3KCBWDAY7 The Perfect Day

This is it! Our last day. Thank you Eskimimi for making this so much fun. This was my first time participating, and I can't wait for next year.

For the last day, I decided to go with the wildcard instead of the suggested topic. The topic was fine; I like knitting and crochet, even though I totally suck at crochet. My edges are wavy in crochet because my ability to count seems to leave me. But I will get better, and until then I'll make symmetrically edged knitted objects.

Besides, I daydream about my perfect day of knitting all the time, so I might as well put it in writing.

My day starts as I get off the airplane in Edinburgh, Scotland. I've had plenty of sleep because of course I flew in first class, so my comfy seat reclined after I drank all of my champagne. I jump in a taxi and head down to the train station, where I sit, again, in first class and buy sweets from the trolly. I'm taking the train up into the Highlands to my cottage. I'm taking a train instead of driving because I want to knit on the train.

At the station, I rent a car to get to my cottage that is off a single lane, curvy road. The estate agent has it ready for me, with a stocked fridge, a sponge cake, a teapot ready for hot water, and a bottle of scotch for later in the day. There's also a fire roaring in the fireplace.

Next to the fireplace is an overstuffed chair with a basket of wound yarn. I had already placed an order for some Alice Starmore yarn, so it's ready for me to start knitting the St. Ciaran wrap.

I throw the suitcase in the bedroom upstairs, then make a pot of tea before I settle in to start knitting. I turn my iPod on to listen to knitting podcasts. I stop long enough to make another pot of tea and call the hubby to check on the dogs, then back to knitting.

I put another log on the fire, take a sip of tea, eat some cake, knit, rinse and repeat.

Because I've come from so far away, I've decided that a day isn't long enough, so I'm staying a week. I meet up with the local knitting group, I meet new friends, and I buy groceries at the local shops. I might do some sightseeing, but then again, I might not. I won't finish the wrap in that time, but I'll get a lot done, and once I get home and work on it and later wear it, I'll remember my perfect knitting vacation.

3KCBWDAY6 Improving Your Skillset

First things first, the answer to the cyrptoquote:
I will resist the urge to underestimate the complexity of knitting. --Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

We're winding down on the 3rd Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week. It's gone pretty fast, and I've had a good time going around to the different blogs to getting to know new crafters.

Our topic for today is all about what we have learned, what we are learning, and what we want to learn. When I started knitting, everyone said over and over, "It's just 2 stitches, knit and purl, and once you know those you can do anything." I think that little piece of advice has a double meaning.

Yes, once you learn to knit and purl, everything after that is variations using those 2 stitches. You may increase or decrease, but you still are knitting and purling. So, in that sense, don't be intimidated because it's just 2 little stitches.

However, your learning isn't over just because you can knit and purl! There's lace, cables, yarn overs, a myriad of increases and decreases, intarsia, fair isle, double knitting, duplicate stitch, entrelac, mitered squares, knitting in the round on double point needles or on two circular needles or on magic loop, jogless stripes, weaving in ends, kitchener stitch, and the list goes on and on. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

I feel pretty confident in my skills. I may feel intimidated by the complexity of a project, but I feel confident I have the skills to accomplish it. Some things need more practice *cough fair isle* but I have tried all of the techniques and skills I've mentioned.

Sound cocky? Just wait, the confession is coming.

If you look on my project pages, you see lace shawls, cable mitts, fair isle hats, intarsia blankets, but you will notice a glaring hole in my repertoire. No sweaters. I'm intimidate by them--the seaming, the sizing, and so on.

Every year I tell myself, "This is the year I will make a sweater!" And every year I chicken out. It seems like such a big project that takes so much time and yarn that I would be really frustrated if I screwed it up. But I'm getting pretty fed up with myself and my excuses. You know it's bad when even you scold you.

So, I'm looking for a sweater to make. I think seamless would be good for a first sweater, it's just hard to decide which one. I am taking a seaming class at Stitches Midwest this year, so maybe that will give me the boost I need to piece a sweater together.

I'm not going to give myself a deadline. I know me; I'll ignore it. I set the alarm on my phone to remind me to take my afternoon meds, and I just ignore it thinking, "eh, I'll get them in a minute," then I don't. I'm dependable unless I'm depending on myself.

But I want 2012 to be the year I make a sweater. Any suggestions?

