Two Sad Days

Two years ago, when I moved from a decent sized apartment to a tiny room in a townhouse I rented with two other people, I had to downsize my book collection. The first time was frustrating. I was a little sad, and pretty annoyed that I had to give up so many. All of my books except for those for class were stored in boxes in a tiny closet. Gearing up for a move now, I recognize that I still just have too many books that I will never read or read again. Most of my belongings are currently stored in plastic bins in a basement (yay...), so I need to go through them primarily to assess what I need to get when I move and how it all should be stored. The first victims of the purge are my books. I slimmed down a double stacked bookshelf and four boxes of books down to a proper bookshelf and three boxes. And I was sad. I am not typically a sentimental person, but I found myself looking at the copy of The Call of the Wild, or a copy of The Civil War (Julius Caesar), and remembering the first time I read them, and the good days associated with them. Sentimental value or not, they books can't stay. There just isn't room. Next up will be kitchen supplies. They will be MUCH easier to go through. You can only miss crappy college kitchenware so much. And I am looking forward to upgrading.

NOW. On to the knitting. First up is The Eleventh Hour Scarf [Ravelry Link]. I held some Rowan Big Wool doubled throughout on US 35 [19.0mm] needles. I will probably not use this yarn again. In 87 yards of one skein, I found 4 knots. Knitting on the huge needles was weird. My broomstick was across the room giving me the evil eye the entire time. Jealousy is not a pretty thing.



Next up is another Odessa [Ravelry Link]. Knit in Malabrigo Silky Merino on US 5 [3.75mm] and US 7 [4.5mm] needles. Used size 6 seed beads, strung graciously by Elizabeth.

My hair is still wet from the shower in the first picture...







Still not sure about the new blog name. Waiting for inspiration to strike.

A Small Fire and a New Name

Well, my brother's yearly fireworks display went well. Mostly anyway. The setting is picturesque. A dock on the river, framed by trees, but with enough open space that you have the perfect view. After a decent round of single shots, my brother and cousin set up for the final bit of fireworks, lit the flame, and strolled back up the dock so they could enjoy the full view. And things, as they often do, went a little wrong. See, my brother and cousin forgot to take the paper cover off the top of the firework...thing [it's a technical term, seriously]. So the "thing" turned over, and began shooting horizontally instead of vertically. Whoops. Over the water, it was actually an impressive display. And as the final one went off, and nobody had been hurt, we all breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until, my father pointed out the small fire down the river shore. Remember that addendum? A dock on the river..."framed by trees..." Well, it has been exceptionally hot and dry the past few weeks, and one of those brilliant little flaming starbursts landed in some brush, and voila, fire. My brother put it out pretty quickly, but everyone was frantic for a few minutes. Still, no injuries, so I declare this one a success.

Work is not quite as hectic as it was thankfully, which is a good thing for everyone around me from what I understand. Apparently, I lose my sense of humor when I am stressed. Really I don't know what they are talking about--I thought I was perfectly delightful. Nobody had their face ripped off now, did they? In fact, I believe I showed remarkable restraint. Not only that, but I managed to make some headway on a couple of projects.

Brandywine Shawl [Ravelry Link] in Plymouth Yarn Mulberry Merino on a US6 (4mm)
I choose a worsted weight for a heavier shawl, and the silk adds a nice sheen to the whole thing.





And since my new love is Doctor Who, some TARDIS socks [Ravelry Link]. Done in Dream in Color Starry and Knit Picks Palette





Ahh, thanks for hanging in there. When I do blog, the posts tend to go a bit long [I tend to ramble, and get a little adjective happy]. Anyway, I am thinking about renaming the blog, and I would like some feedback on a new name. The current one is a bit obscure. Thoughts?