Saltwater & Campfire Knitting

Fact of life. If you go to the beach, you'd better be prepared to get sand in everything. This includes, but of course is not limited to: your eyes & mouth, your wallet, your food, your cooler, your fancy {expensive} camera, the lens you borrowed from a friend, your insulin case, your boots... yep, I got sand in everything and then some on my trip to the Coast over Memorial Day weekend. Everything except for my knitting, interestingly enough. While I was at the beach, my knitting stayed safe in the car. With everything else I had to handle: my dog, my camera, all the items an active diabetic needs to tote around, and my quirky clumsiness - The car was indeed the best place for my knitting.

{My friend Jake, petting my
dog - He's a fun-loving,
relate-able kinda guy. He's
 done just about anything
you can think of, except
been to Montana}

My little brother and I spent the first leg of our trip on the Northern Oregon and Southern Washington Coast. We met up with a friend of mine in Warrenton, had an epic campfire on Crescent Beach (just north of Cannon Beach), then camped out at Fort Stevens. The next morning, we made our way north to Long Beach, where we stopped at a local coffee shop (a safe place to start my knitting!) and then had lunch at the beach. We then continued our jaunt a little further north and finally ended up at Bush Pioneer County Park to camp for the night - There were all kinds of winding trails, one that lead down to another beach where we could gather driftwood for our fire. Once we got our fire going and our dinner cooked, it was time to relax and I got out my knitting again!

I have been trying out many things with this particular skein of yarn - it's my Mountain Colors Twizzle in "Firestorm" - and seems appropriate to knit with it accompanied by a campfire. I finally decided on a simple stockinette stitch cowl to showcase the beautiful varagation of the yarn - from deep red browns to bright firy reds mixed with purples, blues and a little bit of green.

The next morning we woke up to rain, so we packed up and headed inland. While we were heading east on highway 12, we passed the turnoff for Mt. Rainier National Park... it took me about a minute to realize that I had no idea when I'd get the chance to see Mt. Rainier again, so we turned around and headed up north and into the park. We picked out a campsite at Cougar Rock then went on a short hike on the Wonderland trail. When we got back to camp, we set everything up, made our fire and our dinner, then it was some more knitting time for me!

