I’m bored again. No. That’s not really true – I’m more like…disinterested. Yeah. That’s it. Snow was talking the other day about blogging becoming a chore and while I don’t feel like the blogging has become a chore, I do feel like I’m completely off my rhythm. I like to blog. I like it a lot. I like waking up in the morning and reading my emails and a few blogs and all the while churning up a post in my head. Some days are easier than others, but there’s always something to say.
Breaks are nice too. Don’t get me wrong. When I’m in my routine, I’m a M-F blogger and that can get tiresome (not just for me, I’m sure) so it’s nice when I get a few days during the week to ignore bloglines and emails and just not worry about writing something smart and pithy. But it’s been too long since I’ve been out of the routine. I feel like I lost my blog mojo a bit. I’m determined to get it back though.
And the knitting. Oh god don’t get me started on the knitting. I am so freaking bored I don’t know what to do with myself. And dissatisfied. I’m thisclose to finishing a project I started a long long time ago and it’s anti-climactic to say the least. I’m fatter than I was when I started it (which is a whole other issue and one that I’m very very upset about. Do I get off my fat ass? NO.) and it doesn’t fit as well as I’d like it to and well, I’m just not feeling the love. Which is sad.
Knee socks progress and I still love them, but stockinette is finally getting to me a bit. But I really don’t feel like making a different kind of sock and I like these and I want them finished. And there are like fourteen more to finish as well. Blah.
What I really want to do is finally make the Am Kamin* sweater. BUT, that will require some major swatching because I don’t know what yarn I’m going to use and I just want to jump in and DO IT but I have to have patience and then I have to order yarn and I just pulled a piece of skin off of my cuticle and it freaking hurts and is bleeding and when I think about all the work I have to do just get STARTED with this sweater it makes me exasperated and I go back to knitting knee highs. And then I get bored. Fucking circle of crap.
This is supposed to be my favorite time of year and I’m tired and I have a lot of work to do (the busy season has started for work) and all I want to do is crawl in to bed and watch 87 hours of Another World (which my DVR decided to stop taping for two days – that and Gilmore Girls. Is my DVR judging me? It didn’t have any problem taping Grey’s Anatomy or Studio 60.)
I want my routine back. I want to wake up and sit at the computer, blog a bit, go out for a nice run, come home and eat my NEW FAVORITE BREAKFAST (thank you forever Annie!) and get my work done and end the day next to my favorite boy knitting away on a fabulous project.
And to top it all off? They stopped making my favorite tampons. Tell me that doesn’t fucking suck.
Happy Friday the 13th. Sorry for the rant. Better day tomorrow.
* The Crossed In Translation blog is still down. I inadvertently deleted it from the server and I have yet to get it back and running. One of these days I’ll get it back up. I’m sorry. Please be patient.
You had never had Fage before?! Oh good lord…it’s is by far one of my favorite things to eat. Especially when berries are in season.
go get yourself some of that yogurt – it’s good for you!
the preperation does seem daunting but i think the am kamin is the prescription you need to re-energize the mojo. i suffer from the same disease, though, it’s like my mind wants to do something (i.e. workout) my body just laughs at it!
Do you ever get the full-fat Fage with Greek honey? That oughtta bring back your zest for life. Over here we like it with Buttermilk Country Cake from The Cake Bible–it’s a PointsTM disaster.
Well, these things happen . . . but, just think, in a week you’re going to have all that exciting Rhinebeck stuff to talk about. Not to mention all that inspiration! Who can feel blah about knitting and spinning after seeing all the stuff at Rhinebeck?? (grin) But really, anyone can have an off day . . .
I totally understand what you’re feeling – I’m in the same spot. I think the weather has a lot to do with my problem, I hate this time of year when one day it’s really cold and the next it’s nice. My body has a hard time dealing with it. The knitting isn’t going the way I want it too either…
I’m going to start by changing my habit of just sitting at home and getting out for at least a 30 minute walk on a daily basis. I think that will change my routine enough to make things feel a little better. As for the knitting, I’d better go through my project pile and find something I haven’t worked on in ages and get back at it!
