About Those Books

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be coy about what books I bought, when I mentioned ordering some yesterday!

The main thing I did was fill in my collection of Girl Genius books. Thanks to the blog, I can date my interest in this online comic to around 2008 (wow, ten years!). The creators have run Kickstarter campaigns to periodically print the books, so I have bought those starting with volume 12, and had gotten 1 to 5 as well; they got up to 16 with last year's campaign, and if you look at my post there, you can see where I checked off the volumes I own (and in that post I also explain a bit of why I want the books, incidentally). Well, now those gaps are filled in! Or will be, once the books are delivered.

The other book I got is the new one from Patricia Briggs, which comes out in March. I've also been reading her for years, and enjoy both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series. The new one is the latter, and will be here in five weeks!

I did buy a few other things, too, while I was placing the order. I had some shopping bags in the cart already, and decided to splurge on some snacks. But the books are always the best part.

I Support Myself in This Decision

Work was kind of annoying today--I haven't done any substantive editing in PowerPoint in a long time, and I didn't miss it--but I had a little money come in recently, and I just placed a nice-sized book order, and that is making me smile right now.

And, I know, all the books I've been getting rid of, and I go buy more? Well, yes. These are different books.

I don't know exactly when I'm moving, but I must live until then.

A Cool Hockey Story

The Bruins recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of Willie O'Ree playing for them, the first black* player in the NHL. He has gone on to be an ambassador for the game, working with the league and various programs to get minorities involved in hockey, and seems to be an all-around awesome person.
*And you can't call him the first African-American player in the NHL, because he's Canadian. Even my beloved Boston Globe got that wrong in one mention this month.

He did a lot of interviews around the anniversary and celebration, of course, and in one of them, he was asked if he had kept his jersey from those days. He laughed and said no; he was traded during the off-season, and if he had known, he said he would have taken the jersey home at the end of the season!

Well, as it turns out, Bruins player Matt Grzelcyk, or rather his father John, who has been a member of the Garden's Bull Gang forever, had something up their sleeves.

Isn't that awfully nice? You can see by not only his face, but the looks on the faces of his family behind him, just what it means to him, having his jersey again.

Trudging Into the City, with a more positive postscript

I had to go into the office for a meeting Thursday morning (9-12, that's three hours on kicking off 2018, shudder), and I hate having to make the trek into Boston, as you may recall. This time was slightly better, since we editors were told that we didn't have to stay in the office all day, and any time I don't have to carry my laptop is better than the times when I do have to. I was also happy to see, as the day came closer, that although the forecast was cold, it at least did not include any precipitation; even rain makes the commute so messy, let alone ice or snow.

Cons:

1. Getting up even earlier than usual
2. Wearing grown-up clothing*
3. Taking the T (sub-cons: the first lot I went to was full, at 7:20 AM; at one point the subway was so crowded that I had to try not to panic at the fact that I was in contact with four total strangers at once)
4. Really really cold
5. The three-hour meeting included about five minutes of something that directly impacts the editors' work, an hour or so of "not directly, but interesting," and the rest, well. Not targeted at us.
6. Extra aches and pains on Friday, certainly; since the ankle trouble I had starting last spring, I don't routinely walk very far, so the mile-and-a-half-plus was never going to be easy. 
7. The ankle itself was slightly sore on Friday, too, and quite puffy last night. Less problematic today, thankfully.

*With the thoughtful deliberation appropriate to a much bigger expedition, I contemplated what to wear that would be comfortable and professional, and since I have learned from past wardrobe mistakes, I tried on the whole shebang Tuesday night, so I could make sure it both looked and felt all right ahead of time, instead of at oh-dark-hundred on Thursday morning (or worse, on the way in). It ended up working out well, thankfully (though, given that my boss was wearing khakis that were fairly shredded at the back of the leg/heel area, I guess the standard isn't as high as I might think).

Pros:

1. Didn't have to carry the laptop in
2. Showing up and being sociable, work-style, is worth something for the work side of my life, silly as it seems to me
3. I walked over to the office from a different T stop than the one I have in the past, the one that I have always found so confusing to navigate, and that worked out much better, so at least if I have to go in again, I know to do that.
4. Free coffee drink, and a free donut
5. Not from the office, so very much not free, but I picked up a good sandwich on my way home (at a Cosi I passed on the walk), and that was really tasty. Sadly, they aren't in the suburbs (well, look, there's one in Mansfield, that's odd--why Mansfield? and Wareham? but nothing north of Boston), and the farthest south they seem to have locations is Virginia, so...

