Remember

This Easter's memories:

:: The boys were both excited about ties this year.

:: Ellie was NOT excited about walking on grass.

:: I did get photos of the whole family, but someone made faces in every. single. one.

:: They weren't just "what a cute little weirdo" faces. They were "I'm being tortured" faces.

:: Yes, Ezra is rocking red tennis shoes with his nice Easter clothes.

:: The boys re-hid our measly stash of 18 dyed eggs 4 times. Next year we need to color a LOT more.

:: Ellie loved hunting eggs for about 5 minutes. Then it was all about the chocolate.

Toes

I shouldn't have said anything about monogamous knitting on the podcast on Monday- I moved away from the shawl that very day and I'm working hard to finish my Comicon socks at the moment. They're both just about to the toes, and from there it's all down hill so I figured it would be best to put my efforts there and end up with a finished project by week's end... or thereabouts.


The citron shawl got to the place where each row takes a bit of time to get through, so it's a little harder for me to pick up and put down when there are little hands just waiting for the opportunity to let some stitches loose- precisely what I don't need right now.

Only a few days until my studio's recital for this year, then a week of "freedom" (which means no studio teaching, but extra schooling, and still all the baseball practices and trampoline and instrument practicing and other kid things that go on around here) then back in the studio for a few weeks to finish out the year and get everything cleaned up so that I can focus my month off between sessions on creative endeavors.


There's a garden to put in, and a creative space to build in the spare room. I've been collecting ideas for this space for a little while now, but it's still pretty nebulous in my mind. I really need to sit down and work out the pieces of this thing so that I can get moving on it as soon as that time becomes free.


I'm reading a few things right now, but mostly The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon at night. Mostly because it's on the kindle (which I can read on in the dark), but also because I'm needing to tuck in at night and not have to think after thinking hard all day about too many things.

{Yarn Along with Ginny}

Midnight Fiber and Fabric Podcast, Episode 5: Stashing

Show Notes:

Exploding Socks

Leyburn Pattern

Nerd Girl Yarns

Comicon Socks

Girl Charlee

Knitting in the Heartland

Kids Clothes Week

Hawthorne Threads

:       :       :

You can join in on the podcast conversation at:

Ravelry

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Three by Three

I've felt increasingly anxious over the past week so I started writing about the events of this past week only to quickly realize that the craziness boils down to 3 events and 3 things we need to change:


1. All I did all week was drive, and I really don't like driving. Especially in downtown traffic during morning rush hour. Thank goodness a lot of the city was on spring break this week so that those particular drives weren't as heavy as they could have been.

2. I have seen enough of the inside of hospitals this week, and I'd like to take a break, thankyouverymuch.

3. We didn't school enough this week (due to #2) and the house is a bit of a disaster, but we did have the best field trip ever on Monday.


The grace in all of this is that we finally have some answers for my health issues and a treatment plan begun. So what has been the problem for the last several months? An auto-immune disorder called Sjogren's Syndrome that did something weird and started attacking my nerves, in what is called mononeuritis multiplex.


Yeah, I had never heard of any of that either.


But it explains why I haven't had any feeling in my left hand for almost 3 months and why my left leg is so numb that walking has been... interesting. I shuffle like I'm 92, and take the stairs one at a time like my toddler. Hopefully in time the nerve related symptoms will go away and my body will start to behave like it's 32 again. Maybe just in time for my 33rd birthday.


{Usually there would be a picture of something here, but I didn't really want to take a picture of the 3 tiered pill box that I have to manage my meds, as if I really am 92.}


The draining schedule of the last few weeks has also shown me a few areas we need to adjust around here if we're going to continue forward in health and happiness.


1. We have white space built into our calendar for a reason and I've been narrowing the margins over the last two months to fit more in instead of recognizing that we might need MORE space during this period of time, not less. I am tired, and that's not just the Sjogren's talking.


2. We need to fuel our bodies better. Real food has fallen to the wayside over the last few months, because it takes time to plan real food meals into a busy schedule. We are getting back on the train this weekend and working hard at staying there through the end of the school year. I'm planning a few things to make this weekend to make our week go more smoothly and to make healthy meals an easy choice.


3. I really need a block of creative time to feel healthy and whole, and I just haven't had much of it lately. I've been needing extra sleep so my early mornings awake by myself with coffee and yarn and a book had dropped away (I've been working on picking them back up this week) and then my regular time on Fridays has slimmed down since Miss Ellie has decided sleep is somewhat optional. The little bits of knitting I've been fitting in here and there haven't cut it. I really need to dive in to a bigger project, but I just haven't had a block of time where I also had the mental energy to tackle something new.