Be sure to go check out other people's posts and see what they are wanting to improve on.

*Clip art from http://www.picgifs.com/clip-art/knitting/

3KCBWDAY5 The Something Different Post

Let's play a game. This may look like a bunch of numbers, but it's so much more. It's a Cryptoquote. Each number represents a letter. The number is always that letter, for example if the number 2 represents the letter E, then all 2s are Es. Your objective is to break the code and reveal the quote and it's author. Hint: The first word is only one letter, so that narrows down what that word could be.

Ready?

___          ___  ___  ___  ___          ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___

 18            11    18     2      2              6     12     1     18     1      5

___  ___  ___          ___  ___  ___  ___          ___  ___

  5      3     12            15     6     22    12             5     21

___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___

 19     4     20    12     6     12     1      5     18    17    10     5     12

 

___  ___  ___         ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___

  5      3     12           16    21    17     7      2     12    23    18     5     13

___  ___          ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___.

 21    14             9      4     18     5      5     18     4     22

___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___          ___  ___  ___  ___  ___--

  1      5     12     7      3     10     4     18    12             7     12    10     6      2

___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___

17     16     7      3     12    12

 







I will put the answer in tomorrow's post.  I hope everything lines up OK on your screen. It looks fine on mine, but that doesn't mean it was fine on everyone's.

Thanks everyone! I'm off to see the other blogs. I can't wait to see how creative everyone was.

    

3KCBWDAY4 Knitting for All Seasons

“She enjoys rain for its wetness, winter for its cold, summer for its heat. She loves rainbows as much for fading as for their brilliance. It is easy for her, she opens her heart and accepts everything.” 

― Morgan Llywelyn, Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish

In this 4th day of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, the topic question is, "How does seasonal weather affect your knitting?" Many knitters only knit warm things with wool in the cold weather and cooler things with cotton in the warmer months. 

Well, I don't really like knitting with cotton, and I always seem to be cold, so I don't really follow those conventions. I pretty much knit whatever I'm in the mood for, not worrying about the season.

I would say that I am a cold-weather item knitter, though. I love knitting mittens and hats and cowls

Fingerless mitts for Christmas

Graham hat for me

Cowls for Christmas

But I also love knitting shawls. Are those seasonal? I guess if I knit them in wool, they'd be better suited for cooler weather. But like I always have a sock going, I always have a shawl going, too.

Traveling Woman

Multnomah

 

 

Autumn Grace

The nice thing about knitting these items is that you can pretty much knit them year round. Inevitably, when I'm knitting one of these "warmers" as I call them or give one away, another person decides he or she wants one. That works for me. Not only do people like my knitting enough that that they want something, but now I have an excuse to make it rather then I just want to.

So all seasons are beautiful and all knitting is knitable within those seasons.

Enjoy reading the blog posts, everyone. I've had such a good time reading everyone's take on these topics.

3KCBWDay2 Photography Challenge

Day 2 for Knit & Crochet Blog Week is a photography challenge. And it certainly was. A challenge, that is. I should have spent a little more time thinking about this ahead of time, but pffffffttt. Thinking ahead. Where will that get ya?

So, as I went through some photos, I noticed a reoccurring visitor, and I realized that Cosette enjoys my knitting as much as I do. Well, maybe not enjoys so much as thinks all things are for her enjoyment.

She had just been told to stay off

So obviously this one is for her

This time it's hanging up so she doesn't have a choice but stay off

That is not a ball & it doesn't taste like sheep

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

For those of you wondering, Cosette is a PBGV, a Petite Basset Griffon Vendeen, which is a fancy way to say French hound dog.

BTW, we do have another dog, Lucy, but she pretty much ignores my knitting, except to mistake the wound cake for a ball sometimes.

That's me. I'm heading out to look at other people's photos.  Enjoy looking at everyone's blogs today!

3KCBWDAY1 Colour Lovers

Day 1 of Knit & Crochet Blog Week 2012! We're here! Thank you Eskimi Makes for making it all possible, and welcome fellow knitters, crocheters, and those just curious about what the heck this is.

When I first set up my craftroom, I envisioned a wall of yarn--glass bookcases filled with colorful yarn. I decided against the bookcases, opting instead for an open unit from Ikea, but I still got my wall of yarn. 

