Even when things don’t go as planned – like doing the decreases incorrectly for over 4 inches! – and a looming self-imposed deadline of 12/31… PERSERVERE!

Perhaps I was too focused on the ultimate goal of just getting this sweater finished that I misread the instructions… My raglan decreases in Kris’s Olympic sweater were just not cutting it, and my stitch count was off.  While I think Kris could totally rock the off-the-shoulder pullover look, it may not be most fashion forward item for the workplace… and I want to have a great finished product that shows all the work that went in to it.

This is my “before the rip” photo – my stitch count was 50 or so stitches off, and there is no way to fix that… so on Christmas day, at my parents’ house, I just bit the bullet and did it.  On the photo above, you can see:   I ripped back to the purl ridge rows right above the main snowflake motif.

Luckily, I had some good time to fix my mistakes and catch up.  So, I spent the 27th and 28th catching up, and even surpassing.  Now, I started the neckline decreases, and I am only a few rows away from the turtleneck.  Wow, it feels good to be so close!  I really think it may happen before the new year rolls in!  *Fingers crossed*

And what makes this auntie squeal with delight this Christmas Eve?

Seeing Baby V bedecked in the knit cardi I made her before she was born!

The smile means she loves it!

…and that is the best Christmas present this year!

~~ Merry Christmas dear friends ~~

I am starting to see these “Decade in Review” lists popping up in a few places – and because I am lacking in some knitting blog content (still knitting on Kris’s Olympic sweater! getting close!) I figured that I would put together my own little list for the decade…

It’s definitely been the most eventful and life-changing decade of my life so far.  Seems natural enough considering it is “my 20s” and many of those big milestones happen when you reach this range.   I chose a few highlights from the years to talk about here…

- 2000 -

I started college in the fall of 1999, so I started the year of 2000 deep in study.  I entered college as an English major, but after taking an elective course in Egyptology, I switched my major to Ancient Studies and Archaeology.  I took many a history, art history, and dead language class.  I had Greek every morning at 8am!  In June and July of 2000, I was part of an archaeological field school in Beth Shemesh, Israel for my study abroad session.  The “dig” dated back to the 9th century BCE, roughly the time of the Assyrian invasion of Judah under King Hezekiah’s reign.  It was my first time going “overseas” and remains one of the most formative experiences of my life.  Aside from the archaeological dig, I got to tour most of the beautiful country.  [See some of the selected photos here]

- 2001 –

More college and more studies.  I started my minor in Religious Studies, specifically Judaism, and began taking Hebrew classes.  So many events in this year, mainly revolving around my studies, as I went through the complete year without a break… but without a doubt, 9/11 remains the most memorable in my mind.  Kris and I were in college together… I was at the gym in the morning when the first plane struck the WTC… it was so unclear what was happening, but they had the foresight to close the gym and tell us to get back to our dorms.  I ran back to tell Kris what was happening, and I sat outside his dorm room waiting for him… as I waited, I watched the TVs of his across-the-hall neighbors and we all screamed when the second plane hit and the towers began to fall…  In November, I turned 21.  I was in Denver presenting at a conference, so I didn’t get to live it up with my friends, but it was still fun.  In December, Kris and I bought our first house – the house we are still in today! – and he moved in after he graduated from college later that month.

- 2002 -

We opened the year with a bang!  Kris and I got married on January 5th in a beautiful ceremony at his family’s church.  Unfortunately, the day is a bit of a blur in my mind, but I do remember that it was great!  We had an afternoon ceremony, and we headed back to our new house afterward… and the next morning, we left for our honeymoon in Florida!  We had a shorter time limit because I was still in my last semester of college, but we packed in lots of fun before I had to head back to school in late January.  I graduated from college with my Bachelor of Arts in May.  I was pretty set on going to graduate school in Archaeology, but wanted to take a little time in between school to figure our exactly what I wanted.  I was unemployed for a short while, but then I found a job working at a book store.  It was a fun job because I got to keep up on the current titles, but it was hard work and long hours.  I actually ended up becoming one of the managers of that store.  I am glad I had this experience because it really taught me patience.  In November 2002, Kris and I went to Boston for a short vacation – we enjoyed what we saw of the city, which was mainly the aquarium and a Bruins game.

