SFS Socks Complete!
Yesterday when i returned home I found that my beloved mail man had delivered the scrap of sock yarn that I needed in order to ccomplete my very first pair of BBS (Big Black Socks) for the Socks for Soldiers group. They are done and now just need to be laundered so that I can ship them out to my soldier. Now I need to order some more yarn so that I can crank out some more pairs. It really feels good to know that they are bringing comfort and love to our soldiers who are so far from home and in harm's way. It seems so silly and such a small gesture, but I believe it makes a difference to the one receiving and wearing the socks.
Does it ever really freak you out when you do one of these quizzes on a whim (I loves me a good quiz) and it turns out that the results are disturbingly accurate?
Well, I found this quiz whilst blog-hopping and I decided to take it. Here are my results:
You're Babar the King!
by Jean de Brunhoff Though your life has been filled with struggle and sadness of late,
you're personally doing quite well for yourself. All this success brings responsibility,
though, and should not be taken lightly. Life has turned from war to peace, from damage
to reconstruction, and this brings a bright new hope for everyone you know. These hopeful
people look to you for guidance, and your best advice to them is to watch out for snakes.
You're quite fond of the name "Celeste".
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
May 7, 2008 9:09 AM
For the fourth year in a row I attended the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I had a lovely time despite the fact that I did not spend much money. I am not really a yarn stasher. I purchase yarn for a particular project and then I use it, so I've never been one to just buy tons of yarn and let it sit around waiting to be used. I went with the intention of buying some more Koigu KPPPM to finish up a shawl I started two years ago. I ran out of yarn and then the Koigu folks did not show up last year. I waded into the crowded booth and snagged the few more skeins I needed and then got out of there. I also found some lovely sage green rayon to make the lace ribbon scarf that I have had my eye on at Knitty.com for awhile.
The highlight of my day was the Ravlery.com meetup. I met so many local Ravelers and bloggers as well as some friends that I don't get to see very often. I did not bring my camera, but here's a link to
CiCi and Chelette's blog where they took a picture of me working on my shawl. I can't believe that we didn't take a picture together! Anyway, it was a delightful way to spend my birthday.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love knitters??? I got down to about an inch away from the toe on my second Big Black sock for the Socks for Soldiers project when I ran out of yarn.
I sent a pitiful message to the forums asking is anyone had leftover black KnitPicks Essentials, and sure enough, Michelle has a few leftover balls and she was nice enough to pop one in the mail for me. Now I can finish the sock, wash them and send them off to my adopted soldier in Iraq. Michelle, I'm sending you big hugs! I'll send her back a little surprise for her kindness.
April 30, 2008 10:19 AM
Today I am still basking in the rosy glow of two very successful events at work yesterday. In the morning I hosted our quarterly board meeting in a hotel conference center, and then in the afternoon we had a reception at an Embassy. There were so many moving parts in preparing for these two big events, and there was a lot of overtime, working weekends and waking up in the middle of the night worrying about one detail or another. But during the preparations, I made an effort to visualize a successful outcome for both events. When things got hectic in the planning I tried to envision how good and relieved I wanted to feel after the event was over, and that really worked. Everything seemed to flow very elegantly. We had lovely weather, the meeting went well, the recption was beautiful and well attended, and the honorees were pleased with their gifts. I left work late after everything was over and I had a huge smile on my face as I breathed a contented sigh of relief. Life is good.
I've been working away on my BBS (big Black Socks) for my 'Operation Shoebox' soldier. I am knitting them concurrently, so as to avoid the dreaded 'second sock syndrome.' I did the legs using the 2 socks on one long circ. method, but after awhile, all of the yanking of the cable got on my nerves, so when I got to the foot part, I am knitting them one at a time. I am almost halfway through the first foot, and when I finish the first sock, the heel is already turned on the second one, so that should be a breeze to finish. It's good metro knitting because its pure stockinette. I can knit stockinette without looking at it, so I make lots of speedy progress. Here's a picture of my first official BBS for the soldiers:
I almost always knit on the train, and a few weeks ago I got this note on Ravelry that made me giggle about what a small world it is:
"Hi !
I saw you on the train knitting yesterday as I was on my way home from work. I was riding with one of my co-workers. It was between federal triangle and l’enfant plaza. I don’t know if you remember me making a comment that you knit very fast. It’s so funny because I came home and told my mom that there was somebody on the train knitting very fast and she was logged on to ravelry at the time and I just happened to see you on her friend list. I said, “that’s the lady that was knitting so fast!” My mom says you are an expert knitter. :-) I am new to ravelry as my mom and aunt worried me to death about joining. What a small world. Have a great day!
isha
How awesome is that? Anyway, knitting helps me to relax and dissolve the tension in that space between work and home, so whenever I can get a seat I whip out the knitting and start clicking away.
I'm looking forward to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival this weekend. It's always held on the first weekend in May, and this year it actually falls on my birthday, which is Saturday, so it will feel that much more special for me. Ravelry is having a big party there at the festival, so I'm looking forward to meeting up with some of my local Ravelry friends.
April 20, 2008 10:00 AM
I really can't believe that its been a whole month since I've updated the blog. I have been writing--and doing lots of it. I have a page on a social networking that's part of the ning network. I kind of hesitate to share the name of it because already we've been growing by leaps and bounds lately. I really like the size of the network now. There are lots of cool people who actually contribute and make it a fun place to hang out, network around topics like writing, publishing and artwork. We also have some musicians and then some folks who are just there to enjoy the vibe. It's called The People's Lounge. This month we are celebrating April as National Poetry Month. We are doing this big collaborative poem where one person, Angee, starts each day's poems off by deciding on a theme and then we all contribute a few stanzas to the poem. There are a few of us who have written a poem every day and others who just drop in occaisionally. After April is over we are going to publish the collaborated poem in a book and offer it for sale contributing a per centage of the proceeds to a charity. So, that project has been occupying a lot of my attention lately.
I also discovered Twitter, and that has ben a fun diversion throughout my workday. It's like an online water cooler where you can micro-blog in real time with people all over the world. You get 140 characters to say 'What are you doing now?" folks share links to cool stuff they've found, news stories, or just chat about their day. Sounds odd, but it's fun. I caught up with an old work mate from ten years ago on Twitter and now we can stay in touch almost everyday despite the fact that he now lves in Utah. I also got a lead on a writing gig on Twitter. You get to choose who you follow, and you can block those who you don't want following you, or set your updates to private so that you control who follows you completely. If you like it, it can get to be a bit addictive, but there are those who don't get it and think its just a waste of time. You be the judge.
My newest knitting project is making socks for soldiers. I am handknitting socks that will be sent to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. When I heard Kelly Petkun talking about this project on her Knitpicks podcast, I googled it and found the yahoo group. This is a dedicated group of mostly women who handknit socks that get sent to troops on the battlefield. Yes, we know that it would be easier and cheaper to go to Target and buy a bunch of black socks and mail them over there--and there is another socks for soldeirs group that does exctly that-- this group purpusefully hand knits these socks as a labor of love, so that when the troops receive a pair of handknit socks they will understand that we are truly supporting them and that we want them to experience the luxurious comfort of handknit socks while they defend our freedom. I signed up for operation shoebox, so I have my own troop to send stuff to. They enjoy receiving things like handwipes, chapstick, powdered drink mixes, snacks, jerky, etc. I have my first pair of Big Black Socks (BBS) on the needles now. I am doing them two at a time on a long size one circular needle. This first pair will go to my soldier, and subsequent pairs will go to the socks for soldiers group. I'm humbled to be able to do this and it helps me feel like I am actually doing something constructive rather than just complaining about how this war will never end.
Here's some info about the group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sockforsoldiers
The requirements for knitting a pair of Big Black Socks are pretty straightforward:
* They must be black.
* They need to be high enough to go over top the boot by several inches (11 inches is good).
* They must fit without drooping, so use elastic in the cuff.
* They must be very absorbent, since most soldiers wear their socks for 24 hours at a time.
* The yarn must be a wool or wool-cotton blend.
* You have to make them using a simple pattern.
Please don't confuse this Socks for Soldiers with another worthy charity of the same name that provides soldiers with ready-made socks rather than knitted ones. Their website can be found here.
http://www.socksforsoldiers.com
I have also started a sweater/coat that I fell in love with in the Vogue 25th anniversary edition. It's designed by Norah Gaughn and it's made in triangular shaped pieces. I'll try to post a picture. I'm kntting it in Knitpicks Swish Superwash worsted and I am trying out the new options colorful needles. I figure if I start on this now I will have it completed by the time fall rolls around. I plan to put a lining in it and use it as a fall jacket.
March 18, 2008 5:00 PM
This is why Barack Obmama has my vote:
March 17, 2008 12:30 PMHappy St. Patrick's Day!
Each year on St. Patty's Day I get a giggle when I tell people that I'm part Irish 'cause I really am. I finally stopped wearing my 'Kiss me I'm Irish' button (whew!) every year. I guess I hold an affection for the day because I grew up in the Boston area and I attended an Irish Catholic school when St. Patrick's day was actually celebrated as a Holy day. Here in D.C. it was celebrated in a rolling fashion thoughout the weekend largely as a drinking fest. I had the pleasure of sharing a Metro car with an Irish Drinking team on their way to the Shamrock Festival. They were all wearing green plaid kilts and some had even dyed their hair a bright Kelly green. It was Friday morning and from the smell of them, they had already started celebrating the holiday. Good times.
On Saturday, I took the girls to see the Harlem Globetrotters" at the Verizon Center. Actually, a friend who's company has a suite at the Verizon Center offered the girls and me tickets to the game. We stopped at 'Will Call' and picked up our tickets and then rode the escalator up to the third level where the suite was located. It was like a little living room with a bar, 3 TV's, and a private bath, and then two rows of seats facing the arena floor. We could see all of the action from our perch. There was all kinds of food and drinks and we had a lovely time. My girls, who are not really huge basketball fans, mostly watched the Disney Channel on one of the TV's and ate their weight in hot dogs, chips and popcorn. I had a lovely time at the game, and as we were leaving the Verizon Center, Jordan said, "Mommy, we should come back sometime and do this again!" Now my girls have been completely spoiled and they will not want to sit in regular seats ever again.
