Earning a living

I've started and deleted this post at least five times.  I'd like to talk about what I'm doing to try to gain some financial self sufficiency, but in reading what I've written it just seems to sound whiny or like I'm coming to the reader hat in hand.  With the intent of being matter of fact or maybe with a dose of humor, here goes:

Sooooooo, I've recently added some goodies to my blog here.  While it's all well and good to offer knitting services; it might not be the savviest move to offer them on a knitting blog.  Heh, most of the people visiting here can make it for themselves, right?  I'm still getting commissions from friends and family (... I have no idea what I'd do without you guys and the warm fuzzies you give); but the term "market saturation" seems to come up (also, I have the hardest time trying to quote prices... even at $3.00 per hour + material costs, I feel like I'm asking too much).  What to do...what to do...  Adapt or die?  Diversify?

Also I've started working on my Amazon Associate's store.  Basically if you purchase something through amazon that I've linked, in theory there is a teeny tiny percentage that they think of as commission.  Were considering getting a book anyway?  If nothing else, if you like some of the books I've put up; you may enjoy some of my other recommendations.

Alright, I officially feel like a sell out.  Sorry folks.  On that note, let me enchant and horrify you with the following (particularly effective if you grew up in the 80's):

Oh, one last thing... if you go to Black Acre Brewing Co.'s site and say that you're NOT 21, you'll get directed to a full screen version of the above video.   

Wanted: Good Books

Lately as I've been knitting I've been busy reading, or rather listening.  My hands are busy, and I find comfort in the repetitive motions of looping the yarn over needles.  But due to my recent blues I haven't been feeling up for knitting that I'd term challenging, whether it's attention to the pattern or if it's learning a new technique.  The only problem is boredom and the obnoxious depressing thoughts that run away with my train of thoughts at those times.  At a certain point you stop feeling like you're a monk in a zen-like experience and begin to catch yourself in a slack jawed drooling imitation of a machine.

For a while I would watch *cough cough listen cough cough* to Netflix.  Note:  Action movies are horrible to knit to, most of the plot is visually conveyed, and thus not the best choice for me to click my needles to (although when it's really tense I typically knit faster in anxiety).  Most of the time things like Law and Order fit the bill pretty well; but sitting in front of a computer all day isn't very good for soaking up some sunshine and getting vitamin D.

This lead me to the local library where I ventured up to the information desk and inquired about audio books.  An enthusiastic librarian showed me the shelves of CDs filled, and then hurriedly showed me something new that they had been experimenting with.  Proudly she opened up something that looked like a VHS tape case that contained a mini MP3 player with an audio book on it.  They're self contained books, all you need are headphones (and if you don't have your own you can get some from the front desk too).  It saves your place when you pause it, and with it being so light you can take it anywhere.

Using these cute little MP3 audiobooks, I've knit my way through Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen, The Hypnotist: A Novel by Lars Kepler,The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger, and The Last Child by John Hart.  I'm looking forward to adding a few more titles to this list. Oh, and considering I'm working on knitting a blanket, I might get those audiobooks under my belt sooner than I would expect.  That being said, I'm usually not sure of what I'm checking out from the library, other than it's usually fiction and a mystery.  Any recommendations?  Pretty please leave a comment with the title!

Knitting for good

The Mossy Jacket pattern included in the book.

A few weeks ago I picked up a book from the local library.  It was buried in the 746's (Dewey decimal system baby... hey I worked at a library for a few months), with all of the other nonfiction books on the subject of knitting.  Amid all of the stitch-ionaries, teach yourself to knits, baby pattern books, vogue knits, and stitch n' bitches, was this little paperback called "Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change, Stitch by Stitch" authored by Betsy Greer.  So I tucked it into the pile of books I'd be keeping on the nightstand for the next few weeks.  

One of the main reasons I decided to look at this book is due to something my mother pointed out to me. She said that one of the best ways to feel better in your own life is to help someone else.  If anyone would know, it's her.  I swear, there will be an effort to canonize her even though she's not Catholic.  Not surprisingly that's one of the main messages in "Knitting for Good".

There's something kind of wonderful about putting purpose and meaning into the little things you do and the things we take for granted.  Most of us are wearing clothes where we have no idea where it came from.  Sadly, most of the time it's from a sweat shop in an impoverished nation.  Just a second... yeah, the t-shirt I'm wearing?  It was made in Haiti... (bought pre-earthquake) which according to wikipedia "is the poorest country in the Americas as per the Human Development Index."  Probably would have been a better idea to go get something through American Apparel.  The author of "Knitting for Good", Betsy Greer, encourages us to make more of an effort to look at our consumerism and the effects it has.

Along with these messages, the book also has a number of patterns of things that can be used as donation items, from pet blankets to hats for the homeless. Though I must say that my favorite feature of the book was the small vignettes from numerous contributors on their experiences with donation knits.