Ups and Downs

Spirits would be lifted today – plus points being:

  • Joshaqan socks finished last night
  • Senneh 2nd sock cast on
  • the rain has ceased

However… I had an overall dispiriting end to the day yesterday. Having done loads of housework and spent much of the day doing laundry in order to get the best bedding back on the bed by bedtime  (a long process – it’s really good heavy quality cotton and king size, so takes 2 loads to wash and 3 loads to dry) I entered the bedroom last night with arms loaded with fragant washing, just to find that the naked duvet was covered in muddy paw marks.

Also, in the middle of uploading photos for the blog yesterday, the card reader failed and thereby scuppered my immediate plans for making the blog better to look at – hence no photos of the completed socks this morning.

We have a lochan instead of a garden – this explains the muddy duvet. We have never seen so much water in the garden since we came to live here. I tell you, it has been biblical.

It’s going to be a  comfort day today – we’re heading towards a sausage (pork, red onion chutney and cranberry) and mash dinner (plenty of fried onions, I think) and I have a more than strong feeling that a Norby hat will be cast on before this day is out, setting the Senneh socks back by a few hours. I don’t know what it is about Norby, but I desperately want to have one on my head, keeping the wind and rain out. What do you mean “don’t you have enough hats already?” – don’t be daft, I live in Orkney!! Is not possible to have sufficient hats. Or scarves. Or mitts. Or socks. Hats are most important, due to tendency of Orkney winds to steal the best head toppers.

Norby is designed by Gudrun Johnston, The Shetland Trader (she of the Aestlight and the Flukra, the Simmer Dim and the Norie, the Crofter’s Cowl  and the Hansel shawl – I seem to be very keen on Gudrun’s designs) and is published by Jared Flood, Brooklyn Tweed in his new Wool People, Vol 2. Jared is another of my favourite designers and appears regularly in these pages.

I really plan to spin some yarn for a Norby but I feel it calling to me  for an immediate gratification – perhaps in alpaca. I shall have to concentrate hard on my socks today if I am not to cast a Norby on before this day is out. Perhaps I should stick my fingers in my ears. But then nothing would get knit.

Blimey – I can see some blue sky out there!

Mince Pies. I think I may make some mince pies while I cook dinner. We had not a one during the festive period. I don’t see why we should not have some now. With custard. Yes.

2 Comments

  1. January 5, 2012
    Reply

    I’m tempted by the Norby as well, and there are a couple of other things in Wool People Volume 2 that are tempting!
    🙂

    • January 5, 2012
      Reply

      Yes – in general, the patterns for both Loft and Shelter look to lend themselves well to handspun.

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