Good and Bad Days
It's been SUCH a busy week - so much has happened since I last wrote -
But it's been a hard week because I'm finding myself getting lost in my recent sorrows more than I'd thought I would. I think that just comes with the territory. Jan's recent passing seems to act like a magnifying glass, bringing other recent losses (and illnesses) in such sharp focus they almost burn through me. It felt a little too much at times this week.
Saturday
I can hardly express how much I loved teaching at Slater Mill - the rooms felt good to me, the students were amazing, the staff was SO helpful (thank you Janice & Ruth & Angela and EVERYONE!) and I loved the general feel of the location.
I had a tremendous time (who wouldn't with some Yorkshire Gold Earl Grey!), I hope the students enjoyed my classes as much as I loved teaching them!
It was chilly in New England, so I wore my Split Cable Lace Wimple quite a bit
(and got some lovely reactions!) It's in Buffboo (75% bamboo, 25% bison) by Buffalo Gold, which is a lace yarn that is an absolute delight to knit up!
I've written the pattern, and it's up for sale (finally!)
For my blog readers there's a special discount code which will get you 1/2 off the pattern (normally $5, with the discount $2.50) When you order just type in "ave" - NOTE: this code will only work until Sunday night, 11/16.
Sunday
I drove up to New Hampshire on Sunday after my last class and stayed with Norah Gaughn and her guy. I loved her home so much - LOVED her cats (who seemed to like me, too!) and we had a great dinner capped by dessert and drinks at a local spot.
A very nice way to unwind! They told me they'd had a moose in their back yard - I wouldn't doubt it. It's pretty wild up there. They had a single moose antler in their living room...
Monday
I arrived at the Boston airport hours before I needed to, but I was able to get onto an earlier flight AND they bumped me up to First Class! With the traveling I've done this year I've finally achieved Elite status (evidently the latte-sipping and limosine riding will come later...) so I can get bumped up when there's room. It was a delight - and I'm a little ashamed of how excited I was about ample leg room, a nice meal and free wine! I was definitely under dressed.
Tuesday
I had a local TV appearance on Tuesday on our own KARE11 mid-morning show, Showcase Minnesota (it was fun! Corbin, one of the hosts who interviewed me, was just lovely!)
I always feel a little unattractive when I'm on camera, but I did my best and wore a Poppy for Veteran's Day (I'd knit it the day before)
Unfortunately I also wore heels which, along with the heels I wore on Friday night, seem to have really done a number on my knee. Dang. Oh, the pain! I'm back into the KEENS immediately!
Wednesday
I began a new project that is very exciting to me...
I'm going to record Knit With Courage as an audio book! I was approached by a small but up-and-coming Minneapolis based audio book company, Holton House, and after "auditioning" last week to see if my own voice would work well for the project, we decided to go ahead and use me! I got the job!
So yesterday I recorded a good portion of the book and everyone seemed to think it went pretty well. They're very Minnesotan, so they're kind but not over-enthusiastic.
Given that in most of the NY production work I've done, the reverse is true (folks tend to be VERY enthusiastic, and sometimes unkind) it's hard to get used to this different way of working. But I think I did okay.
Stopping at Cost Plus on the way home (they have canned butternut squash) I ran smack into a huge Christmas display of ornaments and gifts, etc.
Jan LOVED Christmas - it was the holiday she looked forward to more than any other, everything about Christmas makes me think of her - and miss her.
I had to sneak off between some tall displays of candles and candies to gather myself.
Thursday
Today I have "off" (resting my knee and preparing for weekend classes) and tomorrow I record again before heading out to Spicer for a knitting weekend, we'll be working on my Universal Mitered Handbag all weekend, I'm VERY excited!
I think space is still available, but we've planned on a small group for an intimate experience.
Friday
Tomorrow I record again in the morning, then I head out to Spicer to teach all weekend.
I'm SO looking forward to this weekend, I had to cancel my earlier Spicer weekend due to Jan's passing, and this time I'm taking my bike just in case the weather is remotely okay for a ride on the bike path.
I'm actually thinking of making a short 1/2 hour video tutorial on making and felting the Universal Mitered Handbag, and if it goes well I'll offer it along with the pattern as an available for purchase download. Gerry may come out on Saturday to tape some of me teaching to intersperse with some step by step stuff to put in the short video.
And if THAT goes well, it may be the first step in a DVD we've been threatening to put out for a long time... Be afraid...
But it's been a hard week because I'm finding myself getting lost in my recent sorrows more than I'd thought I would. I think that just comes with the territory. Jan's recent passing seems to act like a magnifying glass, bringing other recent losses (and illnesses) in such sharp focus they almost burn through me. It felt a little too much at times this week.
SaturdayI can hardly express how much I loved teaching at Slater Mill - the rooms felt good to me, the students were amazing, the staff was SO helpful (thank you Janice & Ruth & Angela and EVERYONE!) and I loved the general feel of the location.
I had a tremendous time (who wouldn't with some Yorkshire Gold Earl Grey!), I hope the students enjoyed my classes as much as I loved teaching them!
It was chilly in New England, so I wore my Split Cable Lace Wimple quite a bit
(and got some lovely reactions!) It's in Buffboo (75% bamboo, 25% bison) by Buffalo Gold, which is a lace yarn that is an absolute delight to knit up!I've written the pattern, and it's up for sale (finally!)
For my blog readers there's a special discount code which will get you 1/2 off the pattern (normally $5, with the discount $2.50) When you order just type in "ave" - NOTE: this code will only work until Sunday night, 11/16.
Sunday
I drove up to New Hampshire on Sunday after my last class and stayed with Norah Gaughn and her guy. I loved her home so much - LOVED her cats (who seemed to like me, too!) and we had a great dinner capped by dessert and drinks at a local spot.
