Wanted: a few rainy days

If the weather weren't so nice, I would have accomplished more fiber things this week. Instead, I have been out in the yard, trying to make up for all that remained undone last summer. Some of that make-up work involves sitting on the deck, listening to the birds while I read or draw. Not very productive but definitely enjoyable. Some rainy weather would force me back inside, where fiber projects await.

Knitting: It seems like I am never going to finish those socks. I'm about a third of the way up the cuff. One problem is that with the temps in the house higher than usual (trying to reduce the electric bill), my hands get a little sweaty, which does not work well with wool.
Spinning: I finished spinning one 2-oz. ball of pink. Next up is to blend the angelina into the the remaining balls. Most of it is going into the purple, a lighter amount into the pink. I hope my plan works.
Weaving: The temple arrived on Monday, I read up on how to use it on Tuesday, and that is all the farther I have gotten.

I've been reading At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life, by Fenton Johnson. Part memoir, part survey of some famous solitaries from Thoreau and Emily Dickinson to Nina Simone and Bill Cunningham, this book gives voice to something I had no vocabulary for before now. With the pandemic, solitude is a hot topic. There is a difference between being lonely and being alone. Some of us crave the latter, need it to recharge and to dig deep. Being solitary does not mean being a hermit, either, although some days I may act like one. Reading about solitude feels like finally getting a diagnosis that validates my reality.