The madness of loss is passing. And it's a great relief. Touchstones of this new era are two. A few weeks back we finally got some kitties back in our lives. It's been four months since we lost our last one and finally being able to love someone and take care of them is a wonderful feeling. It's a feeling of living, rather than just existing.
Fred (left), Seymour (right)
Seymour foreground, Atreyu background
Fred and Seymour are siblings. They weighed a little over a pound at their first vet visit. Two weeks later and their legs seem to be growing faster than anything else.
The emptiness of life without a father is more overwhelming than I had the capacity to imagine. I haven't yet wrapped my head around the expansive void. Not having cats simultaneously was nearly unbearable. I'm glad that time is over.
A lot less unbearable was the lull in knitting. I did keep knitting and I kept it very simple. The grieving projects are past and not so interesting to me at present. That which is putting a little bounce in my step is a simple, new-to-me project, my Blackberry Julip:
This is the Stephen West Spectra pattern (ravelry link). Who knew instarsia could be so absolutely fabulous? Well, I surely didn't, so you can keep that smug know-it-all self-satisfaction to yourself missy. Heheheh. Always the last one on the boat, I am.
This project is my first ever use of a Noro yarn. I picked up my first skeins of Kureyon, Taiyu and Silk Garden Lite a few days ago. The project above uses Noro's Silk Garden Lite, colorway #2050. (The contrast color is Tosh DK in the Venetian colorway.)
I've spent a lot of time over the past few months ogling various garter stitch afghan patterns that make splendid use of the long color repeats of Noro. I've been vaguely aware of the perennial love/hate discussions about Noro on Ravelry, placing myself in the non-vocal camp of meh regarding these yarns. My unremitting stranded knitting fascination has made long color repeat yarns front and center in my knitting imagination. Ergo, I foresee more Noro in my life.