The Land of Sheep and Wool

On Friday I went with my mom and paw and daughter to Saltspring Island for my second sister's 50th birthday. The ferry was 1 1/2 hour drive and 3 hours across. Whew. She lives way up Mount Maxwell. Her neighbours raise sheep and goats, spin and weave and knit. It was heavenly. She is just finishing building her own sheep fold and hopes to get some in the spring.
This is my sister's Canada Goose. She revived it as a chick and it has returned from migration. Check out her website Mount Maxwell Cards.

Arbutus trees grow all over the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. Their red bard is part of the romance and magic of the setting.
From her kitchen you can just see Mount Baker and our own Mount Cheam of the Cascade range. This is due east.
Here is sister's spinning and knitting. Of course it's a guernsey. Perfect. She gave me a skein of some that was too fine. I also bought a cone (2,000 meters) of single ply wool from her friend at the market. She said she knew those sheep and they have a spinning mill on the island.

In expressing how large my basement is, I think I slipped a digit. It is 300 square feet (not 3,000). I have a tentative relationship with numbers. But I can still knit.

Here is Long Harbour as we are preparing to leave. The sea was calm and the air was warm. The party was filled with interesting (very interesting Saltspring types) people and lots of my family that she doesn't get to see so often.
My niece was there without hubby and step kids so we got to visit a lot with her. They all spent lots of time looking at my daughter's and my godson/nephew's books of drawing. Sister is a painter and she gave me an original of one of her crow cards which I had framed. Wow. I have several of her paintings at home.
I haven't shown her happy face as she opened the shawl because I am not sure if I should post pictures of unsuspecting people. I have barely posted my own photo. I don't want to risk my family to the unknown, and yet I am compelled to share with you. If said sister knew about the blog, it might be different. But I've only told one or two people so far.
You were with me as I couldn't stop taking photos to share with you!

Knitters Re-do the Reno

This is the biggest "frogging" that I have been involved with. My family helped strip wallpaper, paint the ceiling and prepare the walls. Then I took to the big job of painting the walls of a 3,000 square foot TV room. I wanted it cozy and darkish.
I got pumpking/mustard screaming brightness that D. described as "calf scours". Yuck
Thank goodness the people at the Chilliwack Decorating Store are brilliant. While I had a lovely lunch with my best friends to celebrate a birthday, they cut the colour in half and added magenta to cut the mustard.
This is a huge contrast. Another first coat. But the finished results (Wednesday night painting and Thursday morning second coat) is still dark and comforting. I have a shawl and some fabric that I wanted to match and this is a better mix than the original exact colour.

Next week: the before and after. Then on to the next, connecting room that I hope to set up as a guest room.
Tomorrow morning I'm off to Saltspring Island with Noodle Pie and Mom and Paw to celebrate my second sister's 50th. I hope to get some good pics. I need the rest and I bless the (same) little sock that welcomes me for easy knitting.

Waving At You

Persistence, Perspicacity, Stick-to-it-iveness. The Print O' the Waves is finished. I have another week before I go to my sister's birthday party.
The blocking wires really helped make this easy to block.
There she is resting beside the bookshelf and the bohdran drum.

And she turned out really nice and wide. I hope my sister enjoys wearing it to fancy events like art shows and gallery openings.

Valiant Stand-off

For Angie at Purling Oaks. We have a mild, rain forest climate, but our roses are feeling the light frost, too. You can see the beginnings of the fall colours. We tend to have more golden than red leaves and sometimes they are lost to the rains.
Progress continuing on the knitted lace edging. I am knitting in all sorts of places: mechanic, orthodontist, middle school cafeteria, music academy. Anywhere that I can still manage the pattern.
My flute instructor gave us a wonderful concert on Saturday night, accompanying (on piano) her sister, Carla Trynchuk, a world class violinist. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sunday was chock-a-block full with a baby shower squeezed in. Our babysitter grew up and has started her own family with a lovely little seven pound baby girl. They appreciated the EZ baby surprise surplice. Such celebrations can really cut in to your knitting time. But I will be brave and sodier on.

Stumbling Along

I'm on the home stretch of the knit on edging for the Print O the Waves. 20 more repeats.

