I Have To Stop Spending Money

I have to stop spending money. I get paid every two weeks. I know when I'm getting paid. I know how much I'm getting paid. I know that I have an automatic withdrawal of $50 to my savings account every two weeks when I get paid. Yet I still spend money that I really shouldn't be spending. I just went to the yarn store, which I shouldn't have done because I cannot walk out of there without spending at least fifty dollars. Sure enough, it happened. I was only going to buy two sets of circular needles that I need for two at a time socks. But then... They had restocked all their yarn. ALL OF IT. It was so beautiful and colorful and soft and... two skeins of Manos del Uruguay later, I'm down $58 including needles. I have to stop doing this. It's the curse of having an income... now that I know it's coming, I feel better about spending it because I know there will be more in another two weeks. Thank the lord I set up my withdrawals to savings... otherwise I'd be dead broke, always.

Yesterday's Socks

And today I wore
Yesterday's socks.
Extra blue and extra thick
Yesterday's socks
Protecting against wind
(and now snow)
For the second
Day in a row.
Yesterday's socks
Scooped from the floor without
A second thought.
I know they'll make it through the day
After all, I made them.

The Knitter!

I love The Knitter. I love that the internet came up with the idea of a knitting supervillain. I love that suddenly, knitting is cool. Knitting is hip. Knitting is something anyone can do. It can be a force for good (charity! warm fuzzy socks!) or evil (robbing banks ala The Knitter), beautification (yarn bombing!) or vandalism (also yarn bombing, but from a different perspective).  

For me, knitting is a stress buster. I knit to keep myself sane. It's a procrastination technique, but it's also soothing. The repetitive motion of stitch after stitch, row after row, one needle to the other, lets me think. With a simple pattern, my mind can sort itself out. I think in song lyrics, or about my day, or about any amount of work I have to do, or planning for a zombie apocalypse. When I have a more complicated pattern, I can't help but concentrate on it, and my worries sink for a little bit. It's lovely. As an added plus, I get cozy warm and hopefully awesome items out of the deal. 

I think everyone should learn to knit, for all of the above reasons (except the robbing banks one). Yarn bombing can free the artist in you, as well as the rebel and that inner ninja. Knitting for others unlocks compassion, as well as an appreciation for the work and love that go into making something unique and custom. And knitting for yourself is the ultimate win-win situation: wearable items, and distraction. Perfect!

On The Color Red

I don’t like red. It’s too strong, too angry, too out there. I have red sock yarn, red like richness and comfort and autumn. I got it on sale, just because. It’s a lovely yarn, silk-wool-nylon and gorgeous. I’ll never use it. The color’s too off-putting. Red socks seem like something weird. Even if I cabled them up all pretty, they’d still be red. And red is bad. I’m not even sure why I dislike red so much. It’s not every red that’s an issue. I can deal with red in moderation: bright red stripes on a sweater, dark red jeans, a single perfect red rose. My hair was even red once: dark, beautiful auburn red, shiny and soft as the silk sock yarn. Another time it was almost orange, a vermilion like a cross between a pumpkin and a tomato. Those kinds of reds are fine. Real, fire engine reds are not. They’re not real. I’ve never seen that kind of red in nature. Real reds are deep, rich, layered. Fake reds are flat. And flat is bad. Flat is boring, one dimensional, not worth it. It’s just not worth those socks. Flat feet are almost as bad as a flat head, which is why neither my socks nor my hair are red. And that’s why I don’t like red.

The Generosity of Strangers

It always surprises me how wonderful people can be.

Today I arrived home to a package on my front porch. At first I was a little suspicious, as I was not suspecting anything. But after some pondering, I remembered that back in January I signed up as part of a traveling box called the Luggage (based on the Luggage from Terry Pratchett's Discworld), through an online knitting site/forum called Ravelry. I just put my name in, and was told to expect the Luggage at some point. Of course I promptly forgot about it.

Imagine my surprised when I opened the box. Inside the shipping box was a bag, and inside that back was a beautifully painted shoebox, made to look like the Luggage from Discworld.

