Day 53 - Never stop in the middle of a problem!

Okay so yesterday, I picked up my Aran square with the hopes of some relaxing and productive knitting time! What I discovered was that someone has been playing with my row counter...click, click, click....apparently it's irrisistable! So as I agonize over what row I left off on and begin knitting, I remember that I'd left this project for a while because somewhere, I'd made a mistake that's throwing the pattern off! I wasn't able to find it and thus walked away.

Lesson: a knitter's notebook is an invaluable tool!

Not to be deterred, and determined to make the most of my only opportunity to knit in maybe a month, I abandoned ship and picked up the lucious cotton/bamboo sweater that I'd started for Meag. After all, it was a gorgeous day today, I walked, we saved bunnies, cooked a fabulous and healthful dinner, it only made sence to pick up the organic bamboo! Once I got settled and looked at the pattern to see where I'd left off, I found a 3 x 3 piece of paper attached that read "ripped out 4 rows already; still can't find mistake. Find and correct or rip and start agian!"

Lesson: a knitter's notebook is an invaluable tool, but find the mistake before you put the project down!

Maybe today will provide me with more time, and energy to tackle my past! Let's hope so!

Day 49 - each stitch represents progress and change

These are the things I need to remember! With every stitch I make, I witness the knotting of yarn turning into something amazing. They are the baby steps that lead to greatness! This is where my focus needs to be. When I'm knitting, I can tune out all of the petty people, the dishonesty we face daily and the purely cruel behavior of people who are supposed to be professional. I need to channel that in every moment of my days just to get through!

I do realize that there needs to be change and challenge. Right now for example, I am knitting the baby fern for a block of Sean's afghan. It started out great and moves quickly, but holy moly am I BORED! It's tedious! I should be sailing through but I'm making careless mistakes, measuring it every 5 minutes to see how much closer to done I am! This is not how it's supposed to be. I find my mind wandering to that next Aran square I want to start! Or that yarn I need to order to start the sweater Sean wants! I'm only on square 4 of the afghan though so I cannot lose steam already! I guess I'll have to chose more challenging squares for his project and start those others too!

Change and challenge make me happy! Bring it on world!

Day 31 - second guessing my design

So I've gone back to counting days as far as days I actually do this experiment, not counting days I miss. Does that make more sense? I am finding it really hard to find or take one hour a day to knit. It's beginning to feel like something I 'have to do' rather than something I love and want to do. Anyway, this is me struggling to figure out how to keep the love alive!

So what I 'am' working on is a gift for my swap partner and it's something I've never made before. I'm felting something that I'll then needle felt something on...can't go into detail in case she reads this! Anyway, you know how they always say to swatch everything? Well, I should have but I didn't. I am trying to quickly finish the base up so that I can shrink it and see if I like it. If not, then I'm going to have to start over so now I feel pressure to finish this stage quickly. 'sigh' I hope this works, although I think I should have used a double strand. We shall see.

So the lesson this weekend is to think your design all the way through. It doesn't always pay to jump right in and frankly, you'll be happier if you're able to enjoy the process, knowing that it will work as it should with each and every stitch!

Day 9 - Knitting Therapy

Lesson of the day: Breathe deeply and knit

Today was a particularly long day at work. I am always excited to get working on new music with my students but getting back into the routine after the long break always leads to more work to be done! Also, this move my family has made has been one true test of character. It is always difficult to move I guess, but the uprooting of the family does not only affect the children. I am finding that I must also find my way in new territory. It is frustrating, confusing and most of all, lonely. For this, I turn to my knitting.

I found some time to continue my journey into "toe-up" sock knitting. Socks are so much fun to knit anyway, but this new challenge also keeps me thinking. Learning something new at 40 is wonderful. I am much more patient with myself and appreciative of the feeling of accomplishment. Yeah me!

I am going to go enjoy another hour or so of this project and go to bed early. Tomorrow, I will post pictures of all of these works in progress (or finished) and try to keep this blog more visually appealing.

Day 8 (pm) Toes up!

Wow! I decided to do this daily blog to keep me focused on the lessons learned while knitting but life keeps getting in the way and the obsession I have for knitting keeps taking over. It's a double-edged sword really. I want to continue growing and learning everyday and blogging helps me to mull it all over and focus on the lessons learned. But blogging means I must put down the needles and open up the laptop! Once I get going though, I don't want to stop for anything. This is my obsession!

So I learned tonight, over three hours, how to cast on using Judy's Magic Cast On. I figured out how to do it on double pointed needles instead of the circulars I didn't own, thus saving me some money! I thought mean and horrible thoughts while getting through the first 5 rows or so as it was like the yarn had a death grip on my fingers and needles (no earthly idea if my fingers will return to normal to teach guitar tomorrow) and then I saw the beauty of it all!

Now I don't mind grafting as the Kitchner stitch is a cinch once you master it. This though was pretty cool to see the toe of the sock come to life out of nothing! It really made me wonder about so many things. Trouble is, it's 11:15pm and I've got to get up at 5am and be a perky Mom and enthusiastic teacher all day. Right now, I'm just too tired to talk. Sorry ....even though I know no one actually reads this!

Day 3 - Each day, a lesson

I think that each day will entrust me with new lessons and only I can decide what exactly I will take away from each. Today, I figured out how to put pictures onto my Ravelry posts. It took a while but I could post them in my projects for all to see and I could share them with groups I belong to. Very cool. Lesson: persistence pays off!

I also decided to pick up and begin the second sock for Mom. Living in this house - my in-laws home - I realized today that you never know when life will take those you love away. It's too short to leave those gifts of love, whether they be socks or something more expensive, waiting around to be given. And so I feverishly knitted away at sock #2 of the pair. As I got about an inch from the heel, I have realized that I will probably not have enough of this yarn, this one skein of Happy Feet, to finish my mother's first pair of hand-knitted socks from me. Lesson #2: sometimes when things don't work out, there's a reason. Maybe I waited too long; perhaps my socks are not good enough for her anyway; maybe my dreams of that perfect expression of love is just a goofy idea. I could finish the toe in a different color and she would never care! After all, it's the tops that people will see.

Like much of what I start in life, I find myself second guessing whether the right thing to do is to turn back.....

I wonder what lesson tomorrow will bring. Tonight I feel defeated.