Socks for me...Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett yarn...same pattern as above.
This is the first pair of socks (with a heel) that I've made for myself, and I gotta tell ya, there's something about wearing handknit socks.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Some recent knitting, vol. 2: A Tale of Two (Pairs of) Socks
Socks for DaHubby...Happy Feet by Plymouth Yarns...Basic Sock Pattern by Brooks Jones (Ravelry link).
Socks for me...Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett yarn...same pattern as above.
This is the first pair of socks (with a heel) that I've made for myself, and I gotta tell ya, there's something about wearing handknit socks.
Socks for me...Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett yarn...same pattern as above.
This is the first pair of socks (with a heel) that I've made for myself, and I gotta tell ya, there's something about wearing handknit socks.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Some recent knitting, vol. 1: A Tale of Two Scarves
This one I made for me...Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends...pattern courtesy of Crazy Aunt Purl...pom-poms courtesy of the cool pom-pom maker Santa put in my Christmas stocking. Photo courtesy of SuperCraftyDancerGirl who braved wind gusts of 40mph to go out and take pix of, well, knitting.
And this is the second in a series I'm making for my m-i-l from some Vanna's Choice yarn that she bought for just such an occasion. The pattern here is by Tina Yint, who describes herself as a compulsive knitter, among other things. NOT that I'd know what THAT is like!
And this is the second in a series I'm making for my m-i-l from some Vanna's Choice yarn that she bought for just such an occasion. The pattern here is by Tina Yint, who describes herself as a compulsive knitter, among other things. NOT that I'd know what THAT is like!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Happy Birthday, Albert Schweitzer
Today's quote comes to us from Albert Schweitzer, born on this day in 1875. His list of accomplishments reads like someone made a typo and combined the lives of two men into one. He was a pastor, missionary, writer, surgeon, musician, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. I know I've left out much but suffice it to say he achieved much and was even mentioned in a Peanuts cartoon!
He said:
~~"A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day."
~~"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
~~"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
He said:
~~"A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day."
~~"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
~~"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
Friday, January 09, 2009
Alternative Programming
I've been thinking lately about the guilt I sometimes feel whenever I start assuming that certain aspects of my life are being lived wrong. I don't think this is a case of my conscience doing its job to save me from a life of degradation and squalor, rather it's the "Not Good Enough" program that I've heard from childhood, now in syndicated re-runs in my brain. Most days it's what keeps me from being truly joyful and at peace, and it's been playing a marathon the last few days.
It starts out with the "if only" introduction: If only I were more...smart, consistent, holy, loving, pretty, well-dressed, organized, erudite, well-read, cheerful, outgoing, involved in outside activities, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound...then I'd be Good Enough. Or, if only I were less....stubborn, unforgiving, moody, solitary, inclined to prefer chocolate over other food, lazy, a homebody, opinionated, flippant, a teller of bad jokes, afraid of intarsia knitting...then I'd be Good Enough.
Then it kicks into a detailed account of one of the above "if only's" and makes a convincing case for any shred of truth it can find in its chosen topic.
So I've been thinking about all this and wondering how to preempt that programming with something a little more realistic and affirming. Something like the "Reality Check" show. Today it might go something like this:
"Not Good Enough" the longest-running program in this or any brain, brings you "You Need to Get Out More". Today we'll discuss the fact that you haven't really been anywhere of substance and you rarely do and when WAS the last time you had friends over or went to see friends, or do you have any friends left anyway????
~~~WE PREEMPT THIS PROGRAM WITH A SPECIAL PUBLIC SERVICE BULLETIN~~~~
It's "Reality Check" Time:
It's the first full week of January and we've just had 6 weeks of holiday activities, gatherings, and an out-of-town trip. On top of that, your daughter has a nasty cold and shouldn't be out and about breathing on people or taxing her strength. PLUS, you have plans to do multiple field trips with the kids and your friends and their kids for the rest of the month, as soon as your daughter is feeling better. So relax and pick up that knitting and remember, God loves you, just the way you are!