March 9, 2008 1:30 PMA Satisfying FO
I have been working on this lace scarf on and off since early January. I used Cherry Tree Hill Suri Alpaca laceweight yarn on #4 babmoo needles in the 'Life's a Beach' colorway. Cherry tree Hill Yarns describes the colorway in this way:
"Summertime on the water—golden sun, turquoise sky and lots of green in between." I worked on this scarf during my commutes back and forth from home to work on the Metro. The bright, cheery green color inspired me on some of those bitter wither mornings when the world was grey. This colorway reminded me that Spring was yet on her way to transform the world I see from a drab gray to a vibrant green again. I was able to quickly memorize the leaf lace pattern, so I could knit on it without consulting the chart. It's a gift for someone else, so I will not get to wear it, but I send it off to it's new home imbued with the prayers and good wishes of a few weeks of my life. I trust that the receiver will wear it in good health and happiness and as the winter gives way to Spring.
Here's a picture of the scarf as a rumpled mess when it came off the needles:
Here it is all blocked and beautiful:
Isn't lace knitting magical?
March 4, 2008 7:35 PM
I'm glad to be back home after a four-day business trip to Miami. When I left DC on Thursday with my team it was 23 degrees here. When we arrived in Miami it was a balmy (to us) 74 degrees. The locals, however were wearing sweaters and shivering and apologizing for the chilly weather. It was breezy, but the sun was bright and warm. Our events were being held at the Ritz Carlton, Key Bicayne. This was my first stay at a Ritz property and I was duly impressed. Everything was luxurious and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. Luis, one of the concierges that was assigned to us went above and beyond to meet our needs.
The rooms were just fabulous, and if I could have taken that heavenly king-sized be home with me, I would have. I slept like an angel on a cloud. They have a great gym in the spa, which I used every morning except for Sunday. I had a view of the ocean from my veranda, so I snapped a sunrise picture on my first morning in Miami.
The food at the Ritz was also fantastic. I have brought the two extra pounds home on my butt to prove it. All of our events went well with no major issues. As part of our events we had a party on the beach with this great party band providing lots of Caribbean style music. We danced and had a good time. On Saturday evening I rode in my first (hopefully not last) motorcade with police escort. We took a ride from the hotel on Key Biscayne to a party at a private home on Miami Beach. The motorcycle cops rode ahead of us and cleared intersections and kept other cars away from the motorcade vehicles. It was very exciting, and made me fantasize about having my own private police detail to help me move through traffic. Wouldn't that be fun?
So, I spent the entire weekend working long hours, but every chance I got I snuck out to the beach. It never got warm enought for me to get into one of the three pools, but I did enjoy a long walk on the beach before we left. I will say that the Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne has eraned every one of its five stars. I'd defintely recommend it. Unfortunately, now I've been spoiled by the very best. There will simply be no pleasing me after having experienced the hospitality and luxury at the Ritz.
When our plane landed on Sunday night, my team members were calling their spouses to come and pick them up from the airport. I'm the only single one on the team, and I wistfully thought of how nice it would be to have someone to pick me up. But I let that go and headed for my car in the parking garage. As I was walking along the concourse, I became aware that someone was walking very close by my side. I tried to quicken my step, but my bags were cumbersome and I was both sleepy and had to go to the bathroom I just swallowed hard and kept on moving. Finally he stepped out ahead and stopped me and it turned out to be a good friend of mine who decided to surprise me by meeting my flight. When I saw that it was him I was so relieved and happy that I gave him a huge hug. It really meant a lot to me for him to come out late on a Sunday evening to welcome me home. What a perfect ending for my trip.
February 21, 2008 09:32 AM
Earlier this week I was watching Jim Carrey, whom I love dearly, on the Oprah show plugging his new movie, Horton Hears a Who. He was talking to Oprah about his life and he said something that made me sit back and say, "Wow." He said, "I am Heaven." He talked about how heaven is not someplace outside of ourselves that we must strive to reach. Heaven is within each of us. We are, each of us heaven.
And then I was visiting Barack Obama's web site and I saw this quote, "We are the people we have been waiting for." These two phrases have been percolating in my spirit this week. Then last night I had a heart to heart talk with a good friend who is feeling a bit frustrated with where his life is right now. The first part of the piece is inspired by his bit of angst. This morning on my walk to work, this poem spilled out of my mind. So, I share it with the world.
I am Heaven
I trudge along
but my feet make no progress
I labor with no result
my efforts produce nothing more than a well worn rut
my heart aches in its lonliness
It longs to feel that deep connection
with another heart
I question my life
its meaning and purpose
before I reach the brink
the still small voice brings me back
it reminds me that I am heaven
I am heaven
I am an instrument of the divine
I am peace seeking its fullest expression
With a thought I create a world
My mind is a womb
nurturing ideas
bearing the fruit of my intentions
I am heaven
I echo the wisdom of the sages
I am filled with the enthusiasm
of a child
My feet have grown wings
to carry me forward
My heart has re-discovered its eternal connection
to the divine
now it no longer yearns but abides in joy
I am heaven
I live in the flow
I am a hollow reed
The shadow has no hold on me
freedom is my birthright
My destiny I complete
I am heaven
I am the one I have been waiting for
Copyright 2008 Evelyn Bourne February 16, 2008 09:42 PM
Life Goes On
John Mellencamp had a song in the 80's called, 'Jack and Diane,' and the chorus went something like:
"Oh yeah, they say life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone."
As I go through life and have experiences I find that this is indeed true. Both physical and emotional wounds heal layer by layer. Sometimes, when you think that you've made some significant progress towards healing something will happen to reveal that you still have a ways to go. Today I had a bit of an emotional setback, which put me in a bit of a funk. I did my best to try to tough it out and rise above, but sometimes when the rough patch appears you have to just go through it. And so I did. It occurred to me that if I had any intersting vices like drugs or alcohol, this could have sent me on a three-day bender. I contemplated making a run to drown my sorrow in a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Instead, I decided to go for a walk. I chose to not add insult to injury by sabotaging my weight loss progress by indulging in behavior that while momentarily might make me feel good, but would result in guilt, regret and self-loathing in the morning. So, I chose to power-walk it off. I strapped on my ipod and walked for a little over an hour letting the weak, mid-winter sun shine on my face and the chilly breeze remind me that I am yet living and God willing I will get over this. The walk did me a lot of good and I returned home filled with endorphins and a fresh outlook on my situation. Yes, John, life does go on long after the thrill is gone. But I have confidence that the thrill will return and I will be ready for it when it does.
So, tonight as I sit here, my heart goes out to those who have their own pain be it physical or emotional. Life sucks sometimes, but, as sappy and lame as it sounds, joy does come in the morning. Going through struggles can be lonely and difficult. I pray for courage and comfort and strength in abundance for those who are facing tough times. Mamma always said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and it's true. I'll add that in times of struggle you almost always find that you posess more strength than you thought you had. The thrill might be gone for now, but life does go on and it is still a blessing.
February 13, 2008 09:20 AM
Valentine's Day is upon us, and I was feeling in the mood, so I whipped up a few facecloths to celebrate. Over the weekend I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I was able to get in some uninterupted knitting time, which for me is a rare thing. These little cloths can be whipped up in no time and they are so much fun to do.
This circular lacy cloth is one of my favorite washcloth/dishcloth patterns and I've made many of them. It will go to my step-mother, who likes my hand made discloths. I remember once standing at her sink and seeing one of my cloths used to the point where it was almost disintegrated. I felt guilty and quickly made her a replacement.
I found a link to this adorable pattern on Ravelry, my new fave knitting hangout on the web. Designed by KrisKnits, this cloth is called "Be My Dishcloth," and it was fun to make and the pattern easy to follow. This one will go to my February swap partner for my discloth swap group on Ravelry.
This pattern I improvised as I went and designed it on the needles. I wanted a simple heart outline in YO's and despite the fact that it's a bit bunchy at the top of the hearts, I think it came out OK. This one will be going to my daughter who is away at college. I made her up a little Valentine's Day care package and included this cloth.
This "Heart Lace Cloth" designed by smariek knits was fun to knit as well, but I hope that the lacy bits hold up to being used as a facecloth.
It is my hope that everyone makes an effort to show those around them how much you love them on Valentine's Day and every day. I remember when I was younger and single I was a bit bitter about Valentine's Day. But the older I get the more I realize just how important--if not vital love and a sense of connection to others is in our lives. We often neglect to show those we love the most just how much we care about them. Conversely, I don't think it makes sense to feel obligated to give someone a gift just because it is Valentine's Day. You should always give sincerely from your heart. When you give your loved one a gift try to think about how your life would be different if you did not have that person in your life anymore. We need to cherish our loved ones while we have the chance because tomorrow is not promised.
If you are at a point in your relationship where the grass is looking greener elsewhere just keep in mind that grass that is cared for and watered is green. Make an effort to step up your own game and see what kind of effect that has on your partner. Nourish your relationships because it is our bonded connections with other people that makes this life worth living.
Have a Happy, Loving, Valentine's Day!
January 29, 2008 04:30 AM
I've been a vegetarian for the past eleven years, and while I'm not a militant veg who shuns leather and marches with signs, more and more I am seeing how much sense a vegetarian diet makes. But, each person makes their own choices in life. I'm just sharing a bit about mine. I recently heard Sharon Gannon say something to the effect that the fork is the most widely used weapon of mass destruction in this country. Americans are largely unaware of and uninformed about where their food comes from. It is my firm belief that if most meat-eaters were given a tour of a chicken farm or a cattle feedlot they would be outraged at how animals are treated, and mortified to see the way they die so that people can eat of their meat.
I'm not going down the path of trying to make people feel guilty for eating meat, but I'm encouraging you to give some thought to your food choices.
When I decided to become a vegetarian I tried an experiment. I would stop eating meat for just one month and see how I felt and then I would decide if I would make a permanent change. Well, in less than two weeks I felt so much better, I had improved energy, my skin was softer and more vibrant, I lost about eight pounds that month and by the third week I knew I'd never go back to eating meat.
Here's a great site with lots of recipes and resources for vegetarians and for those who are considering trying the vegetarian lifestyle: Veg Cooking.
