Felt Like Knitting

Lost knitting needles

Yesterday I talked about my tendency to be a perfectionist.  I should clarify that this tendency doesn't extend to my housekeeping methods.  My house is usually in disarray and clutter is the norm.  Now things have sunk to a new low.  I can't find my Denise knitting needles.

How does a person lose her Denise knitting needles?  They come in a rather large blue case.  I've looked high.  I've looked low.  They're just not around.  I think they're hanging out with my missing size 10.5 dpns.  Or maybe someone put them away for me in a safe place.

I've decided that a nice feature for the next generation of Denises would be a tracking beacon.  Or maybe that feature that cordless phones have where you can press a button and locate the phone.  Something.

When is "good" good enough?

I spent yesterday preparing to go back to school today.  It seriously took me all day to grade papers, send e-mails to parents, make lesson plans, write upcoming tests, and gather supplies for making "fossils."   I checked my e-mail a couple of times, but I didn't check Bloglines until late evening.  So I wasn't goofing off at the computer.  How can this be taking me so long?!

My husband said he thinks I try to be perfect and I spend too much time on details.  So that's caused me to wonder:  When is "good" good enough?  Am I trying to be perfect?  Why is that?  I know I can't be perfect.  Is it because I want to do my best and give my students the best class they can have?  Or is it because I want to look good and not flawed?  I suspect it's a personal problem.  I hate to be wrong, look/feel stupid, etc.  Why is that important to me? 

This is interfering with my Christmas knitting and gift giving.  I want someone to have the "perfect" gift for them, so I end up being paralyzed by indecision about the right item.  Why can't I just see something (or knit something) and say "This person will like this gift" and move on?  They don't have to adore the gift or be totally thrilled by the gift.  They just need to know that I care about them and was thinking of them.  I know when someone gives me a gift, that's how I feel.  I certainly don't critique it and decide whether or not it's "perfect."  I enjoy it and think fondly of the person that gave it to me.

This time of self-reflection is over.  I'm going to leave my "not perfect" blog post and go knit.  :)

The importance of gauge

Some lessons are painful.  Let me give you a little tip.  If a knitting pattern calls for a gauge of 3.625 stitches/inch and you are getting 3 stitches/inch, don't think it will be okay!  I just wish I could show you a picture of what this monstrous item looked like before I frogged.  But it's for a swap, so I can't.

The funny thing is that the word gauge can be used as a verb, too.  As in:  I need to gauge how long it will take me to reknit the item I just ripped apart.

Shopping

I hope that everyone that celebrates Thanksgiving had a great day yesterday!  My day was very nice.  Between cooking and playing games, not much knitting was accomplished.  But that's okay, it was a great day.  However, this morning I noticed a problem with my scale.  It told me I weigh 5 more pounds than I did yesterday morning, but I just don't see how that can be.  :)

For some reason, I woke up before 6:00AM this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.  So I did a little pre-shopping on my computer and came up with a list of things to buy my nieces and nephews.  Then I managed to go to WalMart, Target, and KMart when the crowds weren't there.  Unless I've forgotten a niece or nephew, I'm almost done with that shopping.  And the teacher gift shopping is done.  Not too bad, considering I wasn't going to go out at all.

I even did a little (unintentional) shopping for myself.  I've been meaning to buy some more flannel pajamas because I just love wearing them and mine are getting worn.  The first thing I saw when I walked into KMart was Buy One Get One Free flannel jammies.  Yippee!  I also bought gloves for Lynne's mitten ministry.

Speaking of mittens, I suppose I should mention some knitting content.  I've started another hat and I still have a mitten to finish.  And I'm working on a swap gift.  So, my hoodie is having to wait for a bit.  Yesterday I purchased yarn for my blanket square:  Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria in Mint.  There are way too many things that I'd like to knit!

My aspiring chef

I feel a bit behind.  My house still needs cleaned for tomorrow's dinner and I haven't made the first thing.  So today will be a cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking kind of day.  But, I won't be alone in my endeavors.  My pre-teen daughter will be along for the ride, even if she doesn't like it.  :)  She does love to cook and wants to make a dessert for tomorrow.  If you want to cook something, you have to buy the ingredients and clean up the kitchen, right?

