Letting Go

It can be a little tough sometimes, dontcha think?  When you create something it’s a little like giving birth.  Sometime cutting the apron strings can be difficult.  In this case giving it was such a joy it wasn’t all that hard.

You may recall the lace shawl I started a while back?  I started calling it my Heart Attack Shawl because while knitting one night one of my needles slid out abandoning a few dozen stitches to open air.  I gasped and I don’t think I breathed again until I’d picked up the stitches and made all the necessary corrections to get them back as they needed to be.

I finished the shawl at least a month ago, maybe more and all I needed to do was block it so I could give it to the intended recipient.  Blocking.  It sounds so simple doesn’t it?  I confess that I don’t particularly enjoy blocking.  I love the end result which turns an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, but the process is a pain. 

But the sweet lady I wanted to give the shawl to was coming for tea today so I couldn’t put it off any longer.  It was worth it let me just say.

All pinned out after soaking, rinsing and rolling in a towel:

Close ups of edges, body and spine:

The complete finished shawl:

And my dear, sweet friend.  Red really is her color.

I’m glad the yarn told me who this shawl needed to be for but it’s a good thing I have so many projects in the works still or I might have a broken heart after saying good bye to my Heart Attack Shawl.

Projects

Despite not blogging about it much lately I AM still knitting.  Admittedly, not as much as in times past but I’m on an upswing.  I have many projects in the works not the least of which is a lace shawl that I am working on in a mystery knit-along.

In a mystery knit-along the pattern designer releases only portions of the pattern at a time and does not show pictures of the end result.  I’ve progressed enough on this project though (a bit more than the picture shows) to know this is going to be beautiful.  I even know who I’m going to give the shawl to when I’m finished, the yarn told me.  Sometimes that happens.

I’ve got another lace shawl in the works but it’s been snoozing for a long time, I am also still working off and on on the wrap I designed and started on my little weekend getaway, a scarf/shawlette in peacock colors that is about 2/3s of the way done and that one I’m keeping for myself (or at least that’s the plan).  I also have two birthday presents I need to finish and FIVE gifts for a craft-it-forward that I’m in (you sign up on someone’s blog of Facebook page and receive one handmade item and you in turn post it on your blog or Facebook page and the first five people to respond receive a handmade item from you) and since my sis won a drawing of yarn from one of the shops on our yarn crawl I told her I’d make something for her with the yarn she won.  Lucky me!  The colors are SO pretty!  The hard part is deciding what to make.

I’ve also made up a few dishcloths recently (one with lavender SCENTED yarn – how fun is that?!).  They are one of my favorite go-to knits when I want to knit but don’t have the option of paying attention to a pattern (like when the kids are awake – ha ha ha).

So, see, I haven’t been talking about it much but my knitting didn’t die when I got back into photography. 

South Sound Yarn Crawl 2011

Phase One – Yellow House Yarns.

But first.  Though you might have guessed already, a Yarn Crawl, is much like a pub crawl.  Only more fiber and less alcohol.  A lot less alcohol.  And, in my opinion, a lot more fun.  Especially when you go with your best friend and your sister (also my best friend).

The South Sound Yarn Crawl is an annual event where participants travel from yarn store to yarn store getting their passports (provided at the first store or downloadable) stamped, entering drawings, receiving free patterns, touching yarn and probably buying some or a lot, meeting other fiber artists and just generally have a fantastic time.

I hadn’t planned on going this year but at the last second recruited by best friend to join me making the trip more enticing with the promise of massive photo ops.  At an even more last second if that is possible my sister joined up.  So early on May 14 the three of us, heavily armed with our Nikons, headed out.  There are too many pictures to show and too much to write for for one post so I’m going to break it up.

Now back to Phase One – Yellow House Yarns.

Yellow House Yarns is my LYS (vocab lesson, LYS = Local Yarn Store) so it seemed the logical place to start.

Yellow House Yarns is, surprise!, a cute yellow house.  It is cozy and inviting and the owners are super friendly and fun to chat with not to mention helpful.

Purple hats for the Period of Purple Crying Campaign.  Love that!  I wish I’d heard of purple crying when I was a new mom.  Gabe used to have screaming jags daily that lasted from 20 minutes to three hours, Zion screamed every second that she was in a car seat for almost her first year and any time I tried to nurse her (I gave up and switched to a bottle when she was six months old and she was fine) and Gideon, well, let’s not go into Gideon right now.  Spread the word, this is a great thing for parents to know about.

I mentioned free patterns.  Each store had one knitting and one crochet pattern to give away.  For Yellow House it was this knitted sock and a crocheted baby sweater.  So cute!

Yellow House also has the coolest bathroom.  Very photogenic.  And I assure you, the only bathroom I took pictures of on this trip.  I’m not in the habit of taking photos of public restrooms.  Not usually anyway.