January 16, 2008 09:52 AM
OK, so here's how much of a knitting geek I am. ;-) I Just love Ravelry, and one of my fave things to do when I'm browsing goofing off on ravelry is to go to the 'people' tab and check out the most recent (Finished Objects) FO's. The thing I like about this is the variety of items that people are cranking out. You can see socks, sweaters, fingerless gloves mittens, adorable baby items--all things that people from all over the world are cranking out on their needles and hooks and then photographing them and sharing them with the rest of us. Few things make me giggle as much as when I complete an FO, and I popo it up on Ravelry. I then quickly click over to the 'people' tab so that I can see my particular FO up there with the rest. Yes, lame, I know. But it's fun to see your stuff out there where everybody can see it. If any other Ravelry enthusiasts are reading this, it's really so much fun when something you've made gets chosen as a favorite, or when someone makes a comment. I try to always leave a comment or favorite the things that I like 'cause I know how thrilling it is to get that kind of feedback.
My second FO's of the year is a pair of fingerless mittens. These were knit from a Rasberry colored wool blend yarn for my swap partner. I actually started a pair of fingerless gloves about ten days ago in a lovely lavender/purple/pink colorway of my beloved Koigu, but, I ran out of yarn mid-way through the second mitt. I had to scramble to make another pair to meet the deadline, so I chose a bulky yarn that would work up quickly. I designed them on the needles as I went starting with a simple 2x2 rib. I used size 8dpns to make a nice, tight fabric. I added the thumb and then applied i-cord to the hand and the thumb. I managed to crank them out over the weekend and they are on their way to their new home.
January 2, 2008 2:56 PM
Here's my first FO of the year:
It's a cotton dishcloth for a swap I've joined on Ravelry. I have had the pattern for so many years that I can't find it online anymore. However, I did find one that is very similar here. I used some pretty orange cotton yarn from my stash, but it had lost its ball band, so I don't know the brand.
January 1, 2008 8:45 AM
Happy New Year! I did not stay up last night and toast the new year, so I woke up this morning feeling especially bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take on the new year with lots of energy and enthusiasm. I feel really good about this year. I am in a really good place in my life and I am excited about all that I am learning and the progress that I am making towards my goals.
I am not one who really makes New Year's resolutions because it seems fruitless. Instead I do my best to just keep moving forward. There is just something special about the first day of the year. At the risk of sounding corny it just feels so full of possibility with almost a magical quality about it. I am anticipating lots of exciting developments this year along with the challenges that are sure to accompany them. But I have faith that God will be with me through it all.
My major focus right now is to buy a house. I live with my girls in a teeny apartment where we have been living since the divorce. I've been working at my new job for almost six months now, and I've been saving but otherwise not really taking any action. Last week I decided to attend a homebuying workshop and now I have been energized to pursue buying a house by spring of this year.
In November I re-committed myself to reaching my weight loss and health increase goals and since then I have lost ten pounds. I have been walking for an hour each day when weather permits. I am not dedicated enough to go for a walk when it is cold and rainy, so on icky weather days I work out inside. My fitness routines these days involve yoga, and weight lifting. I'm feeling good and strong and I'm down a dress size.
I did a little bit of holiday knitting this year. I used up some stash because I've been on a mission to save my money for the house. I made 2 Tudora neck warmers from the new Knitty. One of them was for my mom made in red Brown Sheep worsted, and the other for my daughter in a purple heathery Merino for which I do not have a ball band. I finished the lacy shawl that I was working on using the Harmony lace weight. (there's a picture of the shawl in progress in an earlier post) I started using the Icarus pattern from IK, but I never did switch from the simple YO vertical lines to the intricate lace pattern. When I got close to the end I added the lace border and bound off. I think it came out just lovely.
I also made a pair of Traveling Lace socks of a baby Alpaca, Merino, Cashmere blend for my mom because she loves an appreciates and will hand wash hand made socks. I made the Baby Bolero and lacy baby cap from the One Skein book in a soft lavendar Aurora 8 for my neice who is due to deliver a baby girl at any moment.
I used up some leftover Knitpicks laceweight and whipped up a Branching Out scarf for my boss. I highly recommend this pattern if you need a quick, but lovely gift. I finished it in two evenings of knitting and it was beautiful. For myself I started making a pair of the fabulous Cookie A.'s Twisted Flower Socks, but as I approached the heel turn I was so enamored of the beautiful pattern that I decided that these did not want to be socks hidden away on my feet, inside my boots and under my pants. This lovely garment wanted to be transformed into gloves--fingerless gloves that would keep my hands warm while I work in my drafty office, and be visible and admired. So, I tweaked the pattern and the sock became a glove. Finally, I started another Cookie A. sock pattern called Mona, using the Knitpicks silk/wool blend sock yarn. I finshed my Tilted Duster from the Fall IK, but I still need to take pictures of it. My poor Ravelry account has been sorely neglected as has this blog, but I have been knitting a blue streak nonetheless.
My prayer for everyone is that you would be happy, blessed and take the time to enjoy your life. All we have is right now, so we must do our best to make the most of every opportunity. Take the time also to encourage someone along the way. Encouragement is free, but it is amazing how much a little bit of encouragement can lift another person up.
Have a blessed, exciting, engaging, grateful, generous, fantastically fabulous New Year!
November 29, 2007 9:15 AM
I have been blessed with a high level of energy. I love life and I like to live it to the fullest. About ten years ago, my grandmother passed away and I was there in the house when she died. Sharing those last moments of her life with her was one of the most beautiful experience I have ever had in my life. After that I gained a new appreciation for life and I completely lost this pervading fear of death that I once had. Now I can honestly say that I really don't fear death. I view my life here on earth as a temporary home. I belive that I am a spiritual being on this earth to enjoy physical and human experiences for a time. When my work here is done and I have let go of this physical form my spirit will continue on.
I must, however, confess that I do have a fear of growing old. I'm not saying that I necessarily want to die young, but when I see the way my grandparents and other older folks are wasting away I feel terrible. I love my granparents with all of my heart, but to see them growing so old and frail fills my heart with fear and sadness.
My mind, my consciousness, my talents and energy and ideas--these are the things that make life interesting for me. I love to learn and question and create and interact with the people around me. It seems like old age slowly takes all of those things away from us. What a terrible curse!
Good health has always been a priority for me. I became a vegetarian about 11 years ago and I do my best to eat a helathy, balance diet. Now that I am getting older I can clearly see just how important it is to be mindful of everything I eat and to exercise and to stay active both physically and mentally. I believe that if you stay in shape and eat right and stay engaged in life you don't have to slip into a frail, demented, helpless state.
I am not afraid of dying. What I fear is dying without having lived a full, rich life all the way to my final breath.
This YouTube video produced by Lizzie Palmer, a 15-year-old girl, has had millions of hits. It's pretty humbling:
November 23, 2007 3:45 PM
I am a day late with my Thanksgiving wishes this year. I decided not to make that long drive home this year, so I celebrated at home with friends and my girls. It was so good to be at home cooking Thanksgiving food in my own kitchen.
So, this year I am very thankful for my my home, for having all of my girls at home with me, for dear friends, for my talents in the kitchen ;-), and for the absolutely balmy weather on Thursday.
I took a break from cooking and went for a walk/run and I believe that it was close to 70 degrees outside.
I hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration. Here is a lovely piece that I thought I'd share:
Be Thankful
Author Unknown
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessing.
November 15, 2007 3:45 PM
Get ready for another one of my blog confessionals. I started Nanowrimo on November first with a big burst of energy and enthusiasm. I settled back into my routine of rising at 5am and writing for a solid hour before waking the girls up and getting them ready for school. I carried on this routine up unitl Tuesday when I hit the proverbial wall. I was thoroughly exhausted and my story was running out of steam. That evening as I stared bleary-eyed at the blinking cursor on my laptop's screen I decided to let it all go. I shut down MS Word and abandoned my Nanowimo writing project. Breathing a deep sigh of relief I felt all of the pressure that I had been putting on myself simply melt away. I went to sleep and decided to get up whenever I wanted to. Instead of writing in the morning, I did yoga. Then a strange thing started to happen. When I was trying to quiet my mind and focus on my breath and on the asanas, my characters began to talk to me. It's like they still had something to say. I began to think about my characters and how they had begun to come alive on the page. I quit writing and breathing life into them when I lost some of that original 'mojo' that I started off with.
Today, as I stood soggy from the wind-swept rain on the Metro I was listening to Barbara DeMarco Barrett's podcast, Writers on Writing. Her guest was Ron Carlson, author of,
Ron Carlson Writes a Story, and he was talking about his book and his writing process. He spoke of the power of simply staying in the room and sticking with it even when it gets hard and you can't seem to find the story. He said that if you stick with it eventually the story will come.
So, armed with this newfound inspiration and encouragement to stick with it, I will return to my piece and see if I can get my characters to speak to me again, and tell me where they plan to take this story. I will relieve myself of the pressure of trying to reach 50,000 words by Nov. 30th. I've been there and done that, so I have nothing to prove to myself on that front. What I know now for sure is that my writing will not improve if I don't keep my butt in the chair and show up on the page. I will need to develop the fortitude to write through the challenges of not enough sleep, my girls pestering me, and my knitting projects calling to me. If I want to write and continue to improve I need to stick with it. So, I am picking up the pen again and I will continue to shape this piece and see what emerges. If I reach 50,000 words by Nov. 30th more's the better. Getting 'Out There' Again
Since my divorce I have seen clearly how perfectly time heals wounds. Two years ago I was depressed and sad and I wasn't sure what would become of my life as a divorced mom with three kids. But now after having learned a painful life lesson I have emerged stronger, much wiser and so much less willing to put up with BS. I believe that life is too short to deal with insincere people who just want to play games. I have a guy friend who, when I told him what I was looking for in a man responded with laughter and said that the Pope is not interested in dating me. He basically told me that I need to lower my standards when it comes to men. I refuse to do so, and so the pickings have been a bit slim. I have been on a few promising dates lately and I am feeling encouraged. It's great to be able to just go out and relax and have an enjoyable time. I am in no hurry to get serious right now. I am simply enjoying being an available single woman. October 31, 2007 9:10 PM
No, I have not completely abandoned my blog. I'm back and as it's the last day of October, I'm gearing up for nanowrimo again this year. Much to my happy surprise, I finished nano last year even after having taken four days off from writing for my visit home for Thanksgiving. So, I'm totally excited about doing it again this year. I have my spreadsheet ready to track my progress, and I'm planning to start going to bed early so that I can rise at 5am and write before I have to get the girls ready for school and myself ready for work.
