Yeah that’s nice

Once up on a time, back when we all took buses, I would see people sitting on the bus and I would boggle at how they were doing it. I don’t mean riding the bus, I was riding the bus too and I absolutely understand how that is done, I mean how they were riding the bus without doing something… else. Not reading a book, not listening to a podcast, not bopping along to their own private soundtrack, not knitting or crocheting.  Just… sitting there.

It has been suggested to me that perhaps these people have a rich inner life. That they are as occupied on the inside as I am on the outside, beavering along on my sock, and I’ve tried to consider this, but since it implies that anyone who needs to knit a shawl or a sock on the bus for the safety of others isn’t *&^%$#ing thinking as much, I’ve rejected it wholesale.  It is them, I consider, as another something grows on my needles, it is them that must have the poorer life, to be deprived of knitting.

I realized this morning, as I hung Wavedeck on the line for a photoshoot, that for the most part – while I’ve never understood the non-knitting very well (though am am fond of many of them) I think I actually pity them a little bit. I know that to the vastest number of non-knitting folk, I will never be able to explain the feeling that leaps in me as I touch and hold something that I made this way.  “That’s beautiful” a friend said yesterday, when I sent them a picture of this thing. “Really nice” they said, and I took the compliment, they really did like it, but their darling empathetic, well-functioning yet non-knitting heart cannot grasp the wonder of this, I fear.

This, while it is really nice, is really nice in a way that I know you’ll understand. This – I want to tell them, when something gets made this way, when you imagine it, and then you build it, making choices and taking steps to get it just the way you want, when you choose tools and reject and audition ideas and try on gauges to see if you can get the idea in your head to leap from imagination to reality –

and then spend hours and hours of your one wild and precious life moving fibre from one state to the other, from batt, to singles, to plied yarn to knitted thing and it actually works?

That is not “really nice”. This is really exactly what I wanted it to be, created by slow transformation, of slow magic, it is like when it is thirty degrees below zero and you go outside and throw water in the air and it instantly turns into snow.  It is exactly like that.

Well, it is exactly like that if you are both the earth that made it thirty below, and the person throwing the water and if you understand that the instantly bit was thirteen days, but you catch my meaning.

I’m completely happy with this project, I adore it.  (I love it so much that I contemplated leaving it on the line in the back garden for a few hours after I took its picture, just so the neighbourhood could maybe see it and be enriched.) I love everything from the batt I started with (I bought that from Chris at Upstream Alpacas, she’s the genius who dyed that silk and put it with the black baby alpaca) and I love the pattern, Kate Atherley’s very clever Wavedeck. (I love too that it’s named for one of my favourite places in this city.) I love that it’s the size I wanted and the colours fell the way I wanted them too and I love, love, love and adore the way that the pattern miraculously took all but 9 centimetres of the yarn (I kid you not, it was a yarn chicken triumph) and I love that it’s a gift for a friend…

and I love that they’re a knitter, of course. They’ll know what it is when they see it. Really nice.

156 thoughts on “Yeah that’s nice

  1. Oh my goodness, that is magnificent! So beautifully done start to finish.

    I’ve loved quite a few of your projects in the past, but this one might be my favorite. And it might be my favorite not just because it’s beautiful (which it is) but because you had less than 10 cm of yarn leftover. That’s such a triumph.

    Good for you for giving it away . . I’d have had to reconsider that part.

  2. Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? 13 days IS instantly for something like this — except that there is nothing in the world like this. O my

  3. I was reading along, feeling so happy that you made such a beautiful project, that you would love wearing, that would make you SO HAPPY every time you wear it, and then I got to the words “… a gift for a friend”. And I was shocked. That you could bear to give it away. And then I remembered how many beautiful things you have made to give away, and how much you treasure your good friends, and then I wasn’t surprised at all. Shocked, yes. But not surprised.

  4. This is one of my favorite pieces of yours as well. I have made many versions of the One Row Scarf that are splendid. I loved the Catkin you made years ago. I even enjoyed the socks with grapes that people grumbled about. But this? It really is magic. I understand that completely.

  5. Yes, it’s magic. I am in awe of all the precision required for that astounding result. You truly did “leap from imagination to reality.”

  6. I mostly knit for those I love. Knitting = love in my mind. I cherish the person I knit for with each and every stitch. I am so thankful I don’t have the “I don’t knit” gene. Your gift will be cherished, it is spectacular!

