And some yarn

 I did go to Whitesboro today. As it turns out, the shop is apparently back to opening at 10 so I could have left earlier, but oh well. 

I did get lunch first at Lovejoy's; I was really getting hungry as I drove down. I like Lovejoy's. It's not FANCY but the food is good and generally the people who wait the tables are good and efficient. 

And then, to the yarn shop - 

The yellow is for "Sapient Pearwood" - a pair of cabled/twisted stitch socks by Rachel Coopey based on the Discworld books (they are toe up so I will have to do a couple toe up practice pairs first). The yarn is apparently one the shop owner dyed herself; it's a brownish yellow with a few scattered greenish speckles; the colorway is named "Sally Henny-Penny" which is from a Beatrix Potter book. 

Not sure what to use the red for but probably socks. And the speckle is for a watchcap for the winter. As I told the woman who checked out my purchase, it's almost an act of faith right now to work on cold-weather things - it's been over 100 F outside for two weeks running and today it was worse than it's been in a while. 

I like going to this shop not just for the yarn. The owner knows me a little bit (the last time I was in when she was there, I was having the renovations done, and she asked today if I had gotten them all completed). It always surprises me when someone who sees me very rarely (I literally get to this shop no more often than three times a year) remembers me and remembers details about my life.

And in a weird way, I needed that today - one thing I notice about myself is when I'm feeling low, I feel like I don't matter, like I don't make an impression on anyone's life (good or bad, though of course I'd prefer good). Yesterday (? I think it was) some idiot on twitter posted the question of "does your life add value to society" and I hate that question. I mean, on the one hand, from a Christian perspective, it's a wrong question - merely existing is enough, you do not have to "produce" to enrich some boss. And intellectually I know my work is probably valuable but emotionally it's hard, especially in summers, especially when I have little human contact and am just doing stuff like modifying the lms website. I do think it's also hard for live-alones; if your spouse or your kid or your housemate or whoever has even a somewhat good relationship with you, that "My existence matters to another living being" seems easier to accept. Some days this summer I've been kind of a "ghost" in the sense of having little human contact.

***

I also looked around at some of my stalled projects. Found the fuzzy purple thing (a scarf done in Turkish stitch) and both needles for it). Found a pair of "SHaGS" socks (a different way of doing a flapless heel) but couldn't find the pattern (ran over to campus before dinner and printed it out). Also found the box of the Celtic-style horse buttons for "A Cardigan for John," perhaps I can motivate myself this weekend to work towards finishing it.

tonight, though, it was the plain socks currently on the needles

Still not finished but closer; the gusset decreases are done on these now.