being a diva is great…except for the mostly negative connotation

You may have noticed I’ve gradually expanded the blog to include more areas of my life.  Almost five years ago when I started the Diva Knitting blog, I was hesitant to include anything but knitting.  It can be scary (and sometimes imprudent)  to put your life out there for anyone in the world to read.  So for the most part, I’ve been pretty selective about what I share.  Over time the internet and social networking has changed along with the people who use it.  It is now more acceptable and even expected to share one’s life online whether it be through a blog, Facebook or other social outlets.  Social networking allows real people to join in online communities and grow, connect and bond over shared interests.  Most people have multiple and varied interests though most craft blogs tend to focus on one topic in particular.  Some people maintain multiple blogs for different topics, but for me it just works better to have one.  Personally, I like a blog that allows me to experience more than just one area of someone’s life.  When you begin to feel like you “know” someone over time it’s only natural to have an interest in their life outside of knitting, spinning, sewing etc.  Plus it can be difficult to tell a story without letting at least some other topics come up since life doesn’t generally happen in a neat and separate way (at least mine doesn’t).  Categorizing posts allows my readers to choose whether they want to tune in any given day.  To that end, you’ll notice I’ve recently begun posting about yoga.  At some point I’ll share all the background but for now I’ll just go right to my announcement.  I’ve decided to undertake yoga teacher training.  I’ve been accepted to Baptiste bootcamp in June and will be doing additional training locally throughout the summer.  I’m very excited about the whole process and will be sharing my adventure along the way.  Of course, there will always be knitting, sewing, crafting, recipes, etc…I’m just adding yet one more thing to the mix!

I can’t believe I just finished my first quilt. I have a whole new respect for quilters! It seems like it should be relatively easy to sew a straight line, especially when you have a handy dandy 1/4″ seam foot. Turns out (as so many things are), it’s harder than it looks. I can’t quite share pictures and details yet since it’s a gift. I’m getting it in the mail today so I should be able to show you next week.

In the meantime, here is a quick and easy project I did this week…eye pillows for savasana. I filled them with organic flax seeds and lavender. The fabric is a nice dragon brocade I found on sale at JoAnn and I machine embroidered the Sanskrit “Om” sign on top.  They smell absolutely wonderful! These were a gift to a new studio in the area. We used them the day I brought them in and I’ve decided I need one by my bed too! Surprisingly, they really do enhance relaxation.  If you decide you “need” one, let me know.  I’m thinking about selling them in the store.

It seemed like it might be worthwhile to try to repair the old clogs as long as I was felting anyway. I loosely added yarn to the holes and then threw them in with the new clogs. Let’s just say this wasn’t a successful experiment…best to move on to new and prettier clogs! This was my first time using the revised pattern which makes slightly narrower clogs. I think I might prefer the older style for my feet but I’m sure they will be fine once they’re broken in. I should have kept a better eye on them while they were felting so they didn’t get quite this small. Somehow I always get distracted during the felting process even though I know close attention is required.

Speaking of close attention, any quilter’s out there? Boy does that take some thought and precision! I just started my first quilt and things are a little shaky. The main problem is things aren’t quite matching up quite as closely as I’d like, due I’m sure in no small part to my cutting skills. I have a great table, mat, rotary blade, ruler etc. but some how the measurements still don’t seem precise enough. I can see now how having a 2.5″ square template is way better than just measuring each time. At any rate, I’m going to muddle through and invest in some more tools for my next one. No previews since this is a gift. Fortunately, I have great friends. I’m sure the recipient will be thrilled even if my quilting skills have a long way to go!

I have made many, many pair of Fiber Trends Clogs yet they never cease to amaze me!  It’s just such a clever pattern it makes me happy every time I make them.  As you can see, it is beyond time for a a new pair.  I think we knitters are a bit like the mechanics with broken cars, plumbers with leaky sinks, etc…sometimes we spend so much time knitting for others that we neglect ourselves.  I don’t really have that problem (thus, I have no excuse) but I’m sure I had a good reason for waiting this long!  Yarn is Cascade 220 from stash which is eerily similar to the other pair.  What can I say?  It’s a great color combination and it they’ll still match my bathrobe.  I knit one slipper each two nights while watching television and I just have the soles which I hope to finish tonight.

I almost spoke too soon.  Halfway through day six seemed like the cleanse was almost over but day seven was LONG.  Although mentally I felt good most of the week by Saturday my body was feeling pretty beat up.  Even though I took off both Saturday and Sunday off from any serious physical activity I woke up Monday morning feeling the worst yet.  I didn’t sleep much Sunday night and I really dreaded having to endure one more day of the rice and moong dal regimen.  In what ended up being blessing there was a substitute for my favorite Monday morning yoga teacher.  I ended up with much more of a restorative practice than my usual power one which turned out to be just what I needed.  After I got home and had lunch I still felt so bad that I had to lie down for a nap in the afternoon.  The rest of the was spent largely unproductive although I did get a large chunk of knitting done as I rested on the couch in the evening (more on knitting tomorrow).

