I could go faster.  But I do enjoy the thrill of pulling this afghan out every few months and adding new hexagons, changing the dimensions and the color sequencing every so slightly. 

The lovely Komb afghan always gets pushed to the bottom of the knitting pile.  Yet, when I pull it out, it always makes me smile.  I should work on it more often… especially because it is a gift.  A very belated gift.  The Jojoland Rhythm yarn is a constant surprise.  Until I seam it up, I am never quite sure how it will look.  I completed hexagon #20 last night.  That means I have about 40 more to go.  Since each hexagon can take the better part of an hour (sometimes 2 if I am paying attention to something else) there is already quite a bit of time invested in this afghan.   

An afghan that will need a very serious blocking in the end.  It is narrower than I expected it to be, so, after I finish the requisite number of hexagons, I will probably add some width with any leftover yarn.  I am thinking way ahead though…

I am taking things slow these days, in general.  I have been spending a lot of time in the garden and in the kitchen, truly enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of the season.  In fact, spending so much time outside seems to have caused a little problem… but, I am feeling okay.  I just take a lot of naps.  And in between those naps, I have been working a few rows of knitting and weaving.  The only things that seem to go fast around here?  the rate of reading (and listening to) books, and the fresh melons in the refrigerator. 

Yoga has become an important part of my life over the last few years. I have studied yoga (off and on) since I was in my mid-teens. My mother had an older instruction book from the early 70s with photographs of asanas and some text about what the poses did. The yogi who wrote the book (I don’t remember who it was…) also had a lot of information about the yogic tradition and lifestyle. I was a new(er) vegetarian at the time, and I liked seeing a tradition that centered around nonviolence and wellness. I was interested in dance and gymnastics when I was young, and I developed good flexibility, so the poses were not hard for me to practice, but at the time, I did not completely understand what I am doing. I am glad that I got the chance to come and “fill in the blanks” later.

It was not until college that I began to actively study yoga in a classroom session. I began going to a small studio in Baltimore with a friend. The classes were varied, and I learned more about some of the different styles of yoga in that small studio. It was not until a few years ago - 2005 or 2006 - that I devoted myself to a regular practice. I studied with several teachers, sometimes going five times a week. I was in graduate school, and I needed the stress relief! In 2006, yoga was an integral part of my weight loss, paired with regular exercise and some diet modifications. From there, I have continued my yoga practice - both in the classroom and on my own.

Last year, I started the Namaste Knitters group on Ravelry to bring together the love of yoga and the love of knitting. The group has grown into a lovely community that embraces all skill levels and is open to all sorts of questions and styles of practice. For me personally, it has ignited a desire to deepen my own practice, and consider the idea of sharing yoga with others in the form of teacher training. I am researching the possibilities, and I know it is something that I want to do. I am leaning towards a training that starts at the beginning of the calendar year, so I have the time to really explore these feelings and make sure that it is something I truly want to do. It also gives me the chance to read and learn more about the history, philosophy, and mechanics of yoga. Although the phrase has become quite the novelty of late, knitting and yoga do have similar characteristics - at least in my practice. Knitting makes you think about the here and now - each stitch at a time. And what better way to enjoy life than taking it slow and thinking about the present?

As part of my 365 experiment, I started photographing yoga asanas and posting them on Flickr. I am calling it Yoga Wednesdays. The group is new and small, but I feel that there is the potential for great inspiration and learning there. Please feel free to join and post photos of your own.

Yoga has the ability to be done anywhere. And you don’t have to roll out a mat to do it, either. Thinking positive, living in the moment, and simply understanding and being grateful are just as powerful as any downward dog!

• Yoga Journal - complete resource for beginners and experienced yoga practitioners.
• Yoga Today - free sessions that you can download and practice with! (I still can’t believe how amazing this resource is)
• Yoga Anatomy, when a yogi and a medical illustrator get together, amazing things happen! You can see what muscles are engaged (or are supposed to be engaged) during your practice.

I try to be mindful and present - thinking about the here and now.

Sometimes, though, it is fun to think about the what is to come. Especially when the future holds a vacation and a big personal challenge…

We bought a tent and some sleeping bags. Kris and I both grew up camping with our families, and we have been hoping to continue that tradition in our own family. We have been together for ten years been have only camped once. So, now we can camp a lot more, starting with our next vacation. Camping gear is so much easier and lighter than it was twenty years ago. Perhaps it is childhood memory fog, but I seem to remember the tent setup taking a good forty-five minutes. And it weighed a lot too. Well, new tents don’t take as long… the new tent was up in a flash, and it feels “roomy” too! (Yes, it is in the living room…) And the sleeping bags! so nice and comfy and light as a feather! Stuffed with down, instead of polyfill! (can you see my excitement?) So, yeah, we are ready to go… now we just have to wait for the day to arrive. That gives me some time to decide what knits to take along with me…

I mentioned it already, but it is now official. I signed up for the SheROX triathlon in August. I am excited and nervous at the same time. With 13 weeks before the event, I have really picked up the training. I detailed my training plans over on the Journey page in a little segment I am calling “Tri’ing Times”. I will try to update it once a week with results and milestones. I have also found some inspiration and tips from two great sources. Ravelry has some great fitness-oriented groups: Fitness Knitters, Yarn and Sneakers, and Tri Knitters. The groups are perfect for the beginners and the more experienced. BeginnerTriathlete has a large free section where users can enter their training log data and goals, as well as an active forum and Q&A section. The site has already helped me learn the answers to some of my novice questions. I still have a lot to learn (and a lot to practice), but if motivation means anything, I am there! So much so that E and I are planning to practice the swim this coming weekend!