I know I can do this, but since I had to pick up every stitch around, I have lost the thread. Like the CN Railway with its ever lengthening trains, I find that my thoughts are in danger of derailing every row or so. I look up and say (to myself, mostly), "Where am I?"

I have incorporated so many aids: stitch counters, enlarged (and corrected) chart, highlighted lines on said chart to help me anchor my place.

Do you make references or characteristics for each row? This is the easy row. This is the row that has the yarn over in the wrong place. This is the last row of the first set. Now we gain stitches, now we lose stitches. like a miniature farmers' market. Tip over the top.
You can see how this project is getting to me. I am thankful that I have not given myself the chance to just put it down for a little while....
Still, I still don't trust that, with the crutches I have gathered, that I am assured of success at the end of the day. At the end of the week? Certainly before October 26 when it needs to be blocked and wrapped and accompanying me on the ferry to the birthday celebration.

Don't Stumble

This is so bad. www.stumbleupon.com Don''t go there.
It will ask you to sign up for an ingenious search engine that will allow you to explore countless websites according to the interests you list.
It is a huge time waster.
Who knew there were so many great sites?
I caught my son on a Peter Frampton site yesterday.
Things to be discovered and explored (with all that free time).

Something's Gotta Give

This is a card my dear friend gave me for my birthday. She is embarking on colour work and I hope to encourage her.

There is no way I can finish my sister's shawl and get a baby sweater finished for Saturday. What am I to do? I just want to give nice gifts to let people know how important they are to me.

But on my walk I figured out a few things about bending time and finishing projects.



1) I already have a finished baby sweater for a mom I probably won't see for a while.

Why not cheat and give baby Lily the kimono and finish the denim sweater for the wee boy named Po? I'm not sure about his name, but that's what I heard and I have time to enquire later.



2) No matching Astra. Not in Chilliwack, not in the Commonwealth. They changed the gauge. I thought I had a great idea for a pi shawl. But I even went to the shop I don't like so much (cheaper than gas to Michael's) and she gave me the low-down. Even Zellers and Wallmart (gasp) no longer carry crappy Patons. It's all Bernat and Red Heart. I did not grow up with these yarns, so they are a type of acrylic that does not signify to me. I can get over Patons acrylic because my grandmother knit with it.

So: use the 4 balls to knit a sweater. Double bonus. Use the inherited stash, cut the project and get over the precedent of baby knitting for the numerous nephews. Triple bonus.

This is my son's highchair. Yes, he is 16. My mother-in-law gave it to us when he was born. It matches my dining set. I have put his name in calligraphy on the bottom.

A few years ago she requisitioned it for her home for the last 2 grand kids. I did not have a choice to decline. Their family does not work that way. What is D's is his brothers (but not vice versa). When I had the family for dinner, they brought it down for said last grandson. I just wanted to document that it is part of our home before I graciously return it. I have already decided to buy her a new one when my kids have babies so I can have it back. This is me trying not to be selfish over something I value but have no need for.

Perhaps buying some wool will help me overcome this. Unfortunately, I need to be finishing knitting instead of shopping. Soon I'll get there. I have turned the second corner and am putting the edge on the second short side. Whew.

Thanksgiving All Over

We had 17 people for dinner today. Dinner, to us, means the main meal in the middle of the day. I made a very aromatic turkey stew (about 8 litres or 32 cups), a triple batch of biscuits and coleslaw and salad tarted up for the season with dried cranberries (not craisins!- organic unsweetened really dried cranberries), pumpkin seeds and pecans. Yum.

My mom and my eldest sister brought pumpkin pies. Now this eldest sister, who also brought three giant teens, cut her own pie first so I didn't get to touch Mom's. Said mother was a bit peeved at having done all that work for nought. Me, I get to share her pie tonight with the nuclear unit.

My wonderful house-sitting (now house buying) nephew brought his charming girlfriend whom I loved before him because she was in our youth group and a camp counsellor. They are happily ever every day. They don't have to marry, but they must be kind to one another.

