We Have Hopes and Plans

 

I don't know how I made it to 2023, but look at me- still alive and confused. I am sitting here surrounded by yarn and Christmas decorations wondering how I can make sense of it all. I can't and so I won't. 

What I will do is waste a significant amount of time pouring through my old patterns, notes, and ideas to see what will stick and what should be scraped, updated, and kicked into the universe. 

I am getting some of my memory back, but I won't stress what I do not recall. It will come to me if it should. Forgotten faces are coming back to me as well. I am on the mend, but I need to challenge myself more. My wet sponge and blood noodle have received their final okays. The inflamed beatbox will just have to become an accepted part of the landscape.

I will take a few steps back in knitting. I will test myself to follow a pattern from start to finish without deviation. Then I will work to be able to hold an idea into a plan and then into an execution- all on a timeline. Cognitive recovery and discipline. 

 I got to see most of my brothers in 2022 for better or worse and I "love" when we get together and start knuckle-dragging around. 

There has been much touch and go as of late and there are things to do before they can't be done. I will make more space for family in 2023. I don't know so much about pulling back people that I let go, but I will be less hard-lined about it. The grace I don't expect will be the grace that I will learn to give. 

I am thankful that the people who have been by my side during the darker times are able to stand with me today. I don't take it lightly and I don't take it for granted (I really wanted to put "granite", guys). 

These were thoughts at the beginning of 2023, January 15 to be exact. Somehow or other, this did not get posted which further confirms the slippage of the noodle. Now that we are in the final quarter, I am pleased that I have kept to each of these thought patterns and treated them less like mandates. Maybe there is a next adventure and maybe I haven't sorted this one out completely. 

What I do know is that I am now surrounded by yarn and holding physical books in my hand, hoping that things piece back together peacefully. 

 

Breathe. Relax. Knit.

Moving back and forth from the bed to my work sofa, taking only my knitting and laptops (one for dramas and one for pattern writing). I feel more comfortable now than I have in a long time. Not only do I have several projects in mind, some not knitting related, but definitely in the fiber arts family. 

Last night I dreamed that 2 sergers were zipping through leather and printed canvas while a knitting machine was churning out what I feel should be a single seam sweater dress, and i was Persian knotting silk and linen. 

I'm going to take that and run with it. 

I'm more inclined to using super soft and expensive fibers. Even more so, I am gifting them to my loved ones. I am intentionally surrounding myself with softness. 

I hope that the fog of the past year clears for you and the weight lessens. I hope this for myself also. 

I hope that you remember that there are roses to stop and smell, books to pretend you'll make time to read, cannas to grow so the hummingbirds can visit you, and to be nicer to yourself. 

May you be nicer to yourself in 2021 than you've ever been. 

#nowplaying 

Corinne Bailey Rae's "Closer". 

#SuckerFreeSunday

Cobblestones & Lovely Paths 

The knitted journey through the past. 

I went through a serious gray phase in the 2000s. I mean serious. From the knickers on out, it was all gray until a particular companion made colors seem so much more interesting. I became more vivid through their influence and felt comfortable being me. Gray was no longer a shroud to hide behind, but an accent.

Fast forward to now and in the vigorous journey to minding the business that pays me, I've been staring in absolute awe at the way this turned out. 

The model JTD doesn't complain about my messy hair nor does JTD demand 2nd breakfast unlike some other finocky models that demand to be paid in flying drones and a Nickelodeon subscription to binge Spongebob. Sigh. Divas- i tell you. 

I hope this becomes a piece we can talk about more. 

#NowPlaying Hohyun, "Demon". 

#FOFriday Cobblestones & Lovely Paths

Isn't It a Lovely Day for a Stroll?

(I'm longwinded, to skip the ruminations, click here)

Once upon a time, I loved thoroughly and happily. We must have walked thousands of miles while gazing only at each other. 

The riverfront strolls on cobblestone roads that led to sunny parks and the gardens of Savannah often return to the forefront of my mind, particularly on cold winter mornings. I can still see the butterflies and dragonflies flitting and zipping about with joy and purpose. I can smell the sea mingled with the sounds of laughter and cocktail glasses clinking even as the heat from my tea fogs up my glasses. 

It is with those days in mind that I created this cowl. It holds the promise of warm days, iced tea imported from Long Island, and easy conversation. 

Face the cold, brave the elements wrapped in these traipsing cables settled down into the cobblestone-esque moss stitch center. The dragonflies sewn into it are charms I ordered from my favorite embellishments store on Etsy- Montage Supply. 

Whenever I see these winged, bronze guardians I can hear their wings flapping all the secrets of the far away, dew-covered forests. I can hear them regale of their seaside near escapes. 

I am very excited to share this pattern with you so let's talk. 

#NowPlaying Rachelle Ferrell, "Welcome to My Love"

Knit Tip Tuesday- Sets

 

"If you don't decrease & close the hat, it's a cowl. 
This is how you make a set." 

-E. Janelle Eason- 

One of my favorite things to do is to make it match. Symmetry is my jam. Matching sleeves socks, hats & cowls, scarves & mittens. Love it. I believe that with a little creativity and curiosity, many things are possible. 

