KnitCrit

Bethie, You Blew Me Away

I was all set to post another pattern critique when my sister threw me a curve.  First, please allow me to supply some background information.

I am the oldest of four; with two sisters and one brother.  How four people who are so totally different were produced by the same parents has always been a total mystery to me.  All four of us have different coloring, even.  I, with my brown hair and brown eyes, am the more obvious offspring, since Mom and Dad both had brown hair and brown eyes.  Next in line was my brother, with blond hair and brown eyes.  My sister, Beth, has very dark brown hair and very dark eyes, with olive toned skin to match.  Then, there’s Annie, with her flaming red hair, and brown eyes, and pale skin (cousins on my father’s side actually have the last name Redhead and yes, they all have red hair).

My mom was very crafty, which is a surprise to a lot of people, because her interests in sewing, knitting and tapestry waned in her later years.  I not only remember her craftiness, but she taught me how to do all of it at a very young age.  Honestly, I cannot think of a time that I did not know how to knit or do needlework, and I sewed clothes for friends, children and myself for many years (recently, I’ve been actually thinking of buying a new sewing machine).

Beth got the knitting bug for awhile and knit some of the most beautiful Fair Isle sweaters I have ever seen!  One, for my son, has been set aside as a true heirloom.  I wish she had kept it up, so that we could knit together now, but she got into open water swimming and that has been her focus in recent years.  How many people do you know who swam around Manhattan Island?

This week, she emailed me a link to her Flickr site and I finally got a chance to open it today.  I cried.  Her photography skills took my breath away.  So, instead of posting my next pattern review, I am introducing others to her amazing photography.  Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/earwdigitalphotos/

I Feel Good About My Neck

This post has absolutely nothing to do with Nora Ephron's entertaining book on "women thoughts."  No, it's about the Northern Neck of Virginia, the place to where I run away as often as possible. 

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may have read a post or two about particular days, evenings or various adventures at "the Neck."  On the other hand, if you have no clue where I'm referring to, let me introduce you to this little area of Virginia via this link.

We have spent the last two weekends at our little house on the Neck.  Last weekend was a special one because, not only was it Mother's Day, but we bought a new boat!  Please allow me to share some pictures.

The new boat, The Breakaweigh (you cyclists will
certainly understand the name):

The "sly" look of my son as he
unveils the Mother's Day gift (a Garmin GPS).  Also, he pulled the lovely flower from a vacant lot down the street, and gave it to his Mom :-)                     

Earlier in the day, the big doggie pictured, as well as his "dancing fool" sister, were bathed.  His sister, a border collie mix, loves to dance.  We have a large living room at the Neck house, so we dance.  Why not?  And when we do, the border collie always wants to be included. Isn't that weird??? 
"Well, Dad dances, too, and since he feeds me; it must be alright":

Then there's the sign at the little antique junk shop down the road:
                               Doesn't it make you want to stop by and see if they have vintage undies?

I'm going to stop here.  I had intended to post about both weekends, but there is enough here for one.  I'll save the rest for the next post and I will leave you with a few more pictures from the Neck that I love:
                                   

Colors of the CA Coast

I don't have any finished projects to share at this time.  While in the Bay area of California last weekend, we hiked around Montara Mountain.  The wildflowers were beyond beautiful.  These are the colors that inspire my knitting.  Enjoy!
                      

The New Girls in Town

Please meet Mia and Sophie.  Mia is the gray girl, a long-haired twin of Mosby, who we adopted several years ago.  He is not in the picture because he has decided that he is not fond of his new little sisters.  Instead, he is hanging out with the dogs; all three doing their fair share of moping.

The tiger girl is Sophie.  Thank heavens that the 14 y.o. son obsessed over adopting her, also, when we went to the Washington Humane Society to look at kitties.  She is very active and mischievous, making me laugh at her every move.

Sadly, they both ended out bringing severe respiratory infections with them and are currently on antibiotics.   Mia was worse and gave us a real scare when she would not eat for a couple of days.  We spent a lot of time with syringes-full of liquefied food, a series of events that were not working for her.  Finally, late yesterday, she ate a full bowl of cat food laced with canned tuna and is clearly on an upward track to wellness.

I can thank my SSK and Ravelry pal Carol for sending the cat adoption fever our way.  While reading her blog, I was reminded what pleasure a household with more than one cat can provide.  We lost two kitties over the last 18 months; both to old age.  Now, they have been officially replaced with two cuties. 

Eventually, they will get to know their doggies up-close and personal.  For now, however, we are giving them time to seek out the good spots for bird-watching and such, free of the hassles of a 100 pound lab mix and his side-kick border collie mix.

   

Blog Contest for Equal Justice Foundation

A couple of weeks ago, my 25 year old son sent me information about an auction to be held in Washington on March 20, 2008.  The goal is to raise funds to assist law students who plan to intern in the area of public interest organizations. 

