Crazy for Ewe
Never stop learning
Amazing. That's how I describe the weekend with Tanis Gray. So often designers of this caliber are not the best teachers. Some teachers are not even the best teachers. Tanis, however, is not only a talented, prolific, and celebrated designer, but a wonderful and generous teacher, and a warm and genuine person. It was a pleasure to get to know her, to watch her teach, and to learn from her. As students were leaving Sunday, I heard them all thank Tanis and say how much they'd enjoyed the class and how much they had learned. Ginni and I chatted afterwards about how these women, some of whom have been knitting more
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Letting go of fear
As I was going through this whole planning and goal setting process that I mentioned last week, I came across an interesting question that I had to answer in order to complete the plan. It asked, What are you afraid of?
Afraid? Me? Really? Wait a minute. I'm a grown up. I'm the one who looks under the bed to check for monsters. Grown-ups aren't afraid of anything, are we? Or are we? The truth is that everyone, at some level, is afraid of the unknown. more
Chunking - the key to success
There are so many projects and ideas running around in my head, that I am often overwhelmed and paralyzed, and nothing gets done. I've been struggling with a way to get my arms around it all, and in my search, I stumbled across Productive Flourishing and their Momentum Planning program. This guy was a military logistics officer, which means that he knows how to take care of the big stuff and the small stuff without letting anything fall through the cracks. He has an intuitive sense of how to herd cats, which is another way of saying, he can help people like me learn to focus, stay on track, and actually more
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You've got to taste it
My husband and I had the Saturday all to ourselves as Colton was spending the weekend in DC with Johnny. Friday was a pretty wild time with me and Malcolm falling asleep around 7:30 on (or near) the sofa. But Saturday was a trip to Fredericksburg, and when in Fredericksburg, a stop at Wegman's is non-negotiable. I love everything about this store, but it's the cheese counter that calls to me most. Cheese, like wine, is a fascinating living product with a million varieties, each with its unique characteristics. Even after all these years of loving cheese, I still tend to the kinds I know because they're safe. But I want to know more - to make more
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It's a practice
We had a wonderful day Sunday practicing mindfulness in knitting, yoga, all lots of other ways. Mindfulness is really just being present in the moment and experiencing right now without thinking or worrying about the past or the future. Sounds simple, but it's amazing how hard it can be to stay focused. There I was knitting away on one of my favorite yarns in my absolute favorites color. I'm making a throw with mitered squares. The pattern is easy but not boring, and I really love working it. It should have been a breeze for me to focus on the yarn and the colors and be in the moment with my beautiful project. But my mind kept wandering - what else could I make with this yarn? What other patterns would look good in mitered squares? I was all over the place more
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Your brain on knitting
Sally Melville, is one wise woman. A pioneering knitwear designer, Sally's mantra is "knit what you wear and wear what you knit" I love the way she teaches, the way she writes, and the way she thinks. She spent a number of years at Canada's University of Waterloo teaching study skills and she has done some wonderful work on learning and remembering. In studying how to study, one of the things she more
The Weekender
Sweater weather? We've been saying it since October, but today it really is -- a cozy, curl up on the couch kind of day full of nothing but knitting and binge watching your favorite shows. What you want right now is Andrea Mowry's gorgeous Weekender sweater. If you're not already wearing it, this is more
The Celebrity
I don't know any celebrities, and if I did, they probably wouldn't stay at my house, but I can imagine what it would be like if they did stay at my house. High excitement and drama, plenty of glitz and glam, lavish over-the-top events, an endless array of rich food, too much alcohol, and a complete disconnect from the real world. That's exactly how I see the holidays. They are like my imaginary celebrity friend. I can't wait till she gets here, am thrilled by the visit, and when it's time for her to go, I am ready to say goodbye. The thrill of it all can be quite overwhelming, and I breath a deep sigh of relief as we take down the more
Taking stock of 2018
A new year is all about taking stock. At the shop, we do it with inventory as we count each and every skein of yarn, bag, needle, and notion. It's a huge job that takes 8 people all day, and I'm always glad when it's over. As painful as inventory is, I'm always glad to have done it because an accurate count gives everyone a more
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Knitting as active rest
Meet Malcolm, our new puppy. We were very lucky to find him, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving we brought home an 8 week old bundle of cuddles and happiness. I still miss my Dorey every day, but this little guy is working very hard to fill the hole in my heart. He is also working very hard to learn the secrets of my knitting bag and understand why it fascinates me. He already knows more
Fake it till you make it
Last week, my daughter Katie, said that in December she will have been with her current company for a year and a half. I asked her if it felt like a long time or a short time, and she laughed and said, "Both!" She knows it's not a really long time in the grand scheme of things, but she said it has been a long time in terms of what she's learned. She said, "When I first got there, I just did more
Savoring life
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so happy to have all my kids home for the holiday, even Elizabeth who had the audacity to move all the way across the country. Just kidding. She has a terrific job, loves the area, and is super happy, so I'm happy too. I do miss her, but as with everything, you have to take the bad with the good. I was reading an article on mindfulness today and how mindfulness, and gratitude are the building blocks of happiness. The author used the term "savoring." I love that word -- I love the idea of it. I think it kind of more