Quietish

I don’t know what my deal is about blue. I generally think its a nice color, and some shades are incredibly striking. How could I see my son’s eyes and think of them as anything less than stunning? Also, my birthstone is the sapphire.

However, I very, very rarely ever have a desire to wear or decorate with blue. Actually, as I type this, my WP “dashboard” is a blue theme and I think it’d be nice if I could change it. I run Windows XP, and each time I’ve installed it, almost the first thing I had done was change the theme (taskbar, windows, etc) from blue to green or silver. I pick on my husband because his car is “crayola blue.”

I think that most of my reason for avoiding blue is that it seems to me to be a very mainstream, universally beloved color. Lots of people call it their favorite. Traditionally, I have always been one to pass on things that are hip and trendy, etc. (Although Kelly would argue against that point, calling me a Gryffindor and such, lol)

Pay no mind, I’m just a freak. I do like blue, I just… don’t at the same time.

With the first triad of Project Spectrum being blue, white, and gray, I found myself a bit challenged. I don’t think I had one ball of blue yarn in my stash, for instance. Although, white really isn’t a problem for me.

I knew right off that I could easily just use blue in things that aren’t knitting related. Like this ATC, for instance:

I made that for the Creative Mom Podcast swap.

A bit ago I realized that a project that has been sitting in my lap for weeks has a good amount of blue. I’ve got quite a few more days left of knitting on this one.
If you’re not Angie, click to see the pic behind the link here:
supersecretbabyproject

Then last week or so, I snagged some lovely yarn from Bonne Marie, because Justin will eventually need a sweater. It is now swatched and a design is in the works.

Since Justin doesn’t need it til next time it gets cold, (I think we’re looking at late October here in OK nowadays for cold weather) and as his only pair of handknit socks died recently, the next pair of socks on the needles will be his. And look, the yarn fits into the theme as well. Score!

My SPS for this week comes from the midst of The Noisy Construction. The other night I walked past to check the hours. 10:30pm close most nights except Sunday, when it closes at 9.

I spent an hour or two there tonight, enjoying a grande mocha.

It is pretty and very spacious in there, with lots of comfy seating. Yes!

So I did a little journaling in my poor neglected pocket sketchbook Moleskine.

And to avoid having spent the entire day on my rear, I got out for a bit of walking. Which leaves me:

Beginning to sing (38 miles)

Although the anniversary of Mom’s death is two days from now, today is her birthday and I would prefer to think about her life.

I wrote her a letter last year. Today, I don’t particularly want to cry.

I keep thinking about my mom as an artist. Oh, she was. Not many would have seen her that way as she lived a mundane, sort of unexceptional life. But she wasn’t unexceptional.

Many times I got the very strong sense that she had awesome creativity just below the surface. I can’t describe it. It was as if she had a million things to say and immeasurable, intangible imagery that she needed to communicate but had never, in all her years, found just the right medium in which to bring it alive.

Once I realized this, my concept of her as an incredibly frustrated individual intensified by many times. It wasn’t that long after that her life ended.

In the most recent years, I was glad to see her begin to notice and embrace things that made her herself. Before them I don’t think she acknowledged they were there. She was finally coming into her own. She bought flower arrangements simply because she liked to surround herself with them. She discovered that she appreciated the work of local artisans. She thought about writing a book, or more, instead of just reading them. She knocked down inhibitions and painted her kitchen red.

She discovered that she was willing to consider options that she had previously insisted she couldn’t.

I am privileged in that I have been able to experiment with many art forms. While there isn’t just one form that I use for my expression, I use what I have and will keep journeying through different means.

As I create, or discover new ways to create, I think about Mom. I wonder if whatever I am doing with my hands would have exhilarated and healed her in the same way. I’ve come across a lot of things that I can envision myself explaining to my mom, down to every last step. The opinions she gives are only guesses at what her reactions really would be.

Her unrealized potential is the main thing that twitches my sense of loss and sometimes guilt. I wish there were still time to tell her that she was an artist.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

I’m not doing much at the moment so I thought I could spend some time sharing a few crafty things.

The other day I got a message from my pal Roberta that she received one of her baby gifts, so now I can share it!

Pattern:
baby bonnet from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn:
Dalegarn Falk, leftover from Jamie’s sweater. (It will be awhile before I go through all of it methinks)
Comments:
I totally dig this pattern and can see myself making it many times over with different yarns. The i-cord edging is sort of a pain, but rather cute and understated. I thought the other day that at some point I’d like to try a little crocheted ruffle on there as well.

