Calculate Twice, Knit Once

The house is fresh and clean. Not as fresh and clean as it would be if I delved into every nook and cranny but as fresh and clean as it's going to be for now. It seemed to take forever. Possibly because I washed the sheets and mattress protectors and the blankets and pillows and that does take forever or perhaps, it's simply the change in the weather. It was grey, dark, and damp. Not my favourite do anything kind of weather.

Later on, when I went to answer some emails and read blogs, the keyboard tray let go on the left side and ended up flat on the floor. This is not the best position for typing. The tray was made from a table top. It's wide and HEAVY. Luckily, my toes survived the crash.

I'd have hammered the roller back in place but I have learned over the years that hammering is not always the answer so I waited for Howard to fix the rivet thing in whatever way rivet things are fixed. He did and it's working for now although I may need a new roller. I hope not. That's something I really strongly dislike.




When I've bought a product and it's working and working well, it is so annoying to have it break especially because I take care of my things. Completely unrealistically, I feel that they should reward me and not break because spending time, money, and energy re-doing things just seems a total waste to me.

I know, I know - things break and have to be fixed - that's the way of it . AND there's ongoing maintenance involved in owning things. BUT it does seem that we live in a disposable society where very little is valued. That really bothers me. Even when it's less expensive to do so, I can't just throw something out because it's broken and buy a new one. That feels really irresponsible. If I'd done that, I wouldn't now be using my favourite, no longer manufactured, iron again. Imagine!

Yesterday on the news, they outlined why the traditional style of TV is less expensive and more energy efficient to use than some of the flat ones. YES YES - vindicated. I've been resisting the big screen TV for years.

They also profiled three people who had quit their high powered positions and were living a completely different, more meaningful to them, while earning a lot less money, lifestyle. They'd opted for less is more. Apparently, this is an increasing trend that is happening in all kinds of ways and is expressed quite differently for different people. How encouraging. I had hoped that the recession would encourage people to focus less on stuff and more on things of greater value and perhaps it is happening.

In my own life, I see it as a combination of maturity and of moving away from product oriented creativity toward process oriented creativity with a dash of economizing thrown in. There's nothing like a lack of income to make you more creative with your cash although the change to a process driven orientation come first, years ago. Here's a recent example that I'm recycling right now.

Last fall, I bought this cardigan pattern. I'd tried the sample on in the store and it look fabulous only they couldn't quite remember which size it was knit in. That seemed like good information to write on the tag but apparently not except that when I knit it at home, it was not nearly as flattering. I'd obviously chosen the wrong size. In my opinion, it made me look HUGE and now, I'd really be floating in it. I've lost twenty-five pounds since.



The yarn was EXPENSIVE. I just Googled it and the online price was $9.00 per skein. I can't remember how many balls I bought but over ten. Casually tossing out or giving away a hundred dollars is not me. I'm generous but not that generous AND - I need to support the cost of my creativity because being creative is a huge part of my way of being.

SO... I pulled out the sweater and used the yarn to knit a child's coat. At the time, I was learning about design and how to draft and knit a pattern. It's cute but the proportions of the upper garment are not quite right which means that it may get pulled apart too and that's fine with me. I learned what I wanted to learn, I was creative, I was financially responsible, and I can use that yarn again if I want too. While some people might think I'm crazy, these are all good points to me. Now, I'm trying a third idea - a capelet.




A cape, even a short one, is a completely new style for me. The last time I wore anything remotely like this was back in the first poncho days that I remember when I was a little girl. I like the idea of this garment especially for in my studio on cold winter days when I'm reading or knitting in the curl-up chair with my back to the window however, I have no idea if it'll look good on me (and maybe it doesn't need to but that's another thought).




As I mentioned in yesterday's posting, my gauge equalled the number of stitches and double the number of rows called for in the pattern and the pattern is written in rows. I liked the feel of the fabric I created and so decided to double the rows called for which meant decreasing stitches every eight rows.

Several decreases later, I realized the capelet was going to be too long. Following a version of the carpenter's rule, I should have calculated twice and knit once but instead, the minute I realized it wasn't working, I ripped out about 30 rows of 136 to 160 stitches and then did the math. Bad move.

It worked out that I decrease every eight rows until there are eleven stitches between decreases and then I decrease every six rows down to eight stitches. That's about thirty rows past where I was. LOL - I really need to learn to stop and think first BUT... I'm having fun.

On Monday, I had an email from a friend asking me how I was doing now that the business had been closed for a month. She wondered if I was getting anxious and stressed. No - at least not in the way she meant. Being home and not working is not bothering me.

On Tuesday, I went for coffee with another friend whose husband went through a period of extreme illness at the same time that Howard did and also lives with a chronic condition. Her children are older and have both left home and neither of them have health issues while I have two children still living at home, one with type 1 diabetes. She said that it took her two years to begin to relax when she took a break between jobs. I can see that. It seems as if I'm barely beginning to relax and yet...

... with the rising cost of living, I find myself beginning to worry about income. I want to let that go so instead, I'm focusing on the description I've written of the "perfect" job. As I said to Howard last night, if it's true that there are only six steps between you and meeting a particular person then there are only six steps between me and my new employer. Perhaps you're one of the steps. I'd love my new job to involve writing and NOT sewing, to work from home or during school hours Monday to Friday, to involve between twelve and sixteen hours per week, and to pay a solid hourly wage. Any ideas? Feel free to brainstorm.

Have a great day - Myrna

Grateful - struggles in Canada are someone's amazing in a third world country. I'm thankful for the life I live.