Less is More

Less is more, I've been hearing that a lot lately. I haven't totally figured out what it means yet, but I'll get there. Meanwhile I've made some plans for January. I plan to work in 15 minute segments, very Flylady-esque, but it's a system that has worked for me in the past. A 15 minute segment keeps me from getting overwhelmed and crashing. It also fits in with my energy level right now.

Household goals:  Master bedroom
1. Declutter closet, dressers, dresser tops, banish piles o stuff
2. Move computer desk to the den to create sitting area
3. General cleaning-dust, dog and cat hair

Crafting goals: Knitting
1. 3 WiPs:  Gansey Socks, Knee-high Mandelbroit, and Mittens de
2. Organize my tools: Needles, hooks, darning needles, stitch markers, cable needles, notebooks, calculators...
3. 2 long term projects-FLS and Goldberry at Dusk

Personal goals
1. Make my bed every day
2. Walk for 30 minutes every day

And my priority for this week is to solve the missing camera battery issues because Pictures or it didn't happen is the rule!

It's a start.

What's on your plate this month?

Yakira

Chicago Again

My four older children will be with their father this year for Thanksgiving. For a while it looked like it was just going to be Rachel, Larry and I at mom's for turkey. Until Larry's brother called. He's got the whole week off and invited us to come to Chicago. So after much discussion, about five minutes, and much angst, more than five minutes, for my mother who won't have her kids or grandkids this year we decided to go to Chicago and gift my mother with Rachel for the week.

Clever solution no? I love my mom.

While the prospect of November in Chicago does not really appeal to me, I am excited to go and see the Windy City again and visit my brother. Larry's family is very nice and his brother is pretty cool. We should have a grand time. We're going for 8 days, not the 4 we had last time. Plenty of time to visit family, friends and yarn shops. Plus I've got a little over a month to plan as opposed to two weeks like last spring.

What am I knitting you ask? Tons of stuff. I'm on a Ysolda Teague kick right now spurred on by one of the ladies I talk with in a Ravelry group I belong to. Last week I knitted up her Snapdragon Tam in a yarn I dyed myself.


I love the way the cables wander over the hat and the flames just shoot out of the junction of crossing cables. It is a very well written and designed pattern.


I started on the flip top mitts that go with the tam this week. These will be a Channuka gift for someone who likes orange. I also started another pattern of hers, Ishbel. It's a lovely little shawl that I'm knitting with the yarn leftover from my 'Those Purple Socks.'


It's a quick knit, or would be if I hadn't made a counting mistake causing much cursing and frogging. I had to rip back to where the lace begins. It's irritating because the lace is an easy pattern and it's organic, it grows in an obvious way from each row. I wouldn't have made the mistake if I'd been paying attention to the previous row.

I'm almost done with my Monkey Socks. Just the foot and toe of the second sock to go. These will also be a Channuka gift.

Yakira

June was a Wash

To my faithful followers, all two of you, I'm sorry.

Chicago was awesome. I wish that there had been more time to see more of the city. I finished my purple socks the evening before we left. I'm positive Larry's parents think I'm nuts. I knitted in the car, I knitted while watching TV, I knitted while visiting with them, I knitted while waiting to be served at the restaurant. Whatever, the fact is I finished THOSE purple socks and wore them home! Yay me!Remember that second skein of yarn that I had whined about? It turns out that I only needed enough to finish the toe on the second sock. I ran out of yarn about three rows before the toe decreases began. I have almost a full skein of this yarn. Unbelievable.

Tons more to write about but I'm pooped from spending way too much time trying to get this new blog theme to work properly. Don't get too attached to it folks. If I can't get it to behave it's gone.

Yakira

As Promised... drum roll please...

THOSE purple socks! Snazzy no? I did it, I did it, I posted pictures to my blog like I said I would, and by the end of the week. Doing my silly dance...

As you can see I took this picture before I started the heel flap. I will take more this weekend when I have more time so you can see how far I've gotten.

Here is another picture of one of the most challenging projects I'm working on. It's the Hooded Shawl from Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge. I absolutely love her books and projects. They have inspired me to create my own things. This shawl is only about 1/10th of the way done. The cables are easy it's just that I have to move stitches every row for the center pattern. I've repeated the pattern almost enough times to have it memorized. As soon as I do have it embedded in my brain I should be able to go a bit faster.

And here is an 'oops' project that turned out just fine. I made a sock for Rachel and it's just a tad short. I was going to rip it but there is still enough yarn on the skein to make a pair of child's socks so I decided to use this sock for my iPod. I am going to make an I-cord for the handle. I am a genius. ;)

I have to go gather library books now and pick up the kids in an hour. Busy busy weekend.

I'll post more pictures soon, I promise.

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Oh Soggy Day...

Rachel has occupied herself so nicely today. Therefore one would think one could get a lot done wouldn't one?

I actually did get a lot done, it just doesn't look like it. I've pulled myself back to Flylady routines and worked on the bathroom today. Yech. It's not spotless, but that wasn't my goal, I just needed to start clearing off the counter and clearing out the clutter in my linen closet. I'll do a cleaning while I'm stuck in there when I bathe Rachel. Yay me. The kitchen is on par and the dining room is doing fine too, a bit of clutter on the table but I'll get that tonight when I do my hot spot fire drill. The living room on the other hand is a mess. I've got my toys and Rachel's yarn everywhere. (That was a typo but is so freaking funny I'm going to leave it!)

I ripped (frogged, just trying to see if I can add it to my jargon without cracking myself up..... giggle, snort... That's a no.) two more projects. One was a poncho I started a few years ago when ponchos were all the rage. The yarn is gorgous but I just don't need a poncho right now. So that's ripped and balled and put in my stash. I also ripped a rug I had started, I was making the pattern up as I knit. Not always the smartest thing, one day I'll learn. Um... Moving right along... It was all inxepensive acrylic yarn that I would never make anything to wear from. What on Earth possed me to purchase it will forever remain a mystery. Anyway, I will make a rug out of it but this time I will find a pattern.

I feel a little better now about the number of projects I've currently got on needles. Unfortunately these two weren't included in the count. Now before you all start rolling your eyes at me, just for the record, I didn't include them in the count because when I counted projects I had intended to rip them, honest.

Another good thing came out of this. While cleaning out the next to last of my big plastic bins of yarn and projects I found a sock I had made for Rachel and never made the match because the first sock was too small. There should still be enough yarn to make a pair for her, just not a pair for me. Which is a good thing because my socks and fingering gague take too darn long. Anyway, the sock I found is perfect for my mp3 player and my cords and earphones. I'll make a quick I-cord for it this weekend and voilla! Again, yay me.

Meanwhile I keep uncovering yummy yarn that I've purchased over the years and never made anything with. I spent an hour or so searching Ravelry for patterns for the weights and yardages I've got. Hey, it's not the same as actually starting a new project, really. Found some cute ideas that I queued for later. I'll knit some more of my purple socks tonight. I'm on the home stretch.

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Rachel's Birthday

For anyone who has never been with a child as they discover their birthday, you have no idea what you're missing. Rachel woke up this morning and climbed into bed with me. I hugged her and asked her if she knew what today was. Obviously she should have because we've been talking about it for weeks but she still took a moment to think about it and then in a questioning voice asked, "Is it my birthday?" I nodded. Incredulous she said, "Really? Really, really? For Real it's my birthday?" At this point I'm trying not to crack up. Again, as if she doesn't believe me, "For real mommy? Is it really my birthday, like yesterday I was four and today I'm five? Am I five right now? All day?" At this point I'm stifling my laughter in my pillow, I don't want to take away her joy. She sits up and looks at her legs and says, "You know mommy, when I was four my legs used to be this long (pointing somewhere just above her ankle,) and now that I'm five they're this long! (pointing to the very tip of her toes)" Her exuberance astounds me. She has such verve that it rubs off on everyone she meets. To my princess, I wish you the best this world has to offer and may your optimism never falter.

Now for those of you who have been following my habit building, I did write yesterday, I just never finished it and therefore didn't publish it. I am going to continue it now and publish it today.

Another award winning recipe:

Couscous, Israeli Style

1 Box Israeli couscous, Trader Joe's is the best and least expensive
1/2 medium red onion, diced small
1/4 C pine nuts
1 C Edemame, frozen (soybeans), you can substitute peas, I just happen not to like peas
4oz Feta cheese
2TBS olive oil
1 3/4C boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste

In 2 quart pan saute onion in olive oil until clear, pour in couscous and stir until toasty brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in boiling water and cover pot. Simmer for 6 minutes then add edemame and stir. Cover and simmer another 6 minutes or until water is absorbed. Meanwhile in a dry heavy skillet, cast iron is great for this, toast the pine nuts until brown, set aside. Once couscous is done remove from heat and crumble feta into pot, pour in pine nuts. Mix well and season to taste.

This makes a fantastic side dish for fresh grilled salmon or tuna. It also makes a great lunch by itself or with a salad. It's pretty good cold too.

My socks are coming along famously. I've turned the heel and am now working on the gusset decreases and will need to start my new ball of yarn soon! It came just in time. I'm going to try the Renaissance stockings after I finish these. I found another yarn that I think will work better. We'll see. Meanwhile I finally got all the projects I'm supposedly currently working on listed in my profile on Ravelry. There are nine, yes, nine of them. I am putting a moratorium on starting any new project until I've finished at least half of them. So there!

I emptied the memory cards for my camera and will take pictures tomorrow. Then I have to figure out how to put them in my blog. I will tackle that tomorrow too.

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Ahhh Hubris or We Have Found the Enemy...

A few things hit me last night and I'm swamped with a whole bunch of stuff to write about. Sorting through my thoughts is going to be a challenging but worthy exercise.


Larry and I have earnestly started working towards our goals and have been doing research and talking over ideas and such. It's an exhilarating experience to finally have someone in my life who not only has the skills and ability to accomplish what he wants but has the drive. He's really been an inspiration to me.


Last night found us sitting at our computers, not two feet apart. I was reading a blog post published by Steve Pavlina that Larry had emailed to me. It talked about how to make money with your blog and led to another article about how to create a high traffic blog which led to another article about 10 reasons to never get a job, all by the same author. Aside from the fact that I am now a Steve Pavlina addict it led Larry and I into a discussion on how each of us defines success. I learned some interesting things about that guy next to me.


We both believe that successful people have strong family values, integrity and a desire to make the world a better place.


Notice anything missing? If you don't see it, email me and I'll fill you in.


Well, we have the qualities of successful people but what are their habits?


I can think of about a dozen right off the bat; think and see the positive, solution and goal oriented, follow through and finish what you start, see failure as another step in the right direction, take time to play and relax, to name a few. I'm sure you can think of more to add to the list.


Enough about the serious stuff, speaking of balance. Rachel is behind me playing with her princess dolls and her horses and of course her invisible friends the kitty magoos. She's got about ten balls of yarn that I told her I would make into a sweater for her. They're all lined up with a princess and a horse next to each. As for the kitty magoos, apparently they're being bad and are in time out.


Rachel and I spent half an hour last night weeding and today looks as if I might have enough sun to do some planting. And of course I eagerly await my purple yarn!


The other thing that I did last night, inspired by the How to Make Money from Your Blog article, was to google other knitting blogs. I found a few links to blog review pages where the author listed their top ten picks. I spent about three hours reading those blogs and making notes. There are a bunch of common themes. They are chatty but not long winded. They are well written with proper grammar and spelling. They all have pictures of WiP and FO. They talk about their successes and their failures. Most of them are designers and have patterns and yarn for sale on their blog. This is a tall list but at least I now have a direction in which to aim this blog.


And about the title of today's blog, I woke up this morning and went to Google Analytics to see how many visitors I've had in the last two days. It was a whopping 20! I was so thrilled. I immediately clicked on the page that allows you to see the URLs of the folks who visited. Sixteen of them were my URL. Thusly, ahhh hubris. At least I like my writing. LOL


Yakira



"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Lessons of an Intrepid Knitter

Lesson: New or better knowledge, some useful or better knowledge that results from direct experience.

There comes a time when every artist must cut bait or fish. When one must look at a creation and make the decision to continue work or stop wasting time and materials. I ripped my Renaissance sock last night. I have learned over the years that even if it's turning out fine, if I don't love it, it won't get worn.

Perfectionism: Demand for perfection, rigorous rejection of anything less than perfect.

I have been accused of perfectionism by myself and others. Again I refute this. I learned embroidery from my grandmother. I didn't realize until much later, too late to say thank you, that I learned much much more. My grandmother was not a perfectionist, she excelled at what she did.

Excellence: Superiority, the quality or state of being outstanding and superior.

I have several pieces of my grandmother's embroidery and without exception each piece of art is as beautiful on the back as it is on the front. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. From start to finish I strive to emulate my grandmother in my art. Weaving in the ends and proper blocking are just as important as the initial cast on.

And so, I ripped my socks. Why? It wasn't because my workmanship was poor, quite the opposite. The sock was gorgeous, yummy and warm. I ripped it because I knew I would not be happy with the finished product. It was a bunch of little things, but I knew I wouldn't wear them.

This lesson I share with everyone: Be excellent at what you do. If it doesn't make you happy, then it's not worth your time and energy.

On the other hand it stopped raining. I am going to play in my garden today. Yay!

Yakira

PS The lady with whom I'm exchanging sock yarn put my purple yarn in the mail yesterday. I should have it by the end of the week. Whoohoo!

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Rain, rain go away...

I want to weed my garden already! It rained all weekend while my kids were here. I was hoping to use my built in slave labor to weed the garden and wash the car. Alas and alack I will have to do it myself. The good news is the stuff I planted is big enough now that I can tell plants from weeds. The bad news is the weeds are still bigger with stronger roots.

