Summertime... and the knitting is easy

My teenaged daughter left today to spend the summer with relatives. Don't get me wrong, I love her dearly, but the last few months have been *challenging*, to say the least. I think we both need a break for a while, so I'm thankful that she has the opportunity to spend the summer away - and I'm sure she is too. I hope she'll have a lot of fun.

That said, I've got more than enough to keep me busy while she's away. It's time to start whittling away at my ever-growing stash. After all, I need to make room for some new yarn, right? Today I start on my summer poncho, another origional from my favorite LYS. Well, maybe it's not quite an "original". I was in the shop chatting with some ladies there when a woman came in wearing a gorgeous mauve-colored poncho (a la Sex in the City). She wore it with blue jeans, a white tee and some very sexy-looking high-heeled slides. She looked fabulous!

She had purchased it from a trendy shop in the city and was wondering if someone could help her figure out how to make another one for herself. Of course, we all jumped at the chance to take a closer look, after asking her to take it off! :) After trying 3 different yarns, 3 different stitches, and at least 3 different needle sizes, I've finally got the look I'd hoped for and plan to start knitting as soon as I finish blogging.

I'm using Maggi's Linen in a beautiful deep mustard color. It should be a quick knit. Since I intend to do nothing else today except knit, I should get quite a bit done.

Rumbalicious

Here it is, the one I've been waiting to wear... My Rumba sweater. The pattern is a Lettuce Knit original (my favorite LYS - local yarn shop). The yarn is called Rumba. This one was truly a labor of love. It's knit in all one piece and although the yarn is beautiful, it's not the easiest to work with. And don't drop a stitch because it's impossible to pick up! I was about 4" from the end when I noticed that a join had come undone. I had to unravel the entire sweater and start again. That's the bad news... the good news is that I love this one so much that I'm going to make another one in black! This time I'm going to be knitting it along with my buddy Nim, who's going to be knitting my sweater's twin, so we'll have each other along for moral support.

Me Knitting

A picture of me knitting...

Magical Needles

Here's a picture of one of my prized possessions... handmade knitting needles from my husband, Jonathan. Most people would make needles from wooden dowels, but not my DH. He started with a plank of rosewood, which he cut into 2 "strips". Hours of sanding (by hand) later, those strips were transformed! Now I'm on a mission to find the perfect project with which to christen my new needles.

Welcome

I've tried journaling before, but never had much luck with it. Perhaps I was intimidated because I didn't believe I had anything profound to say. Or maybe I was afraid that someone would find my journal and read my most private thoughts. And many times, I just didn't *feel* like writing.

But this time it's different. I'm on an incredible journey and although my insights may not be profound, they are significant (at least to me) and I want to record them in some way... and since I type much faster than I write, this seems like the perfect way to do that.

At 45, I've finally found a passion in life, in a most unexpected format - knitting. It's become so much more than a pastime or a hobby. It's become a way of life. For me, knitting is relaxation, release from stress, meditation, prayer, functionality, creativity, philanthropy, gift-giving, and just plain fun! Through a variety of colors, textures and patterns, I create things that please my eyes, soothe my skin, and massage my ego - all at the same time.

It's about creating a vision and making it happen... it's about understanding that giving a gift can be as great a joy as receiving one... it's about practicing the principles of simble abundance... it's about realizing the awesom mystery of creating a piece of wearable art from a single piece of string.

I knit from my heart... I knit for my soul.