It wasn't a knitting sort of day

I've been going through the usual doldrums after I finish a big project.  I've been very sluggish.  Sluggish of head but light of heart.

Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon winding yarn.  I had a very very good time.  Sometimes winding yarn is just the nicest way to play with my yarn.

I know that a lot of people don't recommend that you wind your yarn till you are ready to use it.  The act of winding does put some pressure on the strand, so when I do a big wind, I make sure that the tension is easy and that the yarn doesn't get under much stress. A lot of the time, I wind off the swift and then rewind without any tension at all.  

First wind only, I think I wound close to 10,000 metres yesterday.  About a third of it was rewound a second time.  And that is just the skeins I can think of.  2 storage boxes are now fully wound.  I am thrilled to have these two particular boxes ready to go.  They are boxes of 'scarf' yarns, yarns that I have 2 or 3 skeins of meant for small projects, shawls, scarves, mittens, hats.  Pretty yarns for pretty things.

These boxes are often the boxes I look to when its time for travel projects.  And it is time for a travel project.  A nephews wedding is this coming weekend.  I am looking forward to it for the unadulterated knitting time.  And sleeping time.  I sleep a lot when we drive.  

Digging in the yarn, I came across two pretty skeins which are close to my heart.  

    

It is Alchemy Yarns Juniper in the San Francisco Sky colourway.  Blue and inky black and taupe and gray and blue and dusty gray blue and crisp puffs of white.  It is a pure merino but such fine quality merino that it feels like I am knitting with cashmere.  

For almost two years I worked with the two best co-workers a person ever had, Sweaterrae and Nikknits.  Such fun should be illegal or required for healthy living.  I'm never quite sure which!   Sweaterrae gave me this lovely stuff and I am knitting it to a pattern that Nikknits called her Dammit shawl (named after the frequency of the use of the word while knitting), Ysolda Teague's Damson.

It has an interesting shape and switches to stockinette for an interesting but not difficult to remember lace edging, the perfect combination for interesting knitting while traveling. 

The other knitting that will happen this weekend is a Bride's bag for my nephew and his lovely new wife.   As usual, it will be knit only on the day of the wedding and will I hope in a small way capture the good feelings and blessings of the day.  I found a skein of a very beautiful pure alpaca yarn, 100% locally grown, locally processed Alberta yarn, the perfect thing for a couple from Saskatchewan, choosing to start their life together here in Alberta.  

I have to get all my things in order today:  Clean out and gas up the car, check Mr. Needles choosen gear, press, launder, etc, get knitting packed, make sure to put wee granny apple green and turquoise baby jacket in suitcase...Yes, I will get to meet the wee fella to!

If there is time at the end of the day, I think I am going to wind a little more yarn.  There is some pretty green and gold and multi coloured Hacho yarn that is shouting pretty loudly to be knit with.  And some rich deep cranberry red Ultra Alpaca... No Mr. Needles, this is from the stash too.  

And that gorgeous new blue Cascade 220 and then some Harrisville and some...