- 2003 –

I found a job at a university library in Baltimore.  I re-evaluated my plans for graduate school, figuring that I did not want to spend the next 7 years in school for my PhD in Archaeology… so I took some more time deciding what I wanted to do.  My job in Baltimore was a great opportunity, and really helped me decide my career choice.  I had been interested in libraries and archives for several years (I worked at my college library), and working solidified my decision.  In early summer, Kris and I did a week-long trip to Portland, Oregon, a city that I fell in love with the minute I stepped off the plane.  In late 2003, I started my application process for a Masters degree in Library Science at two schools in the DC area.  Also, in November 2003, I took my first learn how to knit class at a local craft store.  I was instantly addicted and really taught myself with books and blogs after learning how to cast-on in this initial class.

- 2004 -

Life in 2004 becomes easier to remember, because it is when I first started this blog – which has served as a memory jog more than once!  I continued working at the university library.  I read voraciously, but knitting was beginning to take more of my time.  I was active on Bookcrossing.com for several years (since 2002) and first started to hear about people keeping blogs there.  I started a Livejournal account, and kept a reading list and some book reviews on there, until I decided to start my own knitting-themed blog in July.  LollyKnitting Around was born!  I was ambitious and completed my first sweater in spring 2004, and had plans to make Christmas presents for my family… I started graduate  school in August, choosing to go to school in Washington, DC.  I declared my interest in Archives and Special Collections.  It became difficult to work in Baltimore and go to school in DC, however, so I began searching for a job closer to DC…  in November, we went to New Orleans, Louisiana for vacation and had a blast.  I finished the knit Christmas presents for my family that year too!

- 2005 –

I started a new job with the new year, working as a part-time archivist while I was in graduate school.  My school work applied to my job so perfectly.  My knitting continued at a rapid pace!  My sister Mimi got married in June in a lovely ceremony, and then moved to Hawaii in July.  In October, Kris and I were able to visit them in Oahu for a nice vacation.  I was still in school, but I figured that not everyone has a chance to go to Hawaii, so I went, and took a big load of school books with me.  We stayed with Mimi and Daniel and got to see so much of Oahu.

In fall, I attempted my first pair of socks, and as a boost to help me learn more about socks, I started Socktoberfest in October.  It was a success from the very beginning with hundreds of people participating!

- 2006 -

The year started in Alabama as we visited my family there for Christmas and New Years.  It was a blessing to have that time together, as it was the last time that we had with my grandfather while he was in good health.  Kris and I continued to work at the same place, even though I was still part-time as I was still going through graduate school.  In spring, I began to dream up Project Spectrum, which officially started in March.  I also undertook a big “self-improvement” project as I decided to get myself into shape.  In 2006, I committed to a more healthy lifestyle – I became more active at the gym, attending water aerobics, kickboxing, and started weight lifting.  I also started more serious in my yoga practice.  Over 8 months (give or take) I lost about 65 lbs.   Fall 2006 brought a lot of changes – my dear grandmother passed away in September, I finished my comprehensive exams for grad school in October, and in November, Kris and I headed to California for a vacation.  We visited San Francisco and Napa Valley, and I knit two sweaters in less than a month!  I ended the year with my Masters degree diploma…

- 2007 -

With my degree in hand, I was able to secure a full-time job doing what I love to do… with the added benefit of working at the same place as Kris!  The year started on a bittersweet note, however, as it was only a few days after getting my new job that my grandfather passed away in February.  Knitting took a new turn as I began to challenge myself with more difficult patterns and projects – I completed my first colorwork project in February, and began my first big cable project later in the year.  Kris and I began making plans for our biggest trip yet – a two-week trip to Peru, visiting both the Amazon rainforest, and the Andes mountains.    In August, we made that trip, and I think we are both the better for it.  Probably one of the most life-changing experiences yet.  We roughed it in the rainforest (tent camping in the middle of the jungle!  we were woken by macaws overhead, and had to walk to the outhouses with a flashlight so that we didn’t step on snakes! ) and then headed to the lovely Cusco, high in the Andes (so high that we both got altitude sickness!) We experienced one of the scariest times in our lives on the way home from Peru, but I think we are both stronger after dealing with that… maybe a new lease on life?  Prior to the trip, we bought our first DSLR camera, and we both began to learn more about photography.  In the fall, I cut about 10 inches of my hair and went for the short hairstyle. I finished my first Icelandic sweater in November and it remains my favorite sweater.

