I got out of my doctor's appointment, unsurprised at the results. I managed to do something sad to my back, probably a result of a series of minor neglects (lack of stretching, sitting funny, lifting awkward packages improperly, carrying too much stuff on one shoulder). The litany of what can cause muscle spasms is pretty huge. Unlike the last time this happened, I will not spend a week or so suffering needlessly. Instead I have prescriptions that while they are not miracle cures will leave me with the power to get stuff done (provided I don't take the one that causes drowsiness before going to work). With a happier heart I went to get some coffee and then head back home where I could knit in peace.
I finished one gift (well it is blocking right now and will have the ends woven in afterwards) this morning. I wanted to accelerate the blocking process, so I turned on the oven to 200, let it preheat, turned the oven off and put the blocked item on a cookie sheet in the oven. The item is about half blocked now when I took it out for a quick peek. I could turn the oven on again (without the item in the oven) and do it again, but I don't care if the item is finished today as long as it won't take more than a day to block.
I also have a few bits and pieces for ornaments to block. The Regia Silk ornaments don't seem to require a rigorous blocking but the other yarn I'm using will look a lot better after a bath and some pinning. I had another idea for an ornament, but I'm not sure how well it will work. I'll have to do some experimenting. I don't consider myself a designer by any stretch of the imagination, but these things are small enough that it is more like working freeform than design. But I want to pick A's brain, because he really is the expert at double knitting. I just am playing around with it. It's a lot of fun even if I am mostly just using it to make a smooth area (on both sides) in a sea of garter stitch.
Hopefully I'll have time for a few pictures, because I feel good that some of this stuff is done (or very nearly so).