Planning Ahead: Homeschooling 2014

It's that time of year again- February is over, but spring isn't here yet. One spreadsheet is everywhere in our house, printed fresh every few days (after a gazillion changes) so I can pour over it in spare minutes.


It's all about school for the upcoming year.


The thing is, we're still in the thick of this year, and now up to the part of the year where I start to feel like we'll never "be done", which is a little silly. See, we school essentially year round with breaks taken as needed through the year. We're never "done", but it's nice to move through material and end up with a stack at some point that shouts, "You've completed something big!"


So, I'm refreshing my schooling brain so that I can think good thoughts and finish out this year strong, while getting ready for next year.

The two books I come back to every single year are The Well-Trained Mind and Real Learning. Combined they provide the backbone for education in our home.


If you only take one thing from Elizabeth Foss's book Real Learning, let it be the literature lists. We use her lists for audio book selections when possible, and read-aloud if they aren't available on CD. They are rich and lovely book lists, utilizing picture books into later years- which I have not seen on other lists. Picture books are so very valuable in the later years and we shouldn't confine them to the 2nd grade and under crowd.



The Well-Trained Mind is my reminder text to keep the main thing the main thing. It is so easy to get into a "buy the best curriculum" scurry instead of recognizing that education is best when it is direct and uncluttered. The Well-Trained Mind forums can be an extremely helpful source of information. I'm currently researching elementary French options for next year, and there are dozens of threads to search through on that one topic that have provided almost as many options as there are posts. These forums are the first place I go to when I need to get started on researching a school area we want to pursue. I also appreciate that many posters there are considerate of budget and will mention costs associated with programs.



So for now, I'm trying to refocus the rest of our year, March- May. I picked up the Astronomy book from Memoria Press at my local curriculum store last night and we're going to focus heavy on science for a few weeks, as well as spelling. We will still study our other subjects as well, but we're going to put some focused work into spelling and science since those two subjects have gone a bit lax over the last 2 months.

Sock Power

I've been really depending on my wool socks this winter. With so many days at negative degrees and my unwillingness to spend more money on heating our house, wool is a necessity. Wool socks, a cowl or two, a cardigan or vest... It all keeps us plenty warm on the days when the wind is biting and just stepping outside steals your breath.


This morning I put on store bought socks since I was going to the hospital and didn't want to shuffle around the floors in my handmade socks. My feet were freezing in those socks until I got into my tennis shoes. I've been so spoiled (or is it prepared???) by wool socks this winter. I have 5 pair of handmade socks I'm rotating and washing and all I can think is... I need more socks. The 2 pair I have on the needles really need to jump off. Now.


I've been knitting on the red/grey/brown/black striped sock at each doctor's appointment and while waiting for each test. Today I had two MRIs, than another with contrast. It was a LONG time laying in that machine, and I quite purposely put my attention on knitting while I was in there. I mentally went through my basket, and thought about the stage of each project and when I want to finish them, including the waiting pairs of socks. And the "in progress" socks- they were in the room with my clothes and my kindle and my wedding rings... You really do finish socks one stitch at a time. I'm putting on stitches every day, and that's all I can do.

Navigation

How are you this morning? Did you have a great weekend? I really hope so.

I started my rounds of medical offices, so that's where I've been hanging out for the last 2-ish weeks instead of here. The most recent visit was with a neurologist who was able to narrow the possibilities down significantly. None of them are good, but at least now we have a better idea what we're dealing with and pain management is in place, which is a BIG win for me. I have not been doing well in that department and I'm having to negotiate my days somewhat to make sure I have energy for the most important parts of my day, as well as (hopefully) less pain at the important times. We're learning this pattern as we go.


This week is an MRI, then a muscle and nerve test, then back to the rheumatologist for what will hopefully be the final diagnosis, or very close to it. When I'm able to say what exactly is going on, I'll share it here. But for now we just don't know for sure. In a few weeks we will know a lot more.


Because of all this craziness with the left side of my body continually letting me down, I have had to change a lot about how I do every day things. One of the big chances has been my knitting style (because, you know, I can't just NOT KNIT). I've gone to a weird combo of English style and lever style knitting. Basically it allows me to leave my left hand stationary where it just sort of props up the left needle, but my right hand does all of the work. I'm happy to at least be able to knit, even though it isn't super fast anymore.


Currently I'm knitting on:

1. My "travel" New Year Socks- you know, the ones that ride along in my purse that get a row here and there when I have a few minutes. I'm at the heel flap on sock #2.

2. The Exploding Socks (aka the impossible to photograph socks). I finished gusset #2 and now I'm ready for heels on both socks. I need to find time to do it this week when I can focus on directions since I've not really done toe-up since sometime around 2010.

