Setting aside time

Yoga Scott is out of town.  He has given us suggested poses we could be doing while he is a way, but it is not the same. Truth be told I've thought about doing yoga, but haven't actually gotten 'round to it. It's unlikely that I'll get up extra early and do it before work, and I have a hard time finding time in the evening.

I really benefit from a class, more than just for learning new things. It is a time set aside for yoga, and only yoga. Well, there may be a bit of socializing, but for the most part it's just yoga. I'm out of my house away from the distractions of the computer, the dog, the DH, the TV and the yarn. I'm more likely to go to a yoga class, than decide to do yoga for myself at a certain time and actually do it. Maybe today will be different.

I skipped going to the gym today. I had weight training yesterday and I'm really sore.  Instead I went to HEB to pick up some milk and stopped by the pet store to pick up a bone for the dog.  We need to trim her nails, and the bone will be a good treat when we are done.  Once the dog's nails are shorter, and a few quick errands are run, and dinner has been eaten and digested. I'll set aside time for yoga.

For now, I'm going to work on my knitting.  I've just started the echo flower shawl. I'm using the yarn I was thinking about using for the endpaper mitts.  I'll find other yarn for them. Right now lace is calling me louder than colorwork. And knitting is calling much louder than yoga.

Fiber Festival Prep

I’m preparing for my first fiber fest; actually it’s a fiber fiesta. The first annual Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta will be held Friday and Saturday in Seguin, Texas. If I lived in San Antonio there would be no problem going to both days; San Antonio closes for Fiesta on Friday. Austin does not celebrate Fiesta, so I can only go on Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about the fiesta until after the April 1st deadline to sign up for classes. I’m hoping that there will be some open spots and I can register the day of.

It’s the first year they are doing it, so I’m not expecting much. But, as I missed out on Kid 'n Ewe in November, I’m determined to go. There is a needle felting class that I’d like to take. I’d also like to take the Spinning III class, but it is just a little too advanced for me.

The first goal when you are learning to spin is a continuous yarn. The second goal is a consistent yarn. As long as I’m using fiber that isn’t felted, I’ve got both of those down for the most part. Now I need to learn how to make woolen vs. worsted. I also need to learn and practice the different draws. Oh, and getting a spinning wheel so that I can practice more than once a week might help.

I’m undecided on which wheel I want. I really like spinning on the Louet Julia. It is smooth and doesn’t fight me on which direction I want it to go. I love the look of the Ladybug, but it’s a little more finicky. Also, they have a tendency to make a click or thump when you get them going. I’d like to try the Sidekick, before I make my decision. Having a spinning wheel that folds up nicely, but is not just a travel wheel sounds perfect. Maybe someone will have one at the fiber fiesta and will let me try it.

I need to make some more rolags and take them to HCW to spin on the Ladybug. Last time I spun on the Ladybug I was having issues because I had not carded the felted fiber. It was also on a day when I had just an hour to spin and had not found my rhythm before I had to leave. If it works out better next time I’ll really consider the Ladybug, if not I may have to get the Julia. But I’m not planning on making any decisions until after this weekend, at the earliest.

The Difference

If you google "types of yoga" you can find this. It says that Anusara yoga combines alignment of the body with finding the divine in yourself and others. Ashtanga yoga, on the other hand, is physically demanding form of yoga that uses flow from one pose to another to create purifying sweat and leaves you stronger and more calm.  Ashtanga is not for beginners.

I thought this past Saturday's class was going to be Anusara, and it was actually Ashtanga.  HUGE difference.  I didn't push myself to go further than I was comfortable with, but I was still very tired and sore after.  It was rather humbling to find out there was so much out there that one can do with one's body, that I can't do.  It was also inspiring, I don't necessarily want to do all of these poses in a quick flow, but I'd like to slowly work towards being able to do more of them.

After yoga, I went to HCW and spun this:

 

This is spun from some of the fiber that was sightly felted.  I carded it together and made rolags and it spun like a dream.  I had a single in a ball with me, so I plied the two together and got this:

I am glad that I decided to ply them. The yarn is more even and less likely to break. It just cuts the amount of yarn you have made in half. And while it makes sense, it is startling how much less yarn you have now than you did just half an hour ago. I need to spin about 20 more of these in order to make enough for a shawl.  But, I've got one down. 

