Better Late Than Never

I feel like writing and not only about knitting or soap. Not that I have a lot of particularly interesting things to say, but just that I've had this running narrative in my head for months. Perhaps actually writing down some my thoughts will help sort things out and provide a bit of entertainment for those of you actually taking the time. Thank you in advance.


If you are familiar with the type of June & July we had here in Northern New England, you would not be surprised to hear that we still do not have ripe tomatoes. I started these babies from seed back in March and due to excessive rain and lack of sun, it is mid-August and here I am, still waiting patiently. I transplanted 16 seedlings and can count a measly 14 green tomatoes. All I can hope is that they will ripen before the first frost and we will get a taste of freshness, though not enough to freeze away for the pints of tomato sauce I dreamed about back in the Spring. Still, it has to beat eating those fake orangey-red ones from the grocery store. My sunflowers are late as well, but this one 6-footer is beautiful, don't you think? Trying to keep a positive spin on things...


And speaking of keeping a positive attitude...I declined a job to teach a biology class this fall in favor of focusing my energy on creative endeavors. I do wonder if that was a wise decision, given our less than prosperous financial situation, however something, way in the back of my subconscious, tells me it was the right way to go. On the up side, the head of the program asked if I wanted to teach a knitting class instead. We decided that a hat workshop would be a good choice to attract a range of knitters and be a small enough project to complete in 3 meetings. The fall Vogue Knitting has a great feature on hats and we decided that #9 the eyelet cap and #10 the cabled cap would be good projects for beginner and intermediate knitters. I knit up #9 and am very happy with the results.


It is knit in stash yarn, Dreambaby DK, which is, unfortunately, acrylic and nylon. Not even a hint of natural fiber. I have to say that it is quite soft and will be easily washable. There is a new resolution in my house: stick to stash yarn until I have worked through at least 1/2 of my stock. Financially, it makes sense to do this, but I also need to come to terms with my yarn addiction. I can't seem to walk into a yarn store without purchasing something, whether I need it or not.

This also leads to something else I need to come to terms with: my procrastination problem. I submitted an idea for a project and was given the go ahead a month ago. The deadline is Oct. 1. I have not cast on. I should be in a bit of a panic, but strangely I am fairly calm. Knowing that there will be a frantic rush to finish, and my family will suffer, but it will be completed and mailed in on time doesn't change a thing. I'm choosing to use my free time this morning while my husband is out with the kids to write this post. Why do I do this? Maybe it's because I work better under pressure. The thrill of racing and wondering if I can make it? Maybe it's because I have always just done this for as long as I can remember. Staying up until 2 am to finish a 6th grade book report and throwing a fit, then surprisingly getting a good grade. Old habits are hard to break. Anyways, here is the stack of (non-stash) yarn sitting on my desk waiting patiently...