3. Halo hats. I have 1 1/2 complete (The one at the top of the post is #1!) and I have yarn lined up for several- now I just have to knit them. I don't want to guess how many I think I'll get done, but I really really really want to aim for 5 finished before the Ravellenic Games begin. I just have to see how my left arm holds up. Go Team Knitmore!

4. Speaking of the Ravellenic Games, I have a hopeful plan in place for this year. Assuming I'm in good arm health I'm hoping to knit the Wildflower Cardigan by Alana Dakos. And if I'm in *REALLY* good arm health, I'd like to knit the Wee Wildflower for Ellie too.

CRAZY.

I know.

TWO SWEATERS.

I know.

That's why the plan is for real only for my sweater (with a tiny hope for knitting Ellie's).

And I may "fail" miserably if my arm totally loses it, but why not aim high, right? The yarn is all wound up and I'm ready to swatch this week.


5. It's KCW this week. I had bigger plans before my body gave up on me, but I'm aiming for 1 finished toddler-sized garment to show you next week. It will depend a lot on energy levels at the time of day when I can sew, but we'll see what happens here.

2014 Fiber and Fabric Goals

Happy New Year! Sock #1 finished before midnight 12/31/2013; on to sock #2 in 2014. I'm also joining the Knitmore Girls in reading Outlander on my kindle.

{Join Ginny for more yarn along this week.}

I might be working on socks this week, but my brain is focused on the new year and goals for 2014! I love goals. I know so many people who can't stand them and feel intense pressure under a "deadline", but for me, goals are simply a way to keep my focus in the direction I want my year to go. For me, goals are a guideline, not a "must do", and I really like having a guide when I feel muddled.


For the last few years my goals have been mainly focused on knitting, but with adding spinning to my repertoire this year and renewing my relationship with my sewing machine, I decided to rename my goals to include all things fiber and fabric.


1. Finish 15 knits this year. It's not an upgrade from last year, but I think it's a goal I can reach. At least 2 more babies are expected in the family, and my own kids just keep growing, and then there are the new hats and mittens they want each year... I think I'll be fine with 15. :)


2. Learn to spin with more control. Right now I'm very much a beginner and can only spin my "default" yarn. Control is my spinning word of the year. I ordered some fiber recently specifically to work on spinning different diameters and to work on spinning woolen without feeling like I'm "wasting" the fiber.


3. Participate in the Ravellenic Games and in Tour de Fleece as I am able. As long as my left arm is cooperating I want to participate in these events- I love being part of a community with a larger goal like these events! The Ravellenic Games are in February and Tour de Fleece is in July. Need a team? Join Team Sasquatch, for fans of most all podcasts. I first found them through the Knitmore Girls, but anyone can join in. Now to pick a project for the Rav. Games.


4. Maybe actually write out a pattern or two this year? I'm working more and more out of my own head and it might be nice to put it out there and see if anything comes of it.


5. Make 75% of Ellie's spring/summer and fall/winter wardrobes by hand. Knitwear, sewing, whatever counts, but I want it to be by hand. The Kids Clothes Week community has really helped motivate me in my sewing, and this past KCW challenge I was able to get a little more comfortable with sewing knits. I'm hoping for the same type of progress through this year- the first KCW challenge of the year is in January and I'll be working on spring/summer type things for Elle.


6. Make more for the boys through this year, making at least 3 items for each of them. There are so many adorable girls items out there that it is all too easy for me to focus my kid-centered making on Ellie. Not this year.

What are your fiber-y goals for 2014?

2013 Knitting in Review

YAY for the 2013 Knitting Review! I shared my fiber goals for 2013 WAAAY back in January, and
thought I'd share my 2013 Knitting Goal successes (and failures) today. Before we get started, I wanted to note that having goals in place has really helped me to reach a little farther each year, even though I don't always officially check off each goal. I'm totally okay with missing a goal for pretty much any reason but laziness. A little progress forward is better than no progress in my book!


Below I've listed my original January goals are in black, and my December comments are in blue.



1. Finish 15 Knits this year. I'm trying to be a bit conservative here. I knit a lot of baby and kid things- between my own children and the niece/nephew total expanding from 6 to at least 9 this year that is about half of my knitting. I'm making a serious point of knitting for myself this year too, though. I was pregnant or postpartum all of 2012, so I didn't knit garments considering my wonky body shape(s) for the year.