- 2008 –

In January, I went to a weekend weaving workshop and learned a lot about weaving in a very short amount of time.  I caught the bug and bought a used loom online, and managed to produce a few items before becoming frustrated… I realized that it was necessary to get a little more instruction as I feel like it is such a steep learning curve.  In the spring, I got in a weekend trip to New York to see friends and visit museums.  I completed one of my favorite gift knits for my sister in April, the Printed Silk Cardigan.  In May, Kris and I traveled to Nova Scotia, Canada for a roadtrip, covering almost every kilometer of the beautiful maritime province.  We camped, hiked to amazing places, and  enjoyed every single moment of it.  Late summer was a particularly challenging time as I got very sick with Lyme disease, after a hike/mountain bike excursion here in Maryland.  This illness provided me with a serious wake-up call, and I committed to something that I had thought about for years:  switching from a permissive vegetarian diet to a strict vegan diet.  I initially did this for health to recuperate through the Lyme treatment, but it grew into a deeper commitment, ethical and spiritual in nature.  While yoga was still a big part of my life, it was in 2008 that I decided to go deeper into my practice.  I spent a week in San Francisco for a work conference in August – what a great city!  My dear sister got married in October in a beautiful ceremony and she and her new husband moved to Virginia.  Kris and I ended the year on a wonderful high note, making a weekend trip to see our beloved Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team for his birthday on 12/26.

- 2009 –

I began my journey to become a yoga teacher in January, embarking on the 11-month certification process.  My training introduced me to some of the most amazing women I have ever met and has provided me with lifelong friends.  My Lyme treatments continued and I began to see real results as I felt better than I ever had.  I organized a hat knitalong (January Hat Trick) and became quite addicted to hat knitting… In March, Kris and I traveled to Seattle to visit my dear friend Jenna and to attend the Nordic Knitting conference.  My love of colorwork and knitting history continues!  We were only there for a few days but I fell even more in love with the beautiful  Pacific Northwest.  There were several professional shake-ups at my workplace, but I made it through, and even got promoted in the process.  My career took an even more interesting turn as I found a new love and appreciation for my job and my workplace.  After years of fandom, 2009 was the year of super results for our favorite hockey team.  We laughed, cried, and cheered for the Penguins each step of the way as they won the Stanley Cup in June.  As a vegan, I discovered my love of cooking and baking, and began to regularly share vegan recipes on this blog.  My sister announced her pregnancy early in the year, and in May, they moved to California… and in September, Baby V came early!  We were lucky to be able to visit California in November and meet the beautiful new addition.  She pretty much stole my heart   Then I finished my certification, and became an official yoga teacher… and that pretty much leads us up to now…

It’s kind of amazing to think about what the next decade holds… considering that these years were so completely unexpected… I can see into 2010 a little bit (mainly next February for the Olympics!) but 2018 is just so far away to imagine – it’s fun to think about all of the knits I can make in the next decade!   or even a new thing that I haven’t even take up yet!  … I thank you for being a part of my life for the last five years through this blog.

I would love to read some of your “Decade in Reviews”  – it would be fascinating to know more about you all   Let me know if you write one!

I promised book reviews, and you are going to get them   2009 has been a great year for my reading/listening pleasure.  I have come across some of the best books I have read in years – some of them already reviewed here.  Well, I have a few more to add to that list – some really good ones!

My little kick with fiction continues – specifically “speculative fiction” - a little bit sci-fi, a bit dystopian, but also rooted in some reality as it really just imagines a future world and asks “what if?”

I have read a couple of Margaret Atwood’s books and liked them well and good, but it was not until I read her two most recent novels that I understood the true genius of this author.  I say it in no small way – these two books absolutely blew me away.

