Cabin Fever

For those of you that don't know me, I am a fairly laid-back person. I can tune out most distractions, most of the time. But, when I am sick, everything is amplified and I can't seem to tune it out.

My dogs are no exception.

The big one, Luther, is a little on the hard-headed side. I love him to pieces, but sometimes... Sometimes he really makes me wonder why I have dogs. Milo, the little one, is still a pup, so he has loads of energy at all times.

I suppose it's good that I have two beasts, because they do keep each other busy and they are sad when they're apart from each other. But on days like this, when I am trapped inside my house with the two of them, with gale-force winds and sideways rain threatening to pick up again at any moment, I lose my ability to tune them out.

Currently, there are two chew toys available for them to play with. Milo has the one that Luther wants, no matter which toy it is. So what does Luther do? He whines. He cries. He "fruffs." And then he looks at me with his big, droopy brown eyes and expects me to steal the toy from the pup.

It's ridiculous.

No amount of knitting or Criminal Minds repeats can make me ignore them today.

I think it may be time to get out for a bit...

The best medicine

After coming down with God only knows what this past Thursday into Friday, it's been a long (and short) weekend of resting on the couch.

Friday, I was able to go to the supermarket and stock up on soups and cereals, along with some apples so that we'd have some sort of food to eat should the power go out like they're predicting. Not only was  I able to do that, but I also managed to get in to see the doctor on Friday afternoon. He said it's not strep, though I have a hard time believing him.

Husband went out to Wally World yesterday, braving the raving lunatics that were all out buying everything they possibly could in preparation for the storm, and returned with some much-needed sicky supplies. While he was out, I stayed on the couch. And I knitted.

I completed a vest I began last year.
I began a shawl that I plan to use when nursing, should I have to do it in any public places.
I began (and am almost finished!) a small cardigan for Tater Tot. He'll probably only be able to wear it for a couple of weeks, but still. It's fast and easy and, therefore, exceedingly gratifying.

The next project to start will be a really cute pair of slippers, which I'm very excited about beginning. I've had these on my list of things to knit for over 2 years!

Although I have tons of work to do that really cannot wait, it's going to have to do so until my energy is back to where it ought to be.

In the meantime, I shall knit.

Awesome Weekend Plans

Still sick...miserably so.
I've noticed that when I get sick, I really do it right. This cold is no exception to that rule.

Order of events for the weekend:
1. Shower.
2. Laze around on the couch with my knitting, hot peppermint tea/decaf coffee, and Vicks-tainted tissues.
3. Repeat steps one and two tomorrow.
4. Go absolutely nowhere over the next 48 hours.

It'(snot)fair!

It never fails. Every time I have big plans to be really productive on a particular day, I wake up with some sort of illness.

I felt the sore throat beginning last night, so I drank a nice hot cup of Sleepytime tea (and fell asleep on the couch). Sure that one cup would cure everything, I didn't have a second. I should have. One cup was not enough.

Today, I awoke with a sore throat, headache, and one nostril/sinus cavity completely plugged. Grocery shopping went surprisingly well--I only forgot one item--and I was even able to see the doctor today to make sure I don't have strep. I do not.

The highlight of my day was actually yesterday evening, oddly enough. Well, that and also Skyping with my best bud, who is currently residing in Switzerland. But last night, I went to a knitting group gathering at the local supermarket, which has a fancy little cafe that hardly anyone uses. I had a grand time! I finished a project, helped a friend with hers, met new people, and was introduced to this little video. I hope it brings a smile to your face!

The Little Red Plane

Goodbye, Old Life...and good riddance!

I substituted today, in the school at which I taught for the last 2 years. Let it be known that I do not miss teaching, not one bit, and I have no desire to go back to it. Ever. Subbing is as close I will get to working in public schools ever again.

Now, don't get me wrong--I didn't have a bad day. It was rather good, actually...but some of the students were less than desirable to be in a classroom with for more than 3 minutes. Our class periods were approximately 80 minutes.

