Retreat... what retreat?

With suitcase and project bags filled with yarny goodness and glorious beads in hand, I headed off to a three day knit retreat. So why do I feel absolutely exhausted? I'm in brain overload and it's all I can do to not nap all day.

A retreat is supposed to be restful and rejuvenating, right? We were staying at a local boutique hotel with meals, wine, super comfy beds... oh, and snacks all day long. That's sounds restful, doesn't it? We were well taken care of while we sat in the creating room learning from Sivia Harding, the Queen Bee of beads!

Oh wait, maybe that was the "problem"... trying to absorb as much as we could from Sivia, a truly patient and delightful instructor. From casting on and understanding the crazy mobius cast on for Harmonia's Cowl to all the beaded treasures with the Fluency Gloves a little wrist bling, along with all of the little tricks of the trade Sivia shared with us... my brain is in information overload.

Overload is certainly better than underload, don't you think? I did confirm with myself how much I love knitting with beads... socks with beads... shawls with beads... and now, bracelets with beads. Crocheted or strung... so many tricks to knitting with beads and that I finally sorted out how and where to use them which, in this overloaded brain is a feat in itself!

Yup, this ol' bird is still learning new tricks. Now I need a real retreat of rest... maybe runaway to the mountains for a few days and apply the new learnings... except, where's my Lady's maid?

ol' bird... new tricks

It's been a busy summer. Not because of work (we shan't be talking about that)... but because of music, food, friends, mountains, food, music festivals, food festivals, friends and... wait for it... yarny goodness. This summer was spent at home. No travelling over The Pond... just travelling in my home province... aka Home for Holidays! Definitely the right thing to do this summer.

You see, along with the music and friends and food, reorganizing the guest room was in order. Now it's a very comfortable yarn room with a sofa bed for guests! Sleep over with Great-nephew #2 included a day at Fort Edmonton Park... go ahead, ask me how exhausted I was after. Parents required extra attention... nothing too serious but distressing non the less. This acted as a reminder that we are all aging and to not waste time.

And I learned how to crochet... for purely selfish reasons. I developed tendonitis on my right thumb... my dominant hand. Self imposed no knitting for three weeks drove me crazy but could I crochet? Why, yes I could. Different techniques that didn't aggravate the thumb and I was sold. You know, I knit so no one dies... but doing nothing was killing me. So crocheting began and tis the perfect skill for blankets and toys and minion hats!

And now summer is ending and there is a crispness in the air that I love. Autumn brings sweaters and shawls and perfectly fitted socks. This fall takes me back to a classroom that will require exams and papers... ACK! Now I have to be accountable for my learnings. I guess, if I can learn new yarny skills, I should be able to handle going back to university, right? An ol' bird can learn new tricks, right?
A little nervous but I decided to help me relax and get in the learning zone, I registered for a Knitty Retreat.... Stix and the City... that starts in less than a week!!! Ok, so any excuse would do but I'm rather excited. Learning new skills and techniques with guest instructor, Sivia Harding along side new and old friends!? What's not to be excited about. Food and wine and wool and laughter all with never having to leave the hotel! So, yarn has been chosen for the classes. Now to find new pj's for those inevitable pillow fights!

Thumbs up?

My right thumb has not be cooperating with me. My "carpometacarpal joint".... the joint closest to the wrist... has been hurtin' for some time now and I been cryin' the blues. I'm not eliminating knitting from my repertoire... au contraire! The thumb just needs a rest. When I say rest... because I can't stop cold turkey or someone will die... I've taken up crocheting inbetween finishing up some knitty projects. See, for me, right now holding the hook is easier than knitting needles... different angles and pressure and twist action.

 

While it didn't take long to catch on, I still have to pay more attention to reading crochet patterns than knitty patterns (crochet charts is just a bunch of gobbly-gook). It took me four tries to get a simple blanket on the right track and thankfully the 'fudging' on the adorable minion caps is hidden under the goggles! When I was a kid I would watch Mum crochet with very fine thread and wee a hook creating very delicate lace doilies and tablecloths. This must have helped me with my visual muscle memory for the movements. I'm glad because...  did I mention that if I stop playing with yarn, someone will die?

Now, don't get me wrong... it still sucks that I can't knit all day long but even this ol' bird can learn new tricks. I'm still knitting a few rows at a time for projects already on the go but if I want to continue, resting the thumb (without going cold turkey) is key. And my massage therapist Erin, has been a delight in working the hand muscles... she's really catching on to the phrase "knitter massage"!

Life will always throw curve balls... I guess it's all on how you catch 'em so  no one dies...

What's buggin me?

My condo building recently went through a fumigation as a result of discovered bedbugs. While I knew I didn't have any of the lil' buggers, it still gave me the heebie-jeebies knowing they were in one of my neighbour's unit. I felt bad for them but was cursing as I packed everything up... I mean, everything for the de-bugging day. As I sit in a room filled bags that are slowly returning to their rightful place... I was in a most disagreeable mood and I started to think about the other things that are bugging me.

