The Need to Knit

A Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss, and Laughter by Rachael Herron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across Rachael Herron's essays by chance. I was waiting for my husband at our local Wellness Center, and I picked up a copy of a "woman's magazine" sitting in the lounge. (I honestly don't remember which magazine it was.) An article on knitting caught my eye. I read it and wrote down the author's name and blog site.  When I got home, I read her blog "Yarnagogo.com" and went to Amazon to buy the book from which her essay was extracted.    I was not disappointed.  Her collection of essays about how knitting has enriched and informed her life puts into words the experiences I've had as a knitter.  Her compulsion to knit is the same compulsion I feel.  She just explains it so well!


View all my reviews

The Eventide Scarf

I finished this knitting project last night.  It's the Eventide Scarf by Laura Nelkin.  I made it from Audrey, by Shaefer Yarns which I purchased from Jimmy Beans Wools.  the color is called Indira Gandhi. It's beaded too! I used these beads which were part of the yarn kit I purchased.This was actually a pretty easy pattern, although when you start it's a bit fiddly.  There is a knack to placing the beads so they fall on the correct side of the scarf.  I purchased the pattern on Ravelry, here.

Some Pretty New Socks or More Correctly Some New Pretty Socks!

I knit these socks over the past two weeks.  I used size 2 needles for the cuffs and leg, and size 1's for the foot.  The yarn is On-line Supersocke 100 Harlekin in color 1140 purchased from Webs.  I cast on 66 stitches and just knit a 1x1 rib cuff; the rest is stockinette.  I used Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks as a reference, but didn't really follow a pattern.

From Knitting Gallery

From Knitting Gallery

On the Needles

Except for sewing on the really cute buttons I purchased for this sweater, this baby sweater is finished.

From Knitting Gallery

It's a Fiber Arts pattern Zarina #15 otherwise called Seed Stitch Cardigan. I can't find any web link for it. I got the pattern for free when I purchased the yarn at Fiber Arts, a lovely yarn store in Cape May, NJ over my April vacation. The yarn is Ella Rae Lace Merino, and the sweater took exactly one skein. I have 42 inches of yarn left! I haven't sewed the buttons on yet, because I put them in a safe place until I needed them. I saw them in that safe place last week. Do you think I can remember where that safe place is now that I'm ready or them??? I Of course not!  I also need to gently block it.  The body of the sweater is all stockinette, which makes it a quick knit even if it's on size 3 needles.  The bands and the cuffs of the sweater are all in seed stitch.

From Knitting Gallery

 I loved working with the yarn. I love the little pocket too!

From Knitting Gallery

 This is baby present #2 of 3 which I started last night.

From Knitting Gallery

 It's the Easy  Lace Baby Blanket from the latest issue of Creative Knitting.  and I'm using Plymouth Encore from Webs  in honeydew.  It's only a 4 row pattern, and 2 of those rows are purl backs!  So this should be my travel knitting for a while.

I am awaiting a box of yarn from Webs.  My knitting buddy and I each ordered a bunch of close out sock yarn over the weekend.  Not that either of us needs more sock yarn.  But as I explained to a nonknitting friend of mine,  some folks lust over shoes.  We lust over yarn!!

Winter Break - cont'd

Edited:  So the power cut off before I could post the book review--- here's what I wrote yesterday . . .and I'm still sick, but have to at least show my face at school, then come home early, I hope!

Today is my last day of break - back to school tomorrow and Friday.  At least it's workshops, so somebody else has done the "lesson-planning" and I get to be the student for a change!

