The Real Me

The other day I went on a field trip with my oldest daughter when I noticed the bag a father was wearing. It looked hand stitched made out of thick rugged leather. It was beautiful and told me something about the owner.

Then I thought about the impression I make. Rarely do I wear something handmade or especially colourful or unusual. My clothes are very generic and often I do not even have some jewellery on.

Once at a party someone pulled at my pant hems  to look at my socks, when I talked about me dyeing sock yarn. He seemed disappointed about my basic black socks.

I think one reason for this is, that most often what I make is for others. Another reason could be, that what I have made for myself is often flawed in some way. I have one sweater that shrank every time I washed it, one that pills even though it is made out of cotton yarn, a sewn blouse that is not that flattering. You get the idea.

So on Sunday I put on my red vest  – and enjoyed it. Did anyone notice?

Mostly Done

In April there will be a silent auction at my kids’ school and I decided to donate a shawl kit for it. So far I have sewn the bag (my own design) and dyed the yarn ( colourway Cabbage Rose with  some yellow added):

I have also knit a sample (colourway Apple Harvest):

The yarn is a lot of fun to knit with. It is a Mohair/Wool/Nylon blend and very cuddly.  

Now the last thing I need to do is write the pattern for it. (And maybe I should darn in the ends.)

Wet Bunny!

 

We woke up to the noise of heavy rainfall and so the Easter Bunny had to hide the eggs inside today. That is so sad! I love to watch my kids race round in our backyard looking for eggs. One year my youngest daughter kept on finding eggs, because her basket had a hole and some of the eggs fell out. That was so funny!

Happy Easter everybody!

All Over the Place

I think I need a plan. I have several projects on the go and no real focus. On top of that in a moment of weakness a cold managed to get a hold of me. I am very tired and it is a bit difficult to breathe.  

Spring Break has started and we had planned to go skiing, but have cancelled everything because of my daughter’s accident. Honestly I do not quite know, what to do. She still does not use her right hand at all so our choices of activities are pretty limited.

For my store I need to dye more sock yarn. I have also bought some lace weight mohair and a silk yarn in a light lace weight. Then there is a very challenging custom order I have received, which I am very excited about.

I would like to finish my sweater and I have 4 more things in the works:

• A shawl kit for a silent auction at our school (yarn, pattern and a bag).
• In a moment of self indulgence I have bought a silk/wool blend which I have dyed in a wonderful shade of aubergine. It is for this sweater.
• There is a top (3rd one first row) I want to knit for my oldest daughter. She would also like a matching skirt.
• My youngest daughter would like me to knit this sweater again, because she has outgrown it. She likes how the stripes wander apart and come together again. So do I!

Let’s go for a walk. Maybe this will help me to get my priorities straight!

Conversation at the Cast Clinic

While we waited for the Plastic Surgeon yesterday with two other injured people the following conversation took place:

Doctor: “Wow, what a neat fracture! How did you do that?”

Patient: “I played Cricket!”

Doctor: “That is just silly to break a thumb playing Cricket.”

Me:”Is there a good way to break a bone?”

Doctor:”Hmmm – Yes! Playing Hockey!”

Your Finger is Really Sore When You Stick it in a Door

My oldest daughter had an accident Monday night involving her bedroom door and her siblings. It looked really bad, but it should all heal nicely now. She did really well.

All I can say now is, that it is incredible how things like that can shake you up and I cannot imagine how a parent feels whose kid is seriously hurt.

We all need a bit of a rest now and my poor husband whose birthday was “celebrated” in the ER could do with a proper party.   

I might need some yarn therapy… What do you think?

There Was No Warning

I have been in love with books ever since I could read my first one. As a child I loved to wake up before everyone else and have time to read. There was even a time, when I was so engrossed in my book while on a bus, that I failed to notice the sharp turn coming up and consequently fell off my seat and onto the floor. I hurt very much – especially my pride.

Now that I have very little time to read I have turned to audio-books. But there is a problem. Imagine me doing some ironing, my husband coming in and hearing:”He gribbed….hard. She …  while…softly…almost unbearable… shoved and … together…” You get the idea.

Why is it, that there are warnings on every other media I can think of, but not on books or audio-books?  I am not a prude, but I guess I would like to know, what I am in for, so I do not have to stand there, iron in hand, blushing fiercely and trying to explain, that I got the book at the library and not behind a curtained off area labelled “Adult”.

 Off my soapbox now…

A Little Glimpse

 This is what I have been working on lately. I am almost done. Knitting this is like having a pet on your lap. I love to run my fingers over the fabric. 

Lessons Learned

What I have learned this week:

• When your dentist’s assistant tells you: “Oh, it’s not a big deal!”  she might be wrong. Ouch!
• When your son has to go somewhere half an hour’s drive away exactly at the same time your daughters go to school and come home  your husband, who had promised to do the driving, has to go on a business trip after all.
• When you buy a different coffee grinder to get rid of the mess the other one always made, you might end up with an even bigger mess, because the coffee receptacle falls off and the ground coffee blows everywhere.

Are you feeling sorry for me yet? Don’t! Yesterday I had the best day ever at Etsy and I am very excited about it. I’d better go and work now…