A bureaucratic system at work that is slowing down project decision making... 'hurry up and wait' syndrome is getting in our way. That's bugging me. A semi-planned holiday had to be postponed because of mandated work meetings. That's bugging me. I can't seem to get a handle on setting up my guest/yarn room and that's bugging me. My favourite aunt has Alzheimer's and that's really bugging me. The worse thing... people who are so willing to be disagreeable just for the sake of disagreeing.

There are more important things to worry about and give ones energy to to be so negative about the world. Why are these people so angry, so willing to find fault in others knowing full well there's a skeleton or two in their own closets? Why are these people so willing to hide behind their social media personas to attack for reasons only know to them? Why are these people so hellbent on causing distress in others? All these disagreeable peoples are really, really bugging me...

Taking an afternoon away from work to learn a new, fun skill with yarn was sorely needed. To laugh with new friends and reacquaint with old was also needed. The result... a crochet basket to hold all that anger! Sometimes, that's all we need. Something or someone to help carry the load. When I look at this wee basket, may I be reminded that good overcomes... but right now...I think I need to crochet a bigger basket.

Doctor Who?

I love Doctor Who... not the "I-know-the-name-of-every-actor/director-in-every-show" crazy fan. I'm more the "sit-back-and-enjoy-the-ride" kinda fan! I get popcorn and wobbly pop and with my knitting at the ready, in my comfy chair I sit while watching the show.

My first Doctor was Tom Baker and his brilliant scarf. I gleefully take pride in introducing the return of the series to Stefanie and Nathan... who have become brilliant Whovian. Heck, I even knit The Scarf for the lad! Now that was a labour of love!

So when HeartSister Meagheen asked for test knitters for her new designs to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, I jumped at the chance. It certainly wouldn't be as tedious as That Scarf. Whew... it wasn't but there were twists galore in the knit that made me thumbs just a bit annoyed. Clara's socks... for when The Doctor first meets his new companion during Victorian times... were well worth the discomfort for they turned out stunning.

Sometimes twists and turns in life are worth the pain for something surprisingly beautiful just might occur. Took a while for me to figure that one out... embracing those twists and going along with the turns are oft times, painful. I have a feeling they would certainly be easier to deal with if we had our own sonic screwdrivers... but then, easy is often the most boring way to learn.

Learn and grow we must... enjoying the ride along the way makes the learning memorable. Speaking of rides, I wouldn't be adverse to one in the TARDIS... I'd even knit up a bow-tie!

Deck Knitting

It's been a very long winter. Long and cold and oh, so much snow. My deck was looking as dreary as the dark winter nights. My spirit... as dreary as the dirty streets the past seven months of sand and gravel left behind.

It's no wonder our first most brilliant sun filled weekend brought folks out onto those dreary, dirty streets and to the garden centres. While it may have been our monthly knitty meet-up at the garden centre, it was the perfect time to plan and prep the deck for some... you guessed it...  outdoor knitting. There is nothing finer than sitting on the deck with a nice cold bevie and some fibre and stix.

The colours of the yarn is brighter in the sun! The energy is higher while soaking in that vitamin D. The knitty mojo is hotter when that golden orb is beaming down upon you. May all that mojo help me finish up the WIP's that have been staring back at me for a while... a couple of shawls for Meagheen, socks for Joy, baby blanket and teddy bear for a new wee one, bath mat, tunic, flamingo and penguin... egads! As much as I hate monogamous knitting... I just may have to succumb in order to whittle down the wip's. Deck knitting sure makes it easier to do so.

Here's hoping finishing my Travelling Woman shawl will be incentive enough to tackle the others, don't you think?!

Help comes in all forms...

Your 'bursa' in your front hip flexor is inflamed, I was told. Bursitis? That's what old people get in their hip or what extreme athletes get in their shoulder. I'm neither... really! Such excruciating pain for two weeks that even Rx meds couldn't dull.. Moving without pain? Nope. Sitting without pain? Nope. Sleep? Nope! Knitting? Definitely nope! You know it's bad when you can't concentrate long enough to do what relaxes you the most. I mean really... no knitting for nearly three weeks!

Ain't that just the way things are tho... stuff gets in the way of doing what we want or what we need to do. For me, it was debilitating pain that stopped me from working and knitting for a few weeks. For others, it could be so many, many things that prevents them from doing what is important to them or worse, live the life they're meant to live. 

I got help... Sweetie with meals and comforting hugs, sympathetic looks from CatMate while I laid on the floor, friends with painkillers and appropriate comfort snack foods (Hello, Cheezies!) checking in on me and making me laugh, and four weeks of intense physio, acupuncture and massage therapy. I was able to do what I needed to but I am also so very aware that others are not so blessed.

Do they refuse help, don't know where to look for help or worse yet, don't know they need help? Either way, a life would not be lived to the fullest and that is the ultimate loss. I hope I am the help to others when in pain that my friends were to me. Maybe that is all we can hope for... be there for others, hold their hand and just listen.

And a good bag of Cheezies couldn't hurt. Now, back to knitting... I am so far behind.