spinit: I am a bad blogger

I started this post on March 5th. I had planned to go home and add some photos but didn't get that far.

I have no excuse. No good one, anyway. Busy, sore back, getting back to work. Just Life.

I have also been in a knitting slump. I have read about this phenomenom but never experienced it myself before now. I love knitting. I love to knit socks and usually have 2-3 pairs on the needles. I have one right now and I am not moving very fast on that one. I have no urge to start another.

Other symptoms - I have recently finished several projects that were hanging around for varying lengths of time (one for almost 2 years!) but didn't immediatley cast on for another. I have been having trouble settling on the yarn to make the Cables and O's cardigan from "No Wool for You". There is a KAL in my LYS and I want to do that, I want this sweater, but I cannot make a decision on yarn. It's not the right price or not the right color for me or it's too neutral or not neutral enough... the list goes on. I do not understand. This is not me. Not even close. I went stash diving a few nights ago looking for something to knit. I couldn't find anything that was right. I do not have a full room of stash yarn but I do have more than a drawer full. It is very unusual for me to not find something in my stash that I want to knit. I swatched a few things but wasn't happy with any. I was begining to worry. This could be serious. What would I do with my life if I wasn't happy with knitting anymore?! I knit all the time. Everywhere. My husband knows just how ill I am when I don't have knitting in my hands.

Finally I felt the urge. I want to make the Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding and went stash shopping. I pulled out not one but 3 possible yarns. I read through the pattern a little, looked at the pictures, searched on Ravelry to see what others had knit it in and narrowed it to two possiblites. I wound both into balls for knitting and started with my first choice - Handmaiden Sea Silk in the seafoam colorway. I am enchanted. 36 rows since last night enchanted. OK, the first row was only 3 stitches, but still! I am knitting and excited about it!

I got a little nervous this morning, though, about my choice. I was wondering how it will block. I have never knit with anything like this before and it will need to be blocked to show off the points and the design. I did some research this morning on Ravelry and other sites and I am now waiting for responses to my questions to knitters who have used this yarn for lace. I hope to have a few answers back by tonight so I know whether I have to frog this and start again with my second choice. Keep your fingers crossed.

Mom is coming to visit this weekend. We plan to attend the Flower show at the state fairgrounds. We do this (almost) every year. We browse, we get inspired, we help each other resist over-indulging, and we buy some flowers. There is a craft show there, also, and we will check that out first. I am always on the lookout for holiday gift possibilites. They have an orchid show and sale, also, and since Mom has been enjoying her foray into orchid growing, we will check that out, too. Dinner out, some catching up, color and decorating talk, a nice walk (weather permitting) on the trail and we will have a good time.

It is a week and half later and I am just getting around to blog again. Again, no big life event, just stuff getting in the way.

My mother did come last weekend. We went to the Flower show and had a good time. We were a little disappointed because it seemed that they didn't have as many vendors selling flowers this year and a few of our favorites weren't there. We did get some great flowers at the Orchid show, though. Mom bought 2 orchids and a hanging plant, and we both bought some geraniums - more unusual varieties with interesting foliage. I will take some photos in the daylight, but it's raining today. I also bought a hydrangea (I have been wanting one for years and finally got one) and a Cyclamen.

I love the hot pink in the middle of the white flower.

It was at the flower show that I started to feel ill. Flu, virus, food poisoning - I have no idea but instead of having a long, lovely visit with Mom, I was in bed with fever and chills and.... never mind that. I was sick. I didn't knit for 3 whole days. Not one stitch! Mom ended up hanging out alone and tending to me. We did get the flowers and had the decorating talk, but no walking, no dinner out. Big bummer.

Knitting progress since 3/5 consists of lots of progress on the diamond Fantasy shawl. My research indicated that it would block beautifully so I forged ahead. This Sea silk yarn is wonderful to knit with - smooth and silky but not slick and wanting to slide off my metal needles at all. First an over-all look at the pattern. The colors are not accurate. I could not get better color accuracy than this with the flash. Maybe when the sun comes out.

This is a close up of the diamond stitch pattern. The yarn is jewel tone shades of green, purple and blue.

I also finally made a decision about the Cables and O's KAL at my yarn store. I went with Rowan cotton glace in a pearly ivory color. I am actually shocked that I chose that because I get light colored things dirty very quickly. I once put on a pair of white jeans. I carefully walked out to the car to get in to go out with DH and Before I was settled in the vehicle he noticed a smudge. I have no idea how it got there, but that's how it goes with me and wearing white. But it was pretty and I wanted something to wear with a lot of colors. I will just be careful and wash it a lot. LOL. The first gathering for the KAL was last Wednesday and I managed to get there despite having to pack to go out of town for a meeting the next day. I am still swatching so no photos yet.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. After getting some things done indoors (we are having carpet installed next Tuesday and the room is not yet prepped) I went outside. I had to get some sun. Doctor's orders, seriously, though I wanted it anyway. I cleaned the dead leaves out of the pond and the water wasn't as cold as I thought so I finished the whole job instead of the half I thought I would get done and cleaned the filters. I raked some leaves, weeded two front beds, trimmed my neighbor's privet hedge so it no longer stabs me when I get in and out of my car in the driveway and took some photos. Proof that spring is indeed really here: