Traveling to other times

Science fiction - you've got to love it. SF stretches your mind with possibilities that are sometimes brain exploding. I find time travel to be that way especially. What are the ramifications of traveling backwards in time? What if you change something? What if you step on a butterfly or save a life or merely have your atoms share space with a world that didn't have your atoms in it before? When you mix questions like these with a rousing good plot, the result is a story that begs to keep you up late at night. "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis (my current favorite author) was a delight to read. Set during Medieval times, it had all the historical accuracy and engaging tidbits I love to learn about, coupled with interesting plot turns and complex characters. These were characters you became close to, laughed with and ached for. We are not solitary creatures wandering the earth - we're meant to live in community. Sometimes that isn't easy, but strengthing our understanding of other people is highly worthwhile.

Are you green? Do you carry around a reusable shopping bag? I find that the more bags I have, the more likely that I'll have one when I need it. To that end I knitted a simple bag out of soft cotton that I will feel very trendy carrying to the farmer's market, should I ever get there. Knit Picks Simply Cotton Organic Worsted yarn; Fantasy Naturale Market Bag.

Post Christmas review

Christmas was REALLY nice this year. Time with friends and family. Lots of good food. (Ihaven't really eaten a regular meal since then - it's been nibbling on leftovers for me) A meaningful Christmas Eve service. And...once the planning for the Christmas Eve program was over, I realized that my New Year's resolution to have a "simpler Christmas" really did come true.

A fun read while all the preparations were going on was Sadie Shapiro's Knitting Book by Robert Kimmel Smith. One of those "slice of life" books that makes you laugh, cry and ponder the ways of the world.

Now I can share some of the knitting and sewing that has been going on for the last few weeks. Icelandic lopi hat for my skiing husband, small needlecases for knitting friends (I'm always losing my darning needles myself) and an apron for a friend who loves owls.

I've discovered a new, healthy taste sensation. Sauerkraut. Who would have thought? All these years I've avoided it like the plague, thinking it was so awful. But it's not - it's quite delicious. And if you can believe the traditional diet people it's also very good for you. Check out this article. Now if I can only get the rest of my family on board...

I made great strides in knitting this evening. It's amazing how quickly worsted weight yarn knits up into a sock. My current project is almost the same length after a few hours as the other sock that I've been working on for four days. Both gift socks for special men in my life - one a sophisticated grey and one a rustic oatmeal. Both a real treat to work with. I love knitting!

A crafty few days

I've made progress these last few days on knitting projects. Not so much on reading. The 52 in 52 has gone by the wayside. 26 in 52 might be a more manageable undertaking. What I did learn in my reading today was that you can actually knit unspun fiber. This will have to done to be believed because I just can't get my mind around how it can work. I did pick up some unspun fiber at the thrift store the other day, but I have it earmarked for a thrummed hat. Sailing knitter very generously shared her pattern for this kind of hat and I'm anxious to try it out.

My WIP (works in progress) and FO (finished object): fingerless mitts (second of the pair); gift socks for George; fingerless mitts (customed designed by my daughter).

On your mark, get set, START!

Today I started three new books.

1. In paper: "Raising a Modern-Day Joseph" by Larry Fowler. This promises to be a break-through book in terms of raising up children who are true to their faith and life-long servants of Jesus. It uses the example of the Old Testament Joseph as a model of someone who was put into adverse circumstances at a young age and didn't waver in his love for God. This will be a great book for churches hoping to come along-side parents in raising their children to be strong Christians.

2. Audio: The Pilgrim's Progress. The version I'm listening to uses the old English, but I'm managing to handle that. Probably because I've read it several times before.

3. Audio: "The Man in the High Castle" by Philip K. Dick. This was recommended somewhere in my wanderings online. It's science fiction/alternate history. The write-up sounded interesting, but so far I haven't gotten hooked. My mind wasn't completely on it, however. I may start over and give it another chance.

On my needles: I finished the first sock of the after-thought heel pair. They fit really well (although they aren't for me). The yarn is Felici from Knit Picks. Love it! Effortless, even stitches.

I put the button on a calorimetry I made last night which will be winging it's way to Surrey ASAP. It's for my niece who had a birthday at the end of January. The yarn came from a HUGE ball of Bernat Worsted (acrylic) that I bought to make the pig puppet because it was the perfect colour. I may be knitting projects from that for years.

Keep your goals before you

Of the writing of books on organization and goal-setting there is no end. And I must confess, I have read many of them. Reading is my passion and organization is my weakness, so it stands to reason that I would want to read more; to learn more. It has been a journey with ups and downs to say the least. The end has not been reached, but the process continues to keep me interested.

Joe Tye, the values guy, is one of my favorite writers on the subject. He writes books and courses, gives seminars and sends out a regular motivational newsletter that I look forward to reading. In the most recent one his quote was

Keep your attention in the present, keep your vision in the future.

This is a theme that I have read different versions of over the years. It is well and good to make goals, but you must always be referring to them; always be taking action to fulfilling them or they just become wishes.

That's why I have my yearly goals pinned up beside my computer desk. That works for me because I tend to forget about things that have been filed away. If you are a filer, make sure to pull out the file regularly for review.

One of my goals for the year was to learn a new knitting skill each month. This month it will be the afterthought heel on a sock. Sock knitting is another passion of mine so it shouldn't be hard to fit this in. Next week it is! The knitting adventure begins - one tiny stitch at a time.

Do we need New Years Resolutions?

Yes, I think we do. I love new beginnings. Monday is my favorite day of the week because I get to start over 52 times a year. Did I blow it last week? Oh well, it's now a new week. And the ultimate new start is the start of a new year. So here we go. In 2009 I resolve to:

• reread "The GI Diet" book by Rick Gallop. My low glycemic eating habits have begun to slide; they need a jump start


• knit one charity hat per month.