It starts out with the "if only" introduction: If only I were more...smart, consistent, holy, loving, pretty, well-dressed, organized, erudite, well-read, cheerful, outgoing, involved in outside activities, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound...then I'd be Good Enough. Or, if only I were less....stubborn, unforgiving, moody, solitary, inclined to prefer chocolate over other food, lazy, a homebody, opinionated, flippant, a teller of bad jokes, afraid of intarsia knitting...then I'd be Good Enough.
Then it kicks into a detailed account of one of the above "if only's" and makes a convincing case for any shred of truth it can find in its chosen topic.
So I've been thinking about all this and wondering how to preempt that programming with something a little more realistic and affirming. Something like the "Reality Check" show. Today it might go something like this:
"Not Good Enough" the longest-running program in this or any brain, brings you "You Need to Get Out More". Today we'll discuss the fact that you haven't really been anywhere of substance and you rarely do and when WAS the last time you had friends over or went to see friends, or do you have any friends left anyway????
~~~WE PREEMPT THIS PROGRAM WITH A SPECIAL PUBLIC SERVICE BULLETIN~~~~
It's "Reality Check" Time:
It's the first full week of January and we've just had 6 weeks of holiday activities, gatherings, and an out-of-town trip. On top of that, your daughter has a nasty cold and shouldn't be out and about breathing on people or taxing her strength. PLUS, you have plans to do multiple field trips with the kids and your friends and their kids for the rest of the month, as soon as your daughter is feeling better. So relax and pick up that knitting and remember, God loves you, just the way you are!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
A New Year
Musings about 2009, or what I'm doing instead of taking down the Christmas tree.
**OK, has anyone else realized that next year is 2010?? And doesn't that sound freaky?
**I could try again to get my stash organized, that being a fairly common Knitter's New Year's Resolution. I just read an interesting article that sounds like what FlyLady would do with her stash if she were a knitter. It intrigues me to the point that I can actually see myself parting with yarn that doesn't make me happy--if only to be better able to get to the yarn that does.
**Something I definitely want to try in the New Year: knitting two socks at once on one circular needle. I've just returned from the library with "2-at-a-Time Socks" and I'm all for getting two socks done at once. My previous method of having 2 sets of dpns going does work, but only if I have 2 sets of the size I need--which makes for a lot of needles. And while the needles and knitting accessories DID manage to get organized in 2008, I think I'm allergic to buying twice as many dpns.
**My apologies to my friends in the frozen North, but it's just been plain hot here! I never thought I'd say this, but the temperatures in Charleston have made me think there might be something to "global warming" after all. I mean, really, does 77 degrees sound like an appropriate January temperature to you? Ugh. Perhaps I could resolve to complain less about the weather...
**All in all, I'm not big on resolutions--I don't really need more reasons to feel guilty a year from now. But if I had to make some general goals for 2009, they would sound something like this:
Pray more, gripe less. Learn some new knitting techniques. Be more thankful for the people in my life. Be a better blogger. Seek peace and pursue it.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
**OK, has anyone else realized that next year is 2010?? And doesn't that sound freaky?
**I could try again to get my stash organized, that being a fairly common Knitter's New Year's Resolution. I just read an interesting article that sounds like what FlyLady would do with her stash if she were a knitter. It intrigues me to the point that I can actually see myself parting with yarn that doesn't make me happy--if only to be better able to get to the yarn that does.
**Something I definitely want to try in the New Year: knitting two socks at once on one circular needle. I've just returned from the library with "2-at-a-Time Socks" and I'm all for getting two socks done at once. My previous method of having 2 sets of dpns going does work, but only if I have 2 sets of the size I need--which makes for a lot of needles. And while the needles and knitting accessories DID manage to get organized in 2008, I think I'm allergic to buying twice as many dpns.
**My apologies to my friends in the frozen North, but it's just been plain hot here! I never thought I'd say this, but the temperatures in Charleston have made me think there might be something to "global warming" after all. I mean, really, does 77 degrees sound like an appropriate January temperature to you? Ugh. Perhaps I could resolve to complain less about the weather...
**All in all, I'm not big on resolutions--I don't really need more reasons to feel guilty a year from now. But if I had to make some general goals for 2009, they would sound something like this:
Pray more, gripe less. Learn some new knitting techniques. Be more thankful for the people in my life. Be a better blogger. Seek peace and pursue it.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
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