Writing into 2015

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First, I want to clear up a slight misunderstanding from my last post. I haven't taken up knitting instead of writing. I have taken up knitting to keep my inner fussy editor busy, since it seems to never be content with how much I'm writing. When I'm not writing as much, such as right now when I'm busier with theater, and my writing is more about getting inspired, contemplating edits, research and note-taking, it puts on the shame and guilt of what it means to be "a real writer." So knitting, while not in any way directly related to writing, does quiet the editor because knitting requires a type of focus, attention to detail, and a measure of precision or at least consistency.

I've also returned to knitting to have something tangible and tactile to do with my hands.

I've been wanting to return to making pottery for several months. I do have a pottery wheel, though I haven't used it in many years and am not sure it even still works. It was fine last I used it, but it was so long ago that anything could have happened. There is handbuilding, which I also enjoy.  I don't have a kiln and I don't have a friend with a kiln. I considered taking a class at Multnomah Art Center again, but the timing doesn't work with my schedule.

So I opted for a larger knitting project, which is less messy, easier to pick up and put down, and doesn't require specific timing like a drying pot and firing. And knitting is more portable - though I will see how true that holds when the project starts looking like pieces of a sweater!

I am still writing. Not at my ideal pace. Not at my NaNoWriMo pace, for sure. But I am still working on short stories and editing the novel. The novel has been taking a rest for a couple of weeks, although I have been thinking about it, primarily the structure and about the new opening chapter it needs.

So I am writing. And I'm knitting. And I'm wading deep into theater. All of this with my regular interpreting work.

In 2015 I'm looking forward to more writing time, more writing submissions, and am excited about a new writing group. That writing group had its first meeting in November; we took December off because scheduling would have been too tricky; and we will start up monthly meetings in January. My Tuesday writing jam partner and I have missed several meetups due to illness and work, but we will be starting those up again soon. The Tuesdays (or whatever day we land on if we need to make a temporary adjustment to the day of the week) will definitely be good; I miss those times.

I have to accept that sometimes the hustle of December gets in the way. No matter how much I try to avoid the stress and the hype and keep out of the media induced frenzy, the times get complicated and schedules are hard and the energy is buzzing all around. But once we get to the new year, things can level off and I can get into a more regular flow. I hope and I believe I will.

That flow includes writing. And maybe I will get this sweater done while it's still winter!

My inner editor is in there somewhere,
contentedly counting stitches!

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Pushing Through the Yuck

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After I finished typing the title, I realized that there were several possible meanings. To "Yuck." Several of which apply in this case.

Meaning one could be "The Yuck" of cold that I was unable to escape. I successfully held it off for several weeks, but it made an attack which overwhelmed me three weeks ago and, for the first week, I was lying low. I was sleeping nine to ten hours a night, was cancelling everything except work, which included interpreting a play, so that I could stay home and rest. Get over The Yuck. It took a long time, nearly three weeks. I'm now at 90 - 95% over it and ready for it to be done. That Yuck impacted my writing because it took everything I had to get to work, prepare to interpret and interpret the play, and get myself to those places. Week one was only those activities; week two was a couple of other meetings; and the third week was my normal schedule, although I was exhausted at the end of the day.

Meaning two, I don't like what I'm writing. That is only partially true, fortunately. There are a couple of the pieces in the short story collection that I'm not happy with. I liked them previously, but right now they are on my Yuck list.

Meaning two, and what I originally intended when I wrote it, was the "this writing project is Yuck." Stuck and hopeless and overwhelming and it can't be saved. It's sad when I hit the wall with both currently active projects. But I did. Wondering where to go with them? Are they any good (oh, what dangerous words those are)? Should I just scrap them and start over? Do they make any sense? What's the point (more dangerous words)? And more.

One way I'm addressing The Yuck right now is by knitting. I know, it's not writing. But it is keeping my hands busy, it's creative (I'm knitting a sweater - the first in a long time; I've been knitting hats off and on but wanted a bigger challenge), and it keeps that fussy part of my brain occupied. It's funny that while I'm knitting, I've been thinking about those stories and the novel. I've worked out a couple of things in my head - though I haven't transferred them to the page, yet. I will. But I think that my chattering and figure-it-out brain has been satisfied with the knitting and my writing-brain has a bit of space to move.

We'll see how it goes. But once I get through the expectations and scrambled schedule of the holidays and another major project I'm consulting on gets a little more under way, I expect writing will return more regularly. I'm looking forward to that return.
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Challenge : K is for Knitting

K is for Knitting.

The first word which came to me was kinesthetic. Maybe I should have gone with that one - it could have sparked a story about my partner, about learning styles and modern education. But I wasn't interested in traveling down that path today.

The second word was kangaroo. That felt too trite and I really have no opinions about kangaroos. No feelings about them either way. They're funny creatures and cool and I've had very little interaction with them. I mean, I've seen them at a zoo, but that's all. I care about them in the sense that they are living, breathing beings; but beyond that, meh.

So today K is for Knitting. And in the way things have gone with my past couple of A to Z Challenge posts, as I was typing the title another K word popped into my head: Kite. And I thought that maybe I could do another dual post. I do have Kite experience in my past. Not as a pro or even a competitor, but at one point in my life I was co-owner to a gaggle of Kites. I don't really know what you'd call them - but we had a bunch of kites; and some of them were not cheap. Some really cool ones. But that's another story - which could go in the memoir I'm editing but it's not in there. Not yet.

But no, I don't want to write about kites today.

So it's back to : K is for Knitting.

I knit a little. In spurts.

But I have a friend who learned to knit from some co-workers and, boy, did he ever pick it up quickly. And well. He's a natural. A mutual friend called him a knitting savant and he kind of is. Within weeks he was making up his own patterns. I'm not referring to just playing around with knit-1 perl-2 knit-1, etc. No, he was creating patterns for scarves.

Easy, you say? No, I mean, he was making up mobius scarves. And he did that type of knitting where you work with two colors at the same time (starts with an F - I think - I could look it up on Facebook but I'm not going to, I'm leaving this post as is) - and it came out fantastic.

Knitting. For me it can be like a meditation (and I'm writing a story about that - the story is fiction but it's based on my experience). Especially things like hats knit on round needles, with repetitive patterns or even, once I get past the brim part, it's just knit around. And around and around.

There is something satisfying in making something you or someone else can use. It's calming. At least with simpler patterns for me. I knit a few more complicated things a number of years ago; but recently it's more hats and scarves kind of things. I was making a set of fingerless gloves, but never finished them.

Knitted Kite pattern on Etsy

I also like the feel of yarn when I'm knitting. And I like bamboo knitting needles. So it becomes tactile, too. I've made a couple of things with synthetic yarns but my experience in knitting them wasn't the same.

Knitting, like sewing, is not really a cost-saving approach, either. Unless you have access to secret stashes or really good deals. Yarn - the good stuff - is expensive and you can probably buy it cheaper than you can make it. Which isn't a reason to not do it - I'm just saying that Knitting is not without costs and probably won't save you money. Another of the things you do because it makes you feel good. And that's okay.

So, today, K is for Knitting.

Maybe I'll write about the Kites later.