Sunday, September 11, 2011

Never forget?

Ten years ago, I was in the middle of my morning homeschool routine with our then five and six year olds. A friend called me and told me I needed to turn on the television because she knew I wouldn't have it on at that time of day and that I wouldn't know what was happening. She was right. I turned it on just seconds before the second plane hit the World Trade Center.

I will never forget that moment. Or that day. How can I?

In some ways, it's hard to believe ten years have passed since the day we will always know as 9/11. Yet, for those families who suffered losses of loved ones, I'm sure it feels differently. Life as we knew it -- both here and abroad -- hasn't been the same since, and yet I admit...I'm kind of put off by the sentiment, "Never forget."

Like it would be possible to forget?

How can I forget the destruction I witnessed as it was happening? That isn't an image that leaves you.

How can I forget the aftermath, not just to our country, but personally? Had it not been for 9/11, I wouldn't have been awake as early as I was on 9/12, at which time I happened upon something that was going on within our family that turned out to be the beginning of many years of heartache. 9/12 was, in effect, my own personal 9/11, the aftermath of which has been no less tragic.

More recently, how can I forget that had it not been for 9/11, my oldest son most likely wouldn't have spent seven months in Afghanistan this year, where he sustained injuries when he was caught in an IED explosion? Thankfully, his injuries were not severe. But every time I see the scars on his face and left arm, I'll remember that day and the reason for it. How can I forget it?

Truthfully, I would like to be able to forget the pain that was wrought on 9/11, both directly and indirectly. Being told to not forget it seems to imply there is a benefit to holding on to that pain, to not letting go of the horror, to nurture it in some way so that it is always there. How is that at all helpful to anyone?

It may seem a matter of semantics, but I believe it would be more productive to encourage people to "always remember"...remember what happened. Learn from it. Make positive changes to try to avoid it in the future. Remember it enough that we can take something edifying from the ashes. But the pain, the anguish, the raw images? They'll never completely go away, even if we wanted them to. I don't think we need to nourish them beyond that.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hi! Remember me?

So, back in April when I moved the videocast over to it's own blog, I fully intended to leave this one up and to continue to blog here about my own personal knitting and fiber and life stuff. Heh. That worked well, eh?

Sorry.

Really didn't mean to leave you hanging like that.

If anyone is still checking in here after four months of radio silence, I'm happy to tell you that I am going to begin blogging here again, f'realz. Not sure if it is the impending change of seasons or what, but I'm feeling that old familiar feeling of wanting to blog again, to get back into a routine (in general, really, not just in the blogosphere). Not sure how often I'll be able to post, but I'll try to make it regular.

A few things that have been going on in my life since you heard from me last...

 I went to Spring Fling in April, where I got to hang out with Steve from Dramatic Knits...

 ...and with Stacy from Tempted Yarns.

 In June, the kids and I spent a week in Florida visiting my mom and stepdad...

 ...and spent lots of time on the beach and in the sun.

 ...and I endured the after effects of a really ill-fated decision to try platinum highlights (this was after they were "fixed" but still...ugh...)

 It got hot and we all had to find ways to stay cool. Muffin's favorite way has been to sprawl on the wood floors like this.

In July, I got a new tattoo!

 And at the beginning of August, we went to NC to welcome our oldest home from his seven months in Afghanistan!

Then I got to spend the next weekend back in NC, taking my grandson to visit with his dad for a few days. First time they saw each other since January. What a happy day!

And of course, there has been a lot of dyeing for the shop, and a LOT of knitting!


 Plain ribbed socks out of some of my hand-dyed yarn...

 Springtime Bandit out of some of my handspun...

 Flutter-by Socks out of a colorway called Tiny Umbrellas!

 The Arcadian Shawl, which was my first Camp Loopy project. I finished my second project, too, but the third has done me in. I'm a Camp Loopy drop out!

And I've done a bit of designing, too!

The Twistygoo hat...a free pattern downloadable on Ravelry. :)

I'll stop there. I've got more to share, but it can wait! I will say I have a couple more patterns in the works...a sock pattern that is out to test knitters right now, a shawl pattern I need to edit and get out to testers, and another sock pattern that I'm still knitting and writing up. So, yeay!

And we started our 12th homeschooling year on Monday, definitely a harbinger of fall!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

90% Knitting...has moved!

I've officially moved the 90% Knitting videocast over to the new Fibernymph Dye Works blog. So, each week's episode will now appear over there along with the show notes. Though I will not be updating this blog with the videocast any longer, I am going to leave it up and active, as I haven't yet decided if I will try to continue to use it for it's original purpose or not. Time will tell! :)

If you're looking for this week's 90% Knitting episode, though, here's the direct link for it. I'm having some issues with the sidebar stuff on the main page of the new blog (issues as in...it's no longer there...no idea why...it's on all the other pages, just not the main one, which is kind of a problem), but I'm hoping to get them worked out soon!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Spring is offically here...