  7. From beginning to end (including the gifting), the shawl is beautiful. The best is not that everyone knows the magic, but that you, and a select few of us, know the true magic. It is one of those times when you nod and give a knowing smile!

  8. It’s utterly glorious. Seeing it progress from the lovely coloured batt to this beautiful shawl has been a joy. And I’m so glad that it’s going to someone who will enjoy it for all that it is. Steph, you made magic.

  9. The shawl is gorgeous. The chevron bit at the outer edge really shows off the gradients in that stupendous yarn!

  10. Glorious was my first reaction moving quickly to magnificent and still it wasn’t’ enough until I added stunning to the list. You’ve done many amazing knitted things but this is my very favorite. Wow, simply wow! The colors and the pattern are perfect and I’m sure the yarn itself is amazing to the touch. Thank you for sharing this with us!

  11. This is the most beautiful thing you have ever done. I am pea green with envy that you can do this! I taught myself how to knit from YouTube. Myself was not a very good student. I suck at knitting, but I keep trying.

  12. I was actually thinking to myself “magic” then I read a bit further and you said “magic”: because that’s what it is. Knitters are magicians! Truly gorgeous.

  13. I feel like this little bit of perfection was so needed right now. Not only by you, who certainly has great need, but by the rest of the world. (And by the rest of the world I mean specifically me, who needed to see something at once both small and huge and beautiful). Thanks, Harlot.

  14. Beautiful, beautiful.

    About the people on the bus doing nothing. Maybe the bus ride is the single point in their day when No On Wants Anything from them. Maybe it is their one and only time of the day that is “quiet.” During this plague pause, when everybody is at home, I’m finding I stay up late because that is the only time I’m home “alone.”
    Anyway, stunning shawl. Well done you.

    • Yes, I was one of those doing-nothing-on-the-bus people and enjoyed the time while no one wanted anything of me….until I chatted up the woman knitting socks. That gave me courage to take a class, and now I’m trying to rearrange my sock drawer to make room for more socks.

    • Yes, I love that about transport time, when it’s good, it’s just a pause and time to watch things go by. I do panic though if I don’t have something I *could* be doing, book or music usually. I quite often just hold the book and look out of the window, but if I haven’t got one it’s not the same.

      BTW, I’m not sure if you’ll see this Stephanie, or if others have had the same problem, but your posts haven’t been appearing in my blog reader (Old Reader) for a month, I’ve deleted and re-entered your site address and it seems fine again, but there might be a few readers who have lost you.

      • I’m so glad to find someone with the same problem – I had no idea Stephanie had written anything in April until I happened to drop by here! I’ve tried deleting the feed from Feedly and refollowing, but it’s still not picking up any of the posts from the past month.

    • I like to watch people, so rarely is a bus ride (or other form of transportation) dull.

      And sometimes, it is nice to just sit and let the mind wander (of course, sometimes while I am driving it gets into a great place…and I miss my exit!)

  15. I used to knit on public transport but pre-pandemic, our buses and trains were so crowded that it was rare to get a seat unless you board at a terminus.

    It was disappointing to look at those who were seated. Not one of them was knitting or crocheting or even daydreaming. Everyone was looking at tablets and phones.

    Looking at your wondrous creation, the very pinnacle of creativity and skill, makes me realise how much poorer society is for not encouraging the arts. As a journeyman spinner and knitter looking at your shawl, I can only gasp in admiration. Thank you, Steph, for all the years of sharing your work with The Blog.

  16. Being a knitter, when I saw the first photo I had a quick intake of breath! I recognized the yarn you spun from that beautiful bat, and am blown away by the skill you have to create something so wonderful. Your friend is so lucky to someday own that shawl. I’m glad that it will belong to a knitter, who will know just how stunning it is.

  17. Normaly I don’t comment, been reading and looking forward to your blog posts for many year’s but the shawl is so perfect I just have to say bravo.
    What a splended combination of yarn and pattern.
    Thank you for sharing such a lovely thing. Mary

  18. It is so beautiful. And practically a little miracle in its own right, because how often do creative people have the experience of bringing something into existence which actually matches what they conceived in their mind? Practically never, if my own endeavours are anything to go by.

  19. Oh Stephanie! That is *breathtaking*! I want to hold it and stare at it and I am absolutely boggled that the colors and the pattern and and and. Wow. How did you DO that!

  20. I am not exaggerating when I say that I think that shawl is the most beautiful and mesmerizing knitted thing I have ever seen. I can’t stop looking at it!!
    Congratulations. Well done.

