All Is Quiet

Ah, Silence
As soon as everyone else in my household goes to bed, all is quiet and peaceful. This is the time I finish blogging, go on Ravelry and other sites, and then knit while watching a movie or TV until bedtime. I'm one of those people who needs silence and alone time to keep my sanity. This is probably one of the reasons I'm a night owl. Staying up late is like an escape to me. I get a second wind about 4:00 pm each day, and my energy level rises throughout the evening. Even when I was drop-dead tired from teaching, the late afternoon and evening were my most awake times of day. Even if I got more than 8 hours of sleep, I'd still not be a morning person. It has been and will always be this way.

Inspired by Kristie's recent post, I was thinking about how I like to have alone time to just t-h-i-n-k and be and knit without interruption. I catch up on recorded shows, favorite movies, or late showings of Jon and Kate Plus 8 or Little People Big World. Even after I go to bed, I get my Lightwedge out and read for about 20-30 minutes. Some nights it's a plain old novel, others it's an old math textbook (currently Abstract Math). I sleep very soundly, so I feel pretty refreshed if I get anywhere between 6-7 hours of sleep. Now that I've been working out, I sleep even better if that's possible. I guess I'm lucky this way because I can get a lot of knitting done in one evening! I don't try to knit fast -- that would take the fun out of it. I knit at whatever pace I find enjoyable. Back in 2004 when I first got back into knitting, it took me forever to finish anything. Now, after making my fair share of sweaters and tops, it doesn't take as long. Good thing, too, because I'd go a little nuts if I could only knit one sweater for each season.

My Little Wizard
The last picture in this post makes me laugh. It's Ian wearing a hastily made wizard hat (Oh, how he loves that hat!) holding a princess book. Obviously, I didn't wipe his mouth off well after eating, and he's wearing an old sweater I made Marie. You haven't seen this sweater on Ravelry because it's a total D-U-D dud. I ran out of yarn which resulted in a wonky stand-up shawl collar. This sweater was made a few years ago when I was first trying my hand at improvising tops for Marie. It was one of many good learning experiences in size, gauge, yarn, and basic design, especially since toddler sizes don't require much yarn or money.

The first two pictures bring me full circle to the beginning of my post. I took them when I first sat down at the computer after everyone had gone to bed, and I could enjoy the peaceful silence of night. I was still wearing what I wore out to dinner tonight: Blaze and Tangled Yoke Cardigan. The weather was perfect for wearing this combination. My TYC still smells of tea tree oil from its last Kookaburra wash, mmmm.