A Lovely Day Off

Yes, the skies are low and threatening snow, but it is Monday and I have the day off, so it is very lovely to me. Jan Plan came to a roaring finish last week (though two colleagues have a very big event happening today) and everyone is exhausted and ready for a short break. Classes don't start until Wednesday, so several of us have taken today off for R&R (or, at least, R). Don and I cleaned the house on Saturday evening, so all that is left are things I need to get done by myself, such as the bills :) My select group of readers know, however, that a puttering day at home is the most restful thing I can think of doing.

Knitting has figured interestingly into the weekend. A family at church has two daughters, around 10 and 7, who are interested in learning to knit. The mother doesn't knit (yet) and also wanted to learn. The 11-year old, M, already knows how to knit, but not how to read and follow a pattern, etc. We had our first "lessons" yesterday and I'm happy to report that the two new knitters left with several completed rows of knit stitches and M learned a new cast on and had an introduction to reading a pattern. They've gone off to practice for the week and hopefully we can meet at our LYS next weekend to pick out yarn for a hat for M to knit and something for Mom and S to knit washcloths with. I think I'll also encourage M to look at top-down sweater patterns as I'm sure she'll finish the hat in a flash.

Other than that, I did frog the baby sweater and moved up a couple of needle sizes and started a bigger size of the pattern with the result of a sweater that actually could be worn by a real baby. I was reassured in this action when I found that I had three balls of the main color when I thought I only had two. I think I'll have enough to make a hat to go with it.

I'm also making progress on a birthday or graduation present for my son's girlfriend. I know that the spring and summer are going to be inordinately busy (though there will be travel time that will benefit my knitting) and I don't want to be caught short.

Today, my puttering needs to include cleaning up my desk and fiber room. I actually don't have a sweater on the needles at the moment and am itching to start one, but have been holding myself off until I could get a bit more organized. I have the three projects going, but am very close to finishing two (the baby sweater and the Gaptastic Cowl). I can do a pair of Faux-Felted Mittens to keep myself at bay, but those don't take long. Oh, I do have two pairs of socks I could work on that have been started but put aside. OK, I'll hang on for a bit longer.

Then, on Wednesday, we'll start the spring semester, which promises to be a full, fast ride to May. So, today I'll putter and gather a bit of steam.

Jan Plan

For 30 years of my life, January has meant Jan Plan to me. Jan Plan is the month-long term between semesters at Colby College. As a student, it meant taking just one interesting class along with daily naps, cross-country skiing, and lots of reading and hanging out time. As an employee, it feels more like we cram a whole semester into 4 weeks and it is a race from start to finish. This year, and last year, I've added the responsibility of organizing and supporting a Jan Plan course for pre-med students. Most of the work comes in the fall, with the rest of it falling in the last 1 1/2 weeks of January. Here we go!

This weekend, however, we made no plans to go anywhere, except to attend the celebration of ministry that officially names our new priest as our parish rector. That was a truly moving, lovely eucharist services yesterday, followed by good food and fellowship. And, we even got a few leftovers to get us through the Pat's game this afternoon.

Knitting is spotty, but I did get to do some this weekend. At basketball games on Friday, I worked on the Gaptastic Cowl that I've been working on since Thanksgiving. It is easy to work on without looking, so it pretty much is relegated to when I need little distraction. The color is a bit darker than this picture -- a pretty teal color in Lambs Pride Bulky.
I (finally) finished the Japanese Vines scarf for Julie, my son's girlfriend. It blocked very nicely and is a pretty, soft green. I mailed it off to her in a box of things Nate left at home when he was here for Christmas.
I stopped by my LYS yesterday to pick up some mohair to make another pair of Faux Felted Mittens and, of course, found something on the sale table that caught my eye. I started on a baby sweater last night, but failed to do a gauge swatch, so it is coming out too small -- even for a baby sweater. I guess I need to start over and upsize my needles and size choice to compensate. The yarn is merino and silk (and machine washable!) and luscious. It is a free pattern from the blog of f.pea -- Supernatural Stripes.
I also got buttons yesterday for the Debbie Bliss sweater. With any luck I'll get them sewn on today and can wear it this week.

Other things accomplished this weekend are purchasing and installing a new phone (one with an answering system and big letters/numbers and a flashing light for missed calls - unlike the very cheap one we bought in November to replace the one whose display had ceased to function) and hanging our framed prints of Rocky Mountain College on the stair wall. Things not (yet) accomplished include doing my laundry and doing the bills :) But, I think I'll go rip out that baby sweater and start over.

