Monday's pile...

The pile on the couch is almost funny today. A woman of varied interests sits here.

Stayed up TOO late last night reading Zen and the Art of Knitting by Bernadette Murphy. Got it at the library but want to buy it as it is a sweet book on the calming effect of knitting. Of course there's more to it than that... Here's a quote... "When I knit I stop to look. I take the time to be still and know that God is God. I find in those moments the peace of mind necessary to see clearly the miracle of my own existence, the preciousness of those I love. I get a glimpse once again of the goodness found in daily life and the many, many ways my life is graced."

The thought of hand work is SO appealing to me. And yet there must be an inner struggle with my ADHD side. Start and stop, start and stop.

In junior high I ambitiously knit and finished two coat sweaters. What did we call them... eskimo knits, polar knits...I don't recall, but they had a definite name. They sold for hundreds of dollars even then...made with thick icelandic wool, in a beige with an accent color with which I knit in a pattern...aztec pattern... there WAS a name... Anyhow, my best friend Karla and I knit them... zipper front, no hood. I finished one for me, and then knit one for my sister which Karla blocked and assembled after we moved. At that point in life (15 years old) we moved from Vancouver, Canada to Madison, Wisconsin. (over 2000 miles) I left behind my older sister and brother as well as my sister's sweater and Karla. Sigh. Anyhow, neither of those sweaters are still in our possession (which is almost a crime), I still write to Karla at Christmas, and my sister is still in Canada -- we aren't overly close but we keep in touch. While there I also began a baby sweater...the opposite type of yarn -- almost thread. That project moved with me. The baby for which I began it has three children of his own now. I finally threw it out. I carried half a white baby cardigan with me for over 25 years though. :)

So...finishing, even staying interested, is my challenge. I REALLY want to have a hand craft though...something to work on at kids' doctor appointments, while waiting, while watching a movie, etc. Maybe this time it will stick. I also crave the calming effect, the soothing and healing in almost a meditative motion. Does anyone know what I mean? The product is great, but it's the journey of the creation that I'm also craving.

As I wrote previously, this latest urge began with the novel The Friday Night Knitting Club. I'm only on page 113 because I can only read for so long and then I want to KNIT. Next the trip to the library. Then yesterday a trip to the basement where I dug up a half knit scarf in the yummiest sagey/limey green swirly wool with touches of coral...it's amazing. The scarf was pathetic so I unwound it and started over. I flipped on PBS and watched the ending two hours of "Pride and Prejudice" -- the Masterpiece theatre version. Having watched "Becoming Jane" the night before, this was really a timely treat. Anyhow, the scarf is really gorgeous, and I'm half done, having finished one of the two balls of wool. Mindless but infinitely satisfying. My sister in law wears that limey green all the time...her birthday is March 8 -- I originally bought the wool with her in mind...did not have 2008 in mind at that point, but hey...it's back on my needles.

I also dug out a 3/4 done hat, knit in the round on one double pointed needle. And another 1/2 scarf knit with two strands...one strand of the wooly varigated and sumptuous cranberry of the hat, mixed with a brownish tinged cranberry wool. YUMMY. I'll likely unwind that scarf too as it has a *bump* -- not so good at counting stitches while watching TV I guess...

So, this morning I finished the hat. It's currently in the dryer for a shrink. Since I don't want my head to grow, I'm shrinking the hat. Stay tuned. Either way, it's done, and I'm proud to say that I can knit in the round. Gauge is the next thing to conquer. I knit way too loose, although my stitches are even and consistent. I just need to really MAKE that gauge square that every knitter is supposed to knit at the start of a project: a 4 inch by 4 inch test run of the pattern with the selected yarn and needles. Real knitters then adjust their needles according to the resulting measurement. I like to skip that part. I *used* to like to skip that part. I'm going to reform so that my next hat actually fits my head.

The result of all this is that the couch has a stack of knitting books, some from the library, and some from my collection. Let's see... six knitting books opened here. Plus my journal, my Bible, Stormie's praise book, and the Bible study work book. Plus the leftover hat wool, four double pointed needles on which I finished the hat, the original long double pointed needle on which most of the hat was knit, a pencil case of knitting accessories, my Blackberry, my laptop, two moleskine thin paper journals, one South Beach magazine, two pencils... cluttered as usual. A woman of varied interests. I'll leave it at that.

Time to hit the books. Bible study, praise and knitting. I think it all blends nicely on this grey Wisconsin day. Mondays off work are my very favorite days. Starting the week with a puttery day of laundry, spot cleaning, cooking and meal planning, reading, knitting, guitar and song ... it all adds up to a day of grace and blessing which really shapes my week.

Slowing down to the pace of knitting. That's what today is for. I need to check my gauge, stick with my planned pattern for the week...slow and steady... breathe in, breathe out.

Blessed Monday to you all!