Remembering How to Write, or how I learned to relax and love the linen stitch

I’m currently working on a little yellow mug mat as a way to use up the rest of the yarn that I used for the blue bird*, and the Serpentine mitts. The linen stitch pattern is a pain, so is using US size 1s (2.25mm). But the fabric I’m making is great, stiff, with a little bit of give, dense but light weight.

I wonder if these properties are scalable. If I used a thicker yarn with bigger needles would the fabric be similar? If so, I might consider using this stitch pattern for a yoga mat. Even if it isn’t scalable, I could see using the same fabric for little boxes or baskets of some sort.

The linen stitch is actually kind of meditative, like seed stitch only more so. It is neither stockingette stitch boring – where I must distract myself with TV or conversation – nor does it require as much attention as lace.** Paying a bit of attention to the pattern is required, because the rhythm changes only slightly from one side to another, but my mind can wonder without fear of messing up.

I am reminded of the point of concentration exercises from middle school theater class: drawing a square with one hand and a triangle with the other at the same time. It’s not hard, but you do have to focus to do it. By engaging one part of my brain with the knitting, the rest of my thoughts have to slow down and I have to pay attention to each one. Knitting this stitch while writing has, I believe, permitted me to craft this post more thoughtfully than I generally would. I have not intentionally sought this mental state in quite a while – not since writing papers for college. It might be the knitting, or it might be I've remembered the state I need to write my best.






*I’m still working on the pattern, but I need a bit more time to have passed before I’m excited about test crocheting another.
**Hush, I’m counting.

Fingerless Gloves vs. Socks

Some people love to knit socks; I am not a fan. Oh, I’ve made a few, and there are plenty of reasons to love making them. They are fairly quick, very portable, and you can play with all sorts of different designs and patterns. But. I don’t live in a climate where you need to wear socks often. I wear Birkenstocks as often as I can. And I have a hard time spending so much time on a project no one, except another knitter, is ever going to understand how cool it is.

That’s probably why I’ve fallen so hard for fingerless gloves. I’ve finished two pair recently, and I’ve got another two in mind. Not counting the ones I promised a friend. I might go back and try socks again now that I’ve mastered (sort of) knitting two on one magic loop. I’ve got two thirds of one sock done. I’ll probably rip it out. It has sat unloved for so long that frogging and starting over won’t hurt.

Sun and Earth

I enjoyed my yoga class this morning. I feel like I'm getting better at some of the strength poses, although my balance seems to vary day to day. Watching the sun fill the room as I'm going through my practice is both calming and energizing.  I am actually saluting the sun as it rises.

And now for more gardening. We are trying to get everything set, all the major gardening done.  That way we'll just have to do maintenance during summer. The weather is perfect now, in a month it will be too hot to enjoy gardening.

Beatific weekend

I couldn't go to Scott's yoga class on Saturday at 1pm, so I got up early and went to the yoga class at Lelu Lemon. I'm really glad I went. It was a great class of Anusara yoga. I didn't know what Anusara was before the class, and I'm not sure I know exactly what it is now. But I want to learn more about it, because I think it might end up being one of my favorite types of yoga.

In class we focused on getting all the poses right rather than just flowing quickly from one to the next. We stopped in the middle of class for the instructor to demonstrate a more radiant Cobra. This is where you push the top of your arms back so that your shoulder blades are on your back and your heart is more open.

My favorite thing the instructor said was, "You don't create radiance, you already have it. You are discovering it."  I think she called the class Beatific Flow, and by the time we were done I was in a blissful state.  It helped keep me in a good mood when I didn't get to spin for nearly as long as I would have liked, especially since the fiber was fighting back.

One of the many reasons why I like both yoga and knitting is that there's always something new to learn. There's a 100 hour Anusura Yoga immersion that I am considering taking.  It's not inexpensive, but it might be something good for me. Or it might be a waste of time, and money. I'm torn. Do I want to learn enough yoga to teach? I don't know the answer to that, yet. I'll check and see if they are going to do the immersion next year, and if so I might be ready for the 100 hours then.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging with friends, working on yard, and general upkeep.  I did squeeze in a little bit of spinning, and I finished my Serpentine Mitts:

The color is much closer to the first picture than the second.

RuinosaAncilla gave me some fabulous wool fiber:

 

She is unfortunately sensitive to it, but her loss is my gain. I'll have to find some angora to send her.

I've already started to spin it on the drop spindle:

  

I hope it turns out well. I'm afraid it might be scratchy. I don't know how to make it smooth so I'll probably use it for hat yarn.