old baggage and explanations.

there has been a recent change in name, you may have noticed. the reasons are neither simple nor straightforward, but i will try to explain them nonetheless, if only for my own clarity.


three years ago, i stumbled upon the metaphor of a yellow bird, an icon symbolic for the one specific thing that inspires inside a person the will to live. in essence, a yellow bird is what one lives for, whatever keeps you going. it's an evolution of the relationship between the canary and the coal miner, i suppose. to me, the yellow bird has come to represent the opportunity to truly live. i am unsure which i will enjoy more: the search or the realization.


two years ago, i arrived at the frightening conclusion that my yellow bird could never be a person, as i would only  be left with an empty cage. So thus began my search. As art has always commanded a rather significant portion of my life, i decided to start there. i experimented with pottery, painting, and photography. i bought a guitar and a piano. i wrote every day for a month. however, in all my art, there was a common theme: birds. and even though i would become completely enveloped by every project, every song, every page written, and though i truly enjoyed each endeavor, i found the fascination they held for me was in their role as a conduit, a means to an end. in fact, none of these outlets were what i thought about in those brief but revealing moments before sleep. so, although i will continue to pursue these interests, i was no closer to my yellow bird than when i started.


so, naturally, i have turned to the only constants in my life: knitting and traveling. in 2003, i first learned to knit while visiting the green towns of rural ohio, so unlike the desert where i grew up. every year since then has been spent either knitting or traveling. they inspire the plans and thoughts that lull me to sleep and preserve my sanity. they are the closest i have come yet to my yellow bird, although i am still looking.


which brings me back to the change in name. in light of my coming year of studying abroad, i have decided to dedicate this blog to those things that weigh the most on me: knitting, traveling, and the endless pursuit of my yellow bird. because, in the words of milan kundera, "the heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to earth, the more real and truthful they become."


now that that's settled, here's some knitting!



FO: bow headband

yarn: bristol yarn gallery buckingham in black
needles: US2
pattern: none
notes: i knitted the bow, then i cast on for an icord around one side of an elastic hair tie. i knitted the rest of the icord until it was slightly shorter than the circumference of my head. i bound off around the other end of the hair tie, so it stretches tight to fit my head completely. i just sewed the bow onto the band and it was done!


i've been reading people's blogs lately, and many of them say they buy their clothes at thrift stores. i wanted to give it a go. i still haven't found many clothes, but i did find these amazing suitcases!! 

aren't they great?? twenty dollars for the pair. the shoes are just from payless, ignore them. the interior in the green one desperately needs revamping, but the blue one is in great condition!


oh, the image in my header is from lydia. they are a brilliant band, i listen to them almost daily. i'd suggest giving them a go.