By Request

Last week, I shared that Tom is the Poet Laureate for the Kalamazoo Curling Club.  And several of you called me out . . . for not including some of his (rather naughty) limericks.

So.  

Here you go.  
Three (because Thursday) of Tom's limericks.  
By request.

Curling Limerick #1

I met a skip last November
Had a curling tattoo on his member
Most times it said “MEND”
But on cue would extend
To say “Hey, come check out my 8-ender”

Curling Limerick #2

There once was a curler named Ina
Who’d learned how to guard in Regina
Twixt her knees held a rock
And with that she did block
Any draw attempt to her . . . button

Curling Limerick #3

Twas a curler who got into some trouble
Drank too much and passed out in the rubble
He woke up sick and giddy
With only one kidney
And a tramp-stamp that said “missed the double”

And.  There you are.

==========

Be sure to visit Carole today for more Three on Thursday fun!

==========

I'm heading to Colorado this morning for an extended weekend visit.  There may or may not be a blog post tomorrow.   (Oh, the suspense. . . )

 

Where Knitting Meets Intention

Last fall, I took a good look at my knitting.  

Like. . .  at all of it.  Past and present and future.  Completed projects.  Projects in my queue (which is entirely a queue-of-the-mind in my case; I don't utilize the Ravelry Queue feature).  Yarn in my stash.

And after a bit of an inventory and some careful analysis, I came up with a few shocking revelations:

• I have three drawers full of shawls/scarves/wraps, a bin full of hats, and a bin full of mittens/fingerless mitts.
• Most of the sweaters I knit . . . have ended up at Goodwill.  
• I knit things in colors I love to look at -- but never actually wear.  (Although I do wear some rather surprising colors all the time.  Like yellow/gold.  And orange.)
• I knit sweaters I would never purchase if I were shopping - and that don't fit into my wardrobe at all.  (Which explains the Goodwill thing.)
• Tom has stated out loud and on numerous occasions, "I do not need any more hats."
• My children have also mentioned, "Enough hats."
• Etc.

Shocking.  True.  And why last fall I stopped knitting . . . whatever I felt like knitting.  You know . . . whichever new and groovy pattern happened to catch my fickle eye.  (Because there are plenty.)  Instead, I specifically asked my kids what they might like me to knit for them -- and I knit those things as Christmas gifts.  I knit little gnomes -- because family and friends loved them and wanted one.  I knit dish cloths -- because I needed them.

And I've been thinking a  lot about . . . where knitting meets intention.  (Because you know I won't stop knitting!)

So for now (and maybe for the rest of time), my goal is to knit in the "sweet spot."  Which means:

• Making a careful analysis (BEFORE the excitment of casting on) of whether a given project is something I will actually wear, something I actually need, and something that will fit into my existing wardrobe.  (Because I'm tired of knitting for the Goodwill bag.)
• I'm paying close attention to the kinds of knits I actually DO love and wear (and there really are many of them) as the key to where I might keep my knitting focus.
• I'm going to use yarn in my stash first.  And I'm also going to give away and donate the many beautiful yarns I have in my stash that don't fit into my "sweet spot."  (Remember to comment by Friday if you'd like Monday's Giveaway yarns!)
• I'm staying away from any of the FOMO kinds of projects:  the"mystery" knits (which account for many of the shawls at the very bottom of my shawl drawers), "challenge" knits, or KALs.  Knitting with a group is great fun -- but I'm fine knitting on my own at this point in my knitting "career," and I no longer feel the need to "bang out" anything alongside other knitters.
• I'm going to ask family and friends what they might like me to knit for them before foisting yet another hat on them.

This process was very enlightening for me.  I feel good about the knitting-direction I'm headed in now -- very much like I did after my reading-epiphany last year.  Knitting with focus; knitting with intention.  

Stay tuned. . . we'll see where this ends up by the end of the year!

==========

Be sure to head over to Kat's for more Unraveled posts today!

 

Into the Future

Have you ever thought about yourself . . . in the future?

(This photo has absolutely nothing to do with today's blog post.  But it's lovely, isn't it?  A new cyclamen plant. . . Here are some tips for getting a cyclamen plant to re-bloom.) (So.  Maybe this photo IS related to today's blog post after all.  I'll let you decide.)

I don't mean what you'll look like in the future.  (Although there is that. . . )  I mean what life will be like for you.  What you'll do with your time.  How you'll spend your days.  How you'll feel.  That kind of thing.

