Weekend Snippets

Saturday morning at the library was slow. Don't know why, as the weather wasn't bad here. I had a chance to quickly flip through the new Creative Knitting magazine and noticed an interview with Annie Modesitt. In my knitting missionary guise, I try not to abscond with new knitting books/magazines until they have had a chance to circulate a little. But I think I'll have to take this one home soon, because she is someone I admire tremendously as a designer and as a person.

When I got home it was fairly warm out, that is, hovering just around freezing. So I wandered around the yard a little, staring at the ice dams at the back of the house and willing them to melt (not a notably successful endeavor), and taking a few pictures. This was the one I liked best.

The Thompson and Morgan seed catalog came in the mail so I spent much of the afternoon pouring over it. I have finally almost learned not to order more seeds than I have time/room to plant, but I sure like looking at all the new varieties and the old tried and true ones, too.

One of my Christmas gifts from Mr S was the movie "Winged Migration", and last night we settled in to watch. The photography is heartbreakingly beautiful and enhanced by the fact that there is almost no narration.

I've almost finished the knitting part of the lace thing. Starting to ponder how I will block it: pins, or smooth to shape and let dry, or possibly try steam blocking?

My Thursday Night Knitting (meaning current project that doesn't need too much thinking because I'm knitting in company) is a second iteration of the checkmate socks in a different yarn and different color combination.

The yarn is Cervinia Calzeterria, purchased from Smileys about a year and a half, maybe two years, ago. It was billed as fingering. I would call it heavy fingering/light sport. It's not very soft, though it gets a bit better after a few washings. It does seem to wear well.