Good Luck!! I’m sending positive thoughts your way!!
This DEFINITELY sounds like the time to CAST ON!
Maybe you could find yarn for the Am Kamin sweater at Rhinebeck? And, I have a feeling that the upcoming Whinebeck Weekend is JUST the thing to get you feeling the love again.
My mojo – blogging, knitting, and otherwise – is all off too. Maybe Fage is the answer for me, too?
Hope you get your groove back. I enjoy reading your blog whenever it’s posted – M-F like clockwork, or sporadically as the mood strikes. Love it.
I’m sorry about your tampons being discontinued, but I’m sure you’re aware of the controversy surrounding dioxin in most commercial brands of tampons. If i may suggest an alternative, you might want to try Natracare, which are made of organic cotton that isn’t irradiated and contains no dioxin. I hope your boredom passes soon. Frankly, no matter who much you write, I never ever find your posts boring. I love reading this blog.
I’m sorry about your tampons being discontinued, but I’m sure you’re aware of the controversy surrounding dioxin in most commercial brands of tampons. If i may suggest an alternative, you might want to try Natracare, which are made of organic cotton that isn’t irradiated and contains no dioxin. I hope your boredom passes soon. Frankly, no matter who much you write, I never ever find your posts boring. I love reading this blog.
Tampax makes slenders.
Can I just say that I admire your honesty and style of writing? I honestly feel the same way you do right now. I can’t seem to finish any project, and when I do, it’s like, whatever. And I’ve also gained weight since starting quite a few projects. I’m less than pleased, but then again, it’s not like I can complain since I’m not really taking any steps to lose weight, either. I appears that I just like to bitch.
I hope it gets better.
Smiles,
Erin
Maybe there’s just not enough external things going on. You were travelling alot recently (right?) or is my mind mixing again. Maybe you need more stimuli or something. Rhinebeck will cure that. I think I’m the only person in the free world that isn’t going.
There’s a lot of that loss-of-mojo going around… I’m in a bad rut, a BAD one, and it’s so frustrating…
there is a whole bunch of teeny-tiny running shoes in happy colours heading your way. please don’t put them on your feet.
For some reason, our toothpaste (Crest Fresh Mint Gel) became very hard to find a few months ago. I ended up ordering 20 tubes from Amazon. Obviously, I’m not above hoarding just in case a product I love is being discontinued. You might try googling for the tampons. As far as I am concerned, tampon product loyalty is right behind toothpaste.
they discontinued Slimfits?? Crap.
Well, Cara, about that last one. . . that’s just one reason to look forward to menopause! 😉 Actually, I guess you should do what Elaine on Seinfeld did with the sponge when it was discontinued — buy, buy, buy while you still can and hope that you are able to stockpile enough to meet your lifetime needs. What a Friday the 13th!
I just found out I have to punch a fucking time clock and there are so many other things about this ‘new’ job that suck..big time. At least I don’t NEED to look for a job but I just might.
I am so freaking excited about next week! ONE MORE WEEK AND WE MEET! Swatch up one of the colors you got from Virtual Yarns. I’d love to see it in a cable pattern (or maybe you did that already?).
Bummer about the tampons! They stopped making my favorite underwear and favorite bras, so I can relate. It’s a plot!
Have a good and hopefully inspiring weekend.
do you have the time warner DVR? my P.O.S. DVR decided not to record project runway this week! man was i pissed off. what a load of crap.
sorry to hear that everything is crap these days. at least the sun is out today! too bad it’s so cold.
It’s a “Network” day. Go to your window, open it, and scream, “I’m mad as fuck, and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” Helps me, but freaks out the Republineighbors.
By the way, there’s a kid with the last name “Springsteen” in my class this year. I call him Boss.
Hang in there! You’ll have fun at Rhinebeck. I have 2 sweaters in states of parital completion that have been sitting in Rubbermaid bins for a couple of years. They won’t fit me properly, and now when I look at the patterns all I can think is “What was I thinking? Was I thinking?” One is very late 80’s in style. I am planning a Major Frog Day to liberate the yarn (which I love!). Sometimes one needs to be a little brutal to clear the “knitting” air I think.
