Sunday, November 6, 2016

What I Did With My Extra Hour Today

Oh my, it's been too long since I've paid attention to you.   October got away from me without a single post.   For me, writing is like exercising.  If I am not disciplined and diligent, I get lazier and lazier to the point of inertia.
Since we turned the clocks back this morning, I have this extra hour to spend, so here I am.
I am sitting in my lazy chair, the one I mold into when I'm obsessively knitting, just one more row, just one more row.  Before I know it, it’s too late to go to my aerobics class.  Inertia.
My lazy chair is a well-worn high back wing.  It's in front of the fireplace in our living/family room.  Although this morning there is a little nip in the air, it’s not chilly enough for a fire.
Our fall weather has been perfect.  Cool mornings followed by cozy sun-warmed afternoons.
I am wrapped up in my soft fluffy red robe.  My knees are propped up to provide a lap for my laptop.
My Contigo tea mug with the blue top is tucked into the corner of the chair.  It's filled with "Relaxing Honey Vanilla Bliss" by Teekanne Herbal Wellness Teas.
Now and then I take a thoughtful sip pondering what the heck I am going to write about.   As I sip and ponder, I gaze out the front door sidelight windows,  hypnotized by the gentle swaying of brilliant ruby and gold maple leaves.
I must admit I am doing more gazing than writing.
Ross is in the kitchen fighting with Rico.  It's medicine time.  "There's no biting!" Ross admonishes.
Pretty soon I will have to move to the kitchen.  Rico won't eat his food unless I am sitting at the kitchen table.  It's one of his quirks.
Lately, I've been doing a lot of knitting. Truth is, knitting is and has been a big part of my life.  For me, I suppose it's similar to blogging.   It satisfies a creative need.  Many times it has been an emotional support for me.  Like bloggers, knitters also have a supportive community. I am a member of a website called Ravelry.

Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, weavers and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, project and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration.

Ravelry has 6,597,646 registered users. 981,114 Ravelers have been active during the last 30 days.

Wow, huh?  Over six million knitters and crocheters.

Now, within the knitting community, there are the knitting podcasters.  They are also a tight-knit  community.
I have become obsessed with watching knitting podcasts.  There are hundreds and hundreds of them on YouTube.  I find it interesting  that they all follow the exact same format.  I wonder why that is.
Anyway, I fantasize about doing one myself.  Then, I wonder why I want to do one.  Hmmm, lots of introspection surrounds that question.
Perhaps I feel that venturing into the knitting podcast world would provide the same comradery for me that being part of my bloggy family has.
You see no one close to me is a knitter.  None of my sisters knit.  My daughter doesn't.  I tried teaching my granddaughter but she's into other things, which I thoroughly understand. 
Actually, my knitting companion happens to be Ross.  He encourages me by oohing  and aahing about my latest projects.  He is genuinely interested, but he refuses to learn how to knit!
I do belong to the needlecraft group in our community.  They are a great bunch of friendly and welcoming women.  They all do beautiful work.  Even though I am around the same age as most of them, they are of a different knitting generation than the Ravelry and  Knitting Podcast folks.  By that I mean they are used to doing things the way they always did and seem to be hesitant to try new things.  Which is okay.
But, not only do I want to talk about what I'm working on, I also want to learn about the newest techniques, where to find the finest hand dyed yarn, and what the latest designs are.
That's what the knitting podcasters do.  I guess that's what I want to do.
Okay, I have to come clean, I, well Ross and I, do have experience with podcasting.  Our "show" is called Sundays With Lynda & Ross. It is mainly entertainment.  Since we don't have a lot of viewers, it mostly for our own amusement.  And perhaps our great-grandchildren might come across our videos one day.
But, to go solo with a podcast, For this shy introvert, though, it might be a stretch, a real reach outside of my comfort zone.  If I can summon up the courage, I'll let you know.
Anyway, my free hour is up.  I think I'll get dressed and instead of gazing out the window, I'll step outside the door.
By the way, I realized something just now, I missed you! :)