Knitting...? I wish!

I have several projects on the go right now. I haven't finished the second Baby Surprise sweater and I am still working on the wristlets for Daughter #1, I have started spinning the fibre for Daughter #2's wristlets, and I still am working on the scarf from the workshop from several weeks ago. I even have a pair of socks on the go. So why all these projects? It's a bit of a long story.

I don't seem to be able to get the Baby Surprise sweater done right now, it is not inspiring me any more. So I have put it aside until after Christmas since other projects are taking priority with Christmas looming. The wristlets are the main priority right now and even the scarf seems to have been set aside because of the wristlets. The sox are a story all unto themselves. I have never knit sox before but one of the ladies who comes to knit night brought along a pair of sox that she was working on. They are lovely purple things with a pretty vine growing up the side and I was so taken with the lovely, fine, merino yarn which she is using, I felt the burst of an urge that I have not had before. Suddenly the need for socks became foremost in my mind. Now I am not crazy enough to take on those very fine lovely things that she was making, so instead I'm making lace ones that are based on the lace pattern that I am using for Daughter # 1' wristlets. In other words, I don't have a pattern!!!!

I guess I need to clarify that somewhat. I began my sock odyssey by borowing a sock pattern book called "Knitting Circles Around Socks" by Antje Gillingham. A wonderful book explaining how to knit two socks at the same time on two circular needles. I was intrigued, I was charmed, I was hooked. I took the book home to study closely. I copied one of the patterns and then I proceeded to knit a sock doing my own thing using four dpns and concocting my own pattern.

I'm a freak... I may have mentioned that.

I never do anything by halves. I always jump in feet first and figure it out as I go along.... I think it is called FLYING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS. I don't just fly, no, I manage to grab the hang glider with a broken wing and remember my helmet just as I leap into the great beyond. So here I am now trying to adapt the patterns I have to accomodate the yarn I'm using and the fact that my socks are on four dpns and not on 2 circulars as they should be all add up to aaaaahhhhhh! Oh hell, I'm smart, I know I can do this. It will all work out I'm sure.... They may just be too big or have the heal on the side but I'm sure I can do it.

The sock thing came of necessity this weekend when I locked myself out of my vehicle and then left the keys 93 km away. How did I do this..... suffice it to say that Hubby will not let me live it down. I have a very good reason... I was distracted by Pops (my father) who is in the hospital and I was distraught. It would take a whole other blog to explain.... all I can say is that it involved a scheme to save Hubby and me a tank of gas and me a long trip driving on roads that were dark and moose ridden, and a change in jackets.... let me offer you this advice as a lesson well learned. WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR JACKET MAKE SURE YOUR CAR KEYS ARE IN THE NEW WINTER JACKET POCKETS!

Anyway, the jist of the story is that my knitting was left in the vehicle all weekend until I could get the keys delivered to me. So what is a knitter to do, I ask? My method of fixing this problem was to go buy new dpns and yarn and start a new project.... enter sox.

WARNING: I don't suggest FLYING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS, someone might get hurt!

Sheep again!

I'm tired of watching sheep do the dirty. The wrong thing to do is place the paddock for the sheep just outside your window. Though the fence that keeps them contained is 50 or more feet away from the house it is still there plain as plain sheep eating, sheep lying down, sheep eating snow, sheep going in the barn, sheep chewing their cuds, yes and sheep doing the dirty. It is breeding season and the ram is in the paddock with the ewes. Make no mistake, there will be lambs in the spring unless he is shooting blanks which I won't know yet. I almost feel sorry for the gals.... actually, no I don't. I've never seen a bigger bunch of harlots in my life. I think if they could wear fishnet stockings and lipstick they would. The ram, whose name is Oscar, is quite the gentleman about it and so he services them when need be and then gently nudges them to move along. He follows them around quite closely but I don't think he's overzealous. He just does the job matter of factly and without needing accolades. I think if I could personify him he would wear a bowler hat and carry a walking cane quite jauntily. He's quite British in his demeanor. He doesn't go from one sheep to the next either, just services one for the day and then on to the next. I'm not sure but it probably has something to do with the fact that the ewes are not all cycling at the same time.
It's all quite scientific and rather laid back. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when he went in the paddock with them.

