The Coolest Thing

Today, while spending what seemed to be endless hours at a swim meet in which my older son was competing (no, really: 4+hours of meet, 3 minutes of actual swimming), I was fortunate enough to need a crochet hook that I didn't have.  I had started an entrelac wrap in Mistero (color, grays to white #026, based on a pattern for Di Ve's Teseo Entrelac Stole, for which I can't find a pattern link) and found out after the base triangles were done that my cast on was way too tight.  Rrrrrip!  My solution to this was to use a provisional cast on and the only one I could remember at the moment required beginning with a crochet chain.  I know you can do this with fingers or even a knitting needle, but, let's face it: a crochet hook is well, made for this.  It's the whole "use the right tool for the job" argument. 

So, I say that I was fortunate for not being properly equipped, because I happened to spy a woman crocheting a few rows down from me in the bleachers.  "Aha!", I said to myself, "Perhaps she has more than one hook with her--after all, I have my whole set of Addi Clicks with me."  So I went over and asked her. 

And this is the really, really cool part: she did not in fact have a hook large enough to accomodate the yarn I was using, but it opened the door to a really fun conversation.  We talked about knitting, our kids, swimming, you name it.  We exchanged contact information and plan on meeting up tomorrow during the last leg of the swimming competition.  How is that not the coolest thing ever?? I love people who play with yarn.

While I must admit that my past experience with Fiber Junkies of almost any ilk (knitters, crocheters, weavers, dyers, spinners, etc.) has firmly established, in my opinion, that fellow Junkies are open and welcoming to each other, this encounter confirmed it.  Furthermore, it firmly cemented my belief that it doesn't matter where you go in this world that it's easy to meet people and befriend them.  All you have to do is be open to the other person and greet them with respect and a smile and you will generally receive the same in return.  My bet is that those hours at the pool tomorrow will not be long enough.

Needless (or Needles) Acquisition

Now that I am blessed with a set of the Addi Clicks, (BTW, love, Love, LOVE them!) I have become irrevocably intrigued by all other interchangeable sets, with few exceptions.

While I don't knit with wood or bamboo needles on a regular basis (note Addi reference above), I am itching to try the Webs bamboo set, the KnitPicks set, and am eagerly awaiting the announcement from Crystal Palace that they will soon be introducing a set of their own.  In my book, they are the perfect bamboo needle: smooth, strong, smooth, and not too sticky.  Did I mention that they're smooth?  Add multiple cable lengths, connectors & a nice case and I'm sold.  Forget the cost--mac & cheese for a week or two to pay for 'em, I'm IN.  Like Flynn I'm so in.

I have also seen ads for the Hiya Hiya set, which comes in such lovely small sizes. As a loose knitter who starts all guage swatches at 2 sizes smaller than the pattern recommends, I find this particularly interesting.

Have I mentioned convenience?  Imagine, between two sets (one wood/bamboo, one metal), all your knitting needs are covered.  Perfect for one of those knitting cruises where whenever you go ashore they send you right into the mouth of temptation and a rampant case of startitis.  The Girl Scout in you would be praising your level of complete preparedness.

I admit it. I am greedy.  I covet things. Especially these things.  Need doesn't even enter the picture.  I want them all and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Snow, Darn It, Snow!!

I am now sitting at home and waiting with absolutely not one single trace of patience for the big snow storm to hit southwestern CT.  I feel as though we were cheated on the last one: we had the cloudy sky, my knees ached due to the change in barometric pressure and....nothin'.  Not one lousy flake.

Well, the ol' knees are at about max on the ache level, all the birdfeeders are full, we have batteries in the camping lanterns and we have moved firewood inside to make sure it's dry.  Snow, I'm ready and waiting.  I have knitting to finish in front of the fire & the boys have prepared their sleds.  We have been waiting for you all winter, and now we are waiting to play in your wintery glory.  I hope to see you in the morning.

Time for a Change

With the upcoming fact (i.e. birthday) that I will soon reach "middle age", I have noticed that, increasingly, I am willing to make varied & sundry changes to my life, my habits, and my living space.  Is this a sign of middle age?   Is this the same reason that so many people (mostly men, in my personal experience) start to look for new lovers?  Or am I merely a bored, middle-class housewife?

I have been working for the last two months or so on a general clean-out and reorganization of the house.  Iam entralled by the Asian esthetic of minimalism, to the point where my New Year's Resolution is to use what I have.  Bring stash enhancement to a minimum (it's a subjective scale, granted) and to use the wonderful resources that are at my disposal and make the most of them.  I am also hoping that this will lead me to a new and profound appreciation of all that I have and of all that I can give to others. 

I rationally know that I do not NEED to buy any more yarn, fiber or fabric.  I have plenty of beads.  The time has come to differentiate between "want" and "need".  However, as all Fiberholics and Textile Geeks know, rationality has precious little to do with our cumpulsion for acquisition.  We buy the thing because: 1) We can, we have the resoures and 2) we can rationalize it, one way or another.

But now, especially in the face of tremendous loss and calamity (Haiti), I think that we should all take a step back from our own stresses & desire for acquistion and recognize how lucky we are.  If you have a home to protect you from the elements, you are blessed. If you and your family are well fed, you are blessed.  Do you have extra food/money/shelter/compassion that you can make available to another person?  You are doubly blessed, because you not only have enough of something, you have some to spare.  Be happy: there are many, many people who would give up an awful lot to be in your position.

