inspired knitting

Last night I had one of my bi-annual flashes of inspiration, and felt that it must be documented. I made two felted bowls for my OSSP - two days' knitting for a large, one afternoon for the small - I learned that I am unable to open my washing machine mid-cycle to check on the felting process, as it locks and I can't seem to over-ride it, so I had to just hope like hell that they weren't ruined.

Once I could retrieve them, I needed suitable shapes to pull them over for drying. Found a small bowl for the black one, which I pulled on with my teeth - not recommended with wet wool, as I am still picking out wet black fibres from my mouth - ugh! I could not find anything that would work for the red, larger one, until my big AHA:
yes, that is a balloon inside the red bowl - I inflated it inside the bowl until it was snug, and will leave it till dry - genius, in my not-so humble opinion. And think of the fringe benefits - the dogs were completely freaked out while I blew the balloon up - they just don't like 'em - , the boys now know I do have a secret balloon stash, but they don't yet know where - HA! there's still some mystery to this old broad - and when it's dry I can just pop the sucker and voila! One bowl, shaped to order -

way cool...

Once the SP gifts were done last night, there was a bit of thumb-twiddling as I thought of what to do next. Funny, a couple of days of unseasonably cool weather and I am completely off any summer knitting - which includes, of course, the Lotus Blossom Tank, which may or may not be shelved. I decided to wind my brown silk and sea CELL, not cellulose, yarn by Handmaiden Yarns, NOT Fleece Artist - apologies all 'round - which I of course tangled miserably - and that's with a ball winder and swift - that takes a special sort of skill, one which I seem to have in spades...

but I will start the shawl - never made one, never worn one, not even sure how you wear them or with what - but the brown is absolutely to-die-for, so I'll figure it out. I am also giving serious consideration to Sally Melville's Einstein coat from The Knit Stitch, and have some stash yarn which might do the job, so later today, as it's dark and rainy and we have NOTHING TO DO (a fact which just thrills the three of us), I will dig it up and swatch (see, Mom? I'm going to swatch - I'm learning, no?)

and as if that's not exciting enough for you, last night I made my children watch 'Old Yeller' with me - I cried, they tried not to, and they admitted that it was really good, even without any special effects or laser guns. Lesson learned: the classics don't die, they don't even fade away; you just have to be able to get your hands on them.