He, a first-year law student at American University, asked me how I might be able to spread the word.  Of course, my first thought was to approach my knitter friends, close friends and blog readers - many of whom are one in the same - for donations.

If you have met my son, David, you know that he is passionate about serving the disability community.  From the time he volunteered in high school as a counselor in a community program that blended inner-city teens with teens with developmental disabilities, his focus has been on equal rights for persons with all disabilities.  Now, the pathway to achieving his ultimate goal has been set as he attends American University's Washington College of Law.

What does this have to do with knitting or a knitting blog? 

All persons who donate either a gift card or cash, at least $10 in value, will be entered in a contest to receive yarn.  The organization is a 501(c)3, so your donations are tax deductible. 

So far, the prize package consists of a skein of ArtYarns luxurious Silk Rhapsody and a skein of Lisa Souza's SOCK; over $50 worth of yarn!  I will add more as the donations come pouring in!
                                                                                    
All you have to do is leave your first name + last initial, with the amount of the contribution/gift card donation here as a comment.  I will match the name and the amount to the information received by EJF.  All entries received by Saturday, March 22, 2008 will be eligible for the drawing to take place on Sunday, March 23, 2008.

The law students who are so deserving of the assistance that the auction provides thank you, and I do, too!

Good luck!

Resolutions?

It's that time of year when all most of my thoughts turn to the new year and the opportunity necessity to determine what resolutions to make. 

Why do I do this to myself?  Why not just let the new year begin peacefully and happily; gliding into it with a sense of newness?  Just like that feeling I experience when I purchase new yarn for a project.  Come to think of it, that's it!  That's the feeling that I should bask in and relish, without any pressure.

But, wait a minute.  If it's like the purchase of new yarn, then what about the part when I buy the yarn and then feel some commitment toward starting and completing the project?  I purchase the yarn with enthusiasm toward the FO, right? 

More relevancy here: I finish the project because I have finished other projects and reflect on the wonderful feeling associated with completing those.  Just like achieving a resolution.  Sixteen years ago, I quit smoking as a new year's resolution.  It was cold turkey and after many years of struggling with quitting, I stopped on January 2nd and have never since taken so little as a single drag off of a cigarette.   All these years later, I just feel so good when I think about that accomplishment. 

Okay, so that was just one resolution amongst the decades' worth of others that haven't been so successful.  But, damn it felt good.  My knitted FO's look good, too, despite there being several UFOs in bags, dispersed here and there throughout the guest bedroom.

Actually, when I sat down to write this post, this was not the direction I was headed.  Yet, there really is a correlation here. 

It may be during the day on January 1, 2008 that I finally decide what my new years' resolution for 2008 will be.  I have to lose some weight.  I need to increase my exercise weekly, particularly the miles on the bike.  Since I am starting a new job, it presents the perfect opportunity for a new routine, one that is less stressful and more peaceful.  Or, perhaps I should strive to spend less money on yarn; maybe more time reading; blog more often; possibly save more money for retirement.

No matter what I do, it will come to me in the same way that a yarn purchase ultimately occurs.  It may be random or it may come with a complete, detailed plan.  No matter, it will come and I will hope that my resolution for 2008 is just like a beautiful FO that I can post about and be proud about for many years to come.  If not, it'll go in the UFO bag to be achieved...later.

Happy New Year!

'Tis the Season for Thankfulness

"This skein of yarn is a little bit like life," she wrote.

"...knots in it, places are weak, places much too energized."

" I wanted to make you a beautiful gift to cheer you up..."

Thank you, Rebecca, aka Fiber.

My career dilemma has been solved.  I have accepted a position with an organization that provides scholarships to children of people in the military.  I am happy, and very thankful, that the "acrylic" period is over.  It can now be replaced with lovely handspun yarn in yellow, my favorite color, from and by Rebecca, an SSKer.

3+ years ago, I wanted to meet fellow knitters.  Not finding a group close-by, I started my own - SSK, Silver Spring Knitters.  The first meeting was at a Starbucks, a location that was riddled by horrid parking, poor lighting, no real food and most importantly, no wine.  We moved to Adega.  Soon, they came, lots of them.  We changed to every Tuesday, not just two Tuesdays a month. 

Through all of the changes, the "usuals" developed.  There has been some transformation as a couple have moved away and new friends have come with regularity.  Yes, they are friends, the most extraordinary of friends; those "usuals" who have taken up a very special part of my life, of my heart.  Some know my deepest feelings and me theirs.  Others have listened as I have shared my darkest secrets and I have listened to them, too.  We come from everywhere, and every conceivable background.  The only similarity among us that I have noticed, beyond our passion for knitting, is our politics - of the blue state variety. 

There are not enough words to describe the love and thankfulness I have for these women and men, with whom I share every Tuesday night of my life.  I can only hope that it is for a lifetime.

