What Inspires You?

This last week, I have really tried to pay attention to what inspires me to take on a project. Let's face it - some times there are projects that are just downright beautiful and we feel compelled to make them! But there are often times when it's quiet, we dream of our own projects, or how to change a pre-existing project into something that is distinctly our own.


For me, it's color and people. I can see a color and it just screams "YOU NEED ME!" Many times when this happens, I have no true plan, but I know I need it. ShibuiKnits Orchid did that for me. I love the way that the pinks quietly change colors, and the bright shot of chartreuse that comes at the end. It excites my senses and plants the "what could I do with this" seed. I love variegated yarns - the way the colors flow together, the variations of the colors, and the unknown factor. I get excited watching the colors knit up! I have often wondered how hand painted yarn is thought through - any one can paint yarn, but true artists paint yarn that looks beautiful when it's used. Last week I got some super colorful yarns!


Lorna's Laces in Black Watch and the beautiful yarn Bellamoden dyed up for the Loopy Groupies that are reading The Historian. Not sure what the Lorna's Laces is going to be yet - definitely a pair of socks, just unsure which ones. The Historian yarn is going to become a pair of Mitred Mittens for moi. Yay!


People often ask for me to make them something. Gladly is always my reply. What kind of yarn should I get? None - I'll find one that fits. I love looking at things and matching them up with people. Even Mini-Me will see some thing and tell me who needs it! I think that yarn itself has personality. You get a different vibe when you look at a tweed as opposed to a fingering weight merino. One makes you think of warm winter sweaters - the other a baby sweater or a beautiful shawl. A friend of mine's husband wants a scarf. He's a character - always making me laugh, and loves playing with Mini-Me. I think I'm going to look for a chocolaty hand spun make a real earthy, cozy, manly looking one for him. All I need to do now is find a pattern. I'm thinking that some sort of rib would be cool, however, I think that the linen stitch would be down right scrumptious in some squishy yarn (but if I do that, I'll have to stray from hand spun - crap)


Last but not least, I get inspired by others! Some times it's the challenge of learning something new. Wendy inspired me to knit socks. Opal inspired me with her cable hats to knit a hat for Mini-Me and to use a pattern with cables. Mini-Me is inspiring me to become Jackie O.

At any rate, my point is, take a minute this weekend and figure out where your mojo comes from! The more we pay attention to what makes all the wheels in our brain start to spin, the more focused we can be on our goal - making things that we love and get excited about!

So tell me, fair knitters, what inspires you?? Inquiring minds want to know!

Holiday Rambles and Yarn Stuffs.

I grew up very close to where our Nation's Independence was started - Boston, Massachusetts. When I was in school, most of our field trips were some how related to our Nation's history - either early settlers or the various historical monuments in and around that area. At that time, I had no desire to visit those locations. BORING. It was the only word that could sum it up. Now, as an adult, I gobble up history like it's the last thing I will ever learn.

What I find extraordinarily interesting is how everyone views their patriotism. I will go ahead and state for the record, that when it comes to patriotism, I am such a right winger. My social views are quite left, but when it comes to most of my political views I'm a righty. I think it's difficult in this day and age to separate patriotism from political views. People tend to place importance on patriotism based upon their values and what impacts their lives on a daily basis. I don't think that's wrong, but I do think that when we allow our political views to take over our patriotic views, we do ourselves and the nation a huge injustice.

Here are some things that I want you to think about over the long weekend:

• Read up on your history! I think that as an adult we need to go back and review what we learned in school and see it from a more mature standpoint. I think that as we grow in our knowledge and world view, we can come to appreciate our history in a much broader sense.


• Be humble! If you can take our own beginnings as a nation and apply what you know to the world 200+ years later, you will start to have a greater appreciation for the democratic political process and the hard times that go along with becoming a new nation. There democratic process is just beginning for some nations. Instead of complaining that it isn't to our liking in belief systems and laws, humble yourself and remember that to each his own and support the struggle for freedom of any type!
  
• Support the Struggle! We struggled against social injustices, tyranny and a corrupt political system to become what we are today! Folks, support the struggle. There are fledgling democracies in the world today that need our help to make them great. No one likes war. It's ugly and painful, but it is what it is. There are thousands of great Americans putting their life on the line for it as you read this support them any way that you can! They are doing their best to provide others with something we hold dear to our hearts.


• Recognize! No matter how you cut it, we are a great nation. We live in a country where we can (for the most part) exercise one of the most basic of god-given gifts - FREE WILL! Bask in the ability to use it!! Millions of people will never know what it's like to be able to live freely and honestly.

Ok - Now that I have come down off of my blah-blah soap box, I have some things to share. Last Saturday, Mini-Me and I packed up in the car and headed out to A Row of Purls. Yay! I spend 2.5 hours there. I let Mini-Me pick out yarn for her birthday, and I picked up some yarn for a special gift. Here they are!