So whenever you look at a pattern, ask yourself, "how can I make this coordinate?" 

Pictured: Muted Melody in Filatura 

To make a matching set is to take the pattern either work to close it for a hat or bind-off to make a cowl. It gets a bit tricky when you decide to enlarge your cowl, as seen above. I like them loose and away from my face. I'm not a fan of fabrics irritating my skin through constant touching and rubbing.

For me, it is fun to see just how I can turn one into two. 

It is my sincerest hope that knitting is fun for you. 

#KnitTipTuesday

"Its never too late to add a pocket." 

It may seem funny to some, but a well structured pocket can save the world. It definitely saves sanity, which means the same thing. 

Even projects you've long completed can be updated with an add-on pocket. See?! At first I was ready to weave in the strands, but then I wondered, "why buy the cow when I forgot to add a pocket" or something like that- it was very late at night. 

I especially love interior pockets for capes. If you sew a lining on the pocket patch and use the double knitting technique to secure the pocket patch, it becomes an invisible addition, maintaining the aesthetic. ❤️ 

#KnitTipTuesday 

#KnitTip #Tuesday

#JoyeuxTricots

#KnitTip #Tuesday

"The best way to work a W&T is to wrap the #yarn around the NEXT unworked stitch and turn."  

This little nugget of wisdom made projects so much easier. German short rows are an excellent method as well (i won't supply a direct link; i hope you'll fall down the rabbit hole of short row variations to build your arsenal) but if you are in need of an immediate solution, this works beautifully. 

I don't remember where i learned this method. Perhaps it was in a knitting circle in St. Louis in 2007 or maybe in a YouTube haze. Ionno. 

I only know that it works and you don't have those big gaping holes. 

I hope to see how it has helped you. 

It Is A New Year, Huh...

2020 has weighed on many of us heavily. We have lost loved ones, acquaintances, & kind strangers we only learn about after their death. 

I hope for nothing more than that we do not give up on ourselves. Don't give up on the possibilities. On every rough side of the mountain, there too is joy and discovery. Don't discard the beauty that life has to offer. 

Every year about this time, i read Earnest Hemingway's "False Spring" story from the book, "Moveable Feast". It stayed with me that even though the winter is so hard, it feels as though a child is dying- there will always be Spring. There will always be newness, there will always be revitalization. 

The power of these things should not be taken for granted or dismissed. 

I long to see you on the slick side of the mountain. 💜❤️ 

#NiwPlaying Keshi "Bandaids". 

#KnitTipTuesday

Project density, yarn usage, & shaping are the differences between fair isle and double knitting. 

I have a preference for double knitting because it removed the issue of pulling and bunching that you get from fair isle and even intarsia. 

I also like to use it as a cover for a secret pocket (this excites me a whole lot) because the seams are hidden behind the image. It is best to add the pocket before double knitting so your design yarn covers the seam. 

💜

#KnitTipTuesday 

#JoyeuxTricots

Filed Under: Scissor Happy Shenanigans

You're probably wondering how I got here and to be honest, I'm not quite sure. I'm thinking hubris, but I'm gonna go with red wine and stick the landing on that one. 

Here goes: picture it my knitting corner , 2020. I'm in the home stretch of a project that I'm still not sure I want to publish. I'm adding toggles. There's a lot of toggles because I don't want the cold to creep in, but maybe too many toggles. Its starting to look like a Steve Harvey jacket. I realize I'm overthinking oblong wooden buttons and I take a sip of cabernet sauvignon. I'm pleased with myself for no good reason as I half progress after applying 6 of these bad boys and 2 *ahem glasses (don't ask about the size of the glass, just move along) of wine. 

They aren't aligned. The blasted buttoned have the stripes askew. I'd call myself the daughter of a cockeyed sailor, but I don't think my father would find it funny. I would and I get my sense of humor split between two parents that consistently find the wrong things funny. 

I don't even have additional photos for the shame gallery; but I removed 4 of the 6 toggles and made 3 holes. 3.

The hole pictured is the most spectacular for being cut at every row. I fail at the top, what can I say?! 

I'm off to fix this because its fall walking weather and I want Bébé to be able to wear it while his wrists are still hidden in the sleeves. 

Let's laugh about it sooner than later. 

#MotivationMonday

[Caption reads: Nicky Epstein taught me in 1 image, in this book that knitting wasn't an arduous task. Everything came into focus and became fun.] 

This single image from Nicky Epstein's 2008 book, "Knitting on Top of the World" changed my life. Sweater making was instantly made easy (but time consuming in fingering weight) and so were all other articles of clothing. 

A rectangle becomes a tube, which becomes a sleeve. This simple logic made everything come into focus. I could not just imagine skirts and sweaters, but also pants and shorts. 

I hope this visual helps you on your journey. There are so many pearls of wisdom in this book. Many methods to strengthen your skill set and spark your imagination as to what else can become possible. 

#MotivationMonday 

#JoyeuxTricots