It's a Yoga Kind of Day

This morning I went to my yoga class at the rec center. I go twice a week for this class, and I do like the instructor. However, this morning she was in California and had not arranged for anyone else to take the class. People started to look at me - I have the cool yoga clothes, so I said I would lead the class. The director came in and put on the music and put me in the mike thing, and we started off. I have led only one other class, but I teach so I was fairly comfortable with doing this. I got applause at the end, probably because one of the other instructors would have done core work for an hour that is thinly disguised as yoga. I concentrated on neck and shoulder work and a really good relaxation at the end. The wellness director said that they would pay for my certification the next time it was offered. I think I will do it.

I am stuck a bit on the Coriolis socks. Markers B and E will collide into each other the first time I decrease for the spiral bit up the leg. When I get home I will finish turning the heel (second sock) and then see what I have missed in the directions. I'm not sure what B is doing there anyway. E tells me when to increase and decrease. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get it tonight. The Vogue shrug is almost across my back, and I am dreading the twisting yarn I will have to untangle as I circle through the front. I love the colors (Lorna's Laces Watercolor worsted) and the pattern, but it is a pain. I'm going to bag the balls and do some judicious untwisting as I work to keep everything in order. The Dr. Who scarf is coming along nicely for DFH for Valentines. and the Koigu toreador jacket is always a joy to work on. Do I have enough projects? No, of course not. I have some bamboo-cotton yarn on the way for a skirt and vest, some lace weight for a shawl, and I'm going to my LYS tomorrow where they just got in some hemp. Perfect for the aging hippie woman. I plan on making the Trumpet Skirt from an Interweave magazine. I don't have it, but people at the shop do. But I must make a solemn vow to myself that I will not cast on anything else until I get something finished - really finished, not just cast off. THOU SHALT NOT CAST ON.

Grape pruning time

I've been having trouble with my left shoulder and I thought it was because I have ramped up my strength training. It's been bothering me for about 10 days now, and I have tried to be careful with it. The wellness director said that if I had lost range of motion with the soreness, I should take it easy. Since I had trouble buckling my seatbelt, I thought that that counted as a problem with range of motion. But as I have been thinking back on the problem, I don't think it is my exercise routine - it was jamming one end of the pruners in my left armpit to cut branches. That is exactly where it still hurts.

It hasn't stopped me from knitting though. I have four projects on the needles: the second coriolis sock out of Ella Mae, the Vogue shrug out of Lorna's Laces worsted, and the Koigu toreador jacket out of Lorna's also. O wait, my husband's Valentine gift - a season 18 Dr. Who scarf - scaled down to be wearable. We just got satellite TV, and I found Dr. Who on the BBCA channel DNFH was thrilled, so I decided to knit him a scarf for the occasion.

My obsession is becoming infectious. I now have three students learning to knit scarves. They pile into my office to use my fast computer to look at yarns and drool just as I do. What fun. One student brought her sister and encouraged her to make a scarf also. The older sister received her yarn two weeks ago and (on large needles) already has a six-foot scarf. She is also on the High Honor roll, so I know her homework didn't suffer. She is a powerhouse knitter.

Oh, yes, grape pruning. Friends came over Saturday and we spent three hours digging old grapevines out of the brush and honeysuckle and pounding in supports and pruning them. It was wonderful to have expert help on this. These vines are at least 50 years old and precious to my husband, but I guess not precious enough to take care of. ") Now they show off their old bark and beautiful twisted vines, and have light and air to produce lots of pitty Concord grapes this fall. I made the trimmings into a wreath for the house. I may get more artsy with it, but right now it is simple and lovely.

My yarn from Artfibers has already shipped! I was hoping to have a couple more weeks to finish SOMETHING, but it is not to be. I know it will be on the needles as soon as it arrives. It will be the star skirt from Ravelry -it was the yarn it called for. My student picked out the color for me, as he knows my wardrobe colors and preferences better than I do. We've been working together for three years.

My next victim (er, student) is due to arrive. I'll try to remember to get some pictures up of the grapevines later. Namaste.

Pruning apple trees

My husband decided that he would help me trim the old apple trees on the farm. I have read up on the subject and had some idea what it would entail. Just some dead branches, those that crossed, not too much time involved. I got out my clippers and he went for the chain saw. For the next hour I trimmed and pruned while he tried to get one of his two chainsaws running. He finally gave up as I was finishing the last tree. There are still several limbs that need his chainsaw, but we'll see when they are running again.

