Ruh-Roh: "Every Day Is Like a Wednesday"

Hard drive on computer failed.
Road construction ahead.
Expect delays.

Sheesh.




Have a Technical One.  : /

Cooking Sundays: Cooking to Knit By - Chicken Again? Think Again! From Espresso Love's Table Talk Cookbook: Crispy Balsamic Chicken Wings

I know, I know.
Yes, it's chicken again. But honestly, what isn't chicken anymore?

This is a great do-ahead recipe.
Which, right about now, is good for me, since I am doing the do-this-workout-schedule-and-either-give-up-or-lose-10-pounds, lol.
Otherwise known to the uninitiated as "Interval Training."

Ideal for a winter Sunday early dinner (quick, get it done before DOWNTON ABBEY!) or happy hour on the deck in summer, this is made ahead and, when ready, the rest is done in the oven for you.

From one of the island's best gourmet coffee house/bistros Espresso Love, Carol McManus and her cookbook Table Talk (and recipe) do not disappoint. Known for her sublime pastries, cookies, coffees and light lunch/dinner fare, I chose "Crispy Balsamic Chicken Wings" because easy prep-and-cook make it ideal for giving me more knitting or boating or just loafing-in-the-hammock time.

The first time I fixed these, I found the taste a little sharp. Next batch I added honey to the vinegar "sauce" to taste, a little Worcestershire sauce, salt to taste and, if you want them a little spicy, I might add a dash of cayenne pepper to taste as well. Just right!

To complete the menu I usually start off with some awesome clam or smoked bluefish dip from Net Result in Vineyard Haven... or better yet! my friend Sue's totally off-the-chain recipe for baked bluefish with crackers (which, if she will give it up, lol, I will share closer to the summer season).

And maybe... no, not 18-21-year-old-girls in Hooters uniforms and beer, lol... 
Ok, the beer. And, I'm thinking coleslaw or a platter of carrots and celery with ranch dressing. Or whatever.

Ta-Da!

Crispy Balsamic Chicken Wings
(makes 4 servings)

2 lbs. chicken wings
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 large scallions, thinly sliced
(optional mods: honey, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper - all to taste, before you add the raw chicken wings to the mix)

1. Combine chicken wings, vinegar and scallions in a large, gallon zip-lock bag.
Zip-lock the bag and smoosh and mix the ingredients until well-coated.
Refrigerate overnight (and mix it up and flip the bag over every once in awhile in the frig. when you think about it, till you are ready to cook).

2. Just before cooking, take the chicken out of the frig. and let come to room temperature.

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

4. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on large baking or cooky sheets (with a lip).

5. Bake 25- 35 minutes, until crispy and brown Check the last 10 minutes to see if done, and extend cooking time accordingly.

Modifications: I found adding a little honey, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste (also a dash of cayenne pepper if you are so inclined) round the flavor out, and I highly recommend experimenting to your individual tastes.

Add a salad, coleslaw or carrots/celery with dip, for a great Sunday supper.

Yum!


Have a Good One. :)

Cooking Sundays: Cooking to Knit By -The Black Dog Tavern

Hi-dee ho, people.
It's Cooking Sundays: Cooking to Knit By (among other things)... on a Tuesday, lol.
Well, my time clock has always been a bit on the late side.

First up: an obvious favorite - The Black Dog Tavern's Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook.

If you're not familiar with The Black Dog, probably, hands-down, the most famous of all island eateries (think Presidential presents - does that ring a bell?), it is best known for welcoming locals and tourists to the waterside establishment for crazy-good food and great atmosphere.

The Tavern was named after the long-loved black lab companion of one recently arrived Captain Robert Douglas. The Capt. opened the Tavern on a wintry New Years Day in 1971, after having found that there was, in fact, no good, all-winter-open restaurant on the island.

Inside the Tavern you will find exactly what you would expect of a seaside eatery - a rough-hewn building filled with all sorts of Capt. Douglas's sea-faring memorabilia. As for the main fare, everything is fresh, and most local caught and bought. 

This particular cookbook, the first of two, features favorite summer recipes and good cooking tips, to boot.

Since I'm always looking to build more knitting time into my schedule, I am usually in search of either a quick-prep, quick-cook or an easy-prep slow cook, or... someone else to do the cooking. :)

This recipe, Grilled Pork Cutlets with Maple Chipotle Glaze appealed to me on two levels: first, it was quick, but creative (who even knew Chipotle powder existed??) and second, you could either cook on the grill or in the oven - rendering it a good year-round go-to recipe. All you have to do is add a simple salad, some rice and let the glaze speak for itself.

PS: I was terribly afraid the chipotle glaze would be too spicy for the kids, who were eating with us that evening, so I modified the recipe to offer a less-spicy version. I did make the original glaze, but after tasting before glazing, decided to modify. In retrospect I will use it next time, as during the cooking process the chili powder lost a lot of its spicy nature. I am sure if the glaze were used as in my mods, but keeping the chipotle powder, it would be perfect.
Never challenge a great cook's recipes, lol!

Ta-da:

Black Dog's Vermont Maple Syrup Pork Chops and modifications

2 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 ½ tsp. chipotle powder
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. cold water
1 ½ pounds pork cutlets, ¾ in. thick
salt and pepper

with modifications:
use 1 tsp. chili powder instead of chipotle
add 2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
add 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
salt to taste
½ tsp. pepper or less, to taste

Servings/Yield: 6 servings


Directions:
If using grill - preheat.
In a small saucepan, bring maple syrup, chicken stock, chipotle powder and thyme to a boil.
In a small jar mix the cornstarch and water together. Put the lid on and shake vigorously. This is an easy way to make sure the slurry combines. It should have the consistency of whole milk.
Pour the cornstarch slurry into the boiling glaze mixture and reduce to a simmer.
Cook about two minutes until it becomes clear and thickens.
Season the cutlets with salt and pepper and brush with a little canola oil.
Grill cutlets 3-5 minutes per side, brushing the glaze on while cooking.


This is how I modified the recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat butter in pan in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
Pat dry the cutlets with paper towels.
Brown pork chops each side in a sauté pan.
Cook just enough to brown, then remove from pan and place in a high-sided baking dish or roasting pan. (If your pork chops are very thin and have cooked through, skip the oven and tent them loosely with foil while making sauce.)

I added vinegar, switched out the chipotle powder for chili powder, added pepper and worcestershire sauce to the sauce recipe.
Bring the vinegar, chili powder, pepper, maple syrup and worcestershire sauce to a boil. Add the cornstarch/water slurry and reduce to a simmer.
Cook about two minutes until it becomes clear and thickens.
Pour the sauce over the chops in the baking dish.
Lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake uncovered 10 - 15 minutes, or until interior of pork reaches 145 degrees.
Place the pork chops on a serving platter and pour sauce over. Reserve some for use at the table. Or better yet, double the sauce recipe!
Serve.
Add salad and rice for a complete meal.
Serves 6.


Have a Spicy One. :)

Meh: Lamentations, WIPs and Getting Buttons

What a meh day, huh? Or maybe it’s clear and sunny where you are, I haven’t checked the "local on the 8s" yet. lol.

Winter days and Wednesdays on the Island just don't hang together real well.
 
 
1. I’ve finally decided on my Urchin Hat for the birthday present needed THIS SUPPERTIME.
Disastrous results yesterday on the gauge for two different yarns, two different patterns, couldn’t find my #4 circ needle, well you know how this goes… on and on.

urchin hat/arm warmers

So.

moss stitch

I am getting ready to cast on for the Urchin, and this time try a moss stitch around the band to shake it up a little. If I get distracted, I can always gift one of those said lovely hats I made out of Quince yarn before Christmas and didn’t sell. Is that kosher? Must get those on Etsy soon, and then pin to my Pinterest to get some action, possibly.

something like these

2. I want to sew. lol. Didn’t see that coming did ya?
There’s a book - How to Sew a Straight Line - that has inspired me. I brought back from Hawaii scads of Hawaiian print fabric to make sun dresses out of, and sell during the summer season, and haven’t done so. lol. Yet another Lucy scheme on my part.
I wonder how hubby puts up with this stuff sometimes. The ideas in this head could be harnessed for good, if they would settle in a little, lol.

3. The house is a wreck - The kids got the things we stored in my Aunt’s basement "temporarily" and dropped them smack dab in the middle of the main level of our house, so there’s no way around it, literally, I must go through and put the damn stuff away SOMEWHERE, lol. 
 As for that: A) What was I even thinking? It was stuff from the Victorian cottage we had. I’m not sure what I was thinking other than it had to get moved out ASAP to clear the place for sale and I don’t know. lol.
So the communal dining table is stacked - I am typing around the stuff, that’s how hard-core I’ve become.

