so close

one week later, it’s definitely spring—one day up and one day down; you can’t predict. on friday, the daffodils were ready to burst open at the slightest nudge from mother nature, though it wasn’t to be that day.

i met up at lunchtime with cathy and agnes (we missed you nancy!) to kick off the holiday weekend, which was always one of my favorites in the city because it is celebrated so widely and differently from one faith to the next.

after lunch i had a couple of errands to run in midtown, but since it was raining i hopped on the train instead of walking as i usually would. in just a few minutes i was at 34th street and close to my destination—M&J trimmings.

the streets in midtown were literally thronged with people and the atmosphere was festive, despite the dark, drippy weather. swallowed by the crowd outside the subway, i instinctively turned myself into a bicycle wheel to thread my way through.

inside the store i headed straight for the wall of buttons and quickly found what i came for—brown leather ones. there were several boxes with choices in fact, but only one had enough of the same, correct size for my sweater.

i would have liked them just a tad darker, but i think i can doctor them with a bit of oil or shoe polish. i would also have liked to get four of them in a slightly smaller size for the button detail at the side seams, but they weren’t available. i’m hoping that something in my button box might match or come close.

sigh, sometimes even when you can choose from seemingly all the buttons in the world, there still aren’t enough, haha. i probably should have made the effort to go on to another button store, but the weather had turned ugly again by the time i left and i was getting anxious to go home. instead i ran by 5th avenue chocolatier to pick up a present for david and headed back to brooklyn to knit late into the night.

i worked on the back piece for my triticum cardigan as long as i could, but with thick clouds darkening the sky, i had to switch projects fairly early in the evening.

fortunately, i have the perfect thing for low light conditions—my bright orange cardigan, which you last saw as just a hem. i got busy with that and by the time i went to bed, i had knit to the underarm bind off and little beyond. i actually took this photo on saturday morning, allowing the sun to do it justice.

the sky outside when i woke up was swirling in the most unusual way—those foreground clouds were moving to the right and the background clouds to left as the wind blew at 25 mph and higher. fortunately, they cleared off soon enough and while it remained windy, the sun shone to warm things up.

haha, it was blowing so hard in fact that running was impossible, the result being that i was pushed all over the place every time my feet left the ground. i had to settle for walking that day instead, which was fine—a good day for it, in fact.

the farmers market was open on grand army plaza and i visited with my friend mary after lunch. the food offerings are not plentiful just now but non-food ones are abundant.

forced bulbs and little potting plants provided much needed color, though i’m not sure they were so happy getting knocked about by the gusting winds that afternoon.

everyone wants spring to take a leap forward and people were buying herb and flower plants by the box, though i couldn’t help but wonder how long they’d be able to keep them alive.

these little seedlings seem awfully vulnerable, bent as they are in the wind. still, it was a lovely, lovely afternoon.

back at the apartment, i finished up the back piece for the misters cardigan and got back to work on the one for the triticum cardigan, hoping to make good headway before evening.

before i knew it, i’d finished that one too, and started on the left front piece.

i really got a lot of knitting done over this past weekend in fact—and it was sooo good to immerse myself in just knitting and making. my hands needed that—and it gave me so much time to think, too.

i’m trying to decide about how to finish the front edges of this sweater. at first, i thought it would need an added edge of some sort and i planned to knit i-cord all around the front and neck edges as the finish.

but i’ve been playing around with the four purl sts that lie next to the edge and at least for me, they look nice enough to allow a curled self-edging to form that is nearly identical to i-cord, but without the hassle. the final decision has to wait until i see what they look like after blocking, but if they are smooth and elegant, i don’t why they won’t do. i’m not sure adding an i-cord edge is necessarily, at least for my own knitting. i will probably keep the i-cord finish in the pattern, though for those knitters who are not happy with their curled edges and want more of a finish—knitter’s choice, so to speak.

the moonrise on easter eve was nothing short of spectacular. with the sky completely cleared of clouds, it rose large and orange and full; just perfect.

the next morning was balmy and calm, so after some knitting and coffee, i headed out for a nice long run. i did a good eight-miler, and then walked around a bit to cool down. i was picking up a few items at the store when i ran into an old friend of ours.

phyllis represents david’s mom and has a small art gallery in park slope; in fact she had a show of mary’s work on the walls at the moment and told me to come on over to take a look.

i just wish i had taken more photos, darn it; we were taking a mile a minute and i didn’t end up getting the whole show. i hadn’t seen phyllis in years so this was a nice surprise and a good break. i’m so glad i went into that store—i almost didn’t!

i spent the rest of the day knitting on the front piece for triticum—if it looks like i’m a woman hellbent on a mission, i sort of am; i want to get these two sweaters finished by the end of next week so they can be shipped out to the dyers to show at maryland sheep and wool.

and i’m almost there—the week’s knitting retreat was a great success. just two full sleeves and one partial sleeve to go, plus seaming, button bands, and possibly an i-cord edging.

on the plane last night i worked on my sleeve during the quick flight. this morning i knit on the triticum front while i watched the rain come down in torrents outside. they are each edging toward completion and i’m looking forward to the finishing work.

and i still have to finish one last sleeve for the pullover version—i didn’t quite get that done before i left. always plenty to do . . .

here at home, it was much to wet to go out and explore the garden, but i did notice a few crocuses blooming near the front walk—maybe daffodils are on the way?

robins are puffing up their chests at one another outside; maybe that will lead to a nest we can watch.

the yard is starting to come to life . . . at the next sunny day, we’ll get out and see what’s blooming or broken ground. spring is late, but it’s bound to appear any day now, haha.