Scarf, Scarf bo barf bananafanafofarf

Okay now lets do Chuck - Chuck, Chuck, fo... er, enough of the name game. I'm feeling so juvenile today :)

Here's my latest FO, the quick, the colorful, the clever, multidirectional diagonal scarf.




I used about 1 1/2 skeins of Noro Kureyon 138 and knit it using size 8 brittany bamboos to get a 4 1/2" by 4' scarf. It knit up in absolutely no time and wasn't a typical boring scarf since you were increasing and decreasing constantly while watching the colors change like magic before your eyes. However, I still hate the way most Noro yarns feel - sorta rough. Plus it tended to be thick and thin in some places so when a thick chunk ended up on the edge of the scarf, it bulges out. I'm hoping that blocking will help. I think this might be a fun pattern for some handspun, hand dyed yarn in the future.

Speaking of future, my future has felt so uncertain lately. I'm in a grant funded child advocacy position that technically runs out the beginning of March - eek! Being the control freak that I am, I've had a need to "plan" for the what ifs that this uncertainty brings. After many sleepless nights, anxiety attacks and rollercoaster emotions, I decided to seek spiritual help to pilot my way through the fog that is sometimes my life. "Yeah, so what?" you might say. Lots of people seek help. Well, I have a hard time asking for help. If I can't reach an item at the top of a grocery shelf (which is a weekly occurence since I'm barely 5' 2"), I'd rather kill myself pulling the shelf over while trying to climb to the top rather than ask a clerk for assistance. But somehow I managed to talk to the pastor of the church we've attended for the last year or so and I made myself as vunerable as possible (something I rarely ever do). And you know what? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This man is so kind and thoughtful and really speaks to my heart that I never felt once like he took advantage of me. I tell you all of this because what he told me might help some of you when you hit these rough spots that don't require crisis management.

His advice? Sometimes best when you don't know what to do, to do nothing at all. Live each day to the fullest and let your higher power pilot the course instead of fighting for control. That being said, it doesn't mean that you don't have a fall back plan in place (as good McGuyver offspring always should) but we shouldn't live in fear either. So simple for most, but for control freaks like me, its the hardest thing to do. But I'm going to try the strategy, be calm, meditate, pray and stop living by the "what ifs." My heart rarely steers me wrong on issues like this :)

Okay, back to knitting. Seven days to go and its time to fish or cut bait with the knitted gifts. Here's what's left for me to finish in priority order:

* Whip up a couple of quick knit teacher gifts. I'm designing some cute felted flower pins that will hopefully fulfill this task.

* Finish knitting all of the items that need to be felted by Monday night. That includes the maroon felted mitten, the strap to Da Hound and possibly a pair of felted mittens for Mom

* Finish Dad's Irish Hiking Scarf (almost 70% complete)- reality check, I could work on this while on the road especially if I can find one of these earlights. Must have, must find gadget...

* Knit a couple of Willie Warmers as gag gifts

* Add the fringe to Gma's lap blanket

* Sneak in some time on the fingerless gloves for Thing 1 though I can save these for his birthday which is three weeks from now.

* Knit three friend gifts - I'm thinking a cravat for one and perhaps fingerless gloves for the other two

* Make labels to sew in finished knits

* Finish brother and nephew's gifts - reality check, we won't see them until after Christmas and I want to get pictures with them in their knits so I have time to finish these during the holiday.

* Block, block, block

* Wrap, wrap, wrap

I also have some baking that I need to do for the neighbors but that won't take long either. It seems like a lot but I have all day Saturday - Tuesday so I should be able to knock it out. If not, I always have plan B :) See? I'm already learning to let go (she says as they pry her nails out of the knitting needles). Happy knitting over the weekend!