Truthtime

Knitters, I knew this week would be a tough one to blog during – work was scheduled to be busy and things that happen after work were happening all week long. And then yesterday, after my work day, I got laid off.

It’d be easy for me not to mention it and to keep the blog all happy happy joy joy, knitting and pups and mountains yay! But. This year I want to make an effort to be more transparent in my blogging and this is a big thing that quite a few people have had – or will have – to deal with in their lives. At first I was upset, mad, discouraged and angry. I’m still feeling a lot of those things today but I’m trying to look at the bright side:

• This creates more space for a more fulfilling, inspiring opportunity to fill its place
• Dealing with tough shit makes you stronger

I’m a Law of Attraction person and am working on envisioning my dream job, what it looks like, feels like, inspires in me and allows me to be able to do. I’m going to go to networking events and talk to people and get past my shyness. I’m going to take care of myself and not get lost in the negative feelings spurred by the change.

What are some of your favorite ways to stay on the sunny side and get shit done? What are you working on this week?

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On My To-Knit List

There are so many gorgeous projects out there that I want to tackle right.this.second and have in my closet. I’m not a solely monogamous knitter but I do try to stick to one or two projects to make sure that I actually finish them (as I mentioned the other week) and so I know that if I cast on all the things I wanted to knit, I’d feel guilty for having too many. Yarn brings feels, ya’ll and guilty is not one that I want. Here are some of my favorite projects that I’m holding off on for the time being – are you knitting any of them? Perhaps I can live vicariously through your projects!

1. From Another Place Crop Top by Leah Coccari-Swift
2. Lucca by Jared Flood
3. Peony by Kat Riddell (I even already have the pattern for this one AND the yarn picked out!)

Do you have a waiting list of knits that you’re dying to get to? What are some of your faves?

WIP Wednesday: One Done & Onto the Next

Phew, I was finally able to finish up the first sleeve for the Cascades pullover over the weekend and immediately started the cuff of the second sleeve. I’m making a few mods to the sweater – especially in the sleeve area. I don’t like sleeves to be too tight on my upper arms and in the armpit area so I’m making the second size and will add a few more decreases to the raglan when I join the pieces together to help it fit the first size body piece.

I also added an inch or so of length – I don’t have extra long arms but I do like cozy “sweater paws” as Kat recently put it. Now I just have to wish and hope and wish and hope that I have enough yarn to make the mods (A-line body shaping, larger, longer sleeves) and make the sweater work!

What are you working on this week?

Reflections

The book I’m listening to lately on my commutes keeps emphasizing that your life now – your relationships now, your bank account now, your situation now – doesn’t reflect who you are but instead who you were. This is an awesome reminder for me (and maybe for you?) to keep moving forward and toward your goals.

A lot of my efforts the past few weeks have been focused on creating financial stability and a career I’m in love with. It’s easy to get caught up in “I’m not there yet” or “my emergency account isn’t full” or “eep! taxes!” but the other day I was thinking about where I was this time last year – January of 2015.

By the time 2014 ended, I was so ready for it to be over. It was a tough year. A good year in many ways (bought a house!) but also awfully tough (my dream job ended up not being so dreamy). January of 2015 saw me needing to move (again, after only 3 months) on short notice because my roommate/leaseholder was moving for work. It saw me struggling to make my rent and my mortgage payments because my tenants weren’t paying their rent. I was working 60+ hour weeks to pay the bills at on-your-feet-all-day jobs. I felt like I couldn’t get ahead because dealing with the day-to-day was such a damn struggle.

What a big difference a year has made! This January sees me working with a management company to rent out my house – one less major thing on my plate. I’m rolling over an old 401k into a Roth IRA because it’s better for my future. I was able to purchase a new-to-me car when my old one was no longer reliable – the cost of peace of mind is invaluable. I’m seeking out more writing and editing jobs (freelance and otherwise) because that’s what makes me happy.

It’s such a good thing to remember and keep in the back of your mind –

Where you are doesn’t reflect who you are, it reflects who you were

So where are you going from here? I’m going to keep heading in the direction of my dreams.

WIP Wednesday: A Little Help on the Sleeve

I’m working on the first sleeve of my Cascades and enjoying it just as much as I enjoyed knitting the body. It’s coming along quickly but I’m considering casting on the second one just so that it’s started and I don’t get a bout of Second Sleeve Syndrome. That stuff’s serious bidness and I don’t want to tempt fate.

Lisa is always around – she lays under my desk when I’m working, everytime I get up to go anywhere so does she and, of course, she feels the need to participate in my picture-taking. She even has her own hashtag (she’s so hip). Her hair is basically all over all my clothes anyway, why not just work it into the garment while it’s being knit up, right?

What you working on this week? Do you have pets who participate in your every move?

Sometimes Monogamy is Hard

I’ve never claimed to be a monogamous knitter but generally, I get overwhelmed if I have too many projects going at once. I like to finish things and working on twelve different projects at once doesn’t usually lead to the quickest FO’s. 

At the same time, knitting sweaters takes a lot of time and dedication. My Cascades is coming along – I made it to the underarms of the body and started the cuff of the first sleeve at knit night this week. That sweater and I have been monogamous since I cast the thing on!

My eyes though, they’ve been wandering. I’ve been looking at my stash, imagining the possibilities; looking at my Ravelry favorites and comparing it with the stash…Hell, I even cast on the beginnings of my Hualpa Kimono last week to take some of the edge off (no good photos, the sun is scarce around these parts). 

Even that doesn’t seem to be enough to keep me faithful to my sweater progress. Just the other day I sprung for Kat Riddel’s Peony pattern and I have just the yarn to use for it (yarn courtesy of my friend Freshy (who really needs to get back to blogging) from a years back). The only thing keeping me from casting on righthisverymoment is that the yarn hasn’t been wound into a cake yet….but my winder isn’t far from reach….

What are you working on this week? Are you a multi-project knitter or a monogamous one?

Test Knitters Wanted: Forest Cardigan

I’m sending out a call for a few more test knitters for a new cardigan pattern – The Forest Cardigan! If you follow the blog, you may remember this as my NaKniSweMo sweater and it’s a design I’ve had in my head for ages. 

It’s knit out of worsted weight yarn on US 9 needles – so it’s a quick one! Knit from the top down with raglan shaping, there aren’t any seams to sew up. Stitches are picked up for the button band and that’s about the most complicated thing going on here.

More details can be found in my Ravelry Group.