(Fairly) Well Traveled

visited 31 states (62%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or website vertaling duits?

I found this nifty map on another blog and just had to do my own!

And, another one:

visited 8 states (3.55%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Free ipad travel guide

A New Year - A Clean Slate

I think one of the reasons I am driven to state new year's resolutions each year is because of the way the stress of the holidays seems to bring out all the worst in me. It is all self-imposed -- I try too hard to control everything around me: the gifts, the decorations, the timing, the food, the "arrangements." My most interesting insight came "on the mat" at yoga; the more out of control we feel, the more we tend to try to control things. Bingo!

This year, I am adopting a New Year's Resolutions approach offered by a blogger (thanks to my friend Lisa to pointing it out on her Facebook page). Chris Brogan encourages people to come up with 3 words to "help you define your goals and experiences for the coming year." I've been mulling that over since last night and have had lots of ideas but hope to settle on my three words here today.

Release.
There is a lot I need to let go of this year. I have a number of habits that don't serve me well, including habits of thinking. I need to lessen my reliance on my inner critic (which has a very loud and insistent voice). I also need to let go of "things" and "stuff" (but, not yarn or fabric!). My mother continues to worry about things that she had to give up in the move out of their house and I want to pare down the "stuff" I have so that we are actually using more of what we own and open up some "space" in our lives. And, I need to keep working on letting go of my sons as they finish college and go out into the world on their own. I currently hold on by being their chief source of income. Even though I'm very careful about not being a controlling funder, I am so looking forward to not having the responsibility of providing funds and caring about their use. While I'm looking forward to the financial respite, I'm most looking forward to the mental and emotional respite. So, this is a year of releasing bad habits, extra stuff, and parental "control."

Presence.
Being fully present (another yoga mantra) is another goal for me this year. This, to me, means several different things. For one thing, it means not putting things off or letting them stack up. Deal with them now. It also means being thankful for gifts in my life and expressing it. And, it has to do with parenting again. As a college career counselor, I know fully well how anxious seniors and their families are at this time of year and I want to try not to let my fears mount about the future for my sons. And, my cats are always a good reminder of what it means to live in the moment -- here's one taking advantage of the heat being on as the basket she is in lives on top of one of our radiators.

Planning.
Yes, I want to be fully here in the present, but I also know that the easiest way to enjoy that presence is to spend some time planning. My calendar is my friend -- knowing what is ahead of me during the week, for example, helps me to prepare my mind and emotions so that I can be present in the moment as the week goes on. I also need to act on last year's resolution to work on more carefully defined financial planning for retirement.

So, those are my three words for 2012. Release. Presence. Planning.

I actually started working on these before I was able to settle on my words.

I cleaned out a corner cupboard in our living room where I've been collecting glassware and teapots and vases and "stuff" for years. I hated to open it for fear that things would fall out and break, but also hated looking at it. I pulled everything out, boxed up things that my son wants to adopt, boxed up things for the church fair or a yard sale, washed almost everything off and rearranged what was left. Release.

I purchased hanging file frames and assembled them in preparation for starting to go through boxes and boxes of paper to pare it down to records and information I need to keep. There have been a few uncomfortable moments in the past year when I couldn't find information I needed because my current filing system is just archeological layers of paper, much of which I don't need to retain at all. I also read an article in Better Homes and Gardens about how to keep paper from piling up (in the January issue - not yet on their web site) and adapted it to my needs. I have a file box and a basket on the table where paper usually piles up. When I open the mail or bring home receipts, I'll put them in the files to be dealt with either mid-month or at my usual end-0f-month bill paying date. Planning.

And, I'm allowing myself to enjoy the feeling that this year is off to a great start in many, many ways. Presence.

I'm currently concentrating on finishing a number of knitting projects before beginning anything new. I've got two sweaters that need to be sewn together and I shouldn't start on a new sweater until I've got those two done. Really.

Christmas knitting is nearly done :) I still have two pattern repeats to do on Julie's Japanese Vines scarf. Zeben has advised me to make it long and since I don't know what I'd do with a leftover half ball of this yarn, I guess I'll just keep going until it is used up. Blocking it will make it a little shorter, but she is taller than I am, so I'm sure what feels long to me will be just right for her.

And, on this gray day, here's a bit of color to brighten us up:

Happy New Year!

