"FO's" and A Gathering of Knit Wits

First, the FOs:

The Magical Mobius

The Aloha Virginia Tech Scarf

I am still working on the I cord necklace.  I wanted to make an I cord long enough to loop around twice, but alas, it doesn't look like there will be enough yarn for that, so I will have to settle for one loop.  I hope to finish knitting the cord today and then dig through my beading supplies for the perfect clasp to finish the necklace off. And I think I have the perfect glass pendant to use.  I would like to have it finished in time for The Gathering of the Knit Wits that will take place after work tomorrow.  Last Friday, Robin, Ronni and I had such a good time at Motif that we decided to meet this Thurs. after work (the one day that Motif is open past 4 pm).  Ronni is taking the Magical Mobius class and Robin and I are bringing our knitting along to cheer her on.  Bonnie and Ronda are also planning to come along.  I am going to bake a pan of chocolate chunk brownies for the occasion.  Last week when we were in Motif, another customer brought in some homemade zucchini bread which Karen shared with all of us there.  She joked that bringing in food was one of the new "rules" for sitting and knitting.  I thought it sounded like a pretty good rule, so I decided it would be "my turn" this week.  Maybe we can start a Thurs afternoon tradition this way.  Sounds like a fabulous way to unwind after work to me! 

Now, what shall I knit at The Gathering?  The choices are:

1. to start the Katia Triana lace scarf,

2. to continue working on my Ella Mae lace merino socks that I started when my cousin Cynthia was visiting

last month  

or

3. give up trying to resist the Siren Call of the Magical Mobius and start another one in a lovely sparkly yarn

The Sparkly Magical Mobius choice is currently in the lead!

The "Smallest" Skein of Yarn

I finished binding off the Magical Mobius last night.  I love it!  It turned out long enough to wrap twice around my neck.  I was playing with wearing it different ways and I think the way I like the best is with the twist in the middle of the upper loop.  I might have had enough yarn to go around once more, but I decided to play it safe and stop where I was.  With the leftover yarn I think I will make some I cord bracelets.  There are 2 fiber types left, one is sparkly and the other is soft microfiber so they will make pretty bracelets.  Or maybe I will make a long I cord and use it as a necklace, long enough to wrap twice around the neck, and hang one of those glass pendants on the shorter loop.  Hmmmmmmmmm..........  Possibilities! 

So, what to knit next?  Why, this of course:

It is a ball of Katia Aloha in Virginia Tech's orange and maroon colors (color 302).  I thought that it might make a cute little scarf (or boa) for my niece Megan to wear to football games.  She is leaving for her freshman year at Virginia Tech in about 10 days.  This is without a doubt the "smallest" skein of yarn I have ever bought - a mere 7 yards!  The boa is knit on size 50 knitting needles. With only 7 yards to work with, this should be a really quick knit - if I can get the hang of knitting with those clumsy telephone poles!

And after that?

I am going to try this yarn for the first time.  It is a test knit for possible Christmas presents.  I like playing with the fun and unusual yarns.  This should be another quick knit. 

Beyond that..............  Wait a minute.  Did you hear that?  I think I hear the Siren Call of the Magical Mobius calling my name!   It is saying, "Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisa.............how about another Magical Mobius......... a shorter one..........only one loop.......... all one color this time..............made out of a yarn with a little metallic sparkle............."

WARNING! Knitting a Magical Mobius is Addictive

The Magical Mobius in Progress

This is the result (so far) of the Magical Mobius class.  They warned me at Motif that knitting these can be addictive, and they were right!  I am already planning my next couple of Mobii (Mobiuses?).  Also at Motif was this intriguing yarn:

Looks like a great Christmas present project!  (or 2 or 3!)

It amazes me how fast 2 hours can go when you are having a great time.  The class flew by and I enjoyed it and meeting new people and knitting with a group.  Knitters are the nicest people!

Magical Mobius Knitting Class

I will be headed out in the 99 degree heat in just a little while to go to a knitting class at Motif, the Magical Mobius class.  The lady that owns Motif took a class from the one and only Cat Bordhi to learn how to knit the Magical Mobius, and just started teaching this class this summer.  I have been trying to take one of Karen's classes (especially the entrelac class) for a year now and this is the first one that I have been able to work it out so that I could go.  I got Tanya to work for me today.  I am hoping that Robin manages to come, but that is iffy since her son is mowing grass for relatives in Salem this morning, and they have to come all the way back. Ronda is supposed to come - Bonnie is coming in to work early for her today so, but she will just be coming in squeaking under the wire before the class starts at 2pm.  It goes from 2 to 4.  Yesterday after work I went by there and chose my yarn and paid for my class and of course, had to use my sock coupon!  For socks I bought these:

love the little bit of glitter in this one!

love Noro anything!

and for my yarn choice for my Magical Mobius class, there is this:

glitter and fluff and ribbons and fabulous!

