Natalie Knits

Well, as anyone who has come across my blog in the last month or so has probably figured out, it has been slow going!  I have been in the process of launching a new research project, and I've been under a deadline of sorts, so I have been spending a lot of time on my computer but mostly only for work reasons.  And of course, being on my computer means no time for knitting!

I'm feeling excited about the research project I am launching.  My work over the last few years has focused on body image and eating among women, but I feel like that tagline I always share doesn't quite sum it up.  I am not interested just in women who are unhappy with their bodies or who engage in some form of disordered eating; rather, I want to understand more about the cultural implications of constantly being exposed to messages about being thin, and being "good".  Previous studies of mine have examined how a feminist gaze, or a critical eye turned towards the media, may help prevent women from internalizing sexist norms about what bodies "should" look like.  I also did a study looking at how women treat (and view) their bodies like objects, and how this may impact sexual functioning. 

The new project is looking at older women (we always refer to them as "aging" women, though this seems silly, like we're not all aging), and how cultural concepts of age impact body perceptions, and also how these things relate to social support seeking, social comparison, and depression.  The summer project is so great, because not only am I collecting data using mixed methods (both survey data and interviews), but I got funding from NIMH (national institutes of mental health) to support me.  It's been like a dream come true-- all summer I get to work on the project that I chose and designed.  But then the reality set in-- I have to collect data, and have it at least a bit analyzed for a conference in early August.  That meant getting the clearance to collect my data, and fast.  But I was a bit burnt out at the end of the year, so my brain kept telling me to take a break!  And so I've been in a bit of an odd place, where I need rest, but know I need to get work done, and to work on knitting or anything else seems a bit like cheating.  It's all very silly, I know, but I think that's where my case of the blah's came from.

In other good exciting news, I am also working on a chapter for a book!  It will be my first, and it also is on something I feel very strongly about and have been researching for a few years-- intersectionality and body image.  My advisor was invited to write a chapter in a book on intersectionality, which basically is thinking about how people experience different aspects of their identity at the same time, and how these intersect, instead of thinking about them all as separate categories.  For example, a Black woman may be asked by a psychologist about her identity as a woman, or as  Black person, but what happens when these identites intersect?  It has been challenging to ask these questions by looking at the psychological literature that is out there, because so often it takes for granted that the population being examined is white, or upper middle class, or male.  So for our chapter we are focusing on methodology and theory that will allow for a better understanding of intersectionality, and we are focusing on race and body image as our example. 

So this is what has been occupying my time. I feel the projects are moving slowly, and often times I automatically think this is bad, like I should be racing along.  But that's not my style-- not with school, and not with knitting.  My projects are coming slowly, but I like to savor them, not race through them.  Of course I have those moments when I can't put something down, but overall I like to let something roll around in my mind for a good long while before letting it out.  So I have decided to stop giving myself grief over my lack of finished goods-- whether it be knitted objects or research projects, and I'm going to let myself enjoy the process a bit more.

Yarn has arrived! Cascade 200, in the color garnet. It has a little bit of variation in it, which is what I was hoping for. So the plans (long term) are to make this into a sweater for my sister (I can't say which one, in case they are reading the blog! They can just speculate about who will be so lucky... though she probably knows!).

What sweater, you might ask? My obsession for the last while, the Central Park Hoodie. Every picture I see of one of these hoodies is amazing, just gorgeous. This sweater is how I cam to realize that hooded, cabled cardigans are the bestest ever. My favorite. Of couse I'll consider making a non-cabled cardigan, but it still has to have a hood.

Moving on, I finally took a photo of Kenobi in progress. Here it is-- almost done with the back. I love how simple this sweater is, and the yarn I chose is so soft that I don't mind knitting it in the summer! This sweater is to be a birthday gift for my mom. Her birthday isn't until early November, so I have LOADS of time to get it together. Like what I was talking about in my last post-- slow is good! I am savoring this one-- just a few rows here and there, because once the stitch pattern is established, it is easy but not totally mindless.

I also have always gotten so much pleasure out of giving gifts to people, so working on these projects for others is sort of a zen way to spend my time. I also devoted some time today to putting together some gifts for mailing. My friend Nicky just finished her masters, so she had a package coming to her, and Lindsay, my sister, is preparing to take her qualifying exams in her Ph.D. program, and it sounds like it's been hell, so I got some things together for her. My personal favorite: home-made tea! I drink tea like nobody's business, so I finally decided to mix up a fruity batch of my own.