So there were pros, but if this is the last time I have to go in, that would be fine with me. (If I did work in the office, I would expect them to have something when it's time for me to move, go out for lunch or drinks or something, but I kind of doubt they will make me go in for that ... I guess we'll see.)

In summary, the trip went about as well as could be expected.

And in other company-related news, all good this time, I got confirmation this week that I get an extra week of vacation this year. Yay! I was fully expecting them to pull a fast one, in terms of what the employee guide says versus what they actually meant, but they didn't. I'm very happy about this.

Blooming, Briefly

Last Saturday, I was in Whole Foods, and picked up a hyacinth, as I like to do in the winter; I love the smell, and having something growing and blooming can cheer me up in the blahs of the season. This one was a little different than my usual, though, being hydroponic.

As of Sunday morning, the blossom was only up to the top of the jar.

Overhead view:

By that night, though, it was peeking up. Nature is cool sometimes.

Monday morning, slightly higher.

Tuesday morning, opening up and out. 

And Tuesday afternoon, more open.

Wednesday morning:

 And Wednesday afternoon.

More to come; it's not done yet. Happy weekend!

More Than You Would Think Possible on Shower Curtains

As I am quite sure you remember from when I wrote about it last summer, I've been dealing with shower curtain issues. As I wrote then, I found a really long curtain for my unconventional set-up, and then found it was SO extra long that I had to weight it down with a shampoo bottle to keep it from billowing in. Plus I have to be careful not to step on it. This solution has been okay, but not perfect, is what I'm saying, and I've been wanting to replace it with one that, while still longer than the standard 70 inches, is not 84.

Meanwhile, I happened across a pretty shower curtain, something I have thus far been able to resist the siren call of (the liners are functional, has always been my feeling, and I don't really need anything decorative), and all of a sudden, I have this:

On my computer at least, the color is kind of washing out--it's hard to get good lighting in there--but, come on, flamingos. (I think the real color is somewhere between my photos and the listing; but anyway, I like it, which is the important part.)

They were one of my favorite parts of Earthflight, if you recall. (Because you remember every word I write, don't you?) They make me smile.

So, going back to the liner issue, I went to Bed & Bath last night to get a new liner, and they didn't have one with the features I want (namely, 78-80 inches, with suction cups on the sides and magnets/weights on the bottom). I kept going around and around, but no, really not.

So my next step was trying to find one on Amazon, and good god are there a million options. Trying to narrow the search appropriately is surprisingly challenging. (I may have found the one, but honestly, I'm so blinded by the search, I'm going to wait to place the order until I can look at it again when I'm feeling clear-headed.)

And then you get the listings that are clearly written by someone whose first language is not English, or someone whose marketing ambitions have overtaken their communication skills. Some are honestly incomprehensible, and others are ... well, stellarly interesting. Take this one, with its EMPHASIS everywhere:

In case you miss the best part, in the sea of CAPITAL LETTERS, let me highlight it for you:

Shining in the lamplight. Okay, then! As well as "touching by your hands," and let's not think about how else you would be touching it. Unless they mean if you touch it when it billows out to stick to your leg, but I feel like at that point, it would not be shining in the lamplight.

All right, I'm done for now. You're welcome.

Looking Around

I was talking with a friend about the prep I've been doing for the move, and she asked if I can see the difference when I look around. It's an interesting question, really.

I can, in a sense, but it's not a huge, obvious change: I just know what used to be there that isn't now. I don't think that anyone who wasn't familiar with what it looked like before would come in and say, hey, you don't have much, do you? I still have plenty of "stuff," after all (especially books, though I estimate I've cleared out around 25% of the book shelves, which I'm pretty proud of).

But part of my focus has been on hidden areas, the junk drawers and other collection spots for that "miscellaneous" category you want to go through before you start packing. Mostly, that doesn't show on the looking-around check, but it is going to help a lot down the road.

I have started my kitchen planning; this is a category that always surprises me in the time-it-takes-to-pack-up, so I really want to be sure I give it attention now. I have a cabinet that goes in along the sink, so it goes way back, which is useful for the things I don't use often, but bad for the part about forgetting what's back there.

See? Straight in:

But way back.

