The Next Chapter

It’s been almost a month since I said “to be continued” on part one of my vacation story. There’s good reason and I will get to that here today, but let me start today by finishing that story of our South Dakota vacation.

I left you with a severely dinged windshield that had also cracked and was spreading and Mr. Knitting Sarah promising to just “kick the window out like a Cowboy” if it decided to shatter or get much worse. Instead of this option, we decided to do something crazy: we called our insurance agent and set up an appointment to get the windshield replaced. Thankfully we were headed out of Wall & the Badlands to base out of Rapid City for the remainder of our week and we could get in before the long drive home to get the work done. We set the date for Friday morning.

With the plan in place, we packed up our Adventuremobile, the 2 kids, and the dogs and headed for Rapid City Wednesday morning. It was snowing again or still snowing (it’s hard to know which) and as we left early and wouldn’t be able to check in to our hotel room until 3pm, we grabbed snacks from a gas station with the intention of driving the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, enjoy a hodge-podge picnic at Sylvan Lake, and head back to our hotel later that afternoon or evening.

It seems weird to see it now, but this was the drive in to Custer State Park on May 1st.

We stopped at the visitor center in the park where they seemed to think the roads would be passable for Wisconsin natives used to winter driving so we carried on with our plan and struck out on the Wildlife Loop.

We saw LOTS of brand new bison. None seemed very phased by the weather. We spotted some antelope and birds as well, but all in all the weather was formidable enough that we didn’t see a ton.

It was a beautiful drive up to Sylvan Lake though.

The picnic options, however, when we arrived were sub-optimal…

Unless you happened to be wearing snow pants (which we weren’t). We opted instead to hold on eating and go for a hike instead first since we had the lake to ourselves and the dogs really deserved a good romp. They both love snow so much and it would have been cruel not to.

Moose was contemplative because this:

Until Bear instigated some serious games of chase…

He had a lot of energy to burn off and got a lot of joy from the bonus snowy day and play with his big brother.

Knee-deep snow can’t stop us from a great time!

When we got back to the car, Bear really wanted to take the snow with him…

This is part of the reason we now bring extra towels with us whenever we take him somewhere. He is always trying to bring the outdoors inside with him one way or another.

We stopped for some delicious pizza at a little place in Hill City and by that point we could get into the hotel so we headed back toward Rapid City. As we descended out of the Black Hills, we were singing P!nk’s “Just Give Me a Reason” in true Carpool Karaoke style and just as Mr. KS hit his big note we heard this mysterious *crunch* from the back of the car. And then we hear our daughter, who was in the third row, say, “Uhhhh…. guys. Uhhh….”

The entire back windshield had shattered.

Now we joke that it was Mr. KS’ singing, but it was likely from previous rattling on dirt roads or pressure changes during the trip — who knows all we know is that it just went. Thanks to safety glass, it stayed in one piece for about a mile before chunks started falling off.

And just like that I was on the phone with our insurance agent again and then with the auto glass repair shop making a second appointment. Suddenly our last day of vacation on Friday was pretty booked.

We were not to be deterred though. Mr. KS got us all into the hotel and then struck out to the nearest store that sold heavy plastic and duct tape. Knowing we would be driving it around for a day before we could get it fixed, he got it as air and water tight as possible. Since we were losing Friday to auto glass repairs, he was not about to let Thursday escape without adventure.

It was loud and not exactly a relaxing drive, but we made it to our final big destination the next day…

It was a first time for the kiddos and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day for it. The stress of the previous month, the car issues, and what was coming when we got home finally broke me a bit and I will admit there was some sloppy crying on my part at the empty Devil’s Tower Campground. It was cathartic though and I was thankful that Mr. KS was there to talk through it and just give me a hug. I was able to finally let the stress go and enjoy the afternoon and rest of the trip.

We took a brief detour to the Spearfish Canyon on the way back…

A place we’ll definitely be returning to to explore further.

The following morning, Mr. KS kindly offered to go in and handle the glass repairs while I sat with the kids and dogs in the hotel room.

Moose was ok with that.

So was Bear.

The repairs took most of Friday and by the time they were done, we went for a brief walk through a couple parks, grabbed some ice cream as a treat because now it was very warm and sunny (as opposed to freezing and snowy) and then just headed back for an early evening knowing we’d be hitting the road for home early the next day.

