1. Tea for Two. Mom and I went out to tea today. A rare kind of thing, but definitely a nice treat once in a while. Much more fun than a boring sandwich for lunch. (Incidentally, that’s mom hiding behind the tea cozy at the other side of the table–she didn’t want her picture taken.)

I woke up sniffly/stuffy this morning. It looks like my autumn allergies have finally kicked in (sigh). Sometimes it’s hard to tell, at the very beginning, whether it’s a cold or allergies, but if this were a cold, I’d be feeling achy and miserable by now, instead of just a little . . . clogged. I think I may pull my Neti pot out tonight–I bought it last Spring when my allergies were really bad, but haven’t yet actually used it. And then, there are all the really great tips Norma posted a couple weeks ago. I do hate the whole, stuff, sniffly, clogged, swollen sinus thing–in the greater scheme of things, there are worse things to have to deal with, but it does a fair job of small-scale misery. But, enough about my nose!

2. Two Years. It just occurred to me that it’s just about exactly two years since I’ve been knitting again. I started seriously knitting when I was in college–after I’d spent a semester in London being awed at all the great wool, and kicking myself for not being able to do anything with it. So, I came home, bought “Knitting in Plain English,” some yarn, some circular needles, taught myself Continental knitting . . . these last two were revelations . . . and knitted myself a Lopi Icelandic sweater in ten days. I knitted regularly for about ten years, buying as many books as I could find. I even worked my way through “Vogue Knitting” by sitting there with needles and yarn so I could actually try the cables or short rows or whatever new technique while I read about it.

But then, I ran out of energy. The neighborhood LYS closed up (after doing a dramatic shift toward knitting machines). I didn’t know anybody else who knitted. The only “good” yarn I could find was through Patternworks, which is a great source, but sometimes, you just want to touch the stuff. There weren’t any good or exciting new books coming out to inspire me, and, well, the enthusiasm petered out. In fact, I stopped doing almost all of my favorite crafts–quilting, embroidery, knitting. Because not only was the enthusiasm level low, but in 1999 I got Katy. A puppy. Who chewed on things. And required a lot of attention. Who had the energy to knit? Just as I got her to the point where she was adult enough for self-restraint and had even pulled out a skein of yarn to think about knitting, I lost her. Three months later, Chappy came into my life–a puppy. Who chewed on things. Etcetera.

So, what changed? Well first, about three years ago, I lost some weight. Not on purpose, exactly, but by cutting out as many dairy products from my diet as I could, in an effort to address the ongoing allergy mucus/sinus problem. I honestly didn’t expect the side-benefit of losing 20 lbs. Suddenly, my size 10 jeans were huge on me and I was wearing an 8–if not a 6. And all my large sweaters didn’t fit anymore. So I was faced with the dilemma: do I buy a new wardrobe, or use the yarn in my closet to make myself a new one?

Thinking I would save myself some money . . . yes, please, this would be a good time to laugh at my naivetee . . . I went for option number two. I did actually use some of my stash, too. I made myself a Dale of Norway Bjerk out of some Rowan “Wool & Cotton” in my closet. (Yes, it dated back to when there was an ampersand in the name of the yarn.) But first, to get myself going again, I bought some of the only novelty yarn I have ever bought and whipped together a scarf to compliment my new, winter coat.

That scarf, I remember distinctly, I worked on during my October vacation week, on a day when we lost our electricity for about 10 hours. I sat in the front window with Chappy, and when the scarf got long enough, wrapped it around my neck to stave off the draft coming through the window.

Two years ago, this new odyssey of mine began. Not only was I delighted to see the renaissance of knitting–exciting new yarns and patterns–great ideas like Magic Loop for socks and no cable-needle cables . . . and then, the internet. Knitters Review came up first. A hugely helpful resource for knitting questions of all kinds. And the blogs. I don’t have to tell you about the blogs. The online community of knitters was another revelation. You folks are inspiring and full of enthusiasm–even if ennui hits one blogger, there are dozens of others who are aglow with a new project or a new method. There’s always something beautiful to see on somebody’s site, some gorgeous yarn, or a stunning FO . . . who could get bored with all this excitement going on?

Don’t forget the spinning, either. It’s something I’ve been curious about doing since . . . forever. So many books I read as a kid had spinning in them, I always wanted to know how, but figured it was one of those “lost” skills that only people who worked at museums knew how to do. The mere fact that spinning is alive and well and that there are so many things available . . . who knew?

So, thanks everyone. I can’t believe it’s been two years since I picked up my needles again, but I can’t see getting tired of it any time soon. You folks are too inspiring.

And, oh yeah, did I mention that you’re a ton of fun, too?

Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning // 6 Comments »