Archives for April 2018

Seems I’m gathering a little momentum at last.

Spent the morning reading and crocheting and talking to my husband. Then I did the usual household things plus the folding and putting away two loads of laundry.

I ran for only three kilometers because I restarted the 21K-program yet again with week one:

Took a shower and helped making lunch which was rather German, potatoes, peas and carrots and bratwurst. Then in a fit of un-procrastinating (I was really procrastinating about writing but I take what I get.) I pressed the dress fabric I’ve been talking about for weeks now, and I also washed a couple of bras by hand. Now I feel like I have earned a gold star.

Waited for half an hour for a student who didn’t show up which is somewhat irritating. If I had known that she wouldn’t come I could have used that time for something else. Then I taught the other students who all showed up on time, forced the boy to play piano, set the table for dinner, did the dishes, sat and read for a bit, and then I got ready for bed. Where I finally wrote a few words on the novel. At least now I know what’s going to happen next.

I am writing this story out of chronological order. The nice thing is that I don’t have to know everything right away. If I get an idea for something that will happen later in the story I can still write that first and fill in the other bits later. It does make it a bit more challenging because it’s harder to keep the whole thing in my head. But then I don’t need to sit there and bang my head against the screen when I can’t figure out the next scene. I just make a nice little scene placeholder and write it later.

After the writing and still in bed with my pajamas and brushed teeth and everything I read some more, and then I turned out the lights.

Today there will be more running and teaching and the recording of the podcast I hope. Oh, and music and writing and also another email to the piano tuner because there is definitely something wrong with those weird pads for the thingy in my piano.

My husband and I decided to go out Saturday night, and also talked a little about our upcoming wedding anniversary. We won’t be doing much but I guess it would be nice to have dinner out on that day. We’ll see.

The potato bed is done! (Not by me but my husband is very happy. I’m happy that he is happy.) And I managed to finally order fabric for a couple of t-shirts and yoga pants. Phew. I couldn’t decide on what to get for my planned Robson coat and Hollyburn skirt so I ordered samples.

I woke up early after a great night of sleep, and decided – again – to not write in the morning. That is becoming a bad habit. There was breakfast and grocery shopping, and since my husband was rather desperate I offered to get alcohol-free beer and soda as well.

Then I helped a little with making lunch which turned out to be so late that I decided to eat a sandwich instead and save lunch for dinner.

Then there was teaching, and a little music (not much), and a lot of procrastination, and then I decided to find out how to file our taxes this year because things have changed, and was successful even. I had a bit of a scare when I tried finding the file I have from the tax agency and had to realized that that file had been downloaded to the old computer right before it tanked but, phew, thanks to backups I still had it.

Then I decided to finally get my act together and find out what fabric I need and want for the next few sewing projects. And then it was so painless and fast that I ended up ordering the fabric even. So in about a week (one jersey fabric was on backorder) I will have fabric so I can finally make the clothes I desperately need. Woohoo.

Then I did strength training, also something that makes me very happy because I haven’t done it in too long, and reheated the stuffed peppers that were supposed to be lunch, and then I waited for the boy to finish his shower so that I could do the dishes, and then I was very exhausted and tired.

No writing. I need to sit down and think about the story properly because I’m at the point where those disparate scenes that I’ve written need to be patched together. Getting back after a break is always hard.

Today there will be running and teaching and more music and more writing. At least I hope so.

Yesterday I went running in the rain but it was still fun. I wore a baseball cap and my glasses staid dry. Mostly.

I did finish the Carbeth cardigan’s neckband and now there is only some I-cord left.

I got a new student which is always a good thing.

Then I tackled the novel. I had to delete a scene that was half-written because it was extremely boring and didn’t fit, and then I looked through two other scenes. Managed a total of one new word written but still, progress of a sort.

Went to bed on time but did nod off half an hour before that. Seems I’m still tired from the sleep deprivation over the weekend. My sleep seems to be getting better which is wonderful.

Today there will be grocery shopping and writing and music and teaching and knitting and reading. And if I manage to finish the writing early I will watch some Netflix as well but only then.

I had had vague plans of sewing because I was so motivated after meeting lots of great women wearing fabulous clothes but in the end I sat around knitting and reading. Basically the whole day. And then I changed to another chair, and sat down to knit and watch Netflix.

I did go to bed real early and have slept 8 1/2 hours which is glorious, and so I’m hoping that today will be a little more productive.

