Training Needles

I chose this week to visit some friends in Toronto and almost melted into a puddle on the sidewalk. Of all the weeks to visit them, I HAD to pick this one. The trip up was quite enjoyable, I took the train and knit most of the way there. It was my first time knitting on a train and it went pretty smoothly even through turbulent sections.

The way back it was way too warm to work on my ten-stitch blanket so I opted to play on my 3ds instead. (I'm not entirely sure the a/c was working on the train, I was sweating bullets the whole ride.)

Also on the way back I came across a fellow knitter. She was sitting behind me working on a very lovely pink bamboo something. I didn't actually talk to her but we're kindred spirits anyway. Anyone who knits on a 3.5 hour train ride in that much heat is a friend!

I finished my ten-stitch dishcloth while I was away, it turned out as I expected but did seem a bit too bulky.

I wondered how it would look with less stitches so I tried again using just 5 stitches. This time I got the look I was going for, I'm quite pleased with it.

A while ago I was given a ball of Bernat Glow in the dark yarn in 'light bright' yellow colour and I wasn't sure what I was going to make with it. Then I discovered
adorable blanket. I'm using the glow in the dark yarn for the star in the middle and then I'll switch to regular yarn for the rest of the blanket. I think it'll look really neat at night, with the star glowing like a little nightlight.I'm going to make it a full-size blanket, because I don't know any wee ones to give it to.

I started using my ergonomic crochet hooks with the lovely rubber padding ( as seen above), my crochet callus (I googled it, it's totally a thing) on my finger was getting quite indented and tender. They are a life saver.

I went to Belleville this week (as a passenger) and didn't bring any of my W.I.P's or needles with me, I left them elsewhere. Luckily I found a long-forgotten in-progress granny square in my craft room. I grabbed it and hurried out the door. My ride had thoughtfully brought a bag of yarn and needles/hooks on the off chance I forgot mine. That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I grabbed a hook and happily continued on my granny square, finishing the ball I brought and connecting the other yarn. That brought yarn was a life-saver.

I've still got my primrose cowl on the go and my boucle blanket is hibernating in a duffle bag until this heatwave goes away.

Despite the heat and the hustle and bustle of the city, I am glad I went away. It's always nice to visit friends, and sometimes a change in scenery does the soul good. We had some great fun outside and played some great board and card games: Patchwork, Tokaido, Machi koro, Smash Up and Sushi go!

One of the best parts of my trip was a picnic at a lovely park with a small beach in Oakville.

It almost made the heat bearable. Almost.

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