In this, my year of intention, I've been thinking a lot about my future self:  Future-Kym.

Turns out that most of us have unrealistic notions about our future selves.  It is human nature to believe that tomorrow will be different for ourselves.  We'll have more time.  We'll be in better physical shape.  We'll have enough money for retirement.  We'll knit ALL the yarn in our stash!

And while, yes, our lives will continue to change and evolve (because the one constant in our lives is change), we are not going to become totally different people.  You know. . . healthy and fit people who have time for learning new languages in preparation for trips around the world while knitting all day and never eating sweets with perfectly organized photo albums and a sparkling clean house. 

Unless we start working on it today, that is.

Consider this blog post fair warning:  You're going to hear a lot more about Future-Kym this year.  As I work through my goal of living with intention, I'm going to have to bring her into the spotlight!

How about you?  Have you given much thought to Future-You?

==========

Don't forget:  If you'd like to be included in the drawing for yesterday's Stash Giveaway, let me know in the comments this week.  I'll be drawing a couple of names on Friday!

Sometimes Mondays

. . . mean it's time for another Stash Giveaway!

These two skeins of yarn have held space in my stash for a very long time.  They are probably the most lovely yarns in my stash -- they are a true treat for the eyes, AND they feel like a dream!

But, alas.  They do not spark joy for me.
Perhaps they will for you?

Each skein is Silk Lace hand dyed by Sundara of Sundara Yarn.  1000 yards of 100% silk.  The colors?  They shimmer!  The reddish skein is in the Copper Over Bamboo colorway, and the grayish/bluish skein is in the Granite Falls colorway.

Truly, these are gorgeous yarns.  They deserve to be knit up in a beautiful lace pattern.  Or even to just be displayed.  Or touched.  

Interested?  In one?  Or both?  Just let me know this week in the comments.  On Friday, if there is interest, I'll draw a name (or names) out of a hat -- and the yarn will be yours!

Happy Monday.

 

 

Sums It Up

"Sometimes you just have to put on lip gloss and pretend to be psyched."
                                          -- Mindy Kaling

And sometimes you just need to pick up a blooming plant at Trader Joe's. . . 

and ignore those snowflakes you see out the window.  

Because it's only mid-February, and we have a lot of winter left (here in Michigan, at least).  
Pretending to be psyched!  (Happy weekend.)

My Funny Valentine

Me and my Valentine (who really is funny, by the way) . . . don't do anything special to celebrate Valentine's Day.  

But I thought it might be fun to acknowledge the day -- AND the fact that it falls on a Three on Thursday -- by sharing some things (three, in fact!) that you probably don't already know about my Valentine.

1 -- Tom grew up in Manhattan!

Here he is back in 1969 (Tom's the skinny blonde kid on the left) in J. Hood Wright Park, which was across the street from his apartment building.  For those of you familiar with Manhattan, he lived at Ft. Washington Ave. and W. 173rd St, and attended PS 173.  It was quite a shock (as in culture shock!)  . . . when his parents moved the family to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he spent his adolescent years.  (And met me.)  (He can still bring back that NY accent when he wants to.)  

2 -- Tom used to be blonde!

Yep, there we are.  1980.  Tom's college graduation.  Blonde.  He was blonde as a baby, blonde as a kid, blonde when I met him.  Somewhere along the way, though, his hair turned dark brown.  His hair hasn't been blonde in decades -- but I still think of him as having blonde hair.  (Erin's hair was exactly the same -- blonde until she got out of college, when it turned dark brown.)  (And that photo?  That's my natural hair color.  Until it turned gray, of course.)

3 -- Tom is a "Poet Laureate". . . 

of the Kalamazoo Curling Club, that is!  Tom loves to play with words -- rhymes, funny turns of phrase, puns (and especially BAD puns, I might add).  He's also very good at telling jokes, and has quite a repertoire of memorized stories.  These skills have landed him a gig as the First Curling Poet Laureate.  He has written - and presented - many curling-themed poems and (rather naughty) limericks at curling events all around the region.

And now you know a little bit more about my funny Valentine!
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you.
XO

==========

Be sure to check out all the other Three on Thursday posts over at Carole's today.

On Matching

Matching.

When you wake up to this (again) (and on repeat) . . . 

and your knitting looks like this (again) (on repeat) . . . 

Around and around.  Over and over.  Day in and day out.

The big difference?  My knitting has a happy, green pocket lining.  

(And winter doesn't.)

How about you?  Are you matching your stitching these days?