I am really excited about the class!  I hope Robin and Ronda can make it OK.  I enjoyed sitting in the shop after work yesterday.  It is such a nice and quiet and relaxing environment, so much different than the one I had been in all day long.  I wouldn't mind making a habit of stopping there and knitting something after work on Thursdays for a while.  Unfortunately, Thursday is the only day that she is open past 4pm.  I have been trying to convince some people at work that we should go somewhere like B&N or Givens Books or somewhere with a nice quiet coffee shop and sit and knit one day after work, but everyone is so busy.  Maybe when the weather cools off and vacations are over and the kids go back to school.  I think I'm going to head over there a bit early.  Gonna soak up some more of that relaxing atmosphere!

What's the purpose of that?

Good question.  One that has been bothering me for a few weeks now.  It all started with Oprah.  Or, rather the end of Oprah.  During the big week (at least) long Bruhaha surrounding The Last Oprah Show, I happened to see Dr. Phil one night on World News at 6:30.  He was discussing how he was going to make it his life's work to be sure that everyone found that one thing in life that they really get excited about, their "Life's Purpose." The "One Thing" that makes them excited to get up in the morning and is "The Spark" that makes life exciting.  Dr. Phil's advice was to find that one thing that you really want to do, and start taking steps to make it a reality. I paused during my dinner preparations to ponder this for a minute and was hit with the sudden realization that I do not have this "One Thing."  Oh sure, I have lots of hobbies I enjoy, lots of things I like to do, but that "One Thing" that makes me get up in the morning excited about life?  What IS that?  I don't know.  And worse than that, now I realize that I don't know!  Ok, so now I am aware of a previously unknown "void" in my life, how do I go about finding "That Which Will Fill The Void?"  Thanks a lot Dr. Phil!  I didn't even realize I was "incomplete" until you told me I was!

Time's A Wastin'!

It is a beautiful morning full of promise and at least a little bit of sunshine!  I am only on day 3 of a 8 day vacation, but am up early due to 1. hungry cats that don't know the meaning of vacation is to sleep past 0530 and 2. a very painful sore throat.  The cats part is easy to take care of, the sore throat, not so much.  Hopefully it is just allergies again and not something worse.  Rich is working today and tomorrow, and then we hope to go to either Richmond or Greensboro later in the week.  Hopefully we will head somewhere else for at least one other day trip.

I am determined not to waste this vacation.  By waste, I mean not get anything done.  But what to do first?  There isn't a lot to do outside since I haven't bought flowers yet.  If I see what I want today I might get some. But allergies have made me shy away from the outside.  Also cramping my style so to speak are the pains in my hands (and feet and other joints, but the hands are the ones that stop me cold).  This makes gardening and knitting a little on the painful side.  I am going to pick up some of those heat wraps for hands while in Walmart later this morning.  All this damp weather is to blame for that problem.  I have to do something as I have 3 more rosaries to make.  One for Pam's husband Mike, one for Brandy G, and one for Mom.  I am still waiting for the beads for Mom's.  I splurged for hers and ordered beautiful rose pink Swarovski crystals.  They should be here later this week.  I have the supplies for Mike's and Brandy's and want to get them done by the time I go back to work next week.

I would like to take at least some of the time off this week to start some sort of wellness program.  I read that book yesterday and I am going to start working some of the ideas from that into my days.  I would also like to get back into a regular yoga and exercise routine.  I know I felt much better in the past when I was exercising and doing yoga regularly.  I have "The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health" by Patricia Walden I am currently reading.  Hopefully that will inspire me.

I am getting that "restless" feeling again!  Yes, every time I am on vacation (even though we never go away for vacation anymore with MIL obligations and animals that need tending) I always get that "I NEED To Start A New Knitting Project! feeling.  It isn't enough just to start one I already have the yarn and supplies for.  We usually take at least one day trip during vacations, and I love to pick up some knitting project that will always remind me of where we went and where I got it, and the day trip in general.  It is sort of a souvenir of vacation.  It is a ritual, and I enjoy it.  So, what to get and where?  There are knitting stores in both Greensboro and Richmond, so where will not be a problem, but what usually is.  I rarely have something specific in mind, and I just end up with more yarn to make a shawl or scarf or something.  That is mostly because I like to buy novelty yarn - something splashy and flashy or mohairy and something I can't find just anywhere.  Last trip to Richmond in December, I bought 2 different yarns - a red one with sequins and a gray mohair one with silver metallic - to make infinity scarves.  Last October in Greensboro I bought the yarn to make Dad's scarf and hat for Christmas.  So what to get this trip?  I have been scouring Ravelry for ideas.

So back to the wasting of time.  In the book "Take Your Time," the author (then a busy professor) describes his own struggle in his early 40's with wanting something more in his life and wanting to add time for meditation. He did what he calls the red line exercise where he lists all his activities, prioritized them, and then red lined those that he could do without or no longer were in his favorites list.  He described the exercise as being both painful and liberating.  What are my biggest time wasters?  The computer probably ranks up near the top of the list.  Like anything else, if I don't have a "to do" list and/or schedule in mind when I sit down to the computer I find myself just surfing aimlessly.  There is so much to find/read etc. on here that it can suck you in and swallow up a great deal of time before you are even aware that it has happened.  Also a time waster for me is "aimless puttering" or "flapping" as Rich calls it.  When I bounce from one project around the house to the next without any real objective to get one thing done.  I end up using up a bunch of time and not much to show for it.  I have discovered that I do better with some sort of "plan" for the day, even a day off.  How's that for crazy - take vacation from the rat race and structured scheduled days, and I need to schedule "vacation" days!  Oh well, I am a Virgo after all!