The musical instruments in the corner struck me as funny. This is tidied up for us. Noodle Pie plays the "bells" in my community band, the trumpet and drum kit in the middle school jazz band and french horn in the concert band. We sent the cello back. The flute and guitar are mine. We also have two sets of bag pipes, a drum kit , a djambe and bhodran drum in the basement. Boo is playing the piano most of the time, but we are all capable.

I am thankful for the abundance of music in our lives. Yesterday I led the small children in my Sunday School in a lovely multi-language tune. They make me act and think on a brighter, funnier and cuddlier level.

Hope your turkey makes you sleepy enough to sit and knit a bit.

Not Idle, Not Accomplishing Much

I'm off my schedule.
I started ripping wallpaper in the basement on Monday and it took up two days, making my hands too tired to knit. All four walls were papered in top and bottom and with a border. Mr. Boo ripped off the picture and the glued part came off surprisingly easily. Under it I have panelling with primer on top. The primer kind of wrecks the wood, but allowed the paper to stick and to come away. I'm grumpy about the decorating because it was done by a decorated and just too much. This is the basement "theatre" now that D. has a big TV and I finally get to undecorate it and make it look like a home. Our furniture did not enhance her scheme.
I planned to paint the walls the colour of caramel corn and make the ceiling a shade or two lighter (not the dark maroon it is presently). When I sanded a bit of the wood, it came out exactly the colour I had chosen!!! Plus I think it is really of good quality and will add warmth and coziness. Not that it won't be a lot of work.
The cool skate-board dude at the paint shop said I should finish the walls first to determine their colour before I pick a ceiling and trim colour. Okay.

The edging of the Print O the Waves was mocking me, "I bet you're too tired, I bet you can't concentrate enough to manage me."
But I did get the first short side, the corner and a run at one of the long sides (30 repeats). I try not to panic about finishing it in time for the gift, but it holds me up. Not in a supportive way. Sometimes I just picked up the st st baby cardigan in denim that I'm making for the new daughter of our baby sitter. She came every week for 6 years so I could drum in the band. When she graduated, Noodle Pie was 12 and old enough to babysit others. She was our last babysitter.
Lately I've been bumping into the adults I used to babysit. It's odd. I'm off to a baby shower for one today. I already knit the angel blanket as a gift from her mother and the organic cotton kimono. So I have board books in a bag. Good gifts non-the-less.

I walked the dog instead of going to the Y because I just couldn't take the time.
Two kids home sick for two days really plays havoc on your time.
By Friday they were back at school and I threw myself into the team that co-ordinated a funeral for another very special neighbour. He was just about 70. We have a lot older people to do funerals for. The past little while has had several younger deaths. It's a bit difficult. Especially when one accepts the fact that we're just going to be doing lots more funerals in the future.

Today I'm going to the gym. I will knit. I will try to get my schedule back.

Celebrations and Set Backs

This weekend I hosted D's family for his mom's birthday. She is very generous and loves her family. The problem is, she's a wonderful cook. It has led me to learning about all kinds of spices and techniques. We had a Greek dinner of sorts with rosemary rubbed pork loin, spanikopita, couscous salad (yum) and green beans in brown butter. Mr. Boo also BBQ's beef tri tips- very impressive from a 16 year old. #1 SIL brought an amazing double chocolate cheese cake, the recipe of which she attributes to me. And #2 SIL was neither insipid nor insulting. Great success all around.

But in knitting. The words inner edging brought horror to my face. I had to pick up many hundreds of stitches along my print o the waves. I don't know why I hate this so much. It's just another form of knitting. But the counting and the spacing and the juggling of needles just makes me so sad. It took a week, but I got the inner edging done.

Now the knitted on edging (which is what I had signed up for) was another challenge. Thank goodness, eventhough I was tired on Saturday from the birthday bash, there was lots of food and the house was clean. So I sat and conquered the spacial puzzle of right side, right stitch, right bind off.... All the variables. Now I'm trying to move along the first edge without too much ripping back.

Warning: there is a mistake in the Print O' the Waves edging pattern as posted on See Eunny Knit.

I had to search back to Knitters Review comments to find in her words that on rows 9, 11, 13,15, the second last stitch is K2tog. This makes sense because she's trying to decrease the number of stitches in that set. But it didn't make sense in my stupor and chagrin. When I found it, I wrote Eunny back to apologize for bothering her. She still replied with thanks that I had found what I need.