I’m happy to report that the drive home was largely uneventful. And we arrived home to this.

Spring on the Marsh.

It’s hard to be sad about vacation ending when this is a short jaunt from your front door.

It was another one of those trips that teaches you to not give up, to just keep going and deal with whatever comes your way with the best attitude possible. Our family does seem to thrive in the best/worst vacation category. Sure, we spent a small fortune in auto glass and had to radically alter plans for weather and to spend the day getting our windshields fixed, but we made a lot of memories and we spent so much quality time together. In retrospect, I wouldn’t change a thing. These trips are special and I hold them close to my heart even when everything goes wrong and maybe I had a little stressed out sloppy cry in the middle. It’s all part of the journey and even if imperfect a lot of the time, it comes with a breathtaking view.

The Monday after our return home I officially returned to the workforce. For the first time in nearly a decade of being a stay at home mom, I took a part time job. It wasn’t something I was necessarily looking for or even expecting to do, but the schedule and type of work suited the family, my physical limitations, and my abilities so I went for it. The past month I’ve been working a lot of hours as I get my training in which is why getting back to blog here has been so difficult. I’ve been adjusting to a different schedule, trying to get the kids through the end of their school year, and learn my own job, so it’s been a lot.

On top of the job status change, my parents are making a move to our town! We’ve been asking since our son was born almost 14years ago and we are very excited to welcome them to their new home. In just over a month, they will be moving in just a couple streets over from us . I can’t say much more than I simply cannot wait. I think it’s going to be a wonderful change for all of us.

Which brings me to a bittersweet end here, in this post and in this space. I think we’ve all felt it coming for a while, but today I am going to put it in so many words: It is time for me to take a step back from my little corner of the blogosphere. The truth is that life for me is changing in big ways. I need to adapt how I am spending my time to fit my new normal and sadly that means letting some things go. As much as I love to write and share our stories and my craft here, it’s become hard for me to keep up. I have never wanted to be someone who starts every post with “It’s been a long time” or some variation on that, but that’s exactly what has been happening. It is time.

My subscription on my platform runs through November, so my plan is to leave this live until then. If by chance things settle down and I have more time or I find that I truly miss writing here, I will simply come back and pick it back up. If, however, November rolls around and I haven’t touched it and am happy with the new normal I’ve created, then I will simply let it go.

For those who would like to stay in touch, I will continue to pop in when I can on Ravelry and (hopefully) update my projects there. For the time being, I also plan to keep my Instagram account live and update it when I have time and it feels right with knitting or spinning or our nature walks or puppy updates. I am  @knittingsarah on Instagram and TheKnittingSarah on Ravelry, so please feel free to stay in touch.

It is hard to imagine. It is hard to let go. And I don’t know how it’ll all feel as I officially disengage from this space, but it is time for new adventures and new challenges. And I have to be open to all the promise and opportunities in front of me and make the most of them and do what is right for my family. For now, though, I’m going to take some time to contemplate and process the change from a very special spot with some very special people and two very special pups. And probably a cup of coffee, too.

I wish all the best in whatever is next on the horizon for you and I hope that, where ever you are reading from, that you can find a peaceful spot, enjoy a cup of coffee, and look forward to your own next chapter with hope and joy and peace.

There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather

In the juggling act that is life, there are times we all have to set things down in order to give our attention to items of higher priority. Since it’s been nearly a month since my last post here, you can safely assume that for most of the month of April I set down not only this blog, but most of my knitting and spinning. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say there were lots of moving parts & challenges both big and small. As one does, I put one foot in front of the other and made it through all the meetings and events with as much grace as I could. And last week, my family & I were rewarded with a week of vacation. Today I thought I’m come back to this space by telling you the story of our vacation.

Many of you might remember from past posts that my family and I love South Dakota. There was a time, many moons ago, when Mr. Knitting Sarah and I even considered moving there. The moment our commitments for April were fulfilled, we hopped into our family truckster — aptly nicknamed The Adventuremobile — and headed West. Moose, always enthusiastic at the prospect of adventure, spent the entire time we were packing wondering what on Earth was taking so long.

–

It was around 5pm on Saturday when we headed out and the plan was to drive until we couldn’t and then sleep in the car in order to arrive at the earliest possible moment in The Badlands. This is how Mr. KS likes to roll. I will not comment on how the rest of us feel about the arrangement other than to say we love Mr. KS and it’s the least we can do considering all this guy does for us.

