Ooooo.....Pinterest!

Okay, so I noticed some friends mentioning something called Pinterest.  I checked it out, and now I'm hooked!  Who knew it would be so much fun to put together pictures of things that I find interesting, for all different reasons.  And who knew that someone else re-pins one of my pins would be such a hoot!  I love looking at other's boards, too.  It's like checking out collections of things that I might never have had the chance to see otherwise, and how cool is that.  I'm not a suburban Mom, I live in a rural area, and I don't scrapbook.  I'm not even big into Facebook.  But for some reason, Pinterest is cooler than I ever could have guessed it could be.  Check out my boards here.  http://pinterest.com/fadedlily/  

So...Many...WIP...

I started last night sorting through all the WIP that have been lurking around, some beside my chair, in my knitting bag, in my bedroom, etc and so on. What I found out is I've developed a bad habit of not finishing things that I've started! I think I'll try making a list of all these poor abandoned WIP and then hopefully get as many done as possible. It would seem that my spring cleaning this year should consist primarily of organizing and doing an inventory of my stash, (as it's out of control and spilling out everywhere), and doing the same with my WIP. I do have a few things that I have managed to finish over the last little bit. The first pictures are of a shawl I made with Lion Brand Woolease Thick and QuickYarn in Lemongrass. The bottom pictures are of a sweater that I made for my Mom. I started with a pattern I thought looked really great, but I ended up changing practically everything about it. But I think it turned out pretty well and my Mom does like it, and really that is all that matters. It was made with Tatamy Tweed by Kraemer Yarns, the color is Silver. The lace pattern on the front panels is Lily of the Valley, one of my favorites. So I do have at least a couple of projects that aren't WIP, now to roll up my sleeves and start work on the rest.....

Sometimes it's just one of those lives.......

Believe it or not, I used to be a really optimistic person. I KNEW I'd be able to figure out a solution to any problem that had the nerve to cross my path, that I'd soon have life running smoothly again. I had bumps along the way, just like anyone else, but the bumps didn't really shake my faith in my ability to fix whatever came my way. But, following the divorce, the ex trying to get custody of my boys, and most of all my disability that left me unable to work, and effectively took away a large part of my identity, and I'd be the first to admit that my outlook on life just isn't as cheerful as it used to be.

But every now and then, out of the blue, someone reaches past this newly formed pessimistic shield of mine and makes me feel genuinely happy. Brings a real smile when one is needed the most. And usually it probably seems like a small thing to the giver, but believe me when I say it's huge from where I sit.

A friend of mine from Rav, a swap partner, sent me a package that has made my day and probably the best smile I'll find for several weeks. Part of the swap was to be a "softie" , a small stuffed item, either bought or made. And I don't know what hand of divine providence put the wheels in motion, but she made for me the very softie I would have chosen if given a choice, and out of yarn that I really love! Meet my alpaca. There were lots of other goodies included in the package (which made it's way to me from Belgium!). There was a skein of lovely robin's egg blue yarn, some super cool pens, several nifty notepads and cards and candy. Yeah for candy! The candy didn't make it into the pix, but then, it seldom does, lol! I'll be sending my package to my very thoughtful partner this weekend, and can only hope she likes it half as much as I love mine. If she does, it will be a great success.

To get stronger......

At this point in my life I find myself with a lot more problems, both physical and mental than I ever expected to have. I'm still adjusting, still mourning my former life a bit, and I worry a bit about the future. And it's to this end that I'm starting physical therapy. I keep falling, which is bad enough, and then there's the landing which is even worse. The bruises are horrible, but the worst part is not being able to get back up by myself, arghhh! So I'm starting therapy to help my balance and hopefully increase my strength. The fun part is it's in a nice, warm swimming pool! I've had my first session, and I can tell I've used muscles that haven't been used in ages. A little sore in a lot of places. This is the therapy pool.

Forward progress?

I spent the past year making squares for the Baker's Dozen group on Ravelry, and I feel like I've really improved my skills and learned quite a lot. But I know I've got so much to learn! I've been on a kick recently buying knitting books, pattern books, stitch books, just about everything. And I've found some really great ones. Probably my favorite right now is 10 Secrets of the Laidback Knitters by Vicki Stiefel and Lisa Souza. Check out www.knitpicks.com My favorite place to buy knitting stuff, and they're having a book sale! A terrific book for the beginning knitter and for the more experienced as well. I've always felt that the journey of knitting the project is as least as important as the finished project. This book takes knitting and leads you on a journey of discovery into the aspects of knitting that other books don't touch on. It encourages you to look at knitting from another point of view, one that I found fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Patterns are just suggestions!

I'm working on a cardigan for my Mom. I started it over a year ago, planning to give to her for her birthday last April. Then I thought maybe I'd give it to her for Mother's Day. Didn't happen, arghhh! I got really busy with other knitting projects, but always in the back of my mind was the thought that I would certainly finish the sweater for her birthday this year. sigh Didn't happen. I didn't get to go and see her for Mother's day, but I am going to a family get together in a week, maybe I still have time?

My biggest problem with this sweater was that although I liked the sweater, there were some parts I just wasn't satisfied with. So, of course, I had to change them. I can't think of many patterns I've used over the years that I haven't changed in some way. Considering all the frogging I did on the sweater before I was happy with it, I probably could have had it done a long time ago! Oh well, if it turns out well, it fits her and she likes it, all the time and frogging will have been worth the effort.

A Whole New Rollercoaster

Well, here we are on a whole new rollercoaster. I have a feeling this one will be even worse than what I've already been on with my health. I will go along for a few days, maintaining my calm and then I find myself crying my eyes out. I'm trying to take control of my emotions and reactions by becoming as informed as possible and finding support groups that I can lean on. One I've found recently is the Blue Star Mothers, this is made up of mothers of soldiers. I even found a local chapter fairly close to where I live, which is great. Their website is at: http://www.bluestarmothers.org My boys are all trying to help me, I can tell they are a little worried about me. I heard one whispering to Mike, "Go answer Mom's questions" when I was saying something about needing answers to questions about what was going to happen, etc. I'm really lucky to have such great boys.