these things i keep

I am a notorious pack rat.

When I was little, this showed up in several collections I would keep running at all times: I would always save popsicle sticks and yogurt containers. (Rinsed. Usually.) As well as any bits of string, scraps of fabric, interesting paper, or stickers I could find.

I haven't grown out of this urge to save things, even when I don't know what I'm saving them for. From what horrible circumstance would a glass bottle collection save me? I have no idea.

Even in the reading of books, I squirrel things away, lining the literary nest of my brain. With what?

Quotes. I've filled two decently large blank books with quotations! The second of these I finished recently, and flipping through it is like flipping through the years of my post-college reading.

I love quotes. Love them. I save them because they're clever or intriguing. Ironic or lovely. Or because they are stunning mini-poems, and reading them takes my breath away. (Leif Enger and Peter S. Beagle got their own, separate, miniature quotebooks--there were too many astonishing lines for my main book!)

Reading them over is a wonderfully luxurious feast of brilliance.

I mean, how could I ever let go of these?

Thou dost snore distinctly; / There's meaning in thy snores. -- Shakespeare

For every life situation there is a fitting quote from the hand of Shakespeare. -- J.V. Hart

The world is not a prison house, but a kind of spiritual kindergarten where bewildered infants are trying to spell God with the wrong blocks. -- E.A. Robinson

Some mornings, when you get up, the day is so narrow you can hardly squeeze in. -- Charles Schulz

I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books. -- C.S. Lewis

She wrestled with her better self, and finally succeeded in bringing it to the surface by the scruff of its neck. -- P.G. Wodehouse

My idea of hell is a very large party in a cold room. -- Stella Gibbons

Balloon travel is best, particularly between home and school. -- William Pene du Bois

A large nose betokens a large heart. -- Edmond Rostand

As long as there are postman, life will have zest. -- William James

Ah... just rereading them! I could do it for hours, browsing this collection, poking at different phrases... And maybe if I read them often enough, some of their cleverness will spill over to me.

a handful of photos...

... from my recent trip to Florida. Road trips = yay.

Bonus, there is sunlight in these pictures, a winter rarity.

.

Felt soooo gorgeous to have the windows down and that warm Florida breeze slapping at my hair. Weather like that could convert a die-hard winter fan like myself... am I finally thawing?

.

It was so wonderful, of course, to be down there again. Mom and I had so much to chat about on the drive, with our respective book projects, our writing lives...

.

And then amazing to see how fast my little niece is growing. She is just an incredible little person, and our time there flew by!

.

(That was *not* meant to be a photographic pun on the word fly... I'm just surprisingly clever, that's all...)

.

Fantastic, too, talking with my sister and brother-in-law, catching up on all our lives. (This, too, should be known: my little sister makes a mean batch of guacamole. Just so you know.)

.

Now we're counting down the days till we get to see each other again... Visits with sisters don't stick, they don't last. Leaving always comes too soon; arriving is never soon enough.

the way i think

So many things to say, here at the beginning of February! But if I settle in for a real blog update, do you know what you would hear?

This afternoon's debate: do I spend these wonderfully sunny hours writing, as I certainly should? Or knitting, to catch up with some important Etsy orders, and to squeeze out an important pre-Valentine's post?

Or... reading the gluttonous stack of library books I just brought home. On the couch, with winter sunlight pouring in. And tea. And warm socks. And the phone silenced.

(Guess what I really, really want to do.)

So we'll see. I'm off to do more tail-chasing and coin-flipping. And probably waste the sunshine with indecision. (I'm not actually as disciplined as a lot of people suppose I am.)

What would you do with a wonderful sunny afternoon? You would read, right? Of course you would. I should listen to you. You sound wise and confident.

quick note

I'm more than a little exhausted, after a short night. Complete sentences are challenging. How do you feel about a handful of fragments?

Florida. Road trip. Two days to sun.

To see family. Friends. Niece.

NIECE!!!

Piles of not-yet-packed clothing littering my bed. Already-packed bags bulge near the door.

Over the phone, my sister and I make our to-do lists: cooking is near the top... we've spent so many hours dancing around each other in a steamy kitchen. It's one of the things we both miss when states crowd between us. (Those darn states.)

Laugh. That's high on the list.

Love on her little girl. (Did I mention my amazing niece?)

There will also be knitting, for me. Last Wednesday, one of our products just exploded... figuratively, that is. A lot of people love it! So much so that I'm going to be a very very busy girl. And altogether sick of knitting with red yarn. Nevertheless: hooray.

Oh, and writing for me. Reading a manuscript to my sister, seeing what she thinks. Showing her my designs for new knits for spring. Explaining (perhaps over coffee) the preliminary planning on this next book, this new idea of mine... And possibly catching a few new ideas, new scenes. Getting them down on paper, if I'm quick enough with my pen.