A very nice way to unwind! They told me they'd had a moose in their back yard - I wouldn't doubt it. It's pretty wild up there. They had a single moose antler in their living room...
Monday
I arrived at the Boston airport hours before I needed to, but I was able to get onto an earlier flight AND they bumped me up to First Class! With the traveling I've done this year I've finally achieved Elite status (evidently the latte-sipping and limosine riding will come later...) so I can get bumped up when there's room. It was a delight - and I'm a little ashamed of how excited I was about ample leg room, a nice meal and free wine! I was definitely under dressed.
TuesdayI had a local TV appearance on Tuesday on our own KARE11 mid-morning show, Showcase Minnesota (it was fun! Corbin, one of the hosts who interviewed me, was just lovely!)
I always feel a little unattractive when I'm on camera, but I did my best and wore a Poppy for Veteran's Day (I'd knit it the day before)
Unfortunately I also wore heels which, along with the heels I wore on Friday night, seem to have really done a number on my knee. Dang. Oh, the pain! I'm back into the KEENS immediately!
Wednesday
I began a new project that is very exciting to me...
I'm going to record Knit With Courage as an audio book! I was approached by a small but up-and-coming Minneapolis based audio book company, Holton House, and after "auditioning" last week to see if my own voice would work well for the project, we decided to go ahead and use me! I got the job!
So yesterday I recorded a good portion of the book and everyone seemed to think it went pretty well. They're very Minnesotan, so they're kind but not over-enthusiastic.
Given that in most of the NY production work I've done, the reverse is true (folks tend to be VERY enthusiastic, and sometimes unkind) it's hard to get used to this different way of working. But I think I did okay.
Stopping at Cost Plus on the way home (they have canned butternut squash) I ran smack into a huge Christmas display of ornaments and gifts, etc.
Jan LOVED Christmas - it was the holiday she looked forward to more than any other, everything about Christmas makes me think of her - and miss her.
I had to sneak off between some tall displays of candles and candies to gather myself.
Thursday
Today I have "off" (resting my knee and preparing for weekend classes) and tomorrow I record again before heading out to Spicer for a knitting weekend, we'll be working on my Universal Mitered Handbag all weekend, I'm VERY excited!
I think space is still available, but we've planned on a small group for an intimate experience.
Friday
Tomorrow I record again in the morning, then I head out to Spicer to teach all weekend.
I'm SO looking forward to this weekend, I had to cancel my earlier Spicer weekend due to Jan's passing, and this time I'm taking my bike just in case the weather is remotely okay for a ride on the bike path.
I'm actually thinking of making a short 1/2 hour video tutorial on making and felting the Universal Mitered Handbag, and if it goes well I'll offer it along with the pattern as an available for purchase download. Gerry may come out on Saturday to tape some of me teaching to intersperse with some step by step stuff to put in the short video.
And if THAT goes well, it may be the first step in a DVD we've been threatening to put out for a long time... Be afraid...
Feed me, baby!
10 Comments:
I am often surprised at the way grief can sneak up on me. Time may bake the losses easier to bear, but the pain never leaves completely. Take care of yourself.
It sounds like a visit with Norah was much more restorative than driving around Rhode Island alone ... good for you. Grief is always in hiding and pops out when we least expect it to show up. Just go with the flow ... be kind to yourself ... I always say that the grief is a measure of the love and no one should live without that deep love.
I'm not surprised you're feeling Jan's loss so badly; I find these things get harder to accept, not easier, as there get to be more of them. I suppose the scar tissue just stops healing.
On a more practical note, I recently tried Deer Stags slippers and they help enormously with plantar fasciitis. They have very firm arch support. You can get them from QVC (don't tell my friends I watch) which means if they don't suit you you can send them back. Get a size bigger than usual if you intend to wear them with socks.
That's what grief is like - it just sneaks up on you at the most unexpected times. My sister has been dead for 2 years now & I cannot tell you how many times I've picked up the phone to call her with some news about one of my girls or grands & then BAM it hits me - she's no longer here to talk to. So then I call my youngest sister (fortunately she has almost the identical phone number - just one number different - a 9 instead of an 8). I still feel pangs of missing my mom occasionally (esp when I'd like to share something one of the grands did) & she's been gone for almost 12 years! Some people in our lives are just irreplaceable - my sister & I became much closer after my mom died but the youngest was more like a child to me (she's almost 15 years younger) so I haven't developed that kind of closeness - we are at much different places in our lives.
Dear Annie, as I can't give you a real-life hug, please accept a virtual one from me, and make sure you're getting lots of hugs at home.
YES! WE LOVED YOUR CLASSES!!!!!!!!
Anne here is a trick to look 10lbs thinner on camera.
"let there be air between your back and your chair"
you can shove a ball or small pillow at your back (not at tush, but at waist/small of the back)
this forces you to sit in a more upright position, (and to push your shoulders forward..)
try it at home sit in any chair, (with back to back of chair)
then sit forward.. (leave air at back of chair) (take still of your self, (or have hannah or gerry take a still and look at them..
the change in posture makes anyone look better--
You will look taller (but lets face it, you are tall!) but you'll look thinner and (not just thinner more attractive,) but all over more attractive.
You can relax (sit back) on the station break if you have a long interview.
Oh, I hope you got your bike ride in yesterday in that wonderful sunshine (which we in MN sure missed all week while you were out east). I hope the weekend was good otherwise, too.
It is the 17th I just saw the split cable wimple offer:( Boo I missed it.Hugs Darcy
Moose for Obama might cheer you up.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/tny/2008/11/bullwinkles-revenge.html
How did you make the poppy? I see your signature i-cord bindoff, but how did you construct the rest of it?
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