Our garden this year is going to be glorious. I have Shasta daises, marigolds, sweet peas, hollyhocks, and nasturtium in the front bed and I have three big pots on the steps up to the porch and another huge pot on the porch. The onions and lettuce I planted in late April are doing well. That is the bed that needs weeding. This week I'm going to plant the zucchini, spaghetti squash, acorn squash and watermelon. I also have plum and cherry tomatoes, eggplant and cuces that are almost big enough to plant. I bought pea and beet seeds too but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make room for them. We'll see. I have to turn the compost too. It's attracting flies so I have to turn the newer kitchen refuse under.


Now about my promise from yesterday. I mailed the yarn and came home. Then I made lunch and spent time cleaning the kitchen. I spent the afternoon on my stockings. I finished the heel turn and pulled it on just to make sure it would fit. It fits but I'm not sure I really like it. I'm going to stare at it for a while longer before I make up my mind. Meanwhile I can't wait for my purple yarn to get here so I can finish another pair of socks.

Flylady is in the kitchen all this week. Trust me, there's plenty for me to find to do in there.

Last night's dinner was amazing, by the way. I made gravel lox a few weeks ago and we've been slowly nibbling away. But yesterday I found some nori that I had purchased a while back. Inspiration struck and I put up a pot of sticky rice. I sliced cucumbers and avocado. I sliced the lox really thin. I spread the rice on the nori with cuces and avocado and fish and rolled them up tight. Homemade maki rolls! Yum!



My recipe for gravel lox:

2 3lb or larger fillets of salmon, double check to be sure they are boneless
2 Tbs kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
chopped dill, about a small handful, fresh is best

Combine salt sugar pepper and dill. Rinse fillets well and dry. Rub dill mixture on flesh side of fillets. Place fish flesh sides together, head to tail in a glass or ceramic dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place a weight on top. Leave in the refrigerator for three days. Flip fillets every 12 hours and baste with juice from pan. Once cured rinse the fish to remove excess dill. Wrap fillets separately in plastic wrap and place in freezer. They will keep for three months in the freezer. They are also easy to slice when partially frozen. I take my lox out of the freezer about half an hour before I'm going to serve it and slice it while partially frozen. You can wrap up what you didn't slice and stick it back in the freezer.


I don't have a glass baking dish big enough for the salmon I bought so I used a metal roasting pan that I lined at least three times with plastic wrap. I covered the fish with plastic wrap and then laid three one liter bottles of seltzer on top of it. They just fit, it was the perfect weight too. You can use a plate with a brick or several bags of beans. Enjoy! If you have any questions just ask.

Well it's day three and I'm still writing. This is good.

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Look mom, I'm writing!

I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'm obsessed with this pair of Renaissance stockings I'm working on. And the house is a mess. And I've got to finish putting some things together to get up on Etsy to sell.

So about these stockings. I'm almost up to the heel turn on the first sock. I'm making them out of this really pretty gray merino that has a pearly sheen to it. The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn so the socks are turning out pretty thick, warm and yummy. Why am I making woolly socks in May one might ask. Ask all you want, the only answer I've got is 'because!'

As for the house, the Flylady zone for the week is the kitchen. At least I've a room to focus on otherwise I wouldn't know where to start. I love Flylady.

My sister introduced me to Etsy. She sells her hand spun and hand painted yarn there. My inventory so far includes an amazing baby blanket made from Velvet Touch yarn in a creamy white. It's got hearts all over it in a knit and purl pattern. It's yummy. I've got about a dozen rayon scarves I dyed in various colors and about 2 dozen silk sashes also in many colors. I also have two felted handbags, a green woolly hat, several scarves and an entrelac shawl in sunset colors. Mom is going to take the pictures this week and I should have it all up on Etsy by the end of the week. Yay me.

Now back to socks. About a year ago I bought a heathered purple super wash wool sock yarn and started a pair of socks. I used my own pattern and made the leg longer. Now just because I've been knitting for years does not mean I remember things like changing the pattern changes the required yardage. At the time I was a novice sock maker and what I thought was a minor change wasn't. Needless to say I got halfway through the second sock and ran out of yarn. A few phone calls later spelled doom. None of the local yarn shops carried my yarn. I didn't have the heart to rip out the socks so I put them in the back on my closet.

Calm down, we have a happy ending here.

My fellow knitting friends started talking about this website called Ravelry. It's a Facebook for knitters and other yarn crafts. I decided to join and made my profile. One of the applications on the site makes it possible for you to list your own yarn stash, patterns, needles and projects. It also makes it possible for you to search other members' yarn stashes, patterns, etc.

I found it! Five other folks on Ravelry had my yarn in their stash. How dare they, right? One of the ladies I emailed was willing to do a straight up trade. As soon as I finish here I am heading to the post office to send her a ball of super wash sock wool in another color. She's putting my yarn in the mail today too. Yay us!

Okay, off to the post office. Then the kitchen. And then and only then, my Renaissance socks. I promise.

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.