Into each life

Today is a rainy day. Not the kind of rainy day that I hate least, where it mists, then rains, then clears, then rains, but a dismal, constant, cold, heavy rain that’s demoralizing and eventually leaks into the basement.  The remains of Hurricane Patricia are passing though, and it’s been raining steadily since the wee hours, with no apparent intention of letting up.

Have I mentioned that I hate rain? I do. I like water under me, like in swimming and baths, and so today I’ve spent the day in, cursing the grey, dark skies, and drinking pot after pot of tea. It’s been a long, slow day – spent mostly at my desk, catching up on email and paperwork – and that at least feels productive and has been a decent rest, which is brilliant, because as spectacular as the weekend at KnitEast was (and it was spectacular, with lovely teachers and clever students and lovely scenery) I came home so completely knackered Monday night, that yesterday I had several involuntary naps.

tidein 2015-10-28 tideout 2015-10-28

(That’s the tide going in and out on Passamaquoddy Bay. It’s off the Bay of Fundy, home of the worlds highest tides – I think this one was 28ft.)

I got up this morning (early, for something that turned out to be cancelled) and sat at my desk, and realized that I was cold. My new sweater was on the back of my chair, and I shrugged that on, and then thought about how cold my hands had been over the weekend. I’d forgotten to pack mittens. Then I thought about why I hadn’t packed mittens, realized I’d never made good on my promise to myself to make a pair of mittens over the summer, and that I was at serious risk of spending another winter wearing a leftover pair from someone else’s kit. That’s a crappy place for a knitter to be, so I hunted up a few oddments that match my coat(s) and today, as I’ve worked at my desk, I’ve managed a row here, and a row there…

moreaccuratemittens 2015-10-28

And with any luck, by tomorrow I’ll have a pair of Cloisonee for myself, I’d forgotten how ridiculously fast they are- and if that doesn’t stop the rain and make it warm up – I don’t know what will.

*PS: If anyone fancies it, we have a few spots open for the Strung Along Retreat in November. We were totally full, with a waitlist, and then forces conspired. (Judith’s doing wheel maintenance and mechanics, amongst other things, and it should be more than worth it just for that.) If you fancy a bit of a treat and a rest before the rush of the season starts – have a peek and see if it’s for you. You can send an email to strungalongATyarnharlotDOTca if you want to talk about it.

*PPS. Yes. I did finish a pair of socks and a bit over the weekend. Two all done pairs (one was started when I left) are drying after a nice bath, as I type this. I’ll show you tomorrow.

56 thoughts on “Into each life

  1. We have been having the same rain, and I would really much rather be curled up on the couch at home with a big cup of tea and my knitting than at work. There is something so depressing about rain that just doesn’t let up.

    In an interesting twist of fate, your anti-spam mechanism asked me to click on the umbrella!

  2. You are so totally right on how quickly the Cloisonnee knit up. I bought the pattern Friday, cast on the first one Sunday, and cast on the second one yesterday (although I haven’t done the thumb on the first one yet…for knitting scheduling purposes I wanted to have the second one to the point of working on the hand by the time of my knitting group at lunch tomorrow). 🙂

  3. Spending the whole day on a turnpike with sequential trucks spraying the relentless rain in seventeen new directions while you navigate is even more fun. Ask me how I know.

  4. It’s grey and depressing and raining here too. I started a pair of fingerless gloves that match the shawl that I keep in my office. We discovered yesterday that our suite does not have heat. The cheap bastards who built our building only put heat on every other floor. And the cheap bastards who run our company are located somewhere else and don’t care. Wait till they see the bill for a dozen space heaters.

  5. Down here in NZ it’s spring! … and it’s cold, and grey, and pouring with rain. I’m going to go make myself a pot of tea, and wonder if I’ve got enough possum/merino yarn left over to make Holly Terrell’s Bamboo Field Mitts.