Spurred by this training, and the effects that [I think] it will have on my body, I am joining the 365 Project on Flickr. The basic requirement is that you take a self-portrait every day for one year. Kris says it is narcissism, but I tend to think of it is a motivational tool and a way to really express creativity. This is Day Three, and I haven’t taken today’s photo yet… but I will. If you are interested, you can keep up with my 365 photos here (only two so far). I hope I can keep it up. There are several crafty 365-ers too, even starting their own group, Knitterly365Days.

The shoes at the top of the post were an added bonus: I wanted comfy walking shoes for the summer. After I tried on about 10 pairs, I decided on these cuties - Ahnu Benicia. The left photo was my official “first” photo for the 365 Project - jump!

…the past few weeks have been trying…

Nothing major, just small daily hurdles that are so common in everyone’s life.

However, instead of letting these things accumulate and get me down, I am working hard to keep a positive attitude. Keep a smile on my face. The positive outlook made for a happy week.

And on this Saturday night, I look back and I am grateful for the week’s activities:

• I did yoga everyday - focusing on both asanas and pranayama. It is refreshing and rejuvenating. I am seriously researching yoga teacher training, and this gives me a new excitement and lease on life. I feel that the best way to prepare myself for this is to fully immerse myself in it… so you will probably hear more about this…
• I read three books this week, and I learned something valuable from each of them. Circle of Simplicity, a book written in the early 1990s that spearheaded the “neo”-voluntary simplicity movement; The Long Road Leads to Joy, a beautiful small book about walking, containing poetry, proverbs, and photographs; and a general history of yogic principles and schools in the Hatha Yoga Illustrated. All three were from the library.
• I ate delicious whole foods this week that I prepared with my own hands.
• I exercised everyday; the aforementioned yoga, as well as hiking on Monday, weightlifting on Tuesday, Pilates on Wednesday, row machine on Thursday, and spinning on Friday. Today was a day of rest. Tomorrow is our weekend walk…
• I got a haircut on Wednesday and a bonus head massage from my sweet stylist. Before getting my cut, I had two people tell me that it looked like a certain presidential candidate… guess which one.
• Kris and I went out for brunch today, a change of pace from the home-cooked meals, but also a way to support a new community cafe… it was delicious and lovely. We also had a date tonight to see a movie.
• I knit 8 inches on my sister’s cardigan today. Her birthday is in 16 days. I hope to finish in time!
• I wore my cozy black turtleneck sweater and stayed nice and warm all day - March’s wind definitely came “in as a lion”!

I end this week happy. I will choose to begin the new week with a smile on my face.

On December 30th, the last Sunday of 2007, we went on a walk. It was not an extraordinary walk - aside from being in the glorious surroundings, of course, not to be underestimated - but a simple walk of about two miles in a nearby area with a forest and a nice creek. We had done this stretch of walk dozens of times before, but we marveled at all of the new things that we saw on this particular walk. We decided in no certain terms to make the “weekend walk” a ritual. One we could look forward to throughout the week.

A time to connect with each other, and to connect with nature.

A time to quietly observe the world around us and the changing of the seasons.

A time to just be.

As the calendar ticks by, I find that my desire for the walk changes from week by week: Sometimes, I want a breath of fresh air. I want to get some exercise and burn some calories. I want to improve my mood. I want to wear one of my handknits. I want to meditate and quietly think about things. I want to simply put one foot in front of the other and truly live in the moment. I want to reach a spot that I have never been. Sometimes I have all of these expectations in one single walk.

Kris brings the camera and documents the beautiful natural world. He particularly enjoys capturing the changes of the trees, plants, and bodies of water as the seasons change. Sometimes I take the camera and try to capture the beauty I am seeing.

Each weekend of this month has provided the opportunity for a meaningful walk. We walked through local parks, hiked to a nearby hilltop, and finally, this weekend, we went on a weekend walk a little further from home… well, three actually, one for each day we were there. And the novelty of it was that one walk was deep underground while the other two were a little closer to the clouds!

We spent the long holiday weekend in the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia - about two hours south of our home. We drove down on Friday mid-day and stopped over at a local attraction: Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia.

Our timing was perfect: the snow was fresh and beautiful, and the sun was bright. While the temperatures were cold - below freezing on both days - that did not stop us from getting out and exploring. We found two hiking trails up into the mountains and reserved one for each day, Saturday and Sunday.

These walks may have been my favorite yet. They were a true sensory experience: the smell of pine trees and fresh winds, the aural crunch of the snow and ice under foot, and the monochromatic landscape of white snow blanketing the mountain, and the chilly winds felt against our faces.

The weekend walk ritual has been the highlight of my new year, and we are only three weeks in! I am very excited to discover more places - both near and far - during the weekend walks.

It is amazing how something as simple as a walk can be the best part of the week.

…

Do you have a special ritual that brings you joy?