According to Ravelry, where I mostly get all of my projects entered, I finished 16 knits this year. I totally thought I'd fail this goal when I checked on my goal list in late November, but those 3 last minute Christmas hats brought me right up to the edge. I have a few more things on the needles at the moment that could potentially be cast off by tonight, but I'm going to go ahead and call this year's total at 15. I'll apologize in advance for a stretch of time in March-May that I apparently didn't photograph finished things because there are no photos on Ravelry, but I'll try to remedy that issue soon.

The 2013 Finished Knits are: 

Annis finished 1/3

Newborn Vertebrae finished 2/7

Another Vertebrae (12 mo.) finished 3/12

Little Scapulae finished 3/16

Looped Loop finished 5/15

Yearly Socks finished 6/11

Gradient Gray (Boneyard Shawl) finished 6/27

Taylor's February Sweater finished 8/1

A Little Hat finished 8/14

2013 Grey/Coral Socks finished 9/8

Little Mitts finished 11/1

Shapely Boyfriend Cardigan 11/14

Wurm finished 12/4

Grey Hat finished 12/7

Lacy Julian the 4th finished 12/8

Worsted Weight Socks finished 12/20

I'm heading into 2014 with 4 knits on the needles- 1 sweater for my 8yo son, 2 pairs of socks and 1 pair of mittens that just needs thumbs to be finished. 


2. Make at least 2 cardigans for myself. The cardigan queue is ridiculously long, I would wear them constantly... just need to get at it. (I cast on the Rocky Coast Cardigan in my annual post-Christmas bout of start-itis)


I did not finish this goal, but I did make it half way with one knit cardigan for myself- the Shapely Boyfriend Cardigan. It DID take me all year to do it (hance not beginning a second cardigan) because of my stubbornness about sleeves. It truly wasn't the pattern's fault and in fact, if I had just converted to magic loop instead of sticking with the weird relationship I have with DPNs the whole thing would have been over much much sooner. Lesson learned. Maybe.

3. Refuse to feel guilty when I hardly knit for several weeks in the spring and fall. All my time and energy goes into the garden and canning at those times, so I just need to go with it. I'm still producing quite a bit, just not things to wear.


Yep... I totally did this this year, and I'm so happy for the change! Garden season was garden season and when I knit sparingly I felt pretty good about it. In fact, Tour de Fleece happening in July was *awesome* timing for my fiber needs. I spent much of June at baseball with my boys, out in the garden and at the pool, and the Tour pulled me back into fiber things at the perfect time.


4. Make the annual pair of socks. I've come to terms with the fact that I probably won't ever be the knitter that churns out a pair a month. And that's okay. I'll settle for my 1-2 pairs per year.


I made 3 pair this year, and I have 2 more on the needles! So let's talk about this change a bit- I kept looking at socks with a pattern and felt like I really needed to make those socks to be a sock knitter. And then I came to a realization that I just wanted to knit socks. I used Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's sock recipe from one of her books and I went for it, just making plain socks. Liberating! I made 2 with her recipe and a pair of worsted weight socks this past month following Susan B. Anderson's pattern and voila! 3 pairs of socks added to my knitwear.


5. Experiment with some alternate knitting styles. I'm really interested in Irish Cottage Knitting, most especially since it's still a right hand guided style. Left hand just isn't an option for me- I'm a violinist by profession and adding any more repetitive motion in that arm would just lead to injury I can't afford to sustain.


I shared yesterday about some of the pain issues I'm having lately, and how my exploration into "alternative" knitting styles is deepening as I search for a way to continue knitting without causing further damage to my left arm. Some of this will depend on the findings of my doctors I'm sure, but for now knitting is a slow an sometimes no-go project.


6. Keep adding to my cast-on/bind-off repertoire. I mentioned in my last post that I learned a few new things as called for in patterns this year, but I want to continue to learn more in this area.


This is an ever growing area for me- I have a few reference books now that are helping me expand my knowledge base, and I've enjoyed learning some new methods this year!



7. Take a few knitting/fiber classes. I'm planning to take a spinning class at a yarn shop a little ways from here and I'm checking out a few Craftsy classes as possibilities too.


I've actually had the opportunity to take 4 classes this year- they added up more quickly than I thought they might!

I took a beginning spinning class back in February where I learned how to spin with a drop spindle and at a wheel. I went home with a spindle to practice, practice, practice. In November my husband surprised me with a sample spinning class and a wheel of my own!


From Craftsy I also took Sizing Knitwear Patterns and How to Say it: Pattern Writing for Knitters. I enjoyed both classes and learned a lot. I'm mostly interested in pattern sizing for my own information- I find I need to do a lot of math to get a good fit more myself out of a custom pattern since I have a longer torso and longer arms, and because of shaping sometimes it is not as simple as "knit it longer".


