from the ridiculous to the sublime, sort of

What the hell was I talking about yesterday? (Beats me.)

I think I was trying convey how delusional I am for comparing myself to people who have same habits that I do and deeming myself behaviorally superior. I certainly didn't mean to imply that there's anything wrong with Ravelry's awards ceremony, yarn stashing, etc. Anyways. You win some and you lose some when seeking to communicate the deeper meaning of things.

Moving right along.

THIS WEEK'S SIN LOG:

Do you know how hard it is not to speak ill of people?

Listen, I know the trick to it. It's to change the way you think about people, then you won't have to worry about what comes out of your mouth.

For me, that's an even more daunting goal. In putting the cart before the horse and watching my words, I'm trying to bully my thinking into following. When a friend needed support on a painful and difficult matter this week, I said I wouldn't speak ill of the person who was causing her pain. She said to me, and rightly so, "You can have an opinion. You don't have to speak ill, but you can have an opinion."

Trouble is, my opinion is that other people are el primero a-holes, losers and pricks, fucktards, etc -- when they aren't doing what I think is right for them to be doing. That was my opinion of the person who'd hurt my friend's feelings, if only in this case.

How to change that, how to be more compassionate and less judgmental, how to have my opinion be that people are still swell and worthy when I feel they are behaving out of turn, I don't know. I do know that it's a necessary pursuit.

While I figure it out, which could take years, I'll just work on zipping my lips.

Sin of the Week

When sitting in my boss's office, going over the fine points of training my replacement, I spoke of him as though he was a child and I was his wise, all-knowing, state-appointed guardian. I actually said to my boss that I would keep a sharp eye on him, because he needs me. I sounded like I was talking about someone who couldn't lift a spoon to his own soup coolers. The picture of pomposity, I was. I realized exactly how pompous when he walked right by the office and it dawned on me that he'd probably heard everything I'd said.

Alright. Let's get this party started up in here. The Natster and I have made a pledge to use the massive amounts of stuff we've accumulated to fire it up this year. You saw my cast sock cum hot water bottle (or, as my Big Mama would say, douche bag) cozy. You know I'm knitting on some baby kimonos right now. But did you know it was going down like this? (Cue Rick James's "Mary Jane.")

Patterns:
Hat -- Nottingham by Melisssa Mall
Mittens -- Basic Cuff-Up Mittens by Patti Pierce
Scarf -- My own genius. I've discovered something new and want to share it with everyone: 2x2 ribbing! Yes. Plus a slip stitch border. Top that.

Yarn:
Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Basil (green) and Macaw (teal). Thumbs down on this yarn. It splits too much for my taste.

Rationale:
My co-worker commissioned me to knit a set for his 3-year-old son, Patrick. The hat was tedious, but fun. The scarf dragged a little. I did not love knitting those mittens, but oh well.

Shout out to my peep, Heather: Hi, Heather! To answer your question about embroidery, I learned on my own and still have a lot more to discover. You can certainly do the same, believe me. For me, the key lies in diagrams. I don't stop until I find books, websites, etc, that have diagrams that make sense to me. Two that work are Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread video tutorials (free), and the perennial favorite, Sublime Stitching. I also like Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches. The diagrams don't compute in my brain so much, but they sure are dang purdy. If you'd like to chat more about embroidery, feel free to e-mail me. Have fun!

That's it. I'm going to bed. Did I mention I haven't slept in two nights? No wonder I'm posting so much.