Those have been discontinued? Good thing I stash feminine products the way I stash yarn! At least this will get me off my butt to finally try out the Diva Cup my friend keeps raving about.
Hope you get your mojo back. I’ve been feeling knitterly unproductive for weeks now.
Hi Cara,
Sorry you are having a bad day. The Tampon thing sucks. Glad that is past! I wanted to brag about finishing my Am Kamin (it’s on the blog) let me know when the CIT site comes back up.
I thought I was the only one who loved the SlimFits! They were one of the only lines where you could actually buy the lites. (As opposed to Regular, Super, Super Plus, and Hoover Dam.) I thought that my store just quit carrying them, I didn’t realize they stopped making them. 🙁
i read what you’re saying about being bored. i’ve been it lately. i hope you get your mojo back soon!
btw, instead of tampons give “the keeper” a try.
I’m deeply shocked that you didn’t know about the GREEK yogurt??????? It’s got transformative powers, in my opinion.
Try the ones with the cherry jam on the side and the honey—amazing!!!! xoxox Kay
I can relate. I wrote a blog about a week ago about feeling unmotivated to do ANYTHING. I hope your mojo returns soon. It would be a bummer if you could not enjoy fall.
Fage yogurt has spoiled me on other yogurts. I eat Fage with honey for breakfast nearly every day (along with a Lemon Zest Luna Bar. highly recommended). I can’t eat dannon or any other yogurt anymore. Too watery. A woman I work with is also addicted to Fage and Lemon Zest Luna bars. She didn’t get it from me either. These breakfast foods are so powerfully good they reach out and grab people. I am going through a similar knitting funk: eager to start some new projects but not eager to do the swatching, etc. Rhinebeck will bring the mojo back. By the way, I have never found your posts boring.
I am having the same, exact funk. Low motivation in all areas of life. Booo! I hope something helps us soon.
TGIF.
Wait, they stopped making Slimfits? Why? Why would they do such a thing??? They were just right!
Dammit, now I’m in a funk, too.
I want to make Am Kamin, too, but I’m chicken about all that Japanese.
And I just hate it when something I love gets discontinued. They should at least be required to give you a warning so you can stock up.
No more Slimfits?! This is UNACCEPTABLE.
Ooh, ooh, am I getting a little sneak-peek at the menu? How was dinner? The potatoes? Is there a pillow menu, too? I’ve been spoiled…
; )
You already have a zillion comments, but I’ll throw mine on the stack. I recently went through a similar time with my knitting. I ended up resorting to some very quick gratification projects to remind myself that I’m still capable of finishing things. Don’t know if that helps any, but I understand the need to rant.
I just did the cuticle thingie too…why oh why…it’s not like it’s the first one ever! You already know you’ll be in gobs of pain and yet we did it anyway…urgh.
I’m sorry you’re finding yourself in a rut. I’ve been feeling the same way. There’s so much work to be done that I don’t even want to do the things I enjoy.
The best cure for me is to watch children’s shows. Seriously, watch a few episodes of Sesame Street. You’ll feel smart and there are lots of colors to look at. It helps me unwind.
It’s anything but slim, but the Diva Cup (mentioned above) is awesome.
One more week till Rhinebeck! That’ll get your mojo back in gear!
Back in the day, I was always on the lookout for the Hoover Dam tampon, as one of the other commenters called them. However, menopause has relieved me of that little worry.
As for you, young lady, google the one you like and buy, buy, buy. Let’s see, 25 years times 13/year times 7 days times, um, let’s say 4/day divided by 20/box… oh, something like 455 boxes should see you through the rest of your life. At roughly $5.50/box that’s a mere $2,500 for total security. Cheap, really.
