A Slow Simmer

Sometimes a project idea will rattle around in my brain for a while.  It can be a few hours, several days, a couple weeks.  

The pandemic chaos has definitely messed with my sleep routine.  I have night owl tendencies, and this stay-at-home life only encourages that. Instead of going to bed last night, I sorted out some color options that had been slowly simmering on the back burner for at least a couple weeks.

I narrowed down the options, and these four were left standing.

I still need to bump one of these skeins out of the lineup.  It helps to have good lighting, so I saved the final color decision for today.

Daily Purpose

During this stay-at-home order, I've been encouraging family and friends to take it one day at a time.  Now I've refined that to include pick a purpose for each day.  

It doesn't have to be a huge undertaking, but it's much easier to get out of bed in the morning if you have a purpose.  It can be a little thing. Organize a bookcase, clean out a closet, sort through a stack of mail, work on a puzzle.  You can even clean the bathroom if that gives you purpose.

It turns out if you sit in a room long enough, you find more efficient ways to use the space.  I've been sitting in my office much more than usual, and over the weekend I realized I had under utilized space.  I don't know how that happened, but I didn't waste any time. 
Rearrange the office was at the top of my list for today, and that was the purpose that got me going this morning.

The office has been reorganized, and I'm thrilled with the fresh, new look.  It's a good thing.  I don't think I'll be out and about in the world any time soon.

My knitting has been a mixed bag over the last couple days.  Forward progress on one project, ripping out on another.

I swapped colors on my Breathe and Hope.  After a lot of debate and an informal poll, I think I'll stick with this.

Comfort Zone

My crazy pandemic routine - or lack of routine - has pushed me outside my comfort zone in more ways than one.  In an effort to stay productive, I've moved out of my usual cleaning comfort zone.  I've been checking the ceiling, the hard-to-each corners, the light fixtures, the top of door and window frames.  Is there any dust up there?  I think I see dust.  I better get the Swiffer just to make sure.

While I'm waving the Swiffer around, my daughter looks at me with a puzzled expression on her face and asks, "What have you done with my mother?"  Clearly I'm not the mother she's been used to for twenty odd years.  This is what happens after almost five weeks of a 
stay-at-home order.

Cleaning is all well and good, but you can get carried away with it and I was definitely headed in that direction.  I put the Swiffer down and got back to business.  Besides, I'd rather play with color combinations than wave the Swiffer around.

Casapinka just released Breathe and Hope to celebrate LYS Day.  LYS Day was originally scheduled for tomorrow but has been rescheduled for September.  The pattern was released now to show love and support for all the shops.

The shawl pattern takes two colors, so I've put together some Breathe and Hope Bundles.  While I was at it, I snagged one for myself.

These are strange and interesting times.  If I were picking colors for myself, this combo would definitely be outside my comfort zone.  Since so much it outside my comfort zone these days, I'm not giving it a second thought.

I captured this week's color inspiration on one of my daily walks.

Grays and greens.

Catching My Breath

I was on a roll with my Love Note and then put it aside for a 
day or so.

Around and around.  Sometimes a simple project fits the bill.  

I'm just catching my breath before I crank out the rest of the Love Note. This is my Linnéa Hat.  The brim seems to be taking a while, but it's folded so I should have expected that.  And it doesn't require too much attention which is probably a good thing right now.  

Tedious

Today it's a holiday in Massachusetts.  On Marathon Monday I cut myself some slack and go easy on the workload.  That shouldn't be a problem in the midst of a pandemic with no marathon and a 
stay-at-home order in effect.  

Somehow my plans went awry.  Instead of a relaxing morning with my coffee and knitting, I got entangled in a shipping mess with UPS.  By the time I had sorted everything, it was mid-afternoon.

Now that the box is finally on it's merry way, I can turn my attention to knitting.  I'm ripping out a bind off.

I didn't like the method I was using and should have stopped sooner to access the situation.  This project has mohair, so now I'm tugging and pulling to separate the connected fibers.  It's a tedious process, but I know it'll be worth it in the long run.

The Power of Suggestion

I've been cruising along on my Love Note.  I know it's going to be off the needles soon, so I've been doing a little preliminary planning for a new project.  I have a soft spot for the mohair, and then this week I shipped an order of assorted mohair colors.

That might be all it takes to nudge me in the direction of another mohair project.

This week's color inspiration . . . 

Vibrant pink.

Puzzle Joy

Today's pandemic survival tip . . . spend time with an engaging, time consuming project that you actually enjoy.  This does not include household chores because, let's face it, most of us don't really enjoy doing them.  These tasks might bring satisfaction upon completion, but they don't bring enjoyment.

For my household, puzzles bring satisfaction and enjoyment.  To be honest, we've been off our puzzle game during the stay-at-home order. My daughter and I assessed the situation, and we're determined to remedy the situation.  I accidentally ordered a new puzzle this morning, so the pressure is on.

