Thank goodness Terry tagged me because I had nothing for the last day of NaBloPoMo. Thank goodness again, that the 6th picture of the 6th folder was a good one.
*Go to your sixth picture folder and pick your sixth picture.
*Pray you remember the details.
*Tag five others.
Birdsong, Knitnana, Cindy, Rachel, and Marcia...tag you're IT!!
What is it about Thursday mornings? The last few weeks Thursday's have had beautiful mornings and I've been lucky to catch the dawns early light on my way to work.
Thanksgiving was lovely and I want to hear all about your Holiday, too. Was it relaxing or full of too much family and food?
I'm going to catch up on the ABC Along with a very lame "X". I could not find anything in Utah or think of anything as creative as Norma's "X". After G00gling for X related names here in Utah, I found a neighborhood not far from us had a Xanadu Circle. Poor little boring Xanadu Circle...at least they have a fairly nice view.
Smith grew tired of hearing me talk about Laurie's and Terry's iPods and as soon as he started his new job he bought me one of my own. I've been listening to The Zookeepers Wife and while I'm not sure it's aptly named (it seems to be more about Nazi ideology, and the zoo, than Antonina) I am enjoying it. I love my blue iPod because I can knit and read at the same time. I have never been talented enough to do both at the same time.
Isn't she pretty?
Happy Thanksgiving to all Mom's pals!! Do you know we won't even have turkey in this house? Don't cry for us, however as Mom's Sis is going to cook barbecued ribs!! How kool is that? Problem is they don't share much food with us. Can you leave us tips on how to steal dinner?
Some of you have been concerned about my sanity, and my health, as I consider knitting twelve sweaters in 2009. The way to go about any KAL, about any large knitting project, is focus, maintaining focus. The main thing, the biggest deal will be to maintain the FUN! If it isn't fun, if it become a problem, it won't happen, and that's the promise I'm making to myself. No fun? No sweater(s).
There is that "faith in oneself" thing, too. This year I knit seven sweaters and last year I knit several, too. Only one sweater in that bunch took more than one month and that was due to my being too sick to lift my head during that time period. It really does seem doable and there may even be time to throw in a couple of small items along the way. BUT, as I said...No fun? No sweaters.
CherylS has designed the button and come up with a "name" for our bit of insanity fun. NaKniSweMoDo! January 1, 2009-December 31, 2009
I love the Do part at the end. It's stands for Dodecathon, or dozen, or just plain DO, as in we can DO it, yes we can!
We'll keep the "Rulz" simple...twelve adult size sweaters (knitting for yourself is the point) that can include vests or shells. See that's not so hard, is it? We won't make you knit a sweater in 30 days...you have a whole year without deadlines until the very last deadline...December 31, 2009.
Now MY rulz, the rulz I will live by will include the main rule (sweaters for myself), but I'm going a bit further:
1. I will enjoy the process.
2. If it turns out something happens and I can't continue (for whatever reason), there will be no guilt.
3. There will be no guilt no matter what.
4. I will not give up until December 31, 2009. There is always hope.
5. Laugh at myself.
6. NO competition with myself or others.
7. Things will happen as they will happen...one sweater at a time.
8. KISS
9. Just be, no stress and enjoy.
10. Get enough sleep each night.
11. Eat well and exercise.
12. HAVE FUN!
There have been a few yarn developments. I forgot about the 15 skeins of Noro Silk Garden that have been marinading in my stash for 3 years or so. Often I think about knitting a sweater with this yarn and never quite bring myself to do it. I love the color combination, but not sure I love the yarn enough to wear it. The jury is out for now.
After seeing Kim's Twisted Vine Cardigan I just had to order a kit and it arrived very quickly. The yarn is heavenly and the sweater looks like one I'll wear for years.
And, one more addition...at a recent yarn swap I picked up 6 skeins of discontinued Rowanspun DK in a beautiful tweedy gray. While I have nothing in mind it should make a beautiful vest. I'll be searching for just the right pattern.
