Bouncing Around and Straight Lines

On the hottest days I hide in my deepest shade.

When its chilly, I play with pompoms and glue.

Still bringing books up to my office. These shelves are knitting. It feels so good to touch them and flip through them, giving them a place in my mind. Yesterday Emily asked me to find a pattern in a magazine. There's a rabbit hole. I have years worth of Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting. When I think of all the energy and creativity that went into making each of those patterns, and then the layout and publication, I am astounded. I have almost stopped buying knitting magazines because I buy my patterns from the designers on Ravelry. But it is not always about the new. I often turn to classics, standards and favourites. This is about the 7th waffles blanket I'm knitting. But I don't have a picture because I only just picked it up again.

Instead I was working on this test knit for the delightful Prairiegirl Susie. She calls it Good Grief. It is beautifully written and a great gift (in superwash) for a great nephew who is just turning 6.

The pipe band has been marching in parades every weekend in our local communities. We have such a fun group and are sounding pretty good. Today is our last one for a while and my back could really use the break to strengthen and get back to yoga.

Dreaming of the colours that Emily will enchant with these undyed yarns.

In preparation for our trip to Ireland starting July 1st (Canada Day) I am rereading some Iris literature. There is a Writers' Museum in Dublin I am so excited about.

Plus I will need some knitting for the plane ride. This is the wonderful Kinfolk Yarn and Fibre (from Vancouver) 50/50 silk and merino. The colourway is Tea at the Empress Hotel. The colours look like pansies to me. 

I set up my swift and ball winder on the table in the basement where my sewing mess lives. It looks worse in a photo, or if you don't live here. Really it is a mess.

But I am just in love with it and going to knit Afternoon Tea by Helen Stuart of Curious Handmade. There is a free pattern on knitty.com, but she later released a more extensive pattern with a larger size (I have two of these for over 700 m) and her wonderful percentage pattern, so I can know if I have enough yarn when I reach the 50% mark. Definitely worth it. I love her podcast, not just for the knitting content, but for the slice of London life.

Not London. Here we are keeping a close look on the corn. It got very hot last week and we were worried the small plants would scorch, but lately it has been heavy rain. Perfect for healthy fields. We don't have any fields of our own anymore, but corn is magical.

The weather hasn't been right for me to wear my finished featherweight. But it does fit.

 Today is the church picnic and threatening to rain, but I have put a lot of time into practicing guitar and preparing my lesson on creation (including blow torch, sparklers, bubble and a TRex)

And I finished the Exonumist Pi Shawl by Wendy Knits in Jamieson's Spindrift, shetland fingering weight. It is very wooly, but soft after its bath. you can see this wearable blanket is almost 2 metres across. I had to buy an extra skein of the Blue Lovat in the middle section but I have 2 and a bit left of the Pacific dark edging. It will be perfect for travelling to Ireland. 

And just to be brave, I joined a project bag swap with a new to me podcaster from Vancouver, soxcetera. Shannonmariah is lovely and encouraging. I am making this drawstring bag for a partner in Indiana. She will sew a bag for me! I have had to mess with the "pattern" a little, but it is surprising to me how much I understand about procedure and sewing skills. I can sew a straight line, too.