I’m very fond of the kitchen at YH (so much easier than typing “Yellow House” over and over).  It’s bright and airy and the yarns are displayed in fun ways.  Like the ones on the dish drying rack and in the salad bowl.  LOVE!

And like this:

And this:

SWEET!

 

See what friendly folks you’ll find at Yellow house?

And that concludes Phase One.  I walked away with the free pattern and purchased a second one.  More soon!

Room To Breath–Day 2

Continuing my telling of my little getaway…

First let me start by telling you that I went to bed the night before on a king bed (sweet!) in a nest of pillows.  At one point I realized I need to roll over (or “pancake” as we call it in our family, when you need to flip over) and thought “why is it so light all of a sudden”.  I grabbed the clock and brought it reeeeeeal close (have I mention how awful my eyesight is?  Yeah, it’s bad) and the clock said 7:30!  Now, I really wish I could put that in ALL CAPS for emphasis but you can’t do that with numbers.  You just get &:#).  Which makes no sense at all or looks like I’m trying to curse.

Do you realize what this means?  I slept – SLEPT! From the time I got into bed until morning.  Heck, I didn’t even move out of the position I fell asleep in.  I absolutely cannot remember the last time I did that.  It hasn’t happened since our first was born that’s for sure.  That’s at least 7 years. 

It was the strangest, most disorienting feeling.  Not the waking up in the new place just waking up and having it be morning like that.  It was almost like going under anesthesia.  I remember when I had my wisdom teeth pulled and they put me out.  They said I’d feel a stick and then I’d go to sleep, I thought to myself “OK, I can go to sleep now.” and the next thing I knew someone was shaking my shoulder telling me they were done and it was time to wake up.  This was kind of like that.

AND THEN I stayed in bed for two more hours before getting up. Ha!  TWO HOURS! 

The first thing I did after putting my contacts in was set up my tripod in order to take a picture of me jumping on the bed.  Why would I jump on the bed you ask?  Because my friend, Emily, told me to.  And I ALWAYS do what my friends tell me to!  OK not really but I did think it would be funny to take a picture of me doing it.  And there you go:

Then I tucked into the breakfast that I came prepared with.  (‘Cause I didn’t even want to leave the room to go down for the hotel’s free breakfast.  THAT’S how much I wanted to not leave my room.  Technically, THAT’S how much I couldn’t be bothered to get dressed and I thought they might not let me come back if I went down in pajamas.)

After breakfast I set up my space near the window.  Knitting things and my laptop with my first movie of the day, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

See how cozy?  And that’s my lunch.  When I watch movies I often like to design my meals around them.  Lord of the Rings makes me want bread, nuts, crackers, summer sausage and hard cheese.  Is that weird?

The view from my spot by the window.  It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day.  So much so that I actually felt a teensy, weensy bit guilty spending it indoors (and that takes a lot for me).  But I did have fun taking pictures of the beautiful day and people watching.  Lots of families came to the water today.  Not to be IN the water of course.  This is the Pacific Northwest and that would be ridiculous.  Just to walk on the rocks and the docks and skip stones and watch the ducks.

The little boardwalk past the hotel (which stuck out entirely over the water) ended at this little dock:

I spent my day working on my shawl (the one I swatched the night before), watching (mostly listening to) movies and eating.  I also painted my nails and took a long hot bath.  *sigh*  It was lovely.  For dinner I found a local RAM restaurant that delivered and had a garlic swiss onion burger and sweet potato fries.  Let’s just say it was a good thing I was rooming alone after that meal!  It was SO good though!  And I’m loving how my shawl is coming along (trying to change the subject here):

Then the sun starts to go down and everything gets all dreamy, smooth and blue.

And eventually it’s time to hit the hay again.  Goodnight knitting.  Goodnight laptop.  Goodnight street lights.  Good night moon (even though I can’t see you).

Room To Breath

Sometimes you, OK I, just need a little room to breath.  And move.  Move without bumping into a short person who wasn’t there two seconds ago.  Without thwacking a small head with my elbow because, again, it wasn’t there two seconds ago.  Being hung off of by a small someone.  Having my pants nearly pulled down by a small someone.  Because they’re using them to hang off me. 

Sometimes you, fine I, just want to prepare or eat a meal or even a tiny little snack without interruption.  Like a hundred of them.  Let’s not even talk about being able to go to the bathroom without “help”.

My four babes are beyond precious to me.  My love for them is indescribable.  And yet sometimes I just long for time to do what I want for how long I want without fearing that someone is going to holler for me, get hurt and cry, ask a gajillion questions or wake up ANY SECOND and thus cut short my project.  Whatever it was I was working on.  I’m at the mercy of naptimes and babysitters and hate that feeling of time running out.  Constantly, time is running out.  There’s a never ending loop of the Jeopardy theme song running through my head.

