Friday, March 27, 2009

Knitting: The Beginning


So who do you think it was that one day decided..."By george, I can take two pieces of wood, sharpen the ends then take some yarn and make something to wear out of it". Was it a woman sitting inside a cold house, sick of waiting for the fire to warm her bones so she decided she would make something to keep her warm. Or was it another woman who got sick of hearing her husband complain about the holes in his socks so she knitted him a pair? Back in the days, I mean really back in the days, can you imagine having to knit for a whole family as a necessity rather that a hobby?! I think personally I might have taken my knitting needles, or twigs at the time, and stabbed myself in the neck rather than deal with that kind of demand. Even now, when people ask for something they better realize that I will get it done when I get it done. If I tell myself to get something done by a certain date I might as well forget it. As many others have found I presume, knitting for pleasure and knitting for profit is very different and could eventually lead to you not knitting at all. The things I create can't be for a profit, that is something I have come to grips with throughout the years. Those projects just become to tedious and mundane, and overall just make me want to scream. I will only knit more when it is something I want to make for someone who I know will appreciate it. Knitting is just another way to show your love to those that you care about and it's only when they realize the time, energy, and ability to not scream when you have to rip the project out for the 9th time, do they know how much you care by the sweater or other project you give them. All I have to say is that next time you have someone that doesn't quite appreciate the knitted present that is in front of them just let them know "I just spent ______________ hours (add total amount of time spent on the project including time thinking about, ripping out, and crying over the way it turned out the first two times, then times that by two!) on this beautiful project by george you will enjoy it whether you like it or not". By adding the last part there isn't any confusion on how to accept a hand knitted gift. Or worse case scenario.....you keep it for yourself!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Battle of the Mind


It must be one of those nights where no matter how hard I try, sleep just won't come. It's 12:41am and I am sitting hear wide awake while Max, my husband snores away. Now I could immediately blame it on him. That would be easy. Or I could blame it on Lucy, the lab, that seems to be having bad dreams in her kennel and is kicking the walls constantly. Or finally, I could sit here and blame it on myself. Do you ever just have those moments where too much is going on in your brain and there is no way to stop it? It's like everything you have been thinking about throughout the day gets held up in a drain and minutes before you decide to go to sleep the drain just magically unclogs itself and suddenly your brain is going a mile a minute. It would be times like this that I would sit back and knit, waiting for the peaceful meditation of the knitting needles working together along with each stitch being created but that just can't happen right now (especially in the dark). So as I ponder all of this I sit and hope that at any minute my mind will decide that it is finally time to go to sleep and relax until tomorrow. I will say that if my mind decides that it would like to continue with this all night party that I will be picking up my knitting needles at say....2 am or so. But let's not even consider the possibility at this point.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Woo Hoo! The Paper is Done!



It is currently 7:52pm on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. I would like to say...... WOO HOO!! MY PAPER IS DONE!!! WOO HOO!! I have just completed my 20 (yes 20) page paper of the impact of Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth I on the woman's movement. It is officially sent off to the teacher and now I can get back to my knitting. I decided yesterday that the best thing for me was to put my knitting away in the trunk of the car. I was not allowed to touch the knitting until this paper was done, as incentive to get it done. All I have to say is....it's about time!!! One more small assignment and I am done (at least for now). So to enjoy this occasion I felt like I needed a knitting cartoon. Enjoy! I'm off to knit!

Monday, March 16, 2009

When Knitters Come Together...


When so many wonderful knitters come together it's amazing what they can do. At my Stitch n' Bitcher knitting group we all created squares that were coming together to create a blanket. The finished blanket is going to be sent out to the Navy and be donated to a lucky sailor to keep him or her warm on one of those cold ships. The response was amazing. We received squares from other groups in town as well! I think I finally got all of the blocks together in to what you see above. Tonight is the night that we will be stitching this blanket together and then I am going to create a border for it to finish it off. I was thinking of knitting waves into the border (obviously since it's going to the Navy). I am so proud of everyone and how much they gave. I feel truly greatful to be a part of this group and know so many great women who enjoy to do the same things that I enjoy. I will miss all of them dearly when I move. That will be a hard day but I know that no matter where I am I will have friends for life that have been created all because we love to knit.

Friday, March 6, 2009

My Stack of Research


So life lately has been exactly what you see here....research, reading, typing, and lots of homework. Most of these books are just for a research paper that unfortunately is due in less than two weeks. And of course it isn't just a few pages, it's more like 15-20 pages. A horrible amount that I wouldn't wish upon my worse enemy. It was about four days ago that I decided it was time to breathe. Now some may call me a procrastinator, and I would accept that to a certain extent, but I decided I wouldn't touch these books for a week (being that I have gotten most of my paper done). It was to the point where everything I read or typed just didn't make any sense or wasn't sticking in my head. I have simply been doing the necessities for school and then reaching for my knitting needles the rest of the time. Only two weeks until the first of my associate degrees are done. It only took 10 years to be able to say that, after starting and stopping so many times, but I am proud to say it at all. In one of my classes the other day the teacher was discussing the recent economic turmoil when it comes to job prospects and she said "An associates degree is the equivalent to a high school degree". That statement made me stop. I don't know what she said after that because I was absolutely floored. She had just summed up the fact that my hard work over the past 10 years essentially meant nothing. This coming from a teacher at a community college who assists people in getting their associates degree, and I guess since she has a masters she would become an expert on the subject supposedly. It almost seemed ironic. So really she is saying that everyone at this school, unless they are working towards a bachelor's degree or higher, is wasting their time. After that thrilling class I came home and grabbed my knitting needles. It's amazing the amount of knitting you can get done when people irritate you. So here is the conclusion that I have come to after my knitting therapy. Some people need to take a breath, maybe even sit down and knit for a few minutes to clear their mind, before they decide to make a statement like that. Or another way to look at it is that because of that statement....I got the motivation to get some knitting done that day! Why people don't try knitting instead of paying expensive therapists I will never know.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

My past month in a nutshell


Well, it has been about a month and a half since I have been able to create a new post! I have been up to my eyeballs in homework, migraines, and packing. I have had piles of books sitting everywhere for my writing class (I am typing a 20 page paper on Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth I). Luckily I am in the last two weeks of this term, which I will finally achieve my associates degree. The real challenge will be if I can make it through math class. It has been nearly 8 years since I had a math class and it shows. Oh well...the pain is almost over. It has only been in the last week that I have been up to knit again. I even notice the difference since I picked back up my needles, feeling a bit calmer than I was a few weeks ago. And just to add to the fun we will be moving soon. I didn't realize the size of my knitting stash until I started packing it up. It's one thing to look at....another thing to have to move it. The countdown to Western Culinary school has begun. And now that I have decided to do what I always wanted to do....become a pastry chef or baker.....I am very happy about all of it! Since I was little I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I wanted to own my own little bakery someday. Well, that might just happen the way things are going! So as I look at things I have to say....as long as I pass my math class...life is good. Very good.