30

Well, according to my youngest brother, I am now officially old. Half my life ago I met him for the first time and reflected with shock that this day would come. Now that it's here, I'm finding it harder than I would have thought to face being 30, but as I have no choice I'm doing my best to accept it. Thankfully there wasn't a big party, but they did deck out the main sitting room for the small evening gathering!

Tonight, in somewhat belated celebration, we sent up a sky lantern from the airstrip. I love watching them!

In the last two weeks of crafting news, I made an obi inspired rice pack and holder for evenings when my shoulder is achy,

finished my shawl to cowl project rescue,

finished an Anticlastic cowl knit from a shawlette that I wasn't using, (I'm afraid it might be a little small...)

and started a Pogona shawl for my birthday. I'm loving how this yarn is knitting up!

I'm off this coming weekend, so I have hopes of getting more stuff done. Here's to being 30!

Parting shot: Pure magic.

Things I have learned in three decades of living

* Life is weird, wild, beautiful, painful, and wonderful, sometimes (okay often!) all at once. Despite the risk, I’d rather have my breath taken away by living, than by refusing to live fully.

* Living for Jesus means the greatest joys and the deepest pains. Ditto for living with His people.

* Life is too short to read bad books except as a way of dealing with the madness of your personal world for a very brief time.

* Life is also too short to drink bad cups of tea, or to listen to cheesey/elevator/lame music for more time than you can possibly help.

* There is a BIG difference between being needed and appreciated.

* When you are a control freak/hater of half-assery, your life is going to be a whole lot harder than everyone else’s…

* People are enormously important, and having good friends with whom you are safe to be absolutely yourself is vital.

* No on is perfect, including myself or my family, and since we are all imperfect, people will disappoint you, and you will disappoint yourself and others. Sad result of living in a fallen world, Errare est humanum.

* That being said, people will always surprise you—for good or ill!
“My dear Frodo!’ exclaimed Gandalf. ‘Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch.” –J. R. R. Tolkien

* The ability to effectively communicate is pretty much priceless, and despite all the educating we do, surprisingly rare.

* Know theyself, and be thus armed against thine own follies and failings. When I think of the grief I could have saved myself by knowing how I tend to respond in certain situations…

* Showing someone the better, higher, smarter way does not mean that they will choose it, or even value it. Also, giving someone an excellent education doesn’t necessarily mean that it will do them any good. Anyone can play ‘water off a duck’s back’ with knowledge and like the Humbug come out of the Sea of Knowledge pretty dry…

* Knitting can be almost as expensive as drugs, but it sure is a more productive hobby, and how many knitting addicts have you heard of going to jail? Why do you think I haven’t been arrested yet?

* It is totally possible to be tired of being in school, but still have a passion for learning.

* While I love both cats and dogs, if I had to choose just one to have as a pet, it would be a cat. Cats take more character to appreciate, and while sometimes I want to banish mine to Alaska, I couldn’t live without my lil’ Java Bean.

And finally, 'cause she is totally my hero,

FO, FO, HO!

Despite my very busy week (I don't know why I even specify that anymore--do I have any other kind? Ever?) I managed to finish two projects, and to complete the first half of another. Hence the title. Why yes, in my tired, teacher state I am totally laughing at my own wit.

First of all, my 'rescue the shawl that I no longer really want and has so much bad mojo anyway because it was my staff meeting project a few years ago' is now drying after a bath. I just need to seam it up into a cowl, and then it's not only DONE but a fun accessory.

I also finished that scarf that a short termer started two years ago, and I decided to complete as it was nice, name brand wool. I had never knit with Lamb's Pride before, but I have to say that it totally grew on me. And, after giving it a bath prior to blocking, I love it even more. This will be really good when I hopefully go to some cold places in the next year... Picture to follow when it's dry.

And, for my HO, I finished the first of my Blink socks. Loving the toes and how clever I was to continue to the feathers onto the heel flap. Now if I can just knit the next one without having to do a total frog...

I'm not counting these as impressive finished things, but I did complete this adorable fish dishcloth,

and this Captain America one. O Captain, my Captain! It would be a bad day indeed when I had to choose between him and Mal...

And, I have a new river knitting project, a sock in a lovely self striping yarn. I will be interested to see how my 'forethought heel flap' turns out on a full scale...

There was a knitting disaster that was discovered on Friday night, but I'll tell that story next time--after it's been fixed. So, that's pretty much it for me. I'm looking forward to being off next weekend so I can do some more knitting. End transition.

HO, HO, HO!

In knitting lingo, HO stands for half-finished object. And, I have three half or slightly more than half finished objects!

First, I have a cowl that I taught a short termer to knit on a few years back, and have just picked up and fallen in love with myself. The super easy Stretch Infinity Scarf is delighting me with the simplicity and the squishy fabric being created.

Second, I finished my first Stitch Surfer! I’ve got the other one past the toe, and I do need to weave in the ends on the first one, but I’m still calling it a done!

Thirdly, I am past the half-way point on my Vivid blanket! I’m pretty much out of compatible yarn, so I’m going to have to decide what I want to do. This isn’t being made for anyone in particular; the main point was for the endorphine rush I get from using things up and it’s PURTY. Here is the latest block:

In other knitting news I made some good progress on the foot of my Blink sock during the teachers and staff meetings last week,

and of great personal excitement I am past the underarms on my sweater of insanity! Why insanity? Long sweater in light fingering weight yarn for a big person (me). Now you get it…

I’ve also been doing some spinning over the last few weeks. I pulled out my Mountain Colors, and found that I could realistically get about a quarter of the three long color repeats on the spindle at a time. I’m using the ply on the fly method, and I’m pleased that I seem to be getting more consistent. Here is the yarn on the spindle resting overnight,

and here the washed, fulled, and skiened up yarn. I can’t wait to cast on; I have a cowl along the lines of the Stretch Infinity Scarf in mind. Now I keep thinking more and more about getting a spinning wheel…

Today is May Day, a national holiday, so I have a bit of breathing before another very busy day as kids arrive and I get classrooms put back together. Where did the holiday go?