I think it has been a pretty successful knit year this year. I'm working on 2014's goals at the moment, and will be able to share those soon!

Quiet

{It's tradition now to start a "selfish" project on Christmas day after all the Christmas knits are complete. 2013= socks} 

Christmas time is always a paradox around here- fast paced and crazy just as often as it is slow and quiet. We finished most all of the out-and-about celebrating before the actual holiday, and this year I even had everything wrapped and ready to go before Christmas Eve. Blessings on the online shops who kept me a little more sane this year and helped me in being prepared well before Christmas day. Brian was the only one to go hat-less at Christmas, but I'll remedy that soon.


We took last week off of school, of course, but we are back to business today. We missed some of our hours earlier in the month for doctor and dentist, so we're using this week to catch up a bit. I've already got a bit of a curriculum bug going for next year, so some of my free time lately is going to looking at curriculum possibilities for 2014-2015. It's not even 2014 yet, and there goes my brain, thinking ahead to next year.


I'm hoping to get back to a more regular posting schedule here, but truthfully there has been very little to share. I'm not able to knit much lately due to issues with my left arm and shoulder so there's been nothing to post. After some less than satisfactory test results with my primary doctor I've been referred on to two specialists- January is essentially going to be spent in waiting rooms it seems. I'd love to say it will just be more knitting time, but I will have to wait and see if my body will cooperate on any given day. I was able to do a few inches on a sock over the past few days, but I never know if I'll wake up the next day unable to grip. Even typing is a chore as I mostly type 1 handed these days.


I'm needing to save my left hand mobility for work (since a violinist/pianist is pretty useless without her left hand), so I'm investigating some different knitting styles to see if I can make a change that will help for the long run. I currently knit english style- switching to continental is out of the question as it would rely even more on the left hand. Portuguese knitting looks promising, but there is still a lot of left handed involvement. If anyone wants to suggest a style you know of where the left hand is essentially stationary please let me know. I'm willing to try anything no matter how obscure!

Yarn Along: Christmas Hats Edition

{Yarn Along with Ginny today}

I mentioned last time that my craftiness for this holiday is a little limited by time and work so I had to pair down my "maybe" list accordingly.


I finished the last of the kids' hats over the weekend, and I'm pleased with all of them. I tried them on each kiddo and then told them that they were invisible hats and they would totally forget about them between now and Christmas- which means they ask me EVERY DAY when they can wear their new hats. Then I have the honor of playing along and saying, "What hats? I have no idea what you're talking about."

This is the Wurm hat I had begun last week. It's a bit stretched out after a wash, but it will bounce back quickly, especially being worn by one particularly busy boy of mine.

This it the Lacy Julian Hat that I've knit 4 or 5 times now. I love that it goes so quickly. I knit this for Ellie from start to finish on Sunday afternoon, even with an extra repeat of the lace pattern.

This is a little hat I improvise for Ender. That's the great thing about hats- they are so easy to just cast on and go! I added my notes on ravelry.


I'm still reading Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift, savoring a bit each day through this season.

What are you knitting and reading this week?

Conversation

We spent our lovely Saturday doing a little bit of what everyone wanted to do. We hit the farmer's market in the morning and picked up some wonderful peaches and really yummy blueberry and key lime jam. The boys also spent some of their hard earned cash on marshmallow shooters at one of the booths.


We made and ate all our meals together and got a head start on breakfasts for the week (banana muffins and some peach and blackberry crisp- perfect to add to our yogurt!). We made it to the pool before it rained, we had a family movie night, and I got to knit for all of Ellie's nap and most of the evening after dinner.


You'd think after knitting for a good 4-ish hours for the day that there would be massive sleeve progress, wouldn't you? I mean normal people would see progress, but not me. No- I hit the dreaded "I'm doing all this knitting and it's just not growing like it should!" stage. Seriously I held up the cardigan and stared at it and stretched it and then went and put the silly thing on and really really really that sleeve was only to my elbow.


After all the children were into bed my husband asked what my plans were for the rest of the evening and I sort of just spilled my knitting woes all over him. He knows enough about knitting to
listen to me when I really need to vent, but not so much as to truly commiserate over the situation.


He very kindly told me he would happily let me continue knitting for the evening and get in some gaming time if I needed to keep working on this cardigan. What a generous offer, right?


Fine by me. I really felt like I needed to keep pressing forward because any moment I'd realize I'd actually knit an octopus sleeve and rip back to the proper length and the sleeve would pretty much be done.


I told him I felt like I needed to keep moving forward but if the frustration level with the sweater continued to rise I'd scrap my knitting plans and join him.


