A beautiful way to spend a sunny afternoon

It isn't very often that life forces you to have a pleasent time out, but yesterday for me it did.  I'd needed to drop my other half's car off about 40 miles away so he'd have it and house keys when he gets back (I'll then be away with work).  The slight problem was how to get back from somewhere with little to no public transport running anywhere near it.  My cunning solution was to drive down with my bike in the boot of the car, ride the 12 miles to the nearest railway station, and get the train for the remainder.  Given the amazing weather we're having this week I couldn't see a downside to this.  Now like all good knitters I'm rarely far away from my needles, so in with the usual purse, mobile, iPod, puncture repair kit etc I threw in the socks I'm currently working on... and thank goodness that I did.  Turns out that the train home only runs every 2hrs or so!  And I got there 30 mins after one left.  With views like this though in the late afternoon sun I'm not sure I can complain:

And what did I fill those 90 mins with... some sock knitting of course :)

Presenting the MindfulKnits Lace Stitch Markers...

They've been a little while in production but finally I have the first batch of stitch markers ready for sale.  They fit up to 6mm/10US needles, are made from split rings (just in case you accidental knit a marker in) but have the join covered by a bead to prevent snagging if you're using something like Kidsilk Haze.  The bead isn't glued so if you do need to take them off, just slide it to one side and bend the split ring open.  Et voila, knitting saved and stitch marker reparable.

The first couple of sets are single colour, but I am making up mixed batches as we speak for those who like using a different colour to mark different sections. Hopefully I've covered the main problems with using stitch makers in lace, but if you have any suggestions please do drop me a line and I'll see what I can incorporate into the next batch. 

I've not yet got the Etsy shop sorted but if you are interested they are £2.50 a set plus P&P.  Just drop me an email saying which colour you would like and where you are in the world and I'll send you a Paypal invoice.

Just in time for autumn

I was going to say I've just managed to finish my first handspun project just in time for autumn... but September apparently planning on going out on a warm note.  The evenings are definitely getting cooler though so my hard work hasn't gone to waste:

It is the first time that I've done a semi-circular shawl and I must admit it wasn't love at first wear.  It is noticeably shorter in the "wings" than my triangular Laminaria, despite being almost as long in the back.  That said, I'm not sure if is the shape or the use of merino rather than silk, but it sits much better, and holds a shawl pin much better than the Laminaria.  All in all a very wearable day-to-day shawl that I suspect will get a lot of use.  Did I mention how warm it is too?

On a completely unrelated note, I'm hoping in the next couple of days to have prototypes of the MindfulKnits lace stitch markers finished.  Well less the stitch markers (they're already made) and more the packaging.  I'm hoping that a local yarn shop will stock them, but if not they should be on Etsy in the near future.

In this moment I am grateful for... (2)

My parents always being there for me
My husband coming home soon
Two amazing work opportunities
The chance to study with Lama Zangmo
For the lessons already taught and learnt
For the lessons still to come
For all those who challenge me and make me grow as a person
For all those who help me
For all those who throw a spanner in the works

Without them life would be far less interesting :-)

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra and mindful speech

Sorry I've not blogged in a couple of days, life had somewhat overtaken me, both in terms of what I've been cramming in and pure unadulterated emotional upheaval... more on the latter later.

What I really wanted to share though was a beautiful teaching I attended last Thursday at the Kagyu Samye Dzong Buddhist Center in Bermondsey, London.  Lama Zangmo has just started a 15 week programme on the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, often known as A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life.  It has been a long time, both since I have had the opportunity to attend a teaching, or since I've had the chance to spend time in one of the Samye Ling affiliated centers, and Thursday didn't disappoint at all.  Whilst I probably won't manage to get to the whole course (work dragging me about the UK et al.) I do hope to attend a large proportion.

So what was so good?  I've not heard Lama teach before and was struck by her very friendly, approachable style.  This wasn't a lecture, it was an invitation to join in with a learning process.  She spent the majority of the lesson describing the background to the text, how it came to be, who it was that wrote it, and how it has been taught and debated since.  All of that set the scene for the lesson next week.  Although this week there were no questions, time has already been worked into the schedule for later weeks, before finishing each session with 20-30 mins of meditation.

What did I learn though?  Well I'm not as bad at meditating as I though I was!  My leg did do its usual trick of falling asleep, but only just before Lama rang the bell to signal the end anyway.  Finding that inner calm is still not the struggle I once found it, despite not having spent much time on the cushion recently.  Most of all though, I remembered how much I enjoy both learning and the meditation after.

