Blogging Through

Someone made the suggestion to attempt to keep blogging even though the world has shrunk down to the size of one's yard or even balcony. I suppose that it is important to record these times. And blogging has been in the past a way that I kept my sanity during very trying times. If it helps anyone else, I think it is an admirable goal. One that I'd like to do, but will need to keep myself motivated.

On Monday our governor issued a Stay At Home order to the entire state. It was no surprise. It was more than obvious that it was going to happen. In truth, we can still go out for essential groceries, doctor visits, etc. But too many people gathered in the parks and on the beach last weekend and it was felt the best way to force social isolation. Nora, who had been staying away since the birthday party, and her friend Amber both called to tell us not to go out  They would deliver whatever we need. Such sweet offers, but Karen and Ken both work in very essential industries. They are still going out anyway. They have finally agreed that it needs to be a to work and home situation.

I have been staying in mostly since my gallivant last week with my sister. In reality, we followed most of the restrictions we are living under now during that trip. The only directive that we would have abused would be the one about not leaving your community to travel to places nearby. I'm not sorry that we went. The behavior is not one that is sustainable now.

I've done a bit of knitting to keep myself busy. I finished (mostly) another pair of socks and started a cowl. I am going to attempt to be as proficient with getting items made as I was last March, when I was at least as stressed as I am now. I won't be able to sell anything in flea markets this summer and fall as I had planned, but there is always next year, right?  My store will be better stocked because of it.

I'm really enjoying knitting the cowl. It is the Mistake Rib Cowl by Purl Soho and is a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern is very simple, but enough to keep my mind busy so my thoughts don't run away.

The cowl is being knitted in a yarn called Drifter by King Cole. It is DK weight and consists of 25 % cotton, 6% wool and 69% premium acrylic. I'm knitting it with US size 4 or 3.5 cm needles. I really like the lightness of and softness of the fabric it makes. It has a nice drape and feel to it that is a combination of both the yarn and the rib pattern.

While doing all that knitting, I mixed it up a bit with a counted cross stitch piece. This one was a graph that I pinched off of Pinterest. I think it must have been a free pattern too, but I can't find the original pattern to get the name, or even what website it came from. I saved  the chart simply as Celtic Cross. It is small, but somewhat intricate. It only took me about 4 hours to complete it.

I'm thinking about doing small projects to sell in my flea market booth with my knitting. I've looked through my books and there are many that I'd like to stitch. I have a good supply of fabric and floss. The only stumbling block is frames. The thrift shops are all closed, so I can't buy them there. And not knowing if they will open back up when this plague has passed, I don't know if I will be able to rely on them. I spent a few hours searching online flea markets and realized that it may not even be the best idea. Items shipped in come with the possibility of having germs shipped into my house. But even without frames for a while, I can still get the pieces started.

The biggest issue that I have been facing, and it really started kicking in on Saturday, is a deepening sadness at what is happening in the world. Covid-19 on it's own is enough of a shocker to make it feel like there has been A Wrinkle in Time. But there have also been earthquakes and strange storms and weather. Africa is even having a locust swarm. It almost seems that the four horsemen are riding together.

"And this is why we knit, Lisa"

How are you? Are you getting through this okay?