5/52 Self Portraits in Black And White

"If you don't have any shadows, you're not in the light."
~Lady Gaga

Green Chunky Blanket

When I finished my chunky cable blanket over the Thanksgiving holiday, I said it would be a while before I attempted another one.

Well, I guess a while for me has passed. I have started another chunky blanket. This one is for my sister. I'm loving the green! Let's hope I don't decide to keep this one for myself also!

4/52 ~ Self Portraits in Black & White ~ Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday I celebrated 46 years on this earth.

46 years.

3/52 ~ Black and White Self Portraits ~ Today I Marched!!!

I've never participated in a march before, but today that changed. Today I marched!!!

When I woke up this morning, it was a dreary, foggy day. All I wanted to do was stay curled up in bed. But I couldn't do it. I got out of bed, jumped in the shower, braided my hair, put my pussyhat on and rolled out.

I grabbed some coffee, picked up my girlfriend and we made our way downtown. I can't tell you how empowering it felt to be in that crowd. Neither one of us had ever marched before, so we didn't know what to expect. We were just excited and hyped to be there. We were among women of all ages, race, color, and creed! There were little girls in strollers chanting along with women probably in their 80s. We were there to stand together in solidarity and fight for our rights as generations of women before us did. A few older women had signs stating they couldn't believe they were still fighting for this sh*t! And we are!

We marched, we chanted, we laughed, we shared stories. The atmosphere was electric and filled with hope!

I felt so proud to be among them all. Fighting for our rights. Fighting for human rights. If we all stand together, we can make a change.

WE ARE WOMEN! HEAR US ROAR!

The Making of a Blanket ~ Chunky Cable Blanket

I LOVE this blanket!

This is my biggest knit project to date and my favorite. I started it on July 22, 2016 and finished it November 24, 2016, Thanksgiving day. As I look over the pictures of my progress I noticed most of my knitting was done in the Fall. Starting a thick chunky blanket in July probably wasn't the best idea.

Since finishing this blanket it has gotten lots of use. I cuddle up in it while watching TV. Drape it over our bed at night for extra warmth. It's my go to blanket. Hubby isn't too fond of it, says it's too heavy and hot for him, but isn't that the point of a blanket. To wrap you in warmth. During our Christmas break, we binge watched Game of Thorns and he said my blanket would fit in perfectly with the Night Watch at The Wall, with all the snow, cold and Jon Snow. He's called it my Game of Thrones blanket.

Sidenote: We loved Game of Thrones! One of the best series. Can't wait for Season 7. 

When I finished this blanket, I said I wouldn't knit another chunky blanket for a while and started to knit other things, but guess what? A new chunky blanket is calling me. I love knitting with chunky yarn and big needles. The size 8's I'm using for a few hats right now are killing me! I happily cast on a new chunky blanket the other day. It's not the same pattern, but I'm loving it and how easy it is. Just knit and purl. I'll be posting it soon.

The pattern for this chunky cable blanket is by Go-Girl Knitting, the Aspen Blanket, and can be found on my project page here on Ravelry.

2/52 ~ Black and White Self Portraits

Moody

When I decided to do this project, I had a few ideas of photos I wanted to take. This was not one of them. I took several different photos this day, and after going through them, this one grabbed me. I'm not sure why, but it felt the most authentic of what I was feeling that day...kinda moody.

Self Portraits in Black and White and Letter Writing

Welcome 2017!

We are 5 days into 2017. How's your week going? After being on Christmas break since December 16, I'm having a tough time getting back into the swing of things. The days seem so LONG at work. My first day back, I came home and took at 2 hour nap! Hopefully by next week I'll be good.

I'm not one for New Year resolutions(I never keep them), but this year I've decided on two projects. First is a year of self portraits in black and white. I've often tried a 365 project - a picture a day and never succeed. 52 pictures, one a week is more doable. Even though my camera is an older Nikon, I have yet to get it out of auto mode. I'm hoping this project will help me with that.

Why black and white? It's simple, no distractions. You focus on the picture, the feelings. My feelings here.....tired! I had just gotten home from work, threw my hair up in a bun, and into my home wardrobe of t-shirt and leggings. I'm not sure where this project will take me or what I'll learn from it, but I'm looking forward to it.

My second project - letter writing. Good ole' fashioned snail mail. Back in the day, I loved writing letters. I had several pen pals, wrote cousins who lived in other cities. There was nothing better than going to the mailbox and finding a letter. I miss it. So I'm bringing it back. My first letter is going out this week. I hope when the person receives it, it will bring a smile to her face. Actually, I'm sure it will, and I'm almost positive she will write back.

So any projects, goals, resolutions for 2017?