He did cook some great soup for dinner - and called me to pick up coriander and diced tomatoes for it. It is great soup and I brought some to school for my lunch and for other teachers to try. Tonight we are having a fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant for our anniversary. We have a gift certificate from our wedding, and we are going to use all of it.

I just ordered a couple of cones of Artfibers Zoe for a skirt. I've never made a skirt, but how hard can it be? I got a free pattern on Ravelry, and the yarn is 20% off because the store is closing. One of my students picked out the color. He said olive, turquoise, gold, could it be more you? I had to agree. I still have the Koigu toreador jacket, the Vogue jacket and a pair of socks to finish, and I absolutely will finish something before I begin this project. I don't know which, but my personal queue is getting a little deep. Happy anniversary - first year- I hope many more to come.

Happy Anniversary

Ken came home last night with a dozen roses and a card. I cooked, a spectacular feat for me, especially since he actually liked and ate it -turkey breast and potatoes. Then he even came to church with me (I'm the organist). We came up to receive a blessing, and some friends were also celebrating their anniversary of 41 years. Ours was our first. What a difference. We'll probably never make it to 41, but not for the usual reasons.

I wore my new smoke ring out of Tilli Thomas Rockstar beaded yarn and the corresponding plain yarn. It was the warmest and coziest item this cold and wet day. I decided it would not be saved for "church" days. I am going to wear it as much as possible, and start another similar one soon- just as soon as I get to my LYS for some fine pretty yarn... By the way, that is a bust of Bach that sits on my piano. A perfect foil for knitted hats and smoke rings.

The man is tired and napping, and the dogs just had an hour with me walking the fields. The house is quiet and peaceful, just as a Sunday should be. I'll get myself ready for work tomorrow and then knit, knit, knit.....

Today is sunny and cool, and I'm wondering if I could knit the feeling of watching crows mob a red-tailed hawk out in the fields this morning. My dogs didn't see it - they were looking for the cows to bring in for the early morning feeding. I went to dance class this morning for the first time in two weeks and it felt wonderful. I am sort of glad to get back in the swing of things at school again.

I worked on my coriolis socks last night and I love the pattern. Cat Bordhi's patterns are beautiful and unusual. I hope to make several pairs and put them away as presents.

We now have a new TV - a flat screen that was up and running when I got home from work yesterday. My husband had gotten lots of projects finished yesterday: a new door to keep out drafts, the TV, book moving, and fabulous panko shrimp. Yes, he does most of the cooking. I'm a whole raw food person and he is a southern fried boy. We don't share meals often, but I can't resist the shrimp. Neither can the dogs who sit quietly but attentively for the tails.

I hope to get another bookcase soon for all my books. When I moved in, there were none and I just had two. My man doesn't have many books, and doesn't quite understand why I have 25 boxes of them, some of them still unpacked from the move this summer. Once we get the furniture in, it will be time to move it all out of the way for a new floor.

Just as long as I have enough time to knit....

LH

New Year, New Life, New Knitting

Here it is, my first blog. In just a few days I'll be celebrating my first wedding anniversary and I am 58 years old. Goodness. It has been quite an adjustment after being independent for around 35 years. I am now on the family farm, 250 acres, with cows and my sheep. My dogs love the place with all the work they have, and I am trying to make the house my own. My husband's family has owned the place for 100 years, so I have to try hard to make some part of it my own. Of course it is my fiber room, even though the computer is in there also.

In keeping with all of the newness, I spent my Christmas break learning some new knitting techniques. I have been a knitter off and on since I was eight. My Polish neighborhood required girls to learn to knit, and so I did. I wasn't until a few years ago that I began to work on projects in earnest and to explore the world of new yarns, patterns and needles. Now my basket overflows with projects, even though it is after Christmas and I finished all the gloves, toys, and sweaters for the newly acquired grandkids.

I work as a tutor in a private Episcopalian school, so I often have time to knit a bit between students. One of my kids is working on a scarf with gauntlets that she saw in a magazine, and I drafted a pattern for her. I am also learning the value of gauntlets and fingerless gloves in my cold office, and made up several styles to wear to school. Now my students want them - I think I'll teach them to knit.

I will wear my silk and beaded smoke ring to dinner with my darling farmer husband this week. Believe it or not, we met on match.com. I've yet to knit him anything, but I think that socks might be a good start.

Ewemaniac