ETA: We have a Ravelry group! NaKniSweMoDo
There's still quite a bit of contemplation going on and a whole month to fret, worry, think and ponder. This weekend I'm going to spend time with family and friends, time relaxing while knitting and spinning. I'll also be counting my many blessings and the only shopping will be to gather a few supplies for drop off at the local food bank. The food bank is in dire need of all food stuffs at a time when many more people are in need. We must do what we can to help.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate.
You may have noticed that when things are not going well between what's on my needles and me, posting to the blog becomes a slog. The lesson learned this weekend was...it's all in your perception, and what you perceive may not be what is true. (How many times do I need to learn the same lesson over and over!?) It's all in the attitude!
Every chance I had I've been knitting, just knitting and knitting without thinking about what I was creating. My reason was a good one, because if I gave it too much thought, my thoughts would turned to the negative, and I didn't want to go in that direction and speak ill, or think ill, of my knitting. If you can't say anything nice... (you know the rest). As it turns out, I was saved from myself by a few good things that happened along the way.
The first thing that changed my attitude was a lovely new tea I picked up at the Tea Grotto (my favorite tea stop). It's a green tea flavored with pineapple chucks and mallow flowers (called Green Goddess) and it could not be more delicious. The flavor is sweet and delicate, which makes a perfect afternoon into evening refreshment. Having this tea as my companion made sitting with the slogging knitting all the more enjoyable.
The second advantageous happening was an early Holiday gift, a gift I'm withholding information on to ensure there is good fodder for easy blogging over the long weekend. Suffice it to say its existence in my life has been a boon.
The last development, and the best as far as knitting is concerned, has been the knitting itself! Last week, after spending a couple of days knitting the sleeves I realized there was no way to tell how long the sleeves should be without trying the sweater on. Now, one cannot try on a sweater that has no body, which meant I had to started knitting the body. All that going back and forth over so many stitches, set me off on a journey to the wrong mindset...the mindset of a slog. My bad attitude was the cause of cables missed, with other problems along the way and, after fixing mistake number 129, I realized an adjustment in the mental state was needed.
The project sat in my lap as I worked and it was hard to tell if this gray mist of fluff, this shapeless, diaphanous entity could become something wearable, something that would fit. Sunday evening, just when my attitude seemed to reach its lowest point, I decided to slip the sweater on and see if it was feasible to continue. Was this perceived slog going to be worth the extra effort it would take to finish?
As I slipped my arm through the mist of gray I caught a glimpse of its potential, I saw the light. This sweater had form, albeit compressed (for it will need a good blocking), plus it also seemed to fit (hard to tell, but certainly looked right), and not only did the sleeves look almost long enough, only a few more inches of knitting would be needed to finish the body! It was rather stunning to see and watch as hope grew and faith was restored. Now I can knit on, crisis averted.
Well, I did want this post to be totally wordless, but then I knew you'd ask a bunch of questions and I'd be writing too many emails explaining myself. So, this post is sort of a pout.
The weekend was delightfully fun and full of good times. The plying went quite well and I have 350 yards of a gorgeous 3 ply merino worsted that should make lovely mitts and a cowl. I've been enjoying my wheel and spindles very much and I would show you how pretty the blue merino/silk that's on my spindle is if I hadn't left it at a friend's house Saturday night. I miss it, but should have back in my hands tomorrow.
Instead of sitting in front of the computer writing this post I'd rather be knitting, and so, that's what I'm going to do. I do plan on making it through NaBloPoMo (by the skin of my teeth), but I'm not sure about NaKniSweMo. I may have hit a wall, which also gave me a glimpse of what next year and twelve NaKniSweMos would be like. I'm still pondering.
It would be very helpful if you'd fill up the comments by telling what your plans are for the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm planing a little friend time, family time, knitting time, spinning time and eating time. I'd love to hear what you're doing. Oh and are YOU pondering NaKniSweMoDo?
....right now. I'm plying!!
The last time we walked around Silver Lake it was a blue sky day. The next time we can walk all the way around will be late spring next year.
