A Cozy Day at Home

It's gotten colder here. Well, colder for California. I am bundled up in two sweaters, a hat, fingerless mitts, and a crocheted shawl. I don't need to turn on the heat, since I'm wearing all of my favorite woolens! I try to keep my gas and electric bill down, without making things uncomfortable.  I've been wearing  a mix of cashmere, alpaca, and wool. The alpaca throws are really nice, too. I even made a small one for Lana. She's snuggled up underneath it right now. She's been sneaking up on to my bed, and I pretend like I don't notice. Since she's old and frail, I have been letting her break the rules.

Creative Ewe, our local yarn shop, has been having an amazing sale. Yesterday I bought enough Llama Una worsted weight yarn to make two cardigan sweaters. At $5.00 a skein, I just couldn't resist! $20.00 for a quality sweater is an excellent deal! I found enough skeins  for a chocolate brown one, and a forest green one. I've noticed  that I reach for my solid colored cardigans whenever I need to throw on a sweater. If I'm going outside to get the mail, or walking the dog, those are the basics that I repeatedly pull from my drawers. Since these are what I use the most, I've learned to keep my knits more simple. This vintage pattern is a very quick knit, too. I love stockinette. I've always seen a beauty in it. Some knitters  find it boring, or too plain, but I don't. To me, it's pure and classic.

I've been working on my purple and navy blue Oaklet shawl. It's coming along well. I'm excited to get started on the lace border. I thought that this pattern would knit up really fast and  easy, since it's mostly stockinette. I was wrong I  have had to rip it back a few times. My stitch count got off when I got lazy about counting  each row. Now I am religious about it. I also put in  lifelines, which is new for me. It's a relief to have them with these yarn overs, though. They are worth the effort. This yarn is extremely soft and warm. It feels comforting to have it laying in my lap as I knit.

I finished the Scatterby socks, and will be mailing them to a friend in PA tomorrow. I'm also sending another pair of ribbed socks that I had in my stash to a friend in New York. People really seem to love and wear  hand knit socks. Well, most people that I know do. These are both former professional  dancers who will take very good care of them, so I feel comfortable gifting them. They are made of Superwash wool and nylon, so they can be machine washed. I wear my own  hand knit socks every day. They are one of my favorite luxuries in life. I've got them on now, under my Minnetonka slippers. The yarn is pink and grey, and made by Austermann yarns. They are my very favorite company for sock yarn.  

Thank you to those of you who have been sharing my posts. I really appreciate it. Yesterday I watched another podcast from  The Gentle Knitter. She is such a divine talent. I really enjoy making a cup of tea or coffee, turning on her Youtube channel, and knitting. She has a very sweet and comforting presence. My neighbor came over this morning to borrow some baking soda. She was making cookies, and had run out of it. She pulled up a chair and we had a nice chat. The fruit tea was piping hot in the wedgewood china teapot, and covered with a colorful woolen Noro tea cozy.  It feels good to be home. How are you doing?

Thank you for commenting. I greatly appreciate it. Please leave your comments in English. If you enjoy the posts here, please share them.