Oryx and Crake / The Year of the Flood: A Novel

 After hearing a significant amount of buzz about Atwood’s newest book, and hearing that it was sort of a “companion” piece to the older novel, published in 2003, I decided to take the plunge, picking both audiobooks up at the library.  The books do not have to be read together, but I felt that reading them in succession helped me pick up each little reference, nuance, and passing observation.  So tightly interwoven and so elegant… it was perfect.

Oryx and Crake introduces an imagined future where we meet the main characters: childhood friends Jimmy and Glenn, and learn about their life growing up cloistered on a scientific compound.  The book is told from Jimmy’s perspective, switching back and forth in time; before and after an apocalyptic event that has dessimated the population.  

Year of the Flood is neither a prequel or a sequel to Oryx and Crake, but occurs at the same time. My GoodReads review of Year of the Flood follows:

Profoundly brilliant. Had I not read this directly after reading Oryx and Crake, I would have missed so many things – little nuances, passing comments made by the characters… it just enriched the earlier story and brought so much depth, context, and elegance. Like looking at the Rubin’s vase optical illusion and only seeing it one way for so long, and then someone points out the other image right before your eyes. Of course, it was Ms. Atwood herself who constructed the image and slowly sheds light on it with each chapter in her books – alas, I think she has one (possibly two!) more story to tell here.

Year of the Flood has two narrators – both survivors of an apocalyptic event (a “waterless flood”), and both linked from their associations with “God’s Gardeners”, a religious sect. The two women are of different generations but share the foundations of the Gardeners’ beliefs long after they have left the group’s compound. The story moves back and forth in time (before and after “The Flood”), describing the lives of the women as they move about, and how they eventually come back together after “The Flood” mentioned in the title of the book.

Atwood’s creation of the “Gardeners” is so fascinating – she has gathered the cult’s doctrine and principles from 19th-century transcendentalism, Jain and Hindu philosophies, post-modern environmental thought, the zeal of 1970′s “born-again” movement with a tad of Hare Krishna devotion, the apocalyptic asceticism of the Essenes, as well as the homesteading, return-to-the-land movement of post-Industrial North America. The hierarchy is based around a group of senior leaders, called the Adams and Eves. “Adam One” is the group’s leader and “pastor” of sorts, because he teaches the group and is featured in several chapters in the book with some of his sermons, followed by songs that are sung by the Gardeners. (The audiobook version had all of the composed songs with accompaniment, and the songs are also available on Atwood’s website.) The group canonizes scientists like Dian Fossey and Jacques Cousteau, and has feast days for St. Rachel Carson and so many other well-known luminaries in the fields of ecology, zoology, and life sciences. They also celebrate days like “Mole Day” and “Predator Day”, noting the importance of food chain, the smallest creatures and their contributions, etc.

I will admit, there were a few times that I just had to take a pause, Atwood “blew my mind” more than once.
  

The books were read in succession – perhaps as they were meant to be – so they fit together perfectly in my mind like a jigsaw.

Even a week after finishing the second book, I can’t get this story out of my mind. I think the two should definitely be read together, and I think that they are among the best books I have ever read.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

This book is getting a good amount of buzz as a possible 2010 Newbery Award winner.  It is a young adult novel for the 10 -16 set, but younger and older (like me!) readers will undoubtedly enjoy it.  The book was mentioned and excerpted on National Public Radio’s website - go read a bit of it!

A little gem of a book – a unique storyline that is wonderfully crafted and executed. Miranda’s character is this encapsulation of what it is to be 12 years old – going back and forth between this world of childhood and adulthood. I wouldn’t really characterize this as a coming-of-age story though… more like a day-in-the-life with a twinge of mystery and sci-fi thrown into the mix. I really liked the setting in 1979… it was a lot like my childhood, so there was a nostalgic element there… Loved the little bits of fantasty woven throughout, as well as the musings and the references to late 1970s/early 1980s pop culture.  Very enjoyable book ~ highly recommended.

