Full of Good Moments

Hi, Knitters,

Happy New Year to all of you! 

When I was young, maybe a teenager, I remember that I would often figure out how old I would be in the year 2000. I could never remember what my age would be, so every time I would have to figure it out again which is kind of funny but not surprising. The number would never stick in my head. It seemed so far away and thinking about myself in my mid-thirties was hard to imagine way back when. I would try to dream about what my life would be like at that point and really I couldn't possibly have imagined it. Honestly, I don't know what got me thinking about the year 2000 today.

Now that it's another new year I am taking a moment to remember that sort of momentous year in history, the year I used to think about so often, the year when those numbers flipped over. This morning for some reason I am taking stock of what had happened in my adult-life at that point. Some of these things you may not know about me.

By the time the year 2000 had finally arrived... 

I had been happily married for 11 years, 

I had already moved five times in my married life, 

My beloved mother had battled acute leukemia twice and had miraculously survived, 

My father had passed away four years earlier,

I had stopped teaching in the public schools where I had been commuting to work about an hour each way for several years with kids in tow, 

I had had four kids and a miscarriage in seven years, our youngest was only 6-months old,

And of course, through it all I had been knitting non-stop for the last 16 years. 

The year 2000 came and went in a blur that was barely noticed. The year that I had dreamed about as a youngster? It turns out I didn't have much of a moment to think about it, literally. I didn't even have a moment to take a shower most days or if I did someone was probably yelling for me and pounding on the door (remember those days?). It was a wild time in life, sleepless and full of everything, full of laughter and joy and some sadness and little kids and babies and family and love. All of it. There were ups-and-downs and everything in between. I remember those days with fondness and amazement. I loved it.

So it seems that 16 years later life would have slowed down a bit and in certain ways it has and in other ways it is still just as busy or maybe even busier at times, but it's a different kind of busy now. Life has moved on and progressed as it should. Things become more meaningful in some ways. It's a good time in life, happy and interesting and full, not without bumps here and there. I am thankful for all of it. 

I always feel like I should be reflective somehow when a new year begins but it doesn't always happen. I'm not really one for resolutions. I just always strive to try harder to do a better job with everything all of the time. That's a blanket resolution that covers it all. I'm not always successful but I try.

I had a couple of people comment (in a nice way) in regards to a photo I posted online last week that my life always looks so perfect. That made me pause. I replied, "No, it isn't but there are good moments." Mine certainly is not a perfect life, not by long shot, but there are many good moments from the past and hopefully many yet to come. I like to share the good moments.

Anyway, back to this new year, 2016. I woke up this morning and thought I should acknowledge this new and fresh year somehow and be somewhat thoughtful about it. I was looking for a good way to welcome the new year in writing so I started looking up some quotes or inspirational messages to see if anything would catch my eye. Here is a quote that I came across that struck a note with me. 

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” 

— Rainer Maria Rilke, poet 

2016 will be full of things that have never been. I like this way of looking at the new year. The year ahead will be full of new things, fresh things, changing things, growing things, and things I could never imagine! And that's exciting to think about.

Together I hope we can discover things that have never been in 2016. I hope your 2016 is very full with good things that have never been, both new and old. I am always hopeful that the new year ahead will be the best year yet. 

With that and no matter what events happen in our collective lives, let's knit the heck out of 2016 and make and create things that have never been! We can do it.

Now let's chat about the sock knitting. 

JoAnna from Knit Spin Farm sent me some of her lovely handspun for socks as a gift. I was blown away by the kind gesture and the yarn. Thank you! It's fabulous. Knitting with JoAnna's handspun makes me realize that I need to work harder on my own handspun because hers is pretty near perfect. Maybe this should this be my resolution this year. Anyway, the yarn is glorious. You can see that I am having a great time knitting with it.

Yarn: 102 grams of fingering weight yarn. It appears that JoAnna spun half of the fiber as a traditional marled 3-ply and the other half of the fiber is Navajo-plied to keep the colors in check to create a self-striping yarn. Genius! JoAnna suggested striping the 2 skeins and that is exactly what I am doing to a wonderful effect. I am switching colors every 4 rounds for the leg and foot of the sock. The cuff, heel and toe is knit in the striping yarn only. The second sock will be completed the same. 

I sincerely think this is the best sock I have ever knitted. That's how strongly I feel about it.

Fiber: 100% Cheviot from Quillin Fiber Arts in the Owls colorway (LOVE the name).

Needles: US size 1/2.25mm dpns from Knitter's Pride Karbonz, 6-inch length.

Sock pattern: My free pattern: How I Make My Socks

Project bag: From Hue Loco on Etsy.

Sock blocker: From The Loopy Ewe.

Click here for the Knit Spin Farm Instagram ~ the farm animals are enchanting.

Click here for the Knit Spin Farm video podcast (one of my faves!).

Click here for the Knit Spin Farm Etsy Shop! JoAnna is such a talent, I can heartily endorse all of her products as I have used and purchased everything she offers in her shop and have loved it all. She cares and she is thoughtful about her shop and it shines through.

I think that's enough for today. Have a relaxing holiday weekend ahead, Knitters.

In a few days I am posting a gigantic giveaway that will include 10 winners. Each winner will receive a signed copy of my new book, Kids' Knitting Workshop, that was just released a couple of weeks ago, and each winner will receive 3 skeins of yarn for projects in the book. I can't wait!
xo ~ susan