Acrachne

 The story goes, that the weaver Arachne boasted of her weaving skill to the extent that Athena herself came to challenge her to a contest. When Arachne's weaving (depicting the Gods' mistreatment of mortals) was in fact more beautiful than Athena's, Athena was so insulted she tore the piece to shreds. Arachen then hanged herself. And Athena said "Live on then, and yet hang, condemned one, but, lest you are careless in the future, this same condition is declared, in punishment, against your descendants, to the last generation!"

And so Arachne became a spider.

I love spiders.

I find that they represent Patience. Creativity. Cleverness.

I always feel a bit like a spider, in that a lot of people may find me repulsive and want to squish me but that I have some good qualities and really the world is better off with me in it.

Hope you are finding time to craft. This one is almost done.

Mittens mittens mittens

I bought several skeins of this Big Twist- Twinkle in Mulberry from Joann a while back. I think I was planning to make a sweater for either myself or for my niece. But come Christmas-time I ended up wanting to make a present for my 7-year-old daughter's best friend. I still think I have enough to make a sweater because I used so little for the mittens.

I like how they have just a little sparkle. The pattern is just a basic one I have used for many kid's mittens over the years. I decided to make Chloe a little matching hat as well:

Then a friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was freezing cold. Living on the US East Coast they were getting lots of snow and under 30degree faranheit weather and so I offered to make her some mittens too.

This pattern, Martinique Mittens was 4.50 Euro and well worth it. I am loving how the Patons Classic Wool knits up.

I should have used a smaller needle, though. The pattern calls for a 4 but I thought it called for a 6 and used a 5. (I usually knit looser than others) However, the first mitten (though a wee bit long) does fit well enough that I'm making the second one.

The only problem is that stress & the winter weather is making my psoriatic arthritis act up.

The other night I sat on my bed and put on a movie just to sit there with the four skeins of yarn and my mitten in progress on my lap. Not a stitch worked; it just hurt too much.

Hopefully I can finish them and send them off to Casie Jo sooner than later. :(