Then the conversation that brought everything back into perspective (as spouses are wont to do):


Me: I just feel like if I don't keep working on it tonight that the sweater will win. If I keep going I might have a chance to win this.

My darling husband: Honey, there is no winner in the sweater war. If anything there's a loser and I think we both know who that would be.

Loser of the sweater war.

Not me.

I finished the sleeve decreases on Saturday night and then the 2x2 ribbing on sleeve #1 on Sunday afternoon as well as starting the second sleeve. I realized briefly that I'm going to need my long Addi cable available for knitting the button band on this cardi, and recognized the fact that that particular cable is in the Cerus Scarf I cast on about 2 weeks ago. Looks like a little game of Needle Shuffle is coming my way.

This Week

This week has been a mix of summer and fall for us- we are still out in the garden so much (and now have so. many. tomatoes.) and swimming and baseball is still being played, but we are also busy with school and I'm easing back into work with a half time start next week and back to the full schedule the week after.

On the Needles... 

I'm working on those cardigan sleeves in bits. The lack of portability is really getting to me, but I'm going to set up with it on the couch in the school room and while my boys are reading and going through snap circuit experiments like crazy I can maybe get a few rounds in.

I read...

I'm reading Enchanted by Alethea Kontis.

Just Keep Spinning…

I've been ignoring the spindle for the most part this week as I work on cardigan sleeves, but I'm ready to ply and may do that some through the weekend when I need a break from round and round on the sleeves.

Learning all the time…

We are listening to Tales from the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne. I found a wonderful recording at our library read by a Shakespearean actor and it is absolutely gorgeous. The boys listened happily on Wednesday for almost 2 hours as we went to and from a field trip and on a few errands. and when we found ourselves back in the car yesterday they both asked for the Odyssey before I'd even started the car.

A mild warning: there is talk in the book about people dying, being eaten by giants and all those sorts of things that are part of the *actual* Odyssey, so if your child will be alarmed by those types of events it may not be a good listen for your family. My boys understand that death is part of this world and the author doesn't go out of her way to make the deaths overly gruesome. I also really appreciate the emphasis the author places on the grief the men share over losing a comrade to disaster or monster. She does a wonderful job of continually reminding the reader/listener that Odysseus goes through all of these trials because he so desperately wants to get home to his family.

In the Kitchen...

Because of crazy amounts of tomatoes I have plans to roast tomatoes in the oven either today or tomorrow a la Food in Jars. And hopefully make pickles today or tomorrow.

Inspiration...

I'm looking for wall inspiration. We have now lived in our house for a year and a half and I have nothing on the walls. I'd like to change that, but it's not a thing I'm very good at. We did recently have some family photos taken and those are going up on the wall for sure, but that will only be one wall and this house has many... I'm collecting links on pinterest on my At Home board.

Watching (Spoiler Free, of course...)

Just Masterchef and Project Runway at the moment. We don't have a lot of shows we watch as they air, but there are a few new shows coming out that we are excited about, specifically Agents of SHIELD. *love* Agent Coulson.

Listening...

I've had a hard time getting podcasts in aside from the Knitmore Girls lately. I have so many podcasts to catch up on!

This weekend...

We have the weekend off from baseball so depending on weather we are going to be out in the garden, I have canning and knitting plans and the boys have some sort of "do as many science experiments as we can in one day" conspiracy going for tomorrow. 

In the Garden

FO: February Baby Sweater and Hat

Project: A Little Set for Taylor (A Little Hat and February Baby Sweater)

Pattern: February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Yarn: Cascade 220

Needles: US 7 for the hat, US 8 for the cardigan

For: my niece, Taylor

Notes: I have knit the February Baby Sweater a few times before (I think this is #4) and it's still one of my favorite knits. It's a simple pattern with simple lace that is easily memorized but looks a lot more complex than it actually is. I knit it a little longer than called for, so that it will really fit her this fall/winter- that's why she looks like she's swimming in it right now!

For the hat, I cast on in a multiple of 7, knit a few rows of 1x1 rib and then used the gull lace pattern from the February Baby Sweater to knit the lacework until it seemed tall enough, then decreased to finish the hat. My detailed notes are on Ravelry. 

Things I Learned: I'm getting less nervous about experimenting with shapes and a lot more willing to "off-road" within a pattern and then rip back if it doesn't work. I ripped back the hat a little bit when I was unhappy with the way the original decreases were working, but it helped me decide what to do with it ultimately.

Overall: A+. I'm really happy with the way it worked out, and that stretchy lace hat will stretch with her as she grows this winter. Ellie was even able to wear it and she's 13 months older than Taylor, so it might even last Taylor into winter 2014. 

