This Blog Has Moved

Hey readers!

As you may have noticed, I'm no longer updating this blog. Come join me at my new blog at A Thousand Ways.

See you there!

Meaghan

What a Way to Start 2013

I know I'm a little behind, but things just keep piling up. :P

So, we had a water leak in our apartment.  Super exciting.  It started after Christmas and before the new year.  Lots of water, lots of moving things, a very loud de-humidifier making it annoying as all get out.

The apartment people were really nice about everything.  They thought they got the leak.

Yeah, last week we had water again.  Luckily, the leak is fixed for reals.  But we have many holes in our walls, the de-humidifer again, and nasty carpet.  The walls will be patched on Monday.  The carpet will be fixed....um...hopefully this week.

My boyfriend has been out of town visiting his mom, so he's missed most of the chaos.

As it turns out, my dad also got shingles on his face.  It's only on the right side, from below the eye up.  It looks awful and is very painful for him.  Not fun at all...

At least I've had my knitting.

And my family.

Friends have been AWOL except for a few.  I'm getting used to this.  It's more of getting a call or email when they want something.  Which is fine.  I'm not making calls or texts or emails anymore unless someone else initiates it.  I have too much stuff to do to deal with trying to pin down people.  It is what it is, you know?

(I sound like a bitter old lady.  Ugh.  I don't mean it like that.  I mean I understand that people move on.  I get it.  I'm moving on too.  It's the natural progression.  I'm not mad about it or hurt or sad even.  I understand. )

The few I have (I'm looking at you, Amy!) are awesome.  And really, I think I'm okay with this.  I don't like going out that much to be honest.  People are loud, places are loud, and there's so much gross energy out there right now.  (I had a migraine for over two weeks due to this.)  I am content. :)

So, now I'm trying to get things going with my knitting.  And I have a new blog, which you should check out here.  It's about my knitting escapades with lots of pictures.  (I finally figured out how to upload!)

Alright, that sums it up.  Migraine from hell is back, so I'm off the pc for a bit.

~Meaghan

A Blog of Lists, 2012 Edition

Well, 2012 is over as of Tuesday.  I am very happy about this.  It has been perhaps one of the hardest years I remember, not just for myself, but for many across the board.

But there has been a lot of accomplishments this year. :) Thus, the series of lists I now present to you.

Things I Learned in 2012:

~How to bake killer chocolate chip cookies

~How to open my own online store

~How to knit a sweater

~How to knit socks from the toe up

~How to hold a baby properly

~How to design my own projects, such as sweaters and hats

~How to write knitting patterns

~How to play with color

~That the world won't end when an ancient calendar runs out

~That I hate being bossed around in the work place

~That I dislike getting up before 5 am

~That babysitting is a joy

~That gluten free cooking is easier than you think

~That anniversaries are to be enjoyed cause it can be a struggle to get there sometimes

~That a lot of good things require work

~That I can handle a lot more than I originally gave myself credit for

~That family is one of the most solid things you will ever have (I already knew this, but 2012 solidified it even further)

~That comparing yourself to others only leads to frustration

~That God is kind

~That I love Mario Brothers for some reason

~That spinning is just as addictive as I feared

~That I am capable


I won't go into all the books I read in 2012 because the list is monumental.  However, here are a few I really enjoyed from the year and would recommend:

~Thinner by Stephen King

~Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

~The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzan Collins

~A Life in Stitches by Rachael Herron

~The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

~The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block

~Love Wins by Rob Bell

~Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee


From a movie point of view, it was a pretty good year too.  Here are some I really enjoyed that I saw for the first time this year:

~Repo: the Genetic Opera

~How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

~The Princess and the Frog

~Tangled

~Lincoln

~The Men Who Stare at Goats

~The Dark Knight Rises

~Men in Black 3

~The Hunger Games

~Alien

~The Fifth Element

And of course, all the stuff I managed to knit.  It's not as big as you would think, but I hit a lot of my goals here:

~Fall colored merino socks (for me)

~Windowpane bag

~Green, violet, and pink wool hat

~Barfly sweater in blue (my first sweater!)

~Purple socks (for Trevor)

~Heart hat (my first design!)

~A single purple glove, no mate

~Purple handwarmers (for Michelle)

~Pink and orange varigated socks (for Katie)

~Cherry Cordial Cardi in green (for me)

~Yellow washcloth

~Red shawl (for my neighbor)

~Rainbow socks (for Katie, currently to be reworked)

~Handspun chunky cowl (with yarn spun by Kristine!!!)

~Keep It Casual Cowl

~Absinthe sweater in purple (for Katie, shoulders to be reworked)

~Green striped socks (toe up)

~Pink cameo socks

~Forget-Me-Knot sweater in violet (my first sweater design!!!)

~Two charity hats

~Three ruffle scarves

~A Link hat from Legend of Zelda (for Trevor, my make it up as I go pattern)

~A prayer shawl in light blue (for mom)

~Mr. Dad Cardigan (for dad, my own design!!!!)



So it's been a pretty good year from a productivity stand.  My wishes for the new year are that it brings more lessons, more love, and more knitting.

