Gratuitous Saturday Post

My blue dictionary, a 1960 Merriam-Webster, defines "gratuitous" as "1. Given freely, without recompense, or regardless of merit. 2. Not called for by the circumstances; unwarranted." So you can take today's post for what it's worth!

The Pi bag has now been through a hot wash/cold rinse cycle, along with my other hot-wash laundry. To those who claim you "can't felt in a front-loader", I say pish, and also tosh! We are now down to about 10.5 inches wide and long, from starting measurements of 13.5 and 15 inches.

It's a nice size, but I might run it through one more hot wash as soon as I accumulate the next batch. Why? Oh, I don't know, I guess I just like wool-torturing.

I'm pleased to see that the ends that I pulled to the inside before washing have sunk into the felt and vanished. Literally. I know they are there, lots of them, and I went looking for them, in the sunlight, and couldn't find a one!

My husband took it from me after I dried it, and was making "This would make a good hat" noises. He made to put it on his hot sweaty head, and I had to snatch it back to safety. I have more of this wool left (lots of the black), so a hat is a possibility. I don't know how much wool I'm going to want to knit in summer, though.

One thing I'm all chuffed about (how great is the internet, that somebody who grew up in mid-Michigan has learned a handy word like "chuffed") is how nice and round that gray circle is on the bottom. Another thing I really like is the combination of the biasing and the circle: I don't know if it shows in the picture, but the stitches gently swirl out from the center.

After I decide if it's going through another wash cycle or not, I'll probably make a lining. But before that, as a last wash, I like to use "non-alkaline" (translation: slightly acidic) shampoo on wool. I just use my own shampoo. That sleeks the wool scales back down after their exciting journey through Washer Land, and doesn't leave any weird perfume-y scents.

I am distracted, because some baby bird is begging squeakily outside the window (and has been), and I keep trying to catch sight of it and see what it is. So far I can hear it, but I can't spot it. It's driving me crazy! Squeeeek! Squeeeek! Squeeeek!