Wednesday 19 May 2010

C'est Finis!

I finished.

wow. Never thought it would end but here we are less than 5 months later and I am the proud owner of a new scarf! How did I get here. How did I become a person who can knit?

I've made some great friends since I started knitting and even before. And without them I really couldn't have made it here. I've listed them in no particular order below.

Really - I owe everything to Wendy. Without her teaching me how to get started and how to finish there wouldn't be a scarf. She was patient and kind and encouraging and I really feel blessed for knowing her.

Jodi helped push me along too by telling me that it was possible to finish and then even to move onto other things.

Sue Sturdy was a help without even talking to me. Her starting the project to Knit the Bridge in downtown Cambridge really was an inspiration.

My husband helped out too. He really thought it'd be a neat thing for me to learn something knew and potentially make some new friends in the process.

My future children were an inspiration too. I envisioned them going off to school all wrapped up in scarves made with love by their mother. (of course I also envisioned mitts and hats too because I really didn't think I'd stop at just doing scarves.)

Lindsey, my sister-in-law, also helped out with inspiration. She tried knitting and had some fabulous books for me to look at and admire. Her knitting was more about yarn she fell in love with and wanted to try making something. She has since given it up - but it was nice to know that she tried and that I could try too.

Growing up there was knitting all around me. My mother learned how to knit from her mother. She made two absolutely gorgeous sweaters among other things around the time she was quitting smoking. With three girls of similar sizes living under the same roof - we all took turns with her sweaters.

My main inspiration and truly the person who's kitting I have admired the most is my grandmothers. My Grandma Hyde was always knitting growing up. I got some wonderful mittens and sweaters when I was smaller and hated growing beyond them. When grandma was getting on in years she made the decision that before she was unable to knit anymore, she wanted to knit all of her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren sweaters. It took over a year but finally she was able to give us all a wonderful Christmas gift. My sweater was green and white and I still cherish it to this day.

It is so fitting that I've finished my first scarf in May. May was the month my grandmother was born and it was the month that she passed. Nearly 7 years ago to the day from when my grandmother left us, I've finished my first ever scarf. She tried to teach me back when I was in my early teens but I just had so much going on that I wasn't dedicated to the task.

It is with that in mind that I dedicate this first scarf to an amazing knitter and an amazing person - Grandma - I love you.

Thursday 13 May 2010

Thursday Night Television

A few years ago, or maybe more than a few years ago, television came up with this crazy concept - let's put a bunch of people that don't know each other and make them live together as castaways in a strange environment. No electricity. No family. No friends. And they made them compete for a chance to win a grand monetary prize.

If you haven't guessed it, maybe you've been living in a cave or under a rock.

The show I'm talking about is of course - Survivor.

It started off innocently enough. The people came and made some friends and all had the hardest time voting someone off. But one player was manipulating the game. He saw that this was a game and a chance for cunning in order to win. He played everyone and it caused some drama. I know I'll never forget Sue and her speech. To watch it - go here. It's pretty awesome.

What happened with the final four of the first Survivor changed the way the game was played from then on out.

Sure I wasn't that into all the subsequent seasons, but there is something really special about this season.

It's Survivor Heroes vs. Villains. The heroes were selected for the way the chose to play the game and the "good" choices and integrity they had when playing. The villains were selected for their cunning in the way they played. Maybe they switched allegiances and ultimately screwed someone over, but they earned their stripes and were proud of their choices.

This season was different in that the alliances were all laid out very early. You could see the people voted off one by one and if you weren't part of the "in crowd" you were going home.

It's true that I haven't watched the entire time, but I've seen enough to know that certain people are being held in the game over promises that are truly not worthy. Russel for instance has gotten so strong that this needs to ultimately lead to his downfall. I have to keep wondering how long they will keep him in the game before they realize he's playing each and every one. I think everyone is afraid to make decisions for fear it will bite them in the ass later. Russel gets to make all the tough decisions.

I'm currently in the middle of an episode and I can see that this is very tricky. Who goes home? Who stays? Too soon to tell. All I can say is watch Survivor on Thursday nights.
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