I’m sure you’ve heard this quote before:
I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
~Doulgas Adams – English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 – 2001)
Oh but I beg to differ Mr. Adams. The deadlines in my house are more like ninjas. Insidious, and silent, they lie in wait for you only to pounce when you have blithely forgotten about them and are puttering happily along. This reminds me of a kids’ song that Knittymunchkin and I love by the Barenaked Ladies called “The Ninjas”:
The Ninjas are deadly and silent
They’re also unspeakably violent
They speak Japanese, they do whatever they please
And if you tear off their masks they’ll be smiling.
I imagine my deadlines smiling madly at me from behind the potted plants while plotting feverishly to attack me with five-finger death punches and assorted hand-held artillery. I’m pretty sure a throwing star whizzed past my head this morning. The deadline of which I am specifically referring to would be this one. A writing contest I posted about wanting to enter…oh…back in April. I guess I was feeling optimistic in that warm spring air, which has since fizzled into cold drizzly summer air (I am not actually complaining about that – I hate the heat). Instead, one thing after another has popped up, and I can literally watch my free time sublimate in a puff of glittery smoke. So once again, I will be putting a goal aside for less lofty accomplishments like keeping Knittymunchkin fed and clean clothes on all our backs. But this is o.k. I’m learning that this is what life with a toddler means. It also means kisses, snuggles, giggles and more love than I ever thought possible. So it’s worth it :) This is a season in my life and rather than dwell on the aspects I don’t appreciate, I need to spend more time being present in the moments that really matter because once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
Taking care of myself and letting go of all the crap that stresses me isn’t something I do easily. But knitting helps. I’ve been a monogamous kind of gal lately and when all else seems chaos, I have the simplicity of a beautiful pattern and stunning yarn to ground me. I just finished Spectra and it was the perfect balm for my anxiety. Stunning in its simplicity, yet sophisticated in manifestation, I was obsessed from the moment I began. No modeled pics as of now, but I did snap a few “artsy” shots for my project page which I’ll share with you here.
"Spectra" by Westknits
- Pattern: Spectra by Stephen West (Ravelry link here; My Ravelry project link here)
- Yarn: Main Color (Blue): Malabrigo Sock in “Impressionist Sky”; Contrasting Color (Multi): Noro Silk Garden Sock in #211
- Needles: Size 5 bamboo straights
- Mods: None
- Completed: July 7, 2011
"Spectra" by Westknits
Love love love this pattern! Love the Malabrigo Sock! Hate the Noro Silk Garden. Sorry Noro. Usually I love you, but this time you freakin’ shanked me. Three knots (three! knots!), bad transitions and too much red-orange (which I only mildly like at best). What do you have to say for yourself? If I wasn’t so stubborn, I would have done this differently and just cut out the colors I didn’t like as I came to them, instead of just suffering for my craft. But what can I say. I hate to weave in ends. I imagine making another one of these someday and making it a sock yarn scrap project. It’s really well suited for that if you resign yourself ahead of time to having a billion and two ends to knit in. I called this project “The Cool Kids” on my Ravelry project page because I am never knitting what the “cool kids” are knitting. That one hot pattern that everyone has to make the second it comes out almost never appears on my radar until years later. I’ve never made a Clapotis, or a pair of Monkey socks and it took me years to make a pair of Jaywalkers. But for once, I was riding the crest of the cool wave. I was down with what the kids were doing, and it felt good. I’m pretty sure that’s the very last time I’ll be “cool” again, especially once Knittymunchkin hits school age. Then my chances are shot.
So, next week is Sock Summit! Woot! Looking forward to a few days off of “mom” duties, hanging with my super knitty pal Troy, and getting to meet Jess in real life. I’m pretty sure there will be a little drinking, a lot of shopping and a bunch of knitting too. Can’t wait!