Looking Back | December 2015.

The sun is shining, the laundry is done, the house is clean, I have two new knitting projects on the needles (one for "just me" and one for next week's newsletters), a good book on Audible ... and a blog post for this first non-holiday weekday of 2016. Here's to a happy beginning for the new year!

But first, how about a quick look back at December, again through the lens of my daily photos.

Not as many twinkle lights as I expected (nor as many cocktails!), but it does look like December!

I've already shared most of the stories here, but here are two I haven't. First, that's my sister-in-law Lydia smiling with a cocktail on the 15th...wearing Stole 2.0. 

credit to my sister for the cocktails...and those adorable snowman glasses!

I knit most of that piece during November and early December.  It gave me so much comfort during those dark days; thinking that the care and love I worked into those stitches can comfort her now makes me happy! 

Then on December 26, I finished my 25th journal...and another knitting tale.

18 projects finished. Four from stash, eight for others and five samples (which will end up in my closet once the shop is through with them). Three of those projects (two sweaters and Tokyo) used yarn held double, so the nearly 13,000 yards is a little mis-leading. Still, though, it was a lot of knitting and I'm happy about that!

I'm way behind reading blogs, but Marc leaves for Asia in the morning and I'm planning to savor catching up on everything I missed last week. Can't wait to read your stories! Hope your year is off to a great start!

the Knitting Tale of the 23rd Journal.

...continuing a tradition I began years ago and re-kindled back in January, I'm sharing the knitting story of my latest journal. This journal began on January 26 and ended today, covering almost five months. In that time I completed 17 projects including six from stash and nine for other people and used 7,439 yards of yarn. I've been knitting v e r y  s l o w l y these last seven weeks, so those yards were pretty much all worked in about three months...hence a knitting injury!

I am delighted with all the colors this time: blues, pink, green, red, orange (!!) and yellow in addition to the usual browns, grays and creams. And not all of that color was for others - the pink and orange are mine!

June might be the first month since I can remember that I won't have anything finished. (I can only hope July won't turn that into a streak!) And I'm taking a different approach to documentation starting next month. The Get To Work Book has numerous project pages and I'm going to use them to document the cast-on and finishing of each project, but there's no band to tie on the bits of yarn. So - much TBD about future knitting tales.

As I type this, I wonder if maybe this will finally push me to blog about each of my FO's as they happen... curious - do you?

the Knitting Tale of the 22nd Journal.

the yarn story

...I finished up journal #22 yesterday. I thought these Knitting Tales used to be a regular thing when I finished a journal, but I can't find a similar post since July 2012 (when I finished journal #14!) One of my favorite things about keeping a journal is revisiting those old tales*...and comparing them to today's.

the project story

I started this journal the day before Charlie was born, just about 4-1/2 months ago. Since then, I completed 18 projects with 9,734 yards of yarn. Ten of those projects used stash (or gift) yarn and eight were for others. Two sweaters (one for me and one for Charlie), one shop sample, a few cowls and scarves and eight hats!

As you can see from the colors, or lack thereof (I think every spot of color is stash except for that bit of purple at the top which was a sample for the shop), I'm in a monochrome/neutral phase right now. Looking forward to the three pops of green that will be tied onto journal #23!

I'm actually surprised at the pace. Journals #13 and 14 each covered a similar amount of time, and I knit about the same yardage. Wow. It seems like I've given up a lot of my knitting time to other things, especially Charlie (and yoga :-)! I'm no longer knitting at stoplights (well...not all the time anyway). Maybe I'm making better use of the time I have. In any event, I guess it's a pleasant surprise.

I'm hoping the 23rd journal tells a similar story - about equal stash vs new and about equal for me vs others. I'd be ok with fewer projects...and less yardage. Just putting it out there - I'm not sure where that will end up!

