Running . . . In Circles . . .

I don’t seem to be able to get anything accomplished these days. At least not knitting- or art-wise. I have spent some time on the SO’s Packers scarf, but haven’t even swatched for the Kimono sweater. I’ve also been thinking of finding a pattern for a beautiful lace shawl which I could knit up for either my grandmother or mom for Christmas. Will make a run to my LYS and/or bookstore this weekend to see what I can find.


As far as artwork, I keep thinking I should do something very simple like an apple or pear, but yet I find myself drawn to this photo I took at the SE Flower Show earlier this year. I’ve ‘doodled’ some value study sketches of parts and pieces of the image on sticky notes at my desk, and will probably do a complete value study over the weekend. I just need to carve out a few hours to sit quietly and work on this. (Yeah, right!)

I also saw a painting I really liked at a gallery last night. The artist is Shu-Wu Lin. I liked the simplicity of the piece, and the subtlety of the figure. I get a sense of gracefulness from the position of the hand, and really like how you get the idea of a nude without being graphic. I’d like to try something along these lines, but will probably wait. I have signed up for a figure drawing class which starts in a few weeks. This should be interesting because I’m so sl-o-o-o-o-w when it comes to drawing. I have to re-do and re-do sections until I get it right (or at least recognizable). The SO is also taking the class. He’s so talented, he doesn’t need a ‘class’, but wants the ‘model time’ the class will give. I’ve asked him to sit across the room from me so I won’t be so intimidated by how great his drawings look next mine!

The gallery opening last night was for an artist by the name of Steven Kenny at Trinity Gallery. Very cool stuff. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to hear him explain the thought behind some of the pieces. Seems there is a lot of symbolism with the birds and human-tree-oids. Perhaps alluding to the connection we all have with nature? Maybe the birds represent the human spirit? I’ll have to do some research on him to learn more. If you get a chance, go check out the exhibit. This one is definitely worth the effort as the paintings are not only beautiful, but interesting.

Well, this has become a long-winded post! Speaking of winded, I ran for 2 miles this morning! Without walking! No paramedics, either! Okay, so it wasn’t quite 2, but 1.85 according to mapmyrun.com. But 20 consecutive minutes is pretty amazing when I realize that I couldn’t run for 60 consecutive seconds just 7 short weeks ago! This program is actually working. Maybe I’ll be able to run that 5K in October after all. {LOL}

It's Done! It's Done!

Here's a photo of my first major FO for 2006. Woohoooooo!


I did end up redoing the right shoulder as I wasn't happy with how the decreases looked. Just adjusted the pattern a bit, and it looks much better now (even though you can't see that in the photo). Before blocking, the fit was a little too tight. Blocked it overnight, and then the fit was a little too loose, especially across the back. I've now rewashed, and it's blocking once again. Hopefully, it will fit perfectly after this. The cable turned out pretty well. (Detail shown prior to blocking.) I was concerned as the stitches were so tight every time I worked the cable. Now after blocking, it looks good!

I still have a felted purse to finish. And a scarf for my SO in Green Bay Packer colors. (Yes, he's a cheesehead.) And I'm dying to start my next big project - Kimono Sweater from Knitpicks. In Barn Red, of course! But, that will wait, at least for a few more days. Too many UFO lying around just waiting to be blocked/seamed. I love knitting; I dread blocking/seaming. Why have I never selected a sweater that was knit in the round? Will have to keep that in mind for future pattern browsing.

What about the artwork? Still haven't started a new painting. I do have an image selected, and will try to do a value sketch this afternoon. I have other ideas rolling around in my head, so I'm having trouble focusing on any one of them. Now that the halter is out of my system, maybe it will be easier to sit down to paint. (I tend to like jumping from one obsession to another.)

The running program is coming along nicely. I'm still following the program after 5 weeks! I'm really proud of myself for staying motivated, especially since I've never been much of an active person. I'm even contemplating running my first 5K race in October. The thought of that amazes me as I'm barely able to run 3 minutes at a time right now, but my running friends assure me it'll be a piece of cake by then. I dread seeing my name at the bottom of the results list, but I think it would be even more sad not to be on the list at all. Now, if I can just convince my legs of that fact . . .

Unanimous Decision?

What a crazy week. Have done very little knitting and no painting once again. Part of this is because I've been doing my civic duty as a juror. It was an interesting case, and I feel confident in the verdict we jurors as a group agreed to. The surprising thing was how well 12 people could work together to reach this unanimous agreement. I don't believe we were all 100% convinced the damages awarded was what we as individuals wanted, but were willing to come to a consensus we all could comfortably live with. I was truly amazed. And, for the most part, it was all done in a humorous and civil manner. I can truly say I enjoyed meeting everyone on the jury.

Unfortunately, things have not gone so smoothly with my SO. We have not been communicating well. He's very passionate and aggressively vocal about his opinions. Sometimes, he's a "glass half full" person while I'm a "glass half empty". Othertimes, it's just the opposite. I feel our stupid arguments this week have simply been because of this. Like body rhythms, is there some kind of "mood rhythms" we could synchronize? Or perhaps a pill I could take to put me in his "the world is coming to an end" mood to match his? Or a big "Easy Button" like Staples has. Wouldn't that be great? But wouldn't it also be awful to have so much negativity in the world? Maybe it should be a "glass half full" zapper we could use on one another, but then wouldn't the world be bland if we were all just floating along on the same wavelength?

Hopefully, I'll be able to channel some of this emotion into some nice artwork over the weekend. And I should have the halter completed before Saturday night's gathering at a friend's place! I'm not happy with the look of the decreases along the right shoulder, though. Have been contemplating another redo -- at least of that portion. Need to do some research into the better way of handling the decreases. Funny, but I thought I was handling the left shoulder decreases wrong, but they look great! Such is life . . .