10 Things I Wish I Knew How to Do

(With apologies to EtherKnitter for the blatant cribbing).

1. Ride a bicycle comfortably and without fear (I had a really bad fall a few years ago when attempting to acquire this skill which promptly fell on the "I Really Don't Care" pile).
2. Eat only when my body actually needs the nourishment, not just when I'm bored or something is so very tasty but I don't actually need it for sustenance. It doesn't sound like fun though.
3. Not procrastinate ever.
4. Sleep through noise.
5. Sleep until noon when I have the time. That six ayem habit only allows an hour or two extra on weekends, at most. It's very annoying.
6. Take good pictures (of knitting especially, and of blue and purple beadwork too. It's always wrong somehow).
7. Not care about my own mortality/live forever.
8. Love opera.
9. Enjoy exercise.
10. Be independently wealthy so I could play all day instead of having to save it up for evenings and weekends. And I would enjoy it; my periods of bliss between jobs have proved it.

In other news, even though nothing was mentioned, things have occurred (which is another data point for the tree in the wood question perhaps).

I was supposed to be teaching this class on Tuesday, and while the instructions were complete, the illustrations were not as clear as I'd have liked, so I made another bracelet (that's how I do the instructions: I photograph each step of the construction) but then the class had to be cancelled.

Love the colour of the drop beads, sort of a blue-green-aqua with a dusting of gold-bronze on part of the bead. And incredibly, I had a button which was the perfect match.

I guess it'll go in the shop.

My daughter really liked the leafy necklace from this post, but it was bought out from under her nose, so I made another for her.

There's also been knitting.

I imagine it's not obvious that the yarn is the one about whose plying I complained so bitterly. I'm loving it. The yarn. I guess it's about a fingering weight or thereabouts. I'm using 2.75mm needles to get a nice squooshy (but not sleazy) fabric, and then when I switch to all stocking stitch, I'll go up a size or two.

I probably shouldn't say what the plan is because then it'll totally not work out and I'll have to undo it and post pictures of crinkly yarn and empty needles, but I live dangerously, so I'll carry on regardless (although if I were completely oblivious of the possible consequences I suppose thoughts of failure wouldn't cross my mind, let alone appear in writing, which makes me a little disingenuous, but who's counting?)

So, the plan.

The above squares will form part of the neckline. When that is complete, I will knit the yoke and sleeves, starting from the centre outwards (which in retrospect I didn't plan all that well since it would have been better to have started the back yoke already since the thin bit in the picture above should really have been knitted off the selvage of the back yoke. I see unpicking in my future or else I could make use of my skills at grafting, which sounds more appealing since did I mention that this yarn is thin? And therefore takes more knitting per square inch than a fat yarn?) and possibly using second yarn for one- or two-row stripes since I have not all that much of this yarn. On the other hand, my gauge is tiny (see above regarding needle sizes) so I could (once again) live dangerously (it's becoming a habit) and assume I'll have enough yarn. But if I don't, it'll blow, and then when I add the surprise extra yarn along the bottom of the sweater (after the yoke and sleeves are done, I plan to knit downwards) it'll be pretty obvious that I ran out.

Guess I talked myself into stripes.