Then Tuesday, glorious Tuesday!  I went back to my usual Bob’s hot grain cereal (if you don’t like oatmeal, try this…kicks oatmeal butt!) and hot green tea for breakfast.  Things were looking up already!  I felt lighter and happy.  As I left for yoga there was actually sunshine too!  If you live in Cincinnati or the Midwest you’ll know what I mean…sun is never a given here in winter/spring and it is always a welcome and uplifting sight.  Another of my favorite teachers was in a particularly bright and sparkly mood today after taking a weekend yoga retreat with Baron Baptiste.  Her class was hard as usual but left me feeling even better.  To top it all off, I picked up my darling husband for lunch at one of our favorite spots and had maybe the most delightful lunch ever.  I savored and chewed each bite thoroughly (anyone that knows me in real life will know this is quite the accomplishment…sometimes I bring new meaning to the saying “wolf it down”).  Towards the end of the meal my husband said, “You look like you’re about to do the Snoopy Dance!”  He nailed it.  That is the essence of how I feel today.  I’m not sure if it’s the joy of success and completion of a difficult task, the beautiful day, the shiny yoga or a synergistic combination of all these things.  I don’t care where it came from but I hope I can capture it again!

I can hardly believe I’ve made it 6 days subsisting on rice and moong dal.  Probably the worst part of this cleanse was that I had to tell a couple of friends about this to explain why I couldn’t go to lunch this week.  Ostensibly, I know why I’m doing it but it’s hard to put into words.  And do I really know why I’m doing it?  I suppose I do although it’s a little complicated.  Part of my personality has always been about challenging myself and this certainly fits the bill.  On the first day, making it to seven seemed not only difficult and inconvenient, but unlikely.  Now I almost think I could go more although I wouldn’t lest Jim decide to divorce me!1  The most difficult part has been accepting this on a nutritional level.  Most of you know I am a vegetarian and eat very healthy (lots of veggies, whole grains, etc) and thinking about eating white rice and a bean that doesn’t have much fiber or protein for seven whole days seems a little crazy to me.  Sometimes in my power yoga class I was thinking about the poor muscles that I’ve worked so hard to build up being destroyed by the lack of protein for this period of time.  However, sometimes in life being torn down only allows you to build back stronger.

This process actually promotes that idea on a couple of levels.  First, it really gives you a chance to notice eating and drinking habits in a new way.  Do you reach for coffee, tea or alcohol when you’re thirsty, bored, angry, happy or distressed?  Noticing the time you crave these things (good or bad) really gives some insight into the emotion related to one’s habits.  So many times I think we don’t even realize what we’re putting in our bodies because we’re all too busy hurrying through life without really thinking about what we do or why we do it.  For example, the other day when I was making my lemon water (part of the cleanse) I had a realization.  For years we’ve bought sugar free crystal light lemonade and make a batch weekly to keep in the refrigerator.  We dilute it quite a bit but still we’re drinking artificial flavor, color and sweetener everyday without even thinking about it.  What would be so difficult about squeezing a couple of fresh lemons in the morning every couple of days instead?  Nothing really.  It’s just that in so many areas of life convenience has taken over.  The same with food preparation.  Personally I cook about six times a week but many people go weeks without cooking.  Sure, I prefer a “gourmet” style and often take more than an hour preparing a meal (I actually miss that).  But you don’t need to.  A simple dish like kitchari takes me about FIVE minutes in prep time.  The rest of the time it just sits on the stove and does it’s thing.  It could easily be made into a complete and more nutritionally balanced meal by doing brown rice, lentils and some vegetables in roughly the same prep time.  I’ve also noticed how many of our rituals are built around food.  Nearly every Saturday Jim and I go out for a late lunch out as a treat.  Since we also have many other non-food related things we do together this really isn’t a problem but in some families the only thing they do together is eat (if even that).  Is a family outing dinner at McDonald’s every night?  What if they changed focus from food to games, family hikes, geocaching, etc?  You get the idea.  The cleanse has made me think about my habits whether they’re good, bad or ok in moderation.

