Ode to August

This is a rare post. I actually wrote it last night while trying to fall asleep. I don’t normally plan any sort of post ahead. Usually I sit down to write and just bang one of these out 🙂 So here is what I wrote last night and I don’t think I’m going to really edit it, but we shall see.

I don’t know what it is about August that makes it feel like change is good. It’s like you are deeply ready for some sort of change, whether its a season or going back to school or a scenery or job or whatever. August just feels right for change. Almost more so than New Years. In August, its still warm and the days are long. It feels like you’ve got so much time. Time to make changes in the day light. I’m feeling it. In everything.

Maybe it’s because I am so used to a new beginning with school as a former teacher or with volleyball season as a former coach. And I’m missing those changes. This is the second year in the last 22 years I’m not going back to school either as a student or a teacher and it’s the first year in the last 14 years I’m not a part of a volleyball program. Woah! Time sure does fly.

As if I didn’t have enough change a month ago, leaving Louisville for St. Louis, but that change felt good and necessary. We are near family that we get to spend time with quite frequently like a fish fry of the tasty guys we caught on a trip to a trip to golf and Fast Eddie’s. August change is different.

I feel a change in my knitting. I finally cast on and knit a few inches of a garment! The first one I am making to fit me. Check it out, it’s the Whispers top.

I also have been trying in earnest to whittle down my WIP pile even though my hands are literally itching to start some socks. And I have tons of yarn I could use 🙂

I even blocked my last FO for goodness sake!

Maybe it’s August, maybe I’m maturing (haha) or maybe I’m just more inspired by all the other knitters and crocheters I come across whether it’s perusing Ravelry or catching up on my blog feed or meeting some wonderful women at the St. Louis Knitters Guild. My confidence has grown immensely with all the kind, thoughtful, encouraging, helpful, words I’ve received here on the blog and in person. I feel like I can tackle these bigger projects.

It’s funny how people so many miles apart from different family lives and normals and situations and generations are all brought together through the fiber arts (knitting/crocheting/spinning/dyeing/weaving/felting/tatting/what-have-you-yarn-craft). I love it and I’m so happy to be a part of this community.

Wow, I’m getting cheesy these last 2 posts. I need to work on that! Maybe that’s a side effect of August too. All the change helps you to feel grateful for everything you are a part of. Anyway, a little deeper than expected, but definitely on my mind as I am not entering the classroom for a second August in a row.

Anyone else feel a good wind of change in August or is it just me?

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Hello & Happy Saturday!!

All from St. Louis of course. This has been my first move as a married person and it has certainly been different from any other move I have ever done. My very first move away from my parents’ home where I was for 18 years was to college in Memphis, Tennessee. I loaded up all my clothes, shoes, and linens into my mom’s car for the 6 hour journey. When we arrived, we went and bought anything else I could possibly need moving into a relatively furnished dorm room.

I moved in and out of college housing for the next 6 years, getting a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Then I finally moved into a condo with one of my best friends. That was a challenge because it was my first real place with stairs (I’d avoided them throughout college because I didn’t want to trudge up and down them everyday). My parents, brother, and boyfriend (now husband) really made that move possible. I was lucky enough to stay put there for 2 years while teaching school. Then there was the quick move to Louisville which involved renting a shipping crate, packing it jam full of everything I had acquired and having it hauled by a trucking company, delayed for a week, and finally unloaded by my husband and me into our SECOND floor apartment just a month before our wedding 1,000 miles away.

Thankfully, we made it to this move, with another 2 year lease (yay! no packing for at least that long) with the help of my father-in-law. He’s moved a time or two and was able to really help us pack our truck chock full. We made it the 240 miles with only a broken shelf, 2 broken glasses, a broken plate, and a broken hurricane lamp. Much better success. My only complaint? Yes, we are on the SECOND floor again, with daily stairs 🙂 Ah well, I guess it is better to be making the noise than hearing the noise. And the stairs are in our unit so hopefully my cats can get some exercise and stop being the fattest ones around.

All of this being said, it is really wonderful to wake up in a new place that already feels like home AND be inspired to write a post. It could have something to do with the Monster cup of coffee I poured myself.

I have been struggling with time and ideas since we arrived, couple that with our week of no internet and you’ve got a girl who hasn’t been posting and over 200 posts to read in her bloglovin feed!!

You guessed it, it is STASH DIVE SATURDAY!! Since my stash is happily on display in the other room, it was so easy to just swoop in and pick out a skein to highlight. Here is the photo process of deciding.

Hmmmmm, maybe something on the top shelf?

No, no. How about the DK/Sport weight shelf?

Oooooh yes, How about green? I love green.

And it’s Smooshy!!!!

It’s Dream in Color’s Smooshy with Cashmere. This may be my only yarn I have with Cashmere…so it must be made into something special. I want it to be something that will be close to my skin since it is so soft. I also love this color, Emerald Darkness, and really want it to be visible. So probably not socks since I don’t have any clear shoes…Maybe a shawl or scarf or cowl? But the catch is that I only have 1 skein…
Ideas:
1. How about this Nautilina Scarf by Sybil R on Ravelry? The colors look fun, and I’m sure I could pair this with another gorgeous yarn from my stash or perhaps break the diet?? Her pattern is available free on her blog, Knitting and so on.
2. Mayhaps The Age of Brass And Steam Kerchief by Orange Flower Yarn on Ravelry? Plus there are some very lovely yarns on the Orange Flower Yarn website that would be amazing in this pattern. Oh the temptation…
3. Maybe I should stop adding patterns to my queue and just look through that? Or the books I have here at home, but where is the fun in that adventure?? Maybe the Churchmouse Yarns & Teas Welted Fingerless Gloves (here on Ravelry). These have been in my queue forever and I may even have the pattern somewhere…I bet the softness would be so nice on my hands.
4. Or perhaps Jared Flood‘s Ptarmigan cowl (here on Ravelry). I bet the lace in the round would be beautiful in the green I have. And another doozie that has been in my queue for far too long.

The hard part about looking at all of these beautiful patterns is that I really should not start anything new. I’ve been working almost exclusively on the Midsummer Baby Blanket for my soon-to-be-here niece. I’m literally 4 rows away from starting the 4th color. It’s a little bulky to travel with since I have a big bag full of yarn. I don’t want to leave any of it behind because I’m paranoid that I will run out of a yarn I need RIGHT THEN! Here is the progress.

I’ve also been working on the Mother-Daughter Knit-along which is the Putney Shawl in my Kentucky Festival purchase 🙂 I love that this project is still very portable and very brainless. And Sis likes it. Here is the progress.

If you had the Smooshy in your possession, what would you make it?

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Moving Madness

I started this post last week before we packed up. Then we were without internet and still are at home. I’m missing the blog world! And my friends I feel like I’ve made over the web in this crazy fiber world.

In big news, we have moved to Saint Louis, Missouri! Closer to family and friends all around 🙂 My husband and I both have jobs, and I’ve had a chance to reorganize my yarn!!!

Here’s a sneak peek of that…

I took my ikea bookshelf with glass doors and decided that after two rough moves, it may be better suited to holding my yarn. It was excellent therapy to go through all the crazy bags and the storage bench and load it into a display case. This way I can see it all! Being able to easily access all of my glorious stash is making it very easy to resist heading over to the yarn stores I have not visited in my new town. I’m sure I will mosey on over that way when the time comes, but for now, I’m happily ogling my “new” display.

I think this is all I’m going to talk about for now, until we get our internet installed tomorrow. Maybe then I can do a fun WIP Wednesday post!

 

v’s & bumps,

Jenna