Unsurprisingly, Mr. KS’ coffee consumption and excess of enthusiasm carried us all the way to The Badlands that night. Bear — not a fan of the car to begin with — handled the 12 hours in the car with drool-soaked stoicism that was not always super dignified…

But he emerged with a certain resigned awe…

Or maybe it was exhausted acceptance. We’re not sure which. At the very least, he was very happy to get out of the car for more than a bathroom break.

Our first day there, we took it all in knowing it would be our best day weather-wise. Birdwatching, climbing, and grabbing a glorious hike in the Sage Creek Wilderness filled our day.

Thankfully it was cool enough outside to leave the dogs in the car as they aren’t allowed out hiking on National Park lands and — with them happily napping in the Adventuremobile — we were able to take our time and soak up the landscape. And to quietly walk past this guy…

I’m thankful for optics which mean we don’t have to actually get this close to let Mr. KS take photos like this (a lot of the photos I’ll use from this vacation are from him as he loves to take pictures and I happily handle wrangling/directing kids and/or dogs when need be so he has the freedom to do so). Even at a safe distance, I do not trust bison and spent this portion of our hike attempting (most likely unsuccessfully) to hide my sincere but unfounded panic from our children. This is out of my comfort zone right up there with wading in murky water where fish might touch me, so I’m just proud that I did it and that every time I do, it gets a little easier. Baby steps, you know?!

As we walked along the prairie and I regained by composure as we put distance between ourselves and the bison, I found a lot of this spinny significance…

Bison fiber! All over the place! For those wondering, no, I did not harvest it. In National Park lands, I’m a firm believer in the “take only pictures and leave only footprints” ethos. There are birds and other little critters that’ll need this and I have no shortage of spinning fibers so I left it for the fauna out on the prairie.

Post hike, we enjoyed one of our coldest, windiest, and least comfortable picnics to date out in the Conata Basin. We picnic a lot because I truly love it, but the cutting winds put this particular dining experience on par with a time Mr. KS convinced us to grill out post hike at a local park in a foot of fresh snow while it was still windy… and snowing. We laughed a lot about how uncomfortable it was (I think normal people might move at this time, but we are far from normal) while the kids climbed around to their hearts’ delights to stay warm. We also enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and ate some of the most delicious local aged cheddar cheese I’ve had to date (and I’m from Wisconsin, so I’m kind of a cheese connoisseur who doesn’t say these things lightly). After a few more hours of exploring, we headed to our hotel and turned in early.

The following day was in the 40s and raining, so the kids voted that we take a drive down to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs.

We visited this spot a few years back and it’s seriously one of the coolest natural history places we’ve been, so we were happy to go back. To distill down what it is for you, basically a sinkhole opened up, filled with water, and — due to the shape and geology of the rocks around it — became a watery trap for many unsuspecting animals thousands of years ago and thus a treasure trove of remnants from the past. Most notably, Columbian & Woolly Mammoth remains are prevalent in astounding numbers along with remnants of at least 2 rarely found Short-Faced Bears.

It is simply incredible and we all learned a ton and enjoyed the hours we spent here.

With weather conditions deteriorating, what else would we do but jet up to Mount Rushmore.

True to form, I was very worried about the weather and hrmphed a bit along the way because it was — in my opinion — a silly risk. It turns out that all you need to get Mount Rushmore to yourself is an impending snowstorm. Who knew?! Basically our only company were a couple mountain goats.

For anyone who has even been to this spot, you’ll understand that it is usually very crowded, so to have it to yourself is a rare thing. And the snow didn’t start in earnest until we were almost back to Wall, so I’ll say it — Mr. KS was right to make this memorable side-trip and I was being ridiculous to worry about it. It’s a special memory that none of us will soon forget.

The following day, our last full day in The Badlands, the views were magnificent.

Oh wait? You can’t see the formations? We couldn’t either on and off through the snow and freezing rain! Maybe this is better?

No worries, that didn’t deter us.

Kids, don’t try this at home…

We’re professionals (not really, but we spend a lot of time doing stuff like this and know our limits).

In all seriousness, the weather brought out a lot of rarely seen beauty in this landscape.

The colors in the Yellow Mounds almost glowed.

