Author: Trish

Retired English teacher living in Norway
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Virtue of the Week – Patience

We live in a society where everyone seems in a hurry, on the roads, in the stores, or to get things done. For me, practicing patience means that I take the time to do things correctly and well. I plan and set goals, and I work consistently towards my goals. I do a little bit each day. I don’t let others hurry me. I work at my own pace.

It is important to have patience with oneself as well as with others. Trust and faith in ourselves is an important part of patience. On the other hand, patience is not procrastination or letting oneself be bossed around by others. Patience is keeping going, even if the going gets tough.

After a busy social week, I now have a week that can be used to get projects around the house done. I need to spread the projects over several days, getting a balance between different types of projects, especially the difference between sitting activities and activities that mean that I can move around a lot.

Patience is quiet hope and faith that things will turn out right. We trust the process of life. We are not hasty. We do not rush or allow ourselves to be overcome by pressure. Patience helps us to endure things we cannot control with a peaceful heart. We respond to mistakes or delays, not with judgement but gentleness. We recognize the lessons that come through waiting, and receive them as gifts unfolding with Divine timing. Patience brings acceptance. It calls us to be still in the moment, to be restful, and to listen deeply. Patience soothes our souls.

The practice of Patience:
* I am hopeful and expectant.
* I am gentle with myself and others when we make mistakes.
* I accept things I cannot control with humor and grace.
* I am confident that my life is unfolding as it should.
* I live fully in the present moment.

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Knitting tip #5 – The end of the ball of yarn

I like to use the yarn from the center of the ball/skein, as it then doesn’t roll around. But as there gets less and less left in the ball/skein, there can be problems pulling the yarn from the center. What’s left has a tendency to end up in a big knot.

Solution: Use a plastic bag to hold the ball/skein of yarn, or several balls/skeins if I am using more than one color. The yarn continues to pull out from the center of the ball/skein and I avoid having a knot at the end.

I often use resealable bags, so that when I put away a project, what I am knitting can also be put in the bag (if it’s small enough).

I often have several knitting projects going at the same time, often as there is a need for something simple to knit while watching television or when chatting to people, as well as a project that is more challenging. With each project in it’s own bag, it is easy to keep the yarn separate for each project.

Comment on terminology – I use a “ball” of yarn, though others might use a “skein” of yarn. Looking up various sources online, these terms might be interchangeable though some people would think that there is a difference. One manufacturer described a “ball” as something that you would use the yarn from the outside and a “skein” as something that you could use the yarn from the inside.

Most of the “balls” of yarn that I buy in Norway are easy to find the center of the ball and to use the yarn from the inside.

Using Google translate to go from Norwegian to English, a “nøste” is translated as “skein” and “garnnøste” is translated as “ball of yarn”. So even Google seems to feel that the terms are basically interchangeable. Perhaps, too, growing up in BC in Canada influenced the term that I would use.

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Knitting tip #4 – Knitting Diary

As I mentioned in my last post, I keep a knitting diary, where I write down every evening what I’ve accomplished with my knitting projects during the day. For example, “10 cm on sock done”, or “finished first sleeve on baby sweater”. I started writing my knitting diary on the 1st of October, 2018.

This book is about 10 cm by 15 cm and is small enough to put in a pocket, handbag or knitting bag.

Now that I am retired, knitting is one of my daily activities, one that I find very relaxing as well as useful. Though I knit primarily in the evenings, if I am awake in the middle of the night, I often spend an hour knitting then too. This book becomes a log of what has happened in that particular aspect of my life.

The purpose of the diary is primarily to acknowledge, to myself, that I have done some knitting, or worked on a knitting project, during the day. Purchases of yarn or knitting equipment are recorded. When a project is finished, I record the dimensions of the finished product as well as the amount of yarn used.

But the diary has practical uses as well. For example, when I have completed a project, I can go back and see when I started it and calculate how long it took to do the project. This helps me plan future projects, especially anything that will have a specific deadline.

In addition to a written diary, I will always take a picture of the finished project so that I have a visual record as well of what I have done.



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Knitting tip #3 – Keeping track of progress

There are times when I lose motivation to keep going on a knitting project. This is often when the project becomes a bit monotonous, such as the body of a sweater for a tall person, or a repetitive pattern that I need to concentrate on.

I have found that it helps if I can see how much I have done every day. It also helps me set a reasonable goal for how much I can get done in a day. I place a marker on the last row done on the previous day then in the evening I can see how much I have accomplished that day. It gets written down in a knitting diary.

Note the pink marker that shows how much I have knit on this sleeve so far today. The marker gets moved either in the evening when I have decided not to knit any more, or in the morning when I start the day’s knitting.
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Virtue of the week – Moderation

Back in the 1990s we learned about the Virtues Project and every Sunday we pick a virtue to practice for the upcoming week. This week we picked Moderation.

