On April 8! I didn’t believe the weather reports. I barely believe my eyes. I’m supposed to go to work today - my Saturday to work - but I’m thinking - why bother. In honor of Snow, the day before Easter, in Champlain, VA of all places! I think I ought to close that library. Hmmm?


Yesterday was my day off, in recompense for working on Saturday, so I drove up to see my parents. It was a very positive day and Richmond, in early spring, with the first of the azaleas and tulips out, was so pretty. All the Bradford pears had gone green giving the city a fresh look. I took Daddy for a little outing back home again, down Robius Road - I see they’re calling it Huguenot Trail now. Yuck. It was the first time he’d seen something other than hospital walls for 2 weeks. It was a good thing.

An interesting thing has happened to me, something I had hoped would happen but didn’t know for sure, when I decided to go a year with no fiber purchases. I seem to have broken that addiction I had of Having to Buy every time I got within 20 miles of a yarn shop. I’ve been to Richmond dozens of times this winter and I did buy one skein of yarn because I was going to a knitting group meeting there and didn’t have anything in my knitting bag that inspired me. But it was one skein of sock yarn that I cast on right away - not something that was going to fill tubs in my den. Mind now, I am 100% in favor of buying yarn when you really want it. But buying it because you are in a car somewhere or with a group of friends or for any other reason not wholly driven by thoughtful desire - no thanks. Addictive behavior was not something I wanted to be connected to a pleasure as great as fiber play.

I’m sure I’ll still have plenty of stash and continue to add to it too. Just not in such a frenzied manner.

I’m knitting up different swatches and samples for the classes I’m supposed to teach next Saturday, so I’m constantly being tempted by Other Knitting. The experimenting I’ve been doing has opened up all sorts of possibilities for New Projects. I’ve found a little 6 stitch, 4 row lace pattern that would be so cute in either a tank top or hmmm, what about silk leggings. Yeah, I know I’m a little old for silk lace leggings, but what a great idea for a pattern anyway. Maybe for one of those more youthful knitting magazines. I really am tempted by leggings or harem pants or over the knee stockings. Ahh the way the mind wanders when the hands are holding needles.

I’ve let the Stinky Bad Dogs back inside. They’re still a little stinky, but it’s moderated a lot and I miss them so when they’re banished from the house. Every summer I lay down a decree. No Dogs In The House. Sometimes I’m successful, sometimes it frays down to No Dogs On The Big Bed. But it’s not summer yet.

If I do go into town, I’ll post snow pictures later. Otherwise, I'll post them on Monday, just because. In the mean time, I’m going to go make oatmeal. Ta.