Maybe even some time to pick this one up before Christmas?  Although the narrator is a 12-year old girl, I think that this book could be enjoyed by boys.  It has a science fiction element to it (sort of the undercurrent of the entire story) that will appeal to them.   I listened to the audiobook, which was also quite good.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Another day… another dystopian!  This one was probably the most realistic of the speculative fiction because it really just seemed like this *could* happen. 

The story follows a family of four and how they survive through a catastrophic/apocalyptic event – a meteor hits the moon, knocking it off balance, eventually moving the moon closer to earth, thus shifting all of the tides and the gravitational pull – tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes… just about every disaster ensues. It is told in a diary format, written and narrated by 16-year old Miranda, who lives in small-town Pennsylvania.

In the end, the story was one of love, courage, strength, and endurance. The family of four (mother, two sons, and Miranda, the daughter) struggles to live through these terrible events as they watch the world crumble around them. It definitely had a very eerie element about it – so much so that as I was listening on the audiobook, it was almost like these things were actually happening. So, the author definitely set the tone and the landscape for the readers.  

I hesitate to fully recommend the book because it can be pretty depressing, sad, and annoying (see full review on GR), but in the end, I am really glad I read it. It made me think a lot about the things we all take for granted – running water, electricity, family bonds.  It inevitably leaves you with the question of “How would I handle this type of situation? would I make it?”

Pretty interesting premise, and like I said, major points for making it so believable – but I had some major criticisms of the book as well.  You can read my full review on GoodReads to find out what I didn’t like (and why I rated it 2.5 stars out of 5). 

…and now for something completely different… (and happier!)

A non-fiction book of essays by one of my favorite authors!

‘The Moon by Whale Light: And Other Adventures Among Bats, Penguins, Crocodilians, and Whales by Diane Ackerman

Ooh, Ackerman knows how to make you relish every word!  She is a naturalist, but also a poet, interweaving science and nature with the most delicate of language. 

Ackerman’s writing style is so lyrical and her descriptions are so vivid – reading her work is like biting into the juiciest of fruits. This particular collection highlights bats, crocodiles, penguins, and whales. Ackerman spends time with these animals, learning about their biology and psychology, talks with their keepers, trainers, and researchers.

While all of them were wonderful, the chapters on bats and crocodiles were my favorites of all – perhaps because I knew the least about these two creatures. The bat essay, in particular, sent me to my computer many times to see images and photos of these amazing animals. Just days after reading this essay, I had the experience of being in the open desert (Joshua Tree National Park in southern California) and witnessed the Mexican Free-Tailed bats coming out to feed at dusk… just me, my husband, and these beautiful bats. It was amazing, and is something that will stay with me for a long time. I am sure that I would have been amazed by this sight even if I had not read the book, but the experience was all the more enhanced by the knowledge I gained from this essay collection.

This is a book I will return to, I am sure, to remember these paragraphs filled to the brim with facts and stories… and will fall in love with the writing each and every time. 

I think Ackerman writes best when she writes about nature. I have enjoyed her other topics (like An Alchemy of Mind, about brain science) but they did not hold my attention quite like this collection and the book that “hooked” me on to her work over a decade ago, A Natural History of the Senses.  I have not yet read any of her poetry, but I am sure it is great, because I love her prose.

…onward and upward… I am already listening to and reading new books.  Makes for a great time while working on these sweaters!
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I have been knitting on Kris’s Olympic sweater like it is my job…. like getting paid overtime and only short 15 breaks in between (maybe enough to write a blog post?)  Hence the little bit of blog silence – it’s knit knit knit all the time!

As I am knitting, I have been listening to audiobooks – I am lucky to have a good library that has so many titles on hand.  It is truly a gift to be able to do my two favorite things at once!  Especially nestled up in front of the fire… now, that is a perfect day!  I will share some book reviews with you in the next post.

I enjoyed your snow stories sooo much!  and I had a few emails telling me that they enjoyed the stories as well.  It’s amazing what kind of memories snow can bring up.  The snow that we had last weekend has since melted (I want more!) but I will definitely be returning to this post to read the stories again.

As for the winner – congratulations to Kimberlyn at Bungalow 312!  Her name was randomly chosen for the Classic Elite Snow Day booklet!  K, email me with your address!

Be back soon with more progress shots and some great book reviews