  21. It is an incredible shawl, no question. But the phrase that leapt out at me was “back when we all took buses.” I miss riding the bus every morning _so much_, all of us together, heading off into our separate days.

  22. It is absolutely gorgeous! It looks like a hand-knit peacock’s tail. The colors look positively iridescent! It’s just perfect – and I”m so glad your friend is a knitter, because they will understand it.

  23. My 8-year-old just finished knitting her first project, and I showed her the sequence of your photos in Instagram progessing from batt to shawl. She was fascinated, and I think she sees it as magic that she can make happen, now that she knows how to knit.

  24. Stunning, and I hope some of your neighbours took it in. And I do get it. It was only after I learned to spin that I learned the absolute joy of spinning, then designing a sweater for said yarn, then knitting the sweater, then publishing it (think Buttonbox Waistcoat, BTW edited by Kate A., and Zora, a cabled cardigan). Makes you feel that you could almost fly!

    • Ha–I can relate to this! A few years ago, I fell in utter love with a whole fleece in the competition/sale at our provincial fiber show, and as a newer spinner who had never washed raw wool before, I did NOT feel I was up to This Fleece, even if I could manage to outbid the other (ridiculously enthusiastic) bidders…
      I got in touch with the shepherd, who casually mentioned she still had most of ‘his last years’ fleece’, and would I be interested? (Um–YES, please!!! Can I see it??!?!)
      I gave myself permission to learn through that process of all the steps in turning the beautiful raw stuff into a sweater that I love–man, that was satisfying!
      And the best bit? THIS spring, I have first dibs on the fleece of that same Shetland wether–from ‘not worthy’ to ‘first dibs’ AND friendly with the growers, THAT is a heart-deep smile that only you select few might understand… =)

  25. That is undeniably, stonkingly brilliant. But I fear the wrath of the yarn gods now that you have mentioned defeating their yarn chicken…

  26. I’m reading and it’s stunning and I’m oo-ing and ah-ing and then BLAMMO! TWIST AT THE END! All my awe at the artistry and technical mastery is blown away by my awe at your generousity.

  27. That is a beautiful work of art, from start to finish. I hope the time you spent watching its beauty pass through your fingers helped ease the hurting parts of your heart. I know it will be treasured by your friend.

  28. I was just stunned by the beauty of your work. In fact, I rushed over to Etsy and bought the same fiber. I have tried to spin gradient yarn before and although it has turned out lovely it was NOT gradient. Apparently even though I weighed each half when I split it for singles, I must spin each bobbin a little different because they don’t match up. I was smitten by this project of yours from the beginning. So lets see how this works out!

  29. So beautiful. That you can bear to give it away is a testament to who you are. Generous and kind.

    It warms my heart to know someone like you lives while I am on the planet.

    Thanks for making it a better place.

  30. Ohhh…My…. Stunningly breathtaking.
    You truly are a gifted fibre artist.
    I can see the yarn in the stunning rainbow ‘fleece’, I follow your thoughts to divide and work the rainbow…..I am lost at the spinning part…..(maybe its just not for me now…wish it was)…not lost as in dont understand, just no skill here….I see your dream in the pattern choice….I envy your speed of production…..I feel the thrill of the completed item……
    Thank you. I can see the love, the skills, the care and dedication…..thank you for sharing….
    I am in awe Lady of your gift…….. We are all truly blessed to be able to share this……
    Again….stunning….love right there.

  31. This post exactly captures why I’m a knitter, thank you!

    My favourite comment from muggles is “you must be so patient”. I want to know how they can wait at the doctor’s surgery, sit on a bus or just watch tv without knitting. That to me is patience (or a tolerance for boredom which I just don’t have).

    I’m very relieved you’re giving it to a knitter!

    • I have a tshirt that says “I knit so I don’t kill people” (which I try to remember NOT to wear when going to board an airplane-!!)…they have no idea my knitting is often for their protection, bwah-ha-ha…

  32. You know, I looked at that pattern. I looked at some of the shawls people had made from that pattern, and I was not impressed. But since it was you who was knitting it, I sat back and waited to have my socks blown off. And it’s lucky that spring has well and truly come where I am because my feet are bare, my socks are gone and that shawl is drop dead gorgeous!

  33. Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous! Way to go! I can offer one explanation for people who just sit on the bus. Although I am a knitter with a capital K and always have a sock with me wherever I go, I am one of those poor souls who just sits there on the bus. I suffer from severe motion sickness, and I can’t tell you how frustrated I feel just sitting there during car trips/bus trips/etc….so much valuable knitting time going to waste.

