Inner Connections

Another snowstorm this week shut everything down and we had another Monday at home.  I finished my squares for the week in between shoveling.  Yay!  Another block is done.  2 to go!

In July of 2011 I put the projects that had yarn together with their patterns in Ziploc bags.  This week I took out one of those patterns; the Tourniquet Scarf.  Two of my dear friends had bought this for me with enough Cascade to do the project.  It is mostly ribbing with a little duplicate stitch running down a few staggered rows.  What a fun little knit and a great neck warmer as well.

My LYS really liked La Donna and my outline for a beginners lace class.  Yay!  I love lace and I can't wait to share the knowledge that I've gleaned over the years.  I know this will be a great class! And as a bonus...my wonderful sister is finally going to learn to YO!  I am so excited to have her taking the class because I truly am blessed by any time that we spend together.  :)

I didn't want to insert a picture of my sis without her permission, so imagine one of my favorites; she is holding my son on his birthday and he is giving her a hug.  There is love on his face and you can see how important she is to him and conversely there is a big smile on her face that reflects how much she loves him back.

We were watching something with some friends and my son and one of their kids said, "People just don't do that; break into song."  My son turned around and said, "Yes they do.  We do it all the time at our house." And it is true.  Especially me and my sis; we have this deep wonderful connection that is such a blessing to me.

My Mother and her sister didn't really ever get along and that may be an understatement.   My BIL and my DH don't have a thing in common and never do anything together.  I didn't want my Sis and I to be like that...ever.  I think losing our parents has only brought us closer as facing tragedy hand-in-hand can only do. But I can't really remember a time that I didn't love my sister with all my heart; even though I know the High School years when I found boys was a little rough.  But even then, we created a newspaper together about stuff going on.  I still have some of them.  Later on, I would go all the way to get her from school so she could spend time with us on the weekends.

I spent my life admiring her for how brilliant she is and I have always been awed by her creativity. Her attention to detail and ability to work on tiny little things always puts me in a state of awe.  She has a big heart and is fiercely loyal to her friends and family.  She has a soft and gooey center for my son and she and he have a special beautiful friendship.  When she can't make it for our Sunday visit or monthly sleepover; she is missed by all of us...I think even the cats wonder where she is.

So when I look at what I've lost, it only accentuates the blessings I have.  But then I can see my Mother in my Sister.  Her creativity is a reflection of not only my Mom but all the women on that side of the family.  I can't tell you the relief when I visited my Ohio relatives and found my Aunt in a room surrounded by yarn and exclaimed, "Thank you, Goddess, I 'm not the only one!"  Crafting, creating is in our blood and if I look at myself with an unbiased eye, I can see that I too am a reflection of that creative spirit that runs in our family.

I see my Father in my son.  My Dad loved nature and nurtured the creatures in it whenever he could. If a bird had frozen its talons on a clothesline he would hold it until it warmed up enough to be free. He took creatures outside whenever he could.  He taught me the language of birds and they would come to the window to try and catch a glimpse of their new friend.  My Dad had a big heart, you had to know him to see it, but he was someone with a big and generous heart.  While he was more reserved about it, my son is outwardly kind.  People tell me that he resembles my simpatico (Italian for sympathetic) so I guess that means I am a reflection of Dad as well.

These are actual flowers in our yard that decided to bloom between the storms.

With Spring here officially...I'm not sure I believe it...that means it is the anniversary of our parents crossing over to the other side.  By recognizing Mom and Dad in those that I love; I have found them within myself as well, and that is truly a beautiful blessing.  :)

A Springtime blessing is my wedding anniversary.  It will be 18 years this year that I have been blessed and honored to be with such a wonderful man.  I am so thankful for every gesture that he grants me; from the coffee in my cup every morning to retiring into his arms at night.  I truly love him more each day.  (It won't let me insert a heart here because it breaks the html code - so imagine one please)

I'm not sure what happened with all that snow and ice, but somewhere along the line, I stopped worrying about how I was seeing the world and turned that gaze within...I started to see the world and the people I love and admire in reflected in myself.  :)

On the health front, I got one of those Jawbone Up bracelets.  It tracks my sleep and activity.  It tells me when I have been idle too long and I can track my daily food intake on it.  I love it.  I got one for DH too and my Sis already had one.  This way I can see the reality of what I am eating, how many steps I am getting and my sleep all in one place.  I started out with 3,000 steps and sadly I had to run around the house a bit to get up to that number.