Christmas Knitting (Almost) Done!

Here's the Christmas knitting roundup:

For my neice, a pair of Faux-Felted Mittens (and a second pair, not photographed, for my sister) --

For my Aunt Alice, a sweater with a story --
This sweater was knit on size 13 needles with three strands of yarn in different colors held together. Aunt Alice gave me the bag of yarn and pattern (ordered as a kit from a magazine some years ago) this fall, saying she was never going to get to knit it (she has carpal tunnel problems) and so I might as well have the yarn and needles. I decided to go ahead and knit her the sweater for Christmas :) Her birthday is January 1, so I mailed both Christmas and birthday presents late last week, so she may be getting it today -- surprise! Even Don commented that it looked funny with me knitting on those huge needles. The most interesting part was crocheting the covers for the buttons -- I should have gotten a picture of me with my ipad on my lap, open to a crochet tutorial, while working on these.

Next up, the biggest project of the holiday, a sweater for my mother:
A few years ago, I offered to make my mother a sweater and she said she'd rather have a quilt. Well, it took a couple of years to get a quilt done for her, much to her dismay. Once she got a quilt she kept commenting how much she'd like a sweater like one or two I've made for myself. In August, there was a LYS near my sister which was closing and having a big sale. I scored this beautiful red Lambs Pride Worsted and made the cardigan version of Nordic Impression by Donna Kay. I have the same sweater in blue (also Lambs Pride), knitted when the boys were in 5th & 6th grade and it is one of my favorites. This one got presented with needles and yarn still attached on Christmas Day, but was finished the next day in time for Mom to wear it at the extended family Christmas party in Hermon. It fits!

And, last but not least, a Japanese Vines scarf from a cotton/linen blend yarn (Classic Elite Allegoro) for one son's girlfriend who is allergic to wool. This is the same woman I made the Saroyan scarf for last Christmas out of wool and alpaca -- they didn't tell me about her allergy until last summer. I hope this will soften up a bit when I block it. The yarn is rough on my fingers, but it is moving along pretty quickly now that all of the other projects are taken care of. She is coming to visit on Thursday, so that is my deadline.

I hope all of your holiday knitting is finished and that you are enjoying a breathing spell as you contemplate projects for the new year!

Santa Scene!

For years, we've done very little decorating outside our house. While cleaning out my parent's garage after their move last August, I inherited the family Santa Scene. The reason I inherited it is that I was there at the beginning of this project. You know how you have a few crystal clear memories from early childhood? Well, this is one of mine. My father found this pattern in one of his woodworking magazines. He made slides of the pattern and then he and I used a projector at the school where he was principal to draw them on plywood (well, real woodworkers would dispute whether it is plywood). That's the early memory - in a dark classroom, mesmerized by the magic of making the pattern bigger. Probably that was one of my earliest brushes with technology.

Then my mother painted the reindeer and Santa after my father cut out the shapes. So, this scene is at least 50 years old at this point. And, despite some uncertainty on Don's part, we have it up!
Now Don is inspired to put lights up - I guess he's getting into the holiday spirit :)

Little Treasures That Get You Through the Week

I was sharing a couple of smile moments from my week with Don and he commented that they were "little treasures that get you through the week." How true that is! Here are a few of mine:

1) Two of my students got into medical school and I learned about it just as I looked at my e-mail for the last time before leaving work on Friday. For one, it was her first admittance. For the other it was his second, but it was his most hoped for school. Nice way to end the week!

2) Another student e-mailed me a question to which I responded in my typical round-about fashion, indicating that there was no single answer and inviting him to come chat with me. He told me that he found my e-mail so thoughtful and helpful that he came to see me, then proceeded to pull out a printed copy of my e-mail with several things highlighted! Must be that wonderful liberal arts education I got that makes my e-mails so profound.

3) I finished a baby sweater which, darn it, I didn't take a picture of. But, it was cute.

4) My manicure from last weekend lasted all week.

5) My cat has sat in my lap two mornings this week. She likes to reach up and hold her head against my chin and makes me feel so loved.

6) One of our sons passed his oral defense of his senior comprehensive project. It is beginning to look like both of our sons will actually graduate from college in May (fingers crossed).

Not bad for what was actually a rather difficult week. The end of the semester is always full of tension on campus and that, combined with everyone's mounting holiday stress, the full moon keeping me from sleeping well, and the short days and early darkness really tends to make me weary. But, little treasures do keep you going!