An introduction of a black belt knitter....almost.
Hello there! I go the blog name of Windsornot. Some think it's a play on the necktie knot, you know, the standard "Windsor Knot", but I'm "Windsornot". Some think it's a play on the idea that it has something to do with knitting, since that's something I do now. But no. This "handle" is something I've had for about the last, oh, 15 years or so (give or take a few years) since the early years of the internet. I happen to be a royalty fanatic, even majored in British History just because of it (can you tell which ones I tend to be experts on?), and since I hadn't married Prince Edward yet (he was the last one available at the time), I dubbed myself "Windsor....NOT!" and it got a bit altered to what you see today. Some even thing that since the two towns next to where I live are Windsors in opposite directions, and I'm not in either one, that is the reason for the name. But they are mistaken. You know the truth. Yep, now you know.
I'll tell you the truth...I'm not quite a black belt...YET. As of this writing, I just tested tonight in Songahm/ATA Taekwondo for my 1st degree black belt. It's kind of a limbo position. In many respects, especially in competition, you are still considered a color belt, but in other respects, you are a black belt, but just haven't earned the right to wear a full black belt yet. So they give us a half red, half black one to show that you've got one foot in each realm. (I just have this image of my legs stretching in a middle stance across two worlds, and man, my knees hurt! LOL)
OK, so we've gotten that out of the way. I am a martial artist, in training to earn my full 1st degree black belt. And the knitting part? Well, I actually started the knitting not too long before the TKD studies started, only by about 2-4 months by my estimations. So for me, they've always gone hand in hand. A friend of mine had started, and something inspired me to try it too. Shortly thereafter, I had started taking my son to preschool TKD classes, and while waiting for his little half hour class to finish up, between yelling at him to pay attention, to occupy the time, I'd be knitting something. Always had my knitting bag and some project with me, and the teen instructors, parents, and siblings of students would ooh and ahh and ask me what I'd be working on. About six months after my son started, I had this crazy notion of, "Hey, that looks like fun." There are times I still look back, even this close to getting my black belt, and say to myself, "What was I thinking?" But I have generally enjoyed working my way up, and while my son is taking a sabbatical until the fall with his TKD classes, under normal circumstances, when I could, would continue to bring my knitting with me to kill the time, since now he takes hour long classes.
It's harder to find time to knit these days, but I do like it. I'm currently working on a few things, although I have to get a move-on with them. First, I'm working on a sweater vest for my dad. I'd say it's a little more than halfway done, but not quite 3/4s of the way done. It's from a pattern that was in Creative Knitting magazine a year or two back. I'm also trying to venture into making my own patterns for things for myself. I started a shrug of sorts a while ago, but then came up with the vest idea for my dad. It's an overdue birthday present which he knows about, hence I have to hustle. The shrug has a "flying geese" pattern on it, so it takes a little bit of brainwork to do it, so I've put it aside for now. It's summer besides, and this is made with superchunky cashmerino, so it can wait a little bit. I'm also working on figuring out a shawl of some sort for myself out of this lovely colorway yarn I'd picked up at the MD Sheep and Wool Festival last month. That one has a truly brainless pattern, so if I need something to occupy my hands on a trip in the car, or the like, I work on that. I've also promised my 6 year old that I'd make a little bag-- haven't figured out if I'm going to make a felted bag yet or not-- for his new Nintendo DS Lite and the accoutrements that go with that. So I have several projects on deck, and hopefully I can finish one of them soon!
I hope to post on here now and then, and hopefully we can get some other knitters and crocheters...and I have a friend who's a quilter who's asking to come on board...to join us and share our common interests. :-)
I'll tell you the truth...I'm not quite a black belt...YET. As of this writing, I just tested tonight in Songahm/ATA Taekwondo for my 1st degree black belt. It's kind of a limbo position. In many respects, especially in competition, you are still considered a color belt, but in other respects, you are a black belt, but just haven't earned the right to wear a full black belt yet. So they give us a half red, half black one to show that you've got one foot in each realm. (I just have this image of my legs stretching in a middle stance across two worlds, and man, my knees hurt! LOL)
OK, so we've gotten that out of the way. I am a martial artist, in training to earn my full 1st degree black belt. And the knitting part? Well, I actually started the knitting not too long before the TKD studies started, only by about 2-4 months by my estimations. So for me, they've always gone hand in hand. A friend of mine had started, and something inspired me to try it too. Shortly thereafter, I had started taking my son to preschool TKD classes, and while waiting for his little half hour class to finish up, between yelling at him to pay attention, to occupy the time, I'd be knitting something. Always had my knitting bag and some project with me, and the teen instructors, parents, and siblings of students would ooh and ahh and ask me what I'd be working on. About six months after my son started, I had this crazy notion of, "Hey, that looks like fun." There are times I still look back, even this close to getting my black belt, and say to myself, "What was I thinking?" But I have generally enjoyed working my way up, and while my son is taking a sabbatical until the fall with his TKD classes, under normal circumstances, when I could, would continue to bring my knitting with me to kill the time, since now he takes hour long classes.
It's harder to find time to knit these days, but I do like it. I'm currently working on a few things, although I have to get a move-on with them. First, I'm working on a sweater vest for my dad. I'd say it's a little more than halfway done, but not quite 3/4s of the way done. It's from a pattern that was in Creative Knitting magazine a year or two back. I'm also trying to venture into making my own patterns for things for myself. I started a shrug of sorts a while ago, but then came up with the vest idea for my dad. It's an overdue birthday present which he knows about, hence I have to hustle. The shrug has a "flying geese" pattern on it, so it takes a little bit of brainwork to do it, so I've put it aside for now. It's summer besides, and this is made with superchunky cashmerino, so it can wait a little bit. I'm also working on figuring out a shawl of some sort for myself out of this lovely colorway yarn I'd picked up at the MD Sheep and Wool Festival last month. That one has a truly brainless pattern, so if I need something to occupy my hands on a trip in the car, or the like, I work on that. I've also promised my 6 year old that I'd make a little bag-- haven't figured out if I'm going to make a felted bag yet or not-- for his new Nintendo DS Lite and the accoutrements that go with that. So I have several projects on deck, and hopefully I can finish one of them soon!
I hope to post on here now and then, and hopefully we can get some other knitters and crocheters...and I have a friend who's a quilter who's asking to come on board...to join us and share our common interests. :-)
posted by Unknown at
7:37 PM
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