S is for...

Socks!

These are some of the socks I've made in the past four years. I don't know what I'd do without one or five pairs of socks going on. I love knitting round and round on little double pointed needles, and I love the little collapsible square that is a sock in progress. They're small and portable, and as challenging as I want them to be. They're endlessly entertaining to knit, even when they don't go according to plan. Their patterns can be as simple as stockinette, or as complicated as lace and cables. They're loud or quiet, according to the yarn I choose. They're warm and cozy all winter, and just knowing that there's a pair of my own wool socks on my feet makes me smile. And when I look down and see these beautiful, varied colors, why, I smile even more.

And if S is for socks, then it's also for Soctoberfest!

My next pair of socks will be in the Petals Collection Hydrangea colorway. Instead of the textured spiral pattern that was written for this beautiful purple-y yarn, I'm going to try something a little simpler. I need simple and soothing knitting this week.

So I'm ready for the sock celebrations -- how about you?

R is for...

...why, a Rick Reeves spinning wheel, of course!

My apartment is so small, and this wheel is so big, that I had to haul it outside to get a decent picture.

I love the flyer. See that neat little curly hook there? That keeps the yarn on the right track. I love the bobbins. Each one of the four bobbins has a slightly different, and very beautiful, grain. I love the brass fittings. I love the three whorls, two of which attach to the bottom of the table when they're not in use.


I love its many finials. Each wheel Mr. Reeves made has unique finials. He provided a spare one, just in case, you know, there's a Finial Incident.


I love the wood, which is oak. It was lovingly, devotedly finished and cared for by my dear friend K. I love the way the wheel is joined, for its stability and beauty. I love the treadle, the way it feels under my foot, and the way the wheel never reverses. I love the little schhhussing sound the flyer makes as it spins, and it spins ever so fast if I want it to. I love the little finial-topped flyer hook, with its very own hole in the table, so it won't get lost. I love the size and heft of this wheel, the way it sits on its solid legs. I love the way the wheel dips down into the bench, and the way the top of the footman has a sweet surprise of a curve.

K and I tried to remember when he got this wheel. We worked our way back to 1994 or 1995, and left it at that. After a while the light bulb went on, and we looked under the table. Of course, Mr. Reeves signed and dated his work. It was 1995.

I love this Rick Reeves 30-inch Split-Bench Single-Treadle Double-Drive Production Wheel. I'm honored to have it, and I promise to do right by it.

I'll try to remember to write about the rest of my Maryland adventures. I have pictures. There has been little knitting going on, and no spinning (yet), but all that will change when I get a couple of deadlines out of the way.

Too busy.

Can't blog. Will write soon.

Love, Jane

Blink and you'll miss it

Wednesday sky, 6:25 AM.

I caught it just as it was fading into blue. I seem to be all about just catching things this week. Pause for a minute, and the hour is gone. Look away from the knitting, and mis-knit a stitch. I have a long list of things to do and remember scrolling through my head. I have written most of it down, but it insists on scrolling, still. I may as well try to catch bits as they pass, and let the rest go.

I'm working every day till I leave on Friday afternoon, so I need lists to keep on track. Packing, cleaning up, working, knitting, laundry, a special project -- all have their own kind of urgency, and I just have to sort. Today is Returns Day at the store. We're closed (which is why I am taking pictures at this hour instead of getting ready to go out the door), but the day will be a long one and pretty tiring. Good tiring, though, and cleansing, because old books will go back home to be replaced by newer, fresher titles.

This is the seasonal shift at the bookstore that I love the most. What cover will catch my eye? What have I been waiting to read? What will I be delighted to pack up and send away? Pulling books to return is immensely satisfying, and necessary, and gives me a chance to tweak and rearrange and reassess. The slow season is short; the Holidays are just around the corner. Look away for just a bit, and it's Christmas.

I have the same urge at home, to rearrange and sort and remove, but there isn't time for that this week. I'll get to do a little, because I want to take a big bag of fiber to V in Maryland. She is spinning lots of white yarn, with bits of color and contrast, for a series of hats. I can help with that, and my closet will be able to relax a little.

I don't have all the time in the world, but that doesn't matter, it never does. I have to go to work. I have to prepare for a road trip (I love to prepare for a road trip). I have to be away from work for five days in a row, and the preparation for that will consume me. There is the seaming of a baby kimono, the finishing of a hand towel, of a sock toe, of this or that little knitting thing...

All in good time. Whenever. On Friday afternoon I'll be on the road, on my way to Maryland, to K's and the new spinning wheel, to a weekend with my family and my mom, to a visit with dear V. I don't want to miss any of it.