Knitting and Reading

I so love these breaks from school. They give me time to relax and enjoy some almost forgotten pastimes. Reading and knitting have been the order of the day. Of course there are still "work" type things to take care of. I ordered a book on how to form a non-profit so I can (finally) submit paperwork for the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project. And I'm still working on lining up/finalizing an internship for the fall. Side note: If you are the praying sort might I ask that you remember me? I spoke with an internship site that sounds very promising but I'm waiting on final confirmation that they can give me a large enough case load. I have been disappointed in the past (several times) by sites that have seemed like a good match but have fallen through. I'm trying not to vomit in my mouth when I think about it but instead to lift up prayers. Your spiritual contribution would be much appreciated as well :) And of course I'm working at my full time nanny job every day (which I'm very thankful to have right now). So, there is still work going on. But also some relaxing. Here's a glimpse of what that looks like:

The Poppy Hat

Part of the EEROP Yearlong KAL/CAL. A March pattern. This worked up quick in some Dark Horse Fantasy (an acrylic yarn that I love). A note: The entire pattern is worked flat/back and forth. I did not realize this on the brim so mine does not have the cute fold over that the ones in the picture do but I think it still turned out ok. I (very poorly) crocheted something that looks like a flower and stuck it on the side. Very 1920s.

ScWiNoNa

Finished this multicolored, simple scarf finally. It's even been washed and blocked! I like how the colors came out. Nice and manly but not too plain. This was a February KAL pattern for the EEROP Yearlong KAL.
Reading has been another relaxing activity for me and I'm almost done with the first book in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I actually read the first four books in this series about 6 years ago but life took over and I lost steam on finishing out the 15 book series (13 books plus a prequel have been published. The 14th and final book is expected to come out next January. Oh, and there is also a companion book available.). I really like the books so I decided to re-read the first four and finish out the series.

The books are really richly written and not for the fantasy faint of heart. There is a lot of mythological stuff that comes into play and it can be hard keeping all the characters straight (which is why I'm re-reading and not just picking up where I left off). While the rest of the world is reading the Hunger Games I'll be picking my way through these.

There is more about what's been going on but I feel this post is getting longer than I intended (further proof I should update regularly). I didn't even get to tell you about the progress on the wedding blanket, my SIL's socks, or my new language books but I'll save that for next time...

Project count up:
Charity: 6 completed
 Self: 0
Family and friends: 2 on the needles

Amazement

For the last three days I have done something that will astound and amaze you. Perhaps even to the point of calling me a liar. Yes, what I have done for the last three days is something rarely seen in these parts and rarely even heard of. My friends, I have been relaxing.

Yes, I know. It's hard to believe.

I have been sleeping late. I have not been working for 12+ hours every day. I haven't touched anything remotely graduate school related until this evening (and then I only spent about 3 or 4 hours on it as compared to my usual 6 or 7). No, I have done nothing and it's been amazing.

I will have to go back to the daily grind soon but I felt that this hiatus in chaos must be shared.

I have only done things I enjoy. Like finishing some Christmas presents.

Basic dishcloths.

And indulging in some geeky reading.

Honestly, I can't get enough of magazines like this. I'm a dork and I know it.

I have been taking some time to breathe and get myself right mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It will all be over far too quickly but, in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy myself.

Happy Good Friday everyone! And happy Spring Break to all the GA teachers and students :) Today is my 1st full day off of Spring Break 2010 and I couldn't be happier. I'm trying to get some cleaning and laundry done so that I don't have to worry about it for the next week. I've got a lot of stuff to catch up on but I already feel productive this morning. I've finished getting everything together for my taxes, paid lots of bills, done 2 loads of laundry, and updated a few things on the EEROP forum on Ravelry. Speaking of...I've added a little EEROP button to my blog. If you are a member of the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project group on Ravelry please feel free to use this button on your blog as well (just right click on the image and save it to your computer). If you aren't a member of the group but want to support charity knitting for orphans click on the button and join our group on Ravelry. And speaking of charity knitting...I finished up some big mittens for H to H International.
These go with a matching hat and slippers and make up the second set of charity items for H 2 H that I've made this year.
The goal was one set a month. This was supposed to be February's set but, obviously, I'm a little behind. I expect I can catch up during the summer months. I'm still trying to contribute 1-2 items a month to other charity organizations as well. Like this sunny little vest.
This is a vest that will go to the Adoption Center of Washington. Again, a little late on this vest as the ACW was the chosen organization to knit for during Feb. and March. I currently have a lot of ideas and thoughts concerning charity knitting floating around in my head but I'll save that for another post after I can organize my thoughts.