So I hope you can fix your pattern before you rip out all your own hair.

Joining

These are the buttons I have gathered and inherited. We did a lot with buttons when the kids were little. My mom used to let me go through her button jar on rainy afternoons when she was sewing clothes for her four daughters. I still remember a miniature ceramic purple flower. Some of these are from D's grandma. I collected some blue ones for a Haiku for her great grandson, a cousin's third boy. They satisfy the magpie in me.

I have been invited to Ravelry.

I think it's amazing. Just last week I was 3,499 in line. I know, I checked. Now I'm there, it's a bit overwhelming. I added my blog and my WIP. I set up a few FOs but it takes time and I've been so busy that I'm not happy.

Today I'm trying to take it slower. Walk the dog. Practice flute. Join my shawl and start the edging. I think it's a bit like pregnancy. The last trimester is only half-way. I am simultaneously proud of my being this far, and stunned at how far I have to go. I'm not sick of it. This is more like one of Li's long term relationships. I'm a bit annoyed. But I don't dispute her good qualities and the joy she will bring as a gift.

Small Pleasures

This little sweater will hopefully make a new baby feel welcome in our community and let his or her parents know how much we value their family.

Today I made a killer tomato sauce. The secret ingredient? Time. My kids are tired of me say ing that, but I am a slow food proponent. Not food that is slow enough for me to catch, but the opposite of fast food. Growing up on a farm gave me a good start.

The weather changed and it's cold with a bit of rain. I made it to the Y today and visited with my sisters.

Little things are OK. My world is made up of little things and small actions.

I have decided to add a baby blanket to my queue. One of the youngest nephews is being ostrasized because his very young and surly girlfriend is pregnant. This will be the first great-grandchild and I feel I have the right to rejoice in his or her own selfdom. One does not choose the situation one is born into. All we have is love.

Come Back Liza

The heavy pruning before our trip has paid off. These Queen Elizabeth roses are original to the house, so about 40 years old. I moved them from the front 10 years ago when we moved in. They are so very much like the one in front of our farm house where we took the special pictures, like me and D. going to the grad prom.

This is a beautiful, mild autumn. We have heavy dew, but it warms up by 9 am and we throw off our sweaters by 10:30.

I'm back to walking the dog every other day, but my ankle can only manage about 30 minutes. I lost another pound this week. Woo hoo! That makes 5. My clothes are looser. Redouble the efforts.

Noodle Pie's beloved lululemon hoodie has a broken zipper just at photo day. Disaster. They informed me they could repair but not replace it. We will go into the city on Saturday to sharpen her skates and continue on to one of the biggest malls, Metrotown to hand it in and buy another for the interim. These are the most valued items in the schools. I held off for almost a year before I let her buy one with her own money. I hope we don't have to drive the 1 1/2 hours to get it back.

Lookee, lookee.

I have 3 sisters. This is the handspun of sister #2 who is turning 50 next month.

My 3rd sister, the cowboy, is moving to a ranch in Kamloops soon and gave me her box of yarn and 2 boxes of fabric. This was worth all the acrylic and itty bitty remnants.

But I will probably make her and her husband hats. It will be enough to work with such a precious yarn. It was a gift from 2 to 3. They will need toques in that semi-arid climate.

It rarely gets cold enough here to wear ugly hats.

Inside, Outside

I spent most of the weekend indoors at a workshop for Sunday School teachers. I tell you, there is a radical, invigorating group, and there are new things exploding around us. I am so excited about Godly Play that I am off the deep end. I hope to get my act together enough to try it out with my lovely students.
On Saturday night, D. took the Youth Group to the Corn Maze. I was happy to be too late to be involved, but dropped by to say hi and offer some hostess help.
It was dusk and clear and they had a great time.
I went home and put my feet up after a long seminar and a long drive. I had to watch Josh Groban because our band is playing "You Raise Me Up" and I don't remember hearing it on CBC.
I enjoyed my quiet time.

