Tag Archives: community

AT LAST! I finished a long (not so lost) project.

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Wednesday, March 1, 2023

What a beautiful sight when we opened our eyes this morning. The lake was covered with fog but as the sun started to come up, there was a little spot of light. It’s been like the last few very gray days for me … lots of emotional fog and low energy but a little bright spot because I know that the days are getting longer and the sun will be shining more soon. Well, we have more snow in the forecast this week so that “soon” is relative. BUT today I am feeling much better and I attribute it to the sun because everything else remains pretty much the same.

Yesterday and over the last few days I’ve recommitted myself to finishing some old projects that have been set aside. One of them for almost two years. And I didn’t have a lot of work to do to get it finished. This morning I blocked it for a second (third?) time and it’s ready to be attached to a dowel and hung. My hubby is bringing a dowel home from work this afternoon and I’ll attach it and hang it then.

It all started with the Covid-19 pandemic when I decided to take time away from work in mid-March of 2020 and Arne & Carlos started a pandemic KAL. Weekly YouTube sessions were something to look forward to and I joined.

It started with one little block in stashed yarn that I won as a door prize at my LYS on March 17th, 2020. One little yellow and white stranded knitting project. Something that made me feel like I had a purpose and I had a community.

And then in blossomed into more and more blocks. One each week. It gave me something to look forward to as we zoomed with our kids over cocktails and zoomed with my knitting group on Fridays. Life was so NOT normal but was feeling a bit more “normal” considering the circumstances.

And then in the late summertime, it felt safe enough to return to work masked, of course and the little blocks were relegated to my unfinished cabinet and left there. For weeks. I’d take them out and look at them and try to decide what they should be. Some people designed additional blocks and I knitted one or two of them but I had 19 blocks and I had run out of my different colors of yarn and only had (maybe) enough to make one more “rainbow” block. (I ended up choosing NOT to.)

On Monday I decided I was going to finish a project. I pulled out two WIPs and decided that my Arne & Carlos KAL is the one getting finished. I. had seamed together a few thinking that I was going to make a cushion for the couch or my studio but I changed my mind and decided to make a wall hanging. (I told you I’m getting a new knitting chair, right?) Well, the orange in the blocks will look great with my new chair, so … I seamed the rest of the blocks that I wanted to use together.

And because it’s never “that easy” … I decided that in order to hang it up, I needed to stabilize the edges a bit. I thought about sewing fabric to the back to do this and then decided to keep the integrity of the knitting object and pulled out my black yarn and crocheted a slip stitch all around the edge. This really did help the structure so it won’t stretch when hung, but it didn’t look great.

Again, I considered getting a piece of poster board or foam core or thin wood product but since it was snowing like crazy, I decided to keep it “simple” and knit a garter stitch border around the edges. It took me the better part of the day but by last night, the knitting was done. I blocked it again this morning and awaiting the hubby’s arrival home with the dowel which I’ll stitch to the back of my wall hanging and it’ll be done and done.

Finished but for the hanger

WIP no more! Gone knitting.

A Safe Place for All People

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An Inclusive, Accepting, Safe Place for all People

The community of makers: knitters, crocheters, stitchers of all kinds has been having a discussion around racism and inclusiveness in our community and the broader communities we all live in, in our country, in the world.

When my children were little, I volunteered to run a program in the elementary school called “Everybody Counts.” It was to teach young children what it is like to live with physical challenges. As part of the program, the children wore socks on their hands, walked blindfolded with a cane, wore eyeglasses covered with scotch tape, and more. The idea being that if they experienced what it felt like to live with these challenges then they would be compassionate and accepting of others who are “differently abled.” Who are different.

I wish that we, as adults. could all spend some time in the shoes /lives of others; those with different skin colors, those who live in different countries, who are a different gender, religion. To better understand their experiences. I have friends who are white and have children who are black. I know their experience of having sons is different from my experience. I never thought that my son’s life would be in danger if he was stopped for a minor traffic infraction. My friends do. This is not acceptable. My daughters aren’t (to the best of my knowledge) followed by clerks in stores. My friend’s daughter is. This is not acceptable. These are only two experiences that I know about. I’m sure there are many, many more.

I can’t step into your lives, your shoes, your bodies but I want you to know that I am listening to the stories on Instagram and elsewhere by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) and I will continue to listen and to do my own work. I can do better. My goal is to make my little world here on the internet and in my classes, safe and accessible for all people. ALL people.

I see you, I hear you. I am listening. Thank you for your stories.

(Any negative comments will be deleted. If there is to be a discussion, keep it positive and civil. Thank you.)

Philosophy of a Business

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We had dinner at a restaurant called Avatar in Sausalito. The owner, Ashok, is at first glance, a happy man. Sit at the “bar” at his restaurant and you’ll find out why he’s so happy – he’s a food scientist and psychologist who will make you the best food you’ll ever have in your life. “You’ll want to lick the plate,” he told me. (And I did – want to, that is!) Ashok loves what he does every day. He loves his life and business.

Every year on the day before Thanksgiving, Ashok opens his door to the community and feeds all the people who walk through the door – last year it was over 1,000 – for free. Wine, beer, food, all free. FREE! Last year my brother worked in his kitchen for the event and this year both he and his beautiful wife will be there.

I’ve always heard that if you want to receive, you have to give and the bounty that this good-hearted man receives is (in part) due to his participation in giving back to his community. Or, I would contend, he really gives to his community – daily! He’s giving of himself – tell him what you FEEL like eating and he’ll prepare you a delightful dish. He’ll also look you in the eye, shake your hand, smile at you and remember your name. He’s thankful that you’ve chosen to eat at Avatar.

Blessings – gone knitting.