I found this lovely video on youtube that will be my anthem for the month:
Pray for me, ya'll. I'm getting readyt to take the plunge. There will not be much knitting progress because I have a rule that in November I can only knit if I have satisfied my daily work count goal. September 9, 2007 8:15 PM
My middle child, Leila, my non-diva-princess, practical, creative, artistic spirit, made her momma proud yesterday by asking me to show her how to knit socks. She's nine, and learned to knit when she was four, so I thought, "Why not?" I found a spare ball of yarn and dpn's and I had her cast on. I ended up joining the round because this little maneuver is still tricky for me despite my thirty-plus years of experience. She watched as I joined the stitches to form a loop with no twisting, and then I told her do K2, P2 ribbing for an inch. She caught on to knitting on 4 dpn's very easily. Once, after she put the work down and then picked it up again later to resume knitting, she made a common goof--she knit back across the work creating a gap. She saw that she had goofed and asked me to show her how to fix it. I did, ans she's off to finish up her first sock. I can't wait 'til we get to the heel turn. That's the 'magic moment' of sock knitting when a simple tube of knitting gets transformed into a shape that will fit your foot.
Here's a picture of her nimble fingers clicking away on her fisrt sock:
Here is a picture of a Monkey Sock in progress for the Monkey SOck Swap. I'm using some Trekking from my stash in colors that my swap partner said she likes. This week I'll be on the lookout for some monkey items to add to my swap package.
This shawl is a holiday gift that I'm getting a jump on. It's an Icarus Shawl using the finest laceweight I've ever worked with on size 1 US circs. It's my current Metro knitting project, but soon when I get to the lace charts I will keep it at home. It's too difficult to juggle both knitting and a chart on my lap when I'm knitting on the train. I love the color changes in the yarn, but I do hope that the lace work does not get lost in the stripes.
This little purse and knitted cupcake were also for swaps on swap-bot. These patterns can both be found in the One Skein Knitting book.
Finally, I finished the Luna Moth Lace shawl from elann's free shawl patterns. This is the pre-blocking photo, ans, silly me, I was so excited when it was done blocking that I wrapped it up and sent it along without taking a final picture. It was lovely. It never gets old, that magical moment when the crumpled up piece of knitting transforms itself into a lacey thing of beauty. As Brenda Dayne of Cast On fame says, "It's like crack." August 26, 2007 5:53 PM
The end of the summer has been a blurrrrr. I got my eldest child moved into her dormitory along with 800 other Freshman women last Sunday in the chilly rain. Tomorrow marks her first day of college and my youngest child's first day of Kindergarten. The range of emotion is difficult to describe.
Needless to say I have been knitting to save my sanity. My favorite project has been a prayer shawl that I am designing for another swap. I have been knitting mostly on very small things because life has been so frantic lately and I have not had much time, energy, or focus to work on anything big. After snagging a copy of the fall Vogue Knitting, I have been sufficiently inspired to knit Norah Gaughan's design #30 cabled coat. I will also whip up Nicky Epstein's Flower Scarf 'caus I just **love** me some Nicky Epstein.
Before I get booted from the Monkey Sock Swap, here is a link to my questionnaire" My Monkey Sock Swap questionnaire answers.
August 8, 2007 10:19 PMHow Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton Have Made My Job as a Mother So Much Easier
As a mother of three beautiful, smart, impressionable daughters it has been interesting to see how the stories of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton have played out. These media darlings who seem to be simply famous for being famous (nice work, if you can get it, no?) have made embarrassing spectacles of themselves for the whole world to see. Their reckless exploits and the unfortunate consequences have been fodder for great object lessons for teaching my girls what NOT to do with their lives.
I can distinctly remember my so boring life as a teenager, and how my mom kept a very short leash on my sisters and me. I did not go on my first date 'til I was 18-years-old. We were home schooled, so we didn't even have the exposure of being around other typical teens our age. I remember thinking that those 'wild' girls were having much more fun that I was having sitting home on a Saturday night knitting or sewing and watching TV at home with my family. I longed to go out to the clubs and have adoring boyfriends and wear cool clothes--essentially the Britney/Lindsay/Paris lifestyle. But what my parents lacked in wealth they made up for in strict discipline, so I had no social life to speak of. Through my teen years my sisters and I whined about how much our lives sucked.
Now I look at the lives of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton and I see what that lifestyle has earned them and I show my girls that these young women are living proof of the fact that you reap what you sow. If you drink and do drugs and drive recklessly, you will go to jail and ruin your life. They are seeing firsthand that maybe that lifestyle is not so envious after all.
It is my hope that by observing these girls and how their present bad actions and foolish choices are affecting their future, maybe my girls will not envy them, but rather be proud of who they are as individuals and what special blessings their lives bring to this world.
While I am doing my best to be a more balanced parent and not be so strict that they are forced to rebel to experience any kind of freedom, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are helping me to show my girls that the party girl lifestyle is not always what it's portrayed to be.
As a mother when I look at those young women who are squandering all of the exposure they get I feel for them and I hope that they will soon get all of this wildness out of their systems and find a way to live their lives in a more balanced, productive way.
So, I guess I have to say thanks to Britney, Lindsay and Paris. Your exploits are making my task as the mother of three daughters a bit easier. July 7, 2007 9:34 PMCollege First Steps
I survived college orientation weekend! In fact, I am proud of how I handled everything. I did not get weepy at all--not even when I was in the alone on the way home. I will say that I am prouf of my daughter and how poised and mature she is. She maintains a sense of decorum and grace that are beyond her years. When I looked at some of the other young ladies and they way they were dressed and the way they were acting in the presence of the young men there I was embarrassed for them. I shared my advice with her about how to handle herself, but I am confident that she will be fine.
She tends to be a bit shy, and like me, she does not have a lot of friends, but a small number of very close friends. Because her campus is so close, I hope to be able to drive up there occaisionally and visit her and have dinner, or go shopping together every so often.
When I went away to college, my mother packed up and moved to San Diego, so I really had no home to go and visit during Thanksgiving and the holidays because I could not afford a plane ticket. I plan to make sure that Brianna and I stay close and that she feels completely supported.
I consider all of this as a training exercise for when I have to do it again when Leila is older, and then again for Jordan. Oh, the joy.
These are some things that I know for sure--that I have learned in my almost eighteen years as a parent, with the majority of those being spent as a sinlge parent. I have come to the conclusion that there comes a time in the life of a parent when you have to step back and let your children go. If you have done your assigned work, then you should have nothing to worry about because their lives are in God's hands anyway. You should feel confident that they will have gained the ability to act on what you have taught them over the years and make the best decisions. You have to resign yourself to the fact that you can't protect them from everything in life. They will make their own mistakes and they will either learn from those mistakes, or they will not learn from them, but either way you have to let them do it on their own. I am learning that it is important for me to stay in touch, and to be here when she needs me, but I have had to let go the reins and allow her to begin to chart her own path. I will continue to be here to support her and pray for her and be a listening ear, but gone are the days of shaking my finger, laying down the law and issuing ultimatums. It's an adjustment fro me, and I have found myself biting my tongue and stopping myself from saying something that I have though better of later. This is also a chance for me to grow into new areas of being a parent. Sometimes stretching and growing is a little painful, but the harvest is indeed worth the struggle.
For all of you parents who are sending your children off to college, you are in my prayers as I hope that I am in yours. Now is harvest time. Now we get to see if the foundation we laid in their lives will stand. Now are the days when we will hopefull beam with pride as they go out and make their own way.
File this one under, "It's an EXTREMELY Small World." While I was in the main session for Brainna's Freshman orientation program, they gave out various prizes. They gave prizes to the students who had traveled the farthest to attend the event, and they had prizes for the three sets of identical twins in the class.
Well, yours truly also received a prize because I was the first one to get my application in for the Freshman orientation program. I was mortified with embarrassment because they asked me to come all the way up on stage to receive my gift, which was a university mug. When I returned to my seat the man seated a few seats down from us on our row leaned over and said to me, "By any chance were you in Fort Washington last week with a flat tire?" Sure enough. Last week I went to a party with some friends in Fort Washington. When we were a few blocks away, a driver motioned to us that the front left tire was flat. We wobbled our way to the party and then I called the auto club to come and change my tire for me. (I would have done it myself, but I was all dressed up for the party and had a fresh manicure) The auto club sent a woman and she called me when she arrived to fix my tire. I met her at my car and I watched as she very quickly and efficiently set to changing my tire as if she were on the pit crew at Nascar. I stood there chatting with her as she worked when a very friendly neighbor came over and said, "Oh, here, let me get that for you," he was offering to change the tire for me. I thanked hom profusely and I said, "No, she knows what she is doing. She's getting paid to do this." But I was absolutely thrilled that someone would offer to change my tire for me. This young woman had the tires changed and was on her way in less than ten minutes. I was impressed. So, how weird was it that now I'm seeing this guy, who also has an incoming Freshman son who will be attending the same university as my daughter. (Insert Twilight Zone music here)
July 7, 2007 9:34 PM
So, I ripped out some socks that I was working on back to the toe, and then I decided to knit Mama Monkey's Carolina socks, but I modified the pattern so that I could knit it from the toe up since that seems to be my inclination these days. The yarn is 50/50 Merino/Tencel that I wrote about yesterday. I just love these colors, and the pattern is looking really good. I just love the ribby texture. Here's what I've got so far:
Tomorrow I take my girl up to college for Freshman orientation. This is all so surreal I just can't get my head around it. I will go to the parent events and then leave her there on campus until Wednesday. She will be able to meet some new people, get a chance to find her way around campus and get registered for classes before the big rush. I am happy for her and incredibly proud of her, but I can't imagine what I am going to do without my girl. I am going to stop writing baout this now before I start to cry. I am determined not to shed a single tear when I leave her. I will wait 'til I'm in the car alone on the drive home. I want her to enjoy herself and not worry about her basket case mother who can't hold it together. Pray for me ya'll.
July 4, 2007 10:42 PMHappy Indepenence Day!