To make it even more interesting, I've thrown a new cast on into the mix.  

Some Good News

On this dreary, soggy Monday with gale force winds howling, I've been catching up on Some Good News.  This YouTube channel is hosted by John Krazinksi, aka Jim from The Office.  John highlights short segments of positive news.  It's a welcome relief and a breath of fresh air.  Check it out when you need a distraction.  It'll restore your faith in humanity.

In knitting news, I'm making progress on my Love Note after sorting out a couple snags in the lace section.

So far, so good.

Lace and Focus

Focused knitting can be challenging right now, but I didn't consider that when I cast on my newest project.

Love Note.  Yes, I've made this before, but this time around it's for me.  
I finished the lace section last night, and I must admit I had to rip back a couple times.  Not the whole lace section . . . just a round here and there.  As so often happens with lace, I got off track but didn't discover it until the following round.  Unfortunately the mistakes weren't ones that I could fix on the go, so each mistake meant I had to rip out a couple hundred stitches.  Add to that the mohair factor, and yes, it was time consuming.  But worth it.

Now that I'm on the other side of the lace, I'm anticipating smooth sailing.  My mind wanders a lot these days.  I should know better than to set myself up for mistake-free knitting, but for the moment I'm holding on to that hope.

Today's pandemic survival tip comes from the kitchen.  I deeply miss my busy work life.  Once upon a time (before a full schedule of yarn production and travel), I did a lot of cooking and baking.  

During this compulsory downtime, I'm making an effort to explore new recipes and make some family favorites.  I'm not whipping up something new every day.  Realistic goals get me through the day, and most of the recipes are fairly simple and don't require hours in the kitchen.  We're keeping our grocery store runs to a minimum, so it's a good opportunity to be creative with whatever is on hand.

Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm hosting another Knitting Hangout, 2:00 - 4:00 Eastern.  It's not just knitting chatter - all crafts are welcome.  To get in on the fun, send an email:  info@dirtywaterdyeworks.com.  I'll send the link.  If you've participated in the past, you'll automatically get the link.

I made bagels this morning.  These are a family favorite.  This week's color inspiration . . . 

Fresh baked goodness.

The Early Blossoms

One project off the needles.  This shawl was "almost finished" for a while.  All it took was a little focused knitting time to get across the finish line.

The Early Blossoms.

This design features bold garter stripes.

The colorful short row sections add an interesting element.

When I'm on the road again, this sample will be along for the ride.  In the meantime, Blossom Bundles in a variety of colors are now available on the website.  The Stay Strong Discount still applies.

Finding Comfort

In the midst of this pandemic chaos, I try to take each day as it comes. Long range planning seems like a waste of time and energy.  Instead I pick the priorities for the day and run with it.

Our lives have been pared down to the bare minimum.  At the same time, the simplest things now present a huge challenge.  Who would have thought that getting groceries could be so complicated, require so much strategic planning and take so much time.

Eventually there comes a point where you need a break from it all.  I made a concerted effort to unplug from everything over the weekend.  

In the midst of this madness, it's important to find something that gives you comfort, and make time for it.  That's just what I did.  I encourage you to do the same.

Another Week

It's been another week of ups and downs, but we made it to Friday. Yesterday was a productive day, so today I'm willing to cut myself some slack.

The only priority for today is making a grocery list, so this seems like a good way to spend my time.

Here's an idea that might help you cope as we move through the uncertain days and weeks ahead.  I've started keeping a diary.  Some days I write more than others, but I make sure to jot down at least a few sentences each day.

The pandemic situation is changing so rapidly, and the days become a blur.  The diary helps me organize my thoughts and keep track of what happened when.  This way I can keep it all straight.  At some point in the future, I'm sure it will be interesting to read and reflect on everything that's happening.  For right now, the diary helps me get through the days.

This week's color inspiration comes from a time that seems so long ago . . . a time when I could hang out in a coffee shop and do a little knitting.

The subtle brown shades of a latte.

Down the Ravelry Hole

I finished a couple more projects (pictures coming another day), and now I have a full blown case of startitis.  This morning, with another loosely structured day before me, I settled in with a cup of coffee, a simple hat and Ravelry.

I came up for air just long enough to make lunch and check in with the family.  Then it was back to my project list and endless possibilities.  

I do need to accomplish a couple things today.  I've stepped away from Ravelry, but now the ideas are swirling.  It's harder to make decisions in these challenging times, but I'm determined to settle on a couple new projects.  Distraction is necessary for survival, and knitting is my preferred form of distraction.

Last Saturday I hosted Knitting Hangout.  It was great fun to chat about knitting, so I'm doing it again this Saturday, April 4.

The hours are 2:00 - 4:00 Eastern.  If you want to get in on the discussion, send an email to info@dirytwaterdyeworks.com.  I'll forward the link.  If you participated last week, you'll automatically get the link for this week.

Bring your knitting and check it out!