My Life in Stitches: Floor Full of Blocking

My knitting has fallen victim to my new job. Not that I have one of those exhausting jobs, but that my 9-5 is occupied and I can’t knit as much as I would like to. Before I had dedicated times of knitting. Now, I knit on 15-miniute breaks, while I’m stuck in traffic or any other moment I can steal.

The problem with this is over the summer I started a number of projects to wear once the weather changed. I had a sweater, a shawl and a poncho on my needles at the same time. I thought I had enough time to finish them all before now. I did manage to finish knitting two of them but I didn’t block them, and according to my husband, they’re not finished until they’re blocked.

This past Sunday was my wake-up call. When we left for church, it was barely sixty degrees outside. And the building we meet in is county-owned, so the thermostat is set until someone comes and turns the heat on later this year. I nearly got hypothermia during the church service. I needed the things I knitted but they weren’t blocked.

I realized the error of my ways and blocked all three garments, in addition to an item I knit for a swap partner and a scarf my husband knit. Right now, they are keeping my living room floor warm but soon, they’ll keep me warm.

Feeding

Years ago, in an art class, I heard a statement from my teacher that has stuck with me ever since: Visually feed yourself. In this statement, my teacher was encouraging us to go out and look at great art. She didn’t care what format it was in, paintings, sculptures or great magazine layouts. The point was to allow our minds to feast on the art in the world.

This was a great principal not just because it was true but because it applies to more than one artistic endeavor. I am a singer, fiber artist and writer in addition to being a graphic designer. I found that this principle applies to more than just painting.

Now that I am writing my next novel, I’m feeding myself with great writing. Not so much fiction in the genre I’m writing, but other ways. I’m digesting newspaper and magazine articles, blog posts and non-fiction books. I’m reading the last four issues of the Writer’s Magazine and the last two issues of Writer’s Digest. I’m reading a great book by Timothy Keller on prayer. I’m visiting Michael Hyatt and Publisher’s Weekly’s blog every now and then.

 I’m feeding myself with great words, not to copy them, but to stir up my appreciation for a well-written piece and turn it into fuel for writing something that may feed another writer one day.

I Think I Might Make It

Every year I do the Bible in a Year reading plan. As a pastor, and more than that, as Christian, it is important to know the Bible I live by. That’s one of the reasons I do it every year. My other reason is not so honorable.

I do a Bible in a Year plan every year because I can’t ever make it past the book of Isaiah.

I’m not sure why it happens, but I often bail on the reading around this book. It’s not the longest book. It’s not even my favorite book and I’m tempted to linger. That distinction belongs to Ephesians. Although it’s not my favorite, it has great passages in it. Chapter 7, a virgin shall bear a son and His name shall be called Immanuel.  Chapter 9, the root of Jesse shall spring forth and the government shall be on His shoulders and Chapter 53, the portrait of the Suffering Servant.

And I’ve tried reading it in different translations. I’ve tried listening to the audio of it. Neither help. I can even read the rest of the Bible after Isaiah, of course not in order. Isaiah gets me every time.

Except this year. This year, I think I’m going to make it. I am on chapter 45. Only 21 more chapters to go!  I can make it through 21 chapters if I’ve already made it through 44.

Could this year be the year I make it past Isaiah?