I hope that everyone is having a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. I spent the day chilling at home with my girls. We have work and camp tomorrow, so we did not want to go far. I am just taking a moment to reflect on how thankful I am to be living here in the United States at this point in history. I am thankful for the freedom that we enjoy and I do not take it for granted. I pray for safety for our armed forces who are in harm's way to protect our way of life--or I guess we have to believe that's what they're fighting for. I support our troops despite the fact that I think this war is absolute insanity. HSKS Swap Haul Mama Turtle sent me the most amazing HSKS kit ever! Here is the amazing bag that she made. It's soft sculpture and it is just fabulous:
Here is a picture of all of the cool stuff she sent. The chocolate has already been half eaten, and my girls tried to steal some fo the jelly beans, but as some of the flavors ar quite different they have left those alone. But the sock yarn, the needles, the beautiful stitch markers, the cuticle cream to pamper my fingers (how did you know?) and the pattern looks fabulous. So, thanks, MamaTurtle. It was a terribly fun swap. Knitting Progress
I have posted a picture of the toe-up sock that I am designing on the needles. It's nothing earth-shatteringly original. I simply inserted a stitch pattern from a stitch dictionary into a basic toe-up sock formula. In this case, the busy nature of the hand dyed yarn fairly obliterates the stitch pattern, so I'll have to do them again in a solid color yarn. Since I snapped this pic I have bound off that sock and finished the toe on sock #2. It has been my custom to always cast on for the second sock the very next moment after I have bound off the first sock. Because these are toe-up socks and I have had trouble with the cuff being too tight in the past I increased some stitches in the last row of the ribbing using needles two sizes larger than I used for the ribbing and then I bound off as loosely as I could using the larger needles. It worked and the sock went right over my foot with no troubles.
My nephew's girlfriend is getting ready to have a baby soon, so I made some tiny baby socks and a little cap using some left over sock yarn. How cute:
The lace shawl that I am working on in the cherry tree hil laceweight is coming along nicely. I have not yet been able to memorize the pattern, so it's been slow going. I can't take it on the train with me because it's too tricky to balance the chart on my lap, so I can only work on it at home when I am alone and have time to knit. Yeah right. Needless to say, this shawl will take me awhile to finish. June 7, 2007 8:42 AMProud Mommy!
I am a mommy who is bursting with pride because my eldest child has graduated from high school! Brianna graduated from one of the top 100 high schools in the United States, she won the Creative Writing Award, and she won the Zora Neale Hurston Essay contest. It's a good day when you smile so much your cheeks start to hurt. She is now chillin' like a villain and counting the days until she starts college in the fall.
Here are some of the pictures that we took at the graduation ceremony:
Here'e a picture of me and the graduate
This is me, my mom and the graduate
Jordan cheesing it up for the camera during the ceremony
Knitting Progress
Here is the photo of the Kiri Shawl that I made using KnitPicks Shimmer lace weight yarn in the Deep Woods colorway.
I used size 3 Addi Bamboo circs to knit the shawl, and the yarn was just a dream to work with. The silk adds just that little bit of tooth and crunch to the shimmery Alpaca. The subtle color changes did not completely obliterate the lace pattern, and the lace pattern was simple enough to let the yarn shine through. I am pleased with this shawl, and I've got my eye on some more Shimmer in the Happy Dance colorway for a shawl for moi.
I am still working on the two pairs of socks in progress that I am designing on the needles using some Merino Tencel that I bought at the MD S&W fest in May, and the other sock yarn I received in a swap. The problem is that I am having trouble with the lace pattern. When you knit it back and forth it does a vertical zig-zag, but when I turned the heel and started doing the lace pattern in the round, it no longer zig-zags but only zigs. Hmmmm. I need to figure out what I am doing wrong and rip back a few rows to fix it.
May 28, 2007 1:46 PMMemorial Day
I started to write 'Happy Memorial Day,' then clumsily remembered that this is not really a holiday to celebrate, rather it is a solemn day set aside to remember our war dead--some as recent as this day--who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have in this country. I do have to work today, as I am temping in a retail shop, but I can still honor the memory of those who died for my freedom.
Neither my father nor my grandfather were in the military, so I don't have any Veterans in my family, but I did have a very close friend when I was in college who was a veteran of the first gulf war. He had plenty of ghosts and dark memories that haunted and tormented him about his fellow soldiers who died. It was difficult for me to see him in such pain, and it was not really something that we talked about much. I remember when he would have his dark days. I would just have to give him his space. I have not talked to Mario for years, but every Memorial Day, I think of him and wonder if he was ever able to put those demons to rest and get on with living. I pray that he has and that he is happy. I pray for all of those who have fought in wars and who are still with us. I pray for those who have lost loved ones in wars that they would find comfort and peace as they grieve their loss. Knitting Progress
I finished the Mother's Day shawl! This year I made a Kiri shawl from Knitpicks Alpaca/Silk laceweight for a special mom in my life. I am going to be vague on the details until she actually has the gift in her hands. I have taken photos of it and I will post them to the blog after the shawl has been received. I am just thrilled with how it came out.
With that FO off the needles, my fingers were itching for another lace project, so I dug through my minimal stash and found a skein of Cherry Tree Hill laceweight in the Martha's Vineyard colorway. I was going to do the feather and fan shawl from A Gathering of Lace, but I never did start it. This past week I learned that another one of my college friends is getting married, so this will be yet another wedding gift shawl. I decided to try something other than an Evelyn A. Clark pattern for a change. (gasp!) I'm making the Luna Moth lace shawl from elann.com's free pattern section. Here's a baby picture of the shawl's progress over the weekend:
I sat and worked on this while the girls played in the park on Sunday afternoon. As we sat I felt a deliciously cool breeze blow through the cloyingly humid afternoon. Suddenly, the partly cloudy sky gave way to very dark, very fast moving clouds rolling across the wide open sky. We could hear the rumbling of thunder off in the distance. As it quickly got dark and the trees began whipping in the wind I gathered up my chil'rens and decided that it might be time to head for home. We passed a group of folks who were cooking out at the park and having a good time. I heard some of them saying, "Naw, it's not gonna rain here." I chuckled to myself a few moments later when we arrived home just in time for the sky to open up and dump a deluge of rain. The wind and the thunder and lightning whipeed up so quickly. I was glad that we got out of that park when we did. The girls sat in the window and watched the storm and tried to sing louder than the rain.
I am trying my hand at some crochet this week. My eldest diva child saw the Hemp Flowers Necklace, by Nora Gaughn in the 2005 Interweave Crochet magazine and wanted one.
So, despite the fact that I can't hardly crochet a lick she wants me to make her one. She thinks that her mommy can make anything if its made with yarn. We'll see. Here's what I have so far: May 20, 2007 7:26 AM
Bri's prom was gloriously uneventful. She looked beautiful in her red dress, her date was adorable, she had a lovely time, and we both lived to tell the tale. Thank you, Lord.
The evening of the prom I attended a banquet with her that was given by a college prep group that she has been working with since 10th grade. They gave out scholarships and had a silent auction. Brianna received a very nice scholarship, which gave her a very wide grin. I am so proud of my girl and how poised and well mannered she is. Of course, now I'm getting all sentimental because she is leaving me now to start branching out on her own. I know that she will do well, but I will miss her more than I realise right now. My baby girl has become a very capable young woman, and I look forward to seeing what she will do with the gifts that she was blessed with. I must take a step back now and let her make her own choices, but I will also be here when she needs me. Now I realise that I will be doing this twice more with my other little women. May 16, 2007 10:46 PM
As my eldest daughter prepares to graduate from High School we are going through the various rites of passage that occur in our culture. This week she has the senior prom, which she is very excited about. Because I was home schooled, I never attended a prom and I did not graduate from high school, so I am enjoying seeing these events up close for the first time.
Yesterday, her high school sponsored a "Prom Promise" breakfast where the parents were invited to come to the school for a formal breakfast. The event was sponsored by the National Capital Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking. They had invited speakers who spoke about how the choices that we make today can have a far reaching impact on our lives and on the lives of those around us. They told horror stories of prom night indiscretions and admonished them to be mindful of the remifications of their choices. Brianna sang a lovely solo, some of her classmates from the Class of 2007 played musical selections and then the students and parents made pledges to one another. Brianna tells me, as I had suspected, that there definitely will be drinking going on despite this whole performance. It's too bad that it often takes a tragedy to get people to change their behavior. Right now they feel like the world is their oyster and that they are invinceable. I pray that God would look out for all of these children and protect them as they make whatever choices they make in the process of maturing from childhood into the adult world.
Pray for me as I sit home biting my nails waiting for her to return home after the prom. I am not worried because I know how she was raised. I have confidence that she will act responsibly and have a lovely time celebrating life, her accomplishments, and her boundless future.
May 6, 2007 12:20 PM
Yesterday I went to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, and for me this was not a banner year. My absolute favorite vendor, the Koigu folks, were not there and I was crushed. I was looking forward to getting my annual Koigu fix, but for some reason, they did not make it this year. So, I wandered around unitl I ran into my knitting buds. We shopped for awhile, but I was pretty uninspired. I did find some very pretty sock yarn from Ellen's Half Pint Farm in Merino and Tencel.
After that I went to meet my peeps for lunch on the grass. We sat and compared purchases and ate our lunch together. We sat with the folks from Stitch DC, and then I went off to my class.
I took Janet Szabo's "Infintely Intersting Cables" class, which was lots of fun. I have been knitting cables since childhood, so I didn't need to take a class, but I have admired Janet's work over the years and I have been planning to buy her book, so I took the class. Here are my swatches that I knit:
I learned something new and had a great time chatting with the other people in the class. When class was over, the temperature had plummeted and it looked like rain, so I headed home.
Here are my answers to the HSKS Swap (a bit late, sorry!)
1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Ravenclaw
2. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
My preferred sock needle is a bamboo dpn size one and two. I also like to do socks on two circs and in that case I prefer Addi Turbos in a 12" length.
4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
No preference, really.
5. If your pal decides to send candies or chocolates are there any that you don't like?
I like chocolate. I like good, plain chocolate--dark or milk with no nuts or creams or fillings.
6. What are your favorite scents?
rose, lavendar, citrus, honeysuckle
7. Do you have any allergies?
No
May 3, 2007 3:15 PMOn Turning 40
Today is my 40th birthday, and even as write this I can't believe it. It's funny how 40 seems old until it happens to you. I am feeling really good, and happy and blessed today. I have accomplished so much in my life and I look forward to all that is in store for me in the future.
I took this pic of myself before I went to bed the night before my birthday. Do you think I was feeling a bit nostalgic for my 30's?
