Up to Things
I clean the house. See the size of that dog there? Her hair collects like tumbleweeds. That lampshade is crooked…
I dye yarn with stuff from my kitchen. This is two balls of Misti Alpaca laceweight and one ball of Patons Classic Wool, steeped in chopped up avocado pits and skins and then steamed for 30 minutes. I used the remains of eight avocadoes, but the dye could have been a little stronger, I think. The color it gave these yarns is beautiful, a soft, antique, very gently pinkish-brown, the color of the lace in your grandmother’s bridal veil. Must eat more guacamole.
I plant my garden, and even though May is almost over, it still feels a little precarious, weather-wise. It still feels like it could snow. I nervously put in fourteen tomato plants. I hope they live. This is Swiss Chard, called “Bright Lights”. The rabbit who lives in my yard is really enjoying it.
I take this poor old antique cat outside on a harness and let him crouch in the flowerbeds, as part of his daily enrichment activities. He is much doted upon in this house, and ever since he was bitten in the face by a mean and marauding cat we call Smokey Desperado and his head swelled up like a football, his girl will not allow him to roam unsupervised. He is retired.
I knit squares with sock yarn leftovers. It occurs to me as these pile up that this is 100% a process project. I really have my doubts that I will even like the finished blanket, but that isn’t slowing me down at all. These squares are fun, in the smallest kind of way. They are ever-present and simple and slow. They are like going for a nice walk. You work a little bit, but not too much, and you enjoy the scenery and you feel a very minor sense of accomplishment when you get home. That’s how it is with these squares. I finish one, say there and put it on the pile, cast on another.
