Some nights are different: Too nervous to knit

Don't get me wrong--I took my knitting. It's just that, after 3 weeks of illness, injury and more illness, I was so nervous for my dancer as she prepared to take the stage for her senior year performance with Classical Ballet Centre last night, that I couldn't knit for fear that she wouldn't be up to the task. I need not have worried. The professionalism and grace that I have come to see in her every day were there in abundance. She danced the role of the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and showed us what hard work and perseverance look like in a tutu.

photo by Jairy Hunter Photography

Shot taken in rehearsal by her sweet friend Alexandra.

I've written about my daughter before, and many of you have met her over the years as well. This post isn't really about her.

This morning I took a pic of the actual knitting I accomplished last night on the way to the theater for the performance. It's a swatch for a new sock pattern, a pattern I honestly envisioned casting on and placidly knitting while waiting for the curtain to go up. I had with me everything I would need: double pointed-needles, yarn, stitch markers, scissors, etc. In fact, instead of taking the cute little handbag that I love, I took a larger bag (I love it, too, but it's not little), in order to have room to pack my knitting. I was prepared to fend off nerves with the soothing repetition of even stitches and the rhythm of the needles.

Who was I kidding?

I couldn't sit still to knit. I found it was better to go back and forth to the entrance to look for people we knew who were coming to the performance. I burned off the nerves through movement. My feet hate me today because of it, but I'm not upset by my lack of follow-through. Sometimes you just have to make adjustments mid-course.

Despite my great plan, as I knit the swatch I was not feeling calm and creative, so when I looked at the few rows I'd managed, I thought, I have NO idea why I don't like this. No problem, though. I could surely cast on and knit the ribbing of the cuff before I had to commit to the actual sock pattern. Riiiiiight....

Yeah, I don't see any stitches cast on those needles either.

All's well that ends well, however: Josie danced beautifully, we were surrounded by the support of loving friends and family, I burned a few extra calories going up and down the steps and I have a shiny new project to work on today.

Just knowing my knitting was there in my bag was comforting, too.  Take your knitting. Take it even if it never sees the light of day...or the light of the theater...

Birthday Giveaway!

My birthday is in April and as far back as I can remember, birthdays have been a big deal for me. This year is no exception and to celebrate I am having a birthday month giveaway!

To enter, all you have to do is knit, give or share. Sounds easy, right? Knit: for our Big 10 Charity Knit-a-Long (I will accept crochet, as well). Give: to the charity we have chosen to receive the blankets we make in our Knit-a-Long, the Carolina Youth Development Center. Share: about the Birthday Giveaway by Tweeting, posting to Facebook and sharing on Instagram, using the hashtag #knitoasisbday

Receive one entry by doing one of these things during the month of April:

1. Knit an afghan block. One block = one entry

2. Give a wish list item to CYDC. One item = one entry

3. Share about our promo on social media, using the hashtag #knitoasisbday. Two shares = one entry

Social media sites to use: Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter Remember that your social media sharing settings will need to be set to public for these posts so I can find them.

There is no limit to the number of entries you can have. On May 1, I will put all the entries into a giant knitting bag and have the winner drawn by whichever family member is available at the time (they aren't eligible to win, after all). Winner will be notified by email that day.

What will the winner win??

I'm still piling up the prizes, but so far we have gorgeous yarn, a beautiful project bag, a free private lesson with yours truly, random knitting goodies and more. My philosophy here is, what would *I* want to win?  Hopefully it will entice *you * as well!

Stay tuned and keep knitting. This promotion starts on April 1, which is only a few days away!

Knitting Lessons from the Garden

In our neck of the woods, it will be officially Spring in just a few days. For some people, this means that warm weather will lead them to other pursuits that don't involve yarn or wool or knitting.  For some of us, however, knitting is ever with us. Warm weather only means we find lovely places to sit outside with our knitting. Warm weather also means the dye vats return to the back yard to explore the cool shades of indigo (!).

