Knitting In The North

Oh, Balls!

Liam has a great love of balls.  Ball was, in fact, his first word (far sooner than Mommy, or even Mooom - not that it bothers me or anything), and balls of all kinds hold his attention for ages.  He likes, as many babes do, to hold them and throw them and roll them and toss them at your head.

 

For Christmas, then, I decided Liam definitely needed a collection of felted balls.  I plan to stuff his stocking with them, so he can happily take them out and throw them at his siblings' heads, while they are busily sorting their own loot. 

 

The pattern, Baby's First Ball from the book  Knitting For Baby by Melanie Falick (oh, how I love Melanie Falick) and Kristin Nicholas, is wonderful.  Easy to memorize, so even when you're sick or overwhemed or grumpy you can still manage to work a few wedges on the latest ball.  I'm using four colours, and am shooting for six balls, although I'm enjoying the knitting so much, I might need to keep going.  We may well be buried in felted balls by Christmas.  I'll let you know.
  

The Bare Minimum

 

 

This week has been all about the bare minimum.  On the weekend, the kids & I took Stuart to the airport, where he flew off for a week of training in another city.  The day before he left, I was finally felled by the nasty cold that everyone else had last week.  Not to sound whiny, but being on my own with 4 (healthy, energetic, bouncy - thankfully) kids, while I crawl around feeling miserable is not my idea of a fun week.

 

It was good for me, though, as these things often are if we're willing to learn the lesson hidden inside.  Because I had to let go.  Let go of my wonderful meal plans, clean house ideas, crafting goals...  Admit that I'm imperfect, yet again, and that that's okay.  I'd venture to say, it's better than okay, actually. 

 

I came across the quote posted on my fridge over at Perfect Sentiment, just when I needed to read it.  It says, "The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."  Exactly what I needed to hear, and my nice clean fridge door (about the only household project I accomplished all week) is just the reminder I need. 

 

Unnecessary:: Perfect meals, spotless home, exciting activities, doing it all "perfectly"

Necessary:: Lots of tea, snuggling in bed with 4 kids & a dog, reading good books (still), watching an old movie or two

 

How about you?  What's necessary for you right now?  What's not?  

FO: Thorpe

My, how things can change overnight!  Just yesterday I was bemoaning the grey-ness out there, and today we're blanketed in white.  The first snowfall is always exciting around here, making me want to break out the Christmas music and build a snowman and go tobogganing and decorate and make gifts and bake good things.  Since I've got a sick babe at the moment, I've had to content myself with Christmas music and baking cookies, and planning to knit this for Brian (in green, to look like Link's). 

 

I did drag Liam out for a few quick minutes, for his first look at the snow.  What a puzzled little face!  He's so serious, when processing something new - he just stood there, taking it all in.  Which made me want to kiss his face right off.  (I'll ask him now, if he needs me to kiss his face off, and he'll shake his head.  No thanks, Mommy.  It makes it even sweeter when he offers me a kiss, all on his own.)  Anyway, it was the perfect opportunity to try out his new hat (you know - the one that fits!).

 

Particulars:

Yarn - Paton's Classic Wool for the body, with leftovers of Knitpick's Comfy Bulky for the trim

Needles - 5mm

Notes/Modifications - I held the Classic Wool doubled, which gave me just about spot on gauge.  It was a little stiff feeling while knitting, but softened up nicely for wearing.  The finished hat has a fairly thick finished fabric, perfect for snowy days, and it holds it's shape nicely, without feeling stiff.  This hat is fast becoming my standby winter hat pattern - once I get past the fiddly beginning, it's smooth sailing, and I am always thrilled at how smoothly the crocheted edging goes on, and how well it finishes the hat off.