4. Another button I need to do. Get a "butt on" the chair in the office and continue my free-lance writing assignments right here in "river city." Stringing for the local rag here takes some persistence - you have to eyeball the island action and pitch the story to them first rather than the other way around. The slant on community and news is very different from the Mainland - they take it personally. Example? Recent bitching has been about putting in a rotary road where the only traffic light of sorts - it's a blinker - on the island is presently located as a four-way stop. The debate has been hot, the State Authorities called in, lots of slinging of the "L" word (lawsuit, lol) around.  Anyway, I've got some pre-tty interesting ideas up my sleeve ;) - as usual - just you wait and see. :)

5. Wishing you lived close by to distract me - we could go grab a cup o' joe at Mocha Mott's or Espresso Love and knit a bit.

Instead, I have Family Supper Night (read that with an echo, it’s endless sometimes how much I want to hang with my extended family, lol).

And a hat that must be knit.

I could probably just put this up in a post, couldn’t I?
Good idea, lol.

Yours in yarn,
J

Have a Good One. :)

Cooking Sundays: Cooking to Knit By

Winter on the island can be cold, reclusive and just plain downright blehhhhh.

So. To jazz things up, I've decided to include a regular post challenge called Cooking Sunday.
Hopefully, I will be cooking my way through local cookbooks, so you can get a feel for what kinds of yummy, wonderfulness (is that a cooking term? I think it is now!) local cooks, chefs and establishments regularly feed the flock with.

This week, however,  I'm going to start off slowly, cooking-wise, with a good winter Sunday supper regular.
And bonus for you knitters out there - it's cooking you can knit by!

But really, you don't have to be a knitter to include this in your repertoire of good-tasting, easy-fixing go-to recipes.

Ta-Da!

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 oz.) bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce ( Honey Barbeque is one good option)
1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
optional: 1/2 cup diced onion
optional: 1 tsp. liquid smoke

Servings/Yield: 6 servings

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the bbq sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.

Cover, and cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 on Low. (You can also use fresh chicken breasts - just adjust the timing.)
Add buns, maybe some sliced cheese in there with the buns and voila!
Sunday Supper!

Adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe


Have a Good One on me. :)

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

"Night Combing Her Hair With the Moons": by local artist Margo Datz - Painter, Illustrator, Murialist http://www.margotdatz.com/

Winter Nights on the Island go like this.

It is 3:14 am.
I awaken from a deep sleep.
It is 12 degrees Fahrenheit out.

The pipes on the forced hot water heater go blub, blub.
The meter on the propane tank goes tick, tick.
The dollar signs in my mind's eye look like $$.

But I look out the window to see something like this.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

                                                  
                                        And I know I ... am a lucky girl.




Have a Good One. :)

FO Friday: It's a New Day, It's a New Year, So Crikey! TURN UP THE #$%&!@ HEAT!

Starting the new year on the island takes some gumption.
It's bitter cold. The kind of cold, though numerically not that low, that curls down your coat neck, seeps up your jacket arms and burrows deep into your bones.
Ack.

And let me tell you - these "yankees" don't cotton to using much heat oil anywhere, either, lol.

In the stores, grabbing a sandwich, out to dinner, picking up feed at the feed-and-seed store, wood-burning stoves goin', Islanders use their well-honed dressing skills to keep them warm. That, and I think there's a high birth rate in the early Fall, lol.


So, anway. I have several options.
Option #1 - Turn up the heat. Ok, that's not reasonable. Did you see the oil prices lately?

Option #2 - Head to a warmer climate.
This, in fact, is what a lot of island residents do during the off-season. Many own land, condos, etc. in Cabo, Belize and Puerto Rico, because the prices are still reasonable for a small second home, and our money is still strong and living is relatively cheap. And it's WARM, for crikey's sake.
This, too, is not yet possible, cause Mama still needs a new pair of shoes, and has to stay here to work for them, lol.

Option #3 If you can't beat'em, join em.
Hence, my F(inished) O(bject) Friday List!

First, what they say is true - cover your top, your bottom, and your extremities to keep extra warm.
It is truly amazing what wearing a hat, gloves and woolen socks do to keep body heat in and higher.

I have taken to wearing hand-knit hats of all shapes and kinds - all wool, all the time.

Here, we have the newly finished green Tremont Hat . 