Time to make that schedule and head to Walmart before too much more of the morning slip past me!  Time's a wastin'!

Squish, squish, squish.........

That is the sound you make as you walk across the swamp.... er, I mean yard.  We have had many days of heavy rain, storms, fog and gloom.  Delightful weather for mosquitoes and frogs, but since I am neither one of those, I am far from delighted.  Today started out promising with blue skies and just a slight amount of ground fog, but then up came black skies and a sudden downpour.  Blue skies and sunshine returned, but the air is heavy with humidity and the promise of more thunderboomers.  Or gullywashers as an old friend of mine used to call them.  Between the high humidity and the bane of my existence, pollen, it is quite unpleasant to be outside.  You would think that all of the rain would have knocked down the pollen levels, but that is not so.  I had grand ideas about transplanting a few of the tropical plants, but the rather difficult to breathe atmosphere quickly squashed that idea.  I had to kick the rest of the tropicals outside today since the old plant light in the basement finally kicked the bucket.  Hopefully it will not venture too far below 50 degrees outside any more nights or I will be dragging some plants indoors.  I am trying not to complain too much about the rain since in a few short months, I will be begging for it.  Too bad we can't stretch it out over the whole summer instead of having a year's worth of it in one month.  I am a little grumpy about it too, since I am on vacation this week.  I usually take a week off in May.  The forecast is for more of the same for about 2/3 of the time I am off.  So, being done outside for now, I am determined to save the rest of the day and go get some chores done than take an early shower, fix an early dinner, and spend the evening relaxing and knitting.  I did read a very interesting and enlightening book this morning.  The book is "Take Your Time: How to find Patience, Peace and Meaning" by Eknath Easwaran.  I read about this author while browsing one of my knitting books, "Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines" and I looked him up on Amazon.com. I read "Take Your Time" cover to cover this morning.  It seemed to speak to me directly, and it gave me lots to think about.  I am going to try to incorporate some of his principles for living in my own life. How appropriate that I discovered this book while reading about the activity that brings to me the most peace and yet at times requires a great deal of patience..........knitting!

Ring Around the Rosaries

Yesterday I finished two of the remaining 4 rosaries I have to make. Hopefully I will finish one more this afternoon. I worked on my yarn necklace last night. I am using Art Yarns Beaded Pearl & Sequins yarn in color 193S that I bought at J.J.'s Knitting Knook in Stuart's Draft (just outside of Waynesboro, VA) last fall. I made a friend of mine a necklace and bracelet set out of this yarn, but hers was made out of crochet chains. Mine is an I-cord. I plan on hanging one of those lampworked glass focal drops on it. I have already made a bracelet from this yarn, but think a group of 2 or 3 different width "bangles" might look better. Time permitting, today I would like to cast on for that baby sweater. I am using a yarn that came in one of those Annie's Attic Knitting Club kits that was originally for a baby sack. It is a very pretty soft mint color. The sweater pattern I chose is a baby kimono from the Lion Brand Yarn free patterns website. I have already done my test swatch, and as usual have had to go down one needle size. I knit very loosely. I was told this is because I knit Continental style instead of American style. Or maybe it is just because I find knitting to be very relaxing? LOL

So many possibilities, so little time!

Story of my life, so it seems! I have so many hobbies that I love to work on that when I finally do get time to work on something, it takes me so long to decide what to do that I sometimes just get frustrated and end up doing very little of anything. Besides knitting, I love to crochet, bead, needlepoint and read, and I have ongoing projects in each of those categories. Not to mention life is getting a little more stressful, and time is getting a lot tighter lately. Lots going on right now, and most of it is not great. But life goes in cycles, and this too shall pass. It occurs to me that this is exactly the time that I most need to rely on my hobbies to get me through. I can't even count how many times in the past that my hobbies, knitting especially, got me through some really bad times -- times that I'm not sure I would have made it through without the calming powers of knitting. My latest finished product this week is not a knitted one, but rather a beaded one. It is a rosary I made for a friend of mine at work, or rather for her daughter who is about to go through Confirmation. It is made out of moonstone beads. The picture really doesn't do the beads justice. They are so pretty - they appear to be glowing when they are in strong natural light. I have 4 more rosaries to make, 3 of which are over halfway completed. The rosary pictured is the fourth one I have made. The first was for my niece Megan's Confirmation a year ago, that one was made with rose quartz beads. The second one was made of hematite beads for Megan's boyfriend Jordan and the third was for my sister and made out of garnet colored Czech fire polished glass "Preciosa" beads. Those were Christmas presents. I haven't abandoned knitting! My current project is a knitted I-cord necklace made from silk yarn with sequins and beads. About to be cast on the needles is a baby sweater for a friend at work. Her little girl is due in July. I also can't wait to cast on for some Go Knit bracelet kits I bought right before Christmas, one in the Flamingo colorway and the other in Carribbean.