One more thing - these inside cover pages usually record only a Knitting Tale. But this one also includes a special memento from my sweet friend Virginia. She got her grandma wings two years before I did; her encouragement has been such a blessing! This tag was attached to a bouquet of daisies she gave me at the Grandma Shower. It seemed appropriate to include it on the cover pages of this journal because it's such an integral part of the story.

And now switching gears - I've been thinking about how I document my knitting. I try to keep good notes and photos in Ravelry, plus the bits of yarn and quick one-line summary in the moleskine. Curious if y'all do anything different? you know I'm all about the documentation and I wonder if I'm missing out on anything? I'd love to hear!

*in a nutshell, I tie a bit of yarn from each finished project to the elastic band of my current moleskine journal and write a quick summary on the inside cover to note the date I finished it, the pattern, who it's for, the yarn/colorway I used and the yardage.

the knitting tale of the fourteenth journal.

...no it's not a page turner. and it's definitely not one of my coveted 5 star reads. but when I closed out my fourteenth journal this morning, I was certainly curious.

journal #14 ... the yarn story

back on february 12 when I started it, here's what I wrote:

I hope journal #14 tells a similar story about knitting for others. but maybe not knitting quite so much. and definitely getting back to sweaters. we'll see.

journal #14 ...the project story

today, I tallied the results.

*20 projects - one less than last time
*7 for others - three less...but this time didn't include the rogovin birthday cycle or christmas (but I do have five charity hats in that total - that's good!)
*7 "sweaters"... and I have two on the needles now. I think that slump is definitely behind me.
*9,912 yds = 5.63 mi ~ 1/2 mile more than last time - oops!...but it felt like less.

funny, I knit more yards but it felt like less. and I'm not really sure why (especially because those last few silk/linen projects did a number on my neck/shoulder..and my nails!)  I'd like to think it's balance. I've added a few more things to my schedule (good things, like lunches with katie, and pilates, and more volunteer work) ...but maybe it's really just that the 14th journal took me 146 days, and the 13th was just 131? a two week difference? yeah, I'd believe it. same pace. at a much different time of year. I still need to slow down.

and maybe I will. I started journal 15(!!!!) with a currents list. and of course it didn't fill up the whole page so I added...thoughts about hopes and dreams and all the good things I'll see before I turn 50 in november. know that I'm knitting because I love it. and not just because I don't have anything better to do!

the thirteenth journal ends.

...wow. it still amazes me. this journaling habit. 62 months of my life. documented in 13 journals.

the last page is always me today. a snapshot of what I'm about right now. (and what my hair looks like - funny how much that's changed in the last five years!)

the end of journal #13

with journal #6 I started tying a piece of yarn from each finished knitting project to the moleskine band

with journal #7 I started listing those finished projects inside the front cover. and with journal #13, I added the yardage to that knitting record.

since early october, I've completed 21 projects and knit just over 9,000 yards of yarn. which is more than FIVE miles. whoa. (no wonder I haven't had much time for anything else!) I haven't knit a sweater since november when I finished vodka gimlet. and ten of those projects were for others.

I hope journal #14 tells a similar story about knitting for others. but maybe not knitting quite so much. and definitely getting back to sweaters. we'll see.

tuesday unwrapped.

...I first read about tuesday unwrapped yesterday on emily's blog. and her simple suggestion to

share a moment that may have otherwise disappeared... Instead, stop. Notice. And be thankful.

spoke to me. and I thought about joining in, but it wasn't until this morning when I finally got back on my normal dark-early alarm schedule that I figured out my topic. so no, this isn't a post I triggered for today. it's what struck me as I was pouring my second cup of coffee and it was only 6:30 a.m.

