Hugs to All of You

I am so blessed to have you all as friends. I actually cried -- in a good way! -- as I read your comments on my last post. Thanks you all so much for helping me chase away the blues. And for sharing your own struggles.

I have picked up my Vodka Lemonade sweater again, and it feels good to make progress on it. The actual color is much more yellow than this photo shows.

When I look at the large numbers of people taking anti-depressants and the long lists of titles of books to help people with depression and anxiety, I can't help but think that there is something terribly wrong with our society. For one thing, Americans work far more hours than people in any other industrialized country, and we take far less vacation. I know that this 13-week slog between breaks wore down not only me, but my colleagues and students, too.

My Year of Stitches project has been a source of joy and comfort these last few months.

Knitting -- along with our other creative ventures -- is one way to escape the high-pressure world we live in, don't you think? It's no accident that DIY and hand-made have become movements. Nor that a knit hat became the symbol of the women's march in Washington. Every stitch is a protest of the hyper-pressures of today's world.

They also bind us to other people. Another group of people who keep me afloat is the Jewish Artists Lab. You may remember that I painted a portrait of Judy Chicago as part of a project launched by my friend Pam, in which we are assembling a "dinner party" of Jewish artists. We got together last weekend for a painting round, and I did this one:

It's Diane Arbus, who is famous for photographing "outsiders." It doesn't look as much like her as I'd like, but it's close enough!

Again, my heart-felt thanks to all of you!

Finishing One Project; Starting Another

Well, I'm home taking care of someone I love today. Also taking care of myself, apparently. I drank my usual two cups of coffee this morning and fell right back to sleep!  Tomorrow will mark the one-month "anniversary" of this illness, and it's been a long month. I wish I could say that I'm an angel who tends to my loved one with infinite patience ... but I can't. I've had my moments of frustration and exhaustion. I guess all you can do is get up every morning and do your best.

But it continues to give me lots of time for knitting. I'm finishing up the cotton yarn I bought, making The Almost Lost Dishcloth, which was recently popularized by Mereknits. They are fun and fast knit. I'm planning on picking up some "gourmet" soaps to pair with the dishclothes as hostess gifts on my travels this summer.

I can't cast off without also casting on, so here is my third pair of Hermoine's Everyday Socks. This has become my go-to pattern for mindless socks. I love the way it spices up stripey yarns. I took it with me to the School Board meeting on Monday night, so they are a good two inches longer than in this picture, which I took on Sunday.

I went to the meeting because my district, like many others, is trying to reduce suspensions and expulsions. It's a worthy goal that I genuinely believe in, but the implementation is messy and many teachers feel the new plan has made behavior worse. Sigh. I guess that anything worth doing is challenging.

Don't forget to check and see what everyone else is up to with Nicole's Keep Calm and Craft On and Ginny's Yarn Along.

Mindless Knitting Is Mindful

This is what I've been working on this week:

Simple washcloths.  Totally mindless and relaxing. I've been working from 7 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. and then going to bed with Netflix and knitting as soon as I get home. These cloths are about all I'm able to handle after such a long day.

Am I wimp? Are most people working 10 or 11 hours per day?

Knitting Virally

If you read MereKnits -- and who doesn't? -- you know all about the Almost Forgotten Dishcloth. While Meredith didn't design it, she has inspired knitters all over to jump on the bandwagon and start spitting out these darling cloths. I knew I'd jump on sooner or later and now my first one is ready to sew up.

Very sweet, huh? I knit this out of Lily Sugar'n Cream but I didn't realize until I started that this skein is part of the scented line. The scent is quite nice -- like freshly washed laundry -- but the label says that it washes out. I'm thinking these will be perfect little gifts for thank-you's and other small occasions.

It's downright hot here -- 35 degrees F, a little above freezing, so I want to squeeze in a walk. I have a hard time exercising during the school year -- and I know I should make it a priority! After that I have to clean the house because I'm hosting my meditation group this evening. There is something not-quite-right about hurrying to get ready for meditation -- but I don't know how to get around that!