Pantone’s Color of the year is…

 Posted by on January 7, 2013 at 10:05 am
Jan 072013
 

Emerald! It’s a much cooler shade than last year’s Tangerine Tango. As a knitter (and not a fashionista), I have been seeing samples go from bright mustard yellows and tangerines to now more cooler colors like deeper greens and purples. I think that this shift isn’t just a trend, but a reflection of our moods.

The psychology behind Pantone’s colors is fascinating. From the press release for emerald, they say this shade of green is:

“A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”

And that desire for “well-being, balance and harmony” is one that I am seeing expressed everywhere, both online and off. Many people start off their resolutions with vague goals like “eating better” or “work out” but there’s also a serious undercurrent happening across the globe to become better people.

I’m really glad that’s happening. It’s very difficult to set up and maintain boundaries, both in our work and our personal lives, but it can be done and done with love. It’s not cruel or mean or bitchy to say, “no”; it has to come from a place of love to be maintained. Both love for oneself and love for the other person.

I love Tangerine Tango and the energy behind it. 2012 was a very energetic year for me. Now I’m looking for a slower and less hectic pace full of well-being, balance and harmony.

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2012 in Review

 Posted by on December 31, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Dec 312012
 

2012 has been a fairly productive year for me.

Quite a bit of yardage! This breaks down to http://www.ravelry.com/projects/NessaMcTastic entered into Ravelry. I did more than just knit or crochet this year. Some of my other FOs include:

I also read 53 books out of my goal of 30! I’ve been quite busy and I’m really proud of my hard work.

Vanessa’s bookshelf: read

Wicked Bugs
Cousin Phyllis
Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking
Second Shift - Order
First Shift - Legacy
Thinking About Memoir
The Writing Life
A Life in Stitches
The Night Circus
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Dragonlance: Dragons of Spring Dawning
Outliers: The Story of Success
Dragons of Winter Night
The Toadhouse Trilogy
Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight
The Blue Castle
The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Running for Mortals: A Commonsense Plan for Changing Your Life With Running



Vanessa’s favorite books »

2013 is going to be a better year with more finished objects, more yardage knit/crocheted and more books read. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year!

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Helping Newton, CT

 Posted by on December 17, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Dec 172012
 

In light of Friday’s school shooting, the following is a list of groups that are accepting hand crafted (and store bought) gifts to donate to the families of Newton, CT. Christmas is a time we should be thinking about what we can do for others and I will sending things their way.

Long time blog readers know that I grew up in New Jersey, not too far away from Connecticut. I was in the 8th grade when the Columbine shooting happened and while that shooting felt very real to me, part of me also thought that things like that would never happen on the East Coast much less so close to home.

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The Weekend That Was

 Posted by on November 26, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Nov 262012
 

I hope all my American readers had a nice Thanksgiving weekend! And that my non-American readers had a nice November weekend!

The SGT’s birthday always falls on Thanksgiving weekend and unfortunately, I didn’t finish his socks. Not even one sock. I have some commission work come in so he’ll be receiving those for Valentine’s Day, though it’s a holiday we tend to ignore. The universe sensed that I couldn’t come through on the sock front and so the local indie movie theater, The Belcourt, screened his favorite movie, Red Dawn, at midnight on his birthday.

And because our friends have similar taste and ideas we all went dressed up, ready to fight off Communist Russian/Cuban invaders:

Wolverines! Also, dog’s name is Cerberus

Unbelievably, our group (about five of us) were the only people who dressed up. Some folks have no sense of imagination.

I’m glad that I could make his 35th birthday as fun as possible. Go Wolverines!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

 Posted by on November 22, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Nov 222012
 

Happy Thanksgiving, American readers!

A wee spot of translation: “Tu madre” is “Your mom” in Spanish.

Here is my list of things that I am thankful for, in no particular order:

Even if you’re not in the USA, I hope you have a great day full of good food and good things.

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FO Friday: Needle Felted Dog

 Posted by on November 9, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Nov 092012
 

At the Fiber in the Boro fest, I picked up a kit to needle felt a sheep. It was fun but, um, I didn’t make a sheep. I made a dog instead.

I couldn’t get the head to be sheepy enough so I ran with it. I think I like him better as a dog. I have more than enough roving left over try to make a sheep. He’ll be the sheep herding dog to a flock of lambs and ewes!

For more FOs, see the list at Tami’s blog.

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What Makes a Great Chemo Hat?

 Posted by on November 6, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Nov 062012
 

My favorite chemo cap and my favorite scarf

I’ve been asked, “Hey Vanessa, I want to knit/crochet my friend a chemo hat. Do you have any tips?” Since I made my own chemo hats, I do have a few purls of wisdom to share.

