Toys? Or Treasured Tools?

Yesterday was Picture Perfect: a sunny day, blue skies, 65-68degF, enough of a breeze to keep the mosquitos at bay but not so much as to cause a chill.

I thought it was going to be just the day to take pictures outside in natural light of my new knitting bowl. But the sunshine just made a glare on the bowl. And when I put the bowl in some shade, the flash came on making glare too.

Today, however, it has been overcast. No glare today. The pictures worked! From now on I will see more potential for photo taking on grey days.

You may remember that near the beginning of this year, I broke the knitting bowl I’d been using for over 20 years. I did not glue it back together. I knew that I would just continue to lament the damage. I’ve kept the shards in a box. I plan to give them a proper burial when the time is right.

On my Minnesota trip in May, I found a new bowl that intrigued me enough to try it as my new knitting bowl. It’s made of walnut, a creation of Russ Johnson, 2011 (that’s what it says on the bottom of the bowl). I bought it at the vendor booth of Hillside Honey at Shepherd’s Harvest. I was quite drawn to the patterns in the wood. It even has an “eye”. Here are two pictures:

Funny, but most of my knitting since I got the bowl has not required a bowl. I’ve been knitting items with energized singles and energized yarns, so I’ve been knitting off the bobbin, with the bobbin on a lazy kate. But here is a picture of my bowl at work:

I’m knitting a pair of socks from an interesting yarn, “Cobasi” . It is composed of cotton, bamboo, and silk, with a bit of stretchy nylon. I’ve made one pair from it already and it seems that it will be a great yarn for summer socks. For the sock above, I’m using a free sock pattern, “Crimple” , by “knitpurlhunter” . I have made a few changes: I’m knitting it from the top down, and I plan to change the heel.

I am happy with the bowl. My only concern is that it is lighter than the ceramic bowl I was using. That hasn’t been a problem so far. By the way, the shopping at Shepherd's Harvest was first class. I wish I had had more time to visit all the vendors.

When I took pictures of this bowl, I got to thinking about two other “tools” I bought on my Minnesota trip. Actually, I got them at the Ben Franklin in Ironwood, Michigan, in the way west part of the Upper Peninsula.

I bought something called an “Embellish Knit!”. It makes I-cord. Fast. Now, I am crazy for I-cord. I incorporate frequently into my designs. So how could I resist this little gadget?! I am thinking I could make enough I-cord to use it as yarn and knit something out of it. Yes! Here’s a picture:

 Next to the Embellish Knit on the shelf was something called a “Knifty Knitter Straw Weaver”  . Here’s a bit of a preface: when I was in Los Angeles in April, one of the guild members at the Greater Los Angeles Spinning Guild  showed a very very simple tool for weaving during show-and-tell. I think she used a series of dowels but she mentioned that you could also use straws. I was fascinated with the simplicity of the device. So when I saw one in Ben Franklin, I had to get it. I had to. Here it is:

So, should I play with these things? Or work? I think both.