Ok, so now something totally different.

I finished a really good book the other night and I thought that I would share it. When I was a kid my passion was reading and I still love to do it though I find I have less time and there are less books out there that I want to read. When I was growing up I loved collections like the Baby-Sitters Club because there was always a new book coming out, and yet, many of them could stand alone (meaning you didn't *have* to read the book before it to understand what was going on). There aren't really any book series out there like that for adults. Which is a shame. Anyways, I often find myself picking up young adult lit because it's an easy read but, if you find the right book, well written. The book I finished was an example of such.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale was delightful. It had the strong female lead, a touch of young, innocent romance, trials to overcome, and a few plot twists at just the right time. By chapter 18 I ended up staying up late at night reading the last 8 chapters to see how it would end. Highly recommend.

Off to finish laundry!

Spring is Springing

It seems like just yesterday everyone was bracing for Snowpocalypse 2010. The start of this week saw temps up in the 60's. Today it started raining and it doesn't look like it's going to stop until this weekend. It's nice to think that things might start warming up though. Fall and winter seemed to last forever. Not that I'm complaining too much. There is all that knitwear to make and don. Speaking of...

A few weeks ago I wrapped up a top down sock class that I was teaching at my LYS, Rare Purls. I'm very hands on and like to knit an example along with the students so they can see exactly what I'm talking about, especially with socks. I made this pair out of worsted weight so that I could demonstrate the basic construction.
They fit me but I'm not sure that I need worsted weight 100% wool socks. Might be a little too warm for here in Georgia. I mean, it only snowed twice here this year. Instead I'm going to send these in to a charity where they will get much more use. They are nice and soft though.

In January my goal was to have 3 projects on the needles at all times: 1 for charity, 1 for self, and 1 for friends/family. With the wool socks done I needed another charity knit so I cast on for a little vest.
This is a variation on the Keep Me Warm Vest designed for the Wool-Aid group on Ravelry. I'm making it for my group on Ravelry: The Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project. This month's charity is the Adoption Center of Washington. They help organize adoptions from Russia and the Ukraine (as well as China and Vietnam). When I emailed said they actually have a lot of hats and scarves to send but the could use a few more sweaters, mittens, socks, and vests. If you'd like to donate stop on by our little group and see how to send in your items.

Ok, so the vest is one thing on the needles, the trick or treat socks for myself are the second things (P.S. Those socks are going to take forever to finish. Progress is uber slow, but steady.). And the third thing on the needles...well, there isn't anything. Yet. I'm going to go through the store stash and pull out some multi-colored bulky yarn to make my future SIL an unoriginal hat (because we did determine that she wanted something other than black). Pulling from the store will be ok since I'm going to be adding some new products soon (more aran). Here's a sneak peek of a new color called Cindy Lou Who:
I think I might have to add another "on the needles" category though. I'm thinking I need to include shop samples since I've started making some of those as well. The first thing I made was a cabled cowl from Freedom Wool.
I'm teaching a class on this at my LYS. This cowl took all of about an hour to make. I still have this great teal colored mohair blend.
It will be transformed into this. Well, the ascot at least. I'm probably not going to make the beret. So, yeah, that needs to go on the needles soon.