    • Me, too! Try as I may, I can’t knit on trains or buses. Sometimes flying is okay, if a bit cramped. Of course, not a problem lately, sigh.

      The shawl is stunningly beautiful, Stephanie. Thank you for expressing what so may of us feel about the creative process. And thank you for the beauty you just brought into the world.

      Hee hee, now I get to “Click or touch the Airplane.” Where’s my dramimine?

  34. I love your comparison to throwing water to freeze i. The air. It is exactly that wondrous . . . But much more beautiful. Fabulous little miracle you pulled off!

  35. It’s stunning and beautiful, and a good reflection of you. Your post spoke to me in many ways, as a knitter with a nice stash of yarns. Choosing of the yarn and pattern, no matter which is your starting point, is one of the best points, time deciding which works is as enjoyable as the making of the item, the finish line is the best high. So I agree ‘that’s nice’, to just far to bland for any hand made finish.

  36. Pure alchemy, wow what a stunner. Me thinks you would have had an appointment with a ducking stool in an earlier life.

  37. Know exactly what you mean. And that is Really, Seriously Great.

    Daresay other Makers and Creatives feel this way when people view their ‘babies’.
    Pity playwrights, film makers, musicians, painters, sculptors etc. They have Critics – who apparently wouldn’t know ‘nice’ if it came up and hugged them!

  38. Long time follower, first time commenter. This shawl and your story of its creation are so beautiful and lovely they bring me to tears. I am not handling this isolation well. I am one of those “lucky ones” still able to work from home, but the stresses from work, reduced income, added child schooling, health problems…I could go one, but who wants to hear. We all have our challenges these days to persevere. But your shawl! I am in awe. What a perfect COVID shawl. Black and rainbow perfectly blended together. Even in our darkest hour, still there is light.

  39. This is so stunning, seriously. WOW!! It’s even prettier now that it’s finished then when you started it!

    I “Only” have been knitting for about nine years, but one thing that I have noticed is how knitting and handknit items kind of store memories, like a photograph. In a very popular fantasy book, “Inkheart”, one of the characters compares books to flypaper, because books trap memories – you remember when you read a book first, where you were, physically, but also in your life.

    I feel that handknits work like that as well – I take a pair of socks from the washing line and remember that I was knitting this pair for me, at the beginning of the year, watching a walkthrough of a computer game I’d gift to my boyfriend; I take another pair – on of his – off the line, and I remember that this was the pair I knit while we were on vacation and I proposed to him. There are shawls I have knit for friends when they were in dire situations in their life, and items I have made when I was super happy. So … yeah. I think you not only gift items, but also memories, and wishes, and it’s something like a polaroid. Only much softer, of course.

  40. I feel the same sort of sadness for people who don’t knit (or crochet, or do anything with their hands) and have to spend time waiting just staring off into space. Of course, these days they’re likely to be staring at a phone, but don’t they realize how clever they will feel to be getting something done while they sit? Anyway, your shawl is spectacular and brilliant and way more than just really pretty.

    • But perhaps they are writing brilliant poems in their heads, to be written down later?

      The shawl is a wonderful poem!

  41. That is one very lucky friend as that shawl is a work of art. And yes, you should have left it out for the neighborhood to appreciate. Isn’t it fun when something comes out exactly as you pictured it in your mind – only better?

  42. Magnificent, incredible, breathtaking, magic! I want to touch, feel, rub and yes, smell this shawl. It’s probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

  43. I am so impressed that you’re giving it away.
    If I rec’d something like this I would just burst into tears! It’s so beautiful, and amzing!
    Thank you for sharing.

  44. That is fan-freaking-tastic. I really believe that creation is the only possible response when the Universe teeters on the edge of im/explosion. This is a tour de force of the various skills involved in the movement of fiber to string to stunning beauty, and the best possible use of it is a gift to a friend.

  45. ❤️ Thank you for this virtual knitting fix. I’m desperately knitting deprived for weeks now, sewing masks every spare moment. I dream of knitting again ASAP!

  46. this came out as though it was always meant to be- almost a force within itself. The resulting masterpiece was inevitable :-). You have made many many beautiful items in the past but this one has something magic about it. It is giving back the hope and love that went into it

  47. “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
    Its loveliness increases; it will never
    Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
    A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
    Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” -John Keats

  48. Thank you for sharing the entire journey. It is marvelous. It was a beautiful roving, great skein of yarn and marvelous knitted shawl. It boggles the mind how quickly you were to complete it. It takes me months to get to the finish line on just spinning an item. Let alone plying and knitting. Wonderful thank you for sharing it with us.

