computer problems

we are still having problems with our computer - on some days it won't switch on at all, on others it goes black without apparent reason. we are waiting for ordered replacements; in the meantime I might vanish for times, because one hour a week in the local library is barely enough to clean out my mailbox and write brief answers where urgent! but - tonight the box is still working, so I am going to try a new entry!

I haven't been lazy, but most of my progress has been on the lace board. I did finish a pair of "father's day" socks (for DH, not my father...). I had bought the ball of wool in germany about a year ago, because I liked the way the colours of the yarn change, not in jacquard patterns, but slowly - as if hand dyed! and the yarn doesn't look and feel like my usual sock yarn (I mostly use Regia) - it's plied more loosely and even looks like a handspun! I have another ball in different colours, but I want to keep that for myself! I am going to make a pair of Coriolis socks from Cat Bordhi's book, but they'll take more time and attention - a rather different "make-up" from my usual sock pattern!

I am also still working on the knitty pattern "Aeolian shawl". I am in the last part of the pattern, but even though it's pretty easy to work, the rows have quite a lot of stitches and progress has slowed a bit. I hope to finish the shawl soon though to try out my new "carbon fibre wires"! they are used like blocking wires and I hope they'll make blocking on the bed faster and easier (it's no fun to crawl around on all fours for hours to stick a needle into each stitch of a large lace shawl:))

this is my latest "haul" from the recycling center! I found carpet samples, about 50 cm square, with nicely finished rims, which are useful as "pillows" for the garden, wall etc. nice colours too! I thought of putting 6 of them together like a runner - but I think pushing a needle through the finish of the rims would be extremely hard - so maybe I'll just leave them as they are! I also found several pieces of undyed cotton (blends?) fabrics, one sea grean and a purple/multicolour upholstery fabric, also a larger piece, mainly light yellow, with flowers on it (a table cloth maybe?) - and several interesting cones of yarn. the black is a blend of wool and alpaca, the charcoal has no label, but I bet there's mostly wool in it. there's one large cone (1 kg) of fine sea island cotton and two cones of a blend - I'd say linen cotton... and a smaller cone of waxed linen - too fine for knitting, but I am sure it would be a strong warp yarn! if all else failed I could just ply it up and use it as garden twine:)) DS went home with a full box of stickers, labels, cardboard pieces etc. - happy as Larry, he loves browsing around in there.... pity that it takes a trip by taxi and train to get there - but on the other hand, maybe that's a good thing - or our small cottage would one day split open and all our collective stashes would just burst out:))