And the snow taxing the little Prairie Buckbean plants I found bittersweet in its beauty. I’m so thankful that we were there to see it. I’m also thankful that the previous week when we saw the weather forecasting snow most of the week, we changed plans from camping to staying in hotels. It’s much easier to enjoy — for example — a romp in the National Grasslands for the dogs in driving 30 degree sleet…

Knowing that at the end of the day you can take a hot shower and climb into a warm bed.

With the first half of our week coming to a close, I think normal people would be discouraged by the “poor weather conditions” of this vacation, but we subscribe to the idea that there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices. No, the main thing weighing me down was this:

We suffered a couple high speed rock strikes kicked up off the dirt roads which cracked the windshield of the Adventuremobile and then the cracks started to spread. We contacted our insurance agent and made the necessary plans to get it replaced before heading home, but there was a wait involved and I was concerned about the next 2 days of travel with it damaged. It’s safe to say the stress of April’s busy-ness had not yet burned out of my system, so I was more tightly wound that I’d like to admit. Mr. KS assured me everything would work out and if it shattered he would “just kick it out, like a Cowboy” and carry on. I did not find this reassuring nor did it help me relax.

Little did I know, things were going to get a whole lot more interesting on the second leg of this journey…

 

Stay tuned! I’ll be back with part 2 of this story later this week!

 

Farewell, Quietude

It’s been a longer than normal lapse between posts here. Truth be told, there’s just been a lot happening here. We reached our necessary hours for our homeschool and are marching toward wrapping up our main subjects. I joined a local Rotary club in January and I’ve been helping to organize a fundraiser event at the end of this month. We’re planning and organizing an upcoming vacation. We’ve been attending puppy manners classes with the Bear and working hard to drive home good manners in him as he’s topped 70lbs at his ripe old age of 5.5 months (we’re being told he may not reach full-size until 18months). And a bunch of other things are in the works. Suffice to say, we’ve had a lot of things in motion at the same time and it’s left me with little extra energy.

Perhaps as significant has been that we’ve started to see a real shift toward spring. Granted you wouldn’t know it today as we awoke to 6 or 8″ of fresh snow yesterday and then it rained ice all day. Walking the dog and shoveling was sort of like what I would imagine microdermabrasion to be like, but less pleasant. Alas, spring is springing even if there is currently fresh snow on the ground. The birds are coming back and singing their hearts out. And while I love the birds and all the sounds of nature and the life that is present in summer, there is always a part of me that feels wildly overwhelmed this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, it has been a long winter here and I’m ready for the warmth of the sun, the birds singing me awake each morning, and being able to just go out and enjoy the fresh air without my protective layers of wool and down. As an introvert through and through, though, I am always a little sad when the quiet respite of winter and all its solitude is ending for the season and a little overwhelmed by the constant busy-ness of spring. But I digress.

As a family, we have managed to enjoy some fresh air and, of course, the blues and neutrals of this time of year are beautiful.

Even if the wind off the icy water is still awfully brisk.

And this guy is pretty happy with the change in the weather. He is not a huge fan of the bitter cold or the deep snow, so we will often let him stay home if it’s not weather he’ll enjoy, but he loves the cool days where he can get a good hike in.We’ve been taking Bear out whenever we can, too. With his heavy coat he is much more of a lover of winter and we’ve been taking advantage of that and exposing him to new a lot of new experiences while the trails are still relatively people-free. We’ve been working through a fear stage with him — basically if he’s not familiar with something, he is afraid and barks at it. We’re told it’s very normal at his age and thanks to some guidance in our manners class and a whole lot of time and patience, he’s been showing remarkable improvement and is growing in confidence daily.

All that work is pretty exhausting for li’l Bear though.

On one of our hikes, we spotted this guy….

Oh, how I do love a good porcupine sighting!

And on another…

Moose looked particularly stoic and handsome.

And after one very rainy walk…

Bear did a pretty epic impersonation of Puss in Boots. He wound up getting a bath after this that he did not like at all, but upon his release from the bathroom, he then got wildly excited when Moose jumped in the tub and requested a bath for himself. I was soaked and ready for a nap after that.

 I’ve still found time for some knitting and I’ve been wholly addicted to my latest sweater knit, Tanis Lavallee’s French Braid Cardigan.

Usually I steer clear of variegated yarn with cables, but I had a feeling this one would be all right.