 Not an entire wall, but I'm working on that. You can't see it, but there is yarn in those green boxes, too. Well, I can't just throw those leftover yarns away, now can I? Who knows, one of these days I may make that sock yarn blanket (read about it here), the one with matchbox size squares sewn together. Or not.

When I look at the yarn, I realize I'm matted. I mean, "matte" in terms of a lack of visual brightness. That's not a bad thing; I just gravitate towards earthy, non-shiny colors. I do try to break out of that, then I go to the yarn shop and go straight to the greens, neutrals, dark colors, and every shade of gray that comes into view.

You may notice there's a small contradiction color on the second shelf. Yep. Purple! A lavender-y,  lilac-y color of Cascade 220 that I ordered from Webs years ago to make the Cashmere Crossing poncho by Kathy Zimmerman (Ravelry page here). It was lighter than I thought it would be, and although I could've sent it back and exchanged it, I decided to keep it and use it to break out of my color rut. You can see how well that turned out. It wasn't until last month that I actually wound a skein into a cake and started knitting a lacy shawl by Mari Lynn Patrick that was in KnitSimple magazine (Ravalry page here). Here's a picture of my progress so far.

 I'm still not really wild about the color. It's just not me, but the pattern is pretty and I think it will make a pretty wrap to wear on the chilly Nebraska mornings. Or, it'll make a nice gift for someone and I'll just make another one in a different color. I've been drawn to blues, lately. I finally made a Damson shawl by Ysolda Teague for myself out of a blue Malabrigo sock yarn. 

This post is starting to ramble on, but one more thought on color. When I started knitting, I really enjoyed the variegated colored yarn, and I still really enjoy variegated yarns. However, I'm knitting more and more with tonal and solid colors. I think that's because I'm knitting more lace and cable patterns, and those patterns show up better in solid or not-so-variegated colors. But being a sock knitter, I love me some multicolored, hand-dyed sock yarn. It's wonderful to be able to buy a skein of a wild color and make a pair of socks with it. Or a shawlette or a cowl or fingerless mitts ...

Lorna's Laces Jungle Stripe, anyone?

Have a wonderful, colorful day everyone! See you tomorrow.

Welcome Back!

It's been a while since I've posted here. I've been thinking about reviving this blog because I'm tired of talking to the wall. It's not a good conversationalist. And the dogs, as cute and wonderful as they are, when I talk to them, they just stare at me, waiting for words they recognize, like treat, walk, and eat. Thus, I've decided this might be a better outlet.

I'd like this to be what I originally planned when I changed it to "The Kettle's On." There's going to be a lot of crafty, knitty talk on this blog. I want it to be all warm and comfy, like we're having a conversation while sitting around with a pot of tea or something stronger, if needed. Face it, some projects just don't go as planned, and all the chamomile tea in the world won't help. Sometimes there will be talk about whisky (I'm a scotch drinker), travel, my dogs, and probably movies/TV/music. Every now and then, there will be talk about MS, only because it's a part of my life and can affect this blog.

There won't be talk of politics, religion, current events, or even past events. At least, it's my plan to stay away from those topics. Not because I'm against blogs that talk about those things, I just don't do it as well as they do, so why bother. Besides, I'm so disillusioned by all things political and media-driven that you'd quickly run away from all the cynicism and complaining.

No! Let's stay positive and fun, and in my world, knitting is positive and fun. So, let me end this on a high note, with a picture that combines two of my favorite things. This is Cosette, checking out one of my latest projects, the Multnomah shawl.

Major knitting going on and pics to come. The women are getting fingerless mittens and the men are getting hats. One more hat to go, two more mitts, then I get to knit for myself! Unless I decide to expand my knitted-gift circle. A strong possibility.

In other news, I thought I'd share my latest exciting moment while walking the dog. OK, so there are rarely an exciting moment, that's what makes this incident so noteworthy.

(apologies to those who have already heard this)

Cosette (greatest dog in the world) loves her morning walks, right? And we walk forever in the mornings, right? Because this dog would walk to Lincoln if I'd let her. Well, every now and then we come across loose dogs who follow us then run away, and I'm always hoping they run home. This morning, a rat terrier mix, a little smaller than Cosette, was loose and came running up to play. I told him to go home and he ran in the opposite description, so we went on our way, me hoping he was going home because I hate the idea of a lost dog and I can't do anything about it. Then here he came, running up to us again--he'd found us. He came over for me to pet him, but he didn't have a tag, but this was obviously a well taken care of dog. He kept following us, but wouldn't let me get near enough to pick him up, so I just kept calling him to follow us. And he did. Followed us all the way home, with little side trips into the street, while I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't get hit by a car.

