rainy days

The last few days have been full of blessed, blessed rain. Our rain barrel has been running over, the ground squishes when you walk on it, and the level of our city's sad, depleted reservoir has shot up more than two feet this week. It's been a very long time since we've had this much rain, and it's a real relief.

This rainfall won't erase our drought, but it did help. And it gave me something I hadn't experienced in a very long time: a rainy day. Several rainy days, actually! Friday I was on UNC's campus, and I stopped and watched in delight as streams of people went by with colorful umbrellas bobbing up and down the paths, and rubber boots splashing in the puddles. Puddles! Something else we hadn't seen in a while.

Saturday it was still rainy, and I spent some time on the various knitting projects that have been lying around. I made some progress on the super-bright version of Super-Natural Stripes that I've been knitting for a friend's new little girl:



The tangerine color makes me so happy!

I also dreamt up a new design, which I think will replace a gift sweater I was knitting. The one that's being replaced is a design I had in my mind all winter, a swingy girl's oversized cardi. I love the shape, but the color is starting to get me down. I don't remember what the ball band calls it, but I keep thinking of it as 'mushroom':



It will probably be very elegant in the end, but the color isn't inspiring me to pick up the needles right now -- especially with the super-bright stripes singing out to be knitted!

The design I dreamed is really neat... but what impresses me is that when I woke up, I actually remembered it and sketched it out! I always imagine that in my dreams I have these genius ideas, but can never remember them when I wake up. It's also a design for a girl, and with one of the same elements as the mushroom sweater, a swingy wide lower half, but it will be a much more fun, much less fussy garment overall, and I can't wait to start knitting it. I'm thinking I'll use one of my most favorite yarns, Cascade Sierra Quatro. But I can't decide which color...

I also made some more booties this week. I have a growing pile of baby booties sitting on my desk for various friends. I think this Friday is going to be bootie day... stay tuned. It will be bootielicious, only with less Beyoncé.