Times They Are A Changing

Well it is almost the new year and time to look at what has happened in the past year.  I made some major life changes this year and see more in the year ahead.  I am choosing a theme for this year.  I am having trouble defining this theme in words that other understand.  The slogan that I am using is form World War 2 England, it is "Make Do and Mend".  This was only one slogan for the war, but it is one that I like.  The idea was to waste nothing.  There were slogans for growing your own food as well, but I am choosing to encompass that in the "Make Do and Mend" mentality I want to cultivate for the year.  I will be figuring out how to make the prepackaged food that I buy, planting a garden (I hope), and figuring out new uses for worn out items.  For me this is an environmental idea, as well as a money saving idea.  This should mean more baking, knitting and spinning in the coming year.  I hope that others will find things that I learn on this journey helpful.  Just in case you were wondering the picture is of a purse that I made out of an old pair of my jeans.  They were no longer wearable due to holes.

Training and Playing

Well I have been playing around a lot when I should be working. I got the dishes done and then gave up on cleaning the house all together. I wanted to just hang out with the garden gnome in the hot weather outside. We only get hot weather for so long in Idaho and I have learned to love being hot for the short time that it lasts. My yard and garden are doing well and I am hoping to bake a loaf of bread tomorrow before it gets way to hot. I may get around to it this evening when we open the house and let the evening in. I would say it has been a lovely week with plenty to keep me from doing to much house work.

On the subject of distractions look at how full that spindle is. I am really proud of the cop I have made there. I will be adding to it as well. As my Tour De Fleece training this year I am seeing how much of an 8oz top I can fit on the spindle. It sounds silly, but it is helping to build my courage and my skills. I am just going to be spinning for fun this tour. I want to work on spindle skills and spin things that are just fun to me. I have no project goals, and no weight or length goals. I want to spin for 29 minutes every day during the Tour and have fun at the same time. I think I will enjoy this year. Now to just not fall off my bike this year.

I have been knitting as well. I am working on the Rondeur tee from Knitty. I am really enjoying it. I have added several inches to the pattern overall. I have to do that to almost every pattern I knit though. I add an inch before waist shaping every time. I then try on the sweater and see if I need more length than that. When I get to the second part of the shaping I try it on again and see if I need to add length again. I just keep adding an inch at a time till the top is long enough to fit me. I don't often need to do any other alterations to patterns than adding length and I don't usually mention that. I don't even think about this adjustment. I wish I could make the clothing in stores longer so that they would fit me better.

Well that is what I have been up to this week. I hope to see you all again soon.

Long Time No See

I have been gone for a really long time. I didn't even realize that it had been this long. I find that I have had trouble finding my voice on this blog. I struggle with what to share and what to keep to myself. I have decided to add a little more of my life in this blog. It did not help that I fell off the face of the earth this winter. The lack of sunlight deeply affected me this winter. Now I am coming out of hibernation and seeking contact with the outside world again. I have applied to a local college, and dealt with some issues at work that I should have tackled 3 years ago. I am now finding I have more energy than I have had in years.

I do not have photos today, but that does not mean that I have not been working on things. I have been knitting a lot and spinning a little. There is to much to try to catch you all up here. I am currently gearing up for the Tour De Fleece. It is one of my favorite events every year. I hope I will not fall off my bike this year. (I do mean that literally.)

On Wednesday I intend to start my bread baking again. I love the five minute a day method still. I am also looking to see if I can work the baking in to a new money saving lifestyle. I can bake for less money than I can buy things already made. I also know that the things I make are better for me that the things I buy. I am looking forward to a new start in my baking and homemaking skills.

I hope that you all will enjoy the new voice of my blog, and will join me in my adventures.

Why

I have been thinking a lot about why I do the things that I do. Lately I have seen a lot of blog and forum posts on Ravelry about how to respond when people ask you why you knit or spin. Most peoples answers fall along the lines of it is relaxing and or fun. There is so much more to it than that though. I find that people who do not make things do not full understand why anyone would want to make anything they could just buy. I do not know if any of the non makers out there will understand why I love to knit, spin and bake. For the rest of you here are the true reasons I do what I do.

I would like to start with the relaxing part. When I spin my mind slows down and my shoulders relax. I am able to let go of the things that annoyed me through out my day. When I knit I am able to think more clearly and the things that stress me out find solutions. When I am baking I forget about everything, but measuring the ingredients and I can just let go for a while. All of these activities are fun for me. I find that watching one thing become another is exciting. Watching fiber become yarn, yarn become a garment, and flour and other ingredients become delicious food is just fun to watch.

Then there is the history aspect of my hobbies. With all of them I know I am doing things that humans have done for thousands of years, if not more. I know that I am making the same motions as millions of people who have come before me. I know that there have been woman and men doing the same things as I am doing now to take care of those that they loved. With my small actions I am connected in a tangible way to so many who have come before me. I love this idea. There are days when all I need is to get away from the internet and my cell phone for just a few minutes and get that connection. When I do all is right in my world even if only for a few minutes.

So why do I spin when I can just by yarn? Why do I knit when I can buy knitted goods? Why do I bake when they sell baked goods in the store? Well the fastest and simplest answer is because I can. I can make things to keep me fed and warm. The longer answer that gets me strange looks from the muggles, is that it is fun relaxing and gives me a connection to history and humanity that I have not found any where else.

So if you are stressed out about your holiday knitting or just stressed out about your holidays take a minute and think about why you do the things that you do and enjoy them. If only for a minute. It may change the rest of your day.

Time Is Only an Illusion

Well I finally got around to doing things this week. I made some wonderful bread from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It is a whole wheat sandwich loaf. It tastes amazing. I found it went beautifully with chili and soup. I made sandwiches too. I was thrilled to find this book. I have not been much of a plain white bread person for years. I can not even tell you the last time that I bought a loaf of white bread. Finding a five minute method that works with whole wheat is a god send. I am looking forward to trying some of the other recipes in this book. I have learned that I will want to cook the loafs for a little longer than I did this one. I was worried the crust would get to dark if I left it in longer. The inside was a little under done for my liking though. I can not say with any authority if this is the book or my oven.

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I picked up my spindle again this week as well. I am working on some baby camel down. This fiber is wonderful. I got this fiber from Village Spinning and Weaving in Solvang California. If you ever get the chance to visit them I recommend it. I lived an hour or so away from Solvang several years ago and we would make the occasional day trip down to the town. It is a lovely little tourist trap. When I found the spinning shop I was thrilled. They were helpful and answered my many questions. They also have a good selection of fiber. It didn't hurt that there was a wonderful fudge shop not but one block away either.

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I have been working on a pair of socks for my father as well. When he came to visit a while back I had him pick a pattern he would like to have. He picked the Norwegian Rose pattern out of Toe-Up Socks for Every Body. It is a fun pattern so far. I am not moving very fast on these socks, but they are making progress. I am very proud of these. They are my first attempt at stranded knitting. I have had a few tension issues, but many of them will come out with blocking.

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If you are wondering about the title of this post it is because I did not think I had gotten any thing done this week till I sat down to write this post. I have been home on vacation from work all week and felt as if I had not accomplished any thing. Now I see that I have done more than I thought. My house is clean, I helped a friend on her new house and I manged to get some crafting done. I feel rested and ready to return to work. It turns out that a few days off can do wonders for your energy level.