  1. Use a very smooth yarn. The very fuzzy yarns with halos both irritated my bald scalp and left me sneezing from the hairs tickling my nose. I avoided using acrylic because I don’t have any wool allergies. Acrylic felt very scratchy against my head.
  2. Keep it long enough to cover the ears. A lack of hair meant my ears were always very cold.
  3. My favorite chemo cap happened to have lanolin still in the yarn from the sheep. It gives it a sheepy smell but it inadvertently moisturized my head while I wore it.
  4. A dense knit or crocheted fabric is perfect in the winter. In the summer, the cute hat with the eyelets is much better.

But most of all, make it with love. (aw!) That’s the only thing that matters (double aw!)

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Letting Go of Perfection, the Bob Ross Way

 Posted by on October 29, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Oct 292012
 

Today, according to the Google Doodle, is Bob Ross’ 70th Birthday. I’ve blogged about the painting classes I’ve taken before over here, here, here, here and here so I’m no stranger to a paintbrush. I have no real art background, though I’ve always wanted to paint especially since I loved watching his series “The Joy of Painting”. I thought his voice was so soothing and who can’t smile at the idea of a happy little tree? But perfection kept me from attempting to paint.

I’ve noticed that the fear of making mistakes keeps people from trying. I’ve read many posts on Ravelry asking if a project is too difficult for a beginner or someone writing that they could “never get my x to look as nice as y’s.” And that thought (anything I do will never be as nice as her’s) means that anything we attempt we look at with a critical eye.

Bob Ross

We have to stop thinking that way! Bob Ross would often say on his show, “We don’t make mistakes, we make happy accidents.” And that is a sentiment that I try to live by, especially in my crafting. Letting go of perfection is easier said than done. And it is very difficult not to compare ourselves with others. We can see our own flaws so clearly but not in others or in ones that we admire and strive to emulate. Especially as a newbie. It’s easy to think you’ll never get to where they are because it’s easy to forget your heroes started out in the same place you are right now.

When I’ve spoken about my journey with cancer, people sometimes remark that I handled it with grace. “I could never have handled cancer as well as you did,” they say. Which makes me pause and say to them, “I’m sure you could have.” How I am so sure about that is because YOU are awesome. YOU make good work. YOU are full of grace.

So I challenge you to let go of control, just a tiny little bit. Send out your work as is because it’s good enough.

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Lessons Learned from Writing…and Knitting

 Posted by on October 16, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Oct 162012
 
  1. It’s much easier to ignore the difficult than to deal with it. When we finally decide to push aside the lazy part of us and just keep writing,knitting, just frog it already the reward is sweet.
  2. Write now and edit later. The words flow much faster if you set aside your inner critic. The same is true for crafting. Bust out a few rows and look at the bigger picture later.
  3. Good writing and good knitting are the result of daily practice. Neither spring forth from our hands perfectly polished.

    via Books by Henry Bloomfield

  4. Always knit a gauge swatch and always write a terrible first draft. Set both aside and look at it later. You will be surprised at what they tell you.
  5. First drafts and gauge swatches lie. You are better than those clumsy first attempts. 
  6. Your first work will be terrible. Keep on going.
  7. Writing (for me) brings up painful memories. Knitting helps soothe my heart. Both are necessary for living.

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Timing the Cancer Patient and the Athlete

 Posted by on September 27, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Sep 272012
 

I watch the clock roll over on the treadmill’s digital display. “30 more seconds,” I tell myself. “I can keep running for 30 more seconds.” My breathing is ragged and heavy but it feels good. My feet pound on the treadmill’s belt in time with my music and my inhalations. The timer keeps counting down until I can rest. The seconds pass rather quickly and I smile. My relationship with time has totally changed since I started working out and finished cancer treatments. The importance of every passing minute has now shifted and yet it has also remained just as vital to me.

During chemo, I viewed every minute that passed as another minute that I was alive. Counting down the days I had left of treatment was incredibly important. Each day that finished was another day towards the end. Was another day towards survival. If I could live for just one week, what’s to say I wouldn’t live one week more? Or two weeks? Or a full month, maybe? If I could show God all the ‘x’s on my calendar maybe then He would see that it was ok to let me live some more.

Now that I’m alive and have thrown myself back into working out, I’m still counting down time. I’m still crossing off the days on my calendar. And it still feels good. This time, every minute longer I spend running is another minute that I’m getting stronger. Every repetition completed with the dumbbells is another check box filled saying, “I’m here! I’m alive! I’m okay!” I push myself to keep going, if I run faster and longer I’ll live longer too. If I keep going to the gym and building my body up, I’ll keep cancer at bay for just a bit longer.

It’s become more empowering to feel that every moment spent sweating is a moment that I’m really living. My days aren’t full of needy desperation to live anymore; I know that I am living. I am alive. I have control over my internal clock. I’m going to be okay and right now I am feeling great. And honestly, that’s the only thing that matters.

I just have to keep moving.

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