On Saturday night, shortly before the trip to the ER, I finished a larger-child-sized vest for CIC/Care Wool.

Pattern:
None. Used the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns again.
Yarn:
Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride in Silver Grey.
Comments:
Yes, I know its very grey. I picked it out when I stood and stared at the wall of it at Gourmet Yarn, couldn’t get excited about any of the other colors, and decided I needed a color I hadn’t used in awhile.

Other knitting:

Last night my desire to sew something was fairly strong, so I set to work binding a little book made from playing cards and paper that Alchemia painted years and years ago.

And then, because productiveness and creativity is attacking from all sides, I drew a quick little ATC. Heee.

And lastly, I walked another mile last night (on solid ice, mind you, so it’s really quite a lot of exercise!), putting me at

Frustrated that I haven’t gotten much further. (13 miles)

I’m being prodded by art and craft inspiration from all sides, some of which seem to have hot pokers. Being completely circled in, however, has kept me from going too far in any particular direction as of yet. I’m encouraged though, I feel the creativity coming on.

Last night I got some walking time in. Now I can be found

Entering Tookland. (5 miles)

*grumbles*
I thought I had some watercolor pencils around here somewhere…
*wanders off*

Photo bonus, as I have nothing to show:

Cian has been getting his creativity on too, this week.

Okay, first things first:
ZOMG No way September is over! *blubbers* I want it back!!
< end panic >

Phew, ok so while I love September, it is first in the group of my favorite months of the year. October is next and I’m perfectly happy with that. In fact, I’m looking forward to it. It should be even cooler and that is a very good thing.

Now, some background info: I have been harboring a desire to take some time and see if I can still draw. I have a large, secret fear that the whole 4-years-of-art thing was a fluke. While I may joke about this, the fear is quite real. I’ve been out of the art (and writing, for that matter) thing for so long that I’m scared to death that when I try again I will end up sucking in a big way. So while I’ve been wanting to do “real” art (and again, writing) for some time, the intimidation has been too much for me. My status as the creative one in my family was the large part of my identity for a long time.

So I think I’ve finally conquered the wimpiness enough to give it a try. And since I’ve got a thing about scheduling my craftiness, I had set aside the month of October for sketching and arty playing. For awhile I even had a good amount of success at clearing my slate knitting-wise so I could go for it.

Unfortunately, the knitting began to fight back and at the moment is winning. So maybe November (favorite-month number 3) will work out instead.

It’s about time for a knitting progress report.

You might recognize this lovely lump of lace.

I’ve heard from more people yet that they still don’t understand the little progress illustrations I’ve posted, so I’m going a little simpler:

I started at the back of the neck and it’s worked side from side down towards the bottom edges. Each color corresponds to a date on which I reported progress. I have no idea why I’m trying so hard to make it perfectly clear just how slowly I’m heading towards being done. But, there it is.

So Peacock has been my focus project so I can get it done and move on. I choose that one to work on as often as possible and have even gotten to where I can knit it fairly well while socializing. Go me!

Then I started some Pomatomuses (Pomatomi? Pomatomoose?) so I’d have something to work on when I just couldn’t commit to sitting still for an hour to get a Peacock row done. They’re coming along alright, but I’m not in any hurry to finish.

And then I decided I needed something even simpler than Pomatomus that I can do when I have even less time to sit down with knitting. So I started Unbiased out of some Vegan yarn I had originally thought I’d do a Funky Scarf out of.

But before I started Unbiased, I had planned on my next project to be a simple toddler sweater for CIC. I already have the yarn.

Now that I think about it, I can’t remember why I started the bag instead of simply casting on for a sweater. The bag will be faster, though.

*mumbles* Today I joined the Ariann knitalong.

I don’t know yet what this means for my knitting or my sanity, but I hope it will be acceptable if I start this project and take my sweet, sweet time with it.

On top of those things, I have a long list of lace shawls I want to do directly after Peacock. Although I think a new shawl project may be pushed back until I have all these things done and dusted. This crafter gets overwhelmed easily. In case you’re wondering, Icarus will likely be my next lace project. Squeee!!

(photo: Interweave Knits)

Anyway, as for this weekend, I plan to spend some time watching lots of Lost, enjoying the cool-ish weather, and finally putting a zipper in my long-finished Ribby.

Either in that order or not.