 

 

Many Thanks

 

A most wonderful package arrived in the mail today - a gift from Lorette!  Lorette recently took a journey to Ireland, and came home with this fabulous Donegal tweed (along with some other good stuff).   She kindly offered the yarn up as a giveaway on her blog, and I was the lucky winner!  Along with the sweet yarn, Lorette included a fancy little box, perfect for holding stitch markers and the like, and an adorable black sheep tape measure (because every family needs a black sheep, right?). 

 

I must admit, this couldn't have happened at a better time - I've been feeling a bit, well, blue lately, and a bit tired and rundown from all my to-ing and fro-ing.  Having this appear at my door today was just the tonic I needed to get me though this week.  The discussions have already begun about what exactly this yarn wants to be (Gwenyth thinks it might just want to be a Neighborly vest - with a twist, of course - and I'm quite sure both Brian & Katie will know just what this yarn has in mind for itself).  I'm sure the ideas and plans will keep me entertained right into the weekend, when hopefully things will slow down. 

 

So - Thank You, Lorette!  You are very kind, sending a bit of bright blue cheer to us here in the grey, far North! 

Goings On

 

 

Lots of good fall things going on around here these days:

 

• Great thrift store finds (like Gwenyth's fabulous coat - wool, of course - and matching boots)
• Vegetable stock simmering on the stove
• Apple cake in the oven (as we put the batter in the pan, I asked Gwen how it looked.  Her answer?  "Slimy"  Oh, my literal girl.)
• Toasty armwarmers knit up for me & Katie
• Reading good books as a family (we're on #2, and the excitement is still building) 
• Homemade chocolate syrup
• And really, really good for me this week (helping me along on my journey  to embrace the Imperfect) - this quote

What are you up to?

 

PS - Miss Gwenyth has a request - she is in desperate need of some postcards to brighten her day when we bring in the mail.  If anyone is willing to send her a little piece of snail mail happiness, please let me know - she will be very, very grateful.   

 

Girl Time

Gwenyth has, I think, been feeling a bit like an empty sponge over the last several weeks.  The big kids have gone back to school, I'm working again (outside of the house - the stuff I do inside the house doesn't count, apparently), we're in the swing of fall programs and appointments and meetings.  At the ripe old age of four, this leaves Gwen kind of in the lurch.  And she's old enough to know it.

 

I've been making an effort over the last week or two to set aside some special "girl time", for just the two of us.  Even if it's as simple as taking her along on an errand, or stopping by the library for a quick visit, it seems to be helping.  The other day, she said it would be nice to have a day at home, and I couldn't have agreed more!  Once Liam was down for his nap, the two of us went into my studio, turned on Gwenyth's favourite music and whipped up one of these little hair kerchiefs.

 

I followed this tutorial, and it was simple and fun!  (It did take me more than 5 minutes, but I'm pretty slow.)   Gwen picked out the fabric from what we had around, and she chose a Care Bear remnant, and some rainbow-ish geometric Ikea print.  The kerchief is sewn onto one of those thin elastic hairbands, which makes it really functional (which is important to me - nothing makes me crazier than making something to have it sit around and become Stuff).  Also, Gwenyth has been growing out her bangs for the last year, and these kerchiefs are awesome at holding back any wisps that escape from whatever hairstyle she happens to be sporting.

 

Even if you are new to sewing, or afraid of your machine, I highly recommend this project.  It would be great, as well (and might show up in my own home) in grown-up size.  'Cause what grown up girl doesn't need her very own hair kerchief?

 

PS: Yes, Gwenyth is wearing the Pirate Sweater I knit for Brian.  Don't you love it when you can pass your knits down?  (And how on earth has Brian gotten so big?) 

Shades of Elmer Fudd

 

I've been reading the Angry Chicken blog for some time, and have felt inspired to try sewing things that seem far too "scary" and advanced for me.  When she issued this Mudflap Hat pattern as part of her mailorder series, I knew I had to give it a try.