The funny thing about E's cooking is that she dislikes using recipes.  Years ago she wanted to make a chocolate chip cake without a recipe.  That's something I wouldn't even try.  It turned out okay, though.  Recently she made a cake that looked like a giant s'more.  Today's recipe is something she's calling Hot Chocolate Pudding Pie.  When it's done, I'll add a picture to the post.  If it's chocolate, it has to be good!

On the knitting front, I've completed another hat and worked on my hoodie.  I tried knitting the hoodie while reading, but that didn't work so well.  Today I'm making an emergency trip to the LYS and while I'm there I'll buy some superwash wool for more hats and the blanket square.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving preparations are going well! 

One red mitten, three blue men, and thousands of believers

I've been working on that large "to do" list.  First up, a mitten.  Knitting this was more fun than I thought it would be, even when using dpns.  (My circular needles were otherwise occupied.)  Knitting this reminded me of my mittens when I was little.  My earliest memory is standing in the basement, waiting to go outside and looking at my mittens on my hands.  When I see those mittens now, they sure look tiny!  I must have been 3 or 4 years old when I wore them.  Amazingly, my three brothers also wore them too, and my mom still has them.

On Saturday, I finished reading a chapter in one of my school textbooks while knitting a hat.  I love it when multi-tasking works out well like that!  The hat and the chapter are both complete.  On to reading Module 8 and starting another hat.  By the way, this hat is much smaller than the others.  It looks like more of a kid size hat.  (It certainly doesn't fit me!)  I cast on less stitches and used a size 6 circular needle.

Also on Saturday was the Blue Man Group concert.  They may look strange, but they are entertaining!  The overall theme of the show was that the group had purchased a video on How to Be a Megastar.  They then proceeded to "watch" the video and take the advice it offered.  One of my favorite parts was Rockstar Tip #47:  Paying tribute to those rockers that have gone before you.  They learned the tip then proceeded to launch into bits of Devo's Whip It, a Madonna song from her Like A Virgin era (complete with one of the blue guys wearing a bridal veil for a moment), and others.  Someone in the audience shouted Free Bird and they went into that, too.  Pretty funny.  Anyway, it was a fun evening.

Last night was the Third Day concert with David Crowder Band and Hyperstatic Union.  This was my fourth Third Day concert and I enjoyed it as much or more than the others I attended.  I can't adequately describe what a worshipful, praise-filled event it was.  Rocking?  Yes!  But full of praise for God.  To be with thousands of other believers with everyone praising God gives me a glimpse of what heaven may be like.

One last thought for today, Geraldine has told me about a knit blogger need.  Cathy at Tightly Wound ~ Loosely Knit has asked knitters to make squares for a blanket for her friend Jenn.  Jenn has gone through some really tough times lately.

Let the vacation begin!

I'm officially on Thanksgiving break, even though it doesn't really feel like it yet.  There are so many things I want to accomplish this week that I doubt I'll get them all done.  Here's what I would like to complete:

Read Marley and Me.  (Restless Knitter recommended it to me.)

Finish my Central Park Hoodie.

Finish and send the hats for One at a Time Ministries.

Knit and/or buy mittens for From Hearts to Hands.

Finish a swap gift.  Buy the goodies and send.

Attend the Blue Man Group concert.  (I'd just like to say that this is not a concert I chose.  I'm going because my husband has been so nice going to Third Day concerts with me.)

Attend the Third Day concert.  (This one is by choice.)

Plan and cook Thanksgiving dinner.  Yum!

Prepare for school for the month of December.  Catch up on grading and recording of grades.

Clean the house and catch up on laundry.

Get some Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving.

Plus the usual stuff - having E's friends over to play, taking her to a birthday party, going to band practice, working on church responsibilities,...

Do you think I'll get it all done?  :)

No motivation

I just cannot get myself motivated to do anything today except check for new e-mails and updated blogs in Bloglines.  How sorry is that?   I haven't even replied to any of my waiting e-mails - I'm just looking for new ones.  It's very rainy today and that could be part of the problem.  And I should be preparing for school and I don't want to.  So I figure I'll update my blog.

