Trip Time

After a few years working at my place of business, I'm actually planning an honest vacation from there (Jun 29-Jul 3). It's not that I'll have my phone off, but I'll actually be doing things away from home most of the week. We've planned out who will be taking care of my job duties while I'm out. I've trained the staff necessary and am crossing my fingers that all will go well.

( Yesterday, Mom and I worked out our plans for a 3-day trip to San Antonio with the two eldest nephews. )

Then, I'll have two days to relax away from the boys and do some needed bedroom and closet organizing and hanging out with a friend or two. That will be followed by probably more skating and July 4th fireworks with the boys, and then a typical lazy Sunday in which I sit on my ass and do as little as possible while playing with some form of string craft.

Oh, and June 29th is my birthday, so this will be a nice birthday present as well.

Now to remember where I've stored my luggage, which I think is in the shed, but I haven't been out there in two years, so this alone will be a minor adventure in and of itself.

I also have no idea when was the last time I used my vacation tag for one of these posts. I'm glad to be using it for its intended purpose.

I Have Made FIRE!!!

Well, not exactly, but I feel about as accomplished as Tom Hanks did in Castaway when he was finally able to conquer the fire-making.

I have conquered the knitting needles.

I was wondering what diabolical enchantment someone had placed on these things which were otherwise supposed to make magic with yarn while I intently and purposely attempted to learn to utilize them when I suddenly decided that perhaps using them as a form of abstract art sticking out of sofa cushions and being done with them forever might make the best use of them in the long run.

I put them away and played some more with the crochet needle making a couple coasters, a cute 3-D leaf, and a short scarf, that will actually do best as a pretty table runner, before finally picking them back up to try my hand at them again. This was a conscious choice, as the sofa cushions in question are not mine, and my abstract art idea would make for quite uncomfortable seating for future movie nights.

My second attempt at forcing yarn to do my bidding with these un-hooked instruments paid off, and I'm finally able to maintain stitches and pretty good string tension. Muscle memory is finally kicking in and I've not only come to terms with the knit and purl stitches, but I've also succeeded in figuring out the English and Continental methods, trying and discarding the German thumb method, and discovering the uncanny similarities between the long-tail cast on method and my needle tatting double stitch method.

I'm now contemplating practicing off-hand knitting, in which the work switches from needle to needle, but the needles do not switch from hand to hand. Instead the knit/purl switches. The idea is that instead of turning the work to then work say a purl stitch, I would instead not turn the work and knit stitch using the off-hand. While I have been practicing the work always going onto the left needle, this would require practicing the work always going onto the right needle (with needle switch involved), and then when I'm ready, mix and match the two without ever switching the needles between the hands. I try to practice ambidexterity in most things I do, and considering I was able to quickly and easily contemplate and utilize the differences between the English and Continental methods, rotating between them every few rows to prevent hand cramping, I think I should be able to quickly assimilate off-hand knitting as well.

This has just become a fun game for me.