 

Since repurposing is important to me (and there is no fabric store to speak of around here), I decided to take apart a few things floating around.  I ripped up a pair of Brian's corduroy pants (they had a hole in one knee) for the outer layer, and used a thrifted flannel shirt for the lining.  Iron on velcro finished it off, and I was thrilled!  Look what I made!!  Wowee!!!

 

The thrill didn't last, sadly, because I had forgotten two important things.

1. Liam has a very funny, melon-shaped head.
2. Sewn objects are not quite as forgiving as knitting.

The hat is adorable, and I plan to make another (with some modifications for babies with melon-shaped heads), but sadly, the crown is too shallow for this particular melon.  It's getting a lot of use, though, just being worn around the house, by a little person who is suddenly obsessed with hats. 

 

I have knit him up a Thorpe hat this week, just in time for snow to fly.  (Pictures to follow, of course.  But not today.) 
 

  
 

Soup's On!

 

Even though I'm not the family cook, the kids & I found ourselves reading cookbooks together at the end of summer.  The soup recipes especially caught our attention, and so Soup Night was born.  Once a week I make up a big pot of soup, along with some fresh biscuits or dumplings or something like that.  The bonus is that I get to enjoy the leftovers at lunch for the rest of the week - am I the only one who could eat soup every single day?

This (pictured above) is a very yummy Baked Potato Soup, which was my first try at homemade soup this season.  Since then, we've done Clam Chowder, Chicken Noodle, and Squash-Apple.  All a success, which surprises me - this bunch has never been all that in favour of soup in the past. 

When I was a kid, we had a family friend that would say my mum could make soup out of buttons.  I only hope one day to earn that title myself...

Welcome, Socktober!

I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of October, so that I could participate in Socktoberfest!  After watching people turn out amazing socks in previous years, and hearing that Through The Loops was planning to offer a Mystery Sock pattern this year, I knew I was in.

If this is Greek to you, please allow me to explain!  Socktoberfest is a month-long sock knitting celebration, and the Mystery Sock is a new sock pattern, kindly offered at the blog Through The Loops.  The Mystery Sock pattern is released one piece at a time, over the month, so you have no idea what you're knitting until you're done. This is a great practice for me, since I can get a little crazy planning things out ahead of time.  (Striving for "perfection", you know?)  Last year, my planning-brain balked at the idea of a pattern like this, but since this is the year I embrace imperfection, I'm doing it, even if that part feels a little uncomfortable.  Because uncomfortable can be good, right?

I'm knitting my pair out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, which has been marinating in my stash for several years now.  I'm loving the way it's knitting up, and am already eagerly awaiting the next step in the pattern.  It's not too late to join, if you want to!   
 

FO: Earflap Hat

 

 

 

With snow about to fly (there were flurries in the air this morning!  Flurries!  Isn't it still September?), it's time to get these kiddies ready for the cold.  Gwenyth is slightly put out with me this year because her winter coat is blue (what an ridiculous mother I am, when Gwenyth is clearly a girl, and practically a princess, no less); I've attempted to redeem myself with a pink & purple hat.  She seems happy, although she doesn't have to wear the blue coat yet - we shall see how it goes.

 

Particulars:

Pattern - Ear Flap Hat (scroll down for pattern)

Yarn - Debbie Bliss SoHo, 2 balls

Needles - 5.5mm

Size - 2-4 years

Notes/Modifications - I jiggled the numbers a bit, to make this a bit bigger than the 2-4yr size, but a bit smaller than the 6-8yr size.  Seeing how it fits, I probably could have gotten away with knitting the larger size, but keeping the length for the smaller size.  I have knit the Thorpe hat before, and I think I like that pattern better than this one - the earflaps on Thorpe are less pointy, and joining them to the hat was simpler.  I also added a single row of crochet around the whole edge of this, a la Thorpe, which seemed to neaten up the edges, and soften the pointiness of the earflaps.  Still, I'd call it a successful Finished Object; this is a pink & purple wool hat, after all, and that's nothing to sneeze at (unless you're allergic to wool, that is).