My Life as a Pioneer

I'm not usually one for pictures of mere yarn. But what arrived in the mail this week could hardly be described as mere yarn. At long last my kit from LaLana Wools arrived and, while prepared to be pleasantly pleased, I was absolutely thrilled instead. This yarn is drop dead gorgeous and so soft to the touch that I simply had to wear it, as is. Well, actually, Mr Puffy did.

One gets tired of the perfectly formed, uniformly wound, standardized colors of yarn available in every LYS. But it goes a little deeper than that. During my recent visit with my parents, I read a book I haven't read in close to 40 years. I read The Long Winter (6th book in a series of 8 by Laura Ingalls Wilder) ~ hoping to feel better about my long hot summer. What struck me was how my personality was influenced by this writer. It's actually a rather sad story, but is filled with references to things that I find myself doing, and enjoying, in a different century. For example, I bake bread with a sourdough starter, I love to bake pies, I bake whole wheat bread during the winter, I knit mittens, socks, and hats. I enjoy knitting lace, embroidery, drinking tea and sitting around a cozy fire. All of these things are mentioned in the book. Come to think of it, I would have made a marvelous pioneer. Although I'm not sure about using an outhouse.