So good to see them all again. My sister, my brother-in-law, my niece. A week will evaporate, and then I'll come home, just in time to sweep up the last few days of January.

a weekend of knits

Whew! Kristen and I just posted new items to our Etsy store, and we're super excited! Drop by Squirrel & Serif sometime for a peek at our things, and then browse the other Etsy offerings. I'm continually amazed and encouraged by the creativity of the other sellers!

I think we're starting to get into our rhythm of creating, photographing, and posting our items. There's always more to learn, but it's more enjoyable and less stressful now. And we're both brimming with new ideas for spring! Stay tuned...

(Ah, and that's the fabulous alpaca hat and scarf I had so much fun knitting! Yummm. The loveliest yarn to work with!)

So that's the knitting update!

Next up? A very productive writing week! My characters would like me to back away from the yarn for awhile, and spin paragraphs instead of scarves. Which is simpler? Scarves, no contest! But I miss my characters, and they... well, I don't know that they miss me, but they'll threaten rebellion if I don't listen to their demands. So here's hoping for a fun and challenging week in the land of fiction!

something to perk up your day

Nearly half of the pictures on my camera right now are of ... coffee. I looked through them, and it's official: I am a girl obsessed. Obsessed. (You don't believe me? Just wait.)

It's just so beautiful, though. And to me, coffee is synonymous with good conversation, with feeling at home, with my family and my dearest friends. Oh--and with the energy to tackle whatever's troubling me.

So, just in case you're the same way, here are a few cups we can share... cheers!

Oops, this first cup is full of soy chai from Companion. So, it's not coffee. But it's darn good nevertheless!! (Especially when you're surrounded by friends.) And Companion's is the best I've had.

An after-dinner cappuccino at Macaroni Grill, before taking a sip...

... and after!

Yet another mug of chai at Companion in Saint Louis. One of my new favorite places!

A morning cappuccino at Kaldi's. I was half in love with the barista after tasting this... Yum. YUM.

... and an afternoon cappuccino at Kaldi's. Surprised? Shocked? I didn't think so.

Mmmm.

PW's Dulce de Leche coffee, inspiring me to write...

... You'll never guess what all of this puts me in the mood for. Excuse me. It's suddenly very urgent that I go to the kitchen...

finding my feet

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. -- Charles Kingsley

It's that part of the day when all the color is leaking out of the world--the sky and the snow are the same shivery blue. My mug of coffee invites my cold fingers... slowly becoming warmer fingers.

I'm in a better frame of mind than I was last post. This week I've been trying to find a balance between knitting and writing.

While I love having two huge creative endeavors to fill my days, it sometimes feels like there's a war in my brain. I'm knitting a new scarf, feeling sheepish for not writing. Or I'm working on my writing, sneaking glances at my yarn stash and itching with new plans.

But here at the end of the week, I'm starting to get the hang of it. At least, I've put in some serious writing hours, and I'm thrilled with the way this newest novel idea is growing. (More on that another time.) A luxurious, browsing trip to Barnes & Noble didn't hurt: there's nothing like time in a bookstore to refuel my urge to write.

I picked up some Moleskine journals there, and that alone will put me at my desk for a few hours. What is it about blank books? In particular, what is it about Moleskine journals? I usually visit their little kiosk and pat them all, wondering what I might fill them with. I love their sleek looks and their history: the notebook of Hemingway! Of Chatwin!

I confess, I pick them up because of Hemingway. It doesn't even make sense, because I always think I like Hemingway, and then I read him and remember I can't stand him. Maybe it's just the idea of him? Or maybe just his name, or perhaps the smell of words and Paris, that aura that hangs around him.

Second confession: I have no idea who Chatwin is.

So now I own these legendary little journals--yes, I like that they are legendary. Makes me think they can handle paragraphs from these epic novels I'm trying to write. Better yet, it makes me think that I can handle writing these paragraphs...

So, yes. I have been writing again.

I've done a lot of knitting, too, and turned out one of my favorite products yet: a gorgeously soft alpaca-wool hat. Yum. It's going to hurt to sell this one, I admit. It's soooo lovely! And my desk is covered in scraps of paper with new ideas for pillows, coffee cozies, blankets, hats... I could clone myself twice over and never run out of things to make.

It's funny the way they're related, writing and knitting. Crafting something from your own ideas and a few simple tools. Hoping it brings someone else warmth and joy. And hoping you can stick with it long enough to make something lasting, and good.

the second to last day

There's not much time left in 2009 before the credits roll and the custodians come through to sweep the popcorn from under our feet.

The ends of years always make me wistful--no big surprise, considering how I keep a death grip on time, and feel breathless whenever I turn the page in my calendar.

Shouldn't there be something epic and wonderful I could do, to tie off the end of the year and wave goodbye? (And I don't mean a New Year's party--appetizers, firecrackers, countdowns... it's not quite what I have in mind.) I don't know. Something big. Something splendid.