So are you noticing the trend of pink, purple and green? Of course! Because ya'll are smarties! Mini-Me picked out some Cascade Sierra Quattro and I picked out some Noro Silk Garden. We enjoyed ourselves in a big way. We will be going back for sure! She even said my 1st sock ever looked great! For those of you who read regularly, you will know that I have had sock knitting dreams for about 3 months, and I completed one!!! Who cares if it's too short, or the heel is too narrow, of if the toes are lumpy. It's a freakin' sock people!!!!!

Please hold your applause - throw money for yarn instead!

Hello Plurkette Hencircle!

Hello, my name is Megan, and I'm a knitaholic.

I am also a single mom, who knits and avoids household chores like the plague. My daughter, aka Mini-Me and I take the world by storm daily, and enjoy ourselves while we do it.


I got interested in the Henhouse because although I live in a third floor condo, life wasn't always that way. I grew up in a very small town in New Hampshire and miss that type of life. It was much slower, quieter and above all not so freaking hot. My mom was always very crafty - and thrifty. She made a lot of our clothes when we were young, always kept a garden, and made sure we had plenty of hand knit mittens to go around when the snow got deep!

Because it's just myself and the kiddo, I find myself moving at a consistent break neck pace, and when I stop, I have very little energy for much else. By joining this group, I hope to re-focus myself on what's important and get back to basics. I also figure that Mini-Me will enjoy the projects as well, so we will just become our own little Plurkette-mother-daughter-Hencircrle -tag-team duo! While we may not be able to have a garden or chickens, there are lots of things that we can do from our third floor balcony! One day, I hope to be financially well off enough to get us back to the country, where we can have a garden.. maybe even a sheep or two. Until then, we'll just sit back and wave at the clouds!

There is a lot to be said for being independent. I have been out of my mom's house since I was 18, joined the military, and became a military spouse. 14 years of being on my own and living away from the nest has forced me to become self sufficient, strong, and resourceful. To me, that's part of the farm girl way of life!

Oh! And I need to learn how to sew too. (I broke the sewing machines when I was young - maybe at the fine age of 32 I can get with it)

Monday Stupidity

Fingering Weight Bison/Bamboo Blend: $84
Cost to make a shawl with it: $600+ (depending on shawl)
Realizing that some times yarn can be stupid: PRICELESS


We can all thank DreamWeaver Yarns for this bit of stupidity - it's their fault, they sent the email telling me to look. (By the way it's only 25% Bison - thanks LBinVA for pointing out even more stupidity!)

Now really, I'm a sucker for good things, such as expensive yarn. I'll admit it, the more soft, squishy, yummy goodness the yarn contains, the better, as far as I am concerned, but this blows my mind. I will admit that the yarn is definitely beautiful. I will also admit that I remotely wish I had the kind of budget that would allow me to purchase such yarn. But for now, it's just the Stupidity for the week. Never did I think I would consider yarn stupidity. What a sad day.

And it's only Monday. Oy.

Happy Birthday Mum!

My mum turns some-age-she-doesn't-want-known on Saturday 29 June! My mother and I have not always had the best relationship. Partly because I was a nutty teenager, but partly because we are so very similar. Once I left the nest and grew up, I came to realize that no matter where I am or what is going on, my mother is always going to be there for me.

I think my mom would be the first person to tell you that I don't always make the best choices, I don't always take the easy route, and I am independent to a fault. No matter where my choices or path take me, she is always there for me with more love and support than I could ever ask for. We have grown so very close over the last 10 years, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have her by my side.

For those of you who don't know, I live in North Carolina and mum lives in New Hampshire. I've been out of the state since 1994, and still to this day we will cry together over how bad it hurts sometimes to be apart. Although I am reasonably happy here in NC, I do struggle with being a single mom, and being alone and there are days when I wish that I could just pack up and go home. To my mom, who will still rub my back while I go to sleep if I ask her to. To see the delight she takes in having Mini-Me around, and how much of a bond there is between the two of them fills me completely. She has this way that she always smooths down Mini-Me's hair on the top of her head when Mini-Me cries or is upset. It makes me feel better just watching it. When we travel to her house, I wake up to an empty bed in the morning, and find Mini-Me curled up with my mother having either a quiet conversation about the topic of the day, or just snuggling and watching TV. I could not ask for a sight more beautiful.