I had 45 whole minutes to spend with my journal. I came to my journaling habit just five years ago (a few months before I started this blog - yes, you could say I'm trying to make up for much lost time by having an extremely well-documented second half of my life!) and it's one I love.

but this month, my journal suffered my push for daily blogging (an unsuccessful push at that since I missed  last friday - you probably didn't even notice did you? I didn't either, until saturday!) I was pushing the daily blogging to see if I could...and to see how it impacted my blogging. back to my focus battle from september, I wondered if posting more often would make my blog better. more on that later...

because what hit me full-on this morning was how much I missed the time with my journal. blank pages I can fill with whatever I want. free to cut and paste (with scissors and glue, not the cmd key on my keyboard). or write. or dream. or reflect. in a way I do not do here on my blog.

clearly this is another balance issue. I love having this blog. having a place to share and connect with others is important to me. but so is having a personal and private place to do my own thing.

so this morning, I stopped. noticed. and was thankful. for the time I had to write in my journal. for the time to work through yet another balance issue (and this evening, for the time to write about it here!)

looking forward to linking up with emily today and for the next few weeks.

thoughts on inspiration.

from ann taylor's november ad, featuring demi moore

...should I be embarrassed to admit I admire demi moore? oh well I do. I think she's strong and committed and smart. and wow, I knew we were about the same age, but when I looked up the wikipedia link, I see she's actually six days older than I am. huh - so add to that list "aging well" :-)

she was featured in the latest ann taylor ad campaign, which arrived in print in my mailbox last week. I always love looking at fashion ads, and this one didn't disappoint. the words on one of the inside pages spoke right to me.

Be Inspired. yep, I cut that out and pasted it in my journal and thought about inspiration. about being inspired. I started a list of things that inspire me. and I realized that - at least for me - being inspired is very different from other "be's", like be optimistic, or be grateful, or be healthy, or be beautiful. those things can exist on their own, but being inspired seems to be a path to someplace else. I need to be inspired to {something}. like pretty yarn or a new pattern collection inspire me to knit (or rearrange my project queue). a brilliant sunrise inspires me to say a prayer of thanksgiving and grab my camera. the latest november magazines arriving in my mailbox inspire me to start planning holiday menus (and cook!!).

I wasn't expecting the list to go like that when I started it. I was expecting a long list of things that would leave me inspired. plain and simple. no object required. things like sunshine, crisp morning walks, time with friends. what inspires you (no object required)?

journal 8.

...finished. true to the tradition I started back in early 2008, I closed with a snapshot of me (today). knitting. hembree park. looking forward to sara's graduation and our trip to nyc. enjoying starbucks knitting time with lynn and virginia. wearing my hair curly some days (but always with mascara, lip gloss and earrings and often with pearls).

and building on a tradition I started in journal 7, I documented 24 finished knitting projects - just the pattern and the yarn I used - a snippet of which I've tied to the journal elastic.



I love the memories that jumble of yarn evokes. and look forward to seeing what journal 9 looks like!

a lesson in irrelevance.

...I honestly thought I was better than this. I *make to do lists, work those to do items and check them off as I complete them, start new lists, and then repeat* forever. (and yes, sometimes I do transfer those last few trailing items from one tired list to a shiny new list, but that's just to keep it fun).

so yesterday, when I cleaned out my bag and found this list, I was...surprised. and yes, a bit disappointed. I started using these particular lists after a very fun shopping spree in chicago last winter. so I know this list isn't more than a year old. and yet. I have absolutely no idea what it's about. I only know one sabrina (I met her last weekend). hoyt? and pasta, definitely familiar with pasta. but as a sub-heading for the unknown sabrina/hoyt? clueless.

and that is my lesson in irrelevance. there was obviously some moment - just in the past year! - where these words were important to me. I wrote them down. ...and then forgot what they meant. they no longer matter to me. and I can only hope that whatever importance they conveyed at the time was realized.

I pasted this card into my journal this morning. the journaling talks about how fleeting most of those "most urgent" items are. and a note to self to make sure my future notes to self are easier to deciper. and the bright green items I added? today's to-do's. topped by ruby red (I've decided to finish it for my retirement party on january 28th - yikes!!!), calls to clients about my retirement (four down, two to go. a part of this process I really underestimated), getting our act together for cooking brunch at sue & david's this weekend, and getting the last of my holiday photos into an album.

I'm off to knit....