7.23.2012

Something...

Is not right with my computer. I'll be back.

7.20.2012

He Says He Never Gets Any Credit...

Well here it goes....

My beloved life partner, my Huz, just returned from a successful tour in Japan bearing gifts for his sleeping family. For the children he came with Ponyo and Totoro toys, when KaBean say her new Ponyo doll she was soooo happy. She actually squealed. And for me, ahhh, what a great guy.... for me he brought a new digital camera. Nothing fancy, just a little point and shoot, but I am so excited. I have been without a real camera for so long... I'm just glad my kids whole childhood (and all my knitting) won't be documented on just my broke ass phone camera. Thank you Huz, for working your butt off to provide us with the silly things that make life fun. We love you, and we're so glad you're home.

7.19.2012

Perhaps, Pictures?

This hat was inspired by EZ's color practice hat and knit entirely with my own handspun. I wanted a way to use up some yarn, and realized I have never knit anything with my own yarn and this seemed the perfect project. Especially because I managed to use up all of each ball! This hat is a few firsts for me, first handspun hand knit project, first color work, first successful pom pom. I used the plain white thick thin single as the secondary color and put twisty stripes going in the same direction as the decreases because i knew there wasn't enough of the beautiful color to get all the way to the top of the hat... I am totally thrilled with the pom pom on top, it is made with the remainder of the thick thin single and is totally funky and twisty and kinky and I love it! The ManChild loves it too. The hat knit up in a matter of hours and I was literally blown away with how fast and easy the color work was. I figured out how to hole the second color in my right hand and knit with it while still keeping the main color in my dominant left hand... I'm not left handed, I knit umm... continental? I don't know, knitting terms confuse me sometimes. One time the ladies at the mendo yarn shop all gathered around to watch me knit because apparently they couldn't figure out how I did it... 









I'm at this bizarre point in the 2 balls of Mushishi for the Not Noro 2 Row 1x1 Scarf. I am still making progress on the scarf. I can see the new colors in each set of rows, the ends are now touching when I wrap it around my neck... but the balls of yarn are not getting smaller. After I finished Martinmas, I started pulling the balls from the center and have been fascinated with the way the hole in the center forms as I pull the yarn out. This yarn was stored in HUGE cakes for over a year and had tons of time to kink and take shape of the criss crossed yarn, it's incredibly stiff. I have been squeezing the walls of the balls and they are just not getting smaller. It's amazing. I'm soooo not complaining. at all. this shiz is beautiful! it can go on and on and on. I will keep knitting. I do think, though, that there is more of the salmon/maroon than of the turquoise/purple and need to figure out what to do about it.

Everything Might Be Broken?

And by everything, I really just mean the internet. And by "the internet" I really just mean the internet on this particular computer. I can't check facebook at all. Twitter, Ravelry, and most blogs I frequent seem to be, according to my personal Safari program, to be impostor websites that are trying to steal my  personal information. Blogger can't recognize any of the new pics I uploaded to iPhoto yesterday. I have no idea what is going on. Facebook looks fine on the backup computer and things still sort of work for me, but not really. I wanted to update my Rav Project page, but it wont let me and now I'm sad. I wanted to post pics of the adorable pompom on The ManChild's hat, and pics of the Not Noro 2 Row 1x1 Rib Scarf, and pics of the first of my Paternal Twin Shawls, but Blogger still can't see my new pics, so that's out too. I'm really just stopping in to tell you all that the shawl is done and my new friend from Vegas Knit Night is going to come over and help me block it. Also, Huz will be back from Japan tomorrow sometime with some really brilliant Miyazaki toys for the kids. 


Speaking of the kids, this week has been one of crap parenting, but I think we're out of the woods now... Oh, nursing, why do you have to slow down? 2 + years since the conception of The ManChild, no monthly ordeal. at all. since conception. I guess I should consider myself lucky. But man, I hate this part of womanhood. Buying feminine hygiene products gets me all riled up: just another part of nature that only women have to pay for. Add tampons to birth control and it seems like women have to pay for everything to do with reproduction. How stupid. 


Anyway. Huz comes home tomorrow. Possible escape to Knit Night on my horizen. Cross your fingers for me.

7.14.2012

Shawl?

What shawl? Let me introduce you to Mushishi 2 row, 1x1 rib scarf. There are no other Mushishi projects here...

