Oh Crap...

I really don't mean to jinx myself, but I did something stupid. I rarely do this, and usually I know it before too long. 

I dropped a stitch in the Pumpkin Baby Sweater. 

Seriously, I'm not a "professional" knitter. But what I am is scared to death of dropping stitches. Which is why I'm a slow knitter. 

I was zipping along on the sweater, not looking at it, because - hey - it's straight knitting. What could go wrong? 

Well...I "felt" the stitch was off, but I wasn't sure. I did what? Three or 4 more rows. And then I looked. Drat Master Chef Canada! I was watching someone do something stupid. 

When you're given truffles, you don't use truffle oil. And this guy did. And in watching him implode, I dropped a stitch. I can fix it; I have a crochet hook. It's thankfully only a few rows down. But it bums me out. 

So I'll pay attention to my knitting, not to seafood mousse...And fix it when it comes around again. I've got it marked. 

It's practice. It's practice. It's practice. Just keep telling myself that. 

Yoga@TheFields...

So it's time to consider ending the outdoor yoga class. By October 15, the weather will undoubtedly be too cool even at 10 a.m. to do yoga outside. I'm hoping The Fields will ask us back for 2017, and we'll have even more time. This year, we began in June, but perhaps we can start in May for 2017. I taught the class, and it was a great yoga + movement class. For ten bucks, I made almost $500. 

You know that yoga isn't all about asana and meditation. It's also about being able to make a living. Seriously, we have been under-valued - we've done it to ourselves. But it's also the public's perception; I have had people call and say, "You charge $*** for yoga? I can get it at the gym for $**." Well, then you should do that. 

I've invested thousands of dollars into my training. I'm considering going for my 500-hour certification, which will be at least another $3,000. And 300 more hours of study. Plus a thesis project. Yes, you can say that I'm whining, but I'm not. 

I'm telling you that yoga studios generally have teachers who've invested years - and hard cash - on their training. These are not "weekend certification" yoga teachers. These are folks who've sought out teachers that resonated with them. Teachers  who gave them inspiration and education. And they spend hours working on sequences to help their students learn and grow. 

And that's valuable. It's a service to you and you should be happy to pay a reasonable fee to take advantage of that. 

I spoke to my mentor about this. Especially since I bought the studio from her. For a long time, the studio had the cheapest prices in town. It didn't bring regulars in. We also had "free" classes, which I ended when I took over. If I want to boost a class, I'll charge enough to pay the teacher - and it gives you, the student, some skin in the game. If I give it away, how will you value it? 

If I have a "free" class, I'll pack it. I've seen it. And then? Next week? Crickets. If I charge you five or ten bucks, you'll be there, and you will usually come back, or even take another class on the schedule, because you've paid for it, and you know the value we're giving for your fee. 

So, yes. It's about asana and meditation. And living with ourselves as professionals. 

Random Picture...

Yes, that's Tippi with a phone on her head. It's from our last therapy session. She was resigned. And patient. One of the students this year has attached to us and spends a lot of time with us. And that's fine. Being a prankster, the phone ended up on Tippi's head. And thankfully, Tippi just looked at me as if to say, "Well, here we go with the funny headgear."

We've been at the university for a number of years now, and we're in a groove with the place. The students welcome her and Tippi still enjoys going. 

The only thing I have to do is figure out how to get her into the truck. She's going on 9 years old, and she's a bit of a "chub." So the other day, she "high-centered" herself on the way up into the truck and now she's a little reluctant to jump up into the back. I have a "ramp" for her, but it'll take some time to train her to get used to it. And it'll take me time to figure out how to stuff the thing in the back of the truck.