Hello

I thought I'd be starting with more of a "writing" post (about my soft spot for second borns), but as sometimes happens, things change. Wait, sometimes? Always. Always. Things always change. Are changing all the time.

Anyway. I started knitting this wide...neck wrap a couple nights ago. Melody, an unschooler who moved to a nearby town from L.A. with her partner and three boys, brought me this yarn last week when she and her sons came over for Fiber Arts. (Which I no longer call Fiber Arts in front of the boys. They're going to figure out the ruse soon. I have a feeling.)

Melody got to know me through my blog and so knew I have a thing about knitting and fiber. And she brought me a very sweet gift. Four skeins of delicately hand dyed prettiness. The colors remind me of dried pink hydrangeas. I don't yet have a strong internal scale for yarn weight/yardage and being so "process" about my knitting, it doesn't occur to me pull out a scale or somehow measure the yarn as I am winding it. But, I am at a point where I knew that if I wanted to maximize the yarn, one option would be to knit some sort of lace pattern. Something with holes and open spaces.

I was thinking of the Diagonal Eyelet pattern that I used to make Karen's scarf, but then remembered having seen Sunday's simple lace scarf pattern while doing some reorganizing the other day and decided to try that. (CO even # of sts, *YO P2tog*, repeat over and over and over again... Simple.) As soon as the pattern started to emerge on the needles, it felt very right. The quality of the stitches melds with the color of the yarn to give the scarf an antique feel and look that is perfect. Just what I was looking for without even knowing it.

This baby is going to relax and stretch with blocking and the added stitch definition that I anticipate will just add more character and romance to the finished piece. I think it's going to be a short scarf. But, it will be longer than the neck cozy that I thought it might be. Depending on its final length, I will add a button or two...or some type of closure accessory.

Reporting in on my off-blog/line goals:

Sleep

I am actually sleeping better. Feeling relief and gratitude about that. I have spent the bulk of my life with no sleep issues whatsoever. So now having sleep issues is uncharted territory.

Although I think there have been various contributing factors to this recent shift, an undeniable one has been the decision to shut off the tv. Last week, I decided to stop watching tv at night. I ceremoniously (well, it was a private ceremony with an audience of one) deleted a bunch of stuff on the DVR and stopped recording my various shows.

I quietly said good-bye to Brenda, Nancy, Tim and Heidi, Tom and Padma. Oh, and Tommy Gavin. And the Entourage boys. And the folks at Hung. And despite their very recent return, I also said good-bye to Don Draper and co. I couldn't quite say good-bye to vampire Eric and Lafayette so I'm watching True Blood which is about to conclude its second season.

(And I'm quietly thinking that when Dr. Gregory House returns I'll be watching him. There's always "the One" you can't quite let go of.)

Since not watching tv at night, I've discovered that I get very sleepy around 9pm. I've been going to bed, falling asleep easily, and waking around 5:30 or 6:00. I have been LOVING the quiet and private time I get in the morning. The kids sleep time has seriously shifted over the last few months and they are both awake till past 10pm falling asleep probably around 11. The Y-chromosomers have aligned themselves and they don't wake up till past 9am.

Interestingly, I don't feel as well rested as I would have thought I would given the increased sleep I'm getting. Probably related to other issues my body is having at the moment, especially my stomach/digestion.

Finances

One day a couple of weeks ago I got the massive pile of receipts organized and printed out the debit card transactions for the last few months. That took a few hours and I didn't get past that point. I am going to dedicate time to this task today, it being the first day of a new month. I'm thinking new recording sheets and a binder rather than a notebook. I am determined.

Decluttering

Definite progress made. Notable and noticeable dents made in the living room and the boys' room. These rooms have a more open and airy feel to them and are/will be easier to keep clean and if not dust-free, at least significantly dust-decreased. We've got bags, boxes and piles of stuff that still need to be moved out of the apartment. The church thrift store in town, where much of the stuff is going, was closed for the month of August, but it's September now, baby!

As much as it hasn't worked in the past, I am thinking again of mapping out a cleaning schedule and trying to stick to it. A room a day? We'll see.

It feels good to be back. Off to practice qi gong. Love to all.