This job is mostly sitting and if it wasn't for the dog forcing me to get up and let him out sometimes I wouldn't move for hours.  That is why I love my little idle nudge.  I can get up and do some filing or something that isn't sitting for a bit.  Little steps create lasting health.  Oh, it was a relief to know that typing and knitting do not add steps.  Maybe if I was a picker, but as an English thrower, the movement in my left hand is negligible to the step counter.

Oh, the Ziploc VersaGlass has worked out better then I thought it would.  Some people say theirs leaks; mine doesn't.  In fact the lid is so tight that I did have a bit of trouble getting it off.  Maybe with a lot of use, that lid might become looser and then it might leak, but right now it holds liquids in tight. You can put it without a lid in the oven (400F) or microwave and with a lid in the freezer and fridge. It is dishwasher safe and made out of pretty nice glass IMHO.

It is hard to be healthy; it takes time and constant work.  Something you may think is good for you one week is found to be dangerous in the next.  All one can ever do is the best they can with what they have.

I hope that even if there is snow where you are that the spirit of Spring blesses you with rebirth and renewal.

Happy crafting,
Ruinwen
:)

Of Mice and Impossible Charting

Winter's Fury. We had more ice than anything else this winter. This was a day that I stayed home with my son and was sick while he played video games all day. Ice in the Norse Runes stands for Isa: Reflection. It is a time of going within and finding all the resources that you already have carved on the tablet of your soul.

I think that I have done this. I have found a balance between family, obligation, hobbies, work and nurturing of self. I have found the voice to say no when it hurts to do so. I have spoken up when I feel walked on and abused. And I have found time to ruminate and renew when it all is too overwhelming.

Of course, my DH is my rock, my son my sunshine and my knitting my saving grace. But knowing what you need is half the battle to getting where you are supposed to be. So as cold and bitter as winter was this year, I learned many lessons that I will use for the rest of my life.

Spring's beauty. Time to think about the seeds I will plant. Spiritually I am asking for patience and compassion. Physically I think I will plant tomatoes since I love them in the summer. Little changes make a big impact when done with a clear intent.

My caplet is at the edge and I wanted to do something special for the bottom edge. So I poured over pattern books until I found the Windblown Leaf border.
So this chart is from Knitting on the Edge and it was the hardest thing I've ever charted. There are so many no-stitches in the pattern that I felt like I had entered a black hole. But after 5 tries and more hours then I'd like to admit, it is ready for testing. Best to put it away for a day or two before attempting the dreaded swatch.

These mice are from Kitty Knits and they have yet to be stuffed or given noses and eyes. This is my first intentional felting project and I really enjoyed making these cute little critters.

So I've been trying to figure out which direction I want to go with this blog. A good friend told me to do whatever I want since it is my blog. I've been only posting when I have knitting...but with my limited time, I don't knit as much as I used to. So please forgive me while I figure this all out.

Anyway, have a super weekend!

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Spring Fling

Here is the booth all set up.



Here is my meager display of knitted and crocheted items. But you know what I was happy to have that much done. DH made some lovely new chain mail pieces and combined metals too. I finally finished the drop stitch shawl and it turned out really nice...so all in all, I was very happy.

It was a s-l-o-w Fair. No one was buying. But as always we made back the fees and the food which makes us happy. My sister crocheted with us and she made some lovely pot scrubbies that have a sponge in them. My son and his cousins came to visit with Nana. Bless the Goddess for Nana who took care of the kids this weekend for all of us adults! She is a saint! :)

The tent behind us blew over and folded in half. The poor thing's legs were straight up in the air and it took quite a few of us to help get it down again. There was a lot of wind and we need to rethink some weight strategies since the wind moved our 25-pound ones!

