Imagine

Yesterday I walked a bit in mist and the brown landscape. Our area has not received much snow so walking is easier but I miss the peaceful quiet of a snowy January. I came home from my walk resolved to fix a color mistake in this scrap afghan. Last winter I began this project with oatmeal colored yarn that never became a sweater and added some coordinating colors. I set the afghan aside when it was too warm to knit with a lap full of wool. Late this autumn, I pulled out the basket of yarn hoping to knit a color repeat four or five times a week. Last month, the project stalled. I knit on, ignoring the small voice in my head telling me to reconsider the orange. Instead I kept knitting, thinking the other colors would eventually balance the garish orange.

Yesterday I took a deep breath and decided to cut out the orange. The worst that could have happened was that I would have to re-knit all the rows above the stripe. It's all knitting right? I cut carefully on the wrong side and pulled out the pieces of orange. Then I put the pieces back on smaller sized needles to avoid pulling out live stitches and kitchenered the afghan together. The invisible weave is between the second and third oatmeal stripe. I'll be picking up orange fuzz for a few more days but I got the project back together. I cut my knitting and I survived. Imagine.

After four or so false starts, I cast on a Schoonheid Shawl. I'm adding a seed stitch border on both sides to prevent rolling. The yarn has been in my stash for two years. I decided to knit with it instead of saving it forever. Imagine.

I've been thinking about a word/theme to carry into the new year. This year my word is "Imagine." I like the idea of thinking, creating, and forming an idea in my mind. Related words like imagination and image are also intriguing. An image can be a portrait, a figure, representation, or a reflection. Imagine and simulate have related word origins. Isn't it interesting that to simulate means to imitate something and imagine means to form a mental image? To use part of a well worn quote by Arthur Ward, "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it." Imagine the creative solutions we can devise in 2017. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year

All morning a fine dry powder of January snow has blown across my window.  The forecast is for one to two inches but I wonder if more will accumulate. On the Great Plains, moisture is good and snow insulates the perennial flowers and bushes. Snow also cleans up the landscape and speaks to me of fresh starts. What could be better on a New Year's Day?

A few days ago, I sprinkled seed on the brick ledge outside the window in order to feed the birds and observe them closely. When I pulled up the blinds this morning two female cardinals and a junco huddled on the ledge pecking at the seed. Soon they were joined by three male cardinals flying back and forth from the nearby birch. Tiny pieces of ice encrusted the mask of an older male. One of the females had a piece of ice at the hinge of her beak. They all differed in coloring and build. The slightest and youngest male was the most aggressive, flying at any other bird who tried to join him on the ledge. The other two males commanded the best spaces on the ledge by turning their heads quickly back and forth. The female cardinals were aware but unconcerned with the presence of other birds. Now and then a pair of nervous chickadees flitted in for a quick treat before darting down into the bushes in front of the house. Snow highlighted the remarkable patterns of the sparrows' markings. One sported a bib of closely spaced charcoal dots while another had a white line around his neck, much like a turtleneck shirt keeping him warm. Little flakes of snow clung to the beaks of the juncos. Sparrows, juncos, and finches fed in groups gaining warmth from each other and reminding me that sharing a meal is an age-old way to connect with others.

My personal New Year's Day parade ended late morning leaving me time to consider my own New Year. Rather than make resolutions for 2014, I plan to "Begin as I mean to go on." (Quote from Charles H. Spurgeon, courtesy of Wikipedia) Yesterday I put away the Christmas decorations and straightened the living room and dining area so the house is in relatively good order. Spotless, I have decided, is not necessary. On the eve of the New Year,  Lance and I shared a meal with another couple. We came home early so I made a cup of tea and opened a new book. Lance wrapped up in the afghan I finished earlier in the week.  The afghan was a two winter project knit from a basket of leftover yarns which only goes to show I don't always need new skeins of yarn.

The cardigan from last Spring is still in progress but I need a small portable project. Today seems like a good day for mittens so after lunch I'm going to find a pattern for some yarn I bought at a sale last week. I will also record birthdays and anniversaries in my 2014 calendar.  Late this afternoon I am making a simple meal of tabbouleh salad and baked chicken because simple sounds good after the holidays. If the wind dies down, I might take a walk in the fresh snow and enjoy the quiet of this winter day. And so I begin 2014 as I mean to go on. I hope you are all warm and looking forward to the New Year.