Today, however, is quiet instead of splendid. So this is how I'm celebrating December 30 this year:

* I watched the snow trickling into our backyard.
* Worked on roughing in more of my novel's sequel. (That's big and splendid. Woo hoo!)
* Made a list of knits to make for Squirrel & Serif before Valentine's Day.
* Talked with Mom over a cinnamon mocha (yum).
* Stared out at the glow of our Christmas lights in the early evening.

It makes for a peaceful second-to-last day... and maybe that's all right for an ending, after all. Maybe that's all right.

hello, much-neglected blog. remember me?

I know. I know. I can see it on your face, blog. I can hear it in your (slightly snide?) Hello, stranger. I've been gone for a while. And I haven't thought much of hanging out with you. I'm sorry, blog. I'm trying to be better.

But I've been so swamped! And bewildered at being swamped. You understand, right, blog? (Of course you don't. You're all in neat little columns, your lists are alphabetized, everything has dates and titles... what do you know about swamps??) All right then. Explanation:

What I've been doing:

* Celebrating another Christmas with my wonderful family.

* KNITTING. There has been a lot of knitting. Plenty of things for our Etsy store (which then sold!), and then Christmas mittens for my sister. (Finished today... they turned out wonderfully!) Now I'm working up some new ideas for the store... hopefully, I'll get a chance to post them soon.

some legwarmers I designed (and then modeled!) for our store...

* Watching The Dick Van Dyke Show on hulu.com (hellooooo, all five seasons!!) as I knit and plan.

* Dyeing my hair red again. Bright red. I absolutely love it! I feel like I fell out of a comic strip, or something. Um, a comic strip where they have excessive amounts of knitting?

* Oh. And then, I've been missing writing. Starting and stopping. Forgetting some ideas. Starting again. Stopping again.

What I haven't been doing:

* Oooh. Cleaning my room. That would be a good idea.

* Cooking for fun. (Notable exception: today my entire morning was devoted to making an extraordinary four-layer cheesecake. Mmmmm. Cooking, I missed you.)

* Reading. I raided the library a few weeks ago, and that huge stack of books is just gathering dust on my dresser. I pat it lovingly from time to time, but that's about it.

* Um. Writing. Yeah, that's the big one.

These last three weeks have been a kind of limbo, blog. I've been super focused on the Etsy store, and I love it! I really, really love it. We've had so much success--we've shipped things all over the U.S. by now (and one package went to the other side of the world). I'm full of new ideas for January, for spring, for summer. I'm thinking about collections and themes and colors and patterns. All my creative energy has gone the way of knit and purl.

I really love it.

... And I really miss writing.

I know that I can do both: write my usual amount every day, and work on the store in the evenings. I know there's enough day, enough creativity, enough energy to go around. But I haven't found my balance yet--I've put everything toward the store. And honestly, I feel a little lost. I care so much about the store, but writing is who I am.

I'm sure I'll get back on track soon, but I've never had much patience with transitions like this one. I usually freak out, or make dozens of lists (and promptly misplace them all), or focus on a single thing to the exclusion of all else. And then, eventually, things sort out.

So I'll get back to writing regularly very soon, blog. Writing my novel (I've just started pre-production on my third manuscript... woo hoo!), and writing posts for you. Soon, I promise. Meanwhile, merry Christmas. Happy Boxing Day.

(... What do you say for boxing day? I have no idea. Have a nice box. I hope it came with pretty ribbon.)

announcing squirrel & serif

There is nothing like a dream to create the future. -- Victor Hugo

I go through weeks where everything I think of feels like a blog entry. And then other weeks, I might remember, might: "I have a blog?" Guess what sort of a week it's been. (Sorry.)

But there is so much going on--such exciting news! Our Etsy store is open! YES!! Squirrel & Serif is live on Etsy, so go take a peek when you can... We are so proud of it. We've already made our first three sales, which is amazing and daunting as well.

I've heard other crafters talk about how humbling it is to sell what they make, but I didn't start to understand it until this week: We began getting comments and questions from Etsy buyers interested in what we've made. And knowing that something you've thought up and knit together made someone happy ("Love this! Can't wait!"), or will be a Christmas present for someone... pretty amazing to intersect other lives that way.

Anyway, so far the store is full of knitted wear, but Kristen has plans for other sorts of products... graphic design student that she is. I'm safer sticking with knitting, so that's what I'll be creating.

(She is, of course, the Squirrel side of the equation. And I'm Serif... one of my favorite word words.)

No other news, but here are a few pictures from our "shop":

Stamping tags for our items, and Kristen tying up our very first purchase...

Anyway, thanks for cheering us along!

(Oh, and where does writing fall amongst all this? Very good question. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.)