KnitBean

Before & After

Before:

Years ago Dad gave us his sofa and an over-stuffed chair that were a matched set.  They had been loved and were worn around the edges.  They were still in good shape and were a lifesaver to two new homeowners with little furniture of their own.  The chair died first and left the house about 2 years ago.  When Dad passed away we inherited his recliner, it's a wonderful and comfortable chair, but not really our style.
This year we decided it was time to buy our own furniture, to finally get some grown-up stuff that was our own from the start. 

After flirting with a retro-mod set from Macy's we fell in love with the Cassidy series from Bassett.  We chose a sofa and a love seat (also a hide-a-bed) in sage green, and a matching ottoman in chocolate brown.  Disregard the feet on the ottoman, they are supposed to match the sofa and love seat.  We called Bassett and the correct legs have been ordered, but it will take 3-4 weeks to get them here.  Of course new furniture seems to beget more new furniture and we have turned a questioning eye to the entertainment unit and the other components of the living room (Sez would say "don't stop at the living room!").  Getting the new furniture has been a fun event, we ordered it the first week of April and it was delivered 4 weeks later.  While I would never choose to wait, I have to admit it really helped build the excitement.
If you live in King or Snohomish County and want a good furniture buying experience go see Nicole (with the French accent) or Dee at Bassett Furniture in Lynnwood.  They took great care of us.

Big Thoughts on Knitting and Knitters

When the Yarn Harlot talks, knitters listen.  I always enjoy an hour of laughter when listening to Stephanie; but more than that, I always come away with new information and a deeper understanding of what it is I do, and why I love it.

Theta State the most creative and open state the brain can be in without being asleep.  It is achieved through relaxation and repetitive motion.  Runners enter this state and call it the zone, knitters enter this valuable state with a lot less sweat.

Neuroplasticity: the changes that occur in the brain from doing an activity.  A recent Ivy League study shows that knitting can reduce the experience of trauma if the affected person participates in the activity after the trauma occurs.  Knitting can remap the brain.

Knitting is good, knitting creates and soothes.  Knitting is good for you, it changes your brain, your mind, your spirit, and your ability to live in this world.  It doesn't matter how you knit, just knit.

"You don't have to be good.  You don't have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.  You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves". - Mary Oliver, Wild Geese

(Linkfest) Live-blogging the Yarn Harlot in Seattle

No matter where I go (and I'm glad for this) Ryan is always the first person I see.  Any knitting event I attend has her up front and working the crowd.  Also in attendance tonight is the amazing new blogger TMK.  A quick scan of the crowd and I spy Melinda. Other members of the knitting tribe are also in early attendance.  There is still an hour to show-time and already half of the seats are taken.  I'm waiting on my beloved who is bringing my copy of the book, and my knitting, then maybe we can get a bite of dinner before it's underway.  Hopefully Duranee and Rabbitch can find me in the crowd.

Sez has arrived with batteries for the camera, more to come!

I'm dreaming of a white Passover

The headline on the front page of the local news channel reminds us that Summer is a mere 63 days away.  My front yard reminds me that the univserse has gone completely around the bend.

This is the view from our front door at 6:30 PM on Friday, April 18th.  Currently I'm at the local bookstore/community gathering place.  It's snowing so hard I expect Burl Ives to take over for the lead singer of the bluegrass band (Dysfunction Junction - they're not bad).

Too much for words alone.

Some progress

I've been working on the Log Cabin throw a little bit every night.  I like how squishy it feels, and it's growing surprisingly fast.

I've missed my good friends at VYT lately.  It seems like Saturday's catch all of the chore-overflow from the work week.  Add to that all the good things going on around town and it's hard to choose where to go.  I hope my VYT friends understand.

Revisiting a trend

Last week, after becoming bored and frustrated with too many projects on little tiny needles, I hauled Sez and myself down to VYT for some fiber threapy. What you see above is the start of a log cabin throw knit from Blue Sky Alpaca's Organic Cotton. Size nine needles - the sweatpants of my knitting world. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

March 28 wtf.jpg

Sez wanted you to see the snow we had last week. Snow, in spring, in Seattle. (Checking sky for pigs) Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Spring Quarter

It's nearing the end of th first week of Spring Quarter. We have seen snow, rain, sleet, bright sun, and today it's overcast. Overall the campus population mills about with a resigned look - waiting for the year to be over. Admin staff like myself are just grabbing our first deep breaths since the faculty has returned from spring break. All in all, it's good to work on campus. (Photo: The Husky Den at the HUB. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T