Windy Tuesday

The wind is blowing. That sentence could mean a myriad things. Summer breeze through lightly scented trees, oh how that would be lovely today. Sideways rain spattering the windows on a spring afternoon, that would be hopeful of the former. Even dried fall leaves gusting across the road into the neighbors yards would be better than the intent of today's wind. Today it is the bitter icy chill that takes the 22 degree climate down to 12. I don't mind wind all that much. I rather like the trees howling and things going bump in the night. I honestly sleep better during a windstorm than on any other night. (This is totally due to growing up on the Outer Banks where the wind rarely stops blowing.) Today however I would prefer not to have great gusty wind. I am cold. I am needing more clothing or more heat or something. Celie thinks she needs to be next to me for warmth. My toes seem to need another pair of socks. There is no way I am going to put on shoes! I have a project to do and shoes make it harder to be creative. (This is also due to growing up on the Outer Banks but has nothing to do with the wind.) Must mean it is a day for lots of tea. Also, a day where staying indoors would be optimal. Windburn is much worse than sunburn and happens to me all the time. If sunscreen prevents sunburn then wool must prevent windburn.

I had a horrible case of starteritis over the weekend. I spent hours winding 825 yards of Queen Anne's Lace into balls, two very large balls! I thought this would be perfect for the Apres Surf Hoodie. Alas, my gage was wrong. I am cursed to a needle size one blow what is called for at every turn! I could have gone from the size 3 called for to a 2. I have very nice Addi Turbos in each size and love using these needles. I just could not get around the bumpy texture on the smaller size needles. Then I thought about the Gathered Pullover. The required needles are size 7 that would mean using a size 6. Both of those come in the Options set but both are in use though. Besides that I was worried about the bumpy cotton when a springy wool was used. I will have to use something besides the wool anyway or I will end up not wearing the beautiful thing or giving it to someone else. Then I thought, why not use math to figure out if my gage and the next size down would fit me. I realized it was Sunday afternoon and I did not really feel like playing with numbers I felt like playing with yarn. So I cast on the Sweater Girl using the Alpaca Lace I dyed rust.
Here again I am using smaller needles, 5 and 3, but I had already swatched this one. Yes, the yarn was already balled and swatched and the project had not been started. Somehow I could not get myself to knit with the Alpaca during the summer when dying was my passion. That satisfied the starteritis for yarn. I have enough projects to switch through while riding or sitting. But there is a new sewing machine...

On Saturday I bought fabrics to make a baby quilt. I have been petting them between blocks of the T-shirt quilt I am engrossed in. The baby is a girl. The moms have chosen pink and chocolate for the nursery. I have six new fabrics to drool over. I have excluded one pattern so far! I am very proud. Only about a million to go through. But I'm thinking about a basic nine-patch. It is an easy pattern. Thinking about the upside though it is quite appealing. Simple construction, sturdy seaming, project complete in a timely fashion. I could really grow to love this idea. Problem here? I have a total of 4 T-shirt quilts to get done before the holidays are here. The baby is due January 1. I should stop writing now and get to the sewing. There is no way I will ever get any of my holiday items complete if I spend my time communicating them.

Must go and resist the urge to begin anything new...