On Sunday afternoon, our community band played for the parade to mark the Battle of Britain. It was a joy to have D. and Noodle Pie both playing with us. Must work on Mr. Boo and his trombone. He was out "quading" with my husband's brother. I was a bit of wreck. He's never driven one. Then, when he comes home, he has shot a grouse. Was there no room for discussion about this? It made me feel weird that all our pacifism had been vetoed. D. said he could never shoot an animal because he spends all his time trying to save their lives. Thanks for that.

I did finish the kimono. I decided I was far too stuperous to approach lace. Good plan. Picks to come.

Not My Car

I'm the geek taking pictures in the parking lot. This was too funny to pass up.

I have a 14 year old daughter and I am very much of the Reviving Ophelia school of raising girls. I'm a big girl and I would like someone to appreciate what I do for my community, not just the size of my thighs. My daughter intellectually knows that her musical and artistic talent are more valuable than looking anorexic, but it's tough out there in middle school.

Pretty soon it will be warm enough for those little stick insects to cover up. I will not have to fear for their mortal souls and their chance of making it to highschool without getting pregnant.

I seriously thought we were beyond the playboy bunny ideal.

But I have my knitting to console me.

The jacket is starting to morph and it's easy enough to bring along with me. I feel the pressure of finishing both projects. I hope to sit and knit a bit tonight. Last night I was on the deck until 8pm, dark, listening to an audio book. Very pleasant.

Stop the Frenzy

After the craziness of last week, I had a bit of a physical back lash and slept extra long Sunday night. Three hours in a freezing rink is not good for me, even if I'm selling baked goods the leadership skaters (Stars) made themselves.
Last week I also picked, cleaned and bagged 30 lbs of concord grapes for freezing. They are a gift from one of the ladies at church. I put them in the freezer at the church and the Amazing Brenda turns them into juice. There is something so "Sardis" about having our own juice for Communion. We're very homespun and live in such a bountiful paradise.
But in this paradise, it seems, my job is to sit on my keester.
I had a terrible nosebleed today after I walked the big black dog. I had to phone my dearest friend and cancel coffee before my flute lesson and cancel the lesson and sit quietly.
Thank-you Brenda Dayne. I can do a pattern repeat of the Print O the Waves during one podcast.

I have finished 14 of 17 repeats of the first side. The pressure is on. I have a dear little baby sweater to finish pronto and then it'll be October when our last babysitter is due. I want to make her a little jean jacket. I have the yarn and the pattern will be just a cardigan, but the embelishment will be fun.

So I feel a bit bad to be just sitting and knitting. I got my son to his first piano lesson of the year (Grade 10 Toronto Conservatory!) and my nephew to the doctor for the same cough that I am plagued with. One of our vets thinks its mycoplastic pneumonia. Maybe I should get in to the doctor, too. If I'm good now and rest, I may not have the serial nose bleeds of yore. Yuck.

At least my lace wasn't damaged.

It's actually dark, forest green. This green is not black. There is no trouble seeing it in the evenings, eventhough it's very dark. I want to get into the second side because I think the edging will be a big job.

After the baby sweaters? Miles of navy Phildar for a nephew.

What I Week!

I managed to get through the first week of school, Sunday School registation and Skating Club open house. Ouch! I barely played my flute. I was too tired to go to band on Thursday night, but I'm glad I went because it meant all I had to worry about was whether or not we were playing in E flat. I am so proud that I finished another music theory book. It's a great system that really takes you through step by step and uses Canadian folk songs as examples. I knew most of this stuff long ago and my kids used these books when they were much younger. So far I haven't had to ask them for help.

On Friday night, I played truant, dropped the kids with their friends at a coffee house and went to a book club/knit in to watch "North and South". We just finished this old book by Elizabeth Gaskell and the BBC production was lovely.

I managed to squeeze in the Golden Compass before just beginning Gaskell's "Wives and Daughters". It's so charming already and I've only just read one hour on the stationary bike.

I have two podcasts lined up for some desperate knitting. But first I have to live through the first day of skating and sneaking out to a Weight Watchers meeting. Tonight I hope to lie on the couch with my Noodle Pie daughter and knit while we continue Middle March. I am so antiquated, but it balances all the new technology in my life.

I still use a fountain pen and journal in a note book. I don't apologize.

