lists

And still I have to write a new blog-post

October 14, 2009 by Susanne 2 Comments

As always it isn’t that I don’t have ideas for posts, or that I don’t want to write anything, it’s just that my thoughts are running off in all directions and I find myself with less free time on my hands as well.

If it weren’t for my husband the house would be a disaster, and I’m still working on this “go to bed on time”-thing. Also on the “put things away”-thing, and on “complete things on time”.

So, what is it that I’ve done?

1. I have designed and charted a triangular lace shawl:

I used traditional Estonian stitches from a stitch dictionary for this. The lace knitting class I’m teaching is already half done, only two more weeks to go.

2. I also am teaching a class on mindful knitting that is more fun that I had hoped for. I’m not really knowing what I’m doing but I’m very used to the “learn by teaching”-method and it usually works well for me and the students.

3. I’m knitting up a storm, trying to finish the UFOs lying around (Un-Finished Objects).

4. I’m transferring one of my stories from notebook to computer. I wrote this in June, back when I decided to write 3 pages every day. I’m still not finished with the typing, and for the last few writer’s meetings I only had this story to read to my writer friends. Since the story is now standing at 3,000 words, and they are still sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for what happens next, all is well. But I better finish the story.

5. On the same note I have decided (yes, I’m big on decisions today) to participate in NaNoWriMo again this year, only I’ll be “cheating” by setting myself a goal of a mere 15,000 words. That will be like going to a marathon to walk 5k very slowly but I know from experience how I feel after having written the full distance. I’m no good for at least the rest of the year, and won’t be writing either.

6. I wrote two half blog-posts. Unfortunately two halves don’t make one finished post. One of these days there will be sunshine and free time at the very same moment, and I’ll take some pictures and tell you about the joys of knitting with handspun. And some time this year you’ll get an account of my son’s first day of school. Which happened a month ago. Oops.

7. I’m also thinking a lot about being intelligent and school. Of course, one reason for this is my bright son who now reads as well as the average third grader (as far as I can tell, I only teach three third-graders at the moment), the other reason is a conversation I had with a woman I met in September. And I remember how bored I felt all through school, and it only got better in grad school. How I didn’t do homework for the last four years of school. And how I really want my son to have a better school experience than I had. Unlike me I’d like him to learn how to study and manage time some time before he turns 25.

But I already found myself telling him that when he is bored in school he better sits there quietly and politely, and that there are other places to learn things. At home for example. My husband and I decided that he needs something a bit more challenging and are turning lunch breaks into informal teaching sessions. (No, we’re not pushing him. We’re just having regular conversations with a bit more explaining for him.) So he’s getting a dose of stories about Italy or Brazil, a bit of history and politics, and also throwing a ball, salsa dancing, and crafting.

8. I have also turned inwards once again, so if you happen to be a friend of mine, or someone to whom I owe an e-mail, or someone who used to know me through comments on her blog: “It isn’t you. I’m not communicating with anybody right now.” Part of this is due to the fact that I’m teaching a lot these days. Which means that I see people and talk with them for hours each day. While I’m reading blogs, and tweets, at the end of the day (and in between as well), I just want to sit there quietly. Well, as quietly as you can when you’re part of a family.

9. I have bought a ton of books, and am reading, among them one on writing songs. Yes, I’m still thinking that one day I will be writing songs again. Maybe even this year, who knows.

After all it’s fall, and that’s always the time to make plans, and get more grounded. I do it every year, some years I’m better at following through other years I’m worse, who knows. Even though we had snow today. Snow. It’s freezing (in a literal sense). Still, snow or not for me it’s fall, and time to get things going again.

This blog is still on

August 10, 2009 by Susanne 6 Comments

You know how you always think you’ll have more time once summer break starts? That summer break that’s 10 days old today? Yeah. Me, too.

I have been doing things but posting here hasn’t been one of them. I’ve been playing computer games on my ipod, I’ve been ordering and receiving a new spinning wheel, a couple of weeks ago I found out that I probably have ADD, we’ve been making the most of every single non-raining day that we had so far, I found out that not only am I weighing as much again as just after I had the baby (I never was heavier, btw), I’m also completely unfit so that a hike that seemed like a breeze last year left me panting and with sore muscles for days this year (well, I wasn’t panting for days).

