Ramblings of a Thirty-Something

Right now, we are on day 32 {in Illinois} of our shelter-in-place/quarantine. I can both totally believe it has been that long and also cannot believe it is April 22. Time, quite literally, has no meaning. One of the most fun things I have seen coming out of this extra time at home is all of the crafting! People have been taking this as a chance to be creative, whether they are using only supplies they have at home or buying them and picking them up curb-side {both Michaels and JoAnn's are offering this service!}. And people have been making videos or posting their crafting pictures with a clever hashtag. I really do need to go through all of my crafting supplies and find some fun things to do, some projects that I just never got around to, but we'll let that be May's project, because CONFESSION OF A CRAFTAHOLIC:  I don't like doing crafts unless I have the right supplies. When it comes to more in-depth crafting projects, sometimes you just need specific things. H...

When I sat down at my computer just a few minutes ago {okay, it's been longer than a few minutes}, I had no idea what I was going to write about. Like, my mind went totally blank. Should I write a blog post about period dramas and romances? A post about wine? Drink wine while writing a post about period dramas and romances? Clearly, my mind is going in a very strange direction. Then I glanced around my room and noticed my knitting basket. For those of you who just laughed, yes, I have a knitting basket. In fact, I have two, plus a bag. One holds all of my yarn {or as much as will fit, hence the need for a bag}. The other holds my current knitting project so I can easily carry it wherever I want to go knit. I can keep my notebook {yes, I have a knitting notebook...stop laughing}, my needles, my scissors, my embroidery needle, the skein wrappers, and the current work in progress. Knitting Basket #1 {and bag} Right now, that smaller basket holds a wrap sweater I am knitting for...

When I started knitting a few years ago, I did it for a very distinct reason: Knitting gave me a connection with the past.  People have knitted for hundreds of years. Throughout history, soldiers have gone to battle wearing knitted items made by their mothers, wives, and daughters. Women who settled the prairie knitted gloves and scarves and hats for their loved ones. It is really an amazing thing; an art form, really.  You're taking something that is nothing--a ball of yarn--and by knotting it together just so  you end up with something that is functional and also pretty. The other thing about me is that I get really into the things about which I am passionate. When The Lord of the Rings movies came out, my sister and I between us bought all of the music books and the CDs because honestly, those are some of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Howard Shore is a genius. When I learned to play the violin, one of the first songs I tried learning was Conc...

I have a confession to make. I'm about to bore you to tears. Okay, maybe not literally, but I'm writing about something I find terribly exciting, and there are those of you, dear readers, who may not agree. So I'm giving you an out. Right now, just stop reading. Is anyone still there? Good. Because we're about to get "knotty." I love to knit. There, I said it. If I could do nothing but knit, read, write, and drink tea, I'd be a very contented person. Not exciting, just contented. I've been knitting for a few years now. I wish I could say I learned from my grandmother or something that sounds much better than "I learned from Youtube." Actually, that doesn't sound too bad--Youtube is pretty indispensable when it comes to knitting. You can watch videos of all the stitches, which makes it easier to catch on sometimes. Up until recently, though, my knitting has not been varied. I knit scarves (the essential beginner project). I've ...