Sean Taylor

Way before I was a passionate knitter.
Way before I was an avid cyclist.
Way before I lived in Maryland or North Carolina.
Way before I was a wife.
Way before I was a mother.
Way before I was a college grad.
Way before Joe Gibbs, Phase I.
Way before Danny Snyder.
Way before Free Agency.

I was, and continue to be, a Redskins Fan. 

It is in my blood.  My mother did it to me.  She taught me to love pro football. 

Both of my children learned THE song as their first song they sang: "Hail to the Redskins."

For decades, we had the pleasure of 50-yard line season tickets; yes, a DC commodity that is harder to achieve than an invitation to a state dinner at the White House.

Admittedly, in recent years, my "fan-dom" has waned a bit, but deep down, I love that burgundy and gold.  When I can get the games on TV, or radio, or Internet, I'm happy.  Disgust has set in lately, but I can't seem to pull away. 

Today, when I awoke to the news of Sean Taylor's death, it hit me hard.  It has hit this city hard.  We love those guys. 



...but we still hate the Cowboys!

My Acrylic Period

Artists are defined by their periods; the most troubling being their "dark" periods.  I sought out a better description of my recent days; one that related more to knitting.  So, what follows is an account of my recent "acrylic period,"  AKA: the period of no blog posts.

Several weeks ago, there were rumblings in the organization where I work that our
Board of Directors was not going to renew our Executive Director's contract.  It was devastating news and since then, it's as if I have been in a bad dream.  I love what I do, able to apply huge amounts of creativity on a daily basis.  It's not craft creativity but rather brain creativity; pulling a range of well-received, successful projects out of limited resources.  I adore my staff and I relish our comradery.

I am 51 years old and what I had really been envisioning was several years more of work and then I would retire to knit and enjoy my husband and cycle and knit...and knit some more.  Also, I saw myself with a weaving project here and there; maybe even take out the old sewing machine.

Okay, so it's not the end of the world.  I will just get another job.  Yet, there is a simple but complicated hurdle standing in the way.  I do not want another job.  Just like Sam and his green eggs and ham, I do not want to have another job.  Period.  But, I have to work and I have to have another executive level job to pay this ridiculous mortgage in the DC suburbs.

I could move?  No, my husband's job is not as marketable elsewhere.  Besides, we have finally gotten my son's school's attention to his needs and we have an IEP this year.  Maybe he can be given better placement when he goes to high school next year.  And anyway, I really love it here; this is home.

In between the news and now, I got to go to Rhinebeck and California.  I got to go to the S&W festival in NY and to ArtFibers in San Francisco!  The house we rented in NY was incredible and the Inn where we stayed in Point Reyes, CA was lovely.  And oh, the views - at both places!            I got to knit a lot in the car ride to/from NY and again flying coast to coast, back and forth.  Too, I received my luscious goodies from my KTSwap 4 partner. 

I have knit often and gotten in a bike ride or hike here and there.  But I am just so bummed.  Bringing together a blog post that is rich in information just isn't in the cards this week, as it wasn't last week and may not be next week.  Actually, my writing skills have needed to be preserved for those ##**-damned cover letters to accompany my resume that gets sent to who-knows-who on the other end.  Can't I just tell them I knit and therefore I must be a dedicated employee and wonderful; so they should just hire me and pay me the big bucks?

You will be the first to know when I'm back to being silk and fine merino, in a luscious "squee-enticing" blend.

I'm Really Funked Up

Alas, I am posting to my blog.  But, no pattern critique, yet again.  A pattern critique can only occur when I have an FO, and there haven't been any FOs while I've been F'd Up.

This all started because of the Seraphim Shawl that I thought I was going to finish two weeks ago.  I'm not going to say much more here because specific comments related to that pattern will have to wait for its critique.  Suffice it to say that it was frogged, after much consternation and too much time continuing to knit on it, in a funk.

So, I pulled out my bags of WIPs, those that were nearly finished.  Surely, I could seam a sweater or crochet the edge on a shawl.  No, I couldn't; the funk, and hence, no pattern critique.

A true knitter is one who has experienced these F'ing times.  You know.  The days and weeks when nothing looks or feels right on the needles.  Everything in your stash is lovely, but you can't figure out what pattern to knit with which yarn.  New yarn and books are purchased during this time but nothing comes together.  So, you F around and go mad - F'ing mad.

Here I sit on Friday night and I have to post something and I'm sorry readers, but this is the best I can do for now.  There is one cardigan that I really think I can finish in the next few days, and maybe I'll seam one of the sweaters from last year.  There's a really cute knitted purse that only needs lining.  There has to be an FO on the horizon; I just know it!

Thank you for being patient.  I will be back in a few days with a pattern critique.  It will be a Fine pattern critique, too!

Happy Knitting...