Inside that box... well, wow. I had no idea people were so generous! The whole premise of the Luggage was to put in what you take out, but still. The contents were practically magical. Gorgeous yarns (I picked out a lovely blue sock yarn), treats (Kendall Mint Cakes- yum!), and various knickknacks and postcards. It just astounds me that people are so generous, putting in handmade yarns and stitch markers, expensive chocolate, and other beautiful items, all for someone they have never met. I feel exceptionally proud that I can participate in this kind of swap- I replaced the sock yarn with a skein of Merino superwash, and the Mint Cake with some chocolate. I also took a postcard, and put in a card with a pretty horse head on it.

There's also a notebook that goes with the Luggage, in which we're supposed to record what we took out, and just general thoughts. I didn't say how amazed I was by the generosity, but I hope it was still evident. Sometimes, people just make your day, even anonymously.

Time Is Stretchy?

Chemistry class:
I look at the clock. We've taken two pages of notes, and it feels like our hour-long period should be almost over. Lies. It's only been seventeen minutes. Class drags on forever, at least two hours by my internal clock, but the outer clock says it's only been an hour. How is this possible?

Spanish class:
A class I usually do not enjoy. The teacher is usually late, and today is no different. My internal clock is set to accommodate that. We're rolling right along, going through the homework, and I glance at the clock, thinking that it's been about fifteen minutes. Surprise surprise! It's been more than a half an hour! In a class that usually drags! Will wonders never cease.

Time is stretchy. That is my theory, stolen from Terry Pratchett. If you want to know more, read Thief of Time. It's an amazingly mind bending book, with monks, time travel, the Death of Rats, and Death's granddaughter (named Susan, thank you very much.) Oh yes, and a flying horse named Binky (owner: Death).

Studying

Why is it so hard? I've got exams tomorrow, and I even got an extra day to study because school canceled today. So why can't I concentrate? Distractions abound. Here's a list:

1. Knitting- I've been coveting Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock yarn, and I can't get enough of Ravelry. Also, I've got a lovely cabled hat pattern that's very distracting...
2. The Internet- self explainatory
3. Inside my head- last night I had a really serious conversation with someone close to me, and the result of that has got my head spinning in circles. 
4. Lack of exercise- when I don't get out of the house, hyperness ensues.

At least my English exam will be easy tomorrow. Surprisingly (according to my English teacher) , I'm pretty bad at grammar. This fact interests me greatly because when I write, I don't really have issues with grammar. It's a conundrum. Math, on the other hand, is going to be a nightmare. Too many theorems, not enough numbers. We'll see how that goes.

On top of all that, there's ice all over the place, which doesn't help the general atmosphere, and my brother is sick. So I'm stuck trying to avoid contagion and ice. And insanity, but everyone knows that's catching.

Knitting

When things go bad, I knit. Lately, my life has taken a turn for the worse, so I've done a lot of knitting.  For some reason it's very therapeutic to me- it doesn't require a whole lot of thinking, but it's something to do with my hands while I puzzle out bigger problems. Knitting is portable, soft, and of course ultimately rewarding.

I always have at least one "back burner" project- that is, a really easy project I can pick up at any time, and that I can leave without worrying. For me, it's usually a scarf. Right now I'm knitting a gray ribbed scarf with leftover yarn from a sweater I made for my mom. It's warm, cozy, and a nice color- perfect for a scarf. I made the pattern myself so when I work on it I'm on autopilot- knit four, purl for, knit four, purl four, knit four, turn, repeat in opposite order. Easy.

My next two projects are a little more difficult- a hat and socks, respectively. I've been wearing a stocking hat I made years ago, and everyone at school wants one now, so I've got to get working on that. It's nice to be liked for something you can give to others. I feel like they genuinely want what I'm doing. The socks are for myself. I found a great pattern online (knitty.com) for a sock with a cool twisted pattern. They're going to be a gorgeous blue-green color, and hopefully warm and cozy. Can't wait to get started!