Knitting for comfort

That's what I spent most of the rest of my free time this weekend doing. (Well, I did also spend maybe 2 hours total handquilting on the quilt in the frame).

I worked some on several "stalled" projects - the Tea Time Socks (the first one has been done for a while; I'm about half done now with the leg of the second one). These are knit on size 0 needles (the pattern specified, "Do not knit the leg too loosely or the pattern will not show up"). (Also, size 0 needles mean that the fabric is "tighter" and will wear better).

I also pulled out the Lace Ribbon Scarf that's been sitting on the table next to my big chair for months and added a few more rows to it.

One of the things I like about knitting (and also about quilting) is that with most projects, you can put them down when you need to, and you can pick them back up months later, and find your place, and start again. As much as I used to enjoy doing work with clay back when I was in high school (and as much as I'd love to be able to use a potter's wheel again, and actually get proficient at it), that's not the kind of thing you can easily pick up and put down and give only 10 minutes to at a time if that's all you have.

I also was thinking about the idea of "knitting for comfort" - I bought Jane Brocket's new knitting book ("The Gentle Art of Knitting") with my last Amazon order. (The rest of the order was two books that I need to read for the directed readings class I teach - "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," which I've been intending to read for a while (but admit, I put off until I "had" to because I suspected the ethical breaches discussed will make me sad and angry) and another one called something like "What's going on in there?" (it's about the brain development in babies and small children - and the woman who picked that book as her choice is expecting a child (not sure if it's her first or not, but I think it's interesting that she's reading that book at this time).

I haven't fully digested "The Gentle Art of Knitting" yet. (It's one of those books that takes multiple go-throughs in order to see everything). Lovely photography, as always. And the whole idea of coziness and comfort - for example, there are a set of hot-water-bottle covers done in colors to match various publisher's spine-colors (There's "Persephone Grey," for example).

My immediate "favorite" (and the one I started thinking about sockyarns in my stash that would work for) was the cabled sock pattern. But there are also pillows and a big bulky pullover and facecloths and several lovely afghans. (Some of those might actually be crocheted, if I remember rightly...which reminds me that somewhere deep in one of my project-bags, I have that "vintage crocheted afghan" that I never got very far on...and should maybe consider pulling out again and working on.)

I like the book because it is very restful to look at. As I said, the photographs are lovely and suggest coziness and comfort - being in on a rainy winter night with a good book and a cup of tea. Or having a big arrangement of the first flowers of spring on your mantel, even though you might still need to wear a scarf to keep your neck warm.

***

Next Monday we get off (Labor Day). I've decided that the end of this week, Friday afternoon I'm going to work on whatever (either some research stuff or making up yet another chapter's stuff for PI) and Monday I'm gonna come in and work. But Saturday, I am taking off.

I think I'm going to go antiquing in Sherman and/or Denison, and take myself out to lunch somewhere, but that could change. (I could also just go to the couple of antique shops here in town....and there's a tearoom sort of place where I could get lunch. Or I could go over to Ardmore, though that's a lot farther).

I think I need to try to plan "waypoints" for myself where I can say, "Yes, you are working this Saturday, but in x number of weeks, you can have a Saturday off."

I have to say, I marvel at the strength and persistence of people who work multiple jobs, who never get a day off, who are going from 8 in the morning until 9 at night or something like that. I suppose when you have to (when it's a matter of being able to keep a roof over your family's head and feeding your children, or something), you manage, but seeing how exhausted I am after a "normal" week where I don't even work as hard as many people...well.