So even though I'm not ready to start packing it yet, I took everything out of there, so I could assess what I own, and decide what I can get rid of before moving. I haven't actually made all the decisions yet (I only got rid of a few small things for now), but I've started a list of what I have, and just started the process of deciding what to keep. It's complicated this time in a different way than before, since at least to start, I won't be setting up my whole kitchen. It is possible that either my mother or I will decide that living together is not what we want, so I don't want to just get rid of everything, but it's also possible that we'll like it fine, in which case I won't need everything I have now.

The process is manageable, but complicated, is all. I feel good that at least I've started thinking about it.

I've made a few tweaks to the new office setup. First, I got rid of the office chair, which was either possessed or just not a good design for me*. When it catapulted me knee-first into the desk for the nth time, I threatened that it was going in the trash, but in fact I took it to Savers on Sunday. Let someone else exorcise it; I'm done. (Then I pitched the nasty little rug that I got to protect the floor from the rolling chair. It felt good to get that out.) For now, I'm using one of the kitchen chairs, though I need to get a cushion for it. It's slightly low and not very cushy, so both of those should be easy to fix with a good cushion.
*No matter how much I tried to convert to being a "roll back and then stand" person, it turns out that I'm really a "stand and push the chair back" person instead.

I'm also done, just done, with the side desk that never fit into the space right. I've tried to give it away and no one wants it* enough to come take it, so I'm just going to have to get rid of it myself. I have friends coming over for dinner in a couple of weeks, so hopefully one of them will help me get it down the stairs and into the car (I brought it in myself, so it can be done by one person, but believe me, two will be easier). Meanwhile, even though it will be in my way until then, I couldn't stand it any more, and switched it out with a smaller bookcase, which at 12 inches deep is so much better than the 18-inch deep desk. Amazing.
*Update: Actually, one of my friends may want it, now, but either way, it's going.

So this is what we have now:

And that, unfortunately, will be there, or underfoot in the kitchen, for the next fortnight.

I can live with it.

Learning to Knit, the random advice collection

On a post recently where I showed the progress on the blanket, someone who wished to remain anonymous commented:

I've not ever been terribly interested in knitting, but after following your posts for the past year, my interest is piqued. But I'm a little intimidated, knitting just sounds, I don't know, HARD. Could you share how you began to knit, maybe suggest how a total newbie could dip her toe in? 

Now, I learned to knit as a kid, and I don't even know at what age (and Grandma doesn't remember either), so my how-to advice is not personally lived, if you see what I mean. But I have friends who have learned to knit in this crazy online era we are in, and even taught themselves from books and videos, so I do know it can be done! And, in fact, there are many different ways. Let me see what I can come up with.

First off, let me say:

• Knitting, like so many things, is going to be hard, or at least fiddly and confusing, at first, for most people. Good news: that will continue, every time you try a new technique! But sometimes, you'll find that you were building a thing up to be a bigger challenge than it really was. (Me: "That's all a yarnover is? Why was I afraid of them?")
• On the other hand, once you get the two basic stitches down (knit and purl), you can do just about anything. And you don't have to do anything you don't want to; I was in what I refer to as my squares-and-rectangles phase for years. For that matter, you don't even have to learn to purl right away. Nothing wrong with garter stitch.
• You're probably better off starting with at least medium-sized needles (say, US 7 or so) and yarn that goes with it (neither lace nor super bulky).
• Finding a pattern that you love the look of can be very motivating! Depending on the pattern, it may or may not be a good starter project, but if it isn't, look at it now and then to remind yourself why you want to learn.
• Ditto for yarn you love. You'll have plenty to learn about different characteristics of different fibers, but if you love it, you'll get something out of working with it, even as a beginner.
• Remember, everyone was a beginner once.

As to how to learn, various methods are available. People have different learning styles, so this advice is really not one-size-fits-all: if you don't really get it one way, try another.

In person

1. If you have a local yarn store anywhere nearby, I'd start with them. A lot of stores have learn-to-knit classes and/or drop-in sessions where you can get advice (some free, some not), and (hopefully) the knowledge and willingness to guide you. At the least, they should be able to give you advice on a good starter pattern, and the appropriate yarn and needles for it.

I would venture to guess that, in the US at least, Ravelry is pretty likely to have most yarn stores listed (I mean, I hope they do, anyway, that the stores know about Ravelry and want to be listed there), so you can go to this page and enter a location to see. Some big-box craft stores may also have classes.