It's knit in my "go-to" yarn, Quince & Co., Lark, Green Parsley colorway. I know, I know. It is a strange color to choose when you have soooooo many yummy colors to choose from, but it fits the pattern exactly! See?

Decent coverage whether you are in your house putting away holiday decor, outside filling the bird feeder, or on-the-go doing taxi duty for "Family Dinner Night."

 When I needed an I-Completely-Forgot-What-I-Was-Doing-On-Christmas-Morning-And-I-needed-To-Cover-My-Hair hat? I wore my just-finished, Pinch Hat, completed with stone and seaglass buttons plucked from the ocean and craft-drilled to perfection. (Seen here in an "action shot" lol just before the dogs got into it over a Christmas Dog Biscuit)



Second,  wool really works! to keep tootsies warm. I have learned to knit woolen socks of differing yarn weights and types for different situations.

Wearing my Dansko clogs to run to the market? Pull on Lobster Pot Sox Yarn (yep, they dye it in big ol' clambake-style lobster cooking pots!) knit in "boiled lobster" (dang! in the wash, but here's the colorway). Everybody here seems to wear loudly colored socks with the drabbest outfits. Go figure. I used my go-to Fleegle's Toe-Up sock pattern with one long 40" circular needle and a figure-eight cast-on.This is the knitting project I most always take when I travel. It's compact, only one needle and it's very attached to the project so I can't really lose it, lol, and it goes quickly, and fits every recipient I ever made it for, based on loose shoe-size estimates.

Wearing my Muck Boots mocs to take the dog out? Slip on my thick, twiced-darned (this is not a new FO, obviously) Manos Del Uruguay socks, using Ann Norling's #12 basic sock pattern,  in (I think it's discontinued) a purpley colorway.

Last, you'd be surprised, but covering just your wrists and hands, not even the fingers!, keeps you feeling warm. To that end I am blatantly plugging my hat and wrist warmers I just finished for the Christmas Artisan's Show.

These wrist warmers I wear all the time (that's my DIL Jenna, modeling) inside the house (I am partial to the Carrie's Yellow ones, again in Quince & Co. yarn, Puffin weight this time), even with shirts, as they really do keep the pulse points on the wrist warm, keep cooler air from going up the sleeve edges, and look pretty keen, too. And when you wear them over your coat sleeves? Well. Can you say warm and toasty? The hat? Basic, pretty, easy to knit, quick to finish. What more can you ask for?


Yes the Old North Winds may blow, and the cold Jet Stream air may infiltrate, but the island population has figured out some pretty decent tried-and-true ways to keep warm.

Now if we could only figure out how to bring the cost of home heating fuel down...

 Have a Warm and Toasty One. :)

Note to Self: On Having a New Year

Ha.
And I bet you thought that's all I have been doing lately, lol.
Happy New Year's and all.
Well yes, there was some of that.

But no.
Mostly this.
Plotting.
Just plotting. :)

Note to Self: On Having a New Year

Am I going to go the usual route?
Top Ten List of Things I'm Going To Change?
No.

Am I going to chuck all that, like last year, and say, do an Anti-List? A No-List List?
Remember, Caution Joy Ahead?
Ha ha ha.
If you knew what the last year has been like for me ... well then, no.

No, this year I am tackling that illusive goal - peace.
And to do that, I am going on a specific diet
I am going on an Inner (Thinner!) Peace Diet.


I promise to do four things every day to create peace within myself.
For Peace of heart.
For Peace of mind.
For Peace of body.
For Peace of spirit.

Yep.
Has there ever been a more reluctant pilgrim?
I think not, lol.
It will be difficult, at best.

It takes commitment, for there will be rough spots.
It takes courage, for there will be conflict.
And it takes creativity, for the mind is a wily soul, waiting to "get out-of things."

I may be the only one on this journey, but it will affect many.

Finding rest.
A still point.
Finding inner (and therefore, thinner) peace.

An extended pause in life that takes you from rumpled to smooth.
From tension-filled to tension-less.
From thick to thin.
And from poor in attitude to rich in spirit.

Oh! you might say. That is a very selfish thing to do.
But no.
As they say in the air, "Secure your own oxygen mask, before helping others."
Why? Because lack of oxygen can make you too dazed to be of help to others.
So it goes real life, at least for me.
In our usual condition of messy, glorious living, we are far too dazed sometimes, to be of help to others.