==========

Be sure to visit Kat today for more Unraveled posts.

 

 

Sometimes Mondays

. . . just feel tedious.

Even though February is a short month, winter does drag on, y'know?  And I have reached the End of My Rope with it.  More snow.  More drizzle.  More freezing rain.  Then more snow.  Another Winter Weather Advisory.  

I've pretty much had it at this point.

I'm cranky and out of sorts.  All I want to do is get outside and wear flip-flops and cut fresh herbs and cook on the grill and take the dogs for walks without worrying about ice on the roads and whether the sidewalks are shoveled enough.

Pardon my whining.  But I really am officially over winter now.

It happens every year.  And I know I'll get through it.  
But today?  It feels like a slog.

How about you?  How's your Monday looking?

Not Even Close to a Friday Fish Wrap

Okay.  So all week I've been planning to do a Friday Fish Wrap post today.  But as I mentioned yesterday, this has been a very full week.  And Friday Fish Wrap posts take quite a lot of time to put together.  Time I didn't have - and really. . . I should have known better than to even think I might have had it.  (Magical thinking, I guess).

So.  Here we are . . . Friday.  No Fish Wrap.  No back-up ideas.  And not much creative energy as I sit here, watching the wind blow and snow swirl while the temperature continues to plunge.  

Here's what I've got . . . 

My only current blooming amaryllis.  

Although I've enjoyed some really lovely amaryllis blooms this year (I've been posting them to Instagram on Fridays this winter), I've had more than the usual number of disappointments. First, I planted the bulbs in tall, narrow pots which looked Very Cool -- but not at all practical for amaryllis bulbs.  The blooms are just too top heavy, and keep toppling over.  Big mess; crushed flowers.  (So stupid on my part.  I should know better. . . )  One bulb was a total fail (only leaves - big full leaves; no buds). Another got some sort of bug infestation and I had to get rid of it before the bugs spread.   It's been . . . rough.  But, still worth it.  The blooms I have gotten are beautiful!  

(I ended up ordering a couple more bulbs, planted them in more sensible pots -- and they are just beginning to bud.  So I remain hopeful.)  (That's gardening.  Some years are more successful than others.  There is always something to learn!)

==========

Yesterday, I was scrolling through the Michigan news headlines and came up with a doozy about a bloody man in his underwear, and then . . . noticed that the headline below was a real winner, too!

Talk about a headline double-whammy!  

==========

And, lastly, if you read Dana's blog, you may have seen this little video yesterday.  I'm including it here, just in case you haven't seen it yet.  It's charming -- with a few good messages built in. (Plus it's yarn-y cute!)

==========

Enjoy your weekend.
(And stay tuned . . . maybe I'll have a proper Friday Fish Wrap NEXT Friday!)

 

Three to Go

I'm in the midst of one of those very full weeks.  (Actually, I'm now on the downhill side of the very full week.  So yay.)  Running around too much to blog.  Mind too preoccupied for creative thought.  Just . . . one of those weeks.

So.

How about an Oscars update?  

If you look closely down at the lower right corner, you can see my "still to see" list.  Three to go!  (See how I did that there?  With the three?  For Thursdays?)

What's left?

1 - At Eternity's Gate (Willem Dafoe is up for Best Actor in this one).  We'll be checking this off our list tonight, though, as it's here in town and we've already made reservations.

2 - Can You Ever Forgive Me (Melissa McCarthy is up for Best Actress and Richard E. Grant for Best Supporting Actor).  I've been waiting and waiting to see this one -- but it just hasn't come to town yet.  It just came out on DVD, so maybe I'll have to break down and purchase it if it doesn't show up in the theater here before February 24.

3 - Cold War (Pawel Pawlikowski is up for Best Director for this movie).  This one might be the real bug-a-boo for us this year.  Our local theater showed the previews for Cold War months and months ago, but either it hasn't been here yet -- or it wasn't on my radar when it showed up.  Either way . . . there is no sign of it locally.  And it's not yet available on DVD.  (Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay?)

We have seen all the movies up for Best Picture -- and, really, neither Tom nor I have a real favorite this year.  They're all good -- and very different.  (Forced to choose, I would probably pick The Favourite or BlacKkKlansman.)  (My real favorite?  Glenn Close in The Wife.  If you have a chance to watch it, do!  It's an excellent movie -- and she is fabulous.)

How about you?  Any favorites this year?

==========

Be sure to check out other Three on Thursday posts today over at Carole's!