Tuesday, it was time to pack up and head home. The drive through the mountains was incredibly scenic and I'm pretty sure I want to go back there again sometime!! Altogether, I enjoyed time spent with my brother - exploring in the car and on foot. I also fell in love with Ingrid Michaelson songs all over again - roadtrips are always good times to "rediscover" old tunes :)

~~~ Epilogue ~~~
Can a blog post have an epilogue? Well, mine does: Watching my little brother make fires and knitting my little campfire cowl got me thinking about this metaphor I heard a couple years ago - that marriage is kind of like building a fire in the rain. Now, we didn't have much rain while building fires this weekend, but it made me think of marriage and everything involved in building a fire in general:

• like marriage, a fire must have purpose - in order for someone to put in the effort to build it right, they have to have intent and a purpose in mind for that fire. In marriage, that purpose cannot be self-centered.
• It must be contained - the passion of a marriage without clear consistent boundaries will soon go out of control.
• There has to be some fluffy stuff (i.e. newspaper/cardboard/dry kindling), and a *spark* to really get things going.
• There also must be a substantial piece of wood that provides a good foundation of coals - keeps things burning even when some of the flames go out.
• The understanding that when you add new logs to the fire, like challenges of any kind, the older logs will bend and break, exposing new areas to be consumed and burned adding to the luminosity and heat of the fire. The fact is, challenges don't snuff out well-built marriages - they help marriages become stronger.

These all help me to ponder where I myself fall short. For one - I think I lack the fluffy stuff. I just feel the need to be strong all the time, so I have a hard time being fluffy and vulnerable and just me with people. At least at first - takes some serious quality time for me to be fluffy with people. This is currently reserved for family, my roomies, co-workers that sit next to me and BFF's. Also, the *spark* in me is lacking too. I've "learned" so much from my past... I just cannot put myself out there too much anymore. So that's when God's miracles come into the picture - He's that One that draws the *spark* outta me and really sets my fluff ablaze. And I can praise Him every day that when it comes to those miracles, I'm not willing to settle for less.

The Everything Woman

'An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.' {Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV}

a.k.a. The Proverbs 31 woman. Many would read this and be completely offended by the Bible's blatant domesticated label placed on women. Many Christian women come away from this passage completely discouraged because they feel they can never measure up. And others are mildly encouraged by the fact that they have achieved maybe a few of the major points. Personally, I remember a time when I was hurting so much. Devastated by the rejection of my former husband as I watched him move out and "on with his life" without me. I poured over the whole book of Proverbs just soaking in the practical wisdom. I studied this passage and quickly printed it out in a lovely font on the prettiest paper I could find. I humbly accepted that I didn't know much about being the Godly wife that I should be, but was encouraged by the fact that God had provided a helpful list of characteristics to study. It wasn't long after that time that I distinctly remember a phone call with my mentor - She has been a source of incredibly encouragement in my life and always pointed me to my identity in Christ. She quoted verse 10 during the conversation and I quickly replied that it was from Proverbs 31 and how I so so wanted to be a Proverbs 31 woman. She responded in a very matter of fact, persuasive manner: "You already are. In Christ, You are a Proverbs 31 woman." I sat in a few moments of silence, just soaking in what she said, then she asked me, "Do you believe that, Erica?" For the life of me, I cannot recall the response I gave to that question. But in light of my recent post about all the things I want to be able to do and trusting God with my ambitious heart, I think that I am beginning to believe it. 
I decided to take it out of list format. These days, us lady folk have enough lists to deal with. You can see this way that this woman's faith and true desires are interwoven in the fabric of her daily life. She trusts God with her own well-being as well as that of her husband and children. "She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet" (vs 21, smack dab in the middle). I don't know about anyone else, but I see this as possibly an obscure prophetic reference to the blood of Christ. In a world where we endure pressures from all sides about living a good Christian life, being beautiful inside and out, measuring up to worldly and Christian standards alike, isn't it refreshing to see a perfectly Godly example of a woman who loves God, and lets all things in her life fall into place accordingly. No striving, no manipulation, no worries, just love and faithful diligence. God has His little way of working in the details.

The General Craftarian Dilemma

THERE ARE JUST SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO DO!!!!!!

Yep. I just said it - and Pinterest is not helping this little fact.
Trying to reconcile all the little projects I want to do, what I need to do, and ... ehem ... real life might just be driving me a little nuts.
Things I want to do that have just come to mind in the last few minutes:

• Knit cute things
• Knit cute things for friends
• Knit cute things for the world (think humanitarian-ness)
• Be a good daughter/sister/friend and maybe, just maybe, someday be a good wife & mother :)
• Be a good dog owner
• Organize my life! (fun little idea I had this week, take a week of vacation and organize EVERYTHING! 'Cause when I get a roll baby, there is no stopping me!)
• Go someplace completely spontaneous (another cute idea I had this week... schedule a week of vacation, wait until about a week before my vacay and see what plane tickets are on sale! Hopefully someplace I've never been before and that I don't know anyone. Trips are just more fun that way)
• Visit New York City and the Oregon Coast again!
• Be a supreme organic gardener extraordinaire and eat seasonably and all that jazz
• Make my own clothes (since I haven't been buying anything, I need some way to spruce up my wardrobe!!)
• Be good at braiding my own hair
• Go hiking, biking, running, zumba, dance. Something active that doesn't involve the elliptical machine.
• Make cards for people
• Play passionately voluptuous romantic era music on my violin
• Play old time church hymns on my ukulele and sing along
• Take lots of pretty pictures of all my adventures
• Get involved in meals ministry at church
• Get involved in a downtown youth ministry
• Be a gluten free baking expert
• Do a good job at work so I can get promoted so that I can earn more money to afford all the things I want to do and have more vacation so that I have the time. Oh and enjoy the personal satisfaction that work brings too :)

I've been telling myself that I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do - if only I had more vacation time, or maybe if God had created a world where we just got 2 more hours each day. I'm pretty sure though, that with even more time, I would still feel as spread out as I do now. I also keep telling myself that if only... if only there was a man that would marry me.... someone who was secure in his career. That maybe I could have good health insurance through his work. Then I wouldn't have to work. Or maybe I could work just part-time - at a cute little interior decor shop, or own my own yarn shop. If only. Even then, I know I would be too spread out to be a good wife and mother. 

No offense to anyone out there, this is purely my opinion: I think us craftarians are one big group of control freaks, with our lives tied together with pretty bow that we wove and tied ourselves. I'm beginning to think that this might be a great big exercise God has me going through in letting go. Letting go of selfish ambitions and the perfectionist idealistic modern-day renaissance woman mindset. Let God guide my daily footsteps and show me what's really important.

So, this is my public declaration: My Pinterest Pinboard includes a lot of things that I want to do. If Yahweh so wills, I may, or may not accomplish it all.

Anyway, I did finish a guinea pig sweater! It's awaiting it's time to be worn by the little guy. I will of course take pictures of that event. I really wish I could write a pattern for how I knit it, but I did it kinda freestyle. Started out with a 3x2 rib, connected it in the round then worked stockinette, binding off and casting on for the armholes, shaping it for the belly so that, by request, it would not drag around in feces and ending it with a 3x2 rib. Very exciting little project!

My cardigan has a few more rows knit on it and I have a skein of Mountain Colors "Twizzle" (85% Merino, 15% Silk) in "Firestorm" that wants to be a hat. I might start on that soon ;) ... Oh! and I bought two sewing patterns today - so that I might one day sew a polka dot skirt and some hiking pants.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!

... Or "Let's Knit Something Red or Pink Day" ... or if you prefer: "Single's Awareness Day"... I also heard somewhere: "Half-priced Chocolates Day Eve" ... or even better: "Target Date to Get my Crush to Fall in Love with Me Day".
This year, I chose to celebrate St. Valentine's Day, I believe, to the fullest extent to which it is intended. One might ask... "How?" since I, ahem, definitely DON'T have a significant other - no husband, boyfriend, not even a secret admirer, nor a crush. Instead, I spent the day practically daydreaming about God's lavish LOVE - His LOVE for me, His LOVE for those I care about, His LOVE for the lost. And the amazing price He paid for all of us. My prayer is for God to touch each one of His children with His Divine LOVE today.
I did this without chocolate or flowers or stuffed animals - just a simple celebration of my roommate's birthday this morning, a simple dinner, and a lil' knittin' time this evening. While I was making my dinner of grilled chicken, cucumber slices (cut into little hearts) and strawberries, I had a terribly romantic crazy off-the-wall idea. Just of how much I was loving myself by foregoing all the indulgences of the day - and my future husband, whomever that may be <3 Cause I believe happy hearts are the number one cause of awesome amazing marriages.

Also, brought this little song to mind: one of the most beautiful love songs in the whole wide world. It makes me want to sing, play my violin, dance, throw pottery, paint & knit ALL at the same time.

To Whom It May Concern, by The Civil Wars

Reflections over Knitting

Why is it that I knit? That's a good question, really. Is it because making things are cheaper than buying them? Nope, not with the kind of yarn I use! Is it because I like giving and having things that I made with my very own hands? Partly, but if that was it then I would finish more projects in a more efficient manner! Is it because I think it's cute and trendy to knit? Well yes, that's how I got started... (although, I get a lot of "isn't that what little old grandmas do?" from people so it might not be quite as trendy as I think it is). Is it a good reflective and therapeutic activity?? I think that is one of the biggest reasons why I knit - along with just loving the feel and colors of fibers. They excite me. I love the stitches too. Simple stockinette, supple moss stitch, wandering lace and overlapping cables. So many ways to be creative!!!
Alright, so onto the details of the real reason why I knit - it's a good "deep thinking" and/or "conversational" kind of activity - same as throwing pottery, but with less expensive equipment. Driving kinda does it for me too. And editing pictures. So when you see one of my knitted projects, or pieces of pottery, or a picture that I took in a near or distant land... you can trust that many thoughts, reflections and/or conversations went into that piece. Every stitch, every finger ridge, every pixel contains a precious little bit of my mind and heart and soul. This is what makes it the most worthwhile.
So yesterday, I took a drive. It was a short one, but substantial nonetheless - with a continuation of thoughts from my drive to and from Montana. On my trip, God revealed to me a lot of things about how hard I work to sustain my own comfort level - only compromising it for my own recreational purposes or if it is "convenient" to do so for the purposes of comforting others. I slept in the snowy forest for "fun", then spent the night in a motel, and then drove all the way home a day early all so that I could spend the last night of my three day weekend in my own warm comfy bed. On my drive yesterday I got to thinking about all that and if I will ever put action behind what God revealed to me. So many of us just say, "Well, it's the thought that counts"... especially when it comes to gift-giving. Also goes the saying... "God knows our hearts" and there is an extreme amount of truth to that. So where's the bridge between what's on our minds and hearts and translating that into action that matters? So many of my prayers these days have to do with how and why I love people - is it for my glory or God's glory? What would happen if all the incentives for loving others were suddenly removed, would I/could I still love?
At some point, I think we can all have faith to really know that He accomplished through His Blood what mere following of rules, regulations and sacrifices could not do - Cleansed our consciences and our hearts so that He can write His perfect will, imbed it, into the very fiber of our being (Hebrews 10) just as clearly as He has engraved us on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). Christ's extravagant love for us inspires our extravagant obedience in response as we encounter circumstances that literally cause our head knowlegde of God to work it's way down into our hearts. We display the glory of God best when we realize our identity in Him and embrace His word (Psalm 19).
Many times, I believe our follow through takes His Perfect Timing too. There has been a certain spot up near Green Bluff, just west of the traffic circle on Day-Mt Spokane Road. The rolling hills dive into this winding irrigation ditch - very beautiful when the light hits it just right. Every time I drive by I think about how much I want to take a picture of it, but every time I'm either too busy, or it's too dark, or too overcast and it doesn't look pretty enough for me to take a picture. There have even been times where I set out to take pictures up there, but I went somewhere else instead. So yesterday I finally did it. I was driving by and almost just went on my way, but I stopped. The sunlight was gorgeous. Partly cloudy and the soft sunlight hitting the hills just right. What a beautiful piece of God's redemption for my delay in taking that picture. 
I also went to Starbucks to sit and knit. I wanted to go to Rocket, but they were crowded. Starbucks was fine. I started a scarf with yarn that I've started to knit a scarf with several times.... only to take it out and roll it back up again. I put many thoughts into the cable pattern I was knitting while I was there, related to what I've written about in this post, wondering if this was really the time for this yarn to become a scarf. At the end of my time there at Starbucks, I quickly unraveled the scarf, rolled it back up into a ball and went home.
Do those thoughts count??