Blessings to you and yours, dear readers.  I'll see you in 2013.

~Meaghan

Nearly Christmas!

This past week, both of my parents have been sick.  My mom has had a cold and my dad has had the flu. 

Today, my body decided it was time to join the party.  I have caught mom's cold.  It's lovely - dizziness, aches, and yet, not as bad as it could be.  For which I am thanful.

So my bestest friend in the world came in town for the holiday with her boyfriend.  We met up yesterday for some serious catch up and knit time.  Lo and behold, she got me a drop spinner and fleece for Christmas!  Some of the fleece she dyed for me in a beautiful mix of green and purple, and some of it's a natural fawn brown.  While we were out sipping chai teas at the local bookstore, she taught me to spin.

I have since become addicted to spinning.  I have my first bit drying in the bathroom.  It's so amazing to make my own yarn.  I feel like a part of me that I didn't know was lacking has been found.

Which of course was what I was afraid of.  Knitting, spinning, writing - my goodness I'm busy with fun.  I just need to remember to do laundry and stuff and I should be good.

Oh!  So I have a knitting book outlined.  With any luck, this year I will have some new patterns and a book ready to go to the editors somewhere.  Need to research that.

And with that, I'm off.  I don't think I can focus much longer.

If I don't get the chance to later, Merry Christmas and happy holidays, whatever you may celebrate.  :)

~Meaghan

Click Click Click

Why yes, dear readers, that would be the sound of my knitting needles.

First of all, I'm not as sad or angry as I was in the past post.  I went to my local yarnshop and got help finding a free pattern for beanies and some yarn, and I knit the pain and sorrow over what happened this week away.  I was going to mail them to Connecticut, but decided to ultimately give them to the youth director at my church who will give them to the local homeless. 

Those hats did me well.  It's like all the frustration and sorrow for the year melted away.  It was healing.  Selfish as that may seem, it was healing for me.  And I am grateful for that.

All my Christmas knitting is done, with two exceptions.  One is a lace hat (made with this yarn, which I love) for my sister.  I wanted to have it done by Christmas eve, but we'll see.   The other is a lace scarf for my best friend (made with this lovely yarn in a color called Eggplant which is out); it's my first time doing lace with lace yarn.  Total challenge, but I love it.

I'm currently working on experimenting with Fibonacci sequences with knitting.  So today I cast on for a shawl (no pattern, just a whim) with four colors of Wool-Ease worsted, and am running with it.

Today is actually perfect knitting weather, too.  We're in the middle of a blizzard (yay) and no one has to be anywhere til later.  Both of my parents are sick, which sucks, but it's very quiet here.  (Aside from the coughing and sneezing.)  The tree is lit and I am as comfy as can be on the couch. :)

Life is good.  Balance has been restored to my world.

Take a moment today dear readers to remember your joys.

Blessings to all.

~Meaghan

Heartbreak

I can't articulate it.  I can't wrap my head around it.  I can't understand it.

Today, a shooter went into an elementary school in CT and opened fired.  28 people are dead.  At least 20 of those are children under the age of 10.

Children.  Innocent children. 

Kids who were looking forward to Santa coming.  Kids who played with their parents, pets, friends, siblings.  Kids who had dreams of growing up and being big kids and wearing make up and driving cars and being whatever they wanted to be.

Kids who will never see another day.

There are eleven days to Christmas. 

These children were our future.  Some stupid, fucking psycho went in and destroyed lives, futures, dreams, hopes.  He destroyed innocence. 

How can God let this happen? 

I am angry.  I am angrier than I was with the Batman shooting, which is saying something.  How can this be right?

I suppose there will be a reason this happened.  But for now, all I can see is senseless violence tearing apart the frail innocence and care of lives. 

And I am angry at God.

Meaghan

Noise

Hey there, dear readers.

Lately, I've been so full of confusion and chaos, it isn't even funny.  Where do I go next?  Should I get a full time job?  Should I go back to school?  Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing?

Don't get me wrong, I love what I'm doing.  I love knitting, designing, watching my neighbor's son.  But part of me is bored.  I don't know why.  I feel like something is missing; I miss being in school.

Which I guess is good enough reason to go back.  If I go back, it'll be online.  I crave knowledge, but not other people at the moment.  It wears me out being around too many folks.  Go figure that.

What will I do?

I've been praying so much about the jobs I've applied for, about direction and guidance.  But the noise in my head is so loud most times that I can't hear beyond my own anxious, racing breath.

How do you find a center?  How do you let the Devine guide you and ultimately trust that it will be the right path?

And these are questions that have no permanent answer it seems.  We live and love and trust, and deep in our souls we know the presence of that higher power, the one who steers us through the course of our lives.

I suppose the biggest thing is to breathe.  That's probably a good start.  Calm in, worry out.  Peace in, anger out.  Love in, bitterness out.

It's a mantra, isn't it?  I just realized that.  Counting breaths is like counting waves.  Calm.  Constant.  Echos of echos on the wind.

I digress. 

I think I shall take my own advice and go count my breathing.

~Meaghan