Monday, April 12

Weekend Getaway - With Car Knitting!

Steve and I decided that we needed a long weekend away to break up the endless weeks of work and almost-but-not-really-springtime we were trudging through.

A quick, inexpensive weekend trip always takes us back to Iowa City, where I lived for eight years. It still feels like home every time I return. The best part of the trip was the amazing weather and the abundance of fresh, clean air.

The IC is over a three hour drive from where we live now and I wanted a small knitting project to work on in the car that wouldn't require much thought or concentration. (This would not be my Dad's sweater. Yes, I feel guilty.) I started a pink top down baby sweater which will probably go to a little girl soon to be born into a family of three boys. I picked a pima cotton/silk blend yarn out of my stash and it felt so good to be knitting again. By the time we got home Sunday night, I had the yoke and almost one sleeve finished. (An aching right wrist slowed me down more than hoped.)

Our time in IC (Coralville, actually) went too quickly as usual. The list of things to do consisted mostly of places to eat but I also managed to do a little damage at the yarn store down there street from where I used to live (sigh) and at the scrapbook/paper store in the same complex, where I shopped for wedding invitation supplies over five years ago.

My only minor disappointed came when my camera battery died in the middle of photographing signs in downtown IC, for a collage project idea using the various letters. Here is a small (and rough) sampling of some of the letters:


name from IC letters



I can't wait to go back, possibly with a better camera, to finish my plan.

I can't wait to go back, period!

Thursday, April 8

A brief Respite.

Even though I have been knitting some over the last few months, it is nothing like the marathon sessions I used to have. I would really like to get back to knitting more (when I can tear myself away from other recently acquired hobbies), but I do think this break has done me some good.

Not only is my mind clearer on what projects are important and which I don't really want to do, but my hands don't ache constantly anymore.


And that my friends, is a good thing. As much as I want to get back to knitting, I know I have to keep it at a sane level and not push myself so hard to "just finish this real fast!".

Because after all, what is a hobby worth if it is not fun?