Pigeons and Knookular Power: Learning Something New Every Day

Thanks to everyone who commented on the pigeon post. You certainly do learn something new every day. Thanks to Elisabetta, I now realise that we will be among the precious few to actually see baby pigeons (apparently the world is full of people wondering why they never get to see baby pigeons. It's true - look at this. If you belong to the muddled masses that are confounded by the lack of pigeon offspring, do not fret: baby pigeons exist.) I now know that Mother Pigeon spends her day gallivanting whilst Father Pigeon stays at home and minds the nest, which rather endears me to the Pigeon Family because if there are ever any baby Gingerbreads, we hope to follow their very modern example. ('cept, of course, that I'll keep the gallivanting to a minimum.) What else? Well, the news that Mrs Piegon is probably crawling with bird mites did make my skin crawl (and I have a can of disinfectant spray ready to douse the wall they're housed on) but this does not seem to repulse the creative crocheter at The Pigeon Loft (thanks Tintock Tap!), who has a pigeon for every taste. I mean, pigeons are kind of creepy as it is, but doubly so when dressed as Darth Vader.

So what have I been up to, then? I'm crocheting a lot, but I hope to have a new pattern up in the next week or so, so I'll blog about that later. I spent today pottering about the house, doing domestic things like tending to my plants:

 ... and although that might make me seem all Earth Mothery, I certainly (and sadly) am not. I only have five plants and these I possess by sheer dint of their contrariness: they just will not die. In fact, the basil seems intent on thriving, just to spite me and my black fingers (i.e. the opposite of green fingers)

 ... baking. We had two dozen yesterday. Today there's five. 'Nuff said.

... and knitting. I'm back to battling with DPNs. I actually came up with a plan of action, whereby I'd split sock making into a series of steps and do and redo each step till I felt confident to move on to the next. I found an apropriate pattern for an appropriately small sock (for swift gratification) and have spent the past four days working on the cuff: rib, rip, rib, rip. Finally, I have an acceptable cuff and can move on to the next bit. I was tremendously proud of my double-pointed dexterity, till I popped over to Rachel's blog and saw the sock she had knitted WITHOUT A PATTERN and - prepare to be astounded - USING A TWIG.

 

Wowzers, eh? 

I got a bit excited there, so I'd better explain: this sock was knooked and because Rachel is a very capable and clever person, she also made her own knook-hook from a twig from her garden (I suspect Rachel's fingers are far greener than mine, based on the photos on her blog. I could try to fashion a hook from a sprig of basil but I'm sceptical about my chances of success.)