Itchy fingers

What does someone who knits for a living do on holiday? I took the weekend off and had a lovely weekend with friends. Lots of activity, no knitting. Now I'm at my cabin on the lake. I've read one book and have started a second but I can feel the itch. It's in my head and interfering with my reading. Now it's in my fingers. I'm not going to last against it. Today I will probably start knitting. Do accountants feel this urge to punch a calculator?

It's not as if I didn't know this would happen. I brought 4 projects with me! I hoping your saying "only 4?"
Deb

Reading too much Blogging advice

I think it is possible to read too much of certain subjects. Fiction, too much? Never. Self-help, yeah, too much can convince you you'll never be what you should be. But I think business books must be the worst. There is sooo much information on how to make it all work. It's overwhelming. And what does overwhelm usually lead to? Chocolate, cookies, wine and not writing the blog.

Blog advice I have read recently:

1. Be useful. So what is useful? Does that mean only technical advice on techniques? Help with getting difficult parts of your knitting figured out? Sometimes a good laugh is really useful. Or feeling like you are not alone in not finishing the 13 projects you have started. Or that you are not the only one struggling to sew on those damn buttons an hour before you want to wear your sweater even though it sat there without buttons for 6 months.

2.  Show videos. But it's also not advisable to send people to other sites because they may not come back. Hello, hello, anybody there? So do your own videos because videos are so easy to dash off in 1 or 2, 3, 4 or more likely 5 hours, to professional standards, of course. And that's after getting a manicure and elocution lessons, learning to handle your camera and keeping your hands in the assigned area that the camera can record (that's the really, really hard part because who can talk without using your hands even when they have knitting needles in them).

3.  Speak in your own voice. Obviously mine is a little cranky today but hey, we all have cranky days. But I should put my big girl pants on and say something nice about all the information I have gained reading how to have a great blog. Not.

So I'm adding new advice. Note to self: Just write your blog. Mine will be part diary of my knitting, part advice and technical help, part whatever else is on my mind, usually about knitting. I'm burning all these blog advice books. No, no, burning books is wrong! I'm taking them to the free bin at the library where they can cause someone else grief many hours of reading pleasure.

After taking a month off, I'M BACK.
Deb

I tried to do some testknitting for the upcoming book while I was watching at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (curling nationals) but it's way too difficult to send good vibes to the team and read and knit all at the same time. So I knit 15" so far on a sweater my daughter picked out at Christmas. I thought that was appropriate. (She's coming out of the hack in the photo.) Team Ontario didn't do as well as they had hoped, just below the middle of the pack in the round robin. But it's very exciting to be here and they'll be back another year.

I'm renting a table at Tim's coffee shop. The rates are terrific - $1.40 for a cup of tea and several hours of internet time! Can't beat it for an office away from home. For the non-sports fans, from here on in we will get back to regular scheduled knitting time.

- Deb in Montreal, QC