If I can dream it, I can do it! (Unless I get buried in yarn.)

Last night was the first knitting class for the summer and it was great to teach again! The class went really well and I think some of the students might come back for more classes. However, as I was discussing upcoming classes I realized that knitting classes are scheduled through August. Summer is so short and it feels like if I'm not careful it will all be gone before I even know it. Thus:

SUMMER GOALS!

Spend time with my family and friends

I intend to : drink margaritas and talk about classical music and home deocrating with mom, drink beers and talk about tools and retirement with dad,  kiss my niece until she giggles, have slumber parties with my friends, have sister movie dates, go to Monday night dinners at my parents' house, visit my grandparents weekly, have wine on the porch nights with friends, and gossip at Craft Night every Tuesday. Speaking of craft night...

Start a public Craft Night

I want to organize a knitting night once a month for people outside of the private craft night circle. I know at least a few people who are already on board!

Get my crafting supplies and goals organized

This absolutely has to happen and soon. I spend way too much money on supplies that I probably already own but can't find and too much time looking for the supplies I do know I have. Plus it's terrifying to not know exactly how much yarn I own. There are three huge tubs and then various bags and loose skeins scattered throughout the house. Ok, it's potentially more terrifying to know exactly how much yarn I own. But I'll be brave!  This how-to is really inspiring.

Cook/Bake lots and lots

Use the farmers market as inspiration, update the poor lonely veggie blog, try new vegetables/fruits, expand my recipe collection and organize it. I need to do something more like a notebook where I can take notes about the recipe each time I make it. Like a food journal.  Hmm....

Sew or get off the bobbin. 

Seriously, I own two sewing machines and innumerable accessories. I have taken a quilting class. I have a book of the 101 ways to use your first sewing machine. And yet I cannot sew or at least do not sew. So this summer, I'm going to sit down with that book and make a choice: do I sew (and therefore will keep all of this stuff in my life) or do I not sew (and therefore get rid of all of this stuff to make room for more yarn).

Read many, many books.

I'm reading FOUR right now.

Brush off my language skills.

I'm going to get my Arabic books back out and refresh what I've already learned and maybe even go a little further with the second book. And a friend of mine is going to help me get my French back up to snuff. (Which is a really weird phrase if you think about it.)




That should keep me pretty busy. I also have a craft sale this July and another in September and another in October. Knitting is not really a goal as much as an assumed daily activity.

If everyone keeps all ten fingers, we call it success.

That was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning. You're welcome.

Last night I taught the last of a 3 week series of knitting classes at JoAnn Fabrics. All day yesterday I was dreading it: I've been tired and fighting a sinus infection all week and it meant going from my 8-5 job right to JoAnn's and not getting home until close to 9. But the minute the students showed up, I was completely re-energized. I find it really rewarding to describe a technique to a student who three weeks ago had never knit before and watch that student successfully cable and make increases and decreases. I love it and I can't wait for classes to start again in January. There were a few nail biting moments last night, though, because a high school girl showed up and for a second I was worried she was a better knitter than me and that  I wouldn't be able to answer her questions, let alone teach her. To make things even more interesting, her mother had been in a quilting class I took a couple of years ago where on the first day of class I almost cut my finger tip off with the rotary cutter. So, you know, not a vote of confidence that she should leave her child with me. Her expert knitter child. Anyway, the kid didn't need much help, but I think she was grateful to be in a group of people who didn't make fun of her for being a big knitting nerd. We had a lot of fun, everyone learned how to cable and no one (not even me) came close to losing a finger. If you want to take a class with me next semester, please be assured that I will at least pretend to be one step ahead of you in knitting prowess (except for you Erica, I know you are my knitting lord and master), and you should be able to leave class in one piece.