Until yesterday my current sweater project didn't look very different from the last time you saw it. I spent most of last week still trying to figure out how to figure out which companies will continue to have enough Free Cash Flow to fund their dividend at some semblance of its current rate when Free Fall was a more relevant term and many people much smarter than I am had no idea where things headed.
On Wednesday before the board meeting of my knitting guild (I'm the newsletter reporter) I got the stitches at the underarm picked up and knit my first round with decreases to deal with my extra gully stitches and hole-closing requirements. I needed to count my stitches and expected to have to do some math, so didn't knit on it during the meeting. I should have followed my first impulse and just started knitting as my numbers came out right on and I could just follow what I did on sleeve #1. Too often I'd get more knitting done if I would followed my instincts rather than waiting to figure something out. I doubt I'll change that situation much, though, as I'm a figurer.
Yesterday I toted the sweater along on a busy day. I swung by REI (the flagship store - this is Seattle) after Pilates where I had a nice chat about knitting needles with my cashier when she spotted the Addi Naturas in my bag. She's a recent convert to these particular circulars, but has a nice collection of wood and bone straights from the 50s and 60s that she inherited. These kinds of moments are part of the reason I like the clear project bags I use. That and the being able to find the project I want without opening each of the way-too-many things I have going at once.
Then I got to spend time in one of my current favorite ways - while sitting under a nice warm dryer in a clean, well-lighted space on a winter day first to set color and then conditioner I knit four 5-row decrease repeats on my sleeve.
I only made it through two more decrease repeats today and am about to give up and go to bed. I spent a lovely day with my husband but it involved a lot of walking and time on my feet and I'm pooped. And my feet hurt.
After two different possible sets of accompaniers bailed on us, we walked up to our favorite quick-meals-at-odd-times restaurant for lunch. They were hopping, and apparently had been last night as they discovered a couple of things they were out of. The place we went to eat on Thursday night was also very busy; much busier than they usual recently. I like this economic indicator. I want my favorite places to survive.
From lunch we walked up to the Science Center to see Lucy - the actual 3 million-year-old fossilized Lucy. They also had a big crowd, mostly because the exhibit closes tomorrow. Attendance had been so much less than expected that they were in danger of losing a lot of money and most of the museums slated to get Lucy before she headed permanently back to Ethiopia canceled their runs. I don't think our museum will break even after the bad timing of horrendous weather and economic downturns during the holidays, especially the weeks all the kids were out of school. But I think they will end up better than expected as attendance really picked up at the end of the run.
From Lucy we wandered over to look at a couple kinds of giant cockroaches and twig insects before we went in to the tropical butterfly room. We wandered around the 85 degree giant terrarium looking at butterflies whose each wing could cover my palm. It made a perfect stop on an especially cold Seattle day. Plus you guys get butterfly pictures.
On the walk home through a little light snow turning to hard bits of sleet we stopped for coffee and donuts. At 6PM on a Saturday downtown, people occupied most of the tables and kept up a steady stream of boxed donuts heading out the door. We sat sipping our coffee as we watched the sunlight fade and streetlights come on through their wall of glass.
This is my kind of economic research.
