to try it on. From the front it looked wonderful and I am very encouraged by the way the seed stitch edging looks. From the back, not so much. Can you say burlap sack (but out of really good yarn). Very distressing. So I will take out about half of the underarm stitches and try again.

What wasand what is.
With some effort, I should have the second go round ready to be tried on by my assistant to the surprise this evening. April is half over and May is going to show up faster than I am willing to accept and if this is going to be a summer sweater, it has to happen now.

Diligence produces many things. One of them is yarn, and the other, I hope, is a sweater.