I love a good collection

My daughter is in the midst of moving and she and I talked on the phone briefly while I was on my way to the doctor this morning (speakerphone, heavy morning traffic with serious rain, going through a construction zone).  She could hardly hear me and I could hardly hear her but one thing was clear.  She's just like me.   She finds comfort in organizing things.   When you organize things, you realize that you have sorted stuff, like you did at the little table when you were in kindergarten.   Some things go together, and others don't belong with this group.

Last night I finished another Harlan Coben book (not on Kindle) and found a real satisfaction moving the books on my office bookshelf to make room for Live Wire to sit next to the four other hardbacks by HC.  I do have some of his paperbacks and even something on my Kindle by him.  So I realize I now have a collection of his books.  I have Mary Higgins Clark, Harold Bell Wright,  and several others on my book shelf.   Once I find an author I like, I will pretty much ready all their works.   It probably goes back to my OCD habit of collecting things and keeping them together.  I even imagine that people will look at my things with a critical eye and wonder why all the (fill in the blank)'s aren't together in a group like they should be. Like why are the salad forks mixed in with the dinner forks?  (Of course they're not!) But that would really bother me if people thought that.

In the garage, all my spinning stuff is together, but all my knitting stuff stays in the house.  It bugs me if something gets in the wrong guy's area.  Yarn technically can go in either place.  Weaving stuff pretty much stays here in my office because I say so.  Socks go in the sock drawer, shirts go with shirts, and pants go with pants.  Got it?

And when I finish a knitting project I have to put the needles back in the zippered knitting-needle tackle-bag I bought at the Bass Pro Shop. It has one side for DPNs and one for circulars, with ziploc pouches for each size.   I had to explain my putting-back action to my husband the other day, telling him that if I didn't put them back exactly where they came from, I would never be able to find them again.  But I realized as I said it that I was justifying all this to myself.  Organizing comes from wanting to have some sense of control over my environment.  Especially when you don't feel that you have any control whatsoever over your circumstances.  This is a permanent state of mind for me, and is probably why I retreat to reading or knitting whenever I can.  Nobody messes with my knitting and nobody takes your book away while you're reading it.  Two boundaries everyone respects without having to remind them or give them a dirty look.

Now, with all this organizing I have spent little time knitting anything much lately; and that is another story altogether.  I won't chase that rabbit.
But I will chase this little Cocoa Bear Hoodie.

I've finally finished all the pieces but ran out of yarn and had to get another ball.  The front left and right will need button bands  after I press the pieces tomorrow.

I'll pick up the stitches on the left and right front pieces, and allow for buttonholes on the left side.
Then I can sew all the pieces together and do one last blocking session.

In spinning news, I spun some of this very soft, if not dirty midnight blue roving last weekend.  It is very pretty on the bobbin, don't you think?

And finally the pair of Uncle Albert socks were drying on the patio table Saturday morning.  I'm extremely grateful for any little bit of sunshine lately.  It feel like Seattle around here lately!

I will be somewhat busy the rest of the week but in a good way.  And it's good to be busy to keep your mind from worrying about other things.  Kind of like going to the beach or reading a good book.  Being busy is an escape that costs very little and serves you well!  Like organizing your collections!