Ladybugs & Yarn

I have generally well-behaved cats when it comes to yarn. They might occasionally paw at the dangling tail from a cast-on, but don’t attack my projects nor pounce the balls of wool. So I was unprepared to get out of bed this morning and see this:

That atrocious tangle was formerly two balls of KSH. Augh. It’s no use disciplining Pi (I am under no illusions as to which cat is responsible), because the damage is done and he wouldn’t understand, but augh. I’ve laid the mess in a drawer until I can face the thought of sorting it out. *flails*

Onto better things. I have a book of vintage doily patterns, and I went looking for it today to see if one of the patterns in it was, as I suspected, the doily that the popular Hemlock Ring Blanket pattern had been based on. (It was!) But while skimming through it, I noticed that there were a lot of large doilies in there that would probably make gorgeous lap blankets if worked in heavy aran yarn rather than fine crochet cotton.

I also, randomly, think that My So-Called Scarf has a lovely stitch pattern. Anything that’s almost-mindless-but-interesting and makes handpainted yarns looks gorgeous gets my vote.

I cannot find my 6mm needle tips, and of course that’s a) the only size missing from my Options binder; b) the size I need right now. I don’t like you very much right now, Mr. Murphy. I tried casting on with a 6mm Susan Bates circ, and for the life of me I can’t figure out how I ever knit with them before. I’ve been spoiled, I guess. Still, in this apartment, there are a limited amount of places those tips could be hiding. They’ll turn up soon.

It’s raining outside. Pouring, actually. I like autumn rain–I like how it makes the leaves stick to the sidewalk and/or gather in the currents and float down the river. I like how it makes the trees look after dark when there are only streetlamps for light. Rain at this time of year, like snow in winter, makes me want to curl up on the sofa with tea, knitting, and a warm cat, and I think as soon as I’m done here that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

One more thing. I went to a blood donor clinic at the local air force base this afternoon–where I used to live, there was one once a year, but the size of this new little city of mine means that the clinic comes once every two months. I strongly encourage anyone who can get to a donor clinic in their own area to do so, as it doesn’t harm your system to donate (actually, it’s beneficial in some ways) and, of course, it saves lives.

Right! Tea. Knitting. Cats.