postcards from ahwahnee

hello!  we’re recently back from a most splendid trip to yosemite full of so much spectacular nature and cozy knitting, both of which i’d like to share in some photos below.  first, i wanted to extend a sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to read my last post and leave such thoughtful and thought provoking comments.  there are several avenues by which one can enjoy blogging and partaking in the blogs of others, but it’s so rewarding to take the time to write a time and brain intensive post and get feedback clearly demonstrating others are making the effort to engage.  you guys are wonderful, seriously.

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wool symposium 2014

i am so excited to talk today about a most inspiring start to my year of knitting dangerously.  it was a total coincidence that this event took place immediately after i decided to trade in my stethoscope for my knitting needles, but i’m pretty sure if i hadn’t really committed to this year, i would have never made the trek.  in fact, i doubt i would have stumbled upon this event in the first place.  i can’t even begin to express how fortunate i am for this serendipitous timing.  attending the 2014 wool symposium at the fibershed out in gorgeous pt. reyes absolutely changed the course of this year for me.

zero sum guilt and not doing what you hate

alright, i’m finally back to talk about my year of knitting dangerously!  it has been off to a pretty great start, full of excitement and opportunity and ideas, and a lot of knitting already.  i continue to be so encouraged and inspired by all of your generous support, stories, empathy and well wishes.  to be completely honest, i was a little anxious about so publicly displaying my denunciation of my real, concrete job to………..knit (?!).  in fact, i think much of the reason i wrestled so fiercely with the concept even in my own brain (and continue to, even as i’m deeper in it each passing day) boils down to guilt.  i am so aware of how fortunate i am to be in a position to do something so radical and impractical and self serving, it honestly makes me feel guilty to talk about it openly.

wow, thanks.

you guys.  i am totally blown away by the response i got on my last post.  here i thought it was just my mom and her three friends reading/interested!  i am so completely flattered/touched/encouraged/inspired by all of your incredibly thoughtful comments and your outpouring of support.  while i get the sense that i might look back on this as a total “duh” decision, as we all know, sometimes (always?) even the most obvious answers just take the work to get to, and there’s no way around it, and we are enriched and emboldened by that journey.  mine is so full of promise and hope and excitement each day.  really, i feel like the luckiest gal alive.  but it’s also scary and nerve wracking at first, and you can’t imagine the confidence and comfort i feel knowing not only how much you all stand in solidarity, but also how much these struggles and challenges, wishes and dreams resonate with so many people at so many stages in their lives.

my year of knitting dangerously

you guys, i apologize in advance for this epic rant.  i wrote a far more succinct and diplomatic version of this post on a flight back from chicago a week ago, after which i noticed my computer charger had mysteriously disappeared from my checked bag (?!) and my laptop sat lifeless for a few days while i waited to get a new charger.  in that time, the concept of this post morphed somewhat in my head, and now i feel like there’s just a lot more to say.

the shawl that stopped a truck

hello!  i am back (finally) to write about this epic, epic shawl.  i had many exciting ideas about how to spend a month without children, which included visions of yoga, rock climbing, travel, and of course, sewing.  lots of sewing.  the travel part has been going well as we march through our pre-planned trips, but the rest, all the rest, is a distant fantasy now, replaced with backbreaking, heartbreaking work, endless hours of it, with emotional and physical demands so great i struggle just to feed myself and sleep well in between shifts.  it would appear my endless quest for balance needs yet more tweaking.  serious tweaking.  but for now, this shawl.

isn’t she a beauty?  i know i rarely blog about knitting projects, but this one is deserving both in stature and because it has an equally epic backstory.  

squamlove

just a week ago, i left beautiful squam lake after making it my home for five days.  i think this might be the first time i’m even mentioning here that i finally attended SAW, known in craft parlance simply as “squam,” after years of dreaming and scheming.  i learned of squam early in my knitting career, likely rooting around on other knitting blogs, and in the midst of that insanity (two infants, working 3-11p four nights a week and david in residency in our tiny apartment on the 15th floor in downtown chicago) it instantly became my quiet, happy place.  there were times i was so wholly overwhelmed and overstimulated, i locked myself in the bathroom with my knitting and pretended i was there for a few minutes while my two babies screamed and cried and reached their pudgy hands under the door, grasping (i think) at my soul.

spring cleaning

well, it’s officially spring.  here, that means 80 degree temps, flowering trees giving way to lush greenery, and great produce.  i heard recently on the news that for the northern part of this country, it means yet more freezing temps and blizzard conditions.  i will remind people of this winter when they ask me if i miss the midwest.  nope.

it takes a village.

happy belated new year!  so many times in the past months i have wanted to write a nice recap post of all the notable things going on around here…there was the first birthday of this blog in october, the end of art fair, the new year.  i actually have an entire post all written for my bloggiversary that never saw the light of day–i have just been swamped with hands on projects, and blogging hasn’t been a huge priority.  indeed, over the past year, this blog has been both what inspires me and holds me accountable.  however, one thing is certain–i would never be here today, or have accomplished what i have in the past year if not for this space to share projects, process and write.

holiday wishlist

i can think of a number of important ways to spend my free time these next few days.  thanksgiving prep.  art fair prep.  december birthday gifts.  december holiday gifts.  but i have to take just a few minutes for a very important task.  honestly, with all the different prep going on around here, i haven’t thought about holiday gifts for my friends and family at ALL yet, so it took me by surprise when, this week, david started engaging in clandestine activities on my computer and told me not to go snooping in any packages that come to our door.  is it already that time again?!