Beaches, Coffee Cups and Experimental Knitting

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. ― John Lubbock.

And here we are in August. I feel like we've reached the point in the summer when we realize it's nearly over and we start rushing around doing all the things we said we wanted to do during the summer before it's too late. I think my tomato plant caught that mojo as well. The tomatoes all of a sudden swelled up so large that they broke the branches. I managed to salvage them and they are currently perky and happy in a container of water, but I think we all just need to slow the eff down:

I missed my post last weekend because we went out on an adventure last Sunday (or rather, the hubby dragged me out of my dark hole). I have a hard time writing posts on Sunday if we've been out and about, so I decided to wait until this weekend to share some of the photos.

I am always entranced by the lakes on the tops of mountains:

And by the swirling patterns of deltas emptying out to the open water:

We went out to Vargas Island, a small island on the west coast of Vancouver Island. When the tide is low, you are allowed to land small aircraft there:

The air was fresh and cool by the waves:

I always like to explore the tidepools:

And I love looking at the swirling patterns from the sand and the flotsam left on the beach:

Sand dollars always look like souvenirs from a tourist shop:

And I'm always amazed by the life just waiting patiently for the tide to come back in:

Seymour always leads the way when exploring a new place:

But he's not so good at navigating on the plane:

I've been trying my best to get out and enjoy things outdoors when I can. I discovered that some local ceramics artists were having a pop-up market to show off and sell some of their wares, and it was a perfect excuse to invite a friend along for a ceramics shopping spree.  These two are by Ceramics by Jenny I fell in love with them on her Instagram page and resolved to go and take them home:

This one is by another local artist named Sandy Harquail. It's actually a replacement for one I bought from her a couple of years ago and then subsequently broke. I was so sad, but when I saw she would be at the market, I decided it was time to mend past wrongs and bring another home.  I love the seam on the side and the chunky handle and the simple lines:

Man, I love cups. I love them even more when they are handmade. They're even better with a hot drink inside them:

And they're probably the best with a handmade treat alongside them as well:

Meanwhile, I'm still living in laceweight land with my current project. It's all a bit... experimental at this stage:

I'm currently working on millions of stitches on 2.75mm needles. I finished the back panel of this top and decided to give it a quick blocking to see what size I might end up with. It turned out kind of on the huge side, which is somewhat worrisome when I compare it with the simple stockinette front panel. It's times like these when I feel both regret and relief when I decide to knit things in pieces rather than in one piece. The gauge for both of these pieces kind of made my head spin when I was trying to figure out how many stitches to cast on, even after swatching and writing out the math over and over again. In the end, I think it'll work out ok because I think it will all even out with another wet blocking session. We'll see how that goes:

I was dreading doing all that flat, boring stockinette stitch, but I'm actually finding it quite relaxing not to have to concentrate on any kind of pattern. I am still very happy with the stitch pattern I chose for the back. My eyes keep drifting over to it while my fingers knit the simpler stockinette. It's a mesmerizing, flowy lace pattern:

Meanwhile, I'm trying my best to preserve my energy and ease my nervous system by not getting too involved with the summer rush. If you've been reading my blog for any period of time you'll know that I find the summer overwhelming: hot, dry, bright, busy... I live in fear of forest fire. The sun is an intense and oppressive weight that pushes me down when I step out into it. And I feel a lot of pressure to be out frolicking when all I want is to stay home and listen to the wind in the trees and rest. Add the stress of Covid to the mix, and you can imagine me holed up in my knitting chair with all my knitting needles pointed outwards to the world. I'm very much looking forward to cool, rainy days when it's perfectly reasonable to stay home and bake scones and watch a movie while I knit. It's all I really want to do. I miss it so much.

I hope you are well. Have a good, safe week.