This week I've been "spring-a-fying" my yard and porch and creating the perfect spots for many hours of knitting. It's hard work and I know I'm not the only one in my family with sore muscles and blisters from digging and planting and weeding and mulching. It's hard work that yields results, though; results that will be enjoyed by us and our guests for the next few months.

Life is like that. There will be days of exhausting work necessary to achieve your goals. There will be muddy footprints tracked in and the cat will have mulch stuck in his fur and leave it all over the house and you might not be able to bend over and tie your own shoes because you spent so much time bent over the flower beds pulling weeds. It's worth it in the long run, as I sit on my patio and sip tea and feel the breeze on my face and hear the birds singing.

Knitting is like that, too. There will be days when you will be tired and pretty much over it. You will declare knitting a dead art form only practiced by fools and threaten to burn all your supplies in a big ugly bonfire. You will cast on 9 times before you get the hang of whatever technique is eluding you.  Nine.Times.  You will doubt your abilities, your hands will cramp, your yarn will tangle and you will discover you hate the pattern you've spent a week working on. Is it worth it? The answer to that will come to you when you see your husband wearing his favorite hat (you knit it) and your son wearing his favorite sweater (you knit it) and your daughter slipping cushy socks onto her ballet-sore feet after class (yes, you knit those, too). 

Even though it's hard, put in the work now to learn that skill, to knit that gauge swatch, to take that class, to master that cast on, to knit for that charity. Don't get discouraged if it takes longer than you think it should; I'm pretty sure that my backyard will be finished one day--two months from now!  But I am enjoying the process, grateful for time to spend with my family as we work and for the beautiful weather and for the possibilities of it all. The seeds we plant today will bloom in the hot summer months and make me happy that I worked hard this spring, just as the warm knitwear you create this spring and summer will be the first thing you bundle up in come fall and winter.

It's worth the effort and you are worth the feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard to learn, to knit, to garden, to do whatever it is your hand finds to do.

What about you? What lessons have you learned from gardening or other "slow and steady" pursuits?

A visit to the CYDC

This week one of my knitting pals and I paid a visit to the CYDC (Carolina Youth Development Center), in hopes that we could touch base in person with the charity we have chosen for the Big 10 Knit-a-Long. We took a few things to donate from their wish list, and kinda sorta hoped we might get a little tour. I have driven near the campus of the CYDC many times over the years and never realized it was there, so imagine my surprise to find there was so much I'd been missing.

There are multiple programs that operate within the Center, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, an emergency shelter for children in crisis, leadership programs, group homes, and a career center that offers career education and life skills training.

The Mission of CYDC is "...to empower and equip our community's most vulnerable children...". I love that they "empower and equip"--an excellent strategy for giving these kids the chance to have a better future.

This painting shows the original building, demolished in 1951. Before becoming the Charleston Orphan House in 1790, it was a Revolutionary War barracks. 

Celebrating their 225th year this year, the folks at CYDC have been digging through the archives for interesting facts to share. So far my favorite has been that in 1877, the Charleston Orphan House "started the first Kindergarten in South Carolina, and one of the first in the nation." For more historical facts, check their Facebook page for a new one every day for 225 days.

This lovely Tiffany window had been in the original building.

The kids are working on this donated car to turn it into a racer, learning valuable mechanical skills in the process.

Inside the Linda and Tony Bakker Career Center, a beautiful modern building with a library, computer lab, garage with hydraulic lift, and cafeteria. Business leaders from the community volunteer their time and expertise to help train the kids in multiple fields.

All of this and more sits on a large, pleasant campus with beautiful landscaping and caring workers everywhere we went. It would be wonderful if some day organizations like this were no longer necessary, because every child was loved and safe in their own families. Until that day, however, I am proud to know that the CYDC is there, supporting children in need and helping them grow into happy, healthy adults.

If you'd like to support the mission of the CYDC, you can visit their website to learn more about how you can get involved. And of course, there's our Knit-a-Long, making blankets for the children who come through the Center. If you've not yet joined us in this endeavor, won't you consider contributing in some way?

Shannon and I with a few of the knitted blocks that will become awesome afghans. Photo by CYDC.