What Rings the Loudest

Ever since the day my boss was buried, I've had a ringing in my ears.  

The sound is different for various sufferers of tinnitus, as this condition is called.  For me, the sound is like a chorus of cicadas (v. Magicicada septendecim) chirping away on a hot summer night.  It is a continual sound that lays over the top of every other actual sound from the outside world.  

At first I thought this was kind of cute because, you see, I have always been fond of the sound of cicadas.  Especially at night.  A month later, the cuteness is wearing off.

An elementary scholar search on Google yielded some good basic information about the onset of this condition (which runs in my family).  It is often initiated by stress or by grief.  It typically doesn't go away and is unresponsive to known treatments.  The psychological makeup of the hearer is key to the successful "treatment", or shall we say "management", of the condition. 

So I'm looking for a good spin on this and have decided to adopt a metaphor to pay attention to what rings the loudest in all areas of my life.

I have been grieving and worrying about what will happen in the work world of my day job, but what rings the loudest for me really, is moving ahead with my business, writing up patterns for new designs, getting more inventory listed in my Etsy store, getting back to blogging, and bravely going out in search of readers who will leave a comment to let me know they're out there.

So, to get started, here's what I've been up to lately:

• Searching for the perfect beret shape has yielded a flock of berets. Here's is a triplet laying flat like frisbees.

• Combing the Internet for a head mannequin that doesn't cost an arm and a leg in order to photograph my hats is a top priority. 

• Bead knitting bracelets are fast becoming one of my pastimes, and next March I'll be teaching a bead-knitting class at a LBS (local bead store) to help others catch the contagion.  Here are three jazzy bracelets for partygoers, dancers, or members of a wedding.  

• Finding others uses for my favorite sock yarn, because I don't really wear handknitted socks much, but love sock yarn.  Coming soon will be some fun patterns to accessorize anything but feet out of Socks That Rock.

• Getting a new business organized is proving to be an super challenge so, in the spirit of discipline, I've mapped out a detailed weekly plan for getting things done.  It's a good thing I have a lot of hats, because as a new business owner, I sure need them.