Wednesday, December 28, 2011

What the Heck Happened?

I started this blog because I had so much time on my hands at work that I wanted to/ NEEDED to have an arena where I could speak freely and wordily (I know it’s not a word) about my newest passion. Wouldn’t you know that the knitting GODS saw fit to put it on my bosses hearts to fire me so that I would have more time to blog /pursue/immerse myself in my happy place of yarnery. Funny thing about unemployment, it just allows you to be employed in the place that you have been trying to avoid doing the most work; your home.

I started my home employment with the beautiful delusion that, not only would I have more time to knit (ha ha ha), blog (what’s that), and meet with friends BUT I could also reorganize everything, keep a spotless living space, happy fluffy pets, clean HOMESCHOOLED kid, serve up food-network inspired meals ever other night (had to be realistic), and look super hot without even trying. Cause that’s how I roll.

I have now been working this job for almost a year and let me just tell you.. THE HOUSE NEVER STAYS CLEAN. The dogs and cats like to roll in dirt  and one has an ugly habit on eating, err,… yeah. She isn’t mine.  I am just pet-sitting. I cook maybe 3 times a week. We are not too good for left-overs. At least one meal a week comes courtesy of  my sous-chef, Mr. Crock Pot. Don’t have a sous-chef? Get you one. They work for cheap. Home schooling a 5th grader is hard work. I need a raise for that one. The rewards are priceless. I haven’t met with friends to sit and knit or drink since the summer. AND KNITTING… well let’s just say that I do it a lot less than when I was working (there is a joke in there somewhere) but I talk about it a whole lot more.

I managed to get myself this cool co-hosting gig for a video podcast. The interview process was grueling. I just showed up. That’s it. Oh, and I made a great friend with a great idea and determination to start a video podcast. Wolfe Farms Video Podcast  has already given me so much more than I expected. All we wanted to do was communicate. The friendships, gifts, lessons, and interactions that have occurred directly due to the podcast are proof that people respond to honesty, goodness, truth, and giggles.

Now, I have had a renewed desire to blog. There is so much that I choose not to say on the video podcast. There are lots that we can’t cover in our hour. I plan on doing that here. I must say that I have learned that I have to take out time to do these sorts of things. I wake up at 4:30 every morning to squeeze in a little extra time to knit. I have decided that I will close up the kitchen by 7 every night so that I have some time to blog (or at least put ideas down). Once my mind is set on something well, it’s pretty much gonna happen.

On that note: I am finding myself draw to this . It is calling to me and I must answer. More later.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

2/2 with Much To Do

Where did January go? My mom was right. Time really does seem to fly by as you get older.  What have I been up to? I am gonna tell ya..
Last month my husband gave me 2 skeins of Malabrigo Chunky. I was so happy. I probably would have shown him how happy I was if he hadn’t given them to me AFTER he came home for working the night shift.  He was so happy with himself that he woke me up and put the plastic covered skeins in my hand. I mumbled my appreciation and sat the yarn on my night stand.
Let me just say that I have such a KNITCRUSH on this yarn that it isn’t even funny. #173 STONECHAT feels yummy. Just thinking about how soft it is gives me butterflies in my tummy. The colors are just delish. They are colors that I love; olive sage greens, burgundy  reds that kinda fade to pink, burnt orange, and browns. Just ahhh...  I am making Bella’s Mittens for myself.  Right yarn + perfect pattern = a beautiful thing.
(Did I mention that this is my first mitten EVER?)
Yesterday I cast on for the February Lady Sweater. This is a sweater of firsts for me. My first sweater , my first knit along, and yesterday I made my first BUTTONHOLE (and my second last night).  My second buttonhole is way cuter than my first. Can you tell that I am proud of myself? I hope to complete this sweater before my birthday (the 24th of this month).  I am knitting in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in the Papaya Heather color.  KP gives free shipping with order of $50 so along with the yarn I ordered, 1 skein of lace yarn, a set of size 7 and size 8 interchangeable needles , two 42” cables, and a yarn defuzzer. I am happy with it all. I am using the size 8’s for my mittens AND my FLS, which is coming along better than I expected considering that I am a sweater virgin (that's what every calls it).
I have lots of knitting to do for Valentine’s Day that I would love to talk about. Too bad my motto is “Don’t talk about it. BE about it.” For the next week, I will BE knitting feverishly trying to finish up my husband’s simple, but time consuming, gift, plus a gift for my son’s teacher.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Don't Talk To Me About Knitting

