Playing with Needles and feature idea

Today I got inspired to change my blog a bit and actually start updating it as it has been a very overwhelming quarter in acupuncture school, and I've gotten an amazing amount of knitting completed and underway. One thing I am finding, is that I've been knitting long enough to easily grab a pair of needle that work with a yarn. In fact I often go on intuition and just start seeing what happens.

In treating more patients as an intern, I am finding that I am starting to mix up needle sizes in treatments more comfortably and use that same intuition more, since initially it can be a bit intimidating to actually put needles in a person. (we are encouraged to practice on oranges, sofas, and even raw meats at first - before ourselves and classmates - then actual patients).

This is similar to learning how to knit and work with fibers. Another thing is the openness to imperfection, which is what I find one of my favorite things about handmade. Each item is truly unique, and in that, has it's own character and purpose, like each treatment, can have the same points, yet very a bit with intention and what a patient needs.

The tools are also important, and needles are just that. Every acupuncturist and every knitter has a preference. That may change from time to time. Lately, I have been prefering bamboo and some new sustainable birch. There is something about the natural feel, that seems to increase my knitting speed and connection with the process (to use meditative qi language).

My next blog post will be sooner - I am thinking about adding a monthly entry with pics around Santa Monica and Venice - especially since its almost summer - and great local events the tourists just stumble upon if they're lucky around the pier and beach.

First Recycled Knits item for sale

Ok - so this is an interesting, unique and fun upcycled piece. I will be adding pics of the item that inspired this line soon (as also was wearing today). This is made out of a white cotton t-shirt and a pair of bright yellow cotton terry pants - knit together in an uneven basic stitch to form stripes. Great for casual beach wear and due to the cotton terry, also on the thicker side. This item was listed on etsy a few weeks ago and is part of this debit one of a kind edgy line.

Re-Design Blog

I'm still trying to get used to all this blogging and tweeting. More energy and time is going into my business blogsite and just realized Spring Break is almost over and have barely gotten into working on this blog or artfire.

Since I have been checking out more craft related blogs, seem to have found what works for me in terms of a way I want to structure and add so I will be taking down or editing old posts and focusing more on the stories behind what I do with yarns, materials , etc.... instead of trying to set up under ways that seem to be generating traffic.

Most of my items are one of a kind and handknit. I primarily knit while in class (especially pathophysiology slide shows) between clients or when waiting if they are late, and occasionally while waiting to pull needles out of someone if caught up on clinc work ( I also tend to work on my business blog then so kinda of a toss up).

I also tend to knit while watching tv or movies and even if follow sam epattern or use same yearn, tend to change one or the other. For gifts or personal use, I do read and use patterns, however, usually it if more free form and whatver comes out of the needles at a given moment.

Upcoming posts wioll include more pictures and stories grouped togther by a yarn. Ie what made with group and why, or inspiration behind why a name was picked for the item.

Blog Redo

After spending more time working on my pilates weblog / website. I am starting to reconfigure this blog. I am pretty new to blogging and am finding it intersting to learn about, yet a lot of work to try to start to blogs at the same time. In knitting news, finished my prototype scarf for Recycled Knits line. It is my favorite colors and is actually based around a great Hello Kitty shirt that was getting to ratty to wear out ot to exercise in. A lovely cotton and soy scarf is in the works - a great mix of colors and is extremely soft.

More about Recycled Knits line

One quick note, this grouping of items will be 100% unique since the materials are based on handcut fabric strips from clothes, fabrics and even some traditional yarn thrown in. The first items is about halfway complete - although a few of the little balls of tshirt strips for this have migrated somewhere with my index cards. What I love about this idea is it is totally green, and is a way to reuse or repurpose textiles and also make fun and wearable pieces. Part of the inspiration was seeing scarfs made out of tshirt fabric - which look much better with my normal work attire - plus they are mostly machine washable. Several of the color combinations are picked out so really looking forward to listing all my completed items and getting through finals so I can start working on these more.

Working on new line - Recylced Knits

I have been getting more materials together for a new line I am working on. Hopefully I'll get more done over spring break since finals are approaching very quickly. I will be adding a few new items to etsy soon and have been joining teams and getting more involved with the community. Today I took some pics that turned out great in terms of the colors of my items, however, the way the natural light reflects through my wondows and curtians gives some glare in the background so working with those a bit. Instead of posting, I ended up visiting several etsy stores owned by UWIB members - which are amazing - joined twitter, and found out that I ended up in a treasury for the first time thanks to CCCOE.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=44452
Plus all of this was much more enjoyable and fun then studying formulas or re domain mapping a glitch with my pilates blog /website.

Next post will include links to all the wonderful unique women in business member sites and blogs since do need to spend some time studying this weekend.

Double meanings

I realized that as I am starting to promote my blog, the title might seem a little odd. I did list a post when the name changed, yet wanted to share a little more technically on this.

When I knit, I frequently grab some yarn, cast it on and then try out a few different stitch patterns, tear it out, and start again, either with different yarns or stitches. Within a row or two, it is usually clear if something works or not by what is on the needle. I also have noticed that the items that do not work well are a bit harder to knit and feel a bit of resistance while working with the items.

Since I took my blog title from a saying in acupuncture, it is like when treating a patient and the needle is in a place that the patient does not need it or, there body is not ready for the needle to go in further. In class it is said that the needle knows when to stop, avoid veins and arteries, and other things that it could just as easily be the body knowing as well as the practitioner having an awareness and knowledge about how to use the needle as a therapeutic tool.

I also thought it would be fun to integrate both ways I am around needles into the title since they are pretty different versions of a tool with the same common name.