So today there will be the usual Monday things, teaching and making music and writing and, yes, even knitting. I’m almost finished with the Carbeth cardigan and I really like it. The alpaca is itchy but that won’t be much of a problem in winter I think:

Since taking that photo I have knitted half the collar. And then I spent a few hours sorting the Cria cardigan I started when visiting my parents. The number of stitches at the end of the yoke was wrong. I found out what I did and fudged it. I only had to knit back one row, and then I could divide the body from the sleeves, and now it’s smooth sailing for a while. This is the part you can knit while holding a conversation and such. Just back and forth without a lot of shaping.

Today it’s raining which means my husband won’t be able to do any yard work. The poor man has been digging his potato bed for more than a week now. He mostly finished last night but only by doing nothing else all weekend. He is hurting all over.

This means running in the rain but I don’t care much.

I have my usual Monday feeling of easing back into routine. As nice as these meetings and travels are having my regular life back is even nicer.

I had a marvelous day yesterday but right now I’m a bit exhausted.

I didn’t sleep much and then I had to hurry a bit to get the 9 o’clock train back to Augsburg.

There I met lots of sewing blogger again, this time about 35. First we went to a fabric store where there was extremely beautiful fabric that I didn’t buy because I need to sew other things first. And it was a little on the pricy side. I was sorely tempted by some orange and pink fabric but then decided against it after all.

I ate the sandwiches I had made at home sitting in a park in the sun, and talked with all kinds of people, mostly about sewing. I learned a lot by talking to other people who sew clothes, that was great. But we also did a lot of talking about where do you come from, what are you doing and such.

Then we went to the textile museum in Augsburg and learned a lot about different fibers and mechanical looms and all the kinds of looms that are used in the textile industry, complete with demonstrations, and a little about fashion and work conditions in the textile industry here in the 19th century.

I seem to have been the only spinner in the group and the only weaver (I’m a little hesitant to call myself a weaver but still.) and since I’m me I kept adding stuff to what the guide was telling us, ahem. Also reading all those books about silk and flax and wool and fashion and the history of textile work seems to have made me know things I was asked several times if I work in the field professionally.

It also shows that I’m a know-it-all who can’t keep her mouth shut.

I also was recognized by my voice for the first time ever, turned out one of the other women is a podcast listener.

I count that as a milestone.

After the tour we went out for an early dinner where I talked to yet more people and took a train back home where I promptly watched Netflix for too long and went to bed too late.

Today I’ll probably spend the whole day not doing anything and being cranky because of that.

I could try to write 11,500 words to make up for last week and reach my goal but I doubt that I will.

There will be knitting and reading and maybe a little reading, and then we’ll see. Sewing would be a nice change.

Busy and productive day yesterday but I gave up on writing. My head was so filled with excitement about the meeting for dinner that there was no space left for fiction writing. Also, I’m having a problem because I wrote a really lovely scene with magic, and now I’m not sure if a) this scene actually belongs in the book because it’s completely different from everything else, and b) what should happen next and what happened before.

The fun of writing out of order. I think that chapter is really good, though, and I’ve only written about half the story so far so maybe it does belong there. Stay tuned.

Of course I didn’t take a single picture from the meeting (bad blogger), so I leave you with one of me in my outfit in bad light:

I changed to classy hand knit socks and Mary Janes later because it was colder outside than inside, and wore a short-sleeved cardigan on top (with the wrong side out – I’m just that elegant).

Soon I’ll be heading back to Augsburg for a day of fabric stores, talking, textile museums, and dinner out again. Which reminds me that I wanted to look at the menu of where we’re going online so I can ponder the food that probably has the least fructose. Yesterday I choose well until everybody had dessert and I found myself ordering „Brez’ncreme“. No, I’m not quite sure what that is, either. Was pretty flan-like.

By the way I decided on wearing the new t-shirt (that doesn’t really go with a skirt but who cares) with my denim skirt and striped leggings. Also socks again and a brown hand knit, handspun cardigan. The wrap skirt will have a semblance of fit regardless of how much I’ll eat, and the rest can mostly be put on and taken off as the weather heats up and cools down again.

When going back home last night I was very happy I had fingerless mitts and a shawl. In the afternoon I might want to get rid of everything wool plus the leggings.

See, that’s me. Always planning these things as if I were going on an expedition. And I decided to take my own food for lunch so that I know if it<#s something I can eat or not.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be back home rather late again and will spend all of tomorrow just sitting there doing nothing.

Yeah, sounds about right.