WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday and it's all about Works in Progress :) I'm hoping to make this a weekly feature. These weekly posts will not only cover my crafty endeavors, they'll also cover my schooling, exercising/health and updates on my ongoing journey to become a more grounded and happy person. So, let's get the show on the road! I have a couple of knitting projects going on. They're both smaller projects for special people in my life :) First up is the "Summer Breeze" strappy top for Adeline. I'm knitting it in Nashua Ivy. It's dreamy, drapey alpaca and sparkle yarn. I modified the amount of stitches I cast on to fit Adeline's small frame. I previously knit one for Azalea. She loves it!!! I'm planning to finish off Adeline's top with some cutesy popscicle buttons I got from the ever fantastic and whimsically wonderful Nim of Rude and Reckless.

As you can see I don't have much done. However, it is quick knit and a great take-a-long project. Next up in the knitting category is cowl I'm knitting for the aforementioned Nim. This girl is amazing, she gives me the warm and fuzzies everytime I think about her. We've only met once but I consider her a dear friend! She is thoughtful, kind, funny, witty, intelligent, super crafty and has impeccable taste in desserts. So, to show her my appreciation I'm knitting her the "Honey Cowl" in some handspun pure silk yarn called "Seafoam" that I spun a few weeks ago. I'm knitting the shorter version as I only have about 240 yards. The yarn is a lovely slightly thick and thin single ply of incredible softness. As I was knitting it, I realized that the stitch pattern resembled the scales of a mermaid tail. Nim and I are both avid fantasy enthusiasts. So, "Mermaid Scales" it is :)

That's it for knitting! On to SPINNING! I also have two projects going on. I picked up my drop spindle after months of not using it. I started to feel the itch for my trusty ol' drop spindle. I love how portable drop spindles are and the fact that they are so simple to use. Both of the fibers I'm spinning are from Storied Yarns. Jess, the owner, cleverly creates her yarns and fibers after characters it books and movies. I am an avid book reader. Needless to say, this wasn't my first nor last purchase from Jess. Up first is "The Other Mother" a lovely Coraline inspired batt of BFL, Merino, sari silk, Firestar and other wools. It is incredibly lofty and soft with just the right amount of texture. It has been a joy to spin.

Next up is "Halloween Town" a squishable Nightmare Before Christmas inspired BFL roving. I LOVE the veritable kaleidoscopic of colors in this roving. The colors are saturated but I haven't encountered any felted bits that can sometimes happen with super saturated fibers. The picture definitely doesn't do the colors justice. Unfortunately, the battery for my camera was dead. I'll try to update with a better picture. I am really proud of the spinning for this yarn. I've mostly been spinning textured yarns as of late. However, the yarn I'm producing is crazily even and thin. I'm planning to navajo ply it to preserve the pretty color transitions.

I should mention that both of these fibers were custom made for me because I bought the "Large Surprise Package full of Yarn OR Fibery Goodness" listing in her store. I got a perfectly tailored box of goodies. Last up for my crafty WIPs is a little bit of embroidery I've been working on intermittently. It's nothing special, just a sampler on a small throw pillow cover. The pattern and pillow cover are both from Sublime Stitching.

My life is my most time intensive and serious WIP. I've dedicated myself to getting healthier physically and mentally. As of late my life has been like a roller coaster. As a result my depression, anxiety and agoraphobia flared up. I also found out that I'm prediabetic and have prehypertension. Yikes!!! That is some scary stuff. My first instinct was to just curl and basically withdraw into my shell. But, I managed to pull the pieces of myself together. I've implemented daily exercise, meditation, deep breathing, journaling, positive affirmations and healthy eating. I feel so much better!!! I am slowly but surely getting my life back in order. I am able to leave the house without having a total melt down. I feel like a human again. My endurance has increased immensely and I've lost over 20 pounds. I'm still a WIP but I'm one step closer to actualizing the woman I want to be :)

My oldest and I :) I've also stretched my septum and lip holes ;) Only bit. But, a little is better than nothing. My septum is up to 10 gauge and my lip holes are 14 gauge(they weren't really a stretch at all) I'm not sure how much larger I'll go. Stretching is addictive! I'd like to get my septum to at least a 6 gauge and my upper lip piercings to at least an 8 gauge.

I'm really close to graduating. That has brought on some serious contemplation about my future. What do I want to DO?! I THINK (lol) I've narrowed it down to either a museum curator or librarian for a large academic/research library. Well, I think this post substantive enough! I've got to get the kiddos off to bed :)

Finals Week

Mt brain is mush :( I have one final to take and one term paper due by the end of the week. I haven't even started the paper. I keep getting side tracked by kids, baking and crafting. I am such a huge procrastinator. Argh... I feel so burnt out. What am I going to do?!

My hero's journey...

