One thing I have realized is I need to manage my time a little better. I planned to do my blog posts on Monday mornings because it is my most productive morning. This last Monday it was so productive I had no time for a blog post. So I planned this very simple and quick post instead of a yarn spotlight requiring pictures, but still did not get it done. It is a learning process, and a process in general. So today I am typing my post on Sunday.
I did some blocking last weekend, and it inspired this post. While my two garments were soaking in Soak brand wool wash, I went outside to wash my blocking mats. I always block on the deck, but since we live on a dirt road, it is always dusty. I m not good about hosing it down before I set up. Do you see a theme here? Once I was done setting up, I went back to the sink where my garments were soaking. I am generally pretty good about always washing my hands before I knit, and yet, the soak water was very dirty. Why does this happen? The answer is…lots of reasons.
I am the first to admit, I am not a good housekeeper. I get the important stuff done…dishes, laundry, bathrooms. Beyond that, I am hopeless. Remember my comment about time management? Remember also that we live on a dirt road, so my house is typically very dusty. Every time I lay my work on a surface in my house, I am exposing it to dust. I also do a bit of my knitting on my lunch break on days I work at Lowe’s. Ever since they did away with the staff facilities position, our breakroom has been absolutely filthy. I need to stop doing my knitting in there because I am sure it adds to the dirt that gets on my knitting. But lets get back to the topic of dirty hands.
As a woman over 60 who handles a lot of cardboard at work, I am battling two different battles with my hands. The dirt and dust from the freight boxes, paired with frequent hand washing, leading to the drying impact of both activities on the condition of my hands. So I use lotion several times a day. This activity is actually counter productive in terms of keeping knitting clean. If you use lotion just before knitting, you end up getting lotion on your garments. This problem is very difficult to prevent. Using grease free lotions, and allowing the lotion to dry for at least 15 minutes are about your only options. The lotion that gets transferred to your knitting becomes a dirt magnet. I think that is the greatest contributor to the dirt in my knitting, but it isn’t the only source. So I need to step up my vigilance, or just live with the knowledge I am getting my garment dirty, and always soak my garments when I am done.
Knit on! Coming next week, a spotlight of the plethora of new summer yarns and some pattern suggestions.