I’ve been reading books, watching Torchwood all through for the second time, and Farscape, finished two pair of socks, started two other pairs of socks, frogged back a quarter of an intricate lace shawl only to start something new with the same yarn, decided to also rip back a turtleneck sweater that I’m making (half-finished), decided not to order any books, CDs, DVDs, computer games, yarn, or spinning fiber ’til the end of summer break, only to buy four comics, and another game (it was only 4 Euros I swear).

I have a long list of things I want to do until the middle of September:

work out again (see above)
design and knit a lace shawl for a class I’ll be teaching next fall
install a new version of WordPress on my blog and that of my husband
sew some pillow cases and coasters
write a story about summer in the next ten days
ply the Corriedale I spun up, and spin up some lovely hand-dyed BFL I bought (that’s a sheep breed for those who don’t know, Blue Faced Leicester -I doubt that they really have blue faces, though)
write at least one blog post about “How to be idle” and “Idle Parenting” – for the record, these books are marvelous and eye opening, and very helpful. Now I feel like a revolutionary instead of a lazy person
tidy and maybe clean the house so that some flat surfaces will be visible again
pick up the guitar and play once or twice
ditto with singing and piano
have my piano repaired (which means that there won’t be any piano-playing for a week, since parts of it need to be removed)
go on at least two more hikes
go swimming with my son often so that maybe he will be able to swim at the end of summer
go to a party in Bamberg in two weeks
attend the first German raveler meeting in the middle of September and before that to prepare my class there
use the hammock and enjoy the garden as often as I can

Right now it’s raining, I have to answer a gazillion e-mails, and phone a handful of people but my son is upstairs with his grandma and my husband is recording bass lines. Oh, I’ll do some singing for him soon, too.

You know why I love vacationing at home? If I were somewhere else right now I’d have to sit in a tiny ugly hotel room with both my husband and son, sitting on uncomfortable beds with nothing to do but wait until it stops raining.

the posts I haven’t written and the pictures I haven’t taken

May 27, 2009 by Susanne 5 Comments

First of all, here’s the last of my Projekt “Farbe bekennen“-pictures. I had hoped to be able to take a picture of me in the dress and the cardigan but my days didn’t work out that way. At least it is colorful indeed. Especially with the rack of drying laundry in the background:

It’s the dress that I bought the pattern and the fabric for in 2007, that I cut out last September, and that I put away because the top and the skirt didn’t fit together. This year I decided to just finish it any which way, and now I have a dress that I’m really happy with, except for the fact that it would fit me better if my boobs were smaller.

The cardigan is one that has been in the making for more than year too. And the yarn even was supposed to be a sweater in 1994 or so. The sweater spent the next years in the attic, almost done except for one sleeve. I ran out of yarn and suddenly realized that I don’t like bobbles. The pattern for this is Something Red, and I love it. It’s a bit short for wearing with pants because I got impatient (also it’s heavy cotton and if I wear it long enough it won’t be too short anymore) but it’s perfect with a dress or skirt.

As with these two garments (and the picture that should have been something else), I now have to be content to do a blog post, regardless of whether I like it or not since today will probably be the only day I have any time to post until the week after next. I’m busy as usual, and also packing for a trip to my parents next week. I’m happy to leave the house for once, and also woefully unprepared. Also, the weather is changing from day to day so I don’t know what clothes to bring. My experience tells me, though, that regardless of what I pack it will be wrong. If I pack for summer weather it will be cold enough for woolen sweaters and vice versa. (No, I won’t pack both, I’m a woman traveling by train with a single backpack. And I need to bring knitting with me.)

So, the posts I wanted to write but haven’t (you know how I love lists, don’t you):

Around the world in 80 clicks: the lovely Beck had tagged me, I thought about this post with reasons why I love being a mother and a list of other mothers to tag for weeks.

Treats that aren’t: how a lot of things that I treat myself to aren’t really treats but things that make me feel worse in the long run.

Explaining my life to strangers: how I end up explaining my life on a daily basis so that I even have to discuss it with random people I meet at the grocery store. And how I should make this into the new tagline for my blog

Gold: a picture of my wedding ring that is the only piece of golden jewelry that I wear, with a sappy post about why I cherish it even though it’s not that beautiful and how I haven’t taken it off since 1995 (except for x-rays and such)

Gardening: a post about an interview I heard on Craftsanity with Jenna Woginrich who wrote the book “Made from Scratch”” together with my feelings towards gardening and how I realized I know more about it than I thought (I’m still not gardening as such, in case you wondered.)

