easy going

The stockinette stitch.  (I know, I know, a load has been written on
the subject. But, since each of us gets
to a particular point in our own time, this time is mine.) NOTHING can replace it for relaxing,
productive knitting as a second preoccupation. Got that? You know, knitting that
is done while talking, while watching a movie or TV show, or while doing any
other activity that requires your attention. Stockinette rules at times like these. The yarn just keeps slipping through my fingers and inches accumulate in
the knitted cloth. Perfect! The other evening, I was switching activities
as C flicked through the TV channels. When I watched, I found myself knitting and purling in the traditional
style. It requires no more than a casual
glance every now and then. When the TV was
of no interest, and I resumed listening to my audio book, I automatically
switched to the Continental Style.  I
tend to watch what I’m doing more when I use this method. I’m not concentrating on watching, just sort
of keeping the stitches in my peripheral vision. Switching methods was natural.  NO thinking involved, just knitting on
auto-pilot.

The other thing that made this all work out so well for me
was the change of needles. I was using
my straight Walnut needles; lovely with most yarns. With this stretchy, boucle-esque stuff, the
needles tended to grab, to stick a bit too much. Again, while watching (sort of) whatever C
had tuned into on the tube, I catalogued my circular needles. Out came my Addi Turbos. No more stick. The stitches don’t grab the needles. Everything slides on by the way it
should.

My mechanic used to tell me; there’s an ass for every seat. Knitting projects are the same. There is a project for every occasion. When I started writing this post I wasn’t
planning on getting here, but HERE I am, illustrating just why we all need to
have more than one project going at a time. I am so glad that I decided to start Sally Melville’s totally
stockinette Funnel Neck Sweater. It’s
been a pleasure to NOT think, 107 stitches of auto-knitting. I’ve plenty of projects that I can switch out
to when I want to concentrate. Works for
me.

I won’t bore you with more shots of the red sweater hanging
from a new location. Yesterday was
gorgeous. It was warm, the sun was
shining and we needed to be outdoors.  In the morning the cats and I went out to
explore the open areas around the house. The going was easier for the cats than in previous days. The snow had
hardened up enough that they could run along on top, crashing through only occasionally. My going was somewhat harder, a bit of a
workout.

Later, in the afternoon, C and I went for a real hike. We had not had the time to go through the
cedar woods after last autumn’s devastating storm. We plowed our way on foot, forgoing snow
shoes as being unnecessarily cumbersome for the packed snow, up the town road
to our border, then cut into the woods. Although lots of trees were down, it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. I suspect we won’t be so lucky when we get to
the firs, but that will wait for another day. We walked for a couple hours, breaking through with every step, hard
work up hill or down. The porcupines had
been busy. There were coyote trails on
top of rabbit and one fisher traipsing back and forth across the porcie prints. Signs left by piliated woodpeckers were everywhere. And a lone snail rested in a woodpecker
hole. Interesting. All in all, not too much for such warm weather
under the spell of the full moon.