Luckily, I had my knitting with me. I am currently working a pair of Basic Fingerless Mitts, a pattern I improvised during lecture courses in college. Because they are so simple, and I have the pattern memorized for different weights of yarn, it's my go-to travel project. My mitts kept my hands busy while the students "worked," and the mitts also kept me from becoming stressed. Knitting does that to me.

I don't know how many of you readers (if I happen to have any readers) actually knit or do other types of needlework, but it is certainly a productive way to decompress after any potentially stressful situation. It's also very helpful for passing the time spent in waiting rooms (doctor, mechanic, etc) and while waiting for your food to arrive when out to dinner...and also during baseball games...and while watching television... You get the picture.

Anyway, I was surprised when a young man came up to me while I was knitting at the teacher's desk. Why? Because he asked if I would be able to teach him.

That attitude is the only part of teaching that I actually miss, and I hope and pray that my children inherit that need to know.

Later in the school day, I was talking to a former colleague about the level of thinking that some of the students display, and it dawned on me that although technology is really great (I mean, look at what cool gadgets we have now!), it is ultimately destroying some young peoples' capacity for creative thought. Because of the games they play on their handheld devices, many of which have only one correct solution, they've been conditioned to believe that there is only one way to solve every problem. Nobody seems to be able to think "outside the box" these days.

I remain convinced that the more we allow children to use crayon and paper rather than computer and Paint program, the more we allow them to play in the dirt with sticks that they can pretend are people rather than the video games we seem to push on them, that they will grow up to be more well-rounded individuals with the capacity for in-depth problem solving.

Being someone who really sucked at math as a kid (and I'm still not that strong in it), and also not great at sports, I joined the school band in 5th grade and took up the clarinet, after beginning piano lessons the year before. Keeping time and the correct measure while playing my instruments and reading music helped me just a little with math.
Because of my inability to excel at sports, I turned to the kitchen and the sewing machine. That's where I learned my math skills. Because I was able to apply the math problems to real life, such as figuring out how much fabric I would need in order to make a dress AND a jacket, I was able to see it at work and understand it better. In the kitchen, I was able to see volume measures, not just imagine them. I was able to see how far a certain amount of ingredients could go when it came to feeding more than just me. These are real life problems that many kids today wouldn't be able to solve. Everything they learn is on a page in a book, but never applied outside the classroom.

I'll be homeschooling my children. My kitchen and dining room (which currently doubles as my sewing room) will double as my math classroom. My children will go to the grocery store with me and will be responsible for keeping within the budget for the week, while sticking to the list and the meal plan for the week. This is practical stuff! This is math at work, and they more than likely wouldn't even recognize it until I were to point it out...but it would help them so much in the long run.

Problem-solving is important, especially in real life, but so many kids today aren't learning it...

With that said, and I wasn't planning on saying any of that, I bid you good evening and bid my old life as a public school teacher goodbye.

Typical Monday

Woke up too early to the sound of Luther needing to go outside.
Began laundry immediately.
Discovered Mouse #2 on glue trap #2.
Folded an entire basket of Husband's laundry.
Began filling a Space Bag with my pre-pregnancy warm-weather clothes.
Got tired and came back upstairs.
Gave Milo a bath (the neighbor's dog seems to have peed on him).
Called the groomer to make an appointment for Luther for this week...was forced to leave a message and am still awaiting a return call.
I have more laundry to do, and no baskets in which to carry the laundry up and down the steps because they are full. Husband's clothes are pretty heavy (it's all fire resistant stuff for work), so I need him to carry two of them...pregnant women shouldn't be carrying cumbersome baskets up or down my treacherous steps.
I could carry the basket of sheets & towels up, empty it, as well as another filled with clothing, and come back down with 2 empties...but that's a lot of work.

Typical Monday. Work, work, work, all day long.

I can relate.

Thank you, Yarnmarket, for the photo!

...and the thinning begins...