So I turned this:

Into this:

Recipe = hibiscus flowers, lemon balm, papaya, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon, vitamin C. And a cute mug, of course!

And finally, a better pic of the knitted wire jewelry I have been working on:

The peonies (peonys?) bloomed in our front yard, and boy are they gorgeous. I had to steal a couple for our table. There are scads of them out front, so these won't be missed; in fact, they'll be enjoyed extra by me and J!

When I first discovered the world of knitblogging, I was drawn in so quickly and so deeply I felt my head was spinning! There were so many projects, good things that people were working on, and they were so creative and beautiful! Who knew there would be such inspiration on a daily basis! I kept jumping around and looking at new things to see what else is out there. It was been a great influence on me, and I know I found confidence to make my first sweater because I could see the pieces coming together for others, and I thought "hey, I can do that too!" And now I am stockpiling sweater patterns and yarn faster than I can make them! Now I have settled into a bit of a routine with the blogs, and instead of going for a huge list that I check out regularly, I have found a few specific blogs that keep holding my attention. When I pondered why, I realized that I like reading people's stories. I like seeing the knitting that is an expression of that story and becomes woven into their story. I suppose blogs that are all story with no knits are slightly less of a draw, but a blog that is all knit and no story won't hold me for long.

I suppose this is a revelation of sorts for me-- I see a thread that ties together so many things in my life that I enjoy. I see my research in psychology as thinking about how people's stories are shaped, and what shapes them. The research project I am working on now allows me to talk to people about their life stories, and I find it fascinating to hear what other have to say. I have always loved treading a good novel and seeing the story unfold. My favorite blogs do the same for me, they keep me interested in the story they are telling. It's not easy to be a good storyteller, but a great trait to have.

Me! It has been a crazy couple of weeks, and I have been running around a lot and working on a lot of things. Last week I was home visiting my family, and there were lots of crafty things going on, including visiting a new yarn shop, going to woolfest (formerly known as fiberfest), and of course knitting.
Well, yesterday was my birthday, and I (stupidly) thought that, it being my day and all, I would have time to write a nice, long, picture-full post. Obviously that didn't quite turn out as planned, though I did get some work done :)
I have so much to update about, I will be sure to do it soon!

This has to be the most perfect day I've seen, and this morning J and I walked over to the farmers market for some fresh, local produce. The market was hopping, and I had to wait in a long line for my berries-- but they were worth it, and we came home and had pancakes with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries for breakfast. Then I got down to serious business: Spinning!!

This is wool I got while at woolfest last weekend. I love woolfest (formerly known as fiberfest) which is held every June at Lake Farmpark, the farm that I used to work on. I love this event and always try to go, because it is ALWAYS so inspiring, and makes me want to spin. I find I spin more in the summer and fall, and tend to knit more through the other seasons. Woolfest is one of the main reasons, because after seeing all of the fiber and handspun yarn and thinking about the possibilities I can't help myself!

This year I bought my wool from Amy, who owns a wool mill in Michigan! She was very friendly and was really excited to share information, which I always appreciate. Her mill, Jehovah Jireh Woolmill, is in Paw Paw Michigan, a couple of hours from me. She dyes the wool herself, and her blends were beautiful-- I fell in love with Lagoon immediately and had to get that, but it was hard to pass up some of the other color combos! The other great thing about the wool is that it is a blend of mohair, merino, and corriedale. I have always been a bit of a wool snob and usuallty only spin merino or merino silk blends, but this is the easiest wool to spin, and it's soft. Amy explained that including a wool like corriedale, which has long fibers, helps it hold together, and boy is she right. I am so spoiled by this wool, I might not go back to the other kinds. It should be easy to get more, too, because the mill sells the wool in their ebay store, so if any spinners are reading this, check it out!!

The thing I love most about spinning is playing with color, and appreciating the blends of color as I spin. Eventually I would love to get a wheel, but for now I am loving my drop spindle, and it's getting me where I need to go. I love how handspun yarn looks so original and has such character, too-- I have no problem using commercially produced yarn (I was just admiring the alpaca I am using for the Kenobi again), but there is something about making something original and different that is satisfying. I can spin yarn that looks very consistent and uniform (there was a time when that was what I desired!) but I am more appreciative now of the variation and uniqueness in my handspun, so while spinning up the lagoon I am letting it flow at it's own thickness rather than controlling it to be very consistent. As soon as I have a skein it will be posted-- keep an eye out for it!!