What’s That?

Wet stuff falling out of the sky? Haven’t seen that kind of thing around here for donkey’s years! Of course it’s only been a sprinkle. Just enough to hope we don’t have to water today but it’s evaporating fast. It’s a bit cooler too at only 17C currently so I’m wearing a cotton sweater until it warms up some. A big change after all those days of sun and warm temps!

In the damage department, I managed to get a loose pair of my own socks on over the bandages today giving the poor Sock Monkey sock a chance to get washed. Still using the Flamazine since we have it but Nurse T-Man needs to pick up more non-stick pads and gauze for me. The first-degree burns are gone completely now but the patches of second-degree extend over enough area to need 3 large pads to cover them and prevent the “medicinal icing” from escaping. The gauze is just to hold the whole shebang in place. At least now I can get my foot into sandals or my rubber clogs. More mobility is good and I’m only limping a little now, more to avoid any rubbing than from actual pain. Yeah, I’m such a tough customer. Heh. My mom used to call me the Silent Sufferer. Do you think she meant it sarcastically?

So to cheer myself up I started a new project:

This is the Bias Scarf from the kit that I got at ANWG from Just Our Yarn. The yarn is hand-dyed 5/2 tencel in fall-ish golds and rusts and it is really pretty to knit with. The beads are size 6 root beer AB transparents and they add a bit of sparkle but not too much bling. It’s an easy pattern except for the bead section which is a bit trickier. I frogged the whole thing twice before I got it mistake-free and figured out which needles to use. I was like Goldilocks with the needles! I tried Addi Lace 24” circs, vintage Aero aluminum 16” circs, short aluminum Boye straights, 2 – 8” aluminum Aero dpns and finally settled on 2 – 7” bamboo dpns as the most comfortable to work with. I guess I’m used to shorter needles from knitting so many pairs of socks.

This kind of scarf is really more like jewelry than something to keep your neck warm. The skein was big enough for two scarves and I also got a zigzag variation in the kit but I’m not sure I like it as much. I may make it for someone else though. Or I might make something else entirely! Also in the kit was a crochet hook to apply the beads but at 1.25 mm it felt a little large and I was straining to pull the yarn through so I found a 1.15 mm in my collection which works much better. The pattern calls for a 1 mm so that’s what they should have given me. Luckily I already have many little steel crochet hooks to choose from.

The Secret Project #2 is out of the corner where I threw it in frustration and is nearly done. I decided to suppress my innate need for total symmetry and use up the yarn since I have it. More details anon. It must be gifted to its recipient first so you’ll just have to wait. (That goes for you too, Nicole! No guessing because you’re probably incorrect. Heh!)

BTW I never saw the grand-beasties yesterday. Just as well. I’m not sure I was quite up for them.