Mentally I notice a little more clarity.  Ever have the “brain fog”?  As I’ve gotten older I’ve been experiencing that more and more.  This week there is noticeably less of it.  Maybe it’s being off of some of the top food allergens like wheat, eggs, dairy, soy etc.  Maybe it’s the lack of even the smallest amount of preservatives, artificial sweetener and coloring.  Maybe it’s the process of asana, discipline and willpower.  Whatever the reason, it is a nice change and something from which lots of people would enjoy multiple benefits.  Emotionally I’ve noticed a difference too.  I’m not going to lie…there are times I’ve been a little grumpier than usual because of the restriction on what I eat.  Overall though I’ve felt pretty good.  It’s amazing what a little clarity brings to everyday experiences and mood.

Maybe the best part?  I thought this was nearly impossible and now I know it’s not.  It’s just another thing to prove that you’re stronger than you think you are.  Sometimes we all just need a little reminder.

1. In all seriousness, he has been extremely supportive, as always. [↩]

My husband, ever so subtle, brought home an article the other day about spring cleaning.  I’m the first to admit we are way overdue for a pretty serious house cleaning.  Like many people we have accumulated way too much stuff over the years.  When you are lucky enough to have a home, live in it for many years (20+ for Jim, 17 for me) AND have a basement it is human nature to save things “just in case”.  Add to that a home business, a serious craft addiction and four pets and you end up with a pretty disorganized home.  That is of course, unless you are Martha Stewart and in that case, good for you.  Me however, well…lets just say it’s more like organized chaos.  I first began to notice what effect the lack of “stuff” can have on a person when we bought the house in Arizona.  We only have the bare minimum there and it is so refreshing.  Everything has a place.  I can easily find stuff.  I feel lighter when I’m there.  Part of that, of course, is that I love it there so much, but part of loving it so much is the feeling I have when I’m there.  A clean and organized house is part of that.

I never did get around to sharing my new year’s resolutions with you but one of them was to focus on clearing the clutter, both from my life and my home.  I’m not trying to overwhelm myself by tackling it all at once but instead in small (very small) pieces.  If you need help getting started the article above has great tips.  Although the Fly Lady thing never stuck with me, they really have some great ideas that work well for many people.  It’s a little scary that I’ve been holding on to this idea for almost FIVE years now (I couldn’t believe it when I looked back to link that post) but maybe this time I can really make it stick.  Please share any great cleaning/de-cluttering tips you may have learned over the years.  I’m sure they are many of us out there who can use all the help we can get!

Another part of my spring cleaning is my body.  I attended an Ayurveda workshop the 12-14th of this month which was focused on a spring cleanse.  It’s not about losing weight (although that might be a side effect) or the ever popular “colon cleanse” but rather about freeing your body from disease through what you put into your body.  There are plenty of place to read more about Ayurveda if you have an interest but I’ll try to give you a VERY basic overview.  Before I lose you here, there are several principles in Ayurveda that make a lot of sense even if you don’t buy into the whole idea.  Some of the main things are eating in season, eating local, organic/no pesticides and eating as fresh as possible (fresh has the most Prana or life) which is very healthy and makes sense no matter what kind of diet you have.  There are five elements in Ayurveda (air, fire, water, earth, ether) of which each person is composed and three balancing energies (doshas).  One or more of the doshas may be dominant which can cause imbalances in the body which creates “ama” or disease.  Doing a cleanse is a process to rest your digestion and thus give your body a chance to be more focused on clearing ama from the body.  Again, this my very limited understanding so feel free to chime in if you are a more experienced Ayurveda practitioner!

The rules of the cleanse are pretty simple. I’ll be drinking lots of water with lemon and lime to flush my system.  Caffeine and alcohol (ama producing) are NOT allowed and I’ll only eat food that is easily digestible.  For the first two days this means kanji (rice with spices, dates and raw sugar) for breakfast and kitchari (rice, mung dal and spices) the rest of the day.  Days three and four are kitchari every meal.  Five through seven are kitchari for breakfast and lunch, broth for dinner.  There are a few more specifics as far as supportive herbs, yoga practices, meditation, pranayama, etc. but I won’t go into those now.  It is a lot to take on at once but the idea, especially with a first cleanse is that some of the new rituals/habits will stick.  Things that don’t stick are great too because it’s an opportunity to try something new and learn more about yourself.  One of the things discussed most in the workshop was the way a cleanse allows you to see attachments in your daily diet and/or routine that may or may not be healthy.  I’ll be sharing my experience with this over the next week.  I’d love to hear from anyone who has done any type of cleanse or fast.  What did you learn?  How hard was it for you to overcome habits?  What was it like afterward?

