One of the nice things about being an unemployed bum (if I may be permitted to Pollyanna the situation) is that I have the time to really look at the world around me.
It is physically impossible for me to stay in the apartment all day. After the job listings have been checked, resumes sent, homework completed and whatever other tasks I can thinks of have run out, I am driven out the door.
So, I walk. A lot. Walks are free and good for me. At least twice a week, you'll find me trudging through High Park. My lungs fill with good air and my leg muscles engage as I navigate hills. I smile and nod at passers by and remind myself that I am still part of this world. I watch the seasons change.
I particularly enjoy going to Dog Hill to see the dogs play together. They seem to instinctively group by size but once in a while, a little guy will take on a dog four times his size, jumping and running with such joy that one can't help but laugh. The elderly and timid stick closer to their humans but participate by barking and tail wagging. Sometimes one of the dogs will frolic over to say hi to me, but mostly they stick with their own species. And who can blame them?
It was unusually quiet when I visited mid-afternoon Friday. The professional dog walkers had just left and the after work crowd had not yet arrived. The few dogs there were peaceful. I got this photo of two of them enjoying a drink together - was just snapping when the poodle looked up at me. Lovely.
Lisa, Nadia and I had a lovely Sunday venturing to the east end of the city. We shopped the Painted Fleece studio sale and then went for a large, somewhat greasy yet delicious, brunch.
Look at the beautiful sock yarns I acquired. From left to right we have One More, Doris's Sofa and Sangria or as I call them, apricot, blue/gray and purple/mauve. I actually need sock stash enhancement in a big way. Several pairs of socks from my early knitting days have simultaneously fallen apart in the last month. I guess nothing truly does last forever, even beloved socks. I need to get knitting, knitting!
The Daughter has already claimed the mauve and wants it to become Kaiso. The blue/gray told me from the shelf at the sale that it is my future Waving Lace.
I did manage to finish a pair last week. Alas, they are The Daughter's not mine. By her request, it's another pair of Broadripple from Knitty (what a sensible, attractive pattern!) in a shade of pink I can only describe as bubblegum.
Crochet!! And I didn't suck at it either. It's not perfect. I've come to the conclusion that I'll never be a perfect knitter and am OK with that. It is, however, very much improved and as a result, is highly wearable.
Pretty beads. Very pretty yarn. Pretty day.
My Annis is finished...sort of. It's cast off and blocked. The Misti Alpaca lace weight yarn is stunning and the beaded edge came out better than I could have hoped for. The cast off edge however, rolls and rolls like a sausage. I'll never be able to wear the darn thing like this.
So. Do I try a row or two of single crochet (at which I suck) to stabilize it? Or perhaps I should rip back and work the last four or five rows in seed stitch or a loose rib? Ideas?
Just say no to nupps. Place beads instead.
May I just say that nupps are stupid? Stupid, stupid nupps.