And I adore it. I mean, just look at that main cable! The yarn is also a Tanis Fiber Arts creation, their Pure Wash Worsted in the Driftwood colorway. I bought it a while back on a whim during one of their Boxing Day sales and I am really overly excited about the fact that it is working so well with this pattern. The construction is unique in that you are working the front panel right along with the rest of the sweater. It’s the first knit in a long time that I will actually cut time out of my spinning for the pure joy of working on it. 

I even snuck a glorious 30minutes of this with the sweater and my boys one morning when Mr. Knitting Sarah had to work early this week. It was incredible.

I have been spinning as well. One project is under wraps as it’s a test spin to check out a colorway and I’m nearly done with it. It involves some attempts to take some video while I spin, so it’s been touch and go time-wise as I work with moody lighting situations. My other main project has been spinning singles for the chain plying Skill Builder in the Three Waters Farm group and I just finished them up last night!

I have to double check, but I’m fairly certain this is the March TWF Top of the Month Club colorway, Spring Loves Caprice. I’m very much looking forward to plying this soon!

We had a bit of a rough night last night as poor Bear had an upset stomach, so he and I were up every couple hours to make a trip outside. Poor guy! We are both pretty tuckered and I’m hoping for a quiet weekend ahead with some relaxing walks, easy on the chores, and with a fair bit of relaxation. I’m not sure, frankly, if it would be better just to get out there and embrace the spring time hubbub in a baptism of fire or if easing my way into it is better. Whatever the case, time and seasons and all the changes that are coming will keep on coming. I will do my best to meet them, to bid a graceful farewell to the quietude of winter and the embrace all that is on the horizon. Thankfully, I’ve got a killer knit and some colorful spins to help ease me through the transition.

 

Three Three-Plies

March’s skill builder skill of choice of the Three Waters Farm Skill Builder SAL was the traditional 3-ply. Like many, I’ve not spun a ton of traditional 3-ply yarns in my day. When it comes to yardage, traditional 3-plies tend to be fiber hogs. You can get a lot more yardage from a 2-ply. Chain plying allows you to keep colors pure a little easier as well as get a yarn that closely emulates that signature round-ness of a traditional 3-ply. But it’s still not a traditional 3-ply and there’s something inherently wonderful about a traditional 3-ply.

Traditional 3-ply yarns are beautifully round.  With hand-dyed yarn you have what seems like infinite options for color play. You also have strength and durability perfectly suited for sock knitting or any hard-wearing item you want to create. For this month’s challenge I wanted to embrace this technique and really explore the possibilities, at least the tip of the iceberg on this type of yarn.

My first spin of the month is the Calendar Colorway for Three Waters Farm, Common ground on Falkland.

I split into a 1:3:6 fractal.

I’m not usually quite so deliberate when I break my fiber up, so this spin was awfully fun for me and I love the results. I am very inspired to do some more deliberate experiments with how I break my fiber up.

I was plying with my big wheel, my 30″ Schacht Reeves, which isn’t usually what I choose for plying just because I prefer to take my time, but I knew I wanted to get this yarn to have a fairly high twist so it was a good choice for this particular project.

I can’t say enough good things about the Falkland base, too. It spins into such a soft, silky yarn — it’s actually hard to believe it’s 100% wool because in my hands it almost feels like a silk blend.

My second spin was Tranquil Gleam on a BFL/Nylon base 80/20 (it’s not currently available on the BFL/Nylon base, but it is available on the Polwarth/Silk 60/40 base currently). Unfortunately when I spun this I didn’t really spin with a plan because I was distracted by the fact that it was a BEAUTIFUL spin.

I mean, absolutely gorgeous to the point that I may have to get it to try on the 60/40 Polwarth/Silk because I can’t even imagine how insanely amazing that would be.

I kind of wish I had enough for socks with this, but unfortunately I think the fiber hog strikes again with this 4oz skein and I’ll have to shoot for a hat. I don’t think I can complain about that though.

However it gets used, it’ll be stunning.

And last, but certainly not least, a little combination spin! A while back I noticed that I thought the TWF colorways April Showers and Wood & Concrete would be pretty cool used together.

