What a weekend!

When I left work on Wednesday, the world was full of good intentions.  It intended to look like spring out there.  You could tell by how dirty everything was.  The dirt that was hidden inside all the snow was coming home to roost and the snow under it was melting.  It was looking like spring even if the weather had turned a little colder.  

Spring had other ideas.  It has been snowing almost nonstop since Wednesday evening.  We've had a good foot of fresh stuff, to the point where Saturday night the front of my car was plowing the driveway and I could not get up to the house. Ah.  Springtime in Canada.  Such a wonder!

I had a lovely long weekend.  Sorry about not posting Friday, but even with coffee, the day started slowly.  Very slowly.  But it ended up really nice.  I finished that big cowl I was working on. I have no pictures - naturally.  I meant to take them this morning, but somewhere along the line, I was just a little more efficient that I planned to be.  I couldn't find it this morning.  Serves me right for house cleaning. Tomorrow then for the knitting.

I spent a lot of time spinning and sorting out a few things in the spinning corner.  The Victoria and I have become friends, and Julia and I have renewed our old ties.  Julie was a little cranky at first, but then she had every reason.  She did sit rather unloved for far too long.  A good clean and tighten up of all the things that worked loose and a wheel alignment and everything was as good as new.  Julie.  What a lovely thing to spin with.

I didn't try anything earth shaking spinning wise, but continued to work towards the fine yarns I am looking for.  I'm still new enough at it that I don't have anything near the balance I want between my hands and the wheel.  It is getting better though and I am happy to say that even from the last stuff spun oh so long ago, there is much improvement.  

I also spent a lot of time reading.  I have several spinning books, but the one I think I will value most is my Alden Amos Big Book of HandSpinning.  Alden Amos isn't for the easily intimidated.  Sometimes Amos isn't for the ever so newbie either.  But when you are looking for something so silly and small basic like how can you put more twist in the yarn and once you have more twist in the yarn, how do you measure it so that you can spin it again and again. 

Intentional spinner doesn't tell you this.  It just says to put in somewhere between enough and too much twist.  The other little spinning book doesn't tell you this.  I read every spinning board I could find and they might tell you how to measure it but nobody tells you how to get there.  Sigh.  

There was a point where I needed to know it and where I needed to understand what the obviously several ways to get more twist into the yarn were and all the fine points and consideration of what where how why and when of twist.  Because he talks about this in detail and talks about why one or the other might be the right way to go for various reasons, and goes through all the reasons too, I knew this fella was my kind of guy.  Detail there when you need it.  And Alden Amos, though he might be negatively reviewed by some, was there for me.  

I suspect that Alden Amos' book is like the June Hemmonds Hiatt book, filled with opinion and detailed information on their most beloved craft. It is as if I was talking about sock knitting.  Detail run amok.  Not bad detail, just overwhelming to a newbie or a not knowsy. You have to know a little to love these two masters, but love them you will.

So ended my weekend.  Well almost.  I did go out Saturday night.  

I will end with that, with someone sweet and cute and his mom. Two someones who are very special to me.  

This is son3 and his lovely girlfriend and her little guy.  A little birdie told me that Lovely Girlfriend and Little Guy are soon to be a formal part of my family.  It was kind of mentioned in connection with other things.  I wasn't sure if it was a slip or even it had been fully discussed with Little Guy it was said so quietly.  I didn't know if it was appropriate to jump for joy.  The last thing I wanted to do was weird out the little fella. I was sure whopping it up inside.  (A note to son3:  get some rings will you.  I've been watching her hand for long enough and getting no result. Watching hands is hard when you are trying not to weird anybody out and I am getting worn out by it.  So fix it eh?  I was sure it would be there at Christmas and it wasn't.  It was very hard not to take you to task for missing the perfect opportunity. Sigh.  Some sons. Sheesh)

I admire this young lady and her way with the Little Guy so much.  She is such a good mom, though I am not so certain she knows how good.  

But she is and I am just so glad.  I have watched them move slowly for Little Guy's sake, even though I have rather been encouraging Son3 to get a move on and make me some more grandbabies.  I don't think he told her that but oh, my these two are going to make me some fine babies!  I'm not at all certain how her mom feels, but there should be dozens, they will be so cute.  Not that I am obsessed much with grandbabies.  Nah.  Hardly at all.  Why do you ask? 

She is finally past girlfriend stage!  Finally, I can reveal that I already have a bunch of yarn with her name on it.  Debbie Bliss Chunky Luxury, I am looking at you!  I will get to discuss colours with her so that the next stuff will be just right for her and not my wild guess.  I have a happy little fellow to knit for, for real!  I am so pleased.  And he likes good old fashioned knit mittens.  Verklempt.  He likes dinosaurs and dragons.  More verklempt.

You ever finish up a weekend where everything just makes you feel so warm inside that each and every corner of your heart is full?  Yeah.  That.