So the sheep seem to be doing what needs to be done. I'm just getting tired of watching. I feel like a peeping Tom when I happen to look up from breakfast or making the bed and there they are going at it again. I'm thinking the paddock somewhere else would have been a good idea.

I have one wristlet finished but don't have a picture to upload today. My digital camera has decided to die on me.... actually it is the rechargable batteries. They won't hold a charge any longer. I noticed this recently when I replaced the batteries with freshly charged batteries right out of the battery charger and the camera turned on and then turned off right away. I remember thinking, "Well, that was rude!" Now I have managed to get the camera to last for the length of time it takes to take one picture, and I had better have everything set up so the picture is right the first time or else... you know, lighting and all that stuff. So this weekend while I am Christmas shopping, a new set of rechargeable batteries is on my list of necessities.

I took my wristlet to knit night and am pleased to say that they were met with approval. It is rather embarrassing though to go on about hating dpns and then show up with a project that requires them. Oh Daughter #1 if you only knew what I do for you. It is not my choice of colours I mean orange yellow and green... yuck! But Daughter #1 likes it and they are for her. Actually they are turning out better than I expected. I may make myself a pair. I just will use different colours. I've got some lovely polwarth rovings that I bought from Rovings. I think it is called Autumn Blaze. It is a combination of golds, roses and purples. Anyway, I am away for the next few days and so when I get back I will have batteries for the camera and then I will be able to post pictures of wristlets, scarf and who knows maybe even baby surprise sweater #2. Ambitious, I know, but maybe I can knit while at the conference. If a BC Hydro Engineer can do it, maybe I can too. Anyway, I'm off to get some breakfast. I wonder if there will be a peep show today!

New Blog to check out

Daughter #2 has decided to start a blog of her own.... it does a mother proud to see her spreading her wings and trying them out. Check out the links for Seashell's Artsie Smartsie Stuff.

Neeexxxttt!

Sometimes I feel like an assembly line. Finish one sweater and then start a pair of wristlets. Yep, out came my teeny weenie double point needles (2.75mm rosewood) and I cast on 42 stitches. 6 rows of K2, P1 and here we go with the next project. Today I will be finishing the spinning for my Noro scarf... is it a Noro scarf if you are not using Noro wool? And since I'm having numbness in my right hand and I'm getting a spinners nob on my index finger from pinching the drafted wool, having a break to knit every so often is a good reprieve from the numbness. So out come the wristlets. I think the next spinning project will be the blue merino/silk for Daughter # 2's wristlets. Daughter #1's are the ones I cast on for last night.

The pattern that I am using Is called April May (CMO125) from Cider Moon at www.cidermoon.com. Sorry the picture is not better but I don't have enough know-how with the camera to make it better with lighting and clarity etc... It is a parallel rib/lace pattern which I thought would show up in the varigated yarn I am using. The yarn is a hand spun (by me) polwarth/silk roving that I bought from Wendy Dennis in Australia. Very lovely, and quite addictive. I have another 200gm in green/turquoise/gold to be spun for myself after Christmas when things settle down. Daughter # 1's wristlets are orange varigated to yellow and then green. Green is her current favorite colour.

I'm also feeling the need to felt a bag which is already knitted. I started a sweater last year in a fushia (Yuck! I hate fushia...) and have two 13 x 13 squares. It would make a great purse or sachel, especially if I felted it. I will pick up the stitches and cast them off and then felt it today. I will also need to braid a handle and felt it too. (That won't happen today.)

So all in all, a busy day ahead for me. Make a plan and stick to your plan..... that's my new motto at least till Christmas..... neeexxxttt!

Boo hoo, sob sob!