So in the end, it is a must.
For myself.
And, it turns out, for others.

It is time.
Ending the inner war, and for me, finding inner (thinner) peace.
Peace out.

Have a Good-intentioned One. :)

Ten Reasons Why We Love Christmas on the Island

Like David Letterman (who also owns a house here, btw), I, too, have a Top Ten List.

Since I've been busy with holiday preparations, I haven't had time to post regularly.
But.
That doesn't mean I'm not scouting the Best and Brightest of Christmas on the Island for your viewing pleasure. :)

So.
Here goes:
Drum Roll Please!
Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Christmas on the Island

10. Skating on Old Seth's Pond.


9. Driving to the top of Peaked Hill at night, the highest spot on the Vineyard, on an especially cold night to see the stars displayed overhead - it really is like diamonds in the sky. :) No light pollution.

8. Seeing the Christmas Parade in Edgartown, during the Christmas in Edgartown week-end.
Have Hot Cider or Hard Cider, lol, afterward at The Newes Pub, Edgartown. Explore all the open houses and the retail shops open when you've warmed up. Head over to the Harbor View Hotel to see the Teddy Bear Room and watch with glee when they flip the switch to light up the Edgartown Lighthouse holiday lights. OOOO! Ahhhh.

7. Making a Christmas Wreath at Donorama Garden and Landscaping. Think Martha Stewart Meets New England Country. (So cool, but kinda pricey, so we only do it every so often)

6. Seeing the many ways Santa arrives on-island - on the boat, in a fire engine, on a float, in his sleigh. He's a busy guy here. :)

Tim Johnson for MVTimes

Tim Johnson for MVTimes

5. On three separate nights, grabbing a quick bite to eat in a different village town here, and driving down Main Street to see the lights. It's amazing what you can do with Twinkle!

Gatchells

4. Driving over to see niece Julie Megan's Christmas Lights display in her front yard! Honestly! It's really cool! (Winyah Lane - Vineyard Haven) And with music! 

Then going to see her competitor, The Gatchell House, in Oak Bluffs, depositing cans of food for charity in the barrel at the end of the circular drive.

3.Attending Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in the massive old Whaling Church in Edgartown, then hope you see carolers along the way home. They're there; you just have to look for them. Really!








2. Drive down Edgartown's Main Street late at night, in the snow - it's a virtual snowglobe!

1. And the #1 Reason Why We Love Christmas on the Island? Noo, it's not cookies!
It's a time when we gather family and friends near to celebration the most wonderful time of the year!

Happy Christmas from Lucy and Meatball, niece Stephanie's dogs

And from Rescue Pup Neela, too!

Have a Merry and Bright One. :)

Finished Object (FO) Friday: For Your Christmas Shopping Pleasure - Shop Local

Tada.
All done.
My hats and wrist warmers are all done, and ready for sale at the Artisan's Show - Chappy Room, The Newes Pub.

If anyone else is interested, I will be starting up an online store soon for my knitted goods on Etsy.com. But in the meantime, these sets are available - in 9 colors - for $38 + shipping. Sold separately, $20 each + shipping.

Colors available:
Goldfinch - antiqued yellow
Mushroom - heathered brown
Winesap - muted red
Rosa Rugosa - muted fuchsia/lipstick pink
Pomegranate - muted rosy pink
Clay - muted salmon/pink
Lichen - mossy green
Cypress - deep forest green
Peacock - deep teal blue

You can email me at: inky077mvy@gmail.com for further information.

I used a wonderful yarn to create these handmade items from a regional source - New England-based yarn company in Portland, Maine: Quince & Co. Quince is a company I would like to work for! Pam Allen, CEO, answers the phone, packs the goods and even helps out a little old knitter like me when she orders a whole box of the wrong weight yarn. This is a small, creative company, regionally located to serve the needs of fiber artists who want a quality product at a fair price with beautiful colors, all within their geographical region. Their patterns are inventive, and their customer service outstanding. Look them up: Quince & Co.


Have a warm and cheery one. :)

Locally Grown and Proud of It: Yeehaw!

Ahem.
We have a big announcement to make.
Actually two.

1.  Andy (our son) and Jenna, eloped to Vermont in June! Those crazy kids just couldn't wait to get married and start a life together. :) (mum was the word till we figured out insurance coverage, sheesh!)

2. Andy and Jenna have recently announced they have started another collaboration of sorts, lol - something locally grown... they are expecting! Splash down? July 1st -ish.

