Connections
20 May 2010 2 Comments
in Knitting Content Ahead, Off the Needles
I was recently reminded of those old games we used to play in the car as kids. You know what I mean – the ones where you had to find all the states on license plates? Or count the number of VW bug cars? Or find all the letters of the alphabet in signs (damn that Q – we always hoped there would be a La Quinta inn nearby!).
The theme of a lot of those games was connections. Each thing you found or said was in some way connected to what came next. So here are my connections.
***
I just finished knitting a beautiful shawl for my friend Helena in Wales. The finished shawl is so graceful and majestic – I think of it as eagle wings, but Wes called it the bat shawl, which I’m SURE Helena would appreciate.
The Pattern: Agatha
The Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon’s Kypria in A Fateful Plan and Wedding Gifts
The Needles: US 6′s
***
Coincidentally, as I was knitting Helena’s shawl, I was also making myself socks out of some sock yarn that she had dyed! The socks are simple, stockinette socks with a short row heel. Plain and simple. The yarn is a bit rustic – it feels like sturdy, warm wool. They are so cozy to wear and I love them – I’ve already worn them several times since finishing them! I cannot recommend the yarn highly enough, and this particular colorway just resonated with me!
The Pattern: My own plain vanilla sock
The Yarn: Midnight Sheep Superwash Sock in Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
The Needles: US 0′s
***
Socks! The connection this time is socks. This week I received a delightful gift, a love bomb if you will, from my friend Kippi. A while ago, perhaps 6 months, there was a particular skein I lusted after inexplicably. It was called Pickle Jar and was bright green, and wasn’t (and still isn’t) my best colorway, but I wanted that skein and some Pickle socks with a fierce passion. Well Kippi snatched that skein out from under me (all the while trying to talk me out of buying it for myself) and made me pickle socks! Thank you Kippi – you are a wonderful friend!
Three Things.
07 May 2010 1 Comment
Last night, as I lay in bed awake, anxiety building, I was going over and over in my head the things that I would like to improve about myself. I’d like to have a cleaner house, I’d like to exercise more, I’d like to lose a few pounds, I’d like to spend less and save more.
And as I lay there, overwhelmed by my own thoughts I was reminding of an organizational seminar I took a few years ago. During the course of it, one of the things that stuck with me is that, without sitting down and making lists, the human brain can only concentrate on three things at any given time. Meaning, if you start thinking about a to-do list, you can only easily remember three things later on.
And three things doesn’t sound like that much. Especially if I make those three things about bettering myself and my environment each day.
So three things it is.
Today’s three things:
1. Create a spending tracking system.
2. Clean the mess of clothes and yarn in the bedroom.
3. Exercise for 20 minutes.
The path not taken.
06 May 2010 4 Comments
A few nights ago I had a dream where I was back in college. That in itself is not unusual since I still seem to have those “you failed out of one class and didn’t actually graduate” dreams every so often. But the interesting thing about the dream the other night was that I had only a few weeks to complete a final project for a class. And as the professor handed out the assignment I squealed with glee: the assignment was to knit a shawl of more than 1000 yards and then donate it to a charity for auction.
When I woke up I mulled this dream over, thinking how cool it would have been if that had actually been a possible final back when I was in school. And then I started thinking about what I actually pursued in school (and in grad school) and wondered if maybe I zigged when I should have zagged.
Do you ever contemplate the path(s) not taken in life? In general when I make decisions, I am confident that I make the best possible decision at THAT POINT IN TIME given the information that I have. But then there’s hindsight, and years of experience and external influence and so many other things that change the way I see things. What might my life have been like if instead I had pursued textiles and fiber arts? Might I have an MFA today? Might I be working in a career that I love, or struggling to find a job with a degree that doesn’t always have economic applications?
Who knows?
CupCable
05 May 2010 Leave a Comment
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Thirty-two.
05 May 2010 3 Comments
It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining and it’s Spring. My boss brought in 2 dozen cupcakes and my wonderful husband is taking me to dinner tonight. I think thirty-two is going to be a good year.
Have a margarita and enjoy the day!