It is easy though I think to keep a practice on the cushion (assuming that is you make it to said cushion in the first place :) ).  For me, the hard work starts when I get up.  As Lama explained, the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra describes training in each of the six perfections (generosity, right conduct, patience, diligence, meditation and wisdom) in order to obtain enlightenment.  What really struck a cord with me was her description of how you practice all of them within one meditation session... no matter how badly you thought it went!  By dedicating the merit etc you practice generosity, in attempting to set the correct posture - right conduct, in not getting up after five minutes - patience, by actually committing to the practice - diligence, by meditating... erm meditation, and in those fleeting moments of lucid clarity, wisdom.  Rather inspiring I thought.

For me though it is in my daily conduct that I "train" the hardest, especially in "right conduct".  Learning how to find the moment before I react to something though is one area in which I'm actually starting to see an improvement.  I would love to say that when someone hurts me, impugns my character or generally acts in a way I find upsetting, that I treat it with perfect equanimity... but I don't.  In acknowledging that though there is a power.  I know that if something cuts deep I'm likely to react, and that knowledge allows me not to.  I know that I need to think before I speak, else regret it later, and knowing that means I pause.  I've stopped rushing (quite so) headlong into the argument.  I've learnt to see the hook, acknowledge that I want to react negatively, and step away.  Similarly I now know how bad I am at stewing on an event, of planning and scheming my revenge, and of how bad that makes me feel inside.  When you start to look at it, it is insane!  Someone else hurts me so I stew and seeth and plot, running over and over and over what hurt me the first time, each time feeling it anew... and for what?  The person who said it doesn't know that, they've walked away.  The only person hurting is me.  And if I should choose to act on those plots and schemes?  Ok I get a momentary satisfaction at "getting my own back" or in other words making that person feel as bad as I did... meaning I almost always feel awful later.  So they say one thing, and I torture myself twice over... how about I try not to do that any more!

That is not to say I always succeed.  Events over the weekend have had me seething to a quite scary degree.  What for me has been a success though was in not reacting at the time.  I didn't escalate it and three days later I feel good about myself.  I didn't lash out with hurtful words (though it was very tempting).  I stopped and thought.  Even my plots and plans hatched in the dark drive home seem childishly pathetic.  Being aware of them, acknowledging their existence without judging them good or bad, just seeing them for what they are is oddly liberating.  I'm still not sure how to deal with the situation that must arise shortly, but I am sure that a breath, a moment, a second of calm is all I will need to avoid a total fiasco.... wish me luck!

Socks - First Pair finished

Hurrah!  The bamboo socks are finished, cast on for the next pair!  Actually hold your horses on that second point.  I'm hopefully teaching a sock knitting class this weekend or next so might hold off on the second set to have something to demonstrate with.  Speaking of sock yarn though, have a look at this:

Ok so the yellow is a bit mad looking but overall its not too bad.  What would you be thinking though if you got part way through, with no prior notice and found this pink though!

I've got to admit I've not used Noro before and from what I've seen up to now I'm not a fan.  Mad colour changes like this, balls of the same colourway that you'd never guess were supposed to be the same, and if I'm honest, I just don't like the yarn that much either.  Ho hum lets see what it knits like.

On an utterly unrelated note I've frogged the Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed coat I knitted last winter!  I've worn it once, feel like a huge lump when it's on, hate the way it stretches under its own weight (the fault of the stitch not the yarn I hasten to add) and hated more than anything how much it cost to knit for it to sit there unloved.  It has been a long year coming but I finally took it to pieces... and oddly feel far better for it.  Now I just need to get a copy for the pattern I should have done the first time!

All washed, now I just need to rewind it into balls ready to knit.

Socks cont.

My top tip for the week, don't rely on a store saying they're in stock of something on their website... phone and check!  The store that shall not be named's site said they had in the needles I broke a set of last Friday... turns out they didn't after I treked over there.  At the risk of being branded a heathen by my fellow knitters, I still don't like Addis despite using a pair to finish these socks with.  On a more positive note, turns out there is one friendly member of staff in there, even if I did have daggers glared at me by the pleasant individual who was teaching last time.

I do hasten to add that the socks are a commission that I need to get finished, and said shop was the only one open when I finished work... literally the last shop (open at that time) in London... ok not quite the world I know ;P

A day of reflection

In the middle of a busy internship, rushing across the south of the country it is easy to miss the moments of reflection.  Indeed, having set myself a number of things that I needed to get done this weekend before heading back to work, I almost lost sight of the date and blogged about the inanities of knitting with no further thought of the wider world.

Like everyone else I can remember exactly where and when I heard of the attacks ten years ago today, and the repercussions those events have had in the years following.