Nostalgic Liesl: a post about a purple sweater that I knit in September out of yarn that I bought in 1988, the memories of the vacation where I bought it, and the people I went with

Parts 2 to 4 of the beach-story: the parts have been written but need minor adjustments before posting

Be calm: the only song I wrote last year, it still isn’t recorded though, and I’m without voice again since hay fever season is in full swing

Idle parenting: a post about the book “The Idle Parent”“, why I love it and why it helped me to see that my parenting is rooted in ideas I believe in instead of mere laziness as I had suspected

Life or Death: a story about a girl backpacking through Europe who encounters terrorists at a mall (I still have to write this one)

Why fashion is important to me: stemming from an ongoing conversation between my husband and me (he doesn’t get why somebody can be that interested in clothes; what I don’t get is: if I’m that interested in fashion why don’t I dress better?)

So, to answer a question my sister asked me in the last post: Yes, one can be too busy to play around with a new camera. I’m not quite sure why I suddenly am that busy but one thing is that these days I opt for having quiet evenings instead of sitting in front of the computer until midnight. And for long conversations with my husband. And I have about five more students which is great but leaves me no spare time in the afternoons. For example I wrote the first part of this post just after lunch, and this part between students. And Thursdays are the only days when there is a “between students” otherwise it’s all students all the time. And my husband is crazily busy with gardening on top of working on his music and doing housework. And my head is full of things to and places to go, and people to call, and all the busy, busy little details.

At least there won’t be as many busy little details next week when we spend the week with my parents near Holland. I probably won’t be able to spend much time on the computer there.

Again I’m very sorry for not reading or commenting on your blogs, or twittering much but then – as we have often told each other – this should be for fun, not an obligation. See you later.

What I’m doing these days – stream of consciousness

March 23, 2009 by Susanne 3 Comments

spinning brown wensleydale on my drop spindle, knitting socks and lace, yelling at my family, dreaming, sleeping intermittedly, eating too much, thinking about my life, playing “coin-operated boy” on the piano, singing my heart out with “my alcoholic friends”, teaching new adult beginners, figuring out how to bring my wheel to a meeting next weekend, reading about “drawing with children”, talking with my husband, talking with my son, picking things up, putting things away, feeling despair looking at dust bunnies, deciding to lose weight again, starting now, not eating jelly beans, drinking too much beer instead, not going to improvisation workshop, seeing pictures everywhere, wanting to take my camera outside, smiling at other people to avoid talking with them, attending parties and leaving early, preferring an episode of “how I met your mother”, a beer, and talking with my husband over a fabulous party with 150 people, buying presents for my son’s friends, avoiding playdates, rejoicing at my son starting to read, telling him about Battlestar Galactica, looking up the capital of Rumania in the encyclopedia, neglecting my blog-duties both passive and active, going for walks almost daily, making dates with internet friends to exchange books, talk about “Farscape”, and drop spindeling, reading comics, writing book reviews in my head, turning to self-help blogs only to find that I already tried all their tips and have reached a new level of problems, watching youtube videos, buying music on-line, listening to my husband teaching jazz-improvisation in the next room, watering plants, carrying groceries home, helping my husband with cooking lunch because he’s tired of being cook in charge every single day, trying to make space for my husband’s music, not going to the hairdresser even though my hair looks terrible, buying train tickets for June, planning a workshop in September, easing my way into a new story, feeling disconnected with my own music, meditating, talking to my bloggy friends in my head, listening to incubus, to amanda palmer, twittering

I know it’s been since Friday

February 3, 2009 by Susanne 3 Comments

or so, and it’s already Tuesday or something, but, well, it has been one of those weeks (yes, all two days of it, and it feels like it should be over already):