3. Neela, the Rescue Pup is going to be a big Sister lol!

No more wash-ashores for us.
There's a new fish on the hook, and we are reeling it in. :)

So, this is actually a good time to also tell you about the original Island Grown Initiative here.
This non-profit "grows community through sustainable agriculture, local food advocacy and education."

We like this: trying to increase the supply and demand of local grown food for community health and the environment (like it says in the literature!). Read more about it here.

What does this mean for us?

It means we can get organic milk in old-school glass bottles from Gray Barn Farm.
It means I buy wool yarn spun from Liz Packer's sheep on Spring Moon Farm.
It means buying freshly-made gluten-free bread from the Scottish Bakehouse, or getting smoothies from Tisberry Yogurt with Mermaid Farm yogurt.

And it sometimes means spending a little bit more for a product that is in many ways healthier for us and our environment.

Each community could take a lesson from this inventive island program. Why not get behind the small, local business owners and support your community?

Why not use local resources to get what you want and know where it's coming from?
Why not teach the kids in your community how to eat right and even try their hands at growing food for themselves and their families?

What's not to like about that?

Being a member of an Island Grown food resource (Andy is fishing commercially), we want more than anything to be part of a growing concern that gives back to the community and to have fun in the process.

So when our little fish arrives, we will be happy to proclaim on many fronts, "Island Grown and Proud of It!"

I'm sure this will be just the first of many mayhem-filled posts from Grammy, so stay tuned!

Kiss your kids, eat good, locally grown food and have a good one. :)

Keep Calm and Carry Yarn: WIP Wednesday

     Jennigee's Etsy Shop

Yep.
That's what I always say.
When the going gets tough, the tough get knitting.

We are heading down the home stretch on several fronts. Mom's last-minute house stuff, the looming holiday season, the knitted items I'm preparing for sale at the artisan's fair in a week, and that, in the middle of this, they just had to go and have a sale on couches at the local home furnishings store. So add to that going through my mom's paperwork, my piled up paperwork, the office closet that never got organized and "where am I gonna put all this stuff, since the couch is going in the corner of the office where the boxes sit unpacked?"

Yesterday, I had to take a break to knit.
I was one hot mess.

I was overloaded, upset and on the brink of pitching in the proverbial towel. I had started a sweater for the Rescue Pup, it’s colder now and she’s short-haired. And I wanted desperately to have a project I could finish right now, very quickly. I guess because I’m not finishing these endless "must-do" projects, and then even more shows up.

So I think, this is garter stitch - the most basic of stitches in knitting, easy peasy - sturdy, big needles thick yarn right? Well you could tell I just wanted to get through it, and man was I frustrated, cause the dog is big! So I looked at what I had knitted. Long length, like a … REGULAR sweater, lol. THAT's no short project.

Then, I found it to be too long. The minute I saw that I said, "Hey stop, look how tight, how wrong the seaming, how too ill-fitting this is." And I had to actually stop. Sit several minutes... to let the anxiety, frustrations, etc. go. This is the first time my “art” was imitating real life. Not good. (but a great post!)

How could this be?
Then again, how could it not be?

Who was I kidding? I was physically sublimating my life into craft. These knitted bits of love I do and make have meaning, beyond clothing. They do not need the frailties of life knitted into them, like a cocoon of despair.

Point is...
1. When in the middle of one hot mess, stop, find something to do that is equally opposite of what is causing your frustration. Yes, even if working. That means - stop take a few moments to meditate, sit quietly, whatever, at work.

2. OBSERVE what happens.
See. I told you. It does create a gap - a pause that refreshes the brain, like say, a page on the internet.

3. Do you need me to tell you this?
Yes.
And no. lol.
Sometimes we know better, but we don't do better.
Don't make that mistake.


No, the dog sweater is not done. I have to sew it together. But still. Almost!

Yes, the artisan fair items are coming along.

And yes, I did. 
I did shove everything back into the closet so the sleeper sofa could be delivered.
And what a sofa. It was on clearance! It fits! It's comfortable! And best of all, my mom can enjoy a night or two here, when she wants to. All on the main level. :)

Proof is in the pudding:

 My artisan fair items: a quick-knit hat and some cool wrist-warmers I made up. Mostly, the yarn is by Quince & Co. What a beautiful stitch definition, huh?


                          On the needles....



Life is a WIP. Sigh.

Have a calm one. :)