Making a difference…or having an impact is becoming more important to me as I get older.  It’s gratifying to see areas of my life where I have had an impact.

Who Am I Once I’m Dead?

The person I look to as my spiritual guide these days reminded me to look at what I leave behind when my physical body dies.

He doesn’t mean will my soul go to heaven or hell, or any of that kind of bullshit.

Based on his reminder, I have been looking at what my, for lack of a better word, spirit is.  Probably a better word is legacy.  Or how people will remember me…if at all.  Here are some of the ways I think I’ve been making a difference.

Son, Brother, Husband, Friend

Working on my personal relationships has been an important part of this journey for me.  I have a fantastic relationship with my family.  I love being with them.  My ability to connect with friends has also gotten stronger and stronger over the years.

Mens’ Knitting Retreat Coordinator

Having helped establish the Men’s Knitting Retreats has been one of my greatest unexpected joys. Any of the guys who have participated in one of these events will attest to the fact that this community enriches and nourishes people.  Truly and unexpected blessing.

Knitting Community

This blog and various forums and communities have also provided me with a forum to make a difference. I am a small cog in the mass-movement that knitting has become over the last few decades, but I’m grateful I had even a little part.

Political Impact

The blog has always been both about knitting and queer issues.  Recently I started an initiative on Facebook called #Iknowtherealenemy that is about reminding everyone not to get distracted.  To keep on-purpose when it comes to ousting the current occupant of the White House.  If it makes just one extra person vote for the not-Trump candidate next year, I’ll consider it worth the effort.  Ideally, I’m hopeful it’s just one small piece of an avalanche of change next year.  Like the page and use the hashtag whenever you can.

To Be Announced

I’m working on something right now that is right in line with leaving behind a legacy.  I’m not sure if it will work as I’m envisioning it.  I’ll let others determine that.  But look forward to a new “thing” that will impact the knitting community (again).

Thanks for letting me clarify the tiny dent I’ll be leaving when I go.  Where are you proud of having had an impact?  What are you working on to nourish your soul?

Current Knitting

Continued work on the same two projects as I mentioned this past Monday.  The See Grass Shawl…

…and the Scrappy Biased Scarf:

I’d love to finish both of these by the end of the weekend.  But I am scheduled to see my spiritual guru later today, so I may have a new direction that might distract me.

Readers’ Questions/Comments

Reader Mark asked:

I love your bias scarf. Do you have directions for it?  It’s right up my alley of where I want to be with my knitting today.
I am in a phase where I want to do everything very simple and basic so that the knitting is the star (OK, the yarn too).  I just want to do something that is basic where I don’t have to count, I don’t have to move many stitch rings, etc.

Yes, kind of:

Scrappy Biased Scarf Pattern

Yarn – Scraps of fingering weight/sock yarn

Needle – US 5 (3.75 mm)

Cast On 2 sts

Increase Rows:  K to last st, K into front and back of last loop

Continue increase row until there are 49 stitch on the needle and then knit the body of the scarf:

Row 1: Sl1 (as if to knit), K1, PSSO, K to last st, K into front and back of last loop

Row 2: K

Continue these two rows until the scarf is as long as you want it and then do final decreases:

Decrease Rows: Sl1 (as if to knit), K1, PSSO, K to end

Repeat the Decrease Rows until there are 3 sts on the needle.  Sl1 (as if to knit), K2tog, PSSO and pull yarn through.