National Day of Prayer
Since this is the first Thursday in May, it is the National Day of Prayer. Although I pray every day, today I am going to say special prayers for our military folks who are fighting and dying in this crazy war. I pray that God would protect them all and return them soon to the safety of their families. I pray that we can find a way to extricate ourselves from this war and let the Iraqi's develop whatever kind of country amd government they want because it's clear that they are not too keen on our way of doing things. So, I guess most of all, I just pray for peace.>br>
I often quote this poem that was written in response to 9/11 when I write about peace because it is so simple and to the point:
"Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists
and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields. . .more
Knitting Progress
I finished my bright, techni-color orange socks for the Socktopia KAL in the waning moments of April.
Now I need to finish the Wine and Roses Mitts from Interweave Knits, and the Kiri shawl that I am knitting with some Knitpicks silk/alpaca lace weight that has been languishing in my stash since last fall. Since I have two moms, I am scambling to finish these for a important holiday coming up in mid-May. New Knitting Podcast from KnitPicks
Kelly Petkun of KnitPicks has put out a new knitting podcast. I listened to it last night and found it just delightful. In this first episode she tells of how she came to the craft of spinning and then to knitting. A later segment reviews some classic must-have knitting books. Take a listen. I'll be subscribing to it in itunes because you just can't have too many knitting podcasts to knit by.
April 28, 2007 10:54 AM
Partners will soon be assigned for the HSKS and geeky as I am I can't wait. Ya'll know how much I enjoy a good swap. ;-)
I've been busily writing and trying to stay out of trouble. I just can't say how much I am enjoying the freedom and flexiblity of working from home. It is pretty solitary, but I like that.
If I should feel like I want to be around people or just have a change of scenery I bring my trusty laptop to the local library or to one of my fave local coffee shops that has free wifi. I must say that I've become a regular at my favorite spot. The staff all know me and I often see the same poeple hanging out there and working and surfing the free wifi.
I have been making some progress on my fire orange socks, but as the month of April is quickly slipping past, they may not be finished in time for the socktopia challenge. I am also working on another lace shawl for an upcoming May holiday and a pair of lacy fingerless gloves for the same occaision. Because I've been so busy with writing I have been keeping my knitting projects fairly small.
Foolishly, I started yet another pair of socks that I am designing on the needles. I received some yummy (literally) looking sock yarn from the etsy.com seller, 'Crash into Ewe' in a swap in the colorway "ice cream," which, btw is one of my fave food groups.< But it was new yarn and so pretty and, well, I was unable to stop myself.
Look what the mail man brough me from another softie swap on swap-bot:
Earlier in the year I was on a doll making kick and I made up some cloth dolls that I was then going to knit clothing for. They have been sitting on my dresser staring at me for months now naked as jaybirds, so I have decided that it's time to clothe the young ladies and send them on their way to be adopted into proper homes. Not every item in their ensembles will be knit, but they will at least have hand knit sweaters or shawls and socks on. These will be in memory of my Nanie who was a doll maker. The dolls she made were mostly baby dolls, and she named each one and dressed it all the way from a real diaper to the real shoes on their feet. Be on the lookout for pictures of the girls as I finish their outfits.
April 18, 2007 11:03 PM
My heart really goes out to the families that lost their children at Virginia Tech on Monday Morning. This story is being covered in the DC Metro area in a wall-to-wall fashion. It's beginning to remind me of September 11th, when it got to the point where I just had to turn the TV off because everything I heard was breaking my heart. It makes me want to take my girls and hold on to them and never let them go. In the fall, I will be saying goodbye to my eldest daighter who will be going off to college. The mothers of the students who were killed did the same thing a few months agao, but they did not expect that they'd be burying their babies before the school year was out. God Bless them all and give them comfort and peace.
Life has been challenging for me lately and I covet your prayers. In my personal life I am dealing with the chellenges of deceptive people who are being hurtful to me and my family. All I can do is pray and ask God to help me to not harbor any negative feelings, but it's not easy. Times get hard sometimes and it serves to remind me that this earth is not my home. I look forward to a time when all of this earthly drama will be set aside and I will be resting in the bosom of my Lord. Until then, I can only pray for these trifling people that have been placed in my path to teach me patience and perseverance. Yarn Dyeing Progress!
Over the weekend, Leila and I experimented with using some leftover Easter egg dyes to dye yarn. I had some blank sock yarn and a bit of natural colored Baby Ull, so we did a little experimenting.
The first batch, came out a teensy bit bright. Don't adjust your screen--yes it's fire orange colored yarn. I am in the April Socktopia KAL and I was going for the "Orange you glad I didn't say Banana," theme where I wanted the yarn to be orange with bits of yellow. Well, the orange took over, and here's what we ended up with:
Then we decided to ty handpainting on the Baby Ull. Since Leila did most of the work, I am making her a pair of fingerless gloves with the yarn.
Finally, we had a crafty day and decided to participate in some ATC swaps. Here's some of what we did:
I have just joined the Hogwart's Sock Kit Swap (HSKS) on swap-bot, my new little hobby/obsession. This swap is not unlike the mitten and sock swaps before it where players will make a bag and then fill it with supplies to knit a pair of socks in the colors of the house of their partner. When you join you are sorted into houses--I'm in Ravenclaw, thank you very much--and the colors of my house are blue and gold. This looks like loads of fun and I can't wait 'til my partner is assigned and I can get started on the bag.
April 11, 2007 9:48 AM
Here it is approaching mid-April and I have not yet blogged. I've been following the story with that cantankerous talk show host and the disparraging remarks he made about the Rutgers women's basketball team. I think that it is incredibly shameful that he has not been fired. I have been impressed with how the women's team and the coach have handled themselves throughout this ugly situation. I look forward to seeing if this well-publicized faux pas has an impact on the way we deal with and discuss issues of race in this country. As a Black woman, I took great offense at his words, but sadly I think that there are many who use such ugly, hurtful words but they were not captured on the national airways. This should serve to remind us that words are containers for power. Be mindful of how you use your words.
Knitting Progress
I have finished the shawl I was knitting for my friend's May wedding in Iris Alpaca Cloud lace weight from KnitPicks. It began as a Flower Basket Shawl, but then I was looking at the Swallowtail Shawl pattern and I decided to switch patterns mid-shawl. I then added the Swallowtail edging and I am pleased with how it came out.
Here's a bit of detail of the edging as it was blocking:
Monkey Socks!
I actually finished the Monkey socks last week, but I didn't get a chance to post pics until now. Take a look:
Brianna bought me a pair of Crocs, because they really show off my fancy socks. They are so very comfy and let my feet breathe. I love my Crocs.
I missed having a lace project going, so I immediately cast on for another shawl, the Kiri Shawl using some Alpaca/Silk laceweight from my stash. It will be a gift for an upcoming holiday which I shall not mention so as not to give away any surprises. I have also been making great progress on my lacy socks using the Baby Cashmere yarn I received in a swap. These may also end up as gifts as well.
March 31, 2007 9:38 PM
Yes, I know I have been a slacker blogger here lately. But jeez, I've beend writing a blue streak, so when I have down time, It seems like writing is the last thing I want to do. I will find a happy balance I am sure, but for now it'll be a challenge for me to keep this thing updated. I do have some plans for this blog. I plan to get a new domain name and renovate the skin and re-launch her. It will just be a personal blog, and then I'll also re-launch my crafty blog and I'll keep the knitting and crafts separate and in its own space. With my writing blog thriving, I'm not sure how I think I'm going to be able to float three blogs at once, but I'm a girl who loves a challenge. It's time to make this baby start paying for itself. I've had this blog for almost eight years, so I hope to be able to find a way to make it generate some revenue for me.
As my fortieth birthday looms closer I am feeling my age. Yesterday I took the day and drove Brianna to an open house at a college she is considering. We had a lovely time, and I realized that it's been far too long since just she and I spent a whole day together. The campus was lovely and they planned a whole program with tours and a chance to talk to current students. She bought a T-shirt, and I think she was inspired. On the way home we passed a coffeehouse called, evelyn's. Brianna tried to take a picture, but I was not able to stop. How goofy to feel so excited just because the cafe bears my name.
I am so proud of my girl. I am both nervous and excited about her going away in the fall. The time is drawing near and it makes me want to hold her more close. But I know that this is the moment that I have been working towards since the day she was born. It's just so bittersweet.
Leila and I have been indulging in a lot of crafty projects. Today we did some emroidery, and then we made some flower pens. Tomorrow I will be finishing up some fabric charms and then I'll have pics of everything.
I am knitting a Flowerbasket lace shawl using Iris Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud lacewieght yarn for my best friend's wedding gift. At forty she is getting married for the first time. I want so much to be happy for her, but my recent bad experience has soured me on marriage more than I had thought. Deep down I am nervous that she will be hurt also, but I am praying that she has found the real thing and that she will be happy and well loved by a man who will be a real man and be faithful to her and to his vows. I do wish her every happiness, but I can't deny that slightly sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Am I a loser, or what? Bad friend.
March 20, 2007 2:55 PMSweet Fweedom!! I'm free
Praise the Lord, I'm free.
No longer bound
No more chains holding me.
My soul is resting.
It's such a blessing.
Praise the Lord,
Hallelujah, I'm free.
These are the words to a song that we sing at my church around altar call time. After the sermon, the pastor calls forth to the altar all those who wish to unburden themselves of their past mistakes , seek God's forgiveness, and move on with their lives enjoying a new level of freedom that comes from forgiveness. This song describes the mood I'm in right now.
Well, I'm here to shout from the rooftops to anyone who'll listen that I'm free!!! Today, the judge granted our divorce, and thirty days from today I will be officially and finally divorced, free and single once again! Hallelujah! Ever since I walked out of the courthouse this afternoon I have had this silly grin on my face and this sense of relief in my soul. I feel freedom and peace.
Five years ago this May I made the biggest mistake of my life, but today that is all water under the bridge, and I'm moving on in joy and peace.
I have forgiven him and I pray that he has forgiven me for whatever mistakes I made while I was his wife. Now, as I sit in the balmy spring sunshine with this silly grin on my face and a much lighter heart, I can look forward with happy anticipation to whatever the future holds for me and my children.
One thing I know for sure is this: I am a whole, complete, blessed child of God. I am sufficient and complete without a man. I will never again look to a man to make me feel complete, to take care of me or to be anything else in my life other than a companion and a friend. So, I move on in a spirit of strength, and with the knowledge that God is truly all that I need. I shall continue to look to Him to fulfill my needs.