I spent the whole weekend dreading the dolphin costume (you know, the one I’m making for my son for carnival), and then cutting and sewing. The good news is that the body of the costume is done, and it looks great so far (after I had erringly sewn the dolphin’s back fin to the inside). The bad news: I still don’t know how I will make the head, I’ll figure that out next weekend.
just when I had the feeling of almost recovered health my son has a cold – again – with fever and everything.
my son having a fever equals him sleeping next to me, or rather him tossing and turning, and rousing me about every fifteen minutes (no kidding) by tickling my nose and asking, “Can we get up now?”
after the second night of this I was a bit, um, irritated today; also I can’t seem to stop eating
the Finanzamt send me a letter claiming that I hadn’t paid my tax for December, and it turns out that I indeed did pay it but I, myself, was stupid enough to label it “January 09”; argh. Of course something like this has to come up now of all times, not last week or the week before – and of course they can’t just think about it for a bit like “Why is she sending this in when a) she hasn’t paid for the month before, and b) the month she is paying for isn’t over yet?”; I know there aren’t many people who get paid to think on their job
for once I wanted to get grip on my monthly story deadline, so I had planned to write my monthly story – which is due next Thursday – today; then all of a sudden I was on 24/7 mommy duty (on the other hand I get to write this because my mother-in-law is having my son right now)
while having a sick child is bad for things like blogging, writing, and making music it’s really good for knitting; I’m finishing things right and left
at least I’m really happy that I had the brilliant idea that I can watch DVDs on my laptop in the evenings while I’m waiting for my son to fall asleep; he falls asleep earlier because he knows I’ll be there for a while, and I don’t have the feeling of being on the job forever; also I can watch two episodes of Farscape at night instead of just one
now I have to sign off because I have an unexpected feverish kindergartener sitting on my lap.

See you in a few days, I hope. How are you?

My Yarn Stash

January 26, 2009 by Susanne 6 Comments

Just the other day I was telling somebody on ravelry that I don’t have much stash, also I’m running out of sock yarn. When I have finished the two pairs of socks currently on my needles there is no more new sock yarn.

On the other hand I can barely close my yarn drawer, and there are projects, patterns, yarn and needles everywhere in the house. How can those two things be true at the same time?

So I decided to a) think about it, and b) pull out the wool and have a look at it. I haven’t gotten as far as actually looking at it right now but thinking about it helped a little. I think I might start to understand what’s going on here.

I usually put my leftover yarn in the attic. Sadly the “leftover yarn boxes” are full. More knitting means more leftovers. This is one of the reasons why there is a lot of yarn in my yarn drawer.
When I ordered the yarn for my last two sweaters online I, of course, ordered a bit more than I thought I’d need. Since the shop isn’t nearby I can’t just go and get more. Actually, with the last sweater I ordered the exact amount of yarn needed and I have about 2 1/2 skeins left over. I know, it’s a mystery. That accounts for 400 g of yarn between the two sweaters. The leftover yarn would make great mittens or hats (I don’t knit scarfs, hate making them). Only the colors don’t match anyone’s coats.
Even though I thought I don’t have any more sock yarn there is in my yarn drawer: a) an almost finished pair of summer socks, b) leftovers of two pairs of socks, enough yarn two knit another pair out of the same yarn, c) between 40 and 60 grams of each skein of Wollmeise sock yarn that I’ve ever owned (which might become either striped or fair isle socks at one point).
There is leftover Wollmeise lace yarn, enough for a lace scarf, or if combined with the two other colorways of Wollmeise lace that I have (that accounts for two of my currently active projects), there might be enough for yet another stole,
There is yarn I bought in order to make yet another lace stole, this one will be for a friend.
There is leftover yarn from making a scarf and hat that will eventually become a pair of fair isle mittens for me. (
And it would be nice if I finished those before August. So that I can actually wear them.
There are three balls of cotton sock yarn that I wanted to design socks for. They have been sitting in the drawer, untouched since July. I had an epiphany last week, and have declared that I will just make socks following a pattern. Designing should be fun, not a chore. The pattern is sitting on my piano at the moment, the yarn is in the yarn drawer. And I won’t start them soon, since it’s not summer yet.
There is enough cotton from 1994 to make yet another preemie blanket. Only I hate working with cotton.

I think that’s all, apart from the hat that needs seaming that sits on top of the fridge, the lace shawl and pirate scarf that need blocking that sit on top of the dresser, the two pairs of socks, and two lace shawls in progress that sit on the kitchen bench, the unfinished cotton sweater that sits in the knitting basket in the living room (it only needs another sleeve and a button band to be finished), and a ziploc bag with the cast-on for the aforementioned baby blanket that probably will never happen.

So, you can easily see why I have the feeling that I’m in desperate need of wool, can’t you? O already ordered yarn for another sweater (one that I really need), a knitted doll, and a pair of socks. I’m desperately waiting for them to arrive. Before I run out of yarn and things to knit.

I feel quite virtuous, though, because only half of the drawer is full of wool. The other one is occupied by my fabric stash. That somehow overflows into the rest of the bedroom too…

P.S.: I just remembered the spinning stash, and the handspun. And the yarn that was a hat that was too big for me until half an hour ago when I wound it on the niddy-noddy to re-knit the hat. Ouch.