A Little "Me" Time

Well, this past weekend really revolved around my daughter. Two fall festivals, a birthday party, gymnastics show and a friend sleeping over all made me totally exhausted by the time Sunday rolled around. But I did get a little bit of "me" time and here is the proof.

That's one of the Girlfriend Swing Coats that I'm working on. I don't think I can sit anywhere for any period of time without having my knitting. I even bring it when we go to amusement parks - some of those lines are rather long and that is some prime knitting time - good for something small like socks.

A Proud Mama

What's this - a picture? Yes, the lovely, generous and very talented Jennifer of The Spirit Trail took this photo of my daughter by Jen's booth at Rhinebeck. This bright pink merino, silk, angora (? gotta find that label...) roving was purchased at Cummington this past May from Jen's booth. It was a joy to spin and soooo soft! Then I had to figure out what to do with it and after reading about One Skein Wonders for children here, I decided that would be the perfect thing to make. I know I may be a little biased but I just love this picture - thanks Jen!

And my daughter was named Student of the Week this week in her class at kindergarten. What I wonder sometimes is how I can be so proud of her one minute and then tearing my hair out the next? This morning we were getting ready for school and I was helping her put her tights on when to my surprise I noticed that she had written her name in pen - her first name on the bottom of one foot and her last name on the bottom of the other. Where do they get these ideas? Actually it was pretty funny and I wasn't mad - just amazed.

Startitis ... Finishing Deficit Disorder

I definitely have a problem when it comes to starting new projects. A new yarn or project will whisper provocatively in my ear "Come play with me" and I fall hook, line and sinker. Forgetting about the projects that I already have on the needles, I cast on for a new one. The "On the Needles" list I have started is not complete - they are the ones that are most visible and higher on my list of "to finish". I am kind of hoping that blogging about these projects will kind of push me to finish them up. The problem with finishing things doesn't always involve wanting to start something new. Sometimes I just hit a snag and instead of dealing with it, I stuff the project away somewhere and go onto something else. Or during this time of year, I feel that I should be working on gifts and not on things for myself - which is the reason that my Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan from the Green Mountain Spinnery book has been put away with just one front piece left to finish knitting. (Whoops - that one isn't in my list ...). And it goes without saying that there are many projects (with yarn) waiting in the eaves - and now there is also the unspun fiber. The possibilities abound and sometimes I feel overwhelmed. But who can resist the call of the fiber!

One of the things I found out when I started reading blogs was that other people had similar issues. And this is one of my most favorite things I've read. I'm not sure what it says about me that I would love to do something like that. So now I know that I am not alone and I think that makes me feel better or at least not so out of control. And that is comforting in its own way.

Some details

A friend just stopped by for a brief visit. We met in our breast feeding support group when our girls were infants and joined the same playgroup. 5+ years later and we are still great friends - she was the youngest mom in our playgroup and I was the oldest, but we still found a lot in common and I rely on her for my sanity. She was one of the few people I could call at 6AM since I knew her daughter was an early riser too. The girls are good friends too and play together very well.

Speaking of friends and sanity, our knitting group at work met today for our lunchtime escape. Pauline is working on a felted bag and realized that she couldn't get much farther decreasing on the circular needles she was using. She didn't have any dps with her but just happened to have another circular and Elaine and I were able to show her how to use the 2 circulars to knit in the round. She finished the bag and is now onto the i-cord. Elaine's working on socks and I'm working on a baby sweater. Elaine is my one hope for a local spinning buddy. She was actually the one looking at spinning wheels and I was like no way - why would I do that when I can go out and buy yarn!! One year later and she has a rigid heddle loom and I have my beautiful Rose. And I love playing with fiber. And yes, I still buy yarn.

For anyone who was wondering what I am thinking of doing once my Corriedale batt is spun - this and this are both possibilities. I did finish knitting the fingerless mittens out of Blue Sky 100% alpaca sportweight. Wonderful stuff to work with and I think I'd like a pair for myself. Psst...I actually did buy some for myself (paprika and green like in the pattern picture). Maybe I should just cast on for those.

My First Post

Well, I've finally done it - I've started a blog. I have been reading other blogs for a while now, but have put off doing it myself. The reasons - let's see: I don't have a digital camera and posts are so much nicer with pictures, what will I write about and when will I find the time. But I've decided to try this out and see what happens.

My blog will mostly be about my knitting and spinning, my daughter and other related things. To start off, I've been spinning a most wonderful Corriedale batt from Grafton Fibers that I picked up at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck last weekend. A lot of posts have been written about the Rhinebeck experience and let me tell you, they are right on track. It is a fantastic time for anyone interested in fibers, spinning, knitting, eating, and meeting some wonderful people. My knitting projects are plentiful - I am definitely not a "one project at a time" type of person. Today I was knitting on a pair of fingerless mittens for the Warm Hands KAL. They will be a Christmas present for a special friend.