Yeah that Diva Cup is great! My tampons kept getting discontinued too , add in about$8 a month, and running out , etc., etc. So I got the Diva Cup. I’ve had it about 2 years now. Took a bit to get the hang of it but now I would NEVER go back. yahooo
What do you need honey? Just sit down in a quiet place, and give yourself one minute to figure out the answer to this question: “What can I do right now that will make me happy?”
Then do it. You deserve it.
I had a similar experience a coupla years ago – my favorite toothbrush was discontinued. I ended up finding them at a small independent pharmacy here in Manhattan – and promptly bought a dozen of them! Hopefully you can find your favorites and stock up before they disappear from the shelves. Ah, it’s the little things in life… you know?
You should go wrap yourself in your gorgeous handspun shawl — that should help with the mojo. Look forward to seeing you next weekend!!
I feel exactly like you. You said it so I don’t have to. 😉 Bored bored bored. I wish I had a solution!
I’ve started that Debbie Bliss “Cabled Jacket” from the book I got when I was at your place, and the cables have helped. For now.
All you bored folks need to come visit me in Hawaii! But wait…we have VOG! Volcanic ash in the air coming over from the big island. Nasty stuff. Every time I go out my eyes get all irritated & itchy. Is there no wonderful place right now???
On the up side…I learn SO much from this blog. Never have heard of Fage. I’ll keep an eye out. And I love hearing about all these knitting things. Don’t give up…and have you visited the IFF that I sent in another comment? I so want to see your thoughts on those things!
Hang in there!
when i get into a rut, i start something new … whether knitting, crochet, sewing or beading. often the cure is socks. and if i don’t want to swatch or think about it too much, i just pick up a ball of self striping sock yarn and knit a good ‘ole 72 st. stockinette sock. i can knit those on auto pilot.
and sometimes, i look at blogs for the next source of inspiration … and some places, like the crafster.org site is aways full of new and unusual.
and just think of all the inspiration you’re going to fall into next weekend!
WHOOPS!
PILLOW MENU??!! sure there’s a pillow menu ….. shall I:
a) beat you about the face & neck with it
b) smother you in your sleep
I got very sick of a project that is basically a large stockinette tube recently. I found that making a couple of Criminy Jickets’ garterlac washcloths was just what I needed. Good, small, interesting projects break us out of the rut! Go, girl!
we had such a hard time finding good pizza on the east coast! it was such a culture shock! the funny thing is, its just this one place in Marin that has this great pizza. we can’t even find anything comparable in oregon…needless to say, when i go to cali to visit i must partake of lococo’s pizza!
this is a totally random comment to your post, but you know what i mean so what the hell….LOl
Sorry about the funk – they happen sometimes, but hopefully the sunshine today has brought some optimism (that and Rhinebeck next week).
Sorry about the suckage.
Looking forward to Rhinebeck!
I usually find that a fiber festival is just the thing to bring me out of a knitting funk. Sounds like Rhinebeck is just in time!
Oh, yeah, the Fage is fabu. Mmmm…even better with some honey drizzled over. Just bought some today.
If you can, let the boredom be. If I can keep myself from building it up into something huge and anxiety-producing, it seems to pass more quickly. You could try and jump-start your interests with something new or a challenge. You could just ignore the boredom blahs and do boring chores that need to be done. It might send you running back to fun stuff with renewed energy. Even if it doesn’t, you’ll have gotten something done. If enjoyment eludes you, rather than chase it, go about your business and the two of you will meet up soon enough.
We’ve all been there, done that. Knocking off something small and useful like a Dulaan hat sometimes works for me… and sometimes not. There is Rhinebeck to look forward to, though. I can’t wait to meet/see everyone.
Full fat Greek yogurt drizzled with honey is the best thing ever. Particularly if eaten in a little hole-in-the-wall cafe on one of the Greek Islands – maybe THAT’s what you need…..
Hang in there.
Thanks for your Friday the 13th post. I am basically feeling the same way today. Thanks for making me laugh!
Finally . . . someone can admit that she has a favorite tampon and is a little pissed when it is taken off the market. Mine was OB with the applicator (without is yicky). Go for the full fat Greek yogurt with honey and granola.