Weekly WIP, New Year Edition

I admit, there wasn't much knitting going on for a while. I ended up ripping back Ben's Sweater and starting over, but starting over means I've already done it, so it's hard to get motivated. Especially after having to redo Mom's mitts (which were finished for Christmas and were very much appreciated, pictures to come!). I also was dead sick for a while and couldn't do anything.

However, I have still managed to get a little bit done here and there
OTN:
Still working on my socks and am just past the heels.


I also started a very nice lacy cowl.

 The yarn for this is some knit picks shadow. I bought it a couple years ago and have started almost a dozen projects with it, but they've never been quite right. So far I'm really happy with this (and just want to have this yarn turn into something). Only thing I think it's missing is beads, but oh well, I'll survive.

OTW:
I just finished some really nice blue yarn

Once it's dry it will become a hat for my dad. More on that later.

Last night I started spinning my multicolour batt

It's going to be a fluffy, slubby two ply and hopefully soon some mittens for a friend.

Proud Moment?

I am so proud of my daughter and the person she's growing up to be. A little nervous about the coming year (because she's far too much like me), but also very excited.

Here's some snippits from today:

I had just deposted a screaming boy in his room (he was mad because he didn't want to use the stool to get on the potty and I wouldn't lift him on) and I had flopped on my bed waiting for him to calm down. The screaming boy opened his door and whined his way downstairs.
Hana: mama isn't here Eli
Eli : why not?
Hana: She's having a time out
Eli: Why?
Hana: she needed some quiet time.



And then later, I heard the kids (my two plus my neighbours 3 year old) playing on the stairs.

Me: Guys? What are you doing?
Hana: Playing!
Me: Playing what?
Hana: I don't know what it's called.
Me: Well what do you do?
Hana: I don't want....ah....it's hard to explain
Me: Woud I not like it if I knew what you were doing?
Hana: I'm going to go do my homework

Then I overhear her talking to the boys : Don't do that guys, mama wouldn't like it.

Solstice

It's the holiday season. As I've grown up, and especially since I've had kids, the holidays are changing for me and meaning so many different things.

One thing that I've taken more time to consider and recognize is solstice. Winter solstice is the longest night of the year. It's a time when we remember that no matter how dark and cold things my get, the light will always return.

One of the reasons Christmas is placed at this time of year (because Jesus was not born in December and his birth wasn't even celebrated by the early Christians) is because of that idea - the light returning, the darkness melting away.

I like to take time around solstice to think about that - about what life is like in the darkness and cold, without hope and light. I remember that there are so many people in the world who live in that darkness, in the hoplessness. I remember that part of my responsiblility as a Christian is to be a light to those around me, in whatever way I can.

I know I'm a day late with this, but regarless, happy solstice!

Weekly WIP: Pathetic Edition

I know, I know, it's been a while. 

Thing is, I wasn't really getting much done, so the Weekly WIP was going to get a bit monotonous. I did start and frog the same scarf 4 times, but I doubt that process would have been very much fun to watch. 

However, my efforts weren't completly void of accomplishments. I prestent to you, one really full bobbin of yarn:

That's the Orange Pulworth that I started last month, all plied. It's now skeined and washed and just waiting for whatever it is going to become. It's super fluffy, slightly underspun and wicked soft. I'm very happy with this yarn.

I am making progress on that thing my mom can't see (how's that for subtle?) and still have high hopes that it will be finished for Christmas. Thankfully Christmas day will involve a good chunk of car time that's just perfect for knitting. 

Everything else is on hold right now while I finish up, but I have stuff planned for the new year. The space that my church is meeting in right now is most often used as a dance studio, so we have to be careful with the floors. With winter and snow and slush etc, often outdoor shoes need to be removed. I hope to make a few pairs of slippers (and others are going to contribute too) so we'll have some if people would like to use them. I also have a special project planned for my dad (who is on my knitting blacklist right now because I knit him socks two years ago and they have yet to touch his feet) and I have some gorgeous silver lacewight sitting around that would look just lovely with some beads. 

In other words, despite my lact of progress lately, stay tuned because good stuff is coming. 

