It's in the Details

After a couple of weeks of #catonlap-under-sweater knitting,

I am happy to announce that my January 2018 sweater is finished! (Well, technically it is still blocking...so I cannot wear it until it dries. But the knititng, she is finished!)

As I watched the sweater emerge, I was smitten with the details, from short rows and sleeve knitting, 

right down to the bind-off-in-ribbing end!

Sometimes (most times?), the joys of life are in the smallest details. The way the snow has landed on your car in mid-January, after another weird thaw...

The pinks of a perfect sunrise on the drive to work...

Putting up a brand-new wedding photo!

This has been a week of small details and tiny victories for me, and I am grateful to be here. I know that not all of you have had a spectacular week. Some of you are dealing with loss and disappointment, and others are just dealing with the fact that the stupid ground hog will most likely see his shadow next week. Me too. But as long as we are on this side of the pavement, what can we celebrate? A finished sweater, folded neatly, even before it is blocked? 

A new pair of socks, barely cast on, in a favorite (though discontinued) yarn?

Time with a friend (or friends) that leaves you smiling, because she (they) really "gets" you? That last one is what I am most thankful for this week. I was blessed by some one-on-one with a treasured friend this week, as well as some big group, laugh-yourself-silly time with my beautiful knitting group. Both were a balm for my soul. Ladies, your friendship refreshes me! Thank you for being my friends!

Whatever the next 7 days brings your way, Blog Land, I hope that you will take some time to notice the little things and to revel in the smallest details. I will do the same, for this is the day that the Lord has made. I will do my best to rejoice and be glad in the little (or big, or hairy, or crazy) details it brings!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Life Together

There has been a lot of winter lately. Snow...

and ice...

and more snow...

Because of this, and because I know that there is a lot of winter yet to come (even though it should hit 40 degrees this afternoon), I am glad to see the stripey sweater steadily springing forth, stitch by stripey stitch!

I am also glad for hot coffee, and indoor activities, like blogging and knitting!

Something else that I am thankful for is a reminder I received at church last weekend. It goes something like this, from Hebrews, chapter 10:

In short, the highlighted verses tell us to do life together. We were created to do this thing called life on earth, and to do it in the company of others, helping each other along the way. But although I am a pretty social butterfly, doing life together is difficult for this Pretty. There are some parts that come pretty naturally to me, like being a safe place for others to land when the storms of life rock their worlds. Empathy, sympathy and quiet support come naturally to me, and I have held hands that were wrought with grief, shaking with uncertainty and bound with anger. I have a much harder time putting my own hands into the hands of a friend when I am the one who needs to be held, and I know that I am not alone in this. 

I would like to say that I have gotten better at doing life together, in the interest of bearing one another's burdens, as the Bible also instructs. Maybe I have improved a little. Mostly though, I have convinced myself that I am content to help others, but that I am ok on my own. After all, nobody wants to hear my sad stories. Even if they did, how safe is it really to share my struggles? If I tell you what is going on, it might make you think less of me. If I tell you that I am struggling in the wake of a friend or loved one who has disappointed me, that would be gossip (notoriously bad, according to the Bible, right?), and it might diminish your view of that person. If I let you know that I am not ok, and you understand, does that give me permission to stay not ok? 

I don't want to stay not ok, but I am just there sometimes. These last few years, "not ok" seems to have been my default setting, but this week I am working on it. I had dinner with a good friend, one who knows more of my struggles than most. She "gets" me, and I get her, we are on the same page in so many ways. We have held each other's hands through some pretty hairy stuff in the past few years (job stuff, family stuff, church stuff, life stuff), and I can be vulnerable with her, so this week I was. And she was vulnerable with me, and it was good. We both came away encouraged and loved. I need 1 or 2 friends like this in my life, and I really need to make my time with them a priority if I ever want to change my default back to "ok."

We all need a friend or two that we can be completely vulnerable with, even when it is ugly. I often wonder what would be different in our lives if my brother-in-law had had someone to do life with, rather than feeling so alone in his grief and despair. I wonder what would be different in my life if I had been better at honestly doing life together before our season of great loss began. What would be different in your life if you started doing life together? Would it change things to know that 1 or 2 good friends have your back, and will encourage you to do good and to love well, no matter what? 

Life is hard. It is better with friends. It can be spectacular with friends and Jesus. My prayer for you is that you find your tribe, and that you can live life abundantly by doing life together. 

Also, if you don't already know how, you should learn to knit. ;o)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health.

Birth of a Stripey Sweater

When you wake up on a Saturday morning, and the world looks like this:

You know that bird watching will be limited...except on public television!

Of course, even though this is not the best day for a leisurely stroll in the park, the days of the annual snowpocalypse are good for something...KNITTING! This. This is what I am all about, especially since I have finally cast on my January sweater for this year!

Some years, I start the sweater on January 1st. This year, I was still deciding on a pattern when the ball dropped in Times Square, but I did finally settle on one that had been singing to me from Ravelry for a few days...Archer!

The construction is a bit of a challenge, but I am loving every minute of it so far! From its alien, crab-like beginnings,

to the emergence of the arches and their stripey fill,

this one has captivated my knitting heart! The color of the yarn in the skein was stunning, 

and while the knitted fabric reads a little less pink, with more caramel tones coming through, it is no less stunning...

especially in the caramel/cream stripes that will become the main body of the thing. Oh! I can't wait to wear this one!

My plans include lengthening the body so the sweater can be worn with many of the LuLaRoe leggings in my closet (because I think I am up to 24 pairs of those now...yes, Virginia, I have a little LuLaRoe "problem," thank you for pointing it out), and finishing out the split hem in the Hawthorne yarn that is the main color of the shoulders!

For now, as I watch the stripes multiply and accommodate catonlap on this snowy Saturday, I can only dream of the day that I can snuggle into this sweater to greet future snowy Saturdays! Until then, here I sit, knitting contentedly and making a lap for cats!

What is your favorite thing to do on a snow day?

Thanks for stopping by! Whatever you are doing today, I hope that you are also finding some time to Knit in Good Health!

One Week...

Nearly one week into the new year, and there is so much promise ahead...the world has been kissed with promise for things to come, like a little girl kisses her daddy's cheek... 

or like Face kissed Dollface on their wedding day last week. 

I wonder how the newlyweds are holding up after 7 days of wedded bliss? Hopefully Dollface likes it better than this picture might suggest!

I did not take many photos at the wedding, and that really good shot of the bride and groom is not mine...props to David Swidrak Photography for the awesome photos we have seen so far, and for those yet to come! I am glad that you were there to capture the moments so that we could enjoy the day!

I am glad to know that the newlyweds are settling in, and today is the day I officially welcome Face (our shiny, new son-in-law) to the blog! I'll update the who's who page when I get some better photos of the couple together, but at least we have all been properly introduced now! (Look at that smile! Someone grew up with a photographer in his family...this boy smiles on cue! Lol!)

As for the rest of the Pretties, our house is now eerily quiet. I have gone to bed at my regular time (sans bedtime books and songs) for two nights now, and I feel nearly caught up on my sleep. However, I am quite behind on granddaughter smiles and smooches...still, memories of the visit and the wedding carry me through.

How has 2018 started for you? I hope it has been strong, and that you have found promise and sparkle, like a little girl's eyes when she looks to see what kind of trouble she and Pop Pop can get into!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health in 2018!