  49. WOW and wow, 9 centimeters. A very right pattern, I may get brave… The colors look as if they dripped off a rainbow and down the shawl. Enchanting.

  50. My husband tells me when l knit it is like sacred geometry. This is sacred geometry at its finest with its simple beauty it heals, that’s why you wanted to leave it on the line…to bring healing through beauty. Thanks for sharing the healing beauty with us

  51. Before I learned about playing “yarn chicken” a dear friend of mine once said in her most serious voice: “If you think you’re going to run out of yarn, KNIT FASTER!” And then we both laughed.

  52. Stunning, thank you for sharing the process. Off topic, any hope of another book? I’ve been re-reading your earlier books which are still relevant and the thought popped into my head. The other night. Fingers crossed.

  53. Stunning, thank you for sharing the process. Off topic, any hope of another book? I’ve been re-reading your earlier books which are still relevant and the thought popped into my head. The other night. Fingers crossed.

  54. Glorious spin and knit! As a knitter/reader who gets
    terrible motion sickness on a bus if I do anything at all – I’m very envious that you’re able to do those things on a
    bus.

  55. 1. Oh, my. Freakin’ magic indeed.
    2. I have now spewed my beverage all over the cat in my lap thanks to this line: “but since it implies that anyone who needs to knit a shawl or a sock on the bus for the safety of others isn’t *&^%$#ing thinking as much, I’ve rejected it wholesale.”
    3. Totally unrelated, but has there been any word from Our Lady of the Comments, Presbytera? Have not seen her here in awhile, so have some concerns. (Although it also occurs to me that even if you reply here it won’t flag me anywhere, so I’ll just check back now and again.)

  56. I was stunned that you can look at a top and just KNOW what it will look like spun. AND THEN YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN.
    And THEN…you find the perfect pattern for it and it actually works between the yarn, the needles, the pattern, the knitter’s world and the weather.
    I’ve been staring at this for minutes. I think I’ll go show my current project…maybe it will straighten up and get it’s stitches together.
    A thing of beauty Steph.

  57. Of course the real magic is creating something with your hands and heart that show your friend, perfectly, what they mean to you.

  58. Any chance on Joe becoming the next great knitwear model? My husband probably would as long as his face wasn’t shown, but he’s far more likely to take the pictures for me while I model the knitwear.

  59. It is beautiful. Btw on the bus before I got into knitting (I learned as a child, but didn’t appreciate it till I had my children) I used to sit and gaze into the mid distance while being in my own world. I lived in a world of imagination and to be honest most of the time it was nicer than here since I could cherry pick the bits I liked from all the books I read.

  60. Gobsmacked! Absolutely gobsmacked! I’d still be struggling along on my spinning wheel/ The colors are perfect. The black really sets off the colors. Beautiful job!

  61. I am one of those people that you would see not knitting or reading on the bus. This is because I get motion sick in cars or any vehicle that moves if I don’t look out the window. I will get a headache and then get nauseous. It’s not pretty.

    The shawl is gorgeous!! I love it!! I have yet to try spinning, but I would like to someday. You have made a masterpiece.

    • I am so sorry you have motion sickness that bad. I can knit a simple pattern, but I can’t read…or even look at a map too long.

      When I travel with my son and he can read a book or magazine, I am so envious.

  62. OH that is one amazing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious shawl!!!!!! I can’t believe you made it from scratch … it is so far beyond my capabilities that I can’t even be envious, just very, very wistful …. I WANT TO BE THE YARN HARLOT WHEN I GROW UP! (not in a creepy way, I’m focusing on the creativity and skills set here.)

  63. Its not just the colors; its not just the pattern; its the two of them together that make it so very magical. Congratulations! I love making things for other people who treasure them the way I am sure this will be treasured.

  64. So , So beautiful — yarn is incredible- pattern has movement and swing Together- perfect.
    I looked at the batts and wondered if it is too late for a 75 year old ( almost 76) to learn to spin. Wow

    • No, it’s never to late to learn or try something new. I got braces on my teeth the week before I turned 55. I was in there with all the teens and pre-teens, having the orthodontist put colored rubber bands on my braces. Parts of it was awful, and it took 3 years, but I’ve got a nice straight smile. If I can do braces, you can spin. (Spinning is way easier.)