• knit one Christmas gift per month till my list is done. Of course, that will involve making the list.


• listen to the entire Bible. Here I have a head start because I finished early last year and am already at the end of Numbers.


• simplify our family meals and make more bulk meals. Kitchen cleanup is becoming soooo boring and tedious. Over and over and over we clean up from cooking supper. I have better things to do with my time. So menu plan and meals-in-the-freezer, here I come!


• be more organized with my knitting projects by keeping better notes on when I started, yarn used etc. A friend is putting the ball band in hers and I think that is a great idea. Also, a sample of the yarn used.


• learn one new knitting skill per month. I plan to order Lucy Neatby's Essential 1 and 2 DVD's to help out here.


• try one new alpaca yarn per month and become an expert on alpaca. Why? I have no idea. It's just a passion right now.


• make good use of my 4 month gym membership by going 2-3 times per week.

OK, that's a good beginning. I'm going to print this out with space at the bottom to add things in as they occur to me.

What I like best about the resolutions I have come up with so far is that they are measurable. At a glance I can see if I'm following through or not. That's important - or so the "experts" say.

A Cozy Read

I had been feeling guilty over the fact that I haven't been reading many books lately. For the most part, if it doesn't have anything to do with knitting or Sunday School, the cover hasn't been cracked. And then it came to me...I have been reading (some would say obsessively) for over 40 years. Rarely a day has gone by (can you do the math to figure how many days that would be?!!) when I haven't read pages, if not chapters, of books. So I decided to give myself a break. It's my knitting phase, for as long or short as it may last. I feel better with that guilt load off my back.

The latest book I have read is "Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines". I loved this book. The authors write as if talking right beside you, in a homey and comforting way. They enthuse and inspire you to greater knitting heights. The format is essays interspersed with patterns, with technique thrown in as needed. It truly is "outside the lines", or box. One of the items I want to make is the fair isle blanket knit in the round and then steeked. To get me thinking fair isle is really a stretch, so you know how persuasive they can be!

This book will give many years of fun knitting and hone your knitting skills at the same time.

RIP

Since I have joined the ranks of the knitting world I have had to learn a whole new language. Sl1, WS, SSK - who would have thought these all meant something? In the "old days", to decipher such gobbledegoop you would have to page through knitting books or find a knitting mentor who was wise in the ways of this foreign land. Now, however, enter the world of the WWW. A few strokes of the keyboard, a click and you have a simple explanation - often times even a diagram or video. Technology is wonderful.

RIP doesn't (at least, as far as I have so far ventured) mean anything in knitting language. RIP stands for "reading in progress". This is a cousin to the OTN, which is a knitting abbreviation for "on the needle". Projects you are currently working on. Since my reading level has declined since I started my yarn obsession I thought that this would be an appropriate way to chart where I'm at in the world of words.

Bible - Psalms, Mark and Ezekiel (pardon me, but I will really be glad when I'm done reading Ezekiel to the kids!)

In my "study" (also known as the bathroom) - "Chicken Soup for the Soul - Celebrating Mothers and Daughters". My daughter gave me this book and I love it. But I can only take it in small doses as it causes me to cry with almost every story.

"Study" book just finished - Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitter's Almanac". What a heart-warming book! Even if you never plan to knit any of the projects, her friendly style of writing and useful tips are worth the read. She takes you through a full year with a different project for each month.

In the kitchen - "Apple Cider Vinegar" by Paul C. Bragg. I'm reading this book in my never-ending search for a cure for my 13 yo son and his listlessness and allergy (?) problems. No, apple cider vinegar does not taste like apple juice. It tastes like it smells - bad!

In the living room - I'm reading the kids "Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis in anticipation of the movie coming out in May. It looks really good! This will be an exciting boy-type movie with lots of action. My 8 yo son just wiggles in delight when the book describes the swords and sword play that is going on.

By my favorite chair - "Princess" by Jean P. Sasson. This is a true story of a progressive-thinking Saudi Arabian princess and the struggles she goes through bucking the age-old system that keeps women in their low place of esteem. It is a heart-breaking book as it describes what women go through and I have to put it down after a few chapters of reading.

In audio form (best for knitting by!) I have "Emma" by Jane Austen and "Beowulf", translated and read by Seamus Heaney (you must listen to this just for his lovely Irish accent!)

OTN - dishcloth shawl almost finished; Knitpicks Essentials socks about 1/4 of the way done; slipper socks for my husband 1/2 way done; cable scarf (I may just frog this as it sits abandoned and I have no heart in me to finish)

I'm obsessed...

...with knitting. My stepmother knits all the time and gives us beautiful hand knit socks as gifts. A dear friend always carries her knitting with her. I used to knit (try - 30 years ago!) It was time to throw myself into the knitting scene again. But, my goodness, how things have changed! Yarn is NOT the same! I feel like an alien on another world when I browse the local yarn shop (LYS for those in the know). So, true to my nature, I have taken on the job of getting up to speed.

Now, keep in mind that I DO NOT have time to "get up to speed" with the knitting world, let alone spend hours clicking needles. However, I have never let something like that stop me. Copious books have been reserved from the library, my Amazon/Chapters wishlist has grown, brown boxes have begun arriving in my mailbox and a few weeks ago I found myself knitting in Tim Horton's. Yes, I am now a knitter.

So far most of what I have done is abstract. Reading, poring over sites on the web (what a treasure trove of information and patterns!), looking at patterns. But...I have knit a few items as well. Two pairs of socks for myself, a pair for my youngest son and part of a shawl that I ripped out because it just wasn't me. That yarn will probably become a hat and scarf - it really is beautiful.

Two sock books that I drool over and hope to one day knit from now grace my library shelf.