When we got to our house, I opened the gate for Cosette to run into the backyard, called for the other dog and he ran in, too. He was good dog and obeyed commands as well as he could, being excited to be in a new environment. So, we all went in the house, and I gave Cosette a treat while I put the other dog in the car to take him to a vet to see if he was chipped. And he was! He was also shedding like crazy because he was stressed and excited, but he sat in my lap and calmed down. The Home Again people left a message with the owners, giving them my phone number because I was going to take him back home with me. They told me his name was Emmet, so I said "Hi Emmet," and he tilted his head to right in surprise and I swear he smiled at me.

Cosette wasn't too sure about this. Emmet, as I now knew him to be, ran around with a rawhide in his mouth, looking for a place to bury it, jumping on the couch, into my lap, and all over. He put it down to eat some food I put in a dish for him, and Cosette grabbed the rawhide. They had both started to settle down when Emmet's owner called, and back we got in the car to take him home.

Yay! I love it when everything works out. If Cosette was loose, I hope someone would try to find out who she belonged to and get her home, so I'm glad it worked out for Emmet. I didn't ask any questions, but Emmet's owner has 2 small children at home and I think he was probably distracted and didn't realize Emmet had gotten out, but he was very grateful to get him back and Emmet was very happy to be home.

So, get your pets chipped if you haven't already. It's a wonderful service, which you hopefully will never have to use.

Here's a new favorite pic of Cosette and me. She's such a cuddle puppy.

State Fair and a Chicken

On this gorgeous Friday, we went to the Nebraska State Fair, the last one in the state capital city. After this, it'll be moved closer to the middle of the state. The group that approved the move said it was to be more "fair" to other people in the state to attend and not have to drive all the way over here to the eastern side of the state. Considering that something like 80% of the state population lives here on the eastern side, I'm tempted to believe the rumors that the university wanted the land and by God they got it.

I love going to the fair, but I gotta admit, I don't think moving will be such a bad thing. The fair grounds here seem more like a deserted parking lot than the dirt and grass of my youth. And going on a weekday is a bit of a disappointment because all the cool stuff like the dog herding trials, most of the sheep and goats, and the poultry and bunny exhibits weren't going on like the first time we went to the fair. I miss seeing those chickens, but we had a good time anyway. Think I'll let my pictures do the talkin'.

It was Veteran's Appreciation Day, and the parade was inspiring and emotional. All military and their families got in free this day. The parade started off with the Color Guard.



The Legion Riders were awesome


Gotta have tractors in a parade in NE


Of course there were animals at the fair!

I had never seen a 4-horned sheep. Looks like something from a sci-fi story.


The goats want some feed. No surprises there.


The AG Hall held the farming groups' exhibits. Of course there were the huuuuuuge veggies


The infamous fiberglass cow that has an udder you can milk from. The kids were just doing what we all wanted to do.


The infamous cheddar sculptor


And reminders that we are in Nebraska, after all


A new food offering. We did no partake.


And of course,

"Are you going to Heaven?" booth


Ice chest near the Methodist food stand



And since I don't have any pictures of funky chickens, I give you pictures of the chicken I knitted. I love her!







And the obligatory cute picture of Cosette, the sweetest dog in the world, asleep next to me on the love seat outside.

Lately, I've Been Knitting

Yeah, knitting has become more than a hobby. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to finally find something that I'm good at and I like. Yes, I said it: I'm good at this. You don't know me that well but just believe me when I say that I would have never admitted to being good at something, whether I thought I was or not. And if I did admit it, I would qualify it with "I'm pretty good" or "I'm OK at" or "I do OK but there's a lot I can't do." Pfffft. Enough of that.

So, here are a few of the things I've completed lately:

Cosette really wants to sit on the Modern Log Cabin Baby Blanket


Prayer Shawl


Fingerless Mittens (Christmas gifts this year!)


First attempt at Fair Isle


And the infamous (in the knitting world) clapotis pictures are on their way. Now, onto the next project! Or maybe I'll go back to one of the many I have already started. Choices, choices.