So I took some time.  An impromptu weekend away.  Just me.  Rob stayed home with the kids and I got Friday through Sunday to do what I wanted, when I wanted without bumping into a soul or having my pants pulled down by a child who is learning to pull up to standing (not naming names but I think you know who I mean).

I packed my knitting bag first.  Priorities, people.  Then picked what movies I wanted to take with me.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mama Mia, The Holiday, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  Then got things together for packing my camera and laptop which would get stowed last and all my personal spa things, foot soaks, hand scrubs, bubble bath – whee!  Finally into my suitcase went two sets of pajamas, one warm, one cool – you never know how those hotel rooms are going to be heated, and a shirt for wearing home (and unmentionables of course but, really, those aren’t supposed to be mentioned). 

Oh, don’t forget a plate and a super sharp knife in a case (thank you Pampered Chef for knives that come with cases they don’t fall out of).

No really.  I stopped at the grocery store to stock up on food and snacks and didn’t want to be caught unprepared.  Next time I know to bring paper towels or napkins too.  : )

Finally I was off.  My hotel room:

Note the fireplace and water view.  Two of my requirements in addition to a fridge, microwave and wifi, otherwise who cared where I was. 

The view from my room: 

It was a bit gray that day.  Just how I like it.

Another view IN my room: 

I forgot to ball my yarn before I left so guess who got to hand wind a ball using her feet as a spindle?  (Should I bring my ball winder next time?  I think so.)

Later that night:

I’m writing up a pattern for a cozy little wrap so I had out my stitch dictionary and knit up a swatch.  Then called Rob to help me with the math.  Don’t laugh.  I really did.

And even later:

My evergreen and mint foot soak powder is da bomb!

By now I’m feeling pre-tty good.  Tune in for more to come

Chomp, Chomp, Chomp

I finally got decent pictures of the Chain Chomp Hat.

And that, folks, is a Chain Chomp hat.  Knit with love by mama for her boy.

Happy Birthday!

Seven years ago today Gabe was born.  But not until 11:55PM.  And after a three day induction.  I remember that it took a very long time for them to check him over after he finally emerged and a very long time for them to stitch me back together (and I did not have a c-section).  When they finally placed him wrapped in a blanket near my head I had two thoughts “Aw, I’m not pregnant anymore.” (no, really, I honestly thought that) and “Can I go to sleep now.”

With the exclusion of a daily afternoon screaming jag that lasted any where from 20 minutes to 3 hours he was what most people consider a “good baby”.  He ate well, he slept well and after he recovered from jaundice he was healthy.  He was also so very serious.  It was pretty hard to get much more than a grin out of him.  We knew from the start he was going to be a smarty.  He studied everything.  Everything.  So very closely.  There was never a single thing he put eyes on that he wasn’t immediately trying to figure out.

We were right in that regard.  He is super smart.  And sweet. And artistic and creative and it is much easier to make him laugh.

Yesterday we celebrated his birth with friends and family.  Rob and I already gave him his present from us but I managed to knit up a hat for him anyway.  I was so excited to give it to him I almost couldn’t sleep the night I finished.   I reminded myself of those Disney Land commercials.  “I’m too excited to sleep!” 

I made cupcakes instead of a cake this year.  Peanut butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  We also had a “peanut butter sandwich bar” for the kids.  They got to choose from marshmallow fluff, Nutella, jam, honey and bananas – or a combo of those, to go on their peanut butter sandwich.  It was a big hit!

Jamie, Jamae and Jessa came and naturally the kids had to climb all over them for a time.  Zion and Gideon were laughing hysterically at the app on Jamae’s phone. 

Time for presents.  I’ve seen the uBuild Mousetrap game at two birthday parties in a row now.  Gabe and Zion played it after church today, looked like fun.

He got a paper airplane kit.  (I’m super excited about that one.  Perhaps I should take up origami.)

From my sister and family he got a flying saucer and Mario Kart swim trunks.

Now we just have to remember to get them signed back up for swim classes.

Finally he got to the hat.  He thought it was a penguin.  Drat! To my, and his, credit he didn’t immediately see the chain.  Rob sent him to the bathroom to look in the mirror.  Then he got excited and almost hasn’t taken it off since.  Score one for mama!  (That is a Chain Chomp, not a penguin.  A Chain Chomp is a character from the Mario games.)

Then the boys got to settle down and play Wii some.

 

Elias got dressed up by little Sarah.

And the kids got to fly the flying saucer.  Look at those faces!  They could be a magazine ad. 

Happy Birthday, Gabe!