Twists of Fate

Today with the Autumnal Equinox, day and night are equal, and we head into the part of the year where the night is longer than the daytime. This always fills me with a mix of emotions. Some fear, because I know I struggle against hopelessness and depression with the absence of the light, but also some relief. With the cooler weather, some things slow down and we enter into more of a period of rest, and I can turn my attention to all the things I’ve neglected during the summer months. Like all the knitting WIPs.

I really try hard not to panic, and to just surrender to the turn of the seasons. This year, I will be alone for Mabon again, but I need the time alone now more than ever, I think. I’m stretched way, way too thin, and need to reconnect to my center, to do some grounding and I have an exceptionally difficult time doing so with anyone else around.

I may not have a feast, but what I will have tomorrow will fill in quite nicely. I’ll get to have one of what may be the last melons of the harvest. I need to take out the trash (omg some potatoes went bad and they REEK), and will head to the store for some heavy cream for the scone mix I got at VY&T earlier today. I think I’ll spend a good portion of the day breaking in the new tea set with some Earl Grey and some of the chai I bought, and might pick up a nice piece of cheese to go with one of the bottles of wine I have available. A simple menu of snacks throughout the day, but oh, how wonderful they will taste! I may also try to find some small tart shells and use the Italian plums I got at the farmers market to make…something.

Above all, I want to take some time in the daylight hours to reflect on what has happened since Ostara, to try to find my center, and to release all fear of what may come next. Things are somewhat uncertain for me right now, and I’m trying to remain positive. I can only hope my laid back plans for the day fill me with some badly needed peace and serenity and calm.

Happy Mabon and a bountiful harvest to all!

So I “multitasked” for work this morning. There were no concalls scheduled (SHOCK!) and most of the boss-types were out doing a “day of caring” (um, how ’bout a little for your slave labor vendors, eh?), and all’s quiet on the Western front. So I took my Bluetooth & phone, and my ginormous bag of quarters, and headed to the laundrymat to do some sorely overdue laundry.

I can’t believe I’m actually writing this down, but I haven’t done laundry in nearly two months. Three things enable me to do this, really.
1. I bought a ridiculous amount of underwear at a clearance sale a while back.
2. I work at home.
3. I bought a ridiculous number of yoga pants from a clearance sale not too long ago.

But when you run out of undies, it’s time to head to the ‘mat.

Who knew it was so busy on a Friday morning at work? I did my wash (yay for triple loaders!), stuffed things into the dryer, fed an ungodly amount of quarters in and headed to the farmers market. Oh, I also finished most of the other Fetching mitt, and hope to finish off the set tomorrow sometime. /obligatory knitting content

Have any of you had ground cherries? They’re awesome! I gather they’re a cross between a strawberry and a tomatillo or something, but whatever their heritage? So good! They taste a little like kiwi strawberry to me. Or maybe the pink diamonds in a bowl of lucky charms. I got a pound, but maybe I should’ve gotten more. The’re just really a unique and nummy fruit-thing.

After a quick run through the farmers market (mmm pecan white chocolate scone for breakfast yum), I hit the regular store for a few other things, including peanuts for the pair of thieves robber barons Stellars Jays that are visiting my yard. They looooove the peanuts. I hope I’m not giving them something that will make them sick - they’re just unsalted roasted peanuts in the shell. They’re just so full of character…I like it when they visit my yard.

After getting everything but the pack of smokes I went in for, I went back to the ‘mat. Where most of my things were dry. I did my usual haphazard folding, which is mostly just to ensure that everything fits in the giant Ikea Laundry Bag of Potential Shoulder Dislocation, when one of the older ladies standing at the folding table began taking me to task. “Oh, dear. What will your young man say when you bring him home all these clothes that are so wrinkled?”

…uh, what?

“Honestly. You should take more pride in your wifely duties.”

…bzuh?

“It’s a shame that young women these days are so lacking in essential skills.”

And here is where I began to get pissed. While I don’t have a degree, because I put myself through school and petered out after my third year of forty hours a week at a job and 18 credit hours too, I’ve done pretty damn well for myself. I pay for my own housing, car, food, etc. I am teaching myself to cook, albeit super slowly. I taught myself to knit, spin, make candles, tried a batch of cold process soap once (let’s not talk about that again though m’kay?) and keep house (poorly). I make more money on my own than my parents ever have together or alone, and I’m including my mom’s second husband in this equation, and I’m an independant person who tries to contribute to society in what small ways I can.