2. Find knitters in the wild. Stitch-and-bitch groups vary tremendously, and you may not be able to find someone in one who is willing to teach you everything, but it can be a great way to get advice and support on an as-needed basis, as well as to meet people who will be delighted to listen to you when you get obsessed. Back to Ravelry, you can look for groups by area there, or you can try MeetUp or any other such service.

3. This is just a guess, but places like community centers, senior centers, and public libraries may know of groups, or be interested in starting them.

Videos

1. I know at least one person who taught herself to knit from YouTube videos. There are a million of them, some with comprehensive instruction and others just a quick shot of one specific technique. For visual learners, the ability to see what it's supposed to look like, and watch the same ten seconds 50 times, can really help. If you don't like one source, try another; the degrees of professionalism range widely.
Also, be aware that you may find it more confusing than helpful if you learn one method and a video is of a knitter using another. My grandmother taught me continental (since that's what she learned, in Norway), and I still can get confused looking at other methods (a good roundup of the differences between the major schools, English [aka throwing] and continental [aka picking], can be found here).
2. Check your library: If they don't have DVDs of knitting, or book-and-DVD sets, they may be able to borrow some from other libraries. I'm a big fan of try before you buy.

Books
Some people find words and illustrations give them the guidance they need. Try different ones (the library is your friend here), and don't discount the simpler, pamphlet-booklet type you can pick up at places like Michael's. Basic is good when you're starting. I don't crochet much, but when I do, I can pull out that pamphlet and brush up on the differences between double and half double.

Knitters, what else would you advise?

Eight Years Ago

This photo popped up in my Facebook memories this morning:

Back when he was the new guy. My baby. Look at that roly-poly boy with the big feet.

A Great Day for Hockey

A famous hockey person* was known to say, "It's a great day for hockey," and recently it's been a great time to be a Bruins fan.
*Fine, but how many of you know who Badger Bob Johnson was?

Their win last night (the third in eight days just over Montreal) makes them undefeated in regulation in their last 16 games (12-0-4), which is frankly ridiculous. They haven't lost in regulation since December 14th, and to be able to say that on January 21st is batso nutso.

After starting the season poorly, hobbled by injury after injury after injury, it's like they woke up in mid-November and decided, "You know what would be fun? Winning more. A lot more." And they went from being outside the playoff picture then, to third in the league now*, and showing no signs of slowing. Back then, I was looking at their negative goal differential** with concern, but it got better and better and is now beautifully positive.
*After Saturday's game
**The difference between how many goals a team scores and how many it allows

In fact, knock wood, nothing seems to phase them. After a good-sized amount of time when they never trailed in a game, in each of their last five games, the other team has scored first. Bu they've won all five, so, eh, no big deal, eh? There's no panic, not even serious concern. They know what they can do, and then they do it. Not just one line, but everyone.

Happy sigh. It has been SO much fun to watch.

And you know who has been right in the thick of it, don't you?

No, 45, This Is No Credit To You

One year ago, I was at the Boston Women's March; today, I was in Cambridge for the one-year-later version. And at one point, the announcer told us that the President had tweeted today, in part, "Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March." Ugh. Way to miss the point, 45.

The event was from 1-3; I arrived before it started, and made it until about 2:30, at which point, feet numb from cold and standing (and my back hurting top to bottom), I attached myself to a line of people moving through the crowd, and made my way out. But it was a good event, good speakers (especially AG Maura Healey), and I came away with a good sense of "no, this is not normal" verification (and feet that thawed, an hour later).

I based my sign on one I saw a photo of last year, that said, "So bad the introverts are out." I figured, that's still true, so I updated the sentiment.

This one was probably my favorite:

A very creative take on the "stable genius" idea.

I've seen this idea before, and applaud it.

"You can't fix stupid, but you can vote it out of office!"

I know this one's blurry, it was hard to capture. Next to the Trump photo, it says, "Does this ass make my sign look big?"

These people got a loud reaction all over.

Driving home, I decided I had better stop for something to eat, since otherwise I would come home and be too tired to fix the hungry. Sitting down, resting, warming up, it was peaceful. Just looking around, and up.

I've pretty much been on the couch since I got home, and I'm heading back there. Peace.

Answer: Neither

Question: Is that the first sock of the pair you're making, or the second?

Yeah, it's another experiment.