Yesterday was my sister’s 35th birthday. That means that we are the same age for the next couple of weeks. I am heading out to Long Beach to celebrate tomorrow. I am excited for my sister’s birthday. Heck, I am excited about everything my sister does. I am just that sister. She, however, isn’t so excitable and became down right rude the day that I called her to tell her about my "knitting."
My husband is a driver. He loves it. He is one of those guys who just wants to take a road trip to nowhere because it is Saturday. One of his ways of getting me to agree to go anywhere on my weekends (besides the couch and my knit meets at Wolfe Farms) is to find a yarn store and impose a budget.  Don’t tell him but I would be content just to go and molest yarn in any yarn store without the promise of purchase.  This particular weekend we were headed for The Grove at Juniper and 30th located in San Diego, California. My husband knew that I really wanted to purchase a skein or 3 of Spud and Chloe yarn and this place sold it. Hours later we arrived. I loved the shop. He loved the area. I met Spud. He met a lamp. We spent a long time in that store. I left with 3 skeins of Spud & Chloe in various colors AND some fabulous fabric by Judipatuti.  2 years ago my friend, Teresa, gave me a sewing machine that was missing the foot? (the thing to make it go). For my birthday the following year, my (now) husband bought me the foot.  After taking forever to sew my first pillow (thanks to my friend Shannon), I was kinda hooked. I bought that Judipatuti fabric with the intentions of making pillows for my sister. I had already made my sister a pillow from fabric purchased at Joanns that was promptly claimed by my niece.  My sister asked if I would make her more pillows that matched her bedding.  Mind you that buying fabric for my sister equal less yarn for myself but the colors in the Judipatuti fabric were perfect. 
The next day I called my sister to tell her about the beautiful things that I acquired ending with the SURPRISE fabric that was super cool for her pillows. She wasn’t impressed.  After we got off the phone I received an almost immediate call back from her. “Sister, you know. I have been thinking. I think that knitting is boring. Don’t call me anymore and tell me about your knitting. I am not interested in it. OK.” Her cheery voice was met with dead silence on my end of the line. Then before I knew it, I told her “ No, it’s not ok. That’s rude.” I don’t know what all else I said before we hung up. I DO know that she didn’t say anything after I started talking because my sister very seldom receives resistance from anyone but damn, she was being rude to me. Not just rude, rude about KNITTING! O no she didn’t. She might as well have called me and told me that my child was ugly or stupid. To me, at that moment, it was pretty much the same thing.  You know, with knitting being all intimate and personal. First came the anger, then came the tears, then came the call to MY MOM! It’s funny now but not so. My sister, the one who has and wears all of my first scarves, whose daughter I knitted my first toy for, who recently was complaining that she only has my old knitting and nothing cabled or even a hat, THAT sister had really hurt my feelings and I was telling mom (I am, after all, an adult).  We commiserated about my sister’s current attitude and I vowed to my mom and husband that I would NEVER knit her anything AND she could just hold her breath waiting for those pillows. Good news travels fast and before long my sister was calling. I wasn’t in the mood.
We may laugh about it now but the boundaries are set. EVERYONE knows.  DO NOT talk crap about my knitting, or the fact that I knit. If you do talk crap about it, make sure it  doesn’t get back to me because there is nothing worse than an angry knitter.
Happy Birthday Sister, Mother of Janii and Michael, friend to many, bossy to all, and (yes) a life long requester and receiver of knits!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

What's In A Name?

I had the hardest time trying to come up with a name for this blog. I can't understand why. I know that I want this blog to be a way that I am held accountable for what I am knitting. I know that I want this blog to be up beat, happy, positive, and real (no.. that's not sarcam. Just keep in mind that we can't have everything that we WANT). I know that I want this blog to be a way for me to better connect with the knitting community - I love Ravelry but when I am on there I am too busy looking for (free) patterns or lurking in the forums to do much posting. I do find myself looking in on my friends and reading every one of their blogs. What does my aunt say? "Turn about is fair play." I want this blog to be my turn-about.

Knowing all of that didn't make it any easier trying to find a name (that wasn't already taken). My husband and I finally decided calling the blog what it's called because knitting, to me, is intimate. I love it, adore it, have a burning passion for it, and when I can't knit I am thinking about it. It's like I am cheating on my husband with my knitting. Knitting makes me feel good, empowered, proud, special, accomplished, well rounded, and productive. Knitting is personal and close to my heart. It's intimate. So there you have it...

I am excited about this blog. I plan on sharing the knitting hap's in my local community (guess I will have to get out to more often), the yarns, books, mags, designers, bloggers etc that I have a "KNIT CRUSH" on, my visits to LYS's, things I purchase, WIP's, FO's, Knitting Break-Up's (frogged items),and my personal knitting evolution.