I spent Sunday and Monday doing school work --- grading papers and  planning lessons, including working on a new science unit.  I had to reach back to high school physics for this one - wave energy, sound, and light.  I read a couple of science textbooks to familiarize myself with content, and tried a couple of the suggested lab experiments.  Yesterday was supposed to be tax day --- I set out to organize all our info so that I can send it to the accountant, but I got sidetracked by illness.  I have developed a horrible sore throat and fever, achiness, etc.  I should go to the doctor, but we are in the middle of a huge snowstorm --- 14 inches on the ground and it's still coming.  Nobody's going anywhere.  Right now, the tylenol has me in an "okay, maybe I'm getting better" state, but I'm not holding my breath.  We'll see.  I want to be knitting, but the needles feel too heavy right now, and the lace pattern of my sweater too daunting  --- that's the illness talking there.



I did finish this book last night (or early this am when I couldn't sleep!)

Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Shadows in Bronze is the second book in the Marcus Didius Falco series, and it's a wild romp through Rome, Pompeii, Hercanuleum, and the coastline of southern Italy.  Falco is working as Vespasian's informer, trying to earn enough money to purchase a higher rank.  Vespasian gives him all the "dirty" jobs however, like ridding Rome of inconvenient corpses and mopping up a failed anti-Vespasian conspiracy.  Helena Justina is back in the picture, despite Falco's resolve to forget her, and their relationship takes some unexpected turns and twists.  I have to admit that I got a little lost in the intricacy of the plot, and the abruptness of chapters got  a bit in the way of my enjoyment.  However, this was quite a satisfying adventure, and could lend itself to a great action/wry twist humor TV series.  I'm looking forward to reading #3 in the series!

View all my reviews >>

Sunday Evening - Random Musings

I'm ending this weekend in a much less stressed frame of mind than this time last Sunday.   I had many fewer "have to's" this weekend.  I still could use another day in between Saturday and Sunday.  Yesterday I did chores - laundry, schoolwork, errands.  I didn't get them all done and just realized that I never got to the bank.   We went to Home Depot to look for carpet for a room we're renovating, but the price wasn't right, so we decided to wait on the carpet.  There's a very worn pine floor that we can cover with a Oriental rug for now, so it's not urgent that we lay down carpet at the moment.    Today I even made some Toll House cookies for my Valentine.  I can't remember the last time I made chocolate chip cookies!  Now the trick will be to limit myself to just one a day as a treat!!

I got to church today which was good in some respects and not so good in others.  I am finding it harder and harder to go the church I've attended for over 30 years.  I am an active member; in fact I'm part of the church leadership team.  Yet I cannot seem to find nourishment during worship.  As I sat in church this morning, trying to open myself up to whatever the Spirit had to offer, I realized how stale and empty the service felt.  I love the people of the congregation - it is a family, which I love dearly, but it doesn't seem to be enough.  I have signed up for a Lenten Bible study which starts tomorrow night to see if that helps.  We've been too long without pastoral leadership, so I keep going, hoping that now that we have a settled pastor, I'll find my way again.  But that quiet voice is starting to shout that perhaps this isn't the place any more. 

My knitting is coming along well -- I've really been enjoying the Winter Olympics.  The short track speed skating last night had me on the edge of my seat, and I really enjoyed the women's moguls competition.  This afternoon I even enjoyed the men's biathlon!  I wish the ice skating wasn't tonight -- I have to go to bed early since there's school tomorrow!  One more week and then a very short break.  The kids have the whole last week of Feb off but we only have 3 days.  We have to go back on Thursday and Friday for professional development days.  This is the first year ever that this has happened.  We've always had the full week.  We are NOT happy campers!

Taking Stock

It's hard to believe that in 2 weeks, the school year starts again. Summers just seem to get shorter and shorter and shorter. We've had a lot of bad weather this summer too. According to the local news, it rained 17 days in June, 16 days in July, and so far, it's rained 5 days in August. Definitely a wet summer, with not a lot of sun.

I haven't accomplished much in the way of organizing my house or de-cluttering it, either. I have done a lot of reading and knitting, which are both ways I de-stress. Unfortunately, I've had a lot to de-stress about. For most of the summer we were on pins and needles as to what was going to happen on our team at school. That decision was made, and now I'm stressing over the fact that I can't teach what I'm good at teaching (and qualified to teach!) and I will be teaching a major content area that I'm not qualified to teach. What's really making me nuts right now is that I don't even have access to the textbook til the end of this coming week!

Yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of my mom's death. Three years ago I spent my summer caring for her during her final days at her home in another state. My husband stayed here, and I spent the summer 1000 miles away. I feel blessed that I was able to give my mom the gift of being able to die at home, supported by her children. I really miss my mom -- I still catch myself heading to the phone on Saturday mornings to tell her about a book she has to read, or to ask for advice on what to do with the mountain of cabbage and eggplant I received in my CSA share this week. And there have been lots of reminders of her this week -- from the mountain of veggies that she always knew how to can or freeze, to finding a copy of a book by one of her favorite authors featured on the "favorites" shelf at the library.

I had my annual physical and eye exam this week too. A mix of positives and negatives. Positives include the fact that my glucose levels are better than they've been, my good cholesterol is REALLY good, and my blood pressure is really good. Negatives include the fact that my weight hasn't budged, my bad cholesterol hasn't changed, and I need a new prescription for my glasses. That means new frames too, since they can't use my existing frames for my new lenses. I hate trying to pick out new frames too. My husband was out of state on business, so I had to rely on the office staff at the eye doctors and my own sense of what looks good to pick out new frames. I hope I chose wisely --- the office staff was split on the 3 frames I narrowed it down to! I went with the first pair I'd tried on and kept coming back to. They were the cheaper frames too. Now I just need to get a decent hair cut and color and I should be set!

Feelin' Glum

Glum describes a depressed, spiritless condition or manner, usually temporary rather than habitual:

That's how I'm feeling today. I'm not exactly sure why. It might be that I joined Weight Watchers and wasn't pleased with my starting weight. I've been working hard for most of the year on losing weight, and had managed to lose 35 lbs. Since school started however, some of those pounds have been found again, and I'm tired of all the planning ahead I have to do in order to eat. I joined WW because my work place offered a 17 week program and I decided I needed the support of others. But when I went today I looked around and realized that of the 15 or so of us there, most probably only need to lose 5-10 lbs, not 150 lbs. It made me feel worse than I already do about where I am right now in the weight battle. I left the meeting and did 30 minutes of intense aerobic exercise at my fitness center. Usually that gets the endorphins going. But I came home tired, and feeling like I will never succeed. I need some positive self talk but haven't got the energy tonight to do it.

I shouldn't be glum - I have a 4 day weekend ahead. I plan to do some shopping with a friend, and lots of knitting. And of course some grading papers. There's a church supper on Sat. night, and big events on Sunday at church. Next week will be an easy week at school too--- classes on Tuesday, and then 3 days at a local outdoor education center. But somehow all that just makes me tired.

I even had fun with my kids at school today --- something that's happening a lot this year. I'm really falling in love with my job again.

But tonight, I'm glum.

I Could Have . . . .

I could have accomplished a lot today . . . but I didn't.

I could have cleaned any one of a dozen cluttered and messy spots in my house.

I could have caught up on bill paying.

I could have spent an hour exercising.

I could have changed the sheets.

I should have been at work.

Instead . . . .

I took my husband up to the hospital for cataract surgery and spent the morning waiting with him and for him. I finished a book (Earlene Fowler's Steps To the Altar) and continued knitting on socks while he was in surgery. My knitting is also my praying at times.

Once we got home, I've been "babying" him --- he deserves it. I made him one of his favorite meals (corned beef and cabbage) and a pear crisp with pears from our overladen tree. I dropped drops into his eye every 4 hours. I napped in the sunlight on the porch. I read another Earlene Fowler, Sunshine and Shadow. I did a load of laundry. I didn't do anything I should have done. But I did what I needed to do --- to minister to my husband, and to take some sabbath time for myself. I only thought once about my classroom . I was where I needed to be today.