  65. Fabulous from start to finish!!! Excellence of the highest order. And best of all it is a magnificent gift of love!

  66. A non-knitter will never know the satisfaction of when it absolutely, positively came out exactly the way you hoped it would. No – the way you KNEW it would, because you are the master of your skillz.

  67. I need to disagree a bit on non-knitters not knowing the satisfaction of things working out just as you hope – I think anyone who has a hobby involving making things (sewing, quilting, needlework, cooking, woodworking, etc) has known that feeling. And as far as sitting on the bus or train doing nothing, someone else pointed out it might be the only quiet time a person gets, or too crowded. And I’ll point out some of us don’t do well in vehicles and doing anything besides looking out the window, because of motion sickness 🙁

    I’m not a knitter (yes, still), or spinner (yes, still) but I have tried just enough of both to know this is an awesome wicked cool shawl. I envy the recipient.

  68. “your one wild and precious life” – a fitting tribute to Mary Oliver who also made gorgeous things out of words. I, too, have found myself feeling sorry for people in airports who stew and grow frantic about flight delays while I sit there contently knitting.
    And I have no words to describe the beauty of your Wavedeck!

  69. I love it so much, I’m going to knit one, as soon as I finish the Carbeth Cardigan on my needles. From store-bought, somebody-else spun yarn, because I’d rather poke my eyes out with size 9 needles than spin. I’m glad people like you enjoy spinning, bless your hearts!

  70. Great read Stephanie Pearl McPhee. I love this blog.
    For anyone interested you can actually sell these skills on this platform ( Podia ) They provide you with everything you need to do it.

  71. Holy wow! That is incredible! The fact that you spun the yarn and then knitted such a magnificent item with it is amazing! That must be one very special friend that you are giving it to.

  72. I know exactly what you mean. If my hands are not busy and my brain engaged then I think I am missing an opportunity to knit, to create, to imagine.

    The shawl is just a wonderful example of your talent. Best wishes to the very lucky recipient. Since this person is a knitter this shawl will be loved and appreciated for a long time.

  73. Oh my gosh…that is amazing. Your friend is so lucky! Projects like this remind me why I keep my wheels. One day I want to learn to make that kind of magic.

  74. That is a work of art. I hope all your neighbors had a chance to admire it.

    Sitting, doing nothing, thinking nothing, whether it is on public transport or in my own backyard, is one of my little gifts to myself. The peace it sometimes brings is amazing.

    And then I get back to work on whatever is on my needles and hooks 🙂

  75. Thanks for inspiring us again. Love that you took it from a batt or two to a shawl…and then gave it away.

    Blessed friend.

  76. That’s gorgeous!

    When I’m on the bus, I’m watching the scenery…and the passengers I can see. I find it to be too hard to read or knit, though I have knit on the train. (And on airplanes, also, no reading or knitting.)

  77. Thanks for the rainbow of light that is you, your knitting and your writing. All together the embodiment of hope.

  78. Actually there’s another reason for doing nothing on a bus or streetcar (the subway is exempt from this) Motion sickness. I cannot knit or read in a moving vehicle other than the subway (it’s all to do with your peripheral vision and the tunnels in the subway really mute the effect).
    That being said sometimes even on the subway I will just sit and chill as it’s one of the few times I feel not obligated to be doing something other than just traveling.
    It would appear I’m a dog in this story as I find all of this so similar to my regular life ( I work self employed from home 8 of 12 months of the year) that it’s a sad commentary on my life. Being an introvert really helps. Extroverts must being going stir crazy.
    See you on the busses (I’m a Torontonian)

  79. That shawl is stunning. Sometimes, when I have made something that I am particularly proud of, I go on YouTube and play “Finishing the Hat” from Sunday in the Park With George. Mandy Patinkin or Michael Cerveris . It just sums up why I need to make things.

  80. I bought myself the marvellous Melanie Fallick book Making a Life, and there’s a line in it from a maker: “Joie De Faire, the inherent joy in making.” The book is amazing.

    Judith Mackenzie herself is one of the featured makers.

  81. Beautiful shawl!! Oh, my, your yarn is so gorgeous…

    And I cannot read or do anything when the car is moving. My motion sickness does not allow me. It’s highly frustrating, but I cannot change that… 🙁
    I usually wonder some history, think about things I wanna do or, well, sleep. This really saves me from the sickness!

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