Recent Knitting Epiphanies

I am trucking along on my top-down raglan and loving it. I finished my first skein and it's time to start a new one. I decided that instead of joining my yarn in one of the two ways I have made up, that maybe it's about time that I learn the proper way. So I searched YouTube for a knitting tutorial and found one. What I learned was beyond simple and I actually already knew it, I just wasn't applying what I knew at the right time. The secret to joining the yarn is to do so at the beginning of the row (or round in this case), then you just weave in the ends when you're done! Duh! Why did this take me so long to figure out?

My other epiphany came when I magically realized how to do a yarn over at the beginning of a row: you wrap the yarn before the first stitch! Duh! I have actually avoided patterns and stitches because I didn't understand how to do this!

Feeling unsatisfied by all your current projects? Start another!

For me, having six knitting projects at once is pretty normal. So it's no surprise then, that I felt the need to cast on for the top-down raglan knit-along that Susan B. Anderson is sponsoring here. I am so excited to be working on this sweater; it's the first cold weather item of the season. I picked a beautiful burnt orange for the fall (and for UT) and just knitting it makes fall seem a little closer, despite the fact that my car thermometer said 107 when I got in after lunch.

I love knit-alongs because they make an otherwise daunting knitting project feel doable. The parts are doled out weekly and I feel like a kid in school again! I looked at the blog yesterday because I was so excited and Susan had already posted the first steps - yea! I finished my whole assignment last night and I can't wait for the next part!

In other knitting news, I saw Barbara W. up at school today. She is a retired teacher and was up at school visiting all of us. She is very special to me because she taught me how to read a pattern and make booties. Once I learned that, my knitting life really took off. And when I say "took off", that's an understatement. Learning how to read a pattern was life-changing for me. I didn't even know I wanted to learn, so I'm glad Barbara took a chance on such an ambivalent person! Anyway, we're going to try to arrange a regular knitting night which is great because Stacy and I had already been talking about this AND Stacy was in Barbara's class in middle school! I can't wait to tell her (Stacy).

Knitting Update and other things

After finishing one washcloth, I am hooked. I must make more washcloths! I usually don't care to knit with cotton, but I have a newfound respect for the fiber. I am on #2 and cannot wait to start #3!

I am slogging away at Abalone. I know I am going to love it when it's done, but right now I'm drowning in stockinette. I want to get it finished up until seaming by August 28 because on that day there is a finishing class at Gauge and I would really like to go.

Finley's monster has stalled out for a little while, but that's okay, it's already belated, but I need to start on Cash's because I know October will be here before we know it. I also realize that Lora is one of my two followers, and this may ruin the surprise, but oh well. Maybe she won't read this post.

The brown charades are slow going. I'm almost to the 2nd heel and if I can get past that, I'm in the home stretch!

I survived job-alike today. I don't know why I was so nervous. I ended up having two co-presenters and a class of 15 teachers; no sweat. Tomorrow we don't report to school until 11:00! Yea! One more morning of sleeping in and knitting!

Delicious Minutiae

I survived the first two days of staff development and am excited to start the weekend. I am terrified about presenting at my district's curriculum day next week, but I guess I'll worry about that next week. There are going to be a lot of changes this year and I'm trying to take things one day at a time, which is great until you notice there are plenty of teachers trying to pack 48 hours into one day; that's hard to compete with.

Tomorrow Nancy and I will be doing a mini yarn crawl. On the tour for sure are: Gauge and Hill Country Weavers. We are also thinking about checking out Yarnbow in Lakeway and the Knitting Nest, which I did not realize until last night, is at a new location on South Congress! I am out to purchase some yarn, but I'm mostly excited to be around yarn with the woman that started it all for me. It should be a great day.

Then Chris and Rodney will be making there way to Austin for a visit. I'm hoping we can plan an elaborate Greek meal and then go on a fun shopping excursion to either Whole Foods or Central Market.

Why?

Why can I forgive everyone (so easily) but myself?

New School Year; New Names

I go back to work tomorrow - yech.

❤

I've had this blog for over a year and it's never really become what I wanted it to be. But then again, I don't really know what I want it to be, so I guess that all makes sense. I changed the name today. I chose this new name because it is true; I do ❤ minutiae. Like when everyone complains about the crap people write on their FaceBook statuses I can't relate because I ❤ the stuff people right there. The more minute and unimportant the better! I don't know why I like it, I just do. {Last Christmas we were watching old home movies at Clint's parents' house. There was this one that their friend Robert had made. It was minutiae at it's finest: suck random clips from his own family, Clint's family, etc. I think about that video all the time.} It (this blog) has had three different names since its inception. First it was "Spacegoat Knits" but then I was doing other things that I wanted to include in the blog, so I changed it to "Spacegoat Creates", but now I'm just sick of that spacegoat stuff. It was a really funny memory, but I think I'm over it. I'm also ready to not be anonymous. Which means I guess I'll be changing my name on Good Reads and Ravelry. I wonder what will happen when I do? I wonder if I can...

