It has been many weeks since I've joined in Ginny's Yarn Along...for a bit more than a month I was in something of a knitting slump. If the socks at the top look familiar, they certainly ought to be. This is my second pair of socks in the Too Cool colorway from Knitpicks Felici, and I was knitting one sock for about three weeks, knitting and unknitting it, and sometimes ignoring knitting for days. Maybe it was a deep-seated sign of depression after frogging my February Lady Sweater. It looked to me too small to even be made to fit me with blocking, and there was a glaring boo-boo on the back. Anyway, I think I'm back in the groove again, as I have several patterns lined up for future projects.
Bret made me a swift, and I finally took the time to play with some yarn and dye. I just used what I had on hand--Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in natural and some packets of Kool Aid. I used Blue Raspberry and Lemon Lime at first, and the result was gorgeous, but so bright I knew I would never knit anything with it, so I added a bit of Cherry to tone it down, and the result is really very lovely.
The second hank experiment was with onion skins and an alum mordant. Really bright yellow! But I think there's enough to do a little spring/summer vest for Gemma. I love dying yarn...it's like playing with blank sheets of paper and watercolors.
As for reading, I am starting the Little House books all over again, as when I read them the first time, Adrian was still a baby, I think, and I don't know that anyone but Una got much out of them. So it is time to go through them again, starting with the one I think may be my favorite, Little House in the Big Woods. The adorable paper dolls were the gift of a sweet lady who sent them a day after I had mentioned how I needed to get some for Gemma when I saw them on her blog (if you see this, thank you, dear!). I, myself, am reading Manalive by G.K. Chesterton. I love it...it is quintessential Chesterton.
Oh yes--I'm aware of the random photo of Gemma crashed out on the recliner...
A blessed and joyful Easter to all you knitters!
