Will Work For Eggs

I'm not getting anywhere with my tote bag - other people's priorities have put mine on the back burner for now. Things like getting my DH's passport arranged for when he makes his trip to Interbike later this month, sleep-overs & pool parties for the kids, unexpected company, getting ready for the new school year & the like. This is not a complaint, just a fact of life with me - my plans often get changed & I just learn to go with the flow, knowing that I do eventually get to finish off most of my projects in winter, when everything slows down.

I am still doing needlework on the side - just not stuff for my own personal pleasure at the moment. Now that I've test driven my circular bamboo knitting needles, I've got two orders from my shepherd friend Larry - a pair of socks for him & another pair for his partner, Betty. I'm using super chunky sized black wool, spun from his own herd. They are going to be very toasty when worn, but that is exactly what is needed for our winters here, where it's typically sitting at -20º Celsius throughout most of January & February, sometimes even dropping to -40º! I don't have any sock patterns that call for this weight of wool, & Larry has a stocky build, so I couldn't just adapt from another pattern - this will all be "make it up as I go" from his measurements. In exchange, I've been getting farm fresh eggs delivered to my door every couple of weeks. If ever I should become homeless, I can just see me sitting on the curb with a sign like "Will Knit for Eggs" or "Will Crochet for Milk".

I need Larry to come over & do fittings for his socks ever week, which has brought about another turn of events. I was coming home from the end of the season party at the local pool with my toddler when I saw his jeep parked outside the cafe across the street from my house. I figure I'd go in & let him know that when he was done eating that he could come over for a fitting, as the timing would be good for me then. The owner of the cafe, Christina, overheard this & asked "You knit socks? Jennifer (her youngest daughter) really needs some hand knit socks!" I replied that I would be happy to as long as she provided the wool. She agreed to this & still wants to pay me something on top for my labour - I'm kind of hoping it will mean a couple of free salmon burgers down the road :)