Knitting’s My Soul Saver

I think of nothing but the next stitch.

I’m not a great knitter; I’m not even very proficient, but I love it.  It soothes my soul, calms my mind, and makes my brain feel balanced.  I wish I had started knitting years ago, but alas, it’s really only been a few.  If you’ve been reading my blog you know this past year has been one of the worst of my life.  I never realized I could be betrayed by people I thought were friends, bosses I thought cared about me.   Money has a funny way of changing people, doesn’t it?   Yarn has yet to let me down, be it cheap or luxuriously expensive.  It’s smooth or bumpy, soft or scraggly, bright or subdued.  It only goes where I tell it to go.  It doesn’t take off on a tangent without my directions.  I like love that.

This is the year I swear I’m going to knit a sweater, but it’s already August, and I still don’t feel ready.  I want to do one in an incredibly soft alpaca, but jiminy crickets, the cost!  Better Half has been amazing watching baskets in our house fill up with yarn, but there’s got to be a limit!

Thank you fiber for being a good friend.  Thank you for introducing me to wonderful new fiber friends who make me laugh until I have to put my knitting down.  You’re pretty special to me, and I appreciate that you don’t get agitated at me during my insomnia; you always let me call you no matter the time.

Thank you for allowing me to escape to a place where people are kind and my mind is free of clutter.  You are a good friend, and I do believe I shall keep you for life.  Now, about that sweater. . . .

Krazy Knitters

A work in progress.

I stink at math, but I’m pretty creative.  One of my more recent loves is knitting.   I was always intrigued by knitting, so about seven years ago a co-worker taught me and R the very basics of knitting, and we each made a felted bag.  Then life (and cancer) took over and knitting was put on the back burner.  About two years ago I picked it back up and haven’t looked back!  I’m still a beginner teaching myself how to knit but am really enjoying the new challenges.  I knit downstairs.  I knit on the porch swing.  I knit in the car.  I knit at doctors’ offices.

Finally, I knitted something that slightly resembles an article of clothing (other than the scarves, socks, and shawls I’ve knitted).  I’m pretty proud of it, so I thought I would show it off.  I posted it on the fiber lovers’ website of choice, Ravelry.

The next best thing is that I met another friend (B) who loves to knit, and we started a knitting group!  We combined it with another new knitting group and are now holding two night sessions and one day session per month.  The women are crazy-fun.  Seriously, CRAZY fun.  I can’t get any knitting accomplished because I’m always laughing.  Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other gold.  I’m really digging my new silver friends, the Ozarks Twisted Stitchers.  We have a couple of charities we are now knitting for, one being near and dear to my heart (and chest):  Knit-A-Tit (more on that later!).

I knit, therefore I am.

Unraveling. . . .

Yarn—not life!

Recently Better Half and I took off on some little jaunts to different parts of Missouri, one of our favorite states.  In a particularly nice little town deep in the heart of wine country (What-you’re unaware of Missouri’s history of wineries?  They were on to luscious grapes before Napa knew what hit ’em!) while strolling about a charming brick-lined street, I stopped in a second-hand store.  There it was:  an extra-large 100% bulky-cotton Gap sweater.  I’ve been wanting to try my hand at unraveling sweaters and recycling the yarn.  The sweater looked like it had never been worn.  I paid a whopping $1.50 and by the next day I had five HUGE balls of yarn.

Earlier this past year, my dear friend J had given me a pattern for a slouchy beret and while my recycled yarn was quite a bit thicker than the yarn required, I decided to give it a whirl.  Wowza, I had such fun.  I took my project with me while we traveled to the other side of Missouri to visit relatives and friends (J again!) and stare at our latest purchase: our new farm.  While knitting during the travels, BH and I talked about our dreams for our new farm and how we want to spend the remaining time we have together.  It was fun.  It was relaxing.  We took windy country roads.  We weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere.  We stopped and took cool pictures.

We unraveled. . . .

For The Love of Fall

You Gotta Love Fall

I love bonfires.  I love s’mores.  I love shivering and then warming up next to a fire with a glass of wine or champagne.  I love burnt hot dogs.  I love orange.  I love pumpkins.  I love the yellow and red leaves falling, ever so gently, from trees reluctant to part with their beauty.  I love seeing Better Half wearing flannel shirts and chopping wood.  I love sitting in my deer stand (yes, I really do!).  Wait; let me clarify that last statement.  I love sitting in my deer stand not shivering and not getting wet.  I love seeing deer grazing casually through the woods.  I love scampering squirrels gathering nuts.  I love that my cat gets to come inside and cuddle with me by the wood stove.  I love gathering and decorating with bittersweet.  I love going to Better Half’s home town and visiting with family and friends that I love so much.  I love chili and stew.

I love knitting pumpkins like that cute ‘lil pumpkin above.  For a free pattern, please visit This Cosy Life Patterns.

I love autumn.