New and unfinished.

So, I'm finally getting around to answering some of the questions Larissa tagged me for a week, or two(?) ago.  I answered a similar meme that covers some of the same things awhile back so you can go here if your interested.  Here are the rest of my responses:

What were you doing 1 hour ago?

Eating lunch with the boys and C and the crew of 4 people who are working with him at the shop.  They come over and have lunch with us at the house at noon most weekdays.  It's a nice break in the day to spend time with other adults.  Meanwhile, I ran to the laundry room in the shop to throw a load in the dryer and got the seats arranged in the van so we are ready to take C's sister, her husband, and their son to the airport later this afternoon.  They're off to Jamaica for two weeks, as a late "honeymoon"!

Five (or so) creative things you want to achieve this year.

1. Knit less. 2. Knit more. 3. Work on the afghan pictured above that I started making with my stash of plant dyed yarns (pattern is the Community Afghan from Handknit Holidays), and another patchwork blanket recently started out of felted sweaters.  4. Find more fun and interesting ways to approach homeschooling.  5. Learn to use the Dremel tool given to me by my in-laws at Christmas.  6.  Knit lace.  I have the yarn for a Flower Basket Shawl in my stash.   7. Read more, mostly fiction, in hopes of fueling creative endeavors.  8. Build a tree house with C and the boys.   That isn't five, is it?

The next 5 movies you'd like to rent.

1.Wedding crashers.  2. Frida, again.  3. Sense and Sensibility.  4. Brokeback Mountain.  5. ? 

I know that some of these are still in the theater but, since I can be fairly certain they will never show at our dinky local movie theater, I'll just have to wait until I can rent them.

Why has this taken me so long to get to this meme?  Honestly?  I quote myself from my previous meme responses: "Scattered." "Lollygagger."  But there is another reason: I have this tendancy to become a bit mute when reading Larissa's blog.  Hers is one of the first few blogs I ever placed in my Favorites folder, long before I started blogging, so she's one of my blogging heroines.  Not only does she knit, but she's a "real artist".  You know, the kind with installations in galleries, the kind that I have so much admiration for, the kind who does "important" work.  You know what I mean.  And she writes these articles for Knitty, highlighting other artists.  Only somebody way cooler than me does stuff like that, right?.  It's a bit intimidating being asked such questions, particularly ones relating to my own creative goals.  How can mine ever compare to hers?

But, then I remember that she's another person out there living her daily life, trying to find balance between raising a child and having a family and still having the time and energy for her own endeavors and ideas, and figuring out how to make it all work for her in her own way, AND she's doing a great job of it all, from what I see.

I quickly realized after the birth of our first son that ultimately, one of things raising a child does, above ALL else, is challenge your creativity in new ways.  How do I/we soothe a colicky baby, especially when almost nothing works and what works one evening doesn't work the following evening?  How do I accomplish even a small portion of what I used to in a given day? How do we wean a baby?  How do we parent our children together?  How do we maintain a relationship with eachother when we can hardly even hear eachother over the ruckus and constant questions?  How do we teach them to be good people?  How do we get them to eat dinner? How do I stay sane? I could go on and on.

I've never fulfilled my duties with any chain letter yet.  I'm afraid it stops here.  Let lightning strike as it may.

So, to change the subject a bit but still remain on the subject of Portland knitting bloggers, We Heart Yarn is the relatively new site of  four Portland women blogging together.  They're doing their very own Jaywalker knitalong together within the bigger knitalong.  Shannon is the only other blogging knitter I've actually met in person, and she's also the only other person I've known to knit in the dark wearing a headlamp, only she knits like that in the bar (bold woman!) while I've only knit that way around the campfire.

Yet another long-winded post.

Comments

[Lisa]

You know, I've only been reading your blog for a little while but I'm so inspired by the cool things you create, your artistic sense, and they way you raise your children at the same time. I don't have children yet but I will and you are the type of mother I look up to and will aspire to be like. You rock! *blush* Okay I'm done.

Also #5. - May I suggest Walk the Line?

[chelee]

Knitting with a headlamp, DOH! Why didn't I think of that.

I love reading your blog, so it doesn't ever seem long winded to me(-:

[kathreen]

hi just catching up on your news.
love these squares - always in love with your colours and images

[kelly]

nope, you aren't longwinded. (I know all about longwinded.)

And can totally empathize with the idea of babies/children completely challenging and changing your creative life! But those kiddos matter more, ultimately, than published works or stuff in a gallery. Published works aren't going to call you on the phone when you're 80, or visit you in the nursing home, or choose to bring you home from the nursing home to live in a REAL home instead, or come by to make sure you and the old man aren't snowed in.

And stuff in a gallery isn't going to cuddle in your lap, or learn to read, or make you laugh so hard you wet your pants, or give you a reason to go on living in February when it's dark and snowy.

I have to keep reminding myself of that other reality, when I get frustrated at the "real life" of four kids which "interrupts" my creativity.

see, I told you I knew long-winded!

[kelly]

p.s. those plant-dyed colors are GORGEOUS!

[Debi]

I second Kelly's sentiment, those afghan squares are stunning!!

I'm glad you're still blogging :)

[jean]

I watched Sense and Sensibility last night. For the billionth time. The blues and browns in that movie take my breath away. And so much GREEN. Stunning. And the more I watch it, the more I laugh. It is so beautiful and silly all at the same time. Enjoy. (Charlotte Gray is for blues, purples and reddish. But there is at least one scene that I can no longer watch. I must fforward through it.)

[Anna]

Thank you for your beautiful photos and the stunning way you group them. Headlamps work well in the car too. :)

[erica]

I love your writings! Oh..and don't rent Sense and Sensibility please.. just buy it!! I think I've watched it over 20 times and it never gets old...

[Kara]

The Flower Basket Shawl is on my list also. I'm trying to decide which first, that or Kiri.

Let me know what more interesting ways you find to homeschool. I just found the Kumon books for my preschooler and we are loving those. Who wouldn't love a paper folding class? The oldest two are working on the Chinese New Year homeschoolalong.

[Jeanne]

I find it immensely comforting to read things like your post and know that I'm not the only one who asks herself these questions, and ponders the ways to balance family and creativity.

And can you let us know which plants you used (or will use in future dye sessions) for those afghan squares? I find myself looking at all of the onion skins, beets, pomegranates, etc. I use in cooking, and wondering about how they would come out.... Yours are lovely.

I second Erica's motion -- just buy "Sense and Sensibility"!

[desperate knitwife]

your site is great! love the photo/yarn montages. sincerely, desperateknitwife

[larissa]

Hi Siri! I'm laughing here, thinking I'm any kind of example of anything good. But I thank you very much for what you wrote about me. (I wrote the other day about Kay being an example of well-finished knitting and made her laugh, too. It's so nice we all admire one another, isn't it great?)

I'm inspired by your blog all the time, by how you see color - the combinations you see and play up that others take for granted. I have seen all kinds of ordinary things in new ways because of you. And that takes a lot, to do that to someone who is already tuned in to color and juxtaposition. I thank you for that, too.

And I love your squares. I wish I could dye yarn. That is one of my big creative dreams. But of course I have the same question about accomplishing even a small portion of what I used to be able to do in one day. And it isn't going to get easier for at least 15 years, I'd guess. So I am working on letting many things go and being happy with small things I make and do. I'm posting about knitting in the car tomorrow; I've been reduced to that being my alone time, even though I'm the passenger with several other people in the car.

BTW, not sure if you know but I nominated you for the queerjoe blog thing. I need to go see who won those...