I've been working on a blanket for my soon-to-be niece or nephew. Of course, I've had to keep hush-hush about it until the baby shower, which was today! So, I can now show you pictures!

When it comes to sewing, I have no idea what I'm doing... Okay, well maybe a little, but it's very little—only what I can remember from what my grandmother showed me when I was young. I had finished the knitted portion of this blanket months ago. It's the project I brought with me to TNNA in January... but once it was finished, it sat folded neatly beside my desk waiting for the day I'd get up the energy to tackle the sewing. That was Wednesday night... leaving me 3 evenings to finish it up. I surprised myself!

I really love how it came out. Almost just like I envisioned it... A lot softer though! I totally want one for myself now... a bit larger, of course.

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Ysolda Teague in Lowell!

May 15th, 2009

There are some knit designers who I respect immensely. Ysolda Teague is one of them.

I respect that she can survive by making a living with crafts. I admire her ability to use her own two hands to create beautiful things that people from all over the world enjoy. Her patterns are beautiful, her designs are well thought out and unique. She has recently self-published a book Whimsical Little Knits, and is currently touring the U.S. at an incredible pace. And she seems like an all-around nice person.

So, when I learned that Tonia Barry, the new store manager at Hub Mills Store in Lowell had contacted Ysolda to come hang out at the store on Saturday, I was psyched! She'll be there from 1-3 pm, tomorrow (Saturday, May 16th, 2009).

I have something I need to do in the late morning with family, but I'm really hoping I'm able to make it to Hub Mills before 3pm.

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Scrap Scarf

May 14th, 2009

Back in January, I began a ball of yarn comprised of little bits of yarn that were cut from various projects after weaving in ends. The ball had been slowly growing, and included yarns of various lengths, widths, fibers, etc…

One night recently, I wanted to knit something mindfully. Meaning, I wanted to be with the yarn, and the needles, and not have to count stitches or remember a stitch pattern, but rather just to feel each stitch as it was being created and just *be* with the knitting. So, I thought of this ball of yarn.

I had a pair of US 9's (5.5 mm) in my hands from a swatch I had just completed, and was in the process of putting them away to get out another size needle, of which size I didn't yet know, to knit the ball of scrap yarns with. It dawned on me that the needles I had in my hands were good enough. That I didn't need to go search for something other than what I already had in order to make anything *better*.

This scarf is entirely random, and I try to keep aware of when I might be trying to put my will into it in any way. Choosing a different size needle would have been just that. So I accepted the 9's and began knitting.

I didn't count the stitches, I just cast on until I felt the urge to stop. Then the knitting continued... row after row of knitting, working with the knots and frayed ends gently as to be sure they did not break appart. There were moments when I got the urge to count the stitches, but why? I didn't really need to know how many there are on there. So, I let that urge to count just be there, without giving into it, and soon it disolved into a repetitive "one, one, one, one, one". I couldn't stop knitting. I was in a trance with the scarf and felt completely at peace. Then the yarn stopped, I put it down and had a great night's sleep.

I'm now inspired to knit and knit and knit... so I have more little bits of yarn to tie into another ball of yarn so someday this scarf may continue.

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Knitting again!

May 8th, 2009

Yesterday, during a meeting, I touched, cuddled and fell in love with one of CEY's new fall yarns. And, because yesterday morning was rainy and cold, a warm and soft design came to mind, to be made with this new yarn.

Then, today I swatched. Finally. I picked up some needles and yarn and knit!

The way the hard wooden needles felt between my fingers, in contrast to the soft yarn, was so pleasant. I felt at home—at peace. I loved that the knitting didn't feel forced—like it did a few weeks ago when I was trying to add more knitting into my life. Today it was natural, and I really wanted to be doing it. So, I feel like I'm back into the swing of knitting again—at least for now.

The past month or so I've been transitioning my diet to be low-fat, high raw/vegan. It's been an interesting journey, and I've learned a lot about myself and nutrition in the process. I used my weekends and evenings to educate myself on what I'm doing. In addition to what my intuition was telling me, I wanted to be sure my decision to eat this way was the right thing for my body, so I did a lot of reading—The 80/10/10 Diet and The China Study were my main teachers. I would highly recommend them to anyone fighting with cancer, diabetes, heart disease or any other disease that doctors would normally through pills at.

However, I feel as though I've learned all I need to learn about that for now. I'm still transitioning, but I feel confident in my decision, and don't need to spend any more effort towards justifying it to myself. I can now come back to one of the most enjoyable things in my life—playing with yarn.

The only problem now is that there are so many things I want to knit... I guess I'll take it one stitch at a time.

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My Raw journey

Patterns for Sale

Tweed Beret

Violet, the Slouchy Head Friend

Lush Woven Scarf

Petal Socks

River of Life Socks

Crochet Motif Cardigan

Beatrice Ribbed Tie Coat