A Visit Home, Knitter's Block, Back to Crocheting

Long time no posting once again. Since the last time I wrote I have been home to the States to visit my family. I spent 2 weeks there. During that time I crocheted a scarf for my daughter and met my son's girlfriend. Also, I got to eat some things that are not available in Australia. The funniest part of being in the States is the abundance of items that I could buy for 1.00. Some of the same items in Australia cost at least 3.00 or more. I would see something for a dollar and would have to buy it just because it cost only one dollar. The best yarny part of my trip was being able to buy some balls of Lily's Sugar n' Creme for less than $2 a ball.

I am still having a bit of knitter's block. Currently, I am crocheting a poncho for a friend's daughter. I am sort of using a pattern but adjusting it quite a bit...hope mother and daughter like it.

This is the scarf I crocheted for my daughter...Sea Shell Scarf.

Took my own advice

The last two days I took my own advice and went yarn shopping. I had a $10 coupon from Spotlight. I bought some Cleckheaton Country 8ply, some Panda Machinewash 5ply and a skein of Moda Vera Noir. The Cleckheaton is destined for a scarf for my daughter. The Panda and Noir will become socks for my husband. I felt so much better after I left Spotlight. I was so pleased with bargains I found. I was able to purchase $26 of yarn for $16. The next day I stopped into my LYS, Evoke, to have a look at yarn. I like going to her store. She is such a warm and welcoming person. I wasn't going to buy any yarn. I always think I can spend the money in a "better" way. I overheard her talking about having to cut her hours to keep the shop afloat. In that moment I realised that I was focused on my "lack" of resources and was manifesting that lack in one of my favorite places. I had been pining over yarn and thinking I can't afford enough to make a top. I decided that if I wanted her store to remain open I needed to contribute to that by purchasing what I could afford. I bought 2 skeins of Mirasol Contanini in turquoise with the intention to buy another 2 in a fortnight until I have enough to complete a garment. Also, I talked with her about offering workshops that combine mindfulness with knitting/crochet as means for handling depression and anxiety. I am  reading on the topic of knitting and the brain. More on that later. Now to start some knitting of my own.

Family drama, bad service and knitter's block

Sigh, it has been a while since I last wrote an entry in this blog. I have been busy doing some knitting, taking care of my husband and trying to take care of myself. We have recently returned from a trip to Melbourne to visit DH's old stomping grounds and his oldest daughter. There was a bit of drama regarding his other children recently. He would love it if they would come to see him but they are children and it is a shame when one parent poison children against the other parent. There was a dispute between his younger children and their grandparents and as usual DH was used as a threat against them. We got a phone call from the children asking if it was okay for his youngest daughters to come for a visit. We said yes of course which set in motion a drama which resulted in the children not coming to visit.

You would think that service in the Big City (Melbourne) would be worse than in a small town. It is a given that service in Australia is different than in the US. I am a Black woman from the US married to an Australian. The US in various places can be a place full of racism but to be honest I have never experienced anything like the open hostility that I experience in the small town that we live in. If DH and I are together people will talk to him like I am invisible even when the service we are seeking has to do with me. I had to threaten to sue in the local Woolworth's because every time I went in the store I was accused of shoplifting by one particular shop assistant. That does not happen any more but clearly that store has some management problems because I will still be ignored at the deli if I am there without DH. There are only four businesses in the local area from which I/we get excellent service: Evoke Designer Yarn and Fabric, Gloria Jean's Coffee, Flightcentre, and EBGames.

To top it all off, I am having a bad case of knitter's block. I haven't knitted anything in a couple of weeks. I can't seem to decide what to make. I want to start some socks for DH, a hat for my son, and a scarf for my daughter. I think I am in the space that I find myself in when I have too many things to do and can't decide which thing to start. Common sense says get started on son's hat and daughter's scarf since I will be seeing them in a about a month when I go to the US for a visit but I am just blocked. I think I need to wander through the yarn store and find the right yarn and/or the right pattern. Or perhaps I need to give myself a swift kick to the bum and just start knitting. Maybe I will feel better and not so depressed.