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.