I've mentioned before (in September and October) that, for the latest socks I'm making, this yarn has a really, really gradual color transition. And if you look at that second post, you'll also see that I wrote:

...the skein is enough for three socks, almost...

Well, I finished the second sock, and there's no almost about it. And given how the two socks already don't match (and also that I had other knitting, and enough other things, going on, that the idea of worrying about which yarn was up to bat next did not appeal), I decided to just go on, and see what happens.

So here's where we are:

Or, in order of the yarn:

It starts out so light.

Changes so little.

Then, partway down the foot, darkens somewhat:

And again, little change.

The center of the yarn ball is darker (though not actually what you would call dark).

It's been a learning experience, this yarn. Which, as a refresher, is Chincoteague Colors Tides Gradient Collection, and don't get me wrong, it's lovely yarn to work with. The color is just not doing what I expected, at all. Which is more on me than on the yarn!

In other knitting news, I did go ahead and frog that second sock from the reclaiming project. I dug out what was left over from making the socks in the first place, so it will all be together.

Now it can rest for a bit.

And, back to the blanket, I decided to wet-block the swatch I made for the blanket, to see how much it would stretch out.

Before:

And after:

Not a huge change, but that's fine; I just wondered how the slight bumpiness would do, and it does flatten down a bit.

Of course, the real test is washing it in the machine, to see what that does. So I sent it through the washer and dryer, and it (unsurprisingly) curled up again. I think I will try again, sending it through just the washer, then laying it flat to dry, and see what that does. Just out of curiosity!

More Pre-Moving Progress

I was talking to a friend about this process of getting ready for the move, and she was surprised when I said I'm working hard because I've always been so bad at moving (so bad; seriously, SO BAD). And I can see her point, that that is out of character for me in a way, but history doesn't lie, and I have never been ready when the movers come. And that's with having hit the crisis mode of "who cares, just throw it out, I don't care anymore."

I don't know, maybe in this way, I am flashing back to my procrastination problems in junior high, when Miss Goody-Two-Shoes got in trouble for not doing school projects. With moving, I always underestimate how long things will take (especially the kitchen*), and the panic mode just doesn't get enough done. Hopefully, this time, with this much lead time, and no set date (set by anyone other than me, that is), it won't get as bad. Only time will tell.
*I haven't started to tackle the kitchen yet, but what I've done needs doing, too. It will come.

One thing I've finally gotten around to is laying out all my shoes together, to assess what can go. I'm pretty sure this is actually everything, too, with the known exception of my snow boots, rain boots, and sneakers, which were all on the boot tray by the door. I didn't feel the need to move those, since I know I will get rid of the snow boots after winter is done, will keep the sneakers, and will probably keep the rain boots, so those decisions are done.

Seeing everything laid out was actually less overwhelming than I had expected! I was able to sort out half of them to go without much pain; there are a couple of "maybes" that I kept for now. And the keepers are all tidied away.

Those bins aren't all full, either, but I'm keeping them for now, and will decide later if they move. The shoes are halved, tidy, and out of the way, which suits me for today.

Other areas I have tackled recently: VHS tapes* and DVDs, as well as audiobooks, and my shelf of hockey books. The amount of dust on those was appalling. I hope to find someone who wants the majority, but even if I just drop them off at the Used Book Superstore, I'm feeling good about the few chosen ones that remain.
*Only had a few left, but most of them are going now.

I'm still working out the details of what to move, especially in terms of furniture: as I mentioned, I've made floor plans and moved around cutouts of the different pieces, to make sure of what will fit in my new bedroom, and the room that will be my office/guest room. You can see how high-tech I am (who uses graph paper anymore, right?).

Bedroom:

And office:

I know the photos aren't great, but I'm just trying to give you the idea. (No one but me is worried about the details.) I've done this before when I moved, and was quite proud once when the movers commented on how everything was fitting where I wanted them to put it. Yes! Thank you for noticing! I worked to achieve that!

This time, it's the same but different. Will this fit there, what about that, where can I put the other? I have two dressers, plain but sturdy, which I brought home when my aunt was getting rid of them, some few years ago (I expect I wrote about it then, but I can't find it now), and I wasn't sure about moving them. I don't love them, they are purely functional to me, but they have been "in the family" since my mother was young, so I decided to check with her, justincase. And no, she doesn't feel sentimental about them, and she has two dressers already, so we won't need them to start with at least. The pendulum thus swung firmly to "would be cheaper to replace than to move," and Sunday night I looked at them and thought, "You know, I bet I could clear one of them out now, and make some room."