I’d always thought I’d ply them together or spin them separately and then weave them together. Then someone in the TWF Ravelry Group Skill Builder Thread mentioned spinning a 3-ply gradient with 2 colorways. If April Showers is “A” and Wood & Concrete is “C”, she created 4 skeins which in turn created one long gradient that were set like this:

AAA – AAC – ACC – CCC

Instead of spinning 4 different skeins, I opted to attempt to create 2 matching gradient skeins. I’d need 24 pieces total, so I broke each 4oz braid into 12 equal(ish) pieces. First, I divided them into their 3 color repeats and then each repeat into 4 equal(ish) pieces. Doing this for both colorways, I got 24 pieces, 12 from April Showers and 12 from Wood & Concrete. And while I’ve just gotten through one skein so far, this is the plan:

With the idea that the finished skeins would knit in that same, gradient style as her 4 consecutive skeins, from end to end:

The resulting skein…

Oh my goodness!!!

Beyond my wildest dreams! I am currently working on skein #2 of this gradient, but I am hoping to have a chance to figure out yardage on this beauty and then cast on some socks with it as soon as possible. Even if I only have enough yarn for shorties, I think this is going to have to be toe-up socks so I can see the full grandness of what this yarn will be.

I’ve certainly learned to appreciate and love the versatility of the traditional 3-ply yarn this month and I’m sure I’ll be inclined to spin more of them now that I’ve spent some time experimenting with them. For now, though I’ve got that second skein to finish and then it’ll be on to chain plying, the skill builder technique for April!

Divide and Conquer

I assumed the responsibility of principle dog walker even before Mr. Knitting Sarah and I were dating, way back beyond recorded history when we were just friends and it was his dog, not mine. I didn’t grow up with animals until I was a teenager and then it was cats. I didn’t know the first thing about dogs and because of this I had little trust for them and was pretty all-around wary of them. This all changed when at 21 years old I moved in as a roommate with two friends, one being the man who we now know as Mr. Knitting Sarah (it’s a long, winding story — I’ll leave it at that for now) who had a beautiful dog named Becket. Becket was an Akita/Shepherd mix who was as sweet as could be with family and friends, but notoriously did not like many people outside his inner circle and, well, let’s just say he was an excellent guard dog.

I will never forget the first day I got back to my new apartment when no one else was home and Becket greeted me at the front door. We stood for a moment watching each other, trying to decide what move the other would make. I figured it was even odds that he’d let me in or make sure I exited quickly. After a moment, I said, “Do you want to go for a walk?” and I reached for his leash. In that moment, he leaped in the air with joy and from that moment on we were always friends. He and I shared a walk or two daily for the rest of his life.

It’s something I really love, whether it’s on a trail out in a natural area or around the neighborhood, I love taking those walks with my canine friends. The fresh air, the bonding with the inimitable spirit of a dog, and just the sheer joy of that daily walk helps me to appreciate all those subtle changes that happen in the world around us every single day. I’ve carried on the daily walk routine with Moose throughout his entire life and now with Bear as well.

This week was marked a turning point at our house, though. With Bear hurtling toward giant status, I had to finally admit that walking both dogs at once (now weighing close to 150lbs between the two) was no longer good for anyone. Even with a kid along willing to help, it was just too much chaos with a lab who has so much love for everyone and a puppy who is still learning his manners. So this week I started adjusting the boys to a new schedule where each dog gets their own walk with me.

At first it was a little sad to leave one dog behind as the one not leashed up  stares at me heartbroken (I don’t know why, but if you ask them, I am an amazing walking companion), but all it took was one day to see the huge difference it made for all of us. My walks with Moose are dreamy.

Oh wait, that’s just Moose dreaming!

In any case, he used to be a horrible tow truck of a dog just pulling like his life depended on it on walks, but now because of how much I had to revisit my training skills with Bear and maybe because Moose is happy to bond and get the 1-on-1 time, he is the picture of perfection when he walks. He listens, he rarely pulls, and we just really enjoy our time together outside so much. A couple days ago, we stopped to watch Bald Eagles courting over a nearby field. Yesterday we stopped to listen to the flock of a couple hundred robins a few streets over from our house.

I wake up excited for my walk with Moose every single day. It is a breath of fresh air, a joy that I feel privileged to experience each day.

Bear’s walks, of course, are more work right now than play.