Whether or not I can fold clothes well or iron shouldn’t fucking matter at this point.

I haven’t had coffee yet, so perhaps I can be forgiven for snarking back. “Actually, my girlfriend doesn’t care what the clothes look like.”

Shock! Horror! Picking up and moving of things away from someone who might transmit Teh Ghey!

Now, disclaimer - I don’t actually have a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend, a spouse, a lover, a partner, or an interested party. I should be so blessed to share my bed and/or my life with someone, but I’m a cranky wench before (well, and after, if I’m honest) coffee, and honestly. What bidness is it of yours, bitch?

*breathes deeply and exhales* I finished my stuffing of the bag, and sailed out of there with my head held high, and eyebrow set on maximum distain. I’m sure it was quite the discussion point for all the older folks in the ‘mat, but one lady caught my eye and winked at me when I left, which made me smile.

And then I came home and hung everything up and let the wrinkles take care of themselves.

It’s like the evening was pretty and sparkly and covered in gold!

First I got to meet PinkPurlGrrl for a really kick ass meal at Black Pearl. I’m far more amused at meeting at the Black Pearl considering it’s one of the “Talk Like a Pirate Days”, but managed to avoid the eyeliner, boots or really bad hair associated with most pirates. I would hope that I have better teeth too. Regardless, the food there is SO good. If you even remotely like eggplant, try the Lovers Eggplant - I’m not a huge eggplant fan, but that shit is to die for. ZOMG good! She didn’t even make me walk the plank to share a portion of her eggplant. My sesame chicken paled in comparison y’all.

It was really lovely to see PPG (which also stands for Powerpuff Girls, and believe me, she could so take Buttercup! Rrar!) again, and I’m afraid I went overboard with the sharing and offering to pay for stuff and, well, stuff. I’m not good with big social events, and there were at least 75 people at the meeting tonight, so I was a little anxious. I think I overcompensated a little…I spent much of the evening feeling like I was four again, twisting my fingers in the hem of my corduroy jumper asking, “Will you play with me?” So much fun. *snort* Thankfully, PPG is full of awesome, and I totally enjoyed hanging with her.

I had a wonderful time at the Seattle Knitter’s Guild this evening too! And Ryan of Mossy Cottage Knits came too with the famous Olympic Squirrel sweater made the evening that much sweeter. Two meetings in a single week! How awesome is that?

The focal point of the evening, and what finally got me off my ass to join the Guild, was Terri Shea, author of Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition. Terri was the featured speaker tonight, and she was lovely! Totally awesome, great presentation, and oh. The samples. She brought a bunch of the mittens photographed for the book, and they are gorgeous. I find it super interesting that she doesn’t speak a word of Norwegian, but has captured this craft, this history, this cultural thing from a region halfway around the world (or not so far if you go up over the Pole?), but created this wonderful guide to a tradition that’s lasted for over 150 years.

I love that knitting transcends language barriers, and that a craft that was so intrinsically associated with this region in Norway can now be read about by knitters all around the world. It’s a little bit like “Poems of Color”, which was about the Bohus knitting tradition in Sweden. A home craft where women, and a few men (who mostly knit for tobacco money! :D) could earn money by making garments that were both beautiful and long lasting.

I really don’t know why I’m so attracted to Scandinavian knitting - I’m pretty sure there isn’t a single drop in my genetic heritage, but the fact that you create such amazing, intricate garments from two colors? That’s pretty freakin’ mind blowing. The elegance of the patterns, the fact that many of them represent things found in nature and that they’re wearable art makes my soul sing.

It kills me that I didn’t have the money to sign up for the Nordic Knitting Conference that’s being held in Seattle in a couple of weeks…oh crap. I just saw on the website that there may be some slots available. Um…HM! Note to self: call tomorrow to see if there are any spots open m’kay? If I don’t get to go, they are producing a booklet or something like it with patterns that each of the instructors have contributed to, and I hope to get a copy.

One completely cool feature of the Guild that I had forgotten about until someone mentioned it? The lending library! I never ever thought I’d be able to see any of Alice Starmore’s rarer books, given the prices on the copies that are available in the aftermarket, but I got the Art of Fair Isle Knitting to peruse for the next month. YAY!!! How awesome is that for the $11 for the remainder of the year?!

Following on the latest Harlot tour stop, this was a wonderful knittery evening. Being in a room full of people who get it? Priceless.