What does Moderation mean for me at this point in my life? We have just finished a holiday season, with too much eating and too little exercise. I am choosing to practice moderation this week by being moderate in my consumption of food and drink. Meal portions need to be the right size so that I have the energy I need to work, but not so large that I put on weight. Caffeine is an addiction and I want to restrict the amount of caffeine drinks that I consume each day. Water is a healthier drink when I’m thirsty. I set myself a goal and I stick to it.

I also need to make sure that I get a moderate amount of exercise, whether it is going for walks outside, or just making sure I get up off the sofa and do some housework.

Moderation means not overdoing things whatever one chooses to spend time on. The day should have a mixture of activities, that include time alone, but also time with others. There should be a mixture of work activities and play activities. There should be time for relaxation as well as serious activities.

“Moderation is the silken thread running through the pearl chain of all virtues.” Joseph Hall

Moderation is being content with enough. It is using self-discipline to create a healthy balance between work, rest, reflection and play. Moderation protects us from the pull of addictive desires. We do not grasp to do or have more in the belief that we are lacking. We do not try to be everything to everyone. We set healthy boundaries that value our time and energy. We protect ourselves from the stress of overdoing. We discern our own perfect rhythm. Moderation isn’t deprivation. It is loving ourselves enough to choose what is just right.

The Practice of Moderation means that:

  • I spend my time and energy sustainable.
  • I remember to pray and to play.
  • I am free of addictions.
  • I carry responsibility wisely.
  • I protect myself from the stress of excess.
  • I live gently and gracefully.
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Knitting tip #2 – Using circular needles

When knitting garments with a circular needle, it can be useful to use two or more. I’ve already mentioned using three short double-pointed needles for socks and sleeves.

Here’s another example:

I’ve been knitting a pair of baby overalls. The legs are knit separately first (using the set of three short needles) and are then joined together with some added stitches in between. Because of the nature of the garment, it becomes very difficult to knit in a circle immediately. Therefore I use two circular needles the same size and length and have half of the garment on each needle. You can either use a third needle to knit onto, or just use the other end of the same needle.

This same technique can be used when joining the sleeves and the body of a pullover or cardigan, when making raglan decreases or yoke decreases. It is, of course, sensible to get everything onto one needle after about 5 cm of knitting, but you’ll find out yourself when enough length has been knit to allow you to easily put all on one needle. On a pullover I would have each needle go from the middle of one arm to the middle of the other arm. On a cardigan it works best with three needles, with one front and half of one sleeve on each of two needles and a long needle with the back plus two halves of the sleeves.

This baby jacket is actually on three circular needles – one for each front and half a sleeve as well as a longer one for the back and two half sleeves.

Happy knitting!

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What’s for dinner? Color

I remember my mother saying that making dinner wasn’t difficult. What was difficult was deciding what to make. I agree with her.

One of the challenges when deciding what to have for dinner is to create a variety of dishes over the week, or even over a two-week period. I often get in ruts and it is easier to just make the same thing this week as I made last week.

A second challenge is to make the meal nutritious and healthy without using a lot of high calorie foods or using a lot of processed foods. I am also concerned with the salt content in food.

The third challenge is that the dishes should look appetizing and taste good. Even when trying something different, I want to feel that I have made something that was worth repeating. Every now and then I goof, but in general the meals are always edible, even though I may never make it again.

If we look at what makes a meal look appetizing, the first thing I think of is color. There should be a variety of colors and the colors should be a bit bright.

Here’s an example of what I chose to put on a pizza, with yellow, red and green as the main colors.
Here’s what the pizza looked like with the ingredients spread over the dough, before the grated cheese was added. The red is from sliced tomato. The yellow is from pineapple. The green is sliced zucchini and chopped green pepper.

New Year’s Eve’s dinner required two pizzas, so though the same colors were used, the ingredients were slightly different on the second pizza. It is also important to think of taste and what tastes good together, as well as color. When asked, some at the dinner table preferred the one pizza and others preferred the other one. We all have different likes in taste and that is as important as looks.

Ingredients for a second pizza. The mushrooms turn brown when fried. The red pepper gives good color.
The mushrooms were fried before putting on the pizza, as that reduces the water content of them. The zucchini was thinly sliced but used raw. It softens during the time the pizza cooks. The green comes from leek and zucchini. The red was lots of chopped red pepper The whole pizza was covered in grated cheese before being put in the oven.
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Knitting tip #1 – Double-pointed knitting needles

Do you ever get frustrated with so many needle ends poking you when you are knitting in a circle on a small garment and using several double-pointed needles? In North America it is common to use a set of four double-pointed needles. In Norway it is common to use a set of five double-pointed needles. This last year I found a different solution which I now use almost exclusively.

The new set of needles are still double-pointed, but there is a flexible wire in the middle of the needle so that one knits on two needles and can join the work in a circle using the third needle to make the next row.

Double-pointed knitting needle set. Note that the two ends of the needle are slightly different, one end being more pointed than the other.
Here I am knitting the leg of a baby outfit. The work is held on two needles and the third one is used to make the next row.
Here is part of the packaging of the needle set that I have purchased. It is manufactured in Germany.

