In Like a Lamb

March came in like a lamb. The sky is blue and the air is warm. Today the weather app tells me the air quality is not good. Tinder dry conditions put dust into the air and also make grass fires a possibility. Monday I stopped at a local nursery to see if anything was stirring in the greenhouses. I may have lost my marbles because I picked up one inexpensive package of violas and brought them home. The last frost date is over a month away. The pot is sitting on the kitchen counter and even if the plants don't live long enough to go outdoors, they lift my spirits. 

One of my grandmothers remarked to me that we would all be happier if we smiled like the pansies. Evidently she saw a smile in the blooms. By my girlhood, she was widowed and lived in a very small home on my uncle's property. She had a very narrow strip of ground next to her front door and some years grew a few pansies. Anyway it is a sweet memory and I think of her when I see pansies. That memory, the sun on my back, and a little dirt under my fingernails made me forget the state of the world for a few minutes.  

Fiber work is also a gift these days. Yesterday I opened a braid of Heathered BFL by Greenwood Fiber in the February birthstone colorway Amethyst. The colors are pretty and the BFL has a nice soft hand for a beginning spinner. I began spinning a single yesterday. 

Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. I am pleased to say I haven't done any unraveling this week. The sweater continues. My hands needed a break from the sweater body on small needles so I knit on the cowl last night. I like the texture in this pattern. Once it is set up, it is easy to follow. I find this true for Bonnie Sennott designs. Her patterns are well written. I have knit several and enjoyed them all.  

Last weekend I plied these two skeins of  Polworth. Then I set out to spin the deepest blue at the end of the braids. Luckily I didn't spin much fiber before I noticed my fingers turning blue. The dye washed off easily and a damp rag cleaned the spindle. I know some yarns give up dye during the first wash or two so I suppose this is not unexpected. I didn't want my spindles to be stained with dye so will not be spinning that portion of the fiber. I spun these skeins of yarn spun from two braids of the same colorway. I see improvement in my spinning. This heavy fingering to sport weight yarn will make for some nice knitting. 

A week or so ago I plied a small skein of a blended fiber (merino, silk, flax)  from Hip Strings. I made an interesting yarn. 

Warning: I am about to get on a soapbox. 

I am listening to A Swim in the Pond: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class in Reading, Writing, and Life by George Saunders and have mixed feelings about the book. Although I plan to finish, I am not to the end. The short story form is not my favorite so I chose this title to learn more. The commentary on what makes a good short story is thorough, understandable, and informative. I also realize this book is based on Russian writers who wrote a long time ago but (here we go) only one of the four stories has an interesting (to me) female character. Two of the stories feature women as minor characters portrayed in negative ways. One story develops a woman character in terms of her relationships to three or four males who come into her life. Perhaps the point of the story is that women should not mold themselves to men but I prefer to read about positive ways women can thrive in relationships or grow in other ways. In other words, what a woman can do instead of what she shouldn't do. I know others have enjoyed this book and I could be missing the point. As I listen I am reminded, once again, how literature perpetuates stereotypes of all kinds. The four stories are read by strong voices. The author narrates the commentary. In my opinion, he isn't a skilled audio reader. Now that I've offered my opinion, I'll step down. 

Take care my friends.