Holiday Knitting

Yep. I'm thinking about the holidays already. Fall baseball season started last week, I go back to my regular work schedule in September and all the usual school year activities start up, then before I know it it will be Thanksgiving and about 1 second later Christmas will be here... so before all of that gets moving I'm picking patterns so that I can order yarn if necessary and then have the time to make the actual knitting happen.

Plans:

Plans are tricky things. I tend to overplan at this point and then whittle down as December first draws nigh. I also like to plan for things I know the kids will need this winter- like I know Ellie needs a hat and mittens, and Ezra picked out yarn from Nerd Girl Yarns specifically for mittens for him (because this kid seriously wears his mittens out every year. I *just* knit some last Christmas and repaired them. I'm going to repair them again and still knit him another pair.)


My boys have both requested a sweater for this winter. They keep growing, and Ezra has this very inconvenient way of keeping up with his brother in size so I rarely get to pass hand knits down from Ender to Ez even though there are 2 years between them. I'm considering Soledad and Alec and I'm also kind of thinking up an idea of my own. Ack! That sounds like it will take way more mental space than I have available right now. Maybe I'll start it and see if it goes anywhere and if it doesn't by a certain date I'll frog and move to a pattern that allows me to download and go.


I'm thinking about maybe knitting some little food for Ellie to play with with her baby dolls and maybe a little blanket for a dolly because only one of her 2 dollies currently has a blanket.


And if I want to REALLY shock the boys I'd finish their closet monsters that I started and stopped and started and stopped about a year ago... No promises on that one though.


Obviously, my plan is still taking shape. Are you looking toward the holidays yet? What are you planning to make?

Open Projects

During the school year life can get a bit crazy and it can be hard to find any creative time in my schedule. I work and we homeschool, and the boys have their "after school" activities in the evenings. Then there are the daily needs of the household and cleaning and cooking and spending time with my husband... and try as we might to protect our time and keep from being busy for busy-ness' sake, we sometimes find that our collective time is gone in a flash.


I don't know about you, but I literally get a bit twitchy if I go too many days in a row without making anything. Seriously, knitting or spinning for just 5 or 10 minutes before bed can provide a big dose of stress relief for me if I have a particularly busy week. The thing is, I don't always have the mental space to deal with more complex projects so I've found that I need a few projects going at a time so that I can knit every day, but not totally screw stuff up just because I'm tired (and if I'm messing up the easy stuff then I take it as a sign to put the needles down and just go to bed).

{Project Basket. Rule: if it fits in the basket it's not "too many projects".}

For instance, I pretty much always have a pair of vanilla socks on the needles in a little project bag ready to take with me at a moment's notice. I don't need a pattern for these socks and I can easily pick them up and knit 1 round or a few inches without much thought. They are perfect "on-the-go" knitting. I also frequently take socks into the music studio with me so that if I have a student unexpectedly cancel or come a few minutes late I might sneak a row or 10 in in the middle of the workday.


I don't knit a lot of lace in a year, but I do try to knit some as I'm able. It challenges me to pay attention, follow the chart, maybe learn a new technique... and that helps me grow as a knitter. My lace projects tend to take a long time- not because they are super difficult, but because I don't often have long stretches of time to really work at them.


Most everything else I knit is a product of either filling a need, like the cardigan I'm knitting for Ellie or the Shapely Boyfriend cardigan for myself (that I really will finish!), or serving as a gift for someone. I'm not at all bothered by having so many things technically on the needles at once. Whenever I get overwhelmed or it seems like there are a lot of "open" projects on my Ravelry page I go on a finishing spree and set a limit for myself of how much must be finished before I'm allowed to cast on something else.


For example, at the moment I have 6 open projects. The Shapely Boyfriend cardigan hasn't been worked on in awhile. I'll admit to passive aggressively leaving it in my WIP basket and secretly hoping that I'll pick it up one day to find that the knitting elves have finally arrived and knit the sleeves for me. But it's starting to stay cool out unseasonably early this year (we are usually blazing around 90-100 F through August and September, but this year have been mostly in the 80s) and I'm finding myself in need of more cardigans. So as soon as I finish Ellie's cardigan and the hat for my niece, I'll pick up that cardigan and finish those blasted sleeves.[Edit: I wrote most of this post last night before knitting- I thought I'd let you know that I finished that little baby hat right up during a few episodes of Big Bang Theory. Now to resist the urge to cast on mittens.]


The thing is, in the middle of finishing those things I'm also likely to cast on for a pair of mittens or two and probably another cardigan for my little girl in another size or two up so I can stay ahead of her crazy growth. I know the boys each need another sweater for this winter since they grew again too, and at some point I should make some mittens for myself, right? After all the pairs I've knit for others, surely one pair should stay with me...


