Right? Aha. Yeah.

So I really have been doing things. In fact, lots. (Which is why I haven’t been blogging).

Thing one:

This is really what’s been taking up my time. I’m having company soon, and my house needs cleaning, and so this is sort of where it’s been for a few days, for there is a lot to do and I lack motivation.

Another thing (thing 2) is the thing that is distracting me from thing 1:

I did a lot of it at the Stone Mountain Highland Games, wherein I dressed in 14th century French garb, was mistaken for a nun, ate a lot of fish and chips, and spun a lot of wool. It was a big draw into our tent, as was the giganto loom Beldthora brought. People are so amazed when they see you making something by hand! Seriously! I think we’ve gotten so used to things being mechanized that to see someone doing things the “old fashioned” way becomes a novelty.

I find it very soothing and satisfying. I spun a whole bobbin full and am now starting on a second bobbin, which at the moment looks like weird alien cotton candy:

And then there’s the matter of another reason I knit, which is that I am personally amazed at the development of a pattern in a knit piece. There’s something about the translation from a gridded (or even typed) pattern to actual yarn that’s always surprising. What? You mean it actually looks like that? Wow! That’s totally awesome!

At the moment I’m doing my second piece of colorwork ever, and it’s wondrous. It’s only simple zigzags (Ziggy, from Knitty), but it’s a whoa moment every row.

You can’t really see it, but I’m sure you’ve got a good imagination:

There’s the zigzag, just starting at the top! Colorwork! I feel like a magician.

And in addition to all of that, there’s the 64 Kalas project, which so far has had me learn a song in Rag Bhairav (Jago Mohan Pyaare) and one in Rag Nava, and now will have me learning tatkar, which is the rhythmic foot portion of kathak. I have no idea how I will communicate it to the rest of the group, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out! I have a (crappy) digital camera and a tripod! There has to be a way.

The next task is vacuuming, sweeping and lots of deep cleaning. If I can get that floor tidy.