Be grateful and thankful for what you have, and share what you can.  If you have nothing material to share, prayers for peace and freedom are always welcome.  We all have something to give.  Karma works; give of your heart and soul fully and you will be rewarded. 



 

Exactly When is the Fat Lady Going to Start Singing??

I know that I am not alone in feeling completely crushed by stress of the holiday season, and this year my personal Stress-O-Meter was reading off the chart.  But the really funny thing is, I wasn't exactly sure why. 

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday.  I love the decorations, the cookies, and wrapping gifts.  It's fun to take my boys shopping for their Dad and Grandmother, complete with a visit to Santa for a picture.  I love all of that.  I usually look forward to it all year.  I spend hours sewing and knitting and crafting gifts for my family and friends.  But not this year.  I couldn't manage to muster my typical level of Christmas cheer, let alone maintain it on a consistent basis.

 Not all of the gifts I had intended to make got done.  The house is only about half decorated.  I discovered that my mild allergy to pine trees is now something I have to pay attention to, so I didn't help decorate the tree this year.  I had to beg a good friend of mine to use her house for the New Year's Eve party I wanted to host because there's a chance I may need another knee surgery, which would be scheduled to happen on Dec. 30.  I just can't deal with the stress of having people come to my house and being hostess the day after surgery.

This is not to say that I no longer enjoy the holiday or that I spent the entire season unhappy or miserable, because there were some really, really great times.  I did manage to find or make what turned out to be the perfect thing for my children and a few of my friends, and seeing their faces when they opened the gifts was absolute bliss for me.  The party for adult students where I take TaeKwonDo class was a blast and a half. We went to hear my friend sing in her church choir, and were amazed to hear just how beautiful her voice is.  We had snow, and we all enjoyed it to it's fullest.  Even though my husband didn't understand the emotional emptiness I was experiencing, he came to the rescue and did a lot of the things that I couldn't seem to get done, and I am extraordinarily grateful for this. 

And then it hit me when I was putting my oldest son to bed last night.  He said that while this year's Christmas was pretty good, it wasn't as fun or exciting as it has been over the past few years, and that he was a little disappointed because of it.  He compared this year's quiet, family-only celebration to the past few years when we had large gatherings for Christmas dinner and a party afterwards that seemed to last most of the day and evening.  I told him that Christmas, even though it's a very special day, is still a lot like other days.  Some days are better than others, and it's the same with holidays.  Maybe this year wasn't all that Charlie and I were hoping it would be and at times it was a bit of a struggle to get through.  Maybe our expectations were too high.  But that's okay, because it was still good and we have a lot to be thankful for.  Next year, things will be better, but for now, I'm glad it's over.

Fire and Rain

It's a dreary rainy day here in southern Connecticut.  My boys have been begging to have a fire in the fireplace for some time now, and today is the perfect day to indulge that, even though it isn't particularly cold outside.  I have been working on some Christmas knitting, tending the fire, and being generally impatient about when it might start snowing.  There is a chance it may snow here, but it's just not happening fast enough for me.  Aside from all the usual reasons a person might like snow, for me, it makes the knitting more enjoyable.  Watching the snow silently fall as the birds come and go from our feeders, enjoying the warmth of my home and the wool in my lap is as close as it gets to a perfect day for me.

But for now, I will have to be content with watching the rain fall as I sit by the fire and knit.

Out of the Zone

Normally, I walk around in what I like to call a "Politics Free Zone" (the PFZ, for short).  It roughly makes up the three square feet that surround me and while in it, I try not to talk about politics.  The whole point of it is that, while I have my strong views on various subjects, and have registered with a certain political party in the US so that I can vote in primary elections, I do believe that we can all learn something from those we disagree with.  Not all of my friends share my position or my party affiliation, and that's fine.  My little zone allows me to see the person for who they really are.  Sometimes I learn from them, and they from me. 

Case in point that doesn't involve politics in any way:
In order to pass my black belt test, I was required to do a seated meditation for one hour.  To meet this goal, I found some people who were also interested in meditation for whatever reason, and we contracted with my yoga instructor to help us get through a one-hour sit.  All went well.  We met regularly for several weeks, were introduced to various forms of meditation, and worked our way up to one hour.

The day of the scheduled meditation, a classmate and I were doing our sit in the hour that preceded our normal class in the classroom.  In the last ten minutes or so, another black belt came into the class with a friend who was trying out TaeKwonDo.  They saw us sitting, and instead of either 1) leaving the room out of respect for what we were doing (let's face it, the guy was a black belt and knew we were doing this for our test); or 2) preparing silently in a far corner of the room, the pair decided to giggle and carry on like school girls.  To say we were furious was an understatement.

However, when I told my meditation teacher about the incident, I did not receive the sympathy I was looking for.  She looked me right in the eye and said, "Now they are your teachers."  Wow.  Spot on, perfect, no-frills wisdom.

Now, I'm not saying that this will happen in all political debates.  I am merely saying that we all have something to learn from unlikely sources, and that some of those sources are harder to listen to than others.  We might get something back that we weren't prepared for, but that doesn't mean we should shut it out.

But right now, I'm stepping out of my PFZ, and this is what I have to say:

In terms of human rights: we are all people.  All People deserve All Rights.  Everywhere.  Some are NOT more equal than others.  If some were more equal than others, it would just make us pigs.

I am now back in the PFZ.  I feel much better now.