This has been a long and stressful couple of weeks.  Over the last months I have been making some changes in my life and came to a difficult decision.  Diva Knitting (the store) is going to change.  Into what yet I’m not 100% sure, but I have begun with a restructuring sale.  I am closing out all of the existing merchandise so I can evaluate where it is I’d like to focus my efforts.  It has been a great four years and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my customers.  I’ve never promoted the store much on the blog since I want to keep a personal focus here, but I know some of my readers are customers as well so THANK YOU.  Over the next couple of days I’ll be consolidating categories as inventory dwindles to make it easier to navigate.  I may also do some additional price reductions so be sure to sign up for the newsletter if you haven’t already.  I’ll be sending out another email when/if additional markdowns occur.

As for knitting, Vivian is FINALLY finished!  Well, almost.  I need a zipper.  And apparently, a larger body.  I hate to admit it, but I might have to reconsider my feelings about wet blocking.  I’ve talked about it multiple times in the past and you know I always do it.  Well, this time it really bit me in the keister.  It fit pretty cute prior to the soaking although it would have needed a steam block at the least just to loosen it up and straighten it a bit.  After the wet block it is quite big.  I’ll still wear it but it’s a shame it doesn’t fit like it’s shown on the pattern, especially after all that work.  The shoulders and underarms in particular are too big.  I’ll be sure to post some finished pictures as soon as I can get a zipper!  In the meantime gaze at it’s cabley goodness.

When I posted “To Rip or not to Rip” I already had it in my head that I’d probably fix it.  I actually kind of liked the way it looked with the two different sides, but it was one of those things where I wondered if it  might bother me later.  Besides, I tend to look on these sorts of things as a challenge.  That coupled with just a wee tendency towards being a perfectionist made the fix impossible to resist.  There have been knitting situations in the past where I have let things go, based mostly on the amount of work involved to fix it.  Sometimes you have to balance the severity of the problem and ask yourself if it affects fit or drives you absolutely insane and weigh the amount of time involved to fix it.  Whether you are a “process” knitter or “product” knitter may also factor into the equation.  Had the mistake been in the other shoulder and required me to rip out both shoulders (would have to do this since it’s saddle construction) I’m sure I would have lived with it because I am pretty much a product knitter…and I am so ready to be able to wear this sweater!  Since it was the just finished saddle that was involved,  the task didn’t seem nearly as daunting being worked over only 16 or so stitches.  Fixes like this would give some people heart palpitations (my sister, for example) but it really isn’t bad especially if you’re working with “grabby” yarn.

First I ripped back until to just where the cable section was and replaced all the stitches on the needles.

Then, I took the offending section of stitches off the needle.

Next, I undid each row until I was at the row where I should have crossed the stitches.

Then I crossed the stitches in that row, using the last row of unraveled yarn and continued to work each row after that crossing where necessary.

Finally, I reworked the saddle until I was back where I started.  Voila!  Matching cables and a very happy knitter.

My happiness was short-lived.  Unfortunately the sweater still looks just like this.  Remember how I mentioned I was out of yarn but there was more on order?  Well, normally when I order from this distributor I get the yarn just a couple of days later.  When I ordered with about 10 days left until closing ceremonies I thought I had plenty of time to get the yarn, figure out my collar mod (since I’m not doing the hood), finish my socks and cast everything off in time to collect my second medal.  Wrong.  In fact, I still don’t have the yarn .  So much for the Knitting Olympics,  Once I realized there was no way I was going to get the yarn in time my mojo kind of left and the socks stalled as well.  Plus, I was in Arizona that whole time enjoying beautiful weather so indoor activities were put on the back burner in favor of lots of hiking and yoga (more on that tomorrow).

While packing for our trip last Friday, I was feeling guilty about not entering the Knitting Olympics.  It seemed a shame not to try a repeat after successfully receiving a medal in 2006.  At the last minute, I ran upstairs to check the stash for any yarn I didn’t have to wind and a project to which I didn’t need to give much thought…socks.  I quickly chose a pattern on Ravelry,  Snake River Socks by Judy Becker.  And, since I’m completely devoted to finishing Vivian right now I vowed to finish it as part of my Olympic challenge as well.

There are a few speed bumps in my Olympic endeavor this time.  First I am out of town which makes getting a lot of knitting done more difficult.  Second, I am out of yarn for Vivian.  More is on the way but that could cause a little additional stress.  Finally, after finishing the saddle shoulders (sweater about 95% complete now since I always intended to do a collar rather than hood) I noticed a little cable boo boo that unfortunately, is so easily fixed (rip back left shoulder saddle and then undo about 6 rows over those 16 stitches and rework the cables) that I think I have to do it.  Jim of course thinks I’m crazy and that no one will ever notice it.  I think I really have to fix it lest it drive me insane!  Guess I’ll be crazy either way, lol.  Opinions?  Requests to send me to the loony bin?  What would you do?

P.S. The socks are about 3.5 in each so far (2 at a time, magic loop).  My chances to medal are looking quite dim.