buckle down and turn it out.

okay, i finished yet another bordering-on-ridiculously-late christmas gift last night, just in time to give it to her as she arrived to go to dinner. katie, i'm glad you liked your bright red scarf. i'm really happy with how it turned out. it was what i was working on on the side during the whole dice bag frustration. something nice and relaxing to work on. i've come to the conclusion that having a less stressful project that is ready, willing, and able to be picked up and put down when that is what you need is an awesome thing. i do believe that i will be maintaining a side project from now on, potentially.
took a poll around the office (i asked elizabeth and karen) about which of three ideas i would work on first for the first round of Nerd Wars. it was decided that the Prime Scarf would be the first project, entered under the intellectual category. so far, it is 8.25 inches long. i know. however, i did only start it two days ago. cut me some slack (but not too much, there is a deadline after all). i'm really excited about it. more details later. teehee. :)
also, i definitely discovered earlier this week that i've been doing the knit stitch wrong. for about five years. may i just say, my world stopped completely for a solid five minutes upon this discovery. i then pulled out some yarn to test the new way. at this point, my world decided to stop standing on its head and stand up properly for the first time. this was a game changer. the hubs spent a solid half hour trying to calm me down (mild hysterics had come to pass). he was very sweet and patient (thank you darling) and sucessfull, eventually. anyway, i'm using the correct stitches now. still trying to figure out the best way to cast on now. it will just take practice, i'm certain. i'll keep you posted.
i'm tryng to really push myself to improve. the whole accurate knit stitch thing was an eye opener. speed is slowly increasing. i, personally, feel that improving one's self is exceptionally important to mental well being. in my experience, when i'm just sitting around, gathering dust, i feel really crappy. i'm moody and cranky and generally unpleasant to be around. however, when i'm working on something that challenges me, even if it is only a little, i'm continuously talking about it, thinking about it, trying to work it out in my head and my hands, doodling about it. i'm motivated, not just to keep working on that, but other things as well. i'm more likely to be tidy and active in general. honestly, i think God wired us this way. to be motivated and excited by things that challenge us. when we aren't motivated, we get rather complacent. never good. but when we are challenged, we stretch ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, even spiritually. it is legitimately helps us grow as people. i think God really enjoys watching and helping us grow in all ways. i believe that as we grow in all these ways, we also grow closer to Him. isn't it amazing the way that works? i'm honestly awed when i've learned something new, not because i did it, but because of where it takes me. people are always changing, and i refuse to believe that God doesn't have a hand in every moment of it.