It's really the children's fault that I have so many projects going at once. That's what it comes down to.

What You Need to Learn

I'm in the midst of planning a big picture plan for the next year, and then detail planning for the next 4-6 months. The boys are happily "on a break" so that I can use our usual schooling time to plan a bit.


I'm building book lists, figuring out if a piece of curriculum will contribute to our schooling or hinder it, and ultimately deleting half of what I originally added to the list.


There is just so much out there to aid in education, and a lot of it is good. Really good. It is easy for me to get caught up in all that good and feel like "good" is exactly what we need. The truth of it is that I'm the gate keeper and my job is to provide them with a GREAT education. For us it means protecting our time to explore and our time together as a family. Using materials that individually add a little bit of time to our schedule is fine, but adding curriculum upon curriculum that would keep us at the table for 6 hours just isn't going to work for us.


We want our kids to have the best education they can have, and we decided long ago that that means having the time to really investigate their areas of interest. We have spent the last two years cultivating that philosophy in our home, spending the first part of our homeschooling time on reading, writing, and math and the rest on exploring. There is science, history and geography, there are biographies read and projects begun, but I work really hard not to add anything that ultimately boils down to busy work.

After all- what do we really need to be able to learn?

Paper, a pencil, access to books and real experiences.

Curriculum is a tool, and when used in the right way and situation can be precisely the needed instrument. But sometimes it's a $300 dollar hammer when a $10 hammer would have done the same job just as well.

I'm trying to remember: 

Don't trade "great" for "good".

Less done really well is more than a giant stack you plod through, kids wondering if it's "over yet".

Going out and doing something trumps reading about it.

This Week

Oh, this week...

It started out normal enough, but the "almost Blizzard" came through and kept us all at home. We happily spent all day Thursday celebrating a snow day with all of us at home, complete with popcorn and a movie and lots of play. Today, however, is Snow Day 2: The Dig Out, since rian has to make it to work tomorrow.

On the Needles... 

I would like to say that I knit up a storm yesterday, but when the baby was down for her nap and we started our movie I fell asleep half way through a row of stockinette. Sometimes a nap is a little more important than those stitches.

I read...

I finally got my hands on a copy of Smitten Kitchen and I think I'm seeing this as my May-August "cook through" cook book. I'm also still reading An Everlasting Meal, and it is a lovely end to my day.

Just Keep Spinning....

I finished the second of the two singles I've spun on the drop spindle since the beginning of the month and last night I wound them together in a ball so that I can ply them tonight. I think it is Abby Franquemont who suggests doing this to ply on the spindle, but to be honest I've read so much on spinning this month that it could have been anyone.

As I was winding the ball I was able to really see how much more consistent I've become. By the second single I had noticeably more control. I'm excited to move to the next bit of fiber I have and see how much better it gets.

In the Kitchen...

I made a spectacularly bad pie crust and remembered why I just don't do homemade crust.

Watching... (spoiler free, of course)

I did watch the last episode of Downton Abbey, and ?!?!?!?!? If you've watched it and want to read an interesting article about the ending and the reaction it has drawn, read here.

We started watching 24 from the beginning together. Brian has seen them all, I've watched probably 3ish seasons total, but never all of one season. I know this is a travesty to 24 fans and my husband has repeatedly asked how it is that I don't have a compulsion to just go right to the next one, but I just don't. If it's Doctor Who I just keep right on going and look up to find it's 3 a.m. and my 5-year-old will be up in 3 hours. 24? I'm good with an episode or two. It's just so much stress watching an episode of that show- I don't think I can take 4 or 5 in a row.

Listening...

I haven't had a lot of listening time this week since running time has been scarce, but I did get this week's Knitmore episode in.

Garden...

Ender and I spent this week mapping out a few different plans and trying to decide where to start. His plans are much grander than we will be able to do all in one year, but I think over time we can add a bit at a time. I don't think we're going to start seeds indoors this year, but I haven't ruled it out yet. We still have a few weeks to decide.

I didn't get to...

I didn't knit very much this week. I spent time with the spindle, and got to a few projects I've long needed to tackle (I actually found the floor of Ellie's closet this week!) but that left little time for knitting.

This weekend...

We are still technically snowed in today, but I think most everything will be clear enough to get out of the house this weekend. So far our plans include a trip to the grocery store and maybe the library before hosting Craft Night Saturday night.

To Remember

Soil for a foundation 

A few rocks as a path

A small pot for a tomb and the rest of our soil across the top

Three crosses of twigs and twine and a bit of grass seed, 

ready to grow over the next many weeks leading to Easter.