Should have, could have, would have

On renovating, and how to keep sane.

Dear renovating men, renovating our house inside and out.
Would it be too much to ask if you could follow instructions, be hard-working and finish on time?

Our balconies should have been finished in August. They will be finished in October. Hopefully. Where did the 2 months go?
And now that you are also exploding up our front steps and the steps leading from front yard to the parking lot, do you think that you could have told us, the tenants, about it sooner than 2 days after you had already started the work?
Yes, we will be happy to have nice and even stairs for winter, I grant you that.

Oh, I know that your work requires great manual skills, and I appreciate you for it, believe me I do. I'm a bit of a renovator myself, and some of my best friends are renovators. But hey, does that really mean the total exclusion of brain function?
Like, when you were drilling those holes on our bathroom wall tiling to attach the new lamps, did it ever occur to you either a) to call us once again about the correct measurements, or b) to actually look at how the lamps and the new mirror would look together.
The mirror was supposed to be in the middle, between the two lamps. Not so that the other lamp was further away from the edge of the mirror. Small things, but for finicky, small-minded people like us, symmetry is important. Especially if you are looking at the mirror and the lamps many times a day. Every day.
Anyway, thanks for fixing this by attaching a bigger mirror over those first holes, and attaching the lamps again. To their correct places. Thanks.

***

Hey, don't get me wrong - I love our new bathroom and toilet. I love the new washing machine (which, by the way, was not installed correctly the first time - during its first ever spin, the machine actually started to rumble towards the bathroom door. Thanks again, dear renovating men, for not removing the transportation supports from the back of the machine, and causing us a few scary moments and aching arms for trying to keep the machine in its place). I will like the new balcony, too.

***

Neglecting ones blog isn't the biggest crime in the world, but somehow it manages to raise some quilty feelings. So, a collective apology to any and all who may have visited here during last months.

After reading some French literature and visiting my dear blogger favorites after a long dry spell, I decided to let myself be creative again. No, I decided I want to be creative again. Because it's good for me. As is French literature.

So here I am - hopeful that somebody will read this someday, somewhere.
And hey, everybody deserves a second chance - even renovation men.

Gee, what just happened?!

It seems like eons have passed since I've last written anything on this paper. You will forgive me, when I say that during this absence I have both started at a new job and moved house (and suffered from non-knitting symptoms, so there's been nothing to show).

Well, I have now worked in the new place for a little over one month, and I like it there. I guess I should like it, since I sent about 80 applications within 12 months, before this one came along.... Although it means travelling by train daily to another town and therefore having rather long working days, but I have grown accustomed to that aspect already. There's time to read and / or sleep and / or think things through (or even knit, for sure) on the train, and, at least currently, the trains have been running on time, which is a sort of a miracle around here, I guess. The people are nice in the office, working pace is quite relaxed (compared with the previous job), I got my own room, and I get to apply my language skills and other previously learned things to various tasks.

I also like.... oh, what the heck... LOVE! our new home. It's in an old shoe factory, converted into apartments ~20 years ago. Roofs are high, walls are thick and surroundings are quite peaceful and green (except for that darn dog who is barking his/her small head off somewhere in the neighbouring yards, and is doing that every time and all the time he/she is alone). It's a bit long ways from the city centre, but buses and biking are good ways to get there. I've rediscovered my bicycle, and him and I are now great friends again.

***

Despite my non-knitting-feelings, amidst all these Big Changes in my life, I did pack my yarns'n'stuff when we moved, to come along - but the thing is, I haven't unpacked them yet. They are there, on top of the cupboards, in two white boxes with the tape still wrapped tightly around them. Waiting. For autumn, perhaps.... ? For those woollen wearables, perchance...?

The resemblance is uncanny

The operation went well, and the patient is feeling ok. Steeking was painless, and now I have two halves instead of one whole. And oh yes, it's starting to look like bag now, don't you think?

Despite the un-blocked pieces and non-attached body and strap (and very curling edges...), there's a certain likeness to a real bag here. Moving on, moving on.....

The world is indeed flat

Well, maybe not - but the bag is indeed very flat at this point. Steek cutting awaits this little knitter.

Hibernating and being lazy

Yep, that's me. Even though the bright spring sun is shining even as I write this, lately I've been under some heavy snow, figuratively speaking. Other things crowding up my mind, not the usual space there for creativeness and excitableness (is that a word??).

Lazy in my blogging, sorry folks, and also lazy in getting That Special Feeling (which, from now on, will be called TSF), i.e. getting down with Startitis. That's been going on here for a long time now, as you may remember (the lilac cardigan enthusiasm was but an exception to the rule) - even though I've been pottering with my colorful bag, knitting bits and pieces here and there, there's nothing to show yet (let me get the 1st section ready first). There's one WIP which is definitely not getting done for THIS winter... yes, the woolly one... Oh, well.

But, hold on....

there might be something stirring now (with the arrival of the latest VK)....

Howz about some lace, ma'am? Howz about something light and airy and summery and envigorating - only today with a special price, only for you, m'lady. Go on, I know you want it - why don't you give it a go?

Hmm. Tempting.... :)

The United Colors of Balls'of'Yarn

It's here, the long-awaited package from the States.

It includes 21 balls of Peruvian Highland wool, in all the colors imaginable ('suede', 'doe', 'bison', 'currant', 'pimento' and 'lipstick', just to mention few...),

and the instructions how to make this, the "East Meets West Satchel", designed by the friendly folks at KnitPicks:

Believe me, I did not hit my head - but I do see colors, all over the place :)

'Raspberry heather', 'Masala' and 'Wallaby' - here I come!

Knitting with Wwwool

After the supple and soft yarn of the latest project, the cardigan 'Sabbatical', I've taken up the tunic from the latest VK, this one with fair isle borders.

I decided to finally use up some Pirkka-yarn which has been simmering in my stash since last winter - and man, it's tough. It's 100% wool, you see. Good ol', crunch-your-fingers, rough-up- your-hands 100% wool.

Somehow it's good to really feel what you're making, knowing that this is the yarn used by fore-mothers and so on. But, pheew... as I've promised to give this a Certain Person, I need to finish it - and preferably before the winter's over, and preferably before The Bag Kit (which I told you about earlier) arrives from the States. Pheew.

I try to be diligent, finish it up (back side almost done already, so I'm half way there) and move on. And be satisfied with myself for taking up such an arcane and traditional yarn.

The result better be good, or else....