A little before I say good night

I've had quite the long day, but I just wanted to write a quick post before I hit the sack tonight. I have been teaching again this semester after taking a year off. Just one public speaking class, but it's been quite the challenge getting back to a routine of being in class twice a week. Shoot, that reminds me. I need to figure out a speaking order for my students and get it posted for them. Anyway, so the day started out with class. Today, we watched Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Even as many times as I have seen it, it is still amazingly powerful. I love this particular lesson on language and delivery.

After class I got to spend a little time in the yarn before I had to be at work. I love to spend Wednesday afternoons at the yarn shop because I get to see so many of my friends. They inspire me, encourage me, listen to me, love me. It's awesome. Today, I realized that I am nearly half finished with a shawl I have been working on all month. I gave myself the deadline of Oct. 31 to reach the halfway point. I was so excited to be almost at my goal. I love this pattern. It's a long, rectangular stole made of lace weight yarn. Baruffa Cashwool to be exact. It's heavenly.

Here's how far I am so far:



And here's what it will kind of look like once it gets all blocked (thanks to Connie and Kelly — or was it Susan? I should be able to recognize the hands! It was Jen! I knew I should have been able to recognize those hands — for the assistance):



I am so pleased with it and I can't wait to wear it. I know I am going to love it. I have several other projects going right now too, but this one has been my focus.

I also bought a new crochet book on Monday. Jinna had it at the Crochet Guild chapter retreat, and I loved it. I found it at Barnes and Noble and couldn't pass it up. I love it because it's practical, it's easy to follow, it's got stitch patterns/motifs *and* project patterns. And it's beautiful! It's "The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet." I highly recommend it.

OK, well that is enough for tonight. I am ready to hit the sack, and I think the silly dogs are finally starting to settle down. At least I hope they are.

Some yarn, and some finished objects

I think there may be a few of these posts in the offing. I have quite a few finished items and I have added gobs of lovely yarns to my stash. I will just throw a few of them out there every once in a while. I am having as much fun as ever making things. For a while I felt like I was spending more time with knitting than crochet, but in reality I don't think I was. I think it just feels like it because I can crochet so fast, and it takes me a long time to finish knit projects.

Here are a few photos just for fun:
This is a really fun chicken pot holder. I gave this one away. I need to make one for me.



Isn't this a pretty yarn? It's dyed by my friend Pacasha. And it's a perfect color for this time of year, it's called "Apple"!



I love making pot holders and dishcloths. They are instant gratification. And fun. And cute. Witness:



I love shawls. I sometimes even wear them. But this one? This one I wear. Noro Sekku. Laceweight yarn. So soft. And lovely colors. And weighs nearly nothing.



That's enough for now. I have lots more to post, so keep your eye out!

Hooking away!

 A few members of our local chapter of the Crochet Guild of America, KS My Stitch, snuck out of the city for a weekend retreat. What a great break it was. One of the things I love about living in Kansas is the wide open spaces. Don't get me wrong, I love mountains and forests and trees, but I love, love, love the prairie. In some weird way it reminds me of the wide open of the ocean. Granted, there is no awesome beachy, salty, smell (rather, you occasionally get assaulted with the smell of feedlots and cattle, but that is beside the point), but the wind across the grass looks an awful lot like waves, and I can always see the sky. I love the sky.

Anyway, six of us went up to Severy, Kansas, near the Fall River Wildlife Refuge, where one of the gals has a cabin. We sat on the deck, with the sun shining around us, the wind blowing lightly over us, and looked out over a beautiful scene.



And we had a great place to sit and crochet and visit too:



And we had so much fun. We laughed and crocheted and laughed and ate and laughed. And then we slept and woke up to this:







Yes, I was actually awake and witnessed this sunrise with my own eyes. Those pictures were indeed taken with my camera by me! It was really beautiful.

What a relaxing and re-energizing weekend. I really needed it. And it has inspired me to sit a little more often when I have a minute and bust out my hooks. Fabulous!

A long time . . . again

Well, I've been thinking about updating my blog for ages and I finally decided to do it. I have so many ideas and things that I want to post about, so it will end up being a series of posts.

Oh, so much has happened since I last posted (I really do need to get better at this, but I just keep saying that and not following through). So, I will just choose something random for today and then worry about all that other stuff later. Life is crazy as always. I forget to slow down -- although that's not such a problem as it used to be. But I am learning to make more of an effort at keeping me mentally healthy. It's awfully hard to keep everyone else that way if I am not.

This means that there is likely much more yarn and many more hooks in my future. As well as a little more thinking of others. I am not very good at that. I consider myself to be quite a selfish person, and that is not a quality I am comfortable with. I am really trying to be more thoughtful; to be more aware of others' needs; to be more in tune with people around me. To help meet others' needs. To do more to help them know they are loved. I know how much I appreciate it when someone tells me I am loved and I want to make people feel that way.

Tonight at work I looked up and out the newsroom windows. The sky was absolutely aflame with the colors that I only see in Kansas sunsets. Gorgeous. Amazing. And a reminder that there is something out there that is greater than me. A reminder that there is beauty everywhere. A reminder to stop, breathe, and take life one step at a time. A good reminder.