I will also take a minute to acknowledge my readers who have really been supportive of me throughout this whole nightmare. I want to give them all a shout-out and say thank you for making me feel less alone in this world at a time when I felt abandoned and betrayed by the one who vowed to be my mate 'til death parted us. Thank you for your encouragement and for indulging me as I lost it for a little while there. This has all been part of the process of healing and correcting the course of my life. I feel good and strong and ready to face what comes next, but ya'll have been a blessing and I just wanted to acknowledge that and simply say thank you.
March 15, 2007 8:18 PM
In between writing projects I have been trying to keep up with my knitting projects. I worked on the knitty monkey socks over the weekend from the Artyarns handpainted SuperMerino sock yarn that I bought the other day.
I finally finished the Joseph Shawl for the Soulful Knitting Ministries that I started in February. I will be mailing this back so that it can be given away.
I have yet another lace shawl on the needles. This is a trial swatch of the Swallowtail Lace Shawl from the Fall 2006 IK. I plan to make it out of Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud Iris Heather colorway. It's going to be a wedding gift for one of my oldest, dearest friends that was my housemate in college. This is her first wedding and I'm thrilled for her. I pray fervently that she has found a good man who will be a good husband to her and a good father figure for her children. So, as I work the lace pattern I will be praying for her and her future happiness and prosperity. I won't be able to attend the wedding, but I will send the shawl filled with my affection and positive vibes for her to wear on her big day. Here's a swatch of what I have so far:
March 8, 2007 4:10 PM
I've been working at my favorite lys for a few weeks now, and I have exercised considerable restraint and not purchased a lot of yarn. Until today. We got in a shipment of Artyarns, which is one of my favorite yarns, and it was clear that some of that yarny goodness was coming home with me. Look at it. Now, tell me, could you say no to such lovely yarn?
I finished my third pair of Jaywalkers last week, and soon they will be winging their way to Alaska to cheer away the winter doldrums for my buddy who lives in Anchorage, and I am mid-way through my second pair of Waving Lace socks from the Spring '04 issue of IK. With this tasty new yarn I plan to make a pair of socks using the Monkey pattern on knitty.com. I've had my eye on these for awhile, and I plan to cast on for them this evening.
February 27, 2007 1:10 PMLeila's Proud Accomplishment: Boa Black belt in Tae Kwon Do!
I've been so insanely frantic lately that I have not even had a minute to write about my Leila's proud moment last weekend. She tested for her Bo Black belt in Tae Kwon Do. It's the belt right before the Black Belt, and this has been a huge accomplishment for her. She loves Tae Kwon Do, but it has been a big time commitment for all of us. She takes classes two days a week where she learns new forms and kick combinations. For this test she had to memorize several items, write a tribute to her mother, and write a five-page thesis about Tae Kwon Do. Not an easy thing for a girl who does not enjoy sitting still ong enought to write even one page.
We borrowed a video cam to film her test, but as I don't know the first thing about video transfer, it's still on the mini DV cassette. I checked around and I found a place that will transfer the footage from the DV disk to DVD for $75. per hour. So, since I don't have that kinda cash to drop at this point, the video will stay on the disk and we can view it on the camera.
Brianna was able to take a few seconds of video on my digicam of Leila receiving her Bo Black belt certificate. Of course, we popped it up on youtube so that we can share it with the fam:
I'm all aglow with pride for my girl, who, btw, was the only girl to test for the Bo Black belt that day. She is really good and strong and I feel bad for any little boy who tries to mess with her. ;-)
February 19, 2007 8:10 AMBusy, busy
It's been a crazy week. My little one has been home sick with a weird virus and then schools were closed last week because of the snow/sleet/ frozen hard weather. (it's so great to have a 4 wheel drive!!!) With my writing deadlines and trying to entertain kids stuck in the house, wiping noses etc. I also took a part time gig at my local yarn shop, Stitch D.C., and that has been so much fun. It's been years since I've worked retail, and working with the customers and helping them to choose yarn or books--I've been in heaven. So yes, I've been a teensy bit busy lately, but having a fabulous time.
But it's good to have writing work, and I'm not complaining about that. This whole work from home thing requires a lot of discipline and organization. I am learning not to let distractions carry me away when I should be working, now I just need to be more disciplined about not working too much, and in so doing not give my girls the attention they need.
Leila, my little Tae Kwon Do master is preparing for her Bow-Black belt test. For this she will have to test before the Grand Master, Kim, in Richmond, Virginia. So on Saturday, we will be driving down to Richmond to watch her do her thing. We've been putting the finishing touches on her five page thesis that she must present, and she's been walking around reciting her memorizations for the test. I think that I might be more excited than she is. She seems to be taking this all in stride. I don't think she gets how cool it is that she is one belt away from achieving her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. This week I'm trying to think of something that would be a cool gift to present to her after she gets her new belt.
I have been making progress on the socks for my Alaskan friend, but other than that these fingers have been clicking away on the keyboard. After this deadline I think it might be time to pick out some new yarn and start another sweater. I also need to buy a pot and some utensils that I will only use for dyeing, so that I can start experimenting. Yes, my crafty side is calling to me. I will heed the call after I get this work done. . .
February 14, 2007 9:21 AMHappy Valentine's Day!
I spent the day cooped up at home with my girls because they had a snow day from school. Last night we got the sonw and ice and freezing rain. They never did plow my street. So, while I tried to get some writing done, they watched movies and pitched a tent in the living room.
I hope that everyone who has someone to love is able to express that love in a special way on this day for lovers.
February 13, 2007 9:54 AM
Last week I found the lovely blog for the Soulful Knitting Ministry. They make prayer shawls to give to women who have been victims of domestic or sexual assault. I used to make prayer shawls, but I haven't made one for awhile. When I heard that they were looking for people to knit shawls for them, well don't you know that I jumped right on it. The other day the mailman brought me my package of yarn from SKM and I got started knitting. Each evening I work on the shawl a bit before I go to bed. While I'm working on it, I pray for the person who is going to receive it. I pray that this shawl will help this woman to feel loved and embraced as she begins the healing process from the violence that she has experienced. I pray for her family and those around her as well. Making these shawls is a labor of love, but selfishly, I enjoy making them because I always feel so peaceful and connected to my source when I work on one.
Here's a picture of the yarn:
These shawls are 'Joseph Shawls' as in Joseph's coat of many colors. SKM gets yarn donated from all over, and they take this yarn and cut them into short pieces of random length and tie them together. My daughter looked at the magic ball of yarn and said that it looks like a yarn party.
This is a progress picture of the shawl:
Of course, I'll post another picture when I'm finished.
Other things on the needles include a pair of Jaywalker socks that I am making using some spring-inspired sock yarn for a friend who lives in a snowy place. I want to send them to her to remind her that spring is on the way. Over the weekend I finished a purse that I knit using Noro Kureyon that will get felted. Sorry, no pics 'cause its for a secret swap. After felting I will put in the lining and then find the perfect button.
Like everyone else on the East Coast, I am waiting for this storm that is supposed to come bringing lots of snow and then, freezing rain. Right now it's snowing a little bit, but it's still above freezing, so the snow is wet and really not sticking very well. I guess I'll wait 'til tomorrow morning to see the full effect.
February 8, 2007 5:45 PMThe New Interweave KNITS Magazine
Yesterday I received my copy of the Spring 2007 issue of IK, and I was gobsmacked. Just the other day I was lamenting the dearth of images of women of color in knitting magazines, and there on the cover of IK is a picture of a beautiful, African American woman with natural hair. Then I was further impressed by the design changes within the magazine. There are more photographs of each garment from different angles, and the layout is just more fresh and clean looking. Good work, IK. I was always a fan, but I love to see one of my fave knitting mags getting better and better.
Here's my picks for must-knit items from this issue: First of all, OMG the Entrelac socks by Eunny Jang, they are just lovely. These just might be one of my 40th birthday gifts to myself. I also like the Indigo Ripples Skirt, the Cable Down Raglan, the Ruffled Surplice, and the Cocktail Capelet. I just love the knitted unmentionables, (lingerie) and I really wanted to knit the adorable bra by Lisa Shroyer, but, alas, there is no way that it would be able to contain my girls' abilities at this point, so I'll pass. Overall, I really like this issue. I'm still working on my winter knitting, but it's inspiring me to look to the spring especially since our temperatures have not risen above zero in two weeks. Knitting Daily
Knitting Daily is a new site that IK will be launching soon. If you go there now you can score a couple of free patterns, but the content is not yet ready for the world. I look forward to seeing what they have to offer when the site goes live.
February 1, 2007 9:59 AM
Save the Children
Danny Glover asks,
Here's my answer:
Last night, some friends and I attended a reception for the Save the Children to celebrate the wildly successful Caps to the Capitol project. They received over 288,000 little caps that will warm the heads of newborns in developing countries.
The reception was held at the elegant Textile museum in Northwest D.C. Cokie Roberts from NPR was the keynote speaker, and throughout the rooms of the museum they had the caps that people from all over the US had made in baskets according to what state they came from. They also had some of the letters that people had written to the President to ask for his support in helping save newborn lives around the world. Hex
Here's an illustration of why checking gauge is very important. When I first saw the Hex hat pattern on knitty.com, I knew that I had to make it for myself. I love hats and I especially love things that are distinctive and show individuality and flair. Hex definitely fits that category.
Anyway, I went over to Springwater Fiber in Alexandria and bought the Brown Sheep yarn and came home and whipped up the hexagons in two evenings. Did I stop and measure the little gems? Despite the fact that I've been knitting over 30 years, for some reason I just kept going and did not check the gauge. As I was finishing up the hat it was becoming clear that this thing was not going to fit on my big head. It turned out beautifully, but I can't wear it. So, I have given it to Leila, who loves it. Now, it's back to the needles--bigger needles this time (she says sheepishly).
January 29, 2007 11:34 AM
Soulful Knitting Ministries
I just found this lovely blog, soulful knitting ministries, and it really touched my heart. They are making prayer shawls that are given to women who have become victims of domestic or sexual assault. Please take a minute and read this blog. They need some help with yarn donations, knitting angels to knit the shawls, and right now they need ball winders and swifts so that they can wind up the donated yarns into center-pull balls.