  6. It’s gray and rainy and depressing here in NE Wisconsin too. I’ve been sorry I switched knitting bags for work this morning because my fingerless mitts are in the one at home.
    Cloisonee mittens! I have that pattern, I think I need some.

  7. Same weather here. Am sitting at my desk and was looking at a ball of yarn and wondering what it wants to be. Turns out, it wants to be a pair of Cloisonee (sp? too lazy in the rain to check).

  8. Odd how life works. I love rain and in California that’s a love that’s unrequited. We had enough to barely wet the sidewalks today. We’ve had rain in summer this year, which is very rare, and it doesn’t last 2 minutes. I miss rain.

  9. I love a good dreary rainy day! My Mom told me you can’t clean on a rainy day because you can’t see the dirt. I’ve often appreciated her ‘permission’ to take the day off!
    The people recognition thingy told me to ‘touch the Man’ hee hee hee 🙂

  10. I still prefer the rain to the snow. It may be wet, but I don’t feel like I’m going to freeze any appendages off while outside. Michigan is gonna get really cold, really quick, and I miss summer already. I’m attempting to preemptively strike at the winter by knitting like a mad woman. I figure if I prepare really well, like over prepare, the weather will spite me and I won’t need any of it (This theory probably won’t hold up, but we’ll see).

  11. Rare fall rain is forecast for tomorrow here in the desert, so I will be power-knitting the fabulous one-row scarf pattern for my daughter to take to Beijing in December. She only requested a scarf and hat, but those Cloisonee mittens are too tempting to pass up. She gets a bonus knitted item and I have all the fun!

  12. Knitting fingerful gloves for hubby of the 9 fingers. One done one to go. Watching the rain from Patricia blow all the pretty leaves off the trees and coat the roadways in wet slipperiness. It has been dark all day and now the wind is picking up. Not many people out. CT seems to be a very quiet state today.

    Mittens. Hmm. I have that pattern saved my library on Ravelry. Looks like it is time to follow your lead….

    bjr

  13. Passamaquoddy is a real place? I thought it was an invention of the people who made ‘Pete’s Dragon’. And now I can’t get that ridiculous song out of my head. And if it’s any consolation it’s rained a lot here in the UK today too 🙁

  14. Ooh, thank you for the reminder, I wanted to buy that pattern to make a new pair for myself. The hard part will be picking colors…

  15. In that same rain-belt, and can’t believe how disheartening it is.
    Wet. Wet, wet, wet. At least I knew it was coming, and got most of the leaves raked up yesterday. Raking and bagging wet leaves is possibly my least favorite outside job.
    This is not a little rain. This is a big rain that has no interest in letting up.

  16. I absolutely love rainy days. Unfortunately I have been stuck inside doing pre-op then DMV then on to work. I am praying for more rain tonight. Love knitting and watching the rain.

  17. Several years ago you knitted I don’t quite remember what with that stitch pattern, and maybe eight months? later I knitted a hat with that same stitch pattern and it only occurred to me months after that where the inspiration had gotten through to my subconscious brain from. I’ve owed you an apology all this time for not crediting you–and a thank you. It’s a beautiful pattern, and now every time I see it I think of you.

  18. Send the rain down this way, we could use it and I absolutely LOVE rain, lovely indoor weather and nice clean air after. We had a few drops this morning. Happy knitting, those mitts are very pretty.

  19. Oh dear. I love rain so much. I think living on the west coast requires it 🙂 Rain just makes my head feel clearer and my heart feel happier. It’s the bright sunshine that stresses me out!

    • I live in Texas and dream of living in the rainy Pacific Northwest. I think I would love it, since I pretty much stay in my house for the 7 months that it is so hot and sunny here!

  20. I feel you on the rain. I’ve also been getting the remnants of Patricia and it’s been gloomy and rainy for hours here. All last night all you could hear was the rain.

    And that reminds me. I need mittens.

