Inside Looking Out

As much as we look forward to spring every year, we also dread it.  We love the warmer weather and the longer days, but get driven inside by the rain and pollen that inevitably follow.  For several weeks every spring, we are actually more or less house bound as the storms of pollen rage outside.  We watch from the windows, all the while blowing our noses and wiping our eyes, as trees turn green and flowers bloom.   This year, however, we having something else to watch from our window that makes the long days go by much more quickly.  It started with these a couple of weeks ago.

This lovely little nest is in a bush right outside our family room window.  We have been watching the Mama and Papa robins take care of the eggs in turn.   Twelve days ago, they began hatching.

After that, they have pretty much been growing like crazy.  They want to eat all the time.

The parents are very busy feeding them and caring for them when it rains.

Now, there is hardly any space left in the nest and they have been stretching their wings a lot to get ready for the day when they will leave it.

All this time indoors has also helped me finish some projects that have been lingering.  My second, scarf/wrap/tablerunner/ Idon’tknowwhattodowithit weaving project is finished and awaiting its unknown fate.

I was particularly happy with this project because I warped it with a lot of little balls of leftover sock yarn.  It’s about 80 inches long and 18 inches wide.  Next on the loom is something I hope will turn out to be hand towels.

The weave is turning out a little looser than I expected, though, so I hope that it works out.  I guess I won’t know until I take it off, which means I’ll have to finish it first.  Weaving is a little different from knitting in that way.  Knitting can always be unraveled and reknit.  That wouldn’t work so well with weaving.

Speaking of knitting, I’m happy to have finished my Stripey Noro sweater.

This was a really fun knit that really kept my spirits up during some of those dark days of winter when everything was dreary except this sweater.

Now, it’s perfect for cool spring days.

And yes, it’s also great for wearing to a fancy dinner out with the husband on your 23rd wedding anniversary.   After all those years, he knows me really well and got me a most stupendous present.

It’s 5 skeins of Purl Soho good wool, which they list as a dk weight yarn, but at 383 yards per 100g, it seems like it might be closer to a sport weight.  In any case, I’m on the hunt for a good pattern for this bundle of squishiness.  Perhaps a fair isle sweater of some sort?  In the meantime, I will enjoy squishing it while I watch the robins grow.