“It’s darkest before the dawn.”

“Things will look better in the morning.”

“Sleep on it.”

“Don’t rip after 10:30.”

I love to knit. I do it daily. I do it will into the evening, especially if we’re watching a movie. Occasionally a mistake is made. Hurmph. Sometimes there is a need ot rip back. I have learned to never make the decision to rib back after 10:30 at night. If I do it would be done in disgust and frustration. If I step away from my knitting, maybe switch projects, I can tackle the problem in the morning. It is amazing what clear thinking the morning can bring.

One 10:30 evening I decided I had to rip back an entire sleeve so it would match the other one. (This was in the days before I knit them at the same time.) Just before I pulled the plug so to speak, I paused and thought maybe I should wait. It took all my will to listen to this still small voice of reason. I set down my knitting and did not rip back. In the morning I looked a the same sleeve problem only to find I had not completed the last pattern repeat of decreases. It was time to move forward not rip back! Clarity came with the sunshine. I was a happy knitter once again.

It is not lost on me  this same principle (of waiting!) can be applied to other more daunting decisions in my life. Tangled problems need to be considered and actions need to be taken but usually not immediately and not in the dark of night. Sleeping on it is not a waste of time or a platitude. Looking at a situation in the light of day is a very good idea. Things often do look better in the morning. And, if in fact, it is as ugly as situation as feared, there is my knitting to keep me calm while I wrestle with whatever nasty decision I have to make.

It’s true: Keep Calm and Carry Yarn.

Sock number one was such fun. I cast on number two! You know that is not always the case. Sometime sock number two takes forever! But I’m loving this Annie Yarn and have made it to the heel flap already. Gusset, foot and toe remains. Maybe I’ll have a new pair of socks to wear this weekend. Fingers crossed.

Is it easy or hard for you to start the second sock?

I am very pleased with the way sock number one of Annie Yarn turned out. The faded olivet colorway is perfect for this pattern. Of course I cast on sock number two! It may be summer and I go barefoot a lot but I still want my second sock! I love knitting with this yarn and the pattern is good fun too. It’s just challenging enough tot keep me on my toes…yes I punned it. Ouch.

Look what is blooming in my garden now! I’ve turned the heel on my sock project! Time to race to the toe! I love the way these are turning out, such lovely yarn. Yeah Annie!

What’s on your needles?

I planted Annie Yarn seeds in my yard and look what is growing! Embossed Leaves Socks. I’ll confess I’ve planted this pattern before and it was a disaster. But this go round is different. First of all the green yarn screamed for a leaf pattern. But the real reason I’m knitting this pattern is it defeated me last time. It was one of my first lace projects and first pair of patterned socks. I set out with some yarn that shall not be named. I was all excited. But the needles weren’t pointy enough, lace really requires good points. The chart, though straight forward was 16 lines long and I kept getting lost in the middle. Finally the yarn. It felted on first washing! Oh my was I mad! All that work with a washable yarn and it FELTED! Sigh. I like knitting of the fun of it as much as the next nut but I REALLY wanted socks I could wear. Enter Annie Yarn. Ahhhhh. I am so pleased with the way these new socks are turning out. I have great confidence they will NEVER felt. I read the label: 80% merino and 20% nylon! Hooray! All that AND if feels so nice and has such lovely stitch definition. I think I have a new favorite sock yarn. Racing to the toe of sock number one.

Some folks are still digging out from freak May snow storms….my in-laws and mom in Colorado for example. Yet I have on the air conditioning because it’s been in the 90° here in California! Nuts. One thing that doesn’t change with the weather is my urge to knit. It is an every day habit (need/comfort/delight/necessity/happening)! My choice of projects is what changes with the seasons. Socks are my favorite when the weather get hot. They are small. They don’t fill my lap and make me sweat. And they are very portable. Did I mention I need to knit every day? The goodie on offer this month is Annie Yarn. And she was generous enough to send a skein for me to test drive. I have picked out the Embossed Leaves pattern from InterWeave Knits Winter 2005. Very excited. I’ve just cast on. Hopefully I’ll finish by the end of the month. I hope you have found a summer knitting project that makes your needles hum.

Are you old enough to remember the old ad campaign on Saturday morning cartoons: Reading: It’s FUNdamental! I was NOT a big reader when I was little. It was hard to learn to read. I was always in the slow reading group. Looking back it seemed to me my group read stuff about Dick and Jane while the others kids got to read about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn! Good Grief. Still I stuck with it and eventually I became a reader. And even an author! Oh my!

These days I always have a book going. There is a stack of books on my nightstand, coffee table and office desk. When I finish a good story I am always on the outlook for the next great adventure. I know there are many of us out there: readers! And we all know it’s FUNdamental. (Still a popular campaign to get kids reading RIF!.)

Currently I am enjoying The Showmaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani. I’ll admit I was drawn to the book’s cover, I often am. This read delivers on the promise of the lovely cover. It’s a love story beginning with teenagers in Italy and moving epically to immigration to America. I am not finished I am trying to savor this one. The details are rich and inviting. I want this one to last…but I want to know what happens next too!

What are you reading that excites you? I am always on the look out for a good suggestion.

This week I have been cleaning out my home office. I rummaged through my closet. I detangled my stash of yarn. I dusted and discarded. And I discovered some treasures when I unearthed a pile of old journals. It was fun to randomly open to a page and see what was going on in my life 30 years ago, or 5 years ago. I was struck by all my whining. I complained a lot on paper. I suppose that is the place for complaints to go. I am glad God is so big he can take all my moaning. Good thing I get to start fresh every morning.

Quite a delight to have calla lilies growing wild in my neighborhood. My walk this morning was in the rain. No worries. The world was fragrant! I smelled lilies, and pine, roses and moss. I also smelled bacon frying and pancakes cooking as I passed a few houses. It was pleasant.

Today is Easter Sunday. Church was a lovely celebration this morning, I even wore a new spring dress. Many folks are eating chocolate bunnies and sitting down to dinners of ham, I am having a quite afternoon. While sometimes Easter makes me wild with excitement for what Jesus did for me, this year it’s a quiet rainy afternoon and I am resting in love.

A million stitches of stockinette all worth it….

I got a Valentine text from my boy:

You’ve outdone yourself. I Love You Mom.