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This summer I had a radical idea: what if instead of keeping my separate blogs, I just wrote one? It hasn't officially happened, but I think I'm moving toward it, slowly.

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Earlier this summer Stacy and I went to outdoor yoga at Barton Springs. It was was really enjoyable, except for the end when I put my arm in an ant pile right before savasana. After that we went to eat brunch at a place on South Lamar. The food we ordered sounded good and mostly tasted good, but later made us both sick. We had gazapacho, but it was warm because they had just made it. It didn't really hit the spot after sweaty poses in the great outdoors. And our sandwich, a tuna and dill havarti, was acceptable. I decided today that I would relive this sandwich experience and right the wrong I had endured. So I made that sandwich for lunch, but now my stomach kind of hurts. I can't tell if it's real or in my head.

Let's Try This on For Size

One of the blogs I read and enjoy very much, occasionally puts up a post in the following format. Personally when I see posts like this, I usually skim them at best. I don't know, reading that format does not appeal to me. But I thought I'd try it for myself and I have to admit, I REALLY liked writing using the format. A lot of times I go weeks without posting because I feel like I don't have anything worthy enough to write about (I know stupid, but always occurring) or I think that when I started this blog it was the for the purpose of logging what I was creating at the time. I don't know why I box myself into corners like this; it's my blog, I can do whatever I want with it. Anyway, I liked this format because it helped write about things I never thought to write about here, original intent of the blog be damned!

The only thing I'm wrestling with is, I want to go back through and add links to things I've mentioned, but I am telling myself no because if I do, it will take forever and this post will never be published.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the shades are closed in the office today.

I am thinking... of writing a letter to Katie thanking her for a unique gift.

I am thankful for... yoga for giving me so many gifts.

From the learning rooms... reading like crazy before school starts and I don't have time to do my own reading. I finished Outliers and loved it. I was thinking of buying Blink, but then I found it on my shelf - what a great surprise. I'm also trying to finish Eat, Pray, Love before the movie opens. There are other books, but they can wait.

From the kitchen... preparing to make Devils on Horseback for a get-togther tonight. I haven't had them in so long and I've never made them, so I'm excited to try.

I am wearing... khaki yoga pants, my black Chinati t-shirt

I am creating... a short-sleeved sweater called Abalone, brown socks called Charades and another monster set for a belated birthday present.

I am going... to fold the laundry that has been sitting in the laundry basket in our bedroom for almost a week.

I am reading... oh, I didn't realize there was a specific place for reading. This is my first time using this format. Hmmm, well I guess I can talk about those other books I eluded to earlier. My bathroom book is 13. My goal was to finish The Passage before the end of summer, but that is obviously not happening. I am pacing myself through Hidden Gems. I'm trudging through Until I Find You; it's heavy (literally and figuratively) so I don't get far before I have to put it down and read something lighter, like The Friday Night Knitting Club. It's light and easy.

I am hoping... that a dear family friend is doing alright. I just heard this morning that she was diagnosed with cancer and I haven't touched base with the family yet.

I am hearing... Clint clear his throat repeatedly.

Around the house... tidying up for tonight's get-together. Yesterday Clint installed the last cabinet and the over-sink light. Now the only thing left is the backsplash tile. And that will be a pretty big job.

One of my favorite things... leftovers - I'm about to eat some for lunch.

A few plans for the rest of the week: welcoming my Aunt Nancy from upstate NY, dreading going back to school, seeing Chris and Rodney who are visiting from Houston this weekend.

Adapted from: The Simple Woman's Daybook.

My own amendments:

I am listening to (I feel that this is different from I am hearing because I am hearing lacks deliberate intention)... lots of How Stuff Works podcasts, The Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine, Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The High Road by Broken Bells, and the auto-tuned Home Invader (so ashamed).

I am watching... lots of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Real Housewives of New Jersey and D.C., The Next Food Network Star, Design Star, and Skins (Season 2).

Betcha Didn't See that One Coming ; )

I was listening to one of my favorite knitting podcasts the other night while I was falling asleep: The Knit Picks Podcast hosted by Kelley Petkun. The topic was knitted gifts. Since I am someone that from time to time, gives my knitted objects as gifts, I thought this was worth listening to. Kelley had her recommendations for what makes the best knitted gifts especially to be given to non-knitters.

Sidebar: Gifting knitted objects to knitters and non-knitters is a topic I should explore in a further post. The common belief is that a non-knitter will likely not appreciate a knitted gift the way a knitter does.

Surprisingly her first suggestion was socks. Personally, I can barely make it through a pair of socks for myself, so the idea of spending all that time and then giving them away? I don't think so.

Sidebar: I did knit a couple of pairs of socks for my mom, so that should illuminate how special it is to receive socks from me.

Kelley's second suggestion was washcloths. I've seen many people do this and then pair it with a great soap. And I thought, hey, this is a good idea. Washcloths are easy and super fast and how many people actually use hand-knit washcloths on a regular basis, so that's a real treat! So to make a long story short, I thought about who deserved a hand-knit washcloth and the winner, I decided, was me.