How Many Yards?

The answer to the question of how many yards is 1,533 and my arms felt everyone of them. I don't have a swift and as I couldn't hold the skein and wind the wool winder at the same time I had to ball up the Grignasco Merinosilk laceweight by hand using the back of my PC chair to hold the skein. I feel like I have done the hard work before I even start the crochet. I still have another two skeins to wind up - but not today.

When I got rid of my shop I tossed my mother's swift away as at the time wool wasn't skeined any more. Our swift came from the era when all wool came in skeins. I could kick myself now as it was a far better crafted one than one I could ever buy now. The wood was all polished, with an intricate criss crossing pattern and it even had a wooden screw to tighten the umbrella type shaft into a table clamp. If only we could turn back the clock and retrieve things that we have thrown away in the past thinking we would never have a use for them anymore. My mother also had an electric cone winder as she had industrial knitting machines. That went the same way of the swift. I would have kept a lot of the stuff if I could as I am a bit of a hoarder but I just don't have the room.

My ex husband still says that I have enough hoarded stuff in the house and anyone would think that a family of 4 lived here and not just me. He never did understand the need to have a stash of wool , patterns and needles and knitting and sewing machines if I wasn't using them everyday. When I think back to when I was married my home stash fitted into one bin bag. Thank goodness I worked in a wool shop! The whole shop was my stash LOL. Before I was married we lived behind one of the wool shops and all I had to do was open a door in the hallway and I was in the wool shop. I could browse patterns and wool to my hearts content even at midnight! Best time of my life.

The scarf that is blocking is from a Doris Chan pattern. Sweet Lorraine from the Interweave Crochet Magazine Fall 2008. I used two balls of Rowan Tapestry to make it. I will take a better photo when it has dried from it's blocking.

Poppy came to help me this afternoon by sleeping near my feet as I wound up the Laceweight. She usually pays me a call at the weekend. She deserted me ,however, when Julie shouted that there was a pig's ear treat for her. She is funny little soul. She knows exactly where I keep Buster's treats and stands and barks under the drawer. I rang my son today and he asked me if I would have Buster next weekend so I will have a bit of company from Friday eve until Sunday afternoon.

I am not sure if I will start the Laceweight shawl tonight as I have Knit Club tomorrow night and I won't be able to concentrate on anything that fine as the lighting in the pub isn't that great and I think that I will need to concentrate until I get used to the pattern stitch. I think that I will start something simpler for the Kings Arms Knit Out tomorrow. I hope that my niece doesn't forget me this week. I have to text her in the morning to remind her this week.