(ok - no more of that because now I'm crying)

Top 10 Reasons Why Nancy Lillian Cassidy Is So Freakin' Awesome

1. The is one of the most crafty people I know!! (jewelry making, weaving baskets, knitting, painting, the list goes on)

2. She bakes the best English Muffin Bread!

3. Her hair is nice!

4. She took me to my first concert - Crosby Stills and Nash (who we sing along with to this day)

5. She lets us call her the Ayatollah when she acts bratty.

6. She always sends Mini-Me and I little care packages with fun stuff inside.

7. She gives me the best encouragement when I try new things (like knitting socks)

8. We can laugh hysterically about the most trivial things!

9. She puts up with my wacky ways.

10. She loves me no matter what!!!

She asked me for a summer weight scarf, and this is what I made her:

(I tried to be a bit artsy when I took this - heh) I got the pattern from here. I used Elann Callista - about 1 1/3 skeins. I like it.

Ok, so now that I've taken you on the emotional roller coaster for the day, please make sure you tell your mum that you love her!

Corona and Crackers

First, and this will come as no surprise to most - it's been flippin' hot. I am alright with the current hotness, because the humidity is only 65% which is low for my neck of the woods. Mini-Me told me yesterday "Mommy, I watched the weather channel, and they said the "human" was low - is that good?" Yes, sweetheart, although you should really call it the humidity.

• Funny story - Mini-Me goes to Sunday School. I ask how it was. She tells me great! We had Corona and crackers. Huh? (I'm really thinking, please don't tell me you have said that at Sunday School!) I call the Sunday School teacher, who luckily knows me, and asks what the heck her child is talking about. After a rather long belly laugh, she tells me they had "Communion" and that they used crackers for it, and grape juice for the wine!! (They were getting them used to what the things were and what to do) At least we know she has some sort of functioning word association!!

(I had to use this picture - it has a rather holy looking glow, don't ya think?



Second, I have got a toe and a half of a foot done on my #1 sock! (That's what it's been named). I'm tickled pink. I'm using Wendy's Generic Toe-Up pattern, and it's not that hard! I did have to change needles because it was really loose when I tried it on after starting out with US 2. I've now switched to US 1 and am loving every stitch! Yay! Also, I have researched easier to methods, as the toe on #1 sock looks like a toe, but a rather ugly one due to my inability to do short rows. I'm scared for the heel, folks - really I am.

Third, I'm going to have to give up some things in order to maintain sock yarn... Scratch Tickets and unnecessary new clothes for myself must go. Boo.

Fourth, I've met a lot of new people on Plurk, and I am enjoying the conversations and the knitty-speak! It is rather fun, rather time consuming, and rather inspirational! I really enjoy the camaraderie that goes along with being with a group of knitty-folk. Because I am the only one in my circle of friends that knits, and there's not a big knitting community locally, it's something I've never had before and all I can say is: "Me likey."

Fifth, and final. I don't often talk about my depression and anxiety troubles. Partly because it's my business, and partly because it's not exactly like you get awards for having either problem! (Please laugh at that - I am!) I know that knitting helps with my problems - it's a good way for me to focus on something else other than what's wrong. I think that's why I like garter stitch - mindless, mindless and more mindless. I also know that when I surround myself with good things, most importantly people, I feel better. I know that people who are consistently angry bring me down, and while I won't swear them off, I know better than to talk to them daily. People who can be sympathetic to my situation are a huge help as well. Many of my friends understand that when I'm upset I need to feel supported - and not alone. So after rambling for a few sentences, I want ya'll to know that I can overcome anything!! My good friend Frank always reminds me that after 10 years of being a military spouse, 5 of that being a Special Forces wife, I am a strong woman capable of tackling anything life sends my way. I need to stop "knowing" this and start "living" this.

Ok, so maybe there is a sixth.. I've got some fun new (well, new to me) knitting books for weekend pool side reading! Wendy J, EZ and Cat Bordhi. Yay for me!

I know that this blog post was a bit deeper than most (in some ways, anyway) but some times it's good to just let it out!

Happy Thursday!

I have been on Plurk waaaay to much this week. I see dancing bananas in my sleep.

BUT - I do love my little group of friendly Plurkers. They can be a source of inspiration, knowledge and laughs. I could go on about this, but I'll stop... You should just go and see it for yourself!

At any rate, Ms. Madelini has been gone all week to her dad's. (Hence the maniacal Plurking) I do miss her when she is gone, so in honor of her, I'm going to put up my favorite picture!

Well, one of my favorites, anyway! Whew, my hair was super short, and super blond as well. Although she is a pistol, she can be such a patient child. When I'm having a bad day - that's all I have to tell her and she proceeds on with little to no complaint!

I've suffered through depression off and on, and it breaks my heart for her every time. I'm not the fun mommy - I'm the mommy who sits at home when I get like that, and I'm not exactly happy, either. She always manages to break through the grey for me and helps me see all of the wonderful things that surround me.

I think it's a gift that children are given. They have this magical way of showing you things you've never seen before - a pig made of clouds, a monster in a rock, or just the simple happiness there is to be had in the world.

I love my M.R.E.S.

PS - I'm posting a picture of purple lupins - my mother and Madelini are obsessed with them!