This week already seems more in order and I look forward to the knit and sit at my LYS on Friday morning.

What Are You Knitting?

I changed to my summer bag which freed this up for knitting. I bought it in Glasgow at 50% off from a store called Fat Head. It's been fun to stuff with travel needs, but not that easy to get things out of. Now I have two clear plastic zipped bags with my projects that I don't want out of my reach.

This is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Kimono. I love knitting little wrap sweaters. This cotton is so fresh and I thought the variegation would highlight the decreases.And here's the Print O' the Waves. I'm finding it pretty straight forward. I think I found out how I get a favourite row: it's the one I learn the first. The one which has logic like my own. I have found my favourite row. Not to deprecate the others. And no, it's not the purl back row.A closer look of the deep green merino goodness. You can start to see the pattern, but the magic will come out in the blocking.I keep waiting for this knitting mania to peak. I include more blogs and podcasts and knitting friends and plans. It can almost consume one's life. This morning I watched the Yarn Harlot on You Tube with breakfast. That's pretty rabid. But I'm enjoying riding this wave of many years.

I found the You Tube sites from the new Vogue Knitting Anniversary edition. It's wonderful, but it's cutting into real knitting time.

FO's

It is the first day of school and I am happy to have closed the book on a few things.

1. The book. Yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I finished Harry Potter. Reading out loud made it much slower, but it was worth it to share.

2.Jazz. D. and I have been picking through the 10 DVD series from Ken Burns that originally played on PBS. It was marvelous (again). I have learned so much about American history and music history that I never would have guessed from my farm in the Fraser Valley. Noodle Pie and I watched Dream Girls on Thursday night when the boys were out. It was also a slice of American music from the MoTown view. I really liked it. Noodle Pie preferred it to Hairspray which is parallel from the sixties. I loved the way Hairspray made me feel. It took me back to the one movie my second sister took me to: Grease. I was going into grade 11, I think, and we really enjoyed the summer feel. It was a rare non-cynical, non-artist response from her.

3. Ian Rankin Mortal Causes. This was a great mystery novel set in the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. I'm glad I was home before I started to read about the bomb threats. Bomb threats in Glasgow are no longer taken seriously because "terrorist attack" now means that the local blokes kick the crap out of the terrorists.

Clean slate. Golden Compass- this time not aloud. Looking forward to the movie.

PrintO' the Waves: 80 stitches seems like such a short row. I'm starting to "understand" the pattern and read it off the needles.

Baby Surprise Kimono. So pretty in variegated cotton.

Big project: stripping the walls in D's "theatre". The TV room in the basement is getting a facelift. I hope to have it painted by Xmas.

Good-bye to the kiddies. Sniff (not).

An Exciting Week

Kiri #3 is done and off the needles. One week exactly and finished before the recipient gets home from holidays or even has a clue that I'm making her October 50th birthday gift.

This is what she looked like after one hour.

This is at the end of day one. The rows are the spectacular thing here. Later, it's the width, which doesn't translate as well since I don't love you enough to take her off the needles. I do have a much longer needle, but my oldest sister is using it for her attempt to make a poncho that she has no interest in. I should get my needle back. It an addi turbo and gift from sister #2 on Saltspring Island. I cast on the Print O' the Waves for her today, too.Yesterday I started with everything but the edging. It has really grown, but still a surprise when it comes of the needles. Last night was another movie with the kids (Friday vids at our house). Kiri is actually TV knitting. Because I know Print O' the Waves won't start that way, I've picked up some cute variegated cotton limone to do an Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise. I can't say how many of those I've knit. But like Kiri, there is a comfort in the familiar. I am always surprised when I find out I've knit both sleeves and the front.

Here is Kiri resting after her exciting week. I really only had a few moments of boredom as I was always looking forward to the next row, the next repeat, the next step. She is in her bath now relaxing and getting ready to lie in the sun on the carpet in the living room, displacing the dog.

I have 2 month to make my sister's shawl and I think I can do that. Thank goodness my third sister is closer to my age and years from 50. She'll probably get a blanket anyway. Mission Falls 1824? I have time to decide. And many nephew sweater and don't forget the babies.