In Stitches

Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit, either. ~Elizabeth Zimmerman

Years ago, Al was diagnosed and successfully treated for testicular cancer. He has been cancer-free for almost 12 years, but I remember every minute of sitting in those cold waiting rooms while he went through more scans and while doctors reviewed the results before talking to us. “The Price Is Right” was showing in every room, and to this day I can’t listen to the theme music for that show.

I always had a book with me, but I couldn’t concentrate long enough to read even a page. I tried crossword puzzles, but same problem. So, I mostly just sat there, tapping my foot. Near the end of his treatment, he had to have a long surgery to remove the scar tissue, and I knew that I would have to find something to do with my hands. I could hand-stitch quilt pieces together, but that would take a lot of prep work to cut out the pieces first. I decided to fall back on cross-stitch, an old favorite. During his over-6-hour surgery, I finished an old project and gave it to a friend for Christmas. Cross-stitch was the perfect thing for me at that time because it kept my hands busy and following a simple pattern was about all the concentration I could handle. Besides, the repetition of making those Xs was comforting some how. I haven’t done much cross-stitch since.

Flash forward some 6 years or so. After trying quilting again, honing my cooking/baking skills (gaining 40 pounds in the process), playing with paper and stamps making scrapbooks, and writing bits and pieces of a novel that wasn’t going any where, I took a good friend’s advice and tried knitting. My mother had tried to teach me when I was a teenager, but I didn’t like it, probably because I wasn’t good at it immediately and my pattern was to quit and move on to something else. I believe it was cross-stitch, actually. Anyway, I got the book Stitch and Bitch, some needles, and yarn and got started. Something my mother taught me must have been hiding in my subconscious because it came very easy to me. Not only that, I liked it! I felt I had found the craft for me, the one I could concentrate on and get really good at while still loving what I was doing.

As a bonus, learning to knit came at a time when I really needed something to keep me from cracking up. Yes, I say that flippantly, but for a couple of years there, I don’t know how I kept it all together. Actually I do know how, I knitted. I obsessively focused on learning how to knit, playing with yarn and learning how to follow a pattern. I won’t go so far as to say knitting saved my life, but it came damn close.

When I thought things were getting ready to turn around for me, I had an MRI done, expecting a migraine but finding lesions, the first step in diagnosing MS. Thus, I started spending a lot of time in waiting rooms again. The diagnosis process is a long one for MS, mostly because it is difficult to diagnose. One of these days, I’ll write more about why that is, but the point is that I now had something to do in the waiting rooms and at home while I waited for test results. As long as I followed simple patterns, I could easily sit and knit for as long as it took. Unfortunately, I couldn’t knit while in the MRI machine nor while getting a lumbar puncture.

It’s a testament to how much I love knitting that I haven’t turned away from it after my diagnosis and after things started to turn around for me. Whereas I can’t watch “The Price is Right” nor do I have any desire to cross-stitch, I happily continue to knit. I haven’t ignored the fact that I have a disease that could affect my dexterity, but luckily, my case is pretty mild and it hasn’t interfered too much. Actually, knitting is a pretty good gauge of how I’m doing. Sometimes, even on a bad day I can knit as long as it is a simple pattern not requiring a lot of concentration or the need to follow a chart. Then there are those days when I knit even a simple row over and over again and can’t get it right. We all have bad days, but I know that when I can’t complete a simple knit 2 purl 2 rib, something else might be going on and I should pay attention. But even on a bad day, I can listen to a knitting podcast (yes, there is such a thing) or look at a magazine to plan my next project. Sometimes, it’s just a bad day.

And now, knitting will help Join the Movement by raising money for MS research. At both of The Knitting Guild of America’s (TKGA) 2009 Knit & Crochet Shows in Portland, OR and Buffalo, NY, a silent auction will be held, featuring socks by various designers. Socks are a favorite project and an obsession with many knitters, so this is a wonderful idea. Proceeds will go to The National MS Society (NMSS). In their statement, the NMSS said, “The mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is to end the devastating effects of MS. Support from organizations like CGOA (Crochet Guild of America), TKGA and the Knit & Crochet Shows helps us to pursue new treatments so that no one will have to forgo the pleasure of being able to participate in activities that are so rewarding.”

Maybe knitting really is a life saver.

Another little life saver who wants to take a nap with Al.