While all this knitting is going on (along with the usual trying to keep the apartment clean and dealing with another illness) I've allowed myself to get a little distracted by a couple of good reads.
Oh yeah, I had to get the latest issue of Rolling Stone. :::drool::: Who doesn't love Shaun White? And then I turned to the inside and found this:
Billy Corgan, my fav rocker of all time. Also droolworthy in my book. Ok, focus, have socks and a vest to finish...

Second Love

Many of you do not know that my second love is reading (all things knitting being my first of course). In the past few weeks I've had a crazy influx of reading material. I haven't read this much since college, and that was mostly textbooks. I'm trilled because most of what I'm reading is really good stuff. So good, I thought I'd share a little of my second love with you.
I just finished the book Knitting for Good.
Betsy Greer did an awesome job of explaining craftivism-the act of combining craft with activism. I have always thought of my knitting as a way to reach others while making a statement about my beliefs so it was nice to read how crafting really is universally good, both for maker and receiver. I feel like my generation is a generation of change, be it large movements or small, we aren't sitting around on our hunches letting people control us. Certainly not without a really good explanation for their actions. Betsy is of that same era and just further proves to me that we are doing what we can to change the world, and crafting can be one of those ways. I suggest this for anyone who likes to craft, is outraged by the injustices in the world, and wondering how they can help. You can also check out her webpage at www.craftivism.com.

I'm currently enrolled in a book study for the book Real Sex (subtitled: the naked truth about chastity).
This is a religious view on sex. So far I've only read one chapter but it really draws you in. Lauren Winner is great about being unapologetic about her past and her issues with Christianity. The problem, as she sees it (and so do I), is that we are told not to have sex until marriage but we aren't given much guidance beyond that. I'm excited to see where she goes with this topic.

During my quiet time in the morning I had started reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning.
It's a look at God's grace in a revolutionary way, especially for people who think religion is about rules and regulations. Manning presents a radical truth that religion is about a relationship. If you are someone on the outside looking into Christianity this is an excellent book. Honestly, I probably won't finish it. I'm not saying that this book doesn't have things I don't need to hear, or that I'm some sort of super Christian who doesn't ever screw up, far from that. I just think there are other things I need to study now.

Before I started The Ragamuffin Gospel I was reading Crossroads: Navigating Your Calling and Career by Colin Creel.
Colin came and spoke at my church about a month ago and I picked up a signed copy of his book afterwards. It was a wonderful, quick read (I could read a chapter a day in less than 30 minutes) and it made me really think about the direction my career and life is going in. It was nice to find that God actually gifts some people with a restless spirit and that there are many people who have 3-5 careers in their life. I will be interested to see how this book continues to affect my life because I see it as one that I may reread in the future and hear something totally different from the pages.

My next pleasure reading will more than likely be Knitting for Peace.
Another take on the craftivism movement. From first glance this book seems to contain an extensive list of charities to knit for and a glance at their history and function. Like Knitting for Good it also has patterns you can use to create items to donate. Very interested to start one since charity knitting is such a big part of my craft.

Another book I may begin reading soon is The Book Thief.
This was given to me by a friend who comes to the Wednesday night knitting group. She's in a book club so I'm sure that she'll be providing me with good and interesting reads for awhile. This on is told from Satan's point of view and tells the story of a girl who steals books during the Holocaust. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Also up soon is Sin Boldly by Cathleen Falsani.
Cathleen takes a raw look at Christianity and grace (much like Real Sex takes a raw look at Christianity and sex) and puts it into a "real persons" view. I like books that are from "real people"-you know, the ones who have sins and have issues and tell it like it is. It makes the book so much more easy to relate to. Anyways, I haven't started it but it came with a good recommendation.

Looking through these I realize that a lot of the titles are from a religious perspective but I think it's great to have real literature on Christianity. I would recommend these to anybody, not just people I go to church with. I also realize that I read a lot and have a lot more to read. That's kind of exciting for me because it's been awhile since I feel like I've found books I'm really geeked up to read.

Next time there should be some knitting related content and possibly an appearance by the missing yarn I alerted everyone to few weeks ago.