Yarn, bicycles, etc.
Oh my little Tiny Spicy, won't you smile your warm sunshine forever?
As much as I love snow, I'm really disliking winter in Logan this time around. We had our first ice storms (very reminiscent of the east coast), multiple days of rain, and today some heavy slush that is not the most fun to slog through as I walk about town. Perhaps I should hop on my bike and remind myself that I'm better than any inclement weather.
Ah, a story forgotten and now to be shared: Around the second week of December a heavy snow storm came through Logan and dumped what seemed to be a foot in a single day. We had day and days of fluffy white stuff and the snowplows had a hard time keeping up. Thinking it would be better to avoid being in a car, I radically hopped on my bike and pushed through anything in my way. Pedaling to North Logan to help Britney plant lettuce in a hoop-house (farm research for her graduate studies), I encountered many surprised faces but few obstacles. I also found that cutting through the packed snow with skinny road bike tires is much more challenging than pedaling on regular asphalt. Riding for 5 days consecutively with temperatures hovering near 15 degrees, I rocked the roads. I'm so bad-ass.
Now I need to whip my butt into shape by riding to campus every day. Mostly I've been taking the bus as my headlight AND taillight are not in working order, however I think I'll just remedy that problem and pursue a bit more activity. I hope the terrible inversion (which is lifting, finally!) does not sting my lungs too much.
In other news, I'm enjoying all of my classes, most especially my Creative Arts class. Dr. Peterson is a fine fellow and his lectures are thought provoking in a very personal way. On the first day of class he asked how many people felt they were creative-- artists of some sort. On a range of 1-6 most people rated themselves very low or in the middle, with very few ranking themselves higher. I wondered to myself if I'm exceptionally creative or mediocre, and whether or not it is important to me to pursue what creativity I feel within myself. End thought.
In class on Friday, however, Dr. Peterson lectured on Design vs. Art, Craft vs. Craftsmanship. Noting that many people enjoy crafting-- the ability to create many things and finding enjoyment in such hobbies-- but never become to craftsman. They simply find pleasure in the activities and do not pursue becoming an expert in any area. Enter thoughts of yarn and cloth: I dream of becoming a craftswoman. A weaver of webs. An expert in fibers, both through creation and use. Lace and Cables. Doilies and Sweaters and Socks galore. I'm beginning to think that pursuing such excellence is as important (perhaps more) to me as obtaining a college degree.
Currently I am knitting a lace scarf from alpaca wool, one of the softest woolen fibers available to yarn workers. A beautiful rusty orange/red, the waves and eyelets of the pattern are quickly becoming something worth sharing. Perhaps I'll get some photos up later.
Next on the list is going to be an extravagant and time-consuming project, my first Sweater-- an Aran. Below is the photo from the Penny Straker website, a view of the what my finished project (the Galway sweater) should look like. The color I am using, however, is a very light yellow in a superwash wool that should much easier to care for (and in my mind, that translates to a longer lifespan due to avoidance of shrinkng the wool).
Rather amazing is the fact that I'm actually capable of knitting such an intense piece after having only bought my first knitting needles and taught myself the basics last winter. Much gratitude to my Aunt Kathy for pushing me to learn, harassing me a bit, and inspiring me to think that it would not be hard. Oh it's been hard, don't get me wrong, but I'm glad that all I've learned has been from books. It's an independent skill for me, related to the crochet techniques my mother taught me as a young girl. If I can make a detailed doily, and if I can knit an Aran sweater-- what's stopping me from learning everything I can and turning this knowledge into a lifelong art?
PS. I'm start my first spinning class next week. No, not pedaling on a stationary bike for an intense aerobic workout, but the old tradition of making one's own yarn with a drop spindle. I'm hoping to work up to spinning with a wheel and eventually investing in my own.
As much as I love snow, I'm really disliking winter in Logan this time around. We had our first ice storms (very reminiscent of the east coast), multiple days of rain, and today some heavy slush that is not the most fun to slog through as I walk about town. Perhaps I should hop on my bike and remind myself that I'm better than any inclement weather.
Ah, a story forgotten and now to be shared: Around the second week of December a heavy snow storm came through Logan and dumped what seemed to be a foot in a single day. We had day and days of fluffy white stuff and the snowplows had a hard time keeping up. Thinking it would be better to avoid being in a car, I radically hopped on my bike and pushed through anything in my way. Pedaling to North Logan to help Britney plant lettuce in a hoop-house (farm research for her graduate studies), I encountered many surprised faces but few obstacles. I also found that cutting through the packed snow with skinny road bike tires is much more challenging than pedaling on regular asphalt. Riding for 5 days consecutively with temperatures hovering near 15 degrees, I rocked the roads. I'm so bad-ass.
Now I need to whip my butt into shape by riding to campus every day. Mostly I've been taking the bus as my headlight AND taillight are not in working order, however I think I'll just remedy that problem and pursue a bit more activity. I hope the terrible inversion (which is lifting, finally!) does not sting my lungs too much.
In other news, I'm enjoying all of my classes, most especially my Creative Arts class. Dr. Peterson is a fine fellow and his lectures are thought provoking in a very personal way. On the first day of class he asked how many people felt they were creative-- artists of some sort. On a range of 1-6 most people rated themselves very low or in the middle, with very few ranking themselves higher. I wondered to myself if I'm exceptionally creative or mediocre, and whether or not it is important to me to pursue what creativity I feel within myself. End thought.
In class on Friday, however, Dr. Peterson lectured on Design vs. Art, Craft vs. Craftsmanship. Noting that many people enjoy crafting-- the ability to create many things and finding enjoyment in such hobbies-- but never become to craftsman. They simply find pleasure in the activities and do not pursue becoming an expert in any area. Enter thoughts of yarn and cloth: I dream of becoming a craftswoman. A weaver of webs. An expert in fibers, both through creation and use. Lace and Cables. Doilies and Sweaters and Socks galore. I'm beginning to think that pursuing such excellence is as important (perhaps more) to me as obtaining a college degree.
Currently I am knitting a lace scarf from alpaca wool, one of the softest woolen fibers available to yarn workers. A beautiful rusty orange/red, the waves and eyelets of the pattern are quickly becoming something worth sharing. Perhaps I'll get some photos up later.
Next on the list is going to be an extravagant and time-consuming project, my first Sweater-- an Aran. Below is the photo from the Penny Straker website, a view of the what my finished project (the Galway sweater) should look like. The color I am using, however, is a very light yellow in a superwash wool that should much easier to care for (and in my mind, that translates to a longer lifespan due to avoidance of shrinkng the wool).
Rather amazing is the fact that I'm actually capable of knitting such an intense piece after having only bought my first knitting needles and taught myself the basics last winter. Much gratitude to my Aunt Kathy for pushing me to learn, harassing me a bit, and inspiring me to think that it would not be hard. Oh it's been hard, don't get me wrong, but I'm glad that all I've learned has been from books. It's an independent skill for me, related to the crochet techniques my mother taught me as a young girl. If I can make a detailed doily, and if I can knit an Aran sweater-- what's stopping me from learning everything I can and turning this knowledge into a lifelong art?PS. I'm start my first spinning class next week. No, not pedaling on a stationary bike for an intense aerobic workout, but the old tradition of making one's own yarn with a drop spindle. I'm hoping to work up to spinning with a wheel and eventually investing in my own.
Whoah cute sweater! Don't forget to post a pic once it is finished!
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