As you are all aware my blogging has become sporadic recently. I'm sorry, yet not sorry. From the end of September through the end of October lots of things have been going on personally, nothing to be alarmed about, but stuff I had to sort through and figure out before I was comfortable posting. I'm sure as a blogger we all go through this at some time wondering, what can be shared and what should not as we all know the internet is not a private place. You think your blog is only read by people that you target to read it, but you just never know. Well October is over, I have lots of endings to speak of both personally and creatively, both happy and not so happy. I have come to terms now with the not so happy, and I can put it out there to an extent, so lets just get started. To new beginnings:
Two major events happened that set me on an emotional roller coaster. At work we experienced the largest workforce reduction since I started working there. I was not effected but a large number of people who I consider my friends were. My direct manager was also included. It was sad, devastating, and calming all at once. I didn't know how I felt about all this. I sort of understood about the co-workers, our jobs are contract driven and when the inventory is low, the budget is low and people need to get let go. When inventory picks up, we will hire again. It seems this is the new nature of how we will be working. The manager part in my head I understand, less workers, less management needed. Having two managers and splitting a department was never good, so some positive changes will come from it, but the internal turmoil came when I was trying for journal about my eight years of working with this boss. I wanted to write about how much I grew, how much she taught me, all the positive things you would reflect upon when this happens. I grew sad, as I could not think of a single thing. In the words from the play A Chorus Line, "I felt nothing". This troubled me terribly. It's been a couple of weeks and things are settling down at work and falling into place. Maybe all the changes will be for the better. Time will tell.
There is an emotional drain and excitement that happens simultaneously when selling a home and buying a new one. There is happiness of the time spent and an uncertainty to what the future will hold. My physical house is not changing. We are not selling or moving. My spiritual home has been sold. Our synagogue has outgrown the dwindling congregation. The structure became too big, the numbers of people too small, which ended in the sale of our building to what will be temporary dwellings for the time being. The ending of an era, the exciting and scary beginning of something new. The building, although it has held many memories for us as a family, and many of our friends, it is just that, a building. We are a community. If we stay together, unified, strong, committed we will all find a brand new place to call home that will be a better fit and allow for new growth and new adventures.
With both of these things swirling in my head over the last 6 weeks, it made blogging very difficult. I really needed this all sorted out for myself first before putting it out there. Thank you for understanding.
Now lets get to the Creative Part of this Blog. The reason for blogging.
What is happening now that angst is over and life goes on.....you hit the floor running back to the things that bring you joy and restore your calm.
Socks: Done - The first sock took all of 10 days, the second sock 2 months. But they are done, and the fit. This was the first time using the Afterthought Heel. Not a huge fan, but I did it and I'm sure I will try it again. New things take time and practice to get them just right. I'm working on it.
I am so over the moon excited by these. My friend Jen (Boston Jen of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast) told me to start at a color change and then the socks will match. I did, and the socks matched perfectly until I got to the heels. I was faced with a conundrum.... When the time came to do the second heel, do I pull out a ton of yarn to get back to the color spot where the first heel was from or do I just continue with the color there. Seeing that there are no pictures showing the heels you can guess what I did! Just plugged away. So now I have matchy matchy striping socks with two different colored heels,and guess what? I love them.
Pattern: Pin Striped Socks
Designer: Julia Swart
Yarn: Plymouth Neon Now
Spinning: Done - I did it! I got a skein of Worsted Weight yarn, Enough to make something but not too much. It is even, it is balanced and it looks beautiful. I let go of the demons in my head encouraging me to get the most amount of yardage possible. I spun it thicker than usual and came out with a very pretty, fluffy DK/Worsted weight yarn. I already have a plan because you know, it is a new month which means Cast On everything. New month, new KAL's and SAL's. New inspiration posted on Ravelry.
Dyer: June Pryce Fiber Arts
Fiber: SW Merino Nylon
Colorway: Tuscany
Yarn:
Weight: Worsted
Yardage: 208
Ply: 164 true 3 ply, 44 chain plied
Cast On:
Project: Hat
Pattern: Tweed Torque
Designer: VeryBusyMonkey
Several years ago there was a book written that make you take a look at your life and inspire you to live life to the fullest and how to make the most out of what you want and what you have. I cannot remember the name or the author, nor did I read it, but everyone I knew did. One of the thoughts that came from this book was, if you want something to happen you need to throw it out there into the universe. Talk about it. Let the world know what it is you want to do. Scream it from rooftops, well maybe not that. I'm am now doing that. It has been a dream of mine to write a book. Fiction, non fiction, I'm still not sure but I finally have an idea and a start and I am determined to see this happen. I am not expecting overnight results. It is going to be a long road and I have no writing experience from a professional point of view. I was taught how to write from the age of 2. I had exercises all through elementary school on writing sentences and paragraphs, I had written book reports, essays, research papers, stories, poems etc through Middle School, High School and college. I have been writing business plans, speeches, letters, and journal entries since. I can write a book too. So yes, I am throwing this out to the universe, I want to be an author.
My inspiration came from this picture. It was taken on our recent outing in Downtown Boston, a place I frequently visit, so it only fits to be inspired by its age and beauty. This trip was just last weekend at peak foliage season. The trees shedding their leaves for the long winter to come. Leaves floating and dying on the ground. Then I saw it, HOPE. I wrote the following poem.
The Rose Does Not Die
by Lisa L Riseman
The Rose Does Not Die
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The leaves turn brown
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The birds migrate south
The leaves turn brown
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The flower beds are emptied
The birds migrate south
The leaves turn brown
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The people stop coming to see the gardens
The flower beds stop growing
The birds stop flying
The leaves have all fallen
The air is frozen
But I believe, the Rose never died.
Good bye my readers, until next week.
Two major events happened that set me on an emotional roller coaster. At work we experienced the largest workforce reduction since I started working there. I was not effected but a large number of people who I consider my friends were. My direct manager was also included. It was sad, devastating, and calming all at once. I didn't know how I felt about all this. I sort of understood about the co-workers, our jobs are contract driven and when the inventory is low, the budget is low and people need to get let go. When inventory picks up, we will hire again. It seems this is the new nature of how we will be working. The manager part in my head I understand, less workers, less management needed. Having two managers and splitting a department was never good, so some positive changes will come from it, but the internal turmoil came when I was trying for journal about my eight years of working with this boss. I wanted to write about how much I grew, how much she taught me, all the positive things you would reflect upon when this happens. I grew sad, as I could not think of a single thing. In the words from the play A Chorus Line, "I felt nothing". This troubled me terribly. It's been a couple of weeks and things are settling down at work and falling into place. Maybe all the changes will be for the better. Time will tell.
With both of these things swirling in my head over the last 6 weeks, it made blogging very difficult. I really needed this all sorted out for myself first before putting it out there. Thank you for understanding.Now lets get to the Creative Part of this Blog. The reason for blogging.
What is happening now that angst is over and life goes on.....you hit the floor running back to the things that bring you joy and restore your calm.
Socks: Done - The first sock took all of 10 days, the second sock 2 months. But they are done, and the fit. This was the first time using the Afterthought Heel. Not a huge fan, but I did it and I'm sure I will try it again. New things take time and practice to get them just right. I'm working on it.
Pattern: Pin Striped Socks
Designer: Julia Swart
Yarn: Plymouth Neon Now
Spinning: Done - I did it! I got a skein of Worsted Weight yarn, Enough to make something but not too much. It is even, it is balanced and it looks beautiful. I let go of the demons in my head encouraging me to get the most amount of yardage possible. I spun it thicker than usual and came out with a very pretty, fluffy DK/Worsted weight yarn. I already have a plan because you know, it is a new month which means Cast On everything. New month, new KAL's and SAL's. New inspiration posted on Ravelry.Dyer: June Pryce Fiber Arts
Fiber: SW Merino Nylon
Colorway: Tuscany
Yarn:
Weight: Worsted
Yardage: 208
Ply: 164 true 3 ply, 44 chain pliedCast On:
Project: Hat
Pattern: Tweed Torque
Designer: VeryBusyMonkey
Several years ago there was a book written that make you take a look at your life and inspire you to live life to the fullest and how to make the most out of what you want and what you have. I cannot remember the name or the author, nor did I read it, but everyone I knew did. One of the thoughts that came from this book was, if you want something to happen you need to throw it out there into the universe. Talk about it. Let the world know what it is you want to do. Scream it from rooftops, well maybe not that. I'm am now doing that. It has been a dream of mine to write a book. Fiction, non fiction, I'm still not sure but I finally have an idea and a start and I am determined to see this happen. I am not expecting overnight results. It is going to be a long road and I have no writing experience from a professional point of view. I was taught how to write from the age of 2. I had exercises all through elementary school on writing sentences and paragraphs, I had written book reports, essays, research papers, stories, poems etc through Middle School, High School and college. I have been writing business plans, speeches, letters, and journal entries since. I can write a book too. So yes, I am throwing this out to the universe, I want to be an author.
My inspiration came from this picture. It was taken on our recent outing in Downtown Boston, a place I frequently visit, so it only fits to be inspired by its age and beauty. This trip was just last weekend at peak foliage season. The trees shedding their leaves for the long winter to come. Leaves floating and dying on the ground. Then I saw it, HOPE. I wrote the following poem.
The Rose Does Not Die
by Lisa L Riseman
The Rose Does Not Die
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The leaves turn brown
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The birds migrate south
The leaves turn brown
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The flower beds are emptied
The birds migrate south
The leaves turn brown
The air gets cold
but the rose does not die
The people stop coming to see the gardens
The flower beds stop growing
The birds stop flying
The leaves have all fallen
The air is frozen
But I believe, the Rose never died.
Good bye my readers, until next week.