If I could wish for one thing though, for one thought to permeate the world this day, it would be for compassion.  Towards those who lost loved ones, to those who gave their lives attempting rescue, to those suffering the after effects of grief, stress and ill-health and to those who continue to risk their lives in the name of freedom.

I would also wish for compassion towards those living in such fear that they strike out at others, towards those who speak before they think sowing the seeds of hatred, to those who feel such hatred.  How can they find happiness in this life or whatever comes after, with such hurt and anger in their hearts. 

Whilst necessary to provide a level of stability and safety, physical intervention, in all its forms, can never provide the lasting answer to the questions posed so starkly ten years ago today. Only by learning to listen, forgive and hold each other in our hearts can we hope to heal such wounds.

In this moment I am grateful for...

In no particular order:

The love of my husband
My family
My health
Having a roof over my head and food to eat
An internship that challenges me
The women I shared a room with in the Youth Hostel this week
The knitters, spinners and crafters that brighten my life
The simple enjoyment of creating something myself
The staff in Costa who made me laugh
All those this week who have taught me patience
All those who have made me think
All those who by their words and deeds have taught me compassion
Those perfect moments of peace

Stitch London

I have to give the amazing Stitch London crowd a shout out after a superb evening on Monday at the Festival Hall.  I'd very sensibly managed to grab dinner on the way between work, hostel, quick change into jeans from a suit and heading over to the South Bank, as I didn't get back till gone 11pm!    What a great place to meet up and knit in!  I'm sorry I was utterly useless at remembering people's names but wanted to say thank you anyway.  I hope the ladies I sat with at the start make it back to their respective countries safely (without the authorities confiscating needles/hooks/etc at check in) and that you all have a fabulous time traveling around the UK.

Autumn's Gift

I recently ordered two beautiful braids of roving from the truly delightful Patricia of Yummy Yarns UK.  If I'm horribly 100% honest they weren't quite the colour I'd expected (the joys of monitor variation, NOT I hasten to add any fault of Patricia's) but I've got to say I possibly love them even more than what I was expecting. 

When loading them up into Ravelry though I was suddenly stuck when putting in a name for them (for non-Ravelers, whenever you place a yarn or fibre in your stash you have to enter the name of the yarn etc.  Easy for shop bought commercially produced stuff, not so much for handspun).  My moment of inspiration though was in looking again at the braids.  I'd already decided that I wanted to make a cowl and mittens set from them, to snuggle into on those cold morning commutes, and the weather here has just begun to take on the slightest hint of autumn.  

With that in mind,  a sense of gladness for another academic year completed, new job opportunities on the horizon, the potential for a Masters degree in the near future... and of course finally seeing my DH again soon, "Autumn's Gift" just seemed to fit...

Socks from (almost) scratch

Ok I have to admit to the "almost" before I start.  I didn't shear the sheep, prep the fleece or dye the yarn... but apart from those small bits I'm doing these socks from scratch... well from the spinning phase onwards anyway.  So what am I starting with?  Back at FibreEast I managed to get two 100g braids of BFL/Seacell for £5 each.  With the dark blues and blacks in the fibre, shot through with the very pale blue of the seacell, I thought they'd make a pair of socks that I can get away with wearing for work.

My first step then was to split the fibre into three, one for each ply.  Luckily with the braid being, well a braid, that was nice and easy.  I've also decided to do the spinning on my shiney new Turkish spindle from IST.  I'm away from home quite a lot at the moment so I want to be able to do my plying preparation as easily as possible.  The center pull balls that you get from a turkish I'm hoping will make it easy to wind a plying ball once I've got the singles finished, with no need for bobbins or a lazy kate.  As you can see I've got the first third spun up and have the second two ready to go.

And for a slightly gratuitous shot of the finished first cop:

For those of you not familiar with the turkish style of spindle it has a really nifty trick in that it comes apart, allowing you to remove the cop without re-winding.  The shaft first slips out downwards, then the two arms slide out from each other and the cop, like so:

Leaving me with:

Two more sets of singles and I'll be ready to ply.  After that I need so check the yardage I've managed and decide on a pattern.  I currently suspect that I'm going to get a mildly heathered variegated dark blue yarn, which I'm tempted to try my first patterned sock with.

One quick note on the fibre itself as this is the first time I've used either BFL or seacell.  The BLF is beautiful to work with, drafts very smoothly and is crimpy enough to not slip.  The seacell on the other hand is being a bit of a pain.  It tends to stick to itself causing barber-polling and if I'm not careful detaches itself completely from the BFL.  I'm not sure that I'd go for this mix another time unless it was more blended.  It seems to be working out ok at the moment though.