Allowing Yourself Time Off

Okay, I am for the most part, a work-a-holic. I never thought I was, but after talking to other people, I have come to the conclusion that I truly am. I don't take vacations, I seldom give myself a day away from here and yesterday, even though I had a business meeting and then an art date with a friend and then a long conversation with another friend who has his mom in a nursing home---that was a day off for me. It was a day off from the banners, which allowed things to stew in my head and make it clear what to DO with them today. I did manage to get a lot of work hammered out at the meeting and the small painting I had started is almost finished. Then there was more computer work, business e-mail, got into a grant writing class, so for what I considered a do nothing day, it was GOOD! I think I have a warped mind..........YOU, gentle readers who really know me, were aware of that a long time ago!

I am going to post a pic of the felted booties I knit simply because I was asked to. The grey wool in them was some I had spun years ago and never plied as I had gotten waaaaaaaay too much twist in it. But to knit with the brown yarn, to felt, it was excellent. As I recall, it was a mix of black Ramboulette (sp?) and the combings from a beautiful white Great Pyrenees. And it felted beautifully and added halo to the finished product. Those should be exceptionally warm slippers! I might have to try something like that for myself, after the Jack Sparrows are off the needles. (they are coming along nicely, though the yarn I substituted for the body of them does not stripe. I think of it as the waves on the shore and the fog and crests of waves at sea.....HA! well, it sounds good....) I am close to putting the heel in them, then the real work of doing the skull band of intarsia. Frankly, I'd like to repeat the band twice, but will have to see how much yarn it uses.

So I'm off to the banner table, to have a banner experience on a banner day.....BAD PUN!

I'll just shut up and go away quietly in my little dinghy.......

In honor of the gods of Winter......

......I make this short post. We are AGAIN under the gun for crap weather---let me explain. SNOW---GOOD! ICE---BAD!!! And I have to run in to the neighboring town to deliver some hand knit felted slippers-cum-booties to a dear friend. (Lu, don't be reading this yet!) So this is a short boring post with a picture from the previous blast of arctic exasperation.

Take a guess at what this is? Grapes? Nope. And I think I will be a stinker and wait to reveal the secret.....or if someone guesses, you get added to the list of blogs I follow (Places to visit). WOW! What a prize! What an honor! (tongue firmly implanted in cheek!)

I am still working on some socks knit on I believe it is size 0 needles, and will probably have myself committed if I do that again. Of course, at some point, I will, but at the moment the slowness of the knitting is a bit discouraging. The light at the end of the tunnel is I will have a pair of superior socks when they are done; warm, gentle on the feet and a snazzy easy lace pattern. The reason I am anxious to get them off the needles is I found free on line a killer pattern for "Jack Sparrows Favorite Socks" and I'm sorry, but I am still clueless as to how to insert a hotlink into the text. So if you like skulls, you'll have to Google the name---it will be there. I splurged for the yarn, it came yesterday, and ....well....the call of new yarn is certainly a siren song! I was a good girl and hid it in the studio where it would be out of eye-range.......

Till later...I am off into the wilderness.

Print this post out if you suffer from insomnia; I am sure it could put ANYONE sound asleep......ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ......................