This guy hasn’t quite figured out how to appropriately express how excited he is to meet new people and dogs. Unfortunately, it tends to come out in excited growls and barking which can be off-putting to potential new friends when you’re 50+lbs, with shaggy black fur, and puppy levels of energy. He’s figuring it out, but it’s a process and it just takes time and lots of practice. And while it’s a very different experience than walking Moose, I can’t help but feel lucky that I get to help guide this sweet pup as he learns about the world around him. Every time I practice recall on our walk and call him back to me I’m reminded of this as his giant paddles/paws, floppy ears, and toothy grin full of love and joy eventually flollop  back to me.

What I’m think about every day as I walk these boys is to be mindful that every person and every project and every task has a different starting point and different requirements and that it’s important to factor those points into my expectations, to meet each person, project, and task from its own unique starting point. It can be very easy to be frustrated when a spinning project takes a little longer than I expect, just like it can be hard to remember not to hold Bear up to the same standard we are used to with our 7-year-old been-there-done-that-mastered-my-manners Moose.

It can be frustrating, if you leave out the dog training and homeschooling and life living, to know that these two bobbins have been sitting for a few days, waiting to be skeined instead of drying and finished.

Just like if you don’t take into account his breed and personality, it can be hard to accept that Bear is much more stubborn and is taking his own sweet time learning to really listen.

It can be hard to admit that even though the bobbins for this project are just under 1.5oz each I’m only getting one finished each night.

Just like it can be hard to admit that I really can’t walk two giant dogs at once.

Sometimes it’s important to divide and conquer, to split things up and carve manageable pieces out of larger scale projects. In a world where multi-tasking is revered as king, there is still something important to be said for taking more time in order to give things the attention they deserve. To do a job well,  sometimes that means you will progress more slowly. If you want to be joyful in what you do, you have to allow your expectations to honestly jive with realty.

Maybe that means that with spring here, you busy tidying the yard and house and are just plugging away with a round of two of that latest sock WIP each day instead of logging inches upon inches each day…

Maybe that means that instead of spinning, you’re taking this mutt on your second dog walk of the day…

Maybe that means instead having all these letters circled and thus all these singles done for this project…

You are just starting bobbin 3 out of 6 tonight.

Whatever the realty of the requirements of your next task, the place from which your next student needs to begin learning from, or how much of an uphill battle your upcoming round of puppy courses may be…

May you be unafraid to divide and conquer where necessary and may you be inspired to allow your expectations to play nicely with reality.

FO FriYAY!

It’s Friday and I’ve decided to share not one, but TWO Finished Objects today. I think that means this Fri-day levels-up to Fri-YAY, don’t you?!

My first finished project I’d like to share is my Lesley Sweater!

I’m the first to admit that I may have been a little overzealous with the length.

I was trying to avoid the hits-at-waist-look, but it seems instead of going a smidge longer, I’ve created a tunic — at least that’s how it looks on the mannequin! In reality, on my person, it’s not quite so insanely long, just nearly covering my backside and the fit is actually quite good.  I do reserve the right to rip some back, but I think I’m far more likely to just wear it and enjoy a draft-free sweater. I mean, if I leave the length, than I can probably get away wearing it with stretchy pants out on the trail… that’s something to think about!

The design is just a super simple raglan.

And I adore the pretty blue color, Quince & Co’s Osprey in River. While I’m undecided on whether I’ll leave the length as-is or take some off, I’m positive that I love the fit and feel of this sweater and I’m very happy I finally got around to knitting it!

My other FO today is a pair of socks!

After the whole darning affair of a week or so ago, I dug in and got these done for Mr. Knitting Sarah. As you can see, once again, I got a little overzealous in the length of the cuff — must have been something I was doing in February when I overshot on my Lesley Tunic, I mean Lesley Sweater, as well!

I mean, yikes! Usually I have quite a bit of yarn leftover from these big Regia skeins I use for him, but NOT THIS TIME. It was yarn chicken all the way and I just escaped by the skin of my teeth! I maybe had 5 yards leftover!

In any case, I finished them last night and had to share them today as they need to go right into the sock rotation for Mr. KS. I’ll be casting-on another pair asap as well, to help bolster the reserves, but I am glad to have one new pair heading for his sock drawer. Hopefully one more in the rotation will help the longevity of the newly darned socks. Everyone cross your fingers with me!

This weekend I hope to ply up three spins that are waiting to be finished and maybe get working on the next step of my French Braid Cardigan. Oh, and cast-on that pair of socks, too! What’s on your knitting and spinning agenda for this weekend?