I don't know. This may be a "stealth cold," that came in under the guise of being allergies. (I get a lot of "stealth colds." If I THINK I'm getting a cold, I start pushing fluids (as the nurses say) and taking zinc. And sometimes I can fight them off that way. But "stealth colds" always fool me because I'm all "oh, it's just allergies" and I don't do anything so special to combat it.) My throat is a bit less sore this morning (usually, with allergies, sore throats are the worst in the morning) and I'm having to blow my nose every five minutes or so.

So, no more Claritin for a while. Not to be too graphic, but I'd rather get the stuff OUT than have it dry up.

The research today is indoors, using leaves picked from trees. So while I'm not right out IN the pollen, I still do get exposed to it. I suppose I could use a mask but breathing is uncomfortable enough right now (and I'm beginning to think this is a "stealth cold") that I'm not sure I want to be using one.

Meh. I don't know when my colleague is coming in - he didn't even give me a window of time when to expect to be ready for him. So I'm here, writing an exam for the end of next week, hoping he'll be here before 10.

****

I knit some more on the Stanfield pattern 27 scarf last night. I've found I'm a lot more prone to work on it - even though I kinda-sorta have the pattern memorized - if I have the stitch treasury open to the pattern in front of me. (Another reason why I like Stanfield's stitch treasuries - everything is charted. Charts work better for me than line-by-line instructions; it helps me see the "big picture" of what the pattern's going to be.) I guess I don't like "knitting without a net."

And since I do so many things outside of my comfort zone on a given day, sometimes it's nice to just give in and stay within my comfort zone (of having the book open in front of me even if I only refer to it a few times).

I also found a pattern - a sort of openwork zig-zag pattern bounded by columns of stockinette - that I want to use for some KnitPicks "Ambrosia" (I think that's the name...it's the sportweight cashmere blend) that I have on hand for a small "dressy" scarf. And I saw a couple of other simple knit and purl patterns that would make nice scarves, too - I might have to pull out some of the bought "because it's yarn, because it's real wool, and because I want to 'reward' the store selling it for selling real wool instead of eyelash yarn" Paton's Classic Wool from the stash and just make some stitch-patterned scarves to go on the shelf or in some kind of a "charity" box.

I love stitch libraries; they open up so many ideas. (I saw a couple patterns I'd like to try as socks, as well, and a huge-scale lace pattern (it's something like a 40 st repeat) that would make an interesting shawl.)

You know how I'm fond of saying "how you do anything is how you do everything"? I think I'm seeing links between how I like to "design" (as much as I ever do) knitwear and how I cook. I prefer to cook simple things - I often refer to my tastes as "peasant food" - I like beans, and I like simple rice dishes, and I like soups. I prefer dishes where you do all the heavy work ahead of time (like chopping and such) and then assemble everything and don't have to watch it so closely while it cooks - I'm not fond of recipes where you have to stand there and monitor what's going on every moment. I'd rather have homemade bread than fancy French cooking. I don't care so much to make things that have a whole bunch of different steps that must be done at the same time, I don't like heavy sauces with lots of eggs and butter, I prefer to cook things that can be done in the minimum number of pans. (Which is why I like making soup.)

Well, I also like to knit fairly simply - I like to take a good quality plain yarn and find a good, simple stitch pattern, and "plug" the pattern in to something basic - socks, or a scarf, or a rectangular shawl - and then work on it without having to worry too much about changing patterns or shaping or things like that.

I guess it could be summed up as "I like unfussiness."

I like unfussiness in my quilts, as well - I've said in the past I don't care so much for applique quilts, either to make or to have. Oh, don't get me wrong - I'm not slamming the people who do them or like them, and I do kind of marvel at the amount of time and technical prowess it takes to do a Baltimore album quilt. But I'd rather play around with interesting colors or prints and make a plain old nine-patch, or some kind of a strip-based quilt. And it's not just because it's easier to make, or because doing a Baltimore album quilt means I'd probably be 90 before it was finished, but because I LIKE the simple geometric-patterned quilts. They please me and they make me happy to look at them.