I did a little bit of spinning over the weekend. I used some fleece that I received with a recent swap. I was supposed to use it to make thrummed mittens, but, alas, I am a fiber 'ho, and when I got my hands on it I just had to spin it up. (cover your eyes, Jennifer) So, I whipped out my spindle and spun this while I was watching Desperate Housewives re-runs last night.
Yesterday was a 'stay in my jammies as long as I can' day. I popped in a DVD, Hidalgo, which was a lovely movie and a true story, and I made a hat.
After I finished the first hat, I started another one.
These are warm, wool hats made of 100% wool, and they will be sent to warm the heads of little Afghan children in the Afghans for Afghans project.
One last thing, Anna, from Anna's Yarn Mansion, is doing a survey about the preferences of knitters and fiber artists of color. so shoot her an email at: HelloKitty_AT_mail.twu.edu and tell her you want to participate in her survey.
January 26, 2007 10:00 AM
My name is Evelyn and I am totally addicted to swaps. Here's my answers to the questionnaire for the Knitted Purse Swap II (I also *LOVE* bags. Can you tell?)
Answers to the questionnaire for Knitted Purse swap:
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Of course I love me some Cashmere, I really enjoy a good Alpaca/wool blend, wool, I recently tried soysilk and that was fun. I love linen, and I’m eager to try some. . . read more
January 25, 2007 7:23 PM
Swap Stuff Arrived!
Look what the mailman brought me! I received my packages for the Knit Mitt Kit swap and the Tote Your Stuff swaps yesterday. The lovely Jennifer sent me a bag knit in the shape of a big mitten, some beautiful, deep barn red wool/Alpaca hand spun/dyed yarn, some fleece for the lining, a mitten pattern, some chocolate (oh yeah!) and some knit wash. What a lovely package and a nice note as well. This all came just in time because while it was in the 60's and 70's last week, it's barely 30 degrees today and right now it's snowing outside.
For the Tote Your Stuff swap, Kathie, from across the pond sent me a funky bag that was made from a jeans mini-skirt. and has lovely beading on it. I must keep an eye out so that my diva-child does not try to sneak off with it. I'll be toting my knitting in style, now. She included a notecard that had a picture of a cat on it that reminded me of a cat that I had when I was growing up. His name was Morris, and he was an orange tabby. I am not a cat person, and Morris was not a cat cat--he was more like a dog. He would go on walks with me, and he would fetch (when he was in the mood to amuse me) and he was very devoted to me. Seeing that card made me think of him and smile.
January 22, 2007 9:43 AM
I've recently begun to figure out ways to monetize my blog. I've had this blog since the fall of 1998. I started out on a free server, and then moved over to my own domain in 1999. Since then, which was really before the whole blogging phenomenon caught on, I have simply paid the annual hosting fees and not thought that much about it. But now I see that blogging can be a good way to generate revenue, so it makes sense for me to take advantage of that.
I learned about blogitive from seeing it on other blogs, so I figured I'd look into it. I filled out an application a week ago and here's the reply I received:
"Sorry your Blog doesn't qualify for Blogitive. You need to increase your Blog's popularity and I would start by submitting your website into FeedBurner.com. You can also visit here to learn more ways of increasing the popularity of your Blog, http://www.blogitive.com/2006/10/30/make-your-blog-more-popular/."
Sincerely,
Blogitive Customer Service
customerservice@blogitive.com
So, while it is a rejection, it contained some useful information for me. I went ahead and set up an RSS feed for this blog, which was a learing experience in itself. I am now learning how to pimp out my rss feed and publicize it as well.
Also following their advice I set up a google sitemap.
Building up a blog to attract more traffic is a process. I am learning more every day, and just when I think I've got the hang of it there's something new to learn, which is very exciting. So keep your eye on this blog 'cause it's about blow up. January 20, 2007 11:34 AM
Internet Down
OK, how can you tell if you are addicted to your Internet access? Yesterday, verizon had a DSL outage in parts of the DC Metro area, and I was effected. Yep. Absolutely no Internet access for the WHOLE DAY. I did all of the troubleshooting steps like powering down the modem, restarting the laptop but still I got nothing. My eldest child has also developed an addiction because when I told her that our Internet connection was down, she first got this puzzled look on her face like, "what the. . ." and then she said, "well, what are we going to do with no Internet access?" in a kind of panicky way. I assured her that we'd be OK.
My solution was to drag the laptop down to the local Port City Java., which is my fave hangout. They have lovely pastries, excellent Chai (I'm not a coffee drinker) and they provide free WiFi. So, I was able to at least check my email and respond to a few more job opportunities.
This morning, I called Verizon DSL support, and TJ very patiently walked me through re-setting my router and now we're back in action.
Burning up the Yoga Mat
After attending a yoga retreat earlier in the month, I bought a copy of Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn DVD. I've been a fan of Rodney's for years. I remember watching his yoga program on PBS, and I have always admired his form. The routine on the Yoga Burn DVD is 60 minutes long. It's called yoga burn because the movements are slow and meditative. The slowed down way of movement forces you to be mindful of each move, and it makes it so much easier to unite body and breath in a more dynamic practice. I enjoyed this routine because it was challenging for me despite my three years of yoga practice, but it was also enjoyable because I was able to actually feel the coordination of my breath with my movements. Often times in yoga classes, I find myself trying to keep up with the teacher, rather than enjoying the movements. With the slow, deliberate motion of this routine I was always where I should be.
If you are looking for a challenging way to mix up your yoga practice, I recommend that you give Yoga Burn a try.
All Hail SOU!
I have to give a shout-out to my alma mater, Southern Oregon University. Back in the day when I attended there it was called Southern Oregon State College. I just received an email newsletter from my old department, the School of Arts & Letters. I took a look at the web site and it made me feel all nostalgic for those days. I was so young and everything was new. Brianna was four when I graduated, so while I was taking classes, she went with me almost everywhere. Good times. January 18, 2007 4:18 PM
My New Baby!
Here is a picture of my new Babe. It's a double-treadle production spinning wheel from Babe's Fiber Garden. I have been using my fabulous little Bosworth drop spindle thinking that it was good practice for spinning on a wheel. It turns out that it's a completely different thing. So, I have a whole new learning curve on my hands. I am enjoying using it, and I look forward to getting better at it and actually producing usable yarns. I will write an official review later when I feel like I actually know what I'm talking about.
Today, I went down to Springwater Fiber in Alexandria, and Sarah helped me to choose some Corriedale wool fiber to mix with the slippery, smooth, luscious Alpaca fiber that has been frustrating the crap out of me. I will combine them to make a nice blended yarn, which I will then dye. I also bough a copy of Shannon Okey's Spin to Knit, in hopes that this will help me to get the hang of spinning on a wheel.
Last spring I bought Dyeing to Knit, by Elaine Eskesen, (she even signed it for me) at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival because I want to learn how to dye beautiful space-dyed yarns to knit with.
January 16, 2007 2:00 PM
When I heard what this young man had to say it brought tears to my eyes:
I read on Griffin's blog that Paula Mooney has been burning up the Technorati rankings from 78,722 on New Year's Day to 24,238! That's quite an accomplishment, and my hat is off to her.
Seeing all of these other bloggers success really inspires me to get off my butt and do something. I've had this blog since 1998 ya'll! It's time to make something happen--and by that I mean it's time to make this baby pay. Mamma needs a new pair of shoes!
January 15, 2007 6:28 PM
Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Are you living Dr. King's dream? Do you yet feel that we as people are measured by the content of our character rather than by the color of our skin? Are you living in such a way as to make Dr. King's dream become a reality during your lifetime?
Somtimes I have to pinch myself because I am aware of just how fortunate I am to be living at this point in time and in this great country. Not too long ago, being born a black female might have been akin to a curse, but now, thanks to the sacrifices of those who fought and died for my freedom, I can enjoy the blessings of liberty. But sometimes its difficult to enjoy these blessings with the knowledge that there are so many of my sisters and brothers around the world who are still in bondage.
For today, my heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings that I enjoy in my life. I am grateful for far too many things to mention here, but at the same time I yearn for so much more. I read a great litte ebook today that talks about the power of gratitude. Take a minute to download a free copy and see if exercising a little gratitude doesn't transform your life. News Fast
I have decided to go on a news fast for seven days. I have observed that I have a strange fascination with watching the news. I know that it contains mostly negative information, yet I still watch it every morning and every evening. What brought this destructive habit into focus was the constant reporting about a particularly heinous crime that a father committed against his small daughter. Each time I heard the newscasters talk about his man or the case it made me feel sick and sad and weak and angry. This is a terrible thing that this man has done and I feel pain for his family, but there is nothing that I can do for that situation. Hearing about it, losing sleep about it, feeling the bitter anguish about it does not serve me in any way. So, I am turning the boob-tube off and banishing the news for seven days and I'll see what kind of impact that change has on me.
January 11, 2007 9:38 AMCast a Spell to Transform Your Experiences
What is this? Is she talking about witchcraft now? No, no, I am not. Think about what a spell really is--magic words. What makes the words magical? Isn’t it the power that we ascribe to them? Every day we cast spells on our own lives with the words that we speak into our lives.
Have you ever heard of a mantra? Mantras are simply words that are repeated--like little prayers repeated over and over. Again, these are simply words spoken deliberately to bring about a desired end.
I must admit that because I was raised as a Christian, I have net really ever explored other religious traditions much because it seemed like that meant that I was questioning my faith. Now that I have come to realize that these other religious traditions are all simply diverse paths to the same destination I have given in to my natural sense of curiosity and started learning more about other religions.
This article on meditation-mantra.org totally transformed my thinking about the words that we use and the power that words have to affect our lives. Doing these meditations and doing yoga is really helping me to quiet my mind and have peace in my heart. Additionally, the simple act of opening my mind to something new has had transforming effects as well.
So for those of us whose lives are a bit more hectic than we’d like, cast a spell and clear away what’s not working and usher in the changes you desire. January 9, 2007 9:15 AM
One of the casualties of apartment living has been the loss of my beloved washer and dryer. Because I had no place to put them when the girls and I moved out of our home and into this tiny apartment in the divorce, the ex got them. So now the simple act of doing the laundry for four people has become a weekly time-sucking chore. It took me awhile to not get entirely grossed out at the prospect of putting my and my children’s clothes into a public washing machine and dryer, but necessity can help you get over pesky issues like t
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