First wash of the season out on the clothesline today! Can't wait to hang the sheets out later this week. :)

Thursday, April 7, 2011

90% Knitting - Episode 11



This was Take (freakin') Four of recording today. Me and the camera...grrrr. I was far more put together and coherent in Take One and Two. Sigh.

Welcome to the new members of the 90% Knitting group on Ravelry, and thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers for our son in Afghanistan. He's all recovered from his injuries and has returned to his unit now.

ON THE NEEDLES:
  • 1. Moody Blues Socks, plain vanilla sock, my hand-dyed, stilllll on #2. US1/2.25mm needles.
  • 2. Autumn Dream Scarf, pattern by Wendy Johnson, yarn by Indie Dyer in Dragonfly. US6/4mm needles.
  • 3. Slouchy Cardigan, vaguely following Helene Roux' pattern from Greetings from Knit Cafe, Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy yarn, on US7s/4.5mm needles.
FINISHED OBJECTS:
ON THE WHEEL:
  • 1. Started the Knit Girllls SAL last Friday. Spun half of my Tempted fiber so far.
SHOP UPDATE:
  • 1. Lots of sock yarn this week, mostly 100% Merino. There will be some short skeins and a few new colorways featuring my new favorites shades of pink and purple.
  • 2. Two new colorways in the light fingering 535 yard skeins.
  • 3. I dyed up mini-striping yarns w/ coordinating semi-solids in worsted with monsters and mittens in mind.
  • 4. Featured spinning fiber this week is BFL.
  • 5. There will be more bags this week (I don't think I remembered to say this on the videocast!)
  • 6. This week's shop update will be on Friday between 6 - 7 p.m. eastern. Hoping to give people who work during the day a shot at catching the update!
RESOURCES/RECOMMENDATIONS:
10%:
  • 1. This week's Quickie KAL will be Susie's Reading Mitts, by Susie Rogers and Janelle Masters.
  • 2. Got the basement cleaned out enough that I can access my workout equipment again! Time to get busy! I feel so sluggy.
  • 3. I can't help it...I feel the urge for a new tattoo. Soon. Very soon. Stay tuned!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

90% Knitting - Episode 10




ON THE NEEDLES:
FINISHED OBJECTS:
  • Pedestrian Crossing Cowl, pattern by Melissa Tuttle Sibley, Malabrigo Rios in Indicetia
  • Bunny Nugget, pattern by Rebecca Danger, my hand-dyed
  • March YOSS Shamrockin' Socks - done only in the sense they are going to be frogged due to excessive stupidity and lack of common sense on my part. Total and utter sock FAIL. :(
ON THE WHEEL/IN THE DYE:
  • Still spinning the camel on the wheel while I wait to start the Knit Girllls SAL with the Tempted fiber on Friday.
  • Bought a fabulous new spindle - a Trindle - at Homespun Yarn Party.
  • Dyeing galore to try and restock the shop for this Friday's update. This week, there will be some worsted and fingering self-striping, some light fingering vareigated and some Falkland top, as well as a few more bags. The shop will update this week between 4-6 p.m. eastern, NOT 5-7 as I said in the videocast! Argh!
RESOURCES/RECOMMENDATIONS:
10%:
  • Happy birthday Lala/Laura from The Knit Girllls!
  • This month's Quickie KAL drawing winner is...announced in this segment of the videocast! ;)
  • This week's Quickie KAL pattern will be Preemie Baby Beanies by Karen Everitt. I chose this in support of Melissa/Meliabella's Sweet Caroline KAL on the His & Her's podcast group.
  • Homespun Yarn Party was so much fun last Sunday! Really enjoyed meeting those of you who introduced yourselves to me there! :)
  • Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who came and made opening day of the shop a huge success last Friday! I really appreciate each and every one of you!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Thank you!

I want to say the biggest THANK YOU to everyone who visited the shop last Friday and who made a purchase. Your response to everything was incredible. I never expected to see so much sell out so quickly! You are amazing, and I am most thankful for you all!

We are busy skeining and dyeing and sewing so that we can restock the shop for you. My plan, at this point, is to do a shop update every Friday. The time will vary, but I will post it on the Etsy shop site a few days in advance so you'll know. I'll try to also post it in the blog. This week's update, on Friday, April 1 (no foolin'!) will go up between 4 - 6 p.m. eastern.

There was a month's worth of dyeing up in the shop when it opened, so for sure our weekly updates will not be nearly as large as what we originally had to offer, but I hope to have a nice variety of things every week. :)