My latest project--a market bag

Follow Through

How is it that I can feel restless and tired at the same time? How can I feel like I could sleep for hours, yet my head is spinning with ideas for projects and my fingers are itching to do something?

The problem is that I’m a great planner, but I’m usually not so good at follow through. I love planning. I love the excitement of those early moments in an idea. The gleam of “what if I . . .” completely redirects my attention me from whatever I’m doing.

For example, I decided that I needed a knitting journal. I have a spiral journal/notebook thingie (with sheep on it, of course) where I keep notes on what I’m working on. OK, that makes me sound sooooo much more organized than I am. Let’s try that again: When I think about it, I write down notes about what I’m working on, such as what yarn, what size needle, and any changes I’ve made to the pattern. But the notebook is haphazardly used, writing something down when I think about it and I have trouble finding the info later. So, I decided I needed a little more organization.

I thought about making my own first, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to look around the internet to see if there was already the perfect one out there. There were knitting journals, but back when I was looking at them, there weren’t that many and they all lacked a little something. They all had the basic info describing the project on a page, but somehow they just weren’t user-friendly enough for me, mostly I couldn’t take the pages out to categorize the projects so they’d be easier to find. Time to make my own!

I got a pretty binder and sat down with Excel to create my project pages. I tried different ways with different information, but finally ended up with something I liked. I made a lot of copies of blank journal pages, put them in the binder, then put the binder on the shelf of my knitting bookcase. And there it sat for I’m embarrassed to say how long. I did fill out a few pages, but for the most part, I didn’t want to take the time out of working on my projects to actually write all that stuff down. But when I got back from Virginia, I decided I needed to get out that journal and update it. I printed out photos of finished projects to tape to the pages, then filled out as much information as I could remember. While doing this, I realized there was a little more organizing to do: putting in dividers for projects in progress and projects completed. Then there was the growing list of projects I want to do. I decided I needed a page (or 20) so that I could list possible projects and where I can find the patterns and what yarn I would need. I even went through my magazines and tore out patterns, put them in protector pages, and I now have a “Wanna Do Projects” binder.



I’m so pleased with myself! Sure, I have new magazines I need to go through and patterns that I downloaded are still on my computer, but I have a good basis to build on. I do wish I was a better wiz with a computer and design programs because there are some things I would change about those journal pages, make them prettier. Also, right now, the binder is for 8 ½ x 11 paper, but I’d really like a smaller sized one, such as a 5 x 8 so it would be easier to carry around. It would come in really handy at the yarn shop to just pull my journal out of my purse and double check how much and what weight of yarn I need for that hiking scarf. I have a binder that size, but I can’t figure out an easy way to type up my journal pages on paper that size. Oh well, it’s nice having all the room on a page for my notes an pictures.

A quick Google search shows there are lots of journals out there now, even a woman who offers on her blog pdfs of her journal pages to download; they look a lot like mine, but are much prettier. Plus, there’s Ravelry, where you can keep an online journal and talk about your projects, even keep an inventory of your stash. I could be uber-cyber-organized, but I really like pen and paper, so I think I’ll stick to what I have.

Of course, there are more magazines coming in and several yarn companies offer free patterns for downloads, which are on my computer and need to be printed out. It seems like organization is an ongoing chore, I mean task. I shouldn’t think of it as a chore. OK, it’s a chore. It was fun to think about it and play around with the idea of having the journal, but now it’s a lot of work to keep that sucker updated. But in the end, it’s worth it.

It’s nice to have an idea and actually follow through with it for a change. Hmmm. Maybe this a brand new start to a whole new me! A disciplined, organized, and projects-completed kind of person. A person who finishes her projects instead of letting UFOs pile up around her. A person who keeps . . . hold on a minute. I just got an email from Knitting Daily. Maybe there’s a new pattern! Sometimes they have articles about spinning and weaving. You know, I’d love to learn how to spin. That would be so cool, wouldn’t it? Of course, I’d need to learn about the different types of yarns and understand better what “ply” means, but it would be so interesting. Then I could knit with the yarn I spin! Oooooh, oooooh, then I could start dying my own yarn! Yeah, I could try my hand at my own hand-painted yarns. Where’s my color wheel? What colors go well with sage green?

Sorry, I gotta go! You guys can let yourselves out, right? I got things to think about!!



P.S. Clip art from fotosearch.com