But all in all, it was oodles of fun. And...I completed my goals for this month. I survived both Fairs! Yeah me! :)

Hope you all have an awesome day!

Ruinwen
:)

Oh, thank you so much for your support in the last post. You all are the best and the sweetest people on Earth! :)

Taking Back My Power

“When you fight something, you’re tied to it forever. As long as you’re fighting it, you’re giving it power." 

-- Anthony de Mello

"What you resist persists. And only what you look at, and own, can disappear. You make it disappear by simply changing your mind about it."

-- Neale Donald Walsch

I have been stressing about a bunch of things lately. I’m kinda ignoring most of last month ‘cuz I feel I wasn’t true to it. A big thank you goes out to all of you who wished me a Happy Birthday. For the most part, it really wasn’t but c’est le vie. I did get scads of yarn which I will showcase a little later…and all of it is so yummy I just don’t know what to do with myself. My sis also got me the Michael Praed Robin Hood series which is yummy in a whole different way. ;)

I know that when life gives you lemons you make lemon aid…but my throat closes up and I stop breathing when I smell, taste or am 1 foot away from anything citrus…so bad analogy.

This month there will only be two goals:
1. Survive Maryland Sheep and Wool lamb cook-off (come see us at 10 on Sunday)
2. Survive Spring Fling

I think I’ve been trying to do too many things that I need to be accountable for. (who me?) So I’m going to par down on the goals because other stuff always comes up and then I feel bad I didn’t get my list done.

I’m working on baby steps trying to change the way I see things. Take for instance the bit of knitting I started to ease the whole “Masters fear” I’ve been going through. I doubled up a knit repeat. Now I could rip the whole thing out but it doesn’t look bad if I make it into a pattern…so after talking to DH I’ve decided to keep it and call it a pattern change. BTW I got this yarn with my prize money at last year’s Sheep and Wool. It is a hemp blend and the dealer can be found in my sidebar.

But the Masters is changing me. I can’t seem to automatically knit anymore. I’m thinking about each stitch, worrying that my purls are rowing out, is my ribbing tight, am I elongating a stitch by pushing in my needles too far and my favorite…is the cast on I chose the right one for this project?

I know that it is good to learn and grow and life is dependent on it but my knitting has slowed…my rhythm is lost…I feel adrift in a sea of rules and regulations that are changing me.

I’m not resisting the change if it makes me a better knitter but at times it is scary and frustrating…as change can be.

I find it interesting that just as I lost my ability to relax and breathe during knitting I gained a new breathing technique that relaxes and rejuvenates me. I have been deep breathing for five minutes before bed and I am sleeping better then I have in years and I wake up refreshed and ready to face the day.

So as one door closes another opens…the Goddess always provides what I need when I need it. I start May with a fresh new outlook. I may be knitting a bit slower because I’m watching each stitch be birthed into existence but I’m learning and growing as I do so.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Spring is In the Air

"Let the waters settle

you will see stars and moon

mirrored in your Being."

-- Rumi

Spring has finally sprung and I couldn't be happier! :)

I've been fighting the nasty flu so I haven't been up to much...but I did manage this...

That's my DH's foot, not mine. :)

and this:

This sock is done on big double points and is perfect for a first-timer like me. It has all the sock basics so you learn how to turn a heel and graft a toe while using big yarn and needles. I'm going to be teaching this as a sock seminar at the LYS. Who would have thunk? :)

Speaking of socks knitnana has come up with another great bag, the posy-sock-sack. I can't wait to get one of my own!

So my head feels like it's stuffed with fluff but at least it is Spring again and I understand how to make socks! I know I need to do a check-in for my goals but I will do that tomorrow if that is okay with you? :)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)