Knitting and reading

Joining in again with Ginny for Yarn Along - although I have a bit of a cheek, given that my knitting has not progressed very far since my last YA post,  and until today, other blogs and twitter feeds had been my main reading matter for a week or so.

Anyway, I am still plodding on with my simple and effective shawl.  I had made a few mistakes, and so kept having to rip the whole thing out, as it was too difficult to pick up the stitches again.  Then the lovely Shannon took me aside and suggested using lifelines.  Lifelines! I never knew of such things, but they are very well named - lifesavers indeed.  So now my stitches are safe - thank you so much Shannon.  However, when we were waiting in the ferry queue, on our way to the wedding (I haven't forgotten), I accidentally sat on my knitting bag and broke one of my Brittany wooden needles.  Well, of course, I didn't have any spares with me, and 6 am in Stornoway is not the best time and place to pick up a new set.  I was annoyed, as I had been using a circular needle, but decided to work on straights until I had enough stitches.  No matter, I reasoned, I would get some in Ullapool when the ferry docked. Three hours later, (a lot of lost knitting time) we stopped outside the two yarn shops (they are across the road from each other) Gasp - both were closed until April!! Sigh... another 4 hours lost as we drove down to our hotel, and the next day was taken up with James's xrays and scan.  I had to wait for 2 days until I went to Edinburgh, before I was able to buy a set of 3.5 needles. However, it was my favourite yarn shop, K1 in the Grassmarket, so a lovely browse around all the goodies there made up for the wait.  The very friendly lady behind the counter was knitting hexipuffs to make this, which I thought was very cool.  But I digress - and I kept on doing so, over the rest of the week, as I only managed a few rows.  I am back on it, in between everything else that is happening.   The weather has been amazing so we are really making the most of it, and knitting isn't quite making  the top of the list.  Still, I always have it around, to sneak in a row or two here and there, and it is slowly growing.  Still loving the yarn, although it is not stripey, as I thought, but more of a marbled effect.

Reading has not been happening either -  apart from Home style magazines, blogs and twitter, nothing is calling to me right now.  So, I was delighted when the postman called today with my copy of Taproot.  Yes, I know it is technically a magazine, but it is different - there are lots of words - all strung together into real meaningful sentences, paragraphs - essays. Beautifully and mindfully written, as you would expect.  Photography is inspiring, artwork stunning. Actually, I have only read one article so far - Julia Shipley's incredibly evocative piece on Soil - sheer poetry, and I just didn't want the images and ideas to fade from my mind, so I stopped.  I think this publication will be like that - read an article, and then meditate over it before moving on to savour the next.

Hoping you are all able to savour your own knitting and reading this week xxx