All That Remains...

A Shawl Update/Love Fest and Other News


I"m almost afraid to finish the shawl, this beautiful concoction of wool and silk and time. I almost didn't spread it out in my lap to fondle count the remaining rows and see how it looks all spread out. OK, well, I didn't spread it out, but I did count the rows. I have no new pictures of the progress, so I thought I could take this opportunity to show off the hand spun, hand knit hat I just finished for The ManChild and the new lace shawl I started...


wait, he's fast.
says his shirt.

maybe almost 2 year old little boys are not the best to model mommy's knit wear.

oh, that's better. this is spun out of some of the polwarth I got last summer's Boonville Fair plied with some merino left over from Helen and the plain white stripes are some home spun super fine merino. This is my first hand spun, hand knit project. unless you count the cowl i did when i started, which i don't... Any way, I love it and I am very proud of it.

And the very beginning of a new lace shawl. Pattern and details soon, but I'm going back to the Shawl, because it needs me and I love it. But I don't want it to end, but I want to be done so I can block it, and it seems like this garter stitch section just goes on forever.............

7.12.2012

Half Way.

I'm on the home stretch now. The colors amaze me still, the texture is glorious. I really don't want to stop...



7.11.2012

Times Like This...

I really hate my camera.


Trust me. It's beautiful.
I really can't get over the color progression of this Mushishi. At first my love of this pattern was really more about the pattern than the color. Sure, I've loved this yarn since it flashed itself at me that day at the yarn shop. And I've only grown fonder of it since starting this. I did start to tell myself that the halo of this single was muddying the colors but what do I care, it all about the process. But this garter stitch part really shows off the yarn. I probably could have kept using the main color of the first part and it would have been enough. I love this shawl so much I haven't really put it down for the last 2 and a half hours... But I think the children might be hungry.

KaBean Says:

I love the Martinmas Shawl. I also love the organizer of the Knit Night here in Vegas. I love the shawl too much to even stop knitting it. Here is a picture. It's starting to look like wings and I love.






Oh and also, it occurred to me that it has been too long since I reported on something funny I heard KaBean say:


"It's just like living in the forest in 1977!"


Playing pretend with your little brother is fun and wonderful, hearing my kids play pretend is probably the most amazing thing ever. Especially when The ManChild's response:


"Nint Sebahhnnnn!!!"

7.10.2012

It Is One O'Clock In The Morning...

And I totally finished section One of the Martinmas Shawl. I should be getting sleep, I have a early morning coffee date and a whole day with the 2 kids ahead of me... But I think I'm going to start section Two. Yay!

7.06.2012

It Has Come To Pass...

On the first lace row of the last lace repeat, I messed up again. Stupid fucking shawl. Well, not really, I made the mistake of taking it to knit night where I tried to knit and discuss awesome things like the foot ware of various Companions of the Doctor (it was decided that Donna had the most sensible shoes) and the merits of the various yarn storage techniques, a split between cakes and skeins... Turns out I am not at all awesome enough to work a 12 stitch repeat and carry on a conversation at the same time. bastard knitting. I'm so close to being done with section 1 it hurts. I wanted to stay up last night till I got to the seventh row of the last repeat with color A, but when I saw at the beginning of the 2nd row of lace, which is my favorite because it goes k3, tog, k3, yo, k3, yo, repeat. it's fun. But aperently, I still can't count and so it's fun and wrong. So I am about to frog the whole first row of lace back to the plain knit set up row and recount and check the pattern and hope I didn't just ass up and miscount or knit 2 stitches together by accident or anything. Because I'm like that.

I went back to the Knit Night at Panera this week. I was very proud of myself for going back and very glad I did. It was a lot of fun and the ladies that go are all really nice and funny. Turns out that Knitting in Public is a lot like Nursing in Public. Especially in a group like this. We get funny looks and stares, but in this particular Panera I think they might be used to the knitters gathering in the corner because the employees never really look twice, even when I walked in with my whole knitting basket under my arm. It is really nice getting out and speaking to people face to face that aren't Huz of Jump (Jump for Joy). I fel more patient with the kids and more eager to actually do things around the house. Like laundry. Although I still haven't cleaned out the fridge... We did put a real desk in the Yarn Room... Although I'm sitting on the floor in Huz's office typing right now.

