Unraveled Wednesday

Joining Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday.

I did manage to finish Justin's Christmas cowl by New Year's Eve. It turned out okay(-ish), but there is definitely room for improvement. I had already started the Just Try It pattern and made some modifications after Justin explained how he liked to wear cowls for maximum warmth. 

I did some increases and sloppy short rows to lengthen the back so Justin’s neck would still be covered when he pulls the top of the cowl up over his head, but I’m not completely happy with them. I should have knit the alpaca yarn at a tighter gauge, but it’s not bad for a first attempt. The next attempt will be in 2x2 ribbing and maybe some better-planned short rows. There was really no need to say Just Try It, Justin as he did appreciate the warmth in these frigid temperatures, and didn't seem too concerned with sub-par knitting.

I cast on the next version of Justin's perfect cowl, and it starts with the Sockhead Cowl pattern. It may need to be modified as I get towards the end, but I think it might work well as written, especially if I do plenty of ribbing. I bought lots of yarn from The Verdant Gryphon back in the days when they were still dyeing, and it's nice to use some of this MCN for the Frostbite Fighter Justin needs in the -15 degree temperatures he has to deal with this week wile working outside on the ranch. He may be tired of me texting him that frostbite can happen within 10 minutes with the -32 degree windchill temperatures that are predicted today and tomorrow. My plan is to knit all day today in hopes of getting this done asap. Justin is smart enough to come in from the cold if he needs to, but what mother wouldn't want to keep her son warm and take advantage of a situation where she needs to knit all day? :-)

I still have a sewn fleece version planned, but I was surprised by how difficult it has been to find appropriately-patterned fleece. I've looked at four fabric stores without luck, and have expanded my search online.

Reading continues slowly with the same three books you can see over in the right sidebar, but I'm not in any hurry. The Woman Who Smashed Codes is providing great listening while I knit.

What are you making and reading?

The Perfect Word

I've found the perfect word for 2018, and it came from Lene Alve, a wonderfully creative writer from Finland. She blogs about her life, knitting, crochet, food, reindeer, knitted cats and their wardrobes, and each post is full of beautiful words and photos. She wrote every day during the Christmas season, and it was a joy to wake up and know that there was going to be one of her lovely posts waiting to be read.

It was this one that provided me with my word - Enough. As soon as I read it, I knew that this was the word to guide me throughout 2018. Not in the angry sense of yelling "I've just had enough!" and stomping away, but more in the way of recognizing that you have tried enough, done enough, eaten and drunk enough, gratitude that you have enough of what you need, you are enough.

The Christmas season often makes me feel that I've never done quite enough. This is a completely internal thing, and not something anyone else has ever made me feel or forced upon me. It can be almost paralyzing at times, to the point that I may not do enough because I'm frozen by my inability to do more. It may sound silly, but enough spoke to me, and I'm glad to begin 2018 with a lovely freeing feeling of enough.

Begin As You Mean to Go On

I say this every single year, but that's because I think it's quite a good thing to actually begin as you do mean to go on

 throughout this brand new wonderfully shiny year, full of possibilities.

Knitting

Reading 

Meditating

Loving my family and telling them so

I hope your 2018 is off to a stellar start and is filled with love, health, peace,

and all of the people and pursuits that are most important to you.

My Year in Books

Like many others at this time of year, I can't resist looking back at My Year in Books and reminiscing a bit. Goodreads is a good way to do this, especially because without it, I'm afraid I would have forgotten far too many good reads. The number of books and pages I read doesn't really matter to me; quality and enjoyment is much more important than quantity in my personal reading life.

I did try to choose some of my favorites. While I rated all of these 4 or 5 stars, I chose them as 2017 favorites based more on staying power or how much I've thought about them after finishing. I made a futile attempt to place them in order, but finally realized that even though I consider these my favorites, I enjoyed them for different reasons. Bambi is a beautifully written story (and so much more than Disney led me to believe), but it's completely different from the more simply written but poignant Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Two of these were re-reads (The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and Watership Down), but for me they were even better the second time around.

So what's ahead in 2018? I've already started these books, but don't anticipate finishing any of them in the next few days, so they will be my first books read in the New Year. 

I would love to hear any of your 2017 favorite recommendations or books that you're looking forward to reading in 2018. I wish you the happy anticipation of a pile of good books, along with time to read and enjoy them.

Three on Thursday

Today is for Three Things I Learned in 2017. 

This is not my photo, but I love it and don't remember where it's from so I can't cite it. It's too beautiful not to share.

Change is scary. Just when we think we might have things figured out, circumstances change and that can be intimidating. But change can also be good, a real opportunity for growth and learning. Embrace it.

Say what you mean. No matter whether you're on top of the world or in the depths of despair, don't be afraid to honestly express yourself. I have a tendency to avoid confrontation, and too often I've told people things I thought they wanted to hear instead of being honest. I've embroiled myself in unnecessary confrontations because I didn't pleasantly and simply state how I really felt.

A hot cup of tea, knitting, and meditation are good for your soul. With the zeal of the newly converted, I'm going to say that meditation does have the power to change your life. I've been practicing for only a week now, but awareness, acceptance, a wonderful grounded feeling, improved coping, and reduced anxiety are benefits that even I can't ignore. I intend to continue meditating, and I don't think you can ever go wrong with a warming mug of tea and a few minutes of focused knitted.

By putting these on my list of things learned, I don't mean that I'm crossing them off and moving on. These are three big areas in which I've made some small progress in 2017, and maybe by putting them in writing, I will continue to work on them in 2018.

Head on over here to read more Three on Thursday posts. (Maybe? Carole may be continuing her most wonderful week of doing what she darn well pleases, and that may not include a blog post today.)

Unraveled Wednesday

Joining Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday.

There was almost some unraveling, but it's been averted. We weren't sure if Justin would be home at all, but he happily surprised us by coming home early and caught me knitting his Just Try It cowl. He said, "I hope you're not making that for me," and I got kind of a sinking feeling in my stomach. After some discussion, it turns out that he's not against cowls at all, and in fact, had just bought himself a new fleece one for hunting. It's not ideal for the way he likes to wear them (pulled up under his nose, high on his head in the back, but with his neck still covered in the back), so we talked about modifications to try and get closer to the ideal cowl configuration. This is on waste yarn so he could try it on this morning before he left for South Carolina, and my plan is to work the modifications and have it finished before he gets back here sometime around New Year's Day. The pattern underneath is our collaboration on a possible pattern so I can sew the ideal cowl out of fleece. The planning has been fun; now all I need to do is see if I have enough skills to make these. 

I haven't done much reading over the past few days, but my plan is to finish several almost-completed books and then continue with some of these books on my pile: The Queen of Hearts, The Woman Who Smashed Codes, and/or Mindfulness. I had a lovely picture in my mind that consisted of loads of knitting and reading happening this week, but so far it's been mainly loads of laundry. It's time to make that imaginary picture a reality!

What are you making and reading?

From Our Home to Yours

Whatever you might be celebrating - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Omisoka, Yule, Saturnalia, the Winter Solstice, or Monday - I wish you and all those you hold dear health, warmth, peace, joy, contentment, and love!