So, as scheduled, my friend came over with her friend so they could shop at "Yarnia" (by the way, I will totally have a yarn shop when I am old and I will call it "Yarnia"). They didn't make much of a dent, but I did bid farewell to 12 skeins of yarn.

It's a start...

Doing better than I thought I would...

First thing this morning, after tending to the beasts, I went upstairs to my attic and began to sort through my stash. If you've been reading my blog, you'll know that I'm offering a friend of mine the opportunity to shop here. You'll also know that I have yarn stashed in my living room (including inside a cookie jar), and that I had 8 banker's boxes filled with yarn, in addition to a large plastic storage box.

I have reduced my attic stash to 3 boxes, and have also thinned out what was in the baskets downstairs.

This is some serious progress!

Doomsday is approaching in Yarnia

Come Thursday evening, my precious, well-protected stash will be somewhat depleted. Although this is something I must do, it still saddens me to see my beautiful yarns leave through my front door in someone else's hands. I need to just resign myself to the fact that I do indeed have enough yarn to run a small shop, and that is what I will be doing on Thursday.

Tomorrow, I shall set aside my must-haves, and I vow to have no more than 3 banker's boxes full.

I can do this.

It's not as difficult as it could be, as I am friends with the woman that will be shopping here. We share knitting patterns...why not yarn, too?

I can do this.

I don't want to, but I need to, and I can.

Tomorrow's post, if there is one, may not be as optimistic...

While the hunter is away, the housewife will play!

A productive day at home doesn't always necessarily mean that I've been productive in the way of my housewifely duties. I completed three knitting projects today. That makes a total of five over the last seven days! I was also able to mostly complete a handful of dresses that I've been commissioned to make--more of those to come this coming week!

If only I were this productive in every area of my life...

Too much fiber can be...a hindrance.

I've been knitting for over ten years. In that ten years, I've taken quite a liking to collecting different yarns from various states that I've visited, I've acquired more knitting pattern books than any normal 28-year-old should own, and I make sure that I knit every single day.

I could really put some grandmas to shame...

Recently, we (my husband and I) have been preparing our small-ish duplex for a baby. This has required that I transform my sewing/crafting room into a nursery, and pack up my yarn, books, fabric, and sewing notions. Let the record show that I had no idea how much yarn I had actually accumulated over the years. When it was all (mostly) said and done, I counted about 8 banker's boxes filled with yarn, plus a large plastic storage container. These are now sitting in my attic/guest room (it's finished--don't panic)...but they do not include the yarn that I have stashed throughout my downstairs.

I have yarn stuffed inside a cookie jar, for Pete's sake.

This past week, I made the decision to open up my personal yarn shop to a good friend of mine who also happens to appreciate the finer things in life--luxury yarns. I never thought I'd be able to part with any of it, but when I realized that I've had some of my yarns for more than 5 years and that all they've done is sit on a shelf, I decided that my "high-fiber diet" is working against me.

I have more unfinished objects (UFOs) than I can even recall, and I find them while looking for other items of importance. Then I say to myself (or one of the dogs...or both of them) that I'm going to finish that...someday. Somedays keep coming and passing me by, and still, my pitiful, well-intentioned UFOs sit in their little plastic coffins, waiting to be exhumed and completed.

For those of you that do not engage in the fiber arts, there is a thrill--a rush, similar to that of scoring a great deal as a couponer, or getting high, for you controlled-substance users--that takes over when a fiberphile or knitaholic discovers a new yarn shop, finds a yarn they've never felt before, and also when we purchase said yarn and can begin a new project. You see, beginning new projects is fun. It's addicting. It just feels so good! There are so many possibilities when browsing a room lined top to bottom with yarn on every wall that we (and I mean "I") just can't help ourselves (and by "ourselves," I mean "myself")! And I know I speak for so many more people like myself...

I feel like a hoarder, but not one of the really awful ones with garbage so high that the ceiling appears to be only 4 feet high. Luckily for me and my family, I have a decent amount of self-control...and common sense.