Officially Spring

I decided to use the Noro Kochoran from my stash for a shawl instead of the sweater I originally planned since I didn't have enough for that sweater. I would have needed about 11 balls and I only had five. I finished the shawl yesterday and wore it today as my outerwear today. It was still a little chilly this morning for just this but as spring progresses, I think it will work out. Spring in Central Oregon is still a little cold. This shawl is incredibly soft - as Kochoran has the angora in it!

Sorry about the photo, blogger doesn't seem to have a way to rotate the photo, nor my computer. At least not that I have found, but I'm not so tech savvy.

A Taste of Silence

I went to a workshop this morning on Contemplative Prayer which was put on by our local chapter of Contemplative Outreach (www.contemplativeoutreach.org). I was so inspired by my experience and I hope to put this discipline into practice in my daily life.

Knitting can bring mindfulness but because my life is so full I often knit in the midst of crazy, family life with TV going, kids asking questions, playing loudly, etc. So even if the act of knitting is stilling my body, my mind is not necessarily as quiet. I tend to follow and dwell on negative thoughts or lay plans for the rest of the week and I'm always thinking about more than one thing at a time. I need some quiet time to center my mind which will help me hold on to that stillness during the rest of my day.

The experience of centering myself with silent (wordless) prayer made me feel so peaceful this morning that I want to hold onto that feeling the rest of the day. It is my intention to practice the centering prayer on a daily basis.

Star Day

Yesterday was Star Day in our house. When my son was four years old he asked me, a week before Valentines Day, why we had to have a holiday made around the shape of hearts. He said he didn't like hearts and why couldn't we have a holiday about stars? I told him that we could make our own holiday all about stars and asked him what that holiday would be like? He told me we'd have stars and candy. I should have known - every holiday for kids revolves around candy!

So since 2004, we've been celebrating Star Day near the end of February every year. We decorate the house with stars and the Star fairy delivers candy. Even the grandparents get into the celebration by sending a Star Day gift. My son tells me that he is going to ask the new president to make Star Day a national holiday. We may have to flesh out the celebration a bit before that happens.

Is spring around the corner?

Its beginning to feel like winter's slumber is coming to an end. The days are longer and I've seen the sun a little bit. I've even been out for a walk or two. Yesterday morning it was raining and it felt like the Willamette Valley, not the frozen tundra of Central Oregon.

Parenting challenges have been filling my time after work but I've done a bit of knitting. I made a Valentine's sweater for my daughter's bear and she loves it.

I have been working on socks and have four different socks on the needles. It may be a while before I have a pair of any of them but at least I'm knitting.

I am thinking of knitting the Lace Scarf from Vogue Knitting winter 2008/09. At first I was a little discouraged by the cost of the Blue Sky Alpaca bulky that was used in the pattern but then I received the latest Knit Picks catalog and discovered the Super Bulky weight Suri Dream and think it may be possible for me to make this scarf even in these tough economic times.

Catch Up

The wise, domestic website of Flylady says "You are not behind, you don't need to catch up, jump in where you are." and I get peace from her words. But in this case, I do feel like I'm catching up, in the sense that my brain is catching up with time. So much has gone on in the last two months with holidays and houseguests, school starting up again and new sports seasons beginning, and my own mild but annoying illness, that I've spent a lot of time just processing and dealing with everything that needs to be done along the way. Now I think my mind is in the present moment and I can move forward with all my own creative pursuits.

Facebook is one thing that has taken up some time in the last week. Once you join, you become addicted and have to log on every few hours to see who has accepted your friend request, or responded to your message, or posted a new status. I find that after a week, I need log on only once a day to check on things. But what a great way to connect with old friends, I've found friends from high school that I never thought I'd catch up with and some that I wasn't even that close to that I enjoy corresponding with.

Also in the last month, my beautiful daughter turned 12 amid home-made clam chowder and a new ipod. She is turning into the junior-high schooler I always wished I'd been - pretty, confident and in charge of her own wardrobe. She also participated in the 6th grade concert playing her bass in the orchestra.

My son had his first basketball game yesterday and there is much improvement from 3rd to 4th grade play. Its not as hilarious to watch and they begin to look like they know what they're doing.

And lastly, there has been very little knitting but I was able to show my brother the sweater I am making him and all that's left do is block it and piece it together.

Making progress

I had several good hours of knitting yesterday and made some good progress on the Brother sweater. I have finished the front and started on the back. I'm not enjoying this yarn and if I'd chosen it in the last few years I know I'd have made a different and more informed choice. Eleven years ago when I chose this yarn, I had no idea what I was doing!

But continuing to use the original yarn, I am being authentic and loyal to the project as it was begun so I will keep it up. I think it will soften up nicely after its first soak.

The sweater is looking good so far.

Completed Prayer Shawl

I finished the Prayer Shawl and have worn it in the evening while knitting. It keeps me warm and is so soft and comfortable. I do feel very comforted in the shawl with all those good thoughts having been knit into each stitch. I am looking forward to making many more of these to give to friends and relatives.

I found a fantastic blog tonight while searching for a recipe for cooking beans in the crock pot. Its called 'A Year of Crockpotting' and is written by a mom who made a new years resolution to use her crock pot for 365 days in a row starting 1/1/08. She has some fantastic recipes and the layout is very easy to read and use. The link is on the sidebar, check it out. I am so inspired!