Weekly WIP (Thursday Edition)

So, in an effort to force myself to pick up the thing that my mom can't look at, I wasn't letting myself cast on anything new. So basically I didn't knit a whole lot this week.

Recently Finished:

The scarf and mitts for my friend Sarah. She's going to help me decorate for Christmas and this is her thank you, and just because she's awesome and I love her.


OTN:

Still working on Ben's Sweater - the body is resting on some scrap yarn and I'm ready to cast on the sleeves.

My socks are coming right along - I'm almost up to the heel. I can't decide if I'm going to do my standard short row heel or try Cat Bhordi's Sweet Tomatoe heel. I think it will come down to where I am when I am ready to start it. If I'm home I can watch the video and do the new one, if not, I'll stick with what I know.

OTW:
er, same as last week, but look at this!

Pictures don't do it justice, it's super fun and sparkly and pretty! I bought it from Heidi out at London Wul and can't wait to get at this once the orange stuff is finished.




OK mom, stop reading now. Unless you want to ruin the surprise.







So....you may be wondering what became of those other things I was working on....well....right now it looks like this:

So what happened was I started these mitts back in March (I think?) for my mom. Got one almost finished (I was working on the thumb) and then got distracted by other things (mostly this and this and this....it happens). I put off picking it up again for two reasons:

1. I wasn't really happy with them. There were a couple mistakes in the inside pattern, and they were small. I could wear them, but they were tight. My mom's hands are the same size as mine (only reason I kept going), but they weren't comfortable.

2. I knew by the time I picked them up it would be impossible to get the same gague and I'd end up with one mitt bigger than the other.

So finally today I picked them up and finished the thumb. It looked like this \_/. Narrower at the bottom than at the top. Because my gague had changed.

I thought it would be hard to rip it out, but actually it felt kinda good. I feel clean. I can move on now, start again. They might not get done for Christmas (sorry mom.....), but they will get done, I'm not dreading working on them anymore. Not sure if I'll manage to do them two at a time or not tho.

Balance

Life is all about balancing things, managing the tension between two extremes. Some days I'm better at it than others, but what I've learned is that something, inevitably, has to give.

I can't have a clean house and knit. Some people can do that, but not me. Something has to give (and if you've ever been to my house, you know what that is).

Thing is, I'm ok with that. I've completely accepted that I'm not going to be good at everything. I'm human, not some sort of superwoman. There are days my house is a mess, and nights I choose to watch tv when I should be sleeping, and I do break down and yell at the kids now and then.

But those things don't define me as a mother or wife or person, I don't feel the "mommy guilt" like I used to. I don't strive for perfection, but for consistency and balance. In fact, slowly I've been able to come to a point where I don't compare myself to others, where I don't feel useless, where I'm actually proud of myself (at least most days, no one is perfect, right?)

I'm not sure how this change happened - wether I got fed up or grew up - but I'm glad it's changed.

Not about knitting

I know, this may come as a surprise, but really the knitting posts were just to get me back in the habit of making posts, organizing throughts, writing things down. I hope blogging will again be a semi-regular occurance (even tho it's compeltely lost popularity, I'm either a hipster or commpletely uncool....or maybe those are the same thing....)

I find it interesting to go back and read my old blog posts. I laugh at myself a lot, somtimes I get nostalgic, sometimes I feel a little sad that I got all cynical and am not so....passionate....as I used to be (and this will probably be one of the posts I laugh at later, I'm not mentioning that some of my old posts are also a bit melodramatic).

The thing is tho, I can't be the same person I was. I can't be the newlywed fresh out of school ready to take on the world. I can't be the new mother so sure and scared at the same time. I need to be who I am now. Thankfully, I'm really happy with who I am right now, so that part isn't so hard.

I feel like I'm at a point where I can take all the best parts of who I've been and put them together. I've let go of a lot of the bad - there's been healing and forgiveness, growth and learning. Also, snark.

So once again this will be a catalogue of my thoughts and ideas and life. As well as regular updates on my knitting. Since I've started doing that I've been super prodictive (and still manage to at least sweep once a day, so it's not even a bad thing!).