I purchased my first sets in March 2019 after seeing another person using them. I purchased the four sizes that I use the most (2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm and 4 mm) and have since used them on socks and sleeves and am now using them for the legs for a baby outfit.

I am happy with my purchase and find that I use my new needles a lot. If there are too many stitches they can fall off the “other” end, but that is primarily getting used to how the needles work. Particularly with sleeves, I would transfer my work onto a circular needle as soon as I have enough stitches to make working on the circular needle function well.

It is always fun to try something new and find that it works better than the old ways.

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Reflections at the end of 2019

It is always interesting to look back at what one has actually accomplished during a calendar year. My husband writes an annual letter that is sent out electronically to our friends. While writing this letter he asked me what I had made this year. I usually take a picture of each thing I have either sewn or knit, so we went through my pictures and counted up what I had made. It surprised me that I had actually made so many things. Many were gifts for others (such as sweater, shawls, or toques). Some were for our home (such as curtains or place mats) and other things were clothing items for ourselves (such as shirts, socks, or sweaters).

He also put into the letter what changes had been made to the house this year, such as installing a central vacuum cleaner and installing new inside doors. He had been busy too, even though we both looked at all the things that hadn’t been done yet, especially large projects that had been started but not yet finished.

Sometimes we are too busy looking at what we haven’t done instead of looking at what we have done. It is actually the latter that is most important. For quite a few years now I have been writing a diary. I have even started two separate small books where I write down what has been accomplished on knitting projects and sewing projects, as these sorts of projects often go over several days, weeks or months. Using these books I can see how long a project has taken and they help me plan future projects better.

Though there is an occasional day where I don’t do much at all, by writing down what I have actually done, I see that my day has been full of practical, useful things that keep me a healthy person. I also have a chart that I fill out every day where I note which regular activities have been done. Here are some of the things that I think are important for me to do every day.

  • Working on learning a new language (at the moment Italian) and refreshing my knowledge of French, both using Duolingo (an online language learning website). I have now been working at Duolingo every day for over 1000 days in a row.
  • Working on my craft projects, either sewing or knitting.
  • Reading books, either fiction or non-fiction.
  • Getting exercise, usually by walking, preferably outdoors. When it is dark or the weather is bad, we live in a house where I can walk around in circles indoors.

Other activities that are not daily, but I keep track of are:

  • housework, such as laundry and cleaning
  • social activities outside of the house
  • time spent gardening during that season (basically April to October)

As the start a new year approaches, I realize that I have had a good year in 2019. I have accomplished a lot. I have made things that are visible. I have spent time with others. I am looking forward to another good year in 2020.

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Virtues

When my children were young, about 10 and 4 years old, I came across a book which fascinated me, “The Virtues Guide: a Family Handbook” by Linda Kavelin Popov and Dan Popov, with illustrations by John Kavelin.  I bought the book and when I got home I started reading and have been a fan of the book ever since.

The book is divided into two major sections.  The first section is a guide for parents and shows some “simple ways to bring out the best in our children and ourselves”. In this section the authors have five basic strategies.

Strategy 1:  Recognize the Teachable Moments – A parent is an educator, a teacher, but you have to look out for the right moments to teach lessons.  There are only certain moments when children are open to learning.

Strategy 2:  Speak the Language of the Virtues – Children need to learn positive actions and what to do.  The virtues in the book gives a vocabulary for what is good behaviour and parents need to use these words in their daily conversations.

Strategy 3:  Set Clear Boundaries –  The parent has to set clear boundaries and ground rules which may vary depending on the age of the children.

Strategy 4:  Honor the Spirit – The parent is a guide to his/her child/ren and needs to share skills, family stories, special rituals, etc.  This is also practicing respect for children who are human beings that need to find their place in the world.

Strategy 5:  Offer the Art of Spiritual Companioning – Children have to learn how to make choices and handle their feelings.  It is important for parents to listen and ask the right sorts of questions to help a child figure things out for themselves.

The second section of the book has 52 virtues, one for each week of the year.  For each virtue there is an explanation of what it is, why you should practice it, how to practice it and signs of success.  This section of the book uses the most pages in the book. Some examples of the virtues are cleanliness, confidence, courage, friendliness, trustworthiness, etc.

In addition there are discussion questions, guidelines on how to use the book and some do’s and don’ts about bringing up children.

The original edition of the book, “The Virtues Guide: A Family Handbook” came out in 1991 and we used the edition that came out in 1993. The current edition of the book is called “The Family Virtues Guide” and was published in 1997.

Why am I writing this, so many years later?  One of the ways of using the virtues in the family is to pick one virtue each week and then practice this virtue during the week and become more aware of it.  My husband and I still continue this practice, choosing each Sunday a virtue from a pack of 100 virtue cards. We then try to practice this virtue during the coming week and discuss what we can do to improve our own behaviour.

The world has changed a lot since the 1990s, but the need for the virtues remains the same.  Today you can access information about The Virtues Project at https://www.virtuesproject.com/ .  I recommend both the book and the website.

The Family Virtues Guide