Hmm... I'm going to go play, because that can be done anywhere and the kids are done with their snacks.

This Moment: Desert Rain



Today, I'm joining Amanda at SouleMama and Taryn at WoolyMossRoots for...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.



7.04.2012

Impressed



When I set the Shawl out like this, Huz looked over and said, "wow, you made that?... Now I'm impressed." Silly man- yes, I made it. As you should be. This is the most complicated project I've ever attempted. I love it because it is challenging me to be a better knitter and getting me ready to knit christmas gifts. When I read other knit bloggers I get down on myself a little, "why oh why can I not knit like her or her, or her" and I have to remind myself that I've only been knitting a couple of years and some of these people have been knitting since birth! Others are freakishly talented and I just have to steer clear of those folks. Knitting the Martinmas Shawl is beautiful practice. Getting me ready for the days when I can just knock sweaters off the needles like nothing, teaching me to follow a simple pattern to prepare for when I knit my first pair of Cookie A socks. It is interesting having something besides the kids that I want to get better at. It used to be dancing, and not even really all that whole heartedly. I worked really hard (sometimes) to be the best dancer I could ever be, because I loved dancing. Now I love knitting and I want to become really good at that someday.


ps- it's raining in Las Vegas. I love it! we went outside and collected some in a jar and KaBean and I danced around with our arms up thanking the sky for it's gift. Bliss. Really, really bliss.

If I Want To Change My Life...

I will start by cleaning out my fridge and cabinets. That is tomorrow's sloppy-less task. Fridge. Cabinets. Done.

In other news, I still love my projects. The Shawl is coming along nicely, 2 whole sections done with nary a tink or frog. I think I might have found a flaw, but tomorrow I will wash the swatch I did of this yarn months ago to see if my fears are justified. The BSJ is also still lovely, the colors intrigue me to no end. But I am quite enamored with the Shawl so it isn't coming as fast as it could be. Also, I have a new Yarn Room Mission: to rewind all my yarn cakes into skeins and give them a good washing. And I think this might be fun for KaBean to help with. She needs more activities that can be done indoors. Also, I am thinking of starting the Knee High, Toe Up Socks for Kiely. I have the yarn and I kind of love it, but maybe I'll start something different, or really, I should busy myself with rewinding all those skeins.

7.02.2012

Sloppy

This post is not about knitting or cute kids. Self Reflection Zone Ahead. You have been warned.


Everything about the way we do things is, feels, sloppy. Sloppy isn't quite the word I'd use... yes it is. And not just is in a "clean" kind of way, but in the way we lead our lives. That old quote "cluttered room, cluttered mind" has really been resonating with me for the last few days. I look around our McMansion and see the clutter. But we don't really own a lot of "stuff." No large pieces of furniture, huge toys, things on the wall... stuff... The few things we do have are strewn about the house like leaves. There is another quote floating around the peaceful parenting/ attachment parenting facebook pages that goes along the lines of "play with your kids now, while they're small... you can clean your house later." This is really amazing and touches me to the core and I love it. But I find myself wading thru junk all over my house. The kids and I try to keep up with it, but honestly, I'd rather be playing with my kids or knitting or, well, sleeping, than cleaning things. We don't own a ton of clothes, but we have tons of laundry, and it's everywhere. The kids really don't have an excessive amount of toys, but the stuff they do have ends up getting kicked aside to make room to walk... I feel like the only thing in the whole house that is even remotely tidy is was the Yarn Room. Until, that is, the kids and I went on our trip and Huz converted my space to the clean laundry pile room. It is better this way (not for me or my stash), in as much as now the clean and laundry really doesn't have the chance to mingle. I usually don't mind messes. It really doesn't bother me, but lately it has been too much. Almost like a reminder of all the non-consumerist and artistic ideals I have while living such a convenience, consumer based life. It doesn't help that I dislike/am not good at cooking. I like to bake stuff from time to time, but the whole "fresh ingredients" thing puts me over some sort of edge. When I look around the kitchen I see Starbucks cups and plastic bread bags and recycling and it over whelms me, the Stuff-ness of it all.


 And the diapers. I'm having diaper guilt. Since moving to the desert, we haven't used cloth. Well, a few times. But not enough. I'm torn here between the water used to wash the dipes and the impact of the sposies on the planet. But that's a whole different post. The point is, I think it's time for us to rework the way we live. Scratch that, it's time for me to change the way I live and help my kids make better choices. I think despite his best intentions, Huz is a lost cause.


