while i was knitting...

I am very tempted to spend money I don't have. Well, it's not in my "budget" or part of my yarn diet.

On this: 

I buy lots and lots of paperback books a year, and read almost all of them. These are "just for reading" books, some fluff, some science fiction, some mystery, some thriller, a very eclectic selection of reading material. And they pile up. Or I hand them off to another person, and hope that she can read them. But I think my mother's a little overwhelmed with paperbacks right now...

And I would never ever think of replacing my knitting library or books on knitting with downloads to an e-book.

Cons: uses electricity/needs periodic recharging, costs $$$ to buy, $ to download books, viewable only in direct lighting (not backlit)

Pros: very few recharges (especially if I turn off the wireless antenna), holds lots of books instead of being a huge stack of books, can travel on the plane with me (smaller and harder to lose than a laptop pc)

I'm still weighing my options, and considering my options.

And also wondering if I'll be the idiot who buys the thing at the current price, only to see a price drop in a month or two and swallow my guilt. Who knows?

Posted by Anna at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm playing around with knitting design.

For the past few weeks, I've been slightly obsessed with finding a pattern or top that's lacy enough to wear over top of my sundresses and tank tops, but shows the colors/designs through the fabric of the top.

Haven't found anything to my liking, all of the pullover tops or t-shirt style tops are way too solid for my liking, and to my feeble eyes, look like they are all variations of the same lace pattern.

Solution: design my own overtop!

I have my basic design "cartoon" drawn up in my knitting journal, and made notes about what kind of lace patterns to play with. Easy, fast, but nice is my current designing mantra. Overall pattern, with garter stitch...well, I'm still playing with the stitch design in my head, I have to admit!

Well, on Saturday I went with my mother to a yarn store we both love in Pennsylvania, and I found the perfect bamboo fiber yarn to play with, Bambu 7, and Bambu 12. The Bambu 12 is finer than the Bambu 7, so I have to swatch up to see what looks best and which lace pattern I like. Whatever yarn is left over, I can use up in lace shawl design or practice, or just quietly make a surprise lace shawl for a friend as a gift. No yarn goes wasted in my stash!

I toyed with the idea of cotton, maybe soy silk, linen, blends of cotton/linen, cotton/rayon...and then found the bamboo fiber yarn. I was lost in the softness of the yarn, and I like that it comes from a plant. Wool is just a touch too warm for summer overshirts. Shawls, stoles, sweaters in general, fine, but as a summer layering piece, a touch too warm for me. So, bamboo yarn it is!

To be continued, obviously!

Posted by Anna at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I miss my dad. I didn't realize how much I would.

I mean, when my grandfather died in 1986, it left a pretty big hole in my world. Especially since he died one week before I graduated from high school. And I realized right away that he'd never be there again, I'd never be able to talk to him again, show him what I was crocheting or knitting, hug him. But even so, I realize that Grandad was happier being with Grandmom again. (Call me crazy, but I believe in heaven. Period.)

Now, Dad's gone. I miss him. I miss being able to stalk him. I'd walk behind him, stomp my feet (so that I wouldn't startle him), and say "stomp, stomp, Stomp, STOMP, POUNCE!" and hug him from behind. Sometimes he'd hear me coming and stop still to make it easier for me to hug him. I miss hugging him. He was just the perfect size and warmth for hugging.

I still have good memories of him, and not just of the last few years with his various health troubles, his increasing difficulties walking or keeping his balance (I had to be careful not to knock him off his balance when I hugged him), or other problems he was having. Good memories such as: him laughing at the television, laughing at jokes I told (and sometimes retold to him), the hugs, sharing my trips to the southwest, his trips to Texas/New Mexico/Arizona area.

We're still finding things in the house from Dad as we clean up and reorganize. One item was a Father's Day card I had given him, that he held onto. Two days after he died, Mom found a letter he wrote to all of us children years ago, but it had no date on it, so I'm guessing about roughly when he wrote it. It made me cry, laugh, and puzzle over why he wrote it like he did, and didn't write another letter to add to it. But oh, so glad he wrote it, as it helps in the grieving and healing process.

Love you, Dad. Miss you. Can't wait to see you again!

Posted by Anna at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)