Buying More Time

We've had friends visiting all weekend. There's been no sewing and a lot of chatting and knitting. I'm working on the tenth toque. The "stash" of left over yarns is dwindling and my color combos are getting a bit more creative as I use up bits and piece. This current one starts with a black/white/gold variegated. After that will be black, blue, and purple with maybe a row or two of the variegated higher up. It depends on if I run out before knitting five inches for the fold back band.




I had knit up everything but those last three balls and wanted to use them too so I dug the variegated yarn out of the embellishment basket left over from creating textile art. I went through a period of couching but it wasn't really me. Also left over were these three balls of unused yarn and partial balls of fuzzy yarns. I was almost done the toques and now I have to decide if I want to pair these yarns with anything else and keep making toques or be finished.




Part of me - in particular my wrists and thumbs - want to be finished. I knit these last three toques, plus the one I'm on, in the round. With the combined method of knitting that I use, that means a lot of flicking of the wrist and gripping with the thumb. It's starting to hurt BUT... I like how they look a lot better than the ones with the seams. I made five of those and five this round way.




I'm not very good at taking a break. I get an idea in my head and go full force ahead. Yesterday in church, the pastors showed a video on giving less presents and more presence at Christmas. One statistic really struck me. I can't remember if it was over 450 or 350 billion dollars will be spent on Christmas gifts that may or may not be needed or appreciated, either way it's a BIG number, while spending 10 billion would provide fresh water for everyone. Stats like that really make me think. Kamloops is quite cold in winter. Knitting toques for the homeless is really the least I can do and...

... it's one way of buying more time. On Friday, I got my hair cut. Rosemarie, my friend and (new) hairstylist, and I were talking about the upcoming craft show being put on by the Arts & Crafts club. She knew that I hadn't put anything in to sell but wondered if I'd be dropping by. I said no, there wasn't anything I want to buy to which she replied how do you know if you don't look. I clarified that what I meant was I didn't want to buy anything. Right now, I prefer to spend my money on things that buy more time.

When I buy a book, I spend a couple hours reading. If I buy a knitting or sewing magazine, I spend time reading it and then more time working through the projects. When I buy yarn, I spend time knitting it and buying fabric means time spent sewing. To me, that's getting a lot more bang for my buck than buying a decor item, sitting it on shelf, and that's it. Toques from left over yarn is "bonus" time. I buy the initial yarn, knit the project, and extend the benefits by creating a secondary item from the left overs. FUN FUN!

On Sunday, I wore the t-shirt that I made last week with the houndstooth skirt bought from the second hand store in October and a "last year" sweater along with my two year old pink heels. The shoes and t-shirt were perfectly matched and very fun to wear.

Saturday, I gave away another bunch of clothes. Good thing my friend is one size up from me. It works well for her. Not so well for me - LOL. She has things to wear. I have nothing. In fact, if I want something different to wear to church next Sunday - and this outfit is pretty noticeable so I do - I'm going to have to sew it because I literally have nothing to wear. One pair of jeans and a jean skirt that are approaching too big and one jean skirt and another skirt that are still a bit too tight. Other than the green one from last week, that's it. Howard and I are going to the theater on Saturday to see the play My Fair Lady. I'll try to have the pants ready for then.

We tried putting the knitting machine together but man plus manual was no match for this machine which of course really annoyed my husband because he's extraordinarily mechanical. My friend bought this machine used from a woman who took it out of the box, couldn't make it work, put it back in the box and left it sitting around for years. My friend hasn't used it either. I'm wondering if the machine was actually defective. Another friend also has a knitting machine. I'll ask her for help and if she can't make it work, back in the box it goes. I'm only borrowing it for a month and I don't want to spend that whole time trying to figure it out - I have sewing to do.

Today, I'm baking butter tarts and putting out Christmas decorations. Normally, we do that on the 1st and have egg nog for the first time. Tomorrow is knitting day for me and pool day for the guys so we're bumping it up a day. My gluten and dairy allergies developed last year so this is the first time that I can't have the butter tarts or the egg nog. I'm going to try a GF pastry but have no idea what to substitute for the egg nog. LOL - I might need to buy a latte machine so I can have a vanilla soy latte... or maybe I'll just buy one and warm it up. MUCH less expensive.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - family traditions

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Personal Growth - So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making a new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4

It's been eighteen months since things started going sideways with my work, my son's health, and the economy. I still have no idea what direction I'm heading in and what's next. At times, that gets discouraging. Other times, I'm so thankful to have this space in which to do a few of those "some day" things. My guilt levels over "just sewing" and not earning an income are lessening. They were silly to begin with but that's how I am. It's such a "what do you do" culture that we live in. I know this is an important time of refreshing for me. God has a plan. I will trust that it will come about.