Sliding...

Some of the pictures in this post are blurry.  Seems fitting since that's a bit how I've been feeling.  I sort of slid into the dark place recently...and just as I was pulling out, I got hit with the plague and lost my footing again.  Hopefully (finally), I appear to be at the tail end of both those setbacks.  When I started this post, I expected to write about it...the things I've learned during this particular slide (which was the worst one so far this winter), what I did which eventually pulled me out of it...  But I realized that I don't want to revisit it here.  I want to post something happy today...even if that is not exactly representative of where I'm at right now.  There's always time later for reflection.

I've been knitting and spinning in spurts.  One of my knitting 'plans' for the year was to knit up at least one skein of my handspun.  Not only was I excited to actually make something with a skein of it (I'm not afraid to admit that I think I expected to feel sort of like a superhero knitting with something I spun with my own two hands), but I also wanted to learn from knitting it.  I like to spin but I have not done a lot of research on the topic -- like how to split up the fiber when dyed with different colors...to have stripes or to avoid stripes...  So far I've spun up some skeins with stripes and some that I'm not quite sure what they will look like knitted up.  I love stripes...but when they are orderly...when they are part of a pattern.  Does that make sense?  And so I wasn't sure that I would embrace the randomness of striped handspun.  To start, I picked a skein to knit that I didn't think would stripe given the way I split the fiber. In part because I wasn't sure what pattern to pick for a one-skein project in light fingering that would stripe (let's ignore the fact that I'm delusional since if you go to that link, the yarn very clearly is striping!).  Armed with a pattern suggested by Rue, I skeined up my yarn and finally saw through my delusion and realized that striping would occur.  And I knew that the horizontal striping that would result in that yarn/pattern pairing would not be pleasing to my eye.  So I switched gears and chose this one instead not really knowing exactly how the striping would fall and how prominent it would be but trying desperately to embrace the random like Melissa (don't worry Rue, I love the pattern you suggested and already have another skein of handspun picked out for it!).  I've actually finished knitting this and will try to find time to block it this week.  I learned a lot from this knit and am excited now to experiment more with some of the other multi-colored fibers I have in my stash.  I also do feel a little bit like a superhero, I'm not going to lie.

Next up in the queue is a KAL that Rue and I are doing together.  We each picked a Wool People sweater to start/finish sometime this year (it's a no pressure KAL which we both need).  There are so many beautiful options that I want to knit but finally settled on Sundottir because 1) I have been craving a brown sweater and once I saw this one, no other would do and 2) I'm still embracing my word of the year...challenge.  I've done colorwork before...complicated patterns on dpn's with fingering weight yarn at that...but for some reason I'm shy to start a colorwork sweater.  This one is simple with worsted weight yarn and I think it will get me over that fear so I can move on to more complicated ones, some even involving a steek.  oh my.  The yarn is skeined up and I'm about to cast on.  Rue also chose a colorwork sweater but luckily hers is knit in fingering weight yarn...which is the only way I have a chance at being able to keep up with her fast fingers.

Random thoughts for the week;

• i made the traditional huckleberry pie for John's birthday and there ain't nothing better.  coincidentally, the pie was made on Pi Day which I didn't realize until after the fact. 
• i had this at my friend's house in Hood River and may have become addicted.  i've just made it for the third time in as many weeks.  following her lead, i made it in the crockpot with 3 chicken breasts, 6-7 jalapenos (3 with seeds), and no green pepper.  It's so good and makes a great lunch for the week.
• i had some brown bananas and happened to run into this recipe on the same day.  i haven't made banana bread in so long that it just seemed like the time.  these are really quite good but i have to admit that i'm a bit strange with my breads and don't really like crunchies.  no nuts, no crunchy fruit.  so while the flavor is great, I'm not sure how i feel about the coconut flakes in these.  still though, would make them again.
• i'm a bit obsessed with this run-down blue house a couple blocks away.  when i walked by the other day and saw the forsythia blooming against the boarded up windows and flecking paint i knew i needed a photograph.  i'm kind of in love with those shots.
• i'm also kind of in love with the last picture...after a heavy rain with hail, this one just wasn't strong enough to remain standing but still had a perfect bloom.  i don't know why but i keep going back and looking at that image over and over again and it calms me.  
• recently, when driving, I pass the time with podcasts instead of music.  some of my favorites are wait wait don't tell me, splendid table, death sex and money, car talk, serial, radio lab, and the moth.  but I recently stumbled upon books on the nightstand and I'm addicted!  I listened nonstop for the last 3 hours of my drive one right after the other. 

Now it's your turn.  Tell me your random.  Or what makes you feel like a superhero.  Or maybe you have a recommendation for the next great podcast.  Share please!
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Now playing: Blood Brothers by Bruce Springsteen  (how have I never heard this one before this week?)

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