In my Art History class we are studying Roman art and discussing the Odyssey. One of our assignments this week was to write a 2 page paper describing a hero's journey that we have taken. After writing this I felt inspired. It did me some good to look back at what I have overcome and how far I have come. It inspired a sense of accomplishment and thankfulness. Here is what I wrote:

I believe that my true hero’s journey began when I became pregnant at the age of 17. I was attending community college and working part time. I was still very much a selfish child only after one’s own enjoyment. When I found out I was pregnant my life changed immediately. The pregnancy and subsequent child would either make me or break me. I had been through some rough times before and knew I could persevere and do what was best for this little life inside of me. I was still living with my parents at the time. Telling my mom was one of the hardest things I had to do. I told her and she took it relatively well. It was decided that the father would move in with me. We tried our best to make things work and come together as a family. I continued to work and go to school even though I was exhausted and achy. I was determined to provide the best that I could for my child. I didn’t want to become another statistic for teenage pregnancy. In order to rise above that, I had to give up my child like ways of self gratification and take up the mantle of motherhood. This process wasn’t something that I was completely conscious of. It was as if there was never another option besides becoming a competent mother. I gave up on a lot of people that I had foolishly thought of as friends. I discarded destructive behaviors.
The pregnancy went along without as much as a hitch. The birth was a completely different story. I was to be induced and was in labor for about two days. I have never experienced a pain so total and agonizing as contractions. I tried to just ride the waves of pain without the aid of pain medication. But, in the end I couldn’t take it. On the second day something happened to pinch the baby’s umbilical cord. I was rushed into surgery for an emergency c-section. He came out blue and not breathing. At the time I didn’t know what was going on. All I knew was that there was some sort of trouble and I hadn’t heard my baby cry. They managed to get him breathing. He was rushed into the neonatal intensive care unit where he was hooked up to machines to help him breathe and basically take care of every bodily function. I was devastated. I thought I was going to lose my little man. Through the whole ordeal I kept the faith that he would triumph over these obstacles, that I would be taking my little boy home soon. I had no doubt that he would be a survivor and fighter just like his mom. He was in NICU for a total of 2 weeks. He made a complete turnaround. It was one of the most difficult things to see my son hooked up to all those machines and the subsequent bruising left by all the needles.
Taking him home was one of the most joyous occasions of my life. My son and I had recovered from such a traumatic experience. We had overcome all the obstacles and had come out on top. There were still worries about his development because of the oxygen that was deprived from his brain. I kept waiting for developmental delay, for some sign of a problem. I was hyper vigilant in regards to every babble, every movement, every gesture that he made. At this time I was still working and the father and I had moved into an apartment of our own. Things were not working out in the relationship department. He was much older than I was but he acted like a child. Granted, I still had a lot of growing up to do, too. Our relationship began to crumble. But, I was determined to try to make it work. I wanted a complete family unit for our son. I never had a functioning father figure in my life and I experienced how devastating that could be. I didn’t want my son to go through what I had. I sacrificed my happiness and sanity chasing this ideal of a perfect family.
When things finally came to a head, I was forced to realize that I could never be a good mother if I wasn’t happy. Just because there is a mother and father in the picture does not make an ideal and perfect environment for a child to thrive in. I left his father and moved back in with an uncle of mine. Throughout this whole ordeal my son blossomed into a happy, well adjusted and intelligent child. We eventually were able to stop going to his developmental checkups. This part of my hero’s journey helped start the transformation into the person I am today. It also helped me realize that some of my ideals were less than perfect. In the end, I was able to see what I really wanted out of life for me and son. I learned self restraint, faith, strength, and kindness. I was rewarded with a beautiful son that was followed by two more wonderful girls. I found a husband who compliments my strengths and fortifies my weaknesses.

I would liken myself to Odysseus. I am like Odysseus because I am strong willed, bound and determined to persevere over all obstacles and do what it right and good. He was out of his element when time and time again he was thrown for a loop. Yet and still he kept his mind and heart pointed towards home. I, too, was out of my element in regards to being a teenage mom. But, I kept focused on my goals. Whenever something of a challenge presented itself to me I vaulted past it. I did not give into the temptations that would prove to be easier. I knew what I wanted for my son and I and nothing would stop me. Odysseus was challenged and tempted time and time again to stray from his chosen path. He stayed true and was rewarded with a life with his loyal wife and son.

When I think of how I would depict myself in regards to my hero’s journey, Friday Kahlo and her many expressive paintings come to mind. For me, she captures the struggles, joys, pains of being so many things to so many people. She is one of my favorite artists. With her style and my hero’s journey in mind I depict myself as sort of mother goddess figure with earth as my skin, and stars as my eyes. I would have pieces of my life and journey connected to me with vines. Being a mother has so many different facets but ultimately you are the center of your family’s universe. I would want to show the nurturing side that I developed by showing myself as an earth mother figure.