So I did (some things moved around, some things in the donate pile, some in the try on pile), and I listed it on the local giveaway page on Facebook, and someone (actually, the same people who took the table last week) spoke up for it. Good! Out it goes! (The other one I will need to hang onto until it's time to move; my underwear has to go somewhere, after all.)

Because of this, I decided to do a bit of tweaking in the bedroom. I don't know yet how all the details will work out, in terms of listing and selling the place, and I'm not quite ready to touch base with the realtor again yet, but I thought I could move things around and see how it looked with a seating area incorporated into the bedroom. (It's a really big bedroom, actually.)

You can see the before pictures, as well as the then-after, when I wrote about working in the bedroom way back in April; I can say that I didn't lose a ton of ground from the decluttering work I did then. Have there been times when things got piled on the chair? Yes, but not always. It's a battle I fight, the "what do I do with this layer that I've worn, but isn't dirty, so I could wear it again." Usually things end up piling up on the couch or the chair.

Seating area (with hamper; it has to go somewhere, while I live here, and behind the door is as good as anything).

I'm not planning to move the rocking chair, btw, so if anyone local wants it, speak up. I think it's charming, but my legs are too long for it to be a comfortable seat.

Then, against the opposite wall, there are all the clothing collectors except the one under the humidifier (pictured above; that can move once we're past humidifier season). Just to the right is the closet, so now I can see all my clothing together (well, other than the dressier clothes in the linen closet, but it's most of it).

Oh, do you want to see the clothes in the linen closet, too? Slightly but not fully purged:

So all this is good progress, though there's still plenty to do. But progress is progress. For instance, I wrote back in April:

The blue Rubbermaid tote holds sweaters that I'm not sure about; they may go, but today was not their day.

Well, that day wasn't, but this day was. I put one sweater, one I made myself but that pilled terribly, in the box I have that is labeled "memory clothes"; I may or may not keep it, and all of those, when I move, but I wasn't ready to get rid of them now. The other sweaters, with a sigh, they went. I haven't opened the bin since April, confirming what I already knew: I don't wear these*. Hopefully, someone else will.
*Which doesn't surprise me; I knew I was keeping them for sentimental, not practical, reasons.

As for the memory clothes, today was not their day, but that day may come, at least for some of the items in the box. One step at a time. It's slow, but it gets you there.

P.S. I did an online search for holiday cards with a moving theme, and did you know that only multi-person families move? Or perhaps they're the only ones to let people know they moved? It's (almost ) all "We've Moved!" and "Our New Home!" This is going to take some digging, apparently.

Reclaiming Yarn

I did something new to me in the knitting realm recently. While working on cleaning the bedroom out, I ran across a pair of socks that I finished a few years ago, but almost never wear. They came out too big, and slide down as soon as I put them on. I have tried more than once, and always end up tugging at them and soon, yanking them off my feet.

During this clean-out, I did get rid of some of my old hand-knit socks, with a pang, but ditching these felt different than socks with holes and worn spots. They were finished over three years ago, but barely worn. And such nice yarn! Cashmere! Could this yarn be saved, and re-used? In theory, it is possible, and I decided to try.

I found the end, at the toe, without too much difficulty, and started pulling it out.

The yarn, naturally, is very kinked, from being in stitch form for so long. It's also fuzzy, the fibers melding together a bit. It wasn't hard to pull apart, but it wasn't quite what I would call easy, either. It wanted to be together.

The way it frogged around the heel amused me.

The yarn broke at one point, so I ended up with two balls from one sock (I figured I wouldn't do the other sock until I was sure I liked what happened with the first).

I took one of the balls, and wound it back into a skein. I've never used my swift this way; it felt backward.

Tied it off in a few places with yarn scraps, so it would stay in place.

Still very kinky, of course.

Next, I gave it a bath, lukewarm water and Eucalan. Is anyone else suddenly hungry for ramen?

After a good long soak, I pressed most of the water out in a towel and hung the yarn, with weights on the end, to dry. The side of the microwave worked fine.

And then twisted it up. Look at this little guy.

Slightly fuzzy, but much less kinked.

It looks like it should work, so I did the other one the same way.

And really, I think it should be usable! On to the other sock, and I'll give that yarn the same treatment. Kind of cool.