Time Marches On

When I was young, I would stay up every New Year's Eve and wait for the "ball" to drop on New York City (re-run for central time, of course).  It would bring in the new year with fabulous promise,  opportunity and hope.  It was refreshing and invigorating and all the positive things I would think as I looked forward to my life, renewed with the new year. Somewhere along the way, I lost that hopefulness.  Now if its 10:00, I go to bed, even on New Year's night. Sadly, I am no longer excited by time marching on. I've come to realize that my life has been going no where for a long time.

I went to church on Sunday (twice) and listened to the sermon (twice) but I definitely needed to hear it (twice). I think I tend to think of my life as a failure but only because I've listened to a lot of negative criticism.  The sermon talked about all the little things we do everyday that are accomplishments and praises that we don't really even think about; that we forget about. The little joys should be brought into the forefront of our lives and the disappointments should left behind.

I woke up this morning thinking about how knitting has helped me to be more hopeful and joyful all year round. I think about the people I love all year because it takes me all year to to get it all knitted. In my own peculiar way, that's my praise.  I get to do what I really like and seem to have a modest talent for and I get to show the people that I love that I love them and think about them all year.

Once again, I am loathe to come up with those unattainable new year's resolutions.  But I have discovered that those resolutions do a couple of things, first, they get one off of one's proverbial duff and move one in a positive direction. This past year, I have gained even more weight, allowed more disappointment to soak up my already shallow pool of hope and choked down additional negativity from certain members of my family.

I have become "silent" again.

I had promised myself after my last divorce 8 years ago that it wouldn't happen again but here I am, silent and disappointed. I learned a long time ago that if you're not willing to do something about "it" (whatever "it" is) then shut up.

So I will make some new year's resolutions this year.  I need to lose weight, get off my bottom and go do something. I will definitely look for the accomplishments and joys in everyday life and I will write them down (as suggested in the sermon) so that I can reclaim the joy that each day will bring.

I hope your new year is full of hope, opportunity and joy.  I wish this for myself as well.

Woolies

Saturday Morning I finally received my 2011 share from the Jacobs reward farm.  I was very excited.  Although I thought I was getting a bag full of Jacob sheep wool, I actually received several things: Gulf coast sheet roving, 4 oz.; Texas Grown ginned cotton, 8 oz.; Alpaca Roving, 16 oz.; A small baggie of locally raised Mohair Locks.  All of it is quite lovely but I was expecting some tri-colored Jacob's wool. 

So now comes the hard part, working it all up into something that I can knit.  My friend, that is also a shareholder in the fiber farm is planning to spin hers into something wonderful. I need to do that too.  I also have several other baggies of roving that really should be spun as well.  And dyed, possibly?  I guess it will take a while to work up my nerve. Unlike many things that I've been interested in, I can't seem to just jump right in.  That's usually what I'm good at with a "whatever happens happens" attitude.

The other fiber I have is a small bag of tri-colored Jacob, about 16 oz of Perendale-Romney carded wool and 8 oz of Grey Norwegian roving. 

I also bought a hand spun skein of Blue Faces Leicester.  Wow, so soft and beautiful.  It is what I'm going to use as the "goal" for my spinning (someday, we can hope). Its in the freezer right now.  Since I didn't know where it had been and for how long, I thought I take no chances on bringing home a moth infestation.  My yarn stash thanks me.

My Second Year

So I've completed my second year of knitting, yay!!!  It has been more of challenge than the first year.  Probably because I know enough to be dangerous now. And "dangerous" is my middle name!  What can I say, I am game to try just about anything.  Dangerous = Clueless with an Attitude.

Tons of great projects: some were really successful and some, well, in the words of my dear husband, looked like brains.  All in all I have had more confidence and more satisfaction with my knitting but also the frustration seems to paralyze me (which it didn't in the first year).  I think that comes from trying to re-think something that I've run out of talent to think upon!

My husband doesn't read my blog although he says he does, but his support of my knitting really makes it that much more fun and relaxing. When we're getting ready to watch a movie or NASCAR racing, he'll say, "Hurry and go get your knitting!" He really knows me and cares about what I care about.  Gee, he's really great! /smile

So I finished a 100th project during this past year.  The wonderful lace shawl.  The thing I didn't mention when I blogged about it was that I had to tear out the lace portion multiple times and thankfully, I had used a life line every 4 to 6 rows.  What a save(s). I have pictures of the many un-knits and re-knits.

Lately, I've thrown together a few non-pattern items, granted they are mostly rectangles and you would hope someone who has been knitting a little while would know how to make garter stitch rectangles. I've started to really embrace the garter stitch.  When I first started knitting I was all about the stockinette but now, I'm a more versatile knitter. /laugh

Brown woolly hat and scarf.  This is a craft store yarn wool blend (Vitner) and it is so soft and so washable! Fantastic!  Also when I first started I was a little more of a yarn snob but no longer, again, I've changed. I started this scarf in order to teach a friend of mine to knit.  I seemed to have some yarn left over so I started the hat but then in order to finish said hat, I had to buy another skein.  Poor me...

Another little left over scarf includes the yarns from my niece's hat and mitts from Christmas.  Three strands and I used US19 (15mm) needles, CO 10 and garter stitch until the yarn is gone. She was the only one of my nieces that sent me a picture of her wearing the hat and sent me a "thanks, aunt Lori" so she gets a little something extra in her Christmas box! this thing took me a total of three hours!!!  Talk about EASY. I can't wait to make some more!



Happy Knitting, friends!