  21. World’s highest tides? Only 28′? They regularly have a tidal range of thirty feet and over at Bristol. England. Or did you mean ‘highest tides’ at the seaside?

    BTW – nice mittens.

      • Thanks for answering this — we North Americans must keep up our Bay of Fundy pride! (Of course you Canadians get to have more of it than we do, but still . . .)

  22. Mittens sound nice. I am grounded to xmas hat knitting which is ok, only nine more to go (out of 32). Maybe I’ll knit some mittens for myself as a reward for finishing. My favorite pair are wearing out on the thumbs. Good idea!

  23. Apologies for this trivial request, but I could not find a solution. I want this pattern. I joined Ravelry. It will not accept my credit card. Is there an alternative solution?

  24. As I was sitting here reading the post, the wind picked up and now it’s raining. The rain would be great if I could be knitting instead of working. I’m having a hard time today focusing on what I should be doing for work. My yarn stash is in my office and I’ve been on a crazy I don’t know what to knit but I want to knit spree so I have yarn all over (and at least 3 wips as a result of this craziness). It’s really not helping looking over at piles of yarn that are screaming knit me! Time to get back to work now!

  25. Steph,
    Which Port Ludlow retreat is more catered to those of us who don’t spin? And I forget, how far ahead of time do you open registration? This is on my list for next year, I am hoping to get picked to go. I have only taken one spinning class though. Thanks

  26. Love St. Andrews By The Sea. AND those mittens. The rain, and this WIND!!, not so much. Curled up in flannel jammies under a blanket, knitting a scarf. Perfection.

  27. It was raining here this morning at 2 degrees, but by afternoon it was just beautiful, 10 degrees, overcast and calm (Edmonton). Other days it has been windy. I don’t mind cool and rainy and calm, compared to the bone-chilling wind. As for cold hands, I think that I too may make a pair of mittens, soon… as soon as a hat and mittens are finished for my son. Was there some proverb about shoemakers going barefoot? Or was it shoemaker’s children? I think that the true maxim would be that knitter’s hand go cold…

  28. Yes, cold heavy rain is, well, cold and heavy and grey, but put yourself into a multi year drought and the idea and fact of rain is a god send. But you still couldn’t get my CA born, blue sky loving husband to admit that.
    Like so much else, it’s all relative.
    Cute mittens, BTW. Yes, you do want to kept your hands warm!

  29. The mittens are wonderful – glad you have a bit of rest up time. I actually listen to Rain sounds in my earballs at work – I dream of rain. Send some water our way…and that tide picture is amazing.

  30. I love that mitten pattern of yours! I’ve made multiple pairs to clothe the hands of students in my classroom without mittens. Living in Vermont without mittens is crazy talk. Thank you!

  31. Stephanie,
    Thanks for posting the photos of my hometown. Haven’t been there in a few months and am missing it now. I feel a bit closer to home, thanks to your photos. Someday I hope to time a visit to coincide with Knit East, should there be another one.
    Sincere thanks for writing such a grand blog.
    Poppy

  32. This time of year you’re lucky it’s rain and not the dreaded “s” word.

    We had to travel yesterday– about 600 miles round trip (headed south). It snowed a good deal of the way… tho none stuck. And today was sunshine. It’ll stick soon enough…

  33. Hi there! New reader here; I love your blog.
    I love rainy days, but I suppose there can be a limit.
    Lots of tea and knitting; that’s the way to do it. lol
    You’re mittens are looking great, which reminds me, I have to make myself another pair.

  34. If I recall correctly (and my memory is unpredictable at best), today might be Joe’s birthday. If so, wishing your lovely fella and family a wonderful day. If not, oops, but you should all have a wonderful day anyway. 🙂

  35. I bought the Cloisonnee pattern the day you released it, and somehow never got around to knitting it. I’m so glad you cited yours in the column, to remind me that I want to make some! Somehow once I own a pattern it’s as if I’ve already knit it and my mind turns to something else.

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