Knitting Stress

I knit because I find it relaxing. I knit because I like the mental challenge. Tonight the mental challenge has completely obliterated any sense of relaxation and my shoulders are tied up in knots after sitting and trying to cast on for a new project. Let me back up and explain what is going on. I read a knitting website called Ravelry which is like a message board for over 70,000 plus registered knitters and crocheters. It is really so much more than a message board, but I won't get into that. Well, one of the threads on Ravelry had to do with starting Elizabeth Zimmerman's famous Pi Shawl on 3-14 (today), since pi is the math equivalent of 3.14. Get it? This is a pattern that I have wanted to do for quite awhile and reading about all these knitters who were going to cast on today, got me inspired. I got some yarn, lots of yarn. I think I will need about 1500 yards of this wool/silk string-like stuff. This shawl is circular and has increases that go along with the theory of pi. You start knitting in the center and there are several different ways to cast on for this type of start, none of which were familiar to me. So I have just spent over an hour with 2 knitting books open, 4 double-pointed needles and a ball of yarn. A couple of times I referred to some sites on the internet for more help. The toughest part was keeping the 9 slippery cast-on stitches from twisting or falling off the needles. I had to take a break after knitting 3 rounds. Once I get going, the going will get easier and I can be as creative as I want with how the pattern works up. This shawl can be lovely, so I want to do it justice and not screw it up right from the get-go.

The 4 inches of ice on our driveway is finally starting to melt as temps have risen above freezing. I think tomorrow is supposed to be another "warm" day, so maybe we can re-claim our driveway. 

This has been a fairly typical week (some might say, boring) in terms of blog-worthy news.

I've been flipping kids all week as they try to learn the backward roll. It really is rewarding to have a kid tell me they can't do it or are too afraid to try, and then to have them come up with a big grin on their face after they do it. Between a wedge mat and me helping them, there are very few kids who cannot do a backward roll. 

Terry and Kenn were supposed to come tomorrow (after the weather kept them away last week) but Terry has a bad cold so they will head back to Virginia. They were on a college tour and I wonder how that all went. Terry, let me know about the trip. 

Tomorrow I am going to the Genesee Valley Handspinner's Guild meeting. It is held the 3rd Saturday of each month in the Victor Presbyterian Church. My spinning teacher called me yesterday to see if I was going and will save me seat near her so she can continue to help me and answer all my questions. I am very excited about going to the meeting. I will take the rest of my Icelandic fiber and some other fiber that I bought in San Diego and see how much I get spun. 

Jim is busy planning out our Eastern Shore biking trip, which is about a month away. We have some maps and have requested some more info from some internet sites. 

Here is a photo of my beautiful daffodils. One of our school secretaries was selling them as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association (I think) and she delivered them to me on Wednesday. When I got them, they were a dozen tight buds, which have opened beautifully. I won't see my daffodils in the yard for another month or so.

Good Luck to Liz as she moves into an new apartment this weekend.

Hope all is well.