Today was my visit to the ENT.  After E and I waited for an hour, the nurse practitioner came in, followed by the technician doing the hearing test, then finally the doctor.  I didn't take nearly enough knitting with me, so I ended up reading Southern Living.  I should have listened to the little voice saying "You'll need more knitting.  Take more knitting."  There's nothing wrong with that magazine, but I have too many projects that need finished to be sitting around without needles clicking away.

My middle ear is fine and I have no hearing loss.  The doctor recommends that I have an ENG to check my inner ear.  The ENG is not an invasive test, but it may induce vertigo and nausea.  That's scheduled for early December.  If that shows nothing and my symptoms are continuing, I'll need to see a neurologist.

The other big news today is that we were saved from a head-on collision.  E and I decided to get some lunch on the way home from the ENT.  Just after we pulled into the turn lane, someone coming toward us also got into the turn lane and decided to go straight (planning to make her turn farther down the lane).  With as rainy as it is, there is no way she should have been able to stop in time because it looked like she was speeding up when I saw her.  But, her car did stop in time.  I really feel that God had His hand in the situation and I'm very grateful.

I started some mittens last night...three times.  I'm having gauge problems, but I'll get it eventually.  So I went back to finishing up another gigantic hat.  That makes three rather large hats.  I need to change needles or cast on less stitches so that more than large-headed people can be warm.  :)

Random thoughts

Do you ever feel like you should post something, but you don't know what to say?  That's where I'm at right now.  I started a post the other day, but I couldn't even figure out what to call it.  So I guess I'll just write about the random things going through my mind right now...

1)  I spent most of the day preparing for my classes tomorrow.  I've decided that it might be more convenient to teach math or English or a language or something.  Right now my kitchen counter has four different experiments on it.  (I learned last year that it's a really good idea to run through the experiment before you try it in class.)  We're in a geology module, so I have rocks, soil, and minerals in my car, on the basement floor, on my kitchen counter, and so on.  Two more days of classes and then a break for Thanksgiving.  I'm really thankful for my break!  And I'm thankful for the lovely leaf collections my botany students created.  They were wonderful!

2)  I finished a swap project yesterday.  I can't show it, but I'm glad to have something completed.

3)  Knitting news:  I've been knitting hats for Lynda's ministry project.  (I love knitting hats!)  I also found a scarf I knit a year or so ago for which I never finished weaving in the ends.  Katie assures me that mittens aren't hard to knit, so I'll soon try a pair for Lynne's ministry project.  I am really into using up odds and ends of yarn!

I suppose there are more things on my mind, but it's late and I need to get to bed.  Have a good Tuesday!

A lovely package

The other day, my One Yard Fabric Swap pal left a comment that my package was coming from halfway around the world.  It really was!  Erin lives in Singapore!  My package arrived today and everything in it is fabulous.  Thank you so very much, Erin!

The fabric Erin sent is 2 yards of hand blocked batik fabric from Indonesia.  The colors and design are so beautiful.  There is also some soft, variegated yarn from Japan called Granbia.  I can't wait to knit with it!  There are edible goodies, too:  mints, almond & chocolate covered snacks, and kaya.  And my very first Japanese craft magazine!  I've seen these on other blogs and now I have one to look through!  It is bound on the right and reads from back to front.  I never thought about how Japanese books are published.

I want to show you more of this fabric.  (This is only half of it.)  Erin suggested hemming the ends and using it as a sarong.  Or she said I could cut it up for other projects.  I don't think I could make myself cut this fabric!  :)  It's just too pretty.  There are a lot of possibilities for this fabric!  Thank you again, Erin!

This morning was my doctor's appointment and he's referring me to an ENT for test.  That's kind of what I expected.  I wish my regular doctor had been in, but chances are she would have said the same thing.

There is one last thing to share with you today.  Lynne is collecting mittens (hand knit or purchased) for a youth ministry in Buffalo.  Her story brought tears to my eyes, so you might want to grab some Kleenex before you read it.  I may end up buying mittens instead of knitting them, but that's okay.  They will still keep a young person warm.