But it goes even deeper than just the surface stuff. There is always crazy financial issues, in any family. There is education and the dog and work and the car and the ever-present guilt that maybe I'm doing wrong by my kids in every choice I make. But the way I handle these things is a defining trait in my life: I'm sloppy. In my mind, my car, my kids. Every thing from the way I eat to the way I spend money to the way I keep house. It all just comes out sloppy. Even my spinning is sloppy, but I haven't been practicing much *cough*at*all*cough*. My knitting is at least nice still, but then maybe not... we'll see, I've made such headway on the F@#king Shawl. radness.


sorry about the emo word vomit, thanks for listening.

7.01.2012

Gratitude Sunday

I'm joing Taryn over at Wooly Moss Roots for her wonderful list of a week full of things to be grateful for...


~In this economy it is hard to justify taking the whole family to see a movie, but this week Huz took all of us, both kids, both of us, and his teenage nephew to see the new Madagascar movie. It was a ton of fun, I don't know that the movie was all the way worth the $3million for tix and popcorn, but the experience was. I think it was The ManChild's first real movie and he loved it. I loved watching his face when ever there was running or flying or dancing or and -ing, really. That boy sure does love his action words. lol.


~There were many new experiences for the kids and I this week.
     -I went to a local Knit Night all by myself. This is major because sometime after KaBean was born,            my anti social tendancies really took over and now I get this horrible, shaking fear right before I meet new people. I've never really been a large-gathering-full-of-strangers type of person, I need to have at least one person I know involved and close by so I don't feel fully freaked out. Jodi knows, she's been taking me to parties since before I was brave enough to drive. But I went to the Knit Night because I knew I was going stir crazy and for the sake of my self and my family, I needed to get out, have adult conversation, feel my blood rush and tummy drop. I feel better. Balls out.
     -KaBean Sat thru the whole movie. She is like me, I think. Well, she loves meeting new people, but she is very sensitive to loud sounds and big energy. Our movie theatre back in the Bragg isn't really loud. I mean sorta, but not really. The theatre we went to the other day was verrrryyy loud. I was worried that she was going to cover her ears and want to go home, which we would have done, even after the $80bajillion $3million tix and popcorn. But she didn't. She asked me if I could turn it down and I told her no, but offered to take her home if she wanted. She said she wanted to stay so we watched the whole movie. She left happy and talking about the movie, so I guessed she survived. yay!
     - We went to a block party at Huz's gym. It was soooo not my idea of fun. *see above* There was loud music being DJd from the balcony and pumped out of unnecessarily large speakers, there were people all over the room trying to yell at each other over the music. And it was in a gym. But we survived. Huz was in his element, shaking hands, networking, holding the kids, I was impressed. He doesn't read this ever, so I can say nice things from time to time. Not too often incase it gets back to him, but really, I love watching him work, I always have. He sort of glows or radiates awesomeness and people are just attracted to it. The ManChild had fun, he likes to see lots of things all the time, and KaBean warmed up to it eventually, though she did tell me she disliked the loudness of it all several times, but each time I offered to take her home, she refused. *shrug* Another new experience for her that she totally kicked. I'm loving watching her grow. Very very cool.


~I spent the BBQ outside on the phone with one of my closest and falls into the category of "friends since elementary school". She has been one of the women in my life to show up with backed goods when I needed it most, my kids love her dog and her husband. She's rad. Anyway. I spent the whole time outside in 100 (how do i make the little degree sign?) degree heat because she is awesome! Lime for real, I'm so proud of her right now, I can't contain myself, but I will. Maybe she got a promotion. Maybe they are buying a house. Maybe she baked her fist vegan pizza crust from wheat she grew in her back yard. Who knows? But I love her, and I'm thrilled to bits!


I know this isn't totally a list, more of random little bits of my week, bits that rocked or were learning moments. I'm grateful for this life I lead and the people I have around me. It's time to stop focusing on the negative and really embrace what is here, in front of me. I'm going to crack my desert gardening book and scour the internet and stop wishing for a farm and create one. Even if it's a bust the kids and I will have fun. Plus, all our showers take for ever to warm up so it'll be nice to have something to do with that water.