Completing Work and Continuing the Tango

With Amelie as a taskmistress, you can see how progress will be made around the studio. Remember that she told me to complete two projects for every new one that I started? Otherwise she wouldn't keep coming to do all the organization stuff that I hate so much.

Amelie is brutally tough and not shy about speaking her mind, but she may be on to something because yesterday I finished two projects that had been in progress and then started and finished a third one.

This scarf for next winter was hand knit from 5 strands of yarn: two slender yarns in a camel-colored alpaca, two strands of a space-dyed rayon in gold, browns, olive, and grey, and one strand of a nylon eyelash yarn in tobacco. All but the eyelash yarn came from Yarnia, a make-your-own-combination-of-yarn store here in Portland.

Yarnia is the same place where I bought the yarn last year for the Oregon Beach Scarf. (BTW you can still get the free pattern for the Oregon Beach Scarf and read the pattern notes in this post.)

The second unfinished project was to restring and re-knot a necklace of amethyst beads that I love and which had been lying all busted on my dresser for over six months. Here you see the necklace right before I finished off the last knots.

With two previously-stalled projects now completed, I rewarded myself by making a belated birthday gift for myself. Citrine has been calling to me, so when I bought the silk cord for knotting the amethyst, some lovely yellow beads came home with me from Village Beads as well.

Following is a photo of both the finished necklaces.

Because I had been so productive, Amelie came by and put 165 things away, including the 40 or so things that I got out yesterday in my path through the studio, and including emptying the dishwasher for me. Then she updated my check register and paid a few bills. What a gal!

Today won't be as productive. I just got home from the day job, need to finish this post, prepare dinner, and then we're off to a tango class tonight.

Tango, by the way, is getting very interesting. Last month we worked on boleos which in their most fun form involve a whipping in the air of the follower's leg as a result of a quick change in direction by the leader. (We all learned the importance of knowing that no one was behind you when you start legs flipping all about.)

This month the class is working on sacadas. A sacada, which can also be called a desplazamiento, is a displacement of the partner's leg or foot using one's own leg or foot. Sound's equally thrilling, doesn't it?

Here's an excellent demonstration for your viewing pleasure: