Forced Change

I heard some bad news today.  My sister-in-law was laid off from her job after 27 years with the same company.  It's a rotten thing to have happen and I think it's going to be a rough few days (weeks?) for her as she tries to get her feet under her again.  She's got what appears to be a good severance package but without going into too much detail (because this isn't really my story to share), it could have been much better.

The funny thing about forced change like this though is that in my experience it always works out for the best.  All my friends have lost their jobs at some point and each and every one of them has ended up in a better situation than they were in before.  Truly - every single one of them; me included.  I'm sure you have similar stories.  So why is it that if it always works out so well that we avoid it like the plague and send condolences to the person who lost their job?

I don't have answers, though I suspect its something along the lines of "people don't like uncertainty" or "pressing financial commitments".   But I suspect the real answer is about control - I don't know anyone who goes out of their way to court change like this, but I know lots of people who have voluntarily left jobs for something else; me included.  But I was the one who decided to leave the old job and I had something to go to.  I was the one who called the shots, who decided if, when, where, how and why.  That's a pretty powerful position to be in.

On a related note, I took a deep breath today and unraveled Semele, my scarf which demonstrated that I can't reliably count to four.  It went from being 95% done to being very undone.

But you know what?  This too has ended up being a good thing even though it looks like a setback - I read the entire directions again and am using the actual printed instructions instead of what I thought they said and the whole thing looks better.  I can tell already that this end is going to block out to a better shape than what I had before.

Now before I'm publicly flogged, I'm well aware that ripping out a scarf isn't in the same category - the same universe - as losing a job - that feels more like having your right arm ripped off.  But just like when the scarf wasn't working out, being forced to start over will produce a better end product and for my lovely and talented SIL, this forced change will surely produce something better than she had.

Raspberry Fizz

It's amazing what can be accomplished once there is a little pressure and a deadline.

Here is the first of three projects I'm aiming to complete before Christmas.  At the time of this writing, I have 32 days remaining to complete another scarf which is far less complicated than this (and to be fair - it's already half finished) and a pair of socks - which I can almost knit in my sleep.  I think it's a reasonable goal.

The pattern is Alhambra by Anne Hanson.  This is the third time I've knit this so I'm getting faster at it.  The first time, it took me 5 weeks.  The second time was 3 and now I'm down to 2.  Two weeks for a lace scarf.  Not bad.  Like the others I've made, this is knit in SweetGeorgia CashSilk Lace - a lovely blend of cashmere and silk.  The colour is called "Orchid".

One down, two to go.  Knit on!

Ginger Alhambra

Its done!  Actually, it's been done for a while but a week with no internet at home has left me a little behind the ball in sharing what's going on.

Here is the Ginger Alhambra:

 

I'm really pleased with this and am quite sure the recipient will enjoy it as well.  This is the second time I've knit this pattern and like many things, it gets easier with time.  This version worked up much faster and with fewer errors than the first time I made it.  I don't remember the finished dimensions, but I was left with only a fourteen inch tail when I finished casting off.  I also used blocking wires for the first time...my goodness - what a revelation!  

I'm starting to harvest from the garden now.  I've had salad greens for about two weeks, radishes, peas, herbs and a few days ago I pulled some of the tastiest turnips that I've had all year.   We boiled them up, mashed them with some carrots and a dab of butter and served it alongside sausage.  Not what I'd consider a traditional summer meal, but it sure tasted good.  

So now I'm thinking about how exactly I'm going to store the turnips.  I have more than I can eat immediately and I want the space in the garden for another crop.  And since they're the perfect size, I want them to come out now.  I had a quick look online and confirmed that I can store them much like potatoes.  So I have a box that I'll fill with some slightly damp peat moss in the cold room, I'll pull them, cut all but an inch or two of the tops off, and layer them in the peat moss.  I think the trick here is going to be managing the moisture level in the peat moss.  Too much and everything will rot, too little and the turnip will shrivel.

The potatoes, and tomatoes are flowering, the cucumbers have flower buds on them, the peppers and beans have buds, the onions look fantastic, the broccoli looks like broccoli and with the recent heat I can just about watch the corn, pumpkin and zucchini grow.  

My food bill is about to drop.  Which frees up more money for yarn.  It's a good thing.