Saturday, January 26, 2008

Rewards

A good deed may be rewarded in long or short term. Today was one of these moments of unexpected, instant gratification.

I climbed on the loft bed, trying to make a more comfortable bed for Sunny in a box that was laying there. She likes to sit there as it is the highest spot in the entire house. As I was lovingly spreading one of L's t-shirts ;-) , I noticed the back of a paperback book. I could not see the cover, but I was intrigued. I pulled it out, and saw that I was holding that!

... which is the sequel to this, a book I read 2 summers ago.

I loved the images of Tibet through the author's descriptions, it really transported me to my trip to Leh, 5 years ago.

When I was lucky enough to spend a week in great company, and able to take photographs such as this
Tikse Gompa
(I could hear chanting from below, as I was taking this picture)


and this
waiting for flat tire to be fixed
and this...

Tso Moriri

Thank you, Sunny!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Nothing finished yet

... but plenty of items are closing in. The flap gloves only need a thumb and closing the flap, after they are measured. One day's work tops. Yippee!


The Hat of the Week for this visit is going to be black with two brown stripes. I guess it's my punishment for forgetting to add the black stripe in Last Week's brown hat.


Slightly more exciting, Lizard Ridge blanket is getting her final border. I have been using it for a while without the border now, I 've even mended the first hole on it - Skid likes to knead on it a bit too much.


Finally, the Clapotis is growing steadily. The next two skeins are on their way, and I am determined to have it finished by the end of January. Or at least try.


Nothing really new here, other than the possibility to have 4 finished objects by this time next week.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Progress on all fronts

I am reaching the end of yarn supplies for the clapotis, which is growing nicely. Love the colours (colourway 148)


It is so much fun to knit it! Although Noro Kureyon is kind of sticky, and the dropped stitches are kind of a pain to drop. Nevertheless, it is one of the most comforting knits I 've had in a long time, and now that it is getting longer I get to enjoy its warmth already.



This glove cuff is now a fully grown mitten, almost 2/3 done, and its little brother is growing alongside (twins!). They will end up being a pair of fingerless mittens with flap, my usual pattern, made as a 'thank you' for a friend who was kind enough to take care of the kitties while I was away. The yarn is Harrisville Design, Orchid Line, and the small amount of silk content makes it a great pleasure to knit with. I am positive that the reason they have grown so fast was a combination of gratitude and the yummy yarn (and the first season of Charmed on dvd).



Another mindless knitting project, these dishcloths are multiplying themselves almost without me noticing! Seriously, I must have been on the phone when I cast on for this one, because I can't remember deciding to start a new one!



I also made some green food. Fava comes in 2 colours, or so it seems. I went for the green version, and it came out quite a success for a first try. It looked seriously sinister when it was bubbling away, all green and steamy! Love it!



I am lucky to have such good friends, who surprise me with goodies despite my lameness in reciprocating.

As for keeping things tidy, so far so good. I noticed that if I have a designated place for something, sooner rather than later it will find its way there. It is the stuff that has been wondering homeless, so to speak, that creates the clutter that seems to solidify. So little by little I make sure to attack the target areas and clear off clutter, to make room for what is actually in use.

Next target: the bathroom cabinet! sigh...

Sunday, January 06, 2008

On the Nature of Resolutions

I have been thinking a lot about resolutions lately. Mostly philosophising about them, since so many people share theirs in their blogs. In fact, I really enjoy reading what other people want to change in their lives, and how they plan to do it.

As I don't think I need to wait for January 1 to decide upon improving one or another aspect of my life, New Year's resolutions aren't much different than the rest - only those I may occasionally share. This year, the theme will be simple: be more tidy (heh.. good luck on that!)

I call it 'a theme' because the term 'resolution' somehow feels that if you fail for a day you are free to drop it altogether. Or so it would seem, judging by the fear people seem to have about keeping or not their resolutions. On the contrary, 'theme' rings to me like something to keep in mind, but accept its ups and downs without using downs as an excuse to abandon the plan.


Shots from the airplane: Newfoundland (I think)

In any case, it will take me more than one try to develop a tidier standard in my life. Many, many more tries, I 'd say! What interests me more, however, is how will this effort change my life on other aspects. Will it enhance my creativity or stifle it? Will it take time away from other things, or free them in an uncluttered world? How far should / can I go with it? Will I EVER have a tidy closet?!



So far, it doesn't look bad. After changing my table-corner decoration with a very old box that was in daily use in my mother's house decades ago, I was looking for something to put in it



It seems the perfect place to keep the yarn tails that I keep obsessively after a project is finished. I have no idea what to do with them yet, but now at least they have a home. I guess the challenge will be to find a use for them. Needle-felting or small embroidery projects, perhaps?


I also discovered that Sunny looks particularly cute on top of the new throw I brought for my knitting sofa


And that spending just a few more seconds of thought before making the decreases on L's latest hat I end up with orderly lines. While making it, I kept thinking of rivers that flow into each other.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Happy New Year!

Lots of my good intentions over the holidays were fulfilled, some were not. The theme of this trip was digging into traditions: culinary, crafty, family history, etc. Partly intentional, partly just going with the flow. My childhood sounds so unimaginative and boring compared to that of my mother's!!!

Although a large portion of my time was spent in the kitchen, helping in the preparation, consumption and cleaning-up of dishes such as this:

Λαχανοντολμάδες

or this:
Κατσικάκι στο φούρνο με πατάτες & φρικασέ

there was still some knitting. Mostly mindless knitting, so that I wouldn't be too distracted from what was going on around me. What was most fun about it was the setting and company: by the roaring fireplace, listening to stories or chatting about anything that comes to mind. Very often I had the feeling that if I closed my eyes and imagined a source of light other than electricity, I could be part of a timeless gathering.

It certainly was more fun than productive. After many attempts to guess my mother's head size correctly, I gave up and bound off for a neck warmer:


My first attempt at spinning


There is more, but I am keeping it for the next installment. Heh.
Happy New Year!
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