A Knitter's Note

Pattern: 'Tomten' by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Materials: Plymouth Encore

Needles: US 8

I write a lot of notes. I am always afraid that I'll forget something and so my house is littered with bits of paper decorated with my semi-legible scrawl. I have lists of groceries, a general daily 'To-Do' list and a liberal sprinkling of reminders to clean out the cat's litter tray, pay the bills or drive the kids to an event. In fact I really should write myself a note as a reminder to put my son to bed at a decent time (or actually 'at all!') Last night, I forgot and he was up until I went to bed. Not a very good omen when school is about to start back next week!

My life also consists of knitting notes. Sometimes I run out of row counters and so I revert to scraps of paper marked with roman numeral chicken scrawl. It's extremely effective and has served me well for 35 years. As long as I remember to put the note back into the knitting bag at the end of my session, I'm good.

It is not surprising then that I have had to write myself a rather large 'Note To Self' just so that I don't forget that I now have a man downstairs! Yes, having barged in on several important business calls during the past few days, I have reverted to the 'visual reminder' method of mental prompting that I know works so well with me. My note is kingsized and is working like a dream.

I've also taken advantage of a few moments in the car at soccer practice working on 'Tomten.' Despite the blazing sunshine, I was determined to make headway on the hood and spent a peaceful 45 mins knitting in the heat. In fact, I feel that I really owe EZ a knitter's note. I'll send it as a prayer, I think. It's very simple really. It'll just say:

"Thanks!"

A Solution To The Moth Problem?

My magazine arrived safe and sound on Friday, just in time for what I had anticipated would be a more relaxing weekend than I've had for many months. The kids had nothing on the calendar for the first time in 'forever' and I was feeling pretty wiped any way.

Then Saturday arrived and with it some sunshine - not a lot, but enough for the daffodils to open and start bobbing their golden heads in the breeze and for me to develop a modicum of Spring Cleaning fever.

I decided that the answer to a peaceful soul is a peaceful home and as the daily lives of five busy people make a peaceful home almost impossible, I'd have to do the next best thing: declutter! After a hearty breakfast I set to and began sorting out my room and making space for P.A. to come home again. Laundry was folded, clouds of dust were dispersed and nightstands polished and reorganised. Then I looked under the bed. Good grief, what a mess. The dust bunnies had not only visited, they'd moved in and built a warren!

I got the vaccum cleaner and dragged everything out like a madwoman, determined to create order out of chaos. It was then that I remembered the Space Bags. I'd come across them at Costco during the week and picked them up because I'd been looking to purchase some for the past month. You see, I've had a MOTH problem.

A moth must have taken up residence (along with the dust bunnies) and has chewed right through my sons' handknit wool blanket, a gift from a friend when he was born. I found it a few weeks ago when we had that very cold spell and he needed a little extra on his bed at night. I was mortified. I thought of all the woollen garments I have laying around the house totally unprotected! I was particularly horrified by the thought of all the baby sweaters I knitted my children when they were small being munched through by a squadron of flying insects. It was time to take action. Space Bags would be the answer to my storage issues, but they might also be the solution to the moth one too.

So on Saturday I vaccum packed! There were duvets and blankets, summer clothes and beach towels, in fact I loved watching the hoover suck all the air out of those things so much that if you stood still in my house that day, you were liable to find yourself on the inside of one of them! It was then that I remembered the moth. "Hah, just try to get past this, buddy!" I thought as I sucked the life out of an extra large bag filled with Patons Classic Wool Merino and some Encore.

Brilliant!

I'm having some photo issues, so no pictures today I'm afraid. Picasa is playing up and driving me mad!