I am not on my working retreat. I am at home. This is a big disappointment for me as I was really hoping to get lots of work done. I am gettng work done as I have stopped answering phones and am pretending to not be here, but I am not getting as much done as I would like. There are distractions and I'm not happy about that. Oh well, things are progressing but slowly.

I am continueing to work on the project from my workshop of three days ago. I have spun the 9 skeins required and am working on the scarf that the yarn harlot has on her blog called the Noro scarf. Mine will be hand spun as apposed to bought fibre and that makes a world of difference, in my opinion. It is a rib stitch scarf over an odd number of stitches and stripes from one colour to the next in gradual changes. I loved it and so I am on to that project. I shall be spinning the fibre for the in-between stripes.

Meanwhile I am still working on the baby surprise sweaters. Those I have relagated to knit night on Thursdays, but even those progress. I am almost finished two of them at the same time. Then I will be working on the wristlets for the Daughter for Christmas. In between I am trying to find time to work on the quilt.... yeah there's actually two quilts that I am working on. One is for our church raffle and the other is for our foster child in Peru. Neither one is a large quilt. But both need to be done soon. But I digress.

Scarves.... I finished two back in the summer for Christmas gifts.... yeah I forgot about them when I said the other day that I had nothing done for Christmas. Then I did get the baby sweater from our September workshop (I gave that one so there is something not right about not finishing the project you instigated in the first place) almost finished before I ran out of fibre and had to stop until I got a chance to spin more. So that is 7 UFO's.... see I really need a retreat to get some of these projects done. Ah well... the baby sweaters will wait till after Christmas, the quilts can be finished in a day or two, and the scarf is just spinning, I won't work on that until after Christmas... I just want to finish the spinning now, while the going is good. Next I need to get a hat done for a gift exchange. But that is a surprise.

I have hit the wall for my level 2 homework. I have checked through my notes and all blends need to be labeled in terms of % so I will have to wait on the blends until next week until I can get an accurate scale. I can work on the skeins that are not blended and so I will as of Monday when I have finished my scarf yarn spun. That's today.....

Remember what my Dad says.... "make a plan and stick to it". That's what I am going to do. Retreat????? I'm going to have mine anyway..... it's all part of the plan.

Christmas! Ack!

Just over 4 weeks till Christmas...... Oh My God! I'm shocked..... I'm panicked.... I'm absolutely terrified! I have nothing done. How did this happen? The only thing I've done is change the colours on my blog. I think I had better get with it.

I've worked on my Christmas poem and have that done I think. But I have only one gift ordered and I certainly haven't received it in the mail yet. What am I going to do? Well one thing is for sure... I am not going to let myself think about it too hard because I will start panicking. Ack! Oh I let myself think too long. OK I'm now hyperventilating.

When I think about baking... and gifts.... and decorationg.... and wrapping gifts... and keeping my house clean..... and... ok... I'm hyperventilating again! Why can't I be the cat and just enjoy napping under the tree when it makes it's debut? I think that being blissfully unaware of the most overwhelming time of the year would be a really lovely thing. Being a bear and hibernating through the season of light and joy would be wonderful. This time of year sees me searching for a dark cubby hole where I can wait out the next few weeks in private. I just want to hide. Maybe I could find an interesting hole that I can stick my head in.

I used to love Christmas but as the years have passed I have started to dislike it more and more. I have come to the conclusion that Christmas stresses out all mothers who have to see to the health and happiness of their children and husbands. We want Christmas to be wonderful! Full of surprises and interest. Problem is we forget about ourselves and so end up hating the very season that we want everyone else to enjoy. We work overtime trying to get it right but then we don't. Or at least I don't.....

By the time Christmas rolls around I'm usually sick. I usually wear myself out trying to do everything. Hubby is not much help. Last year he had a trip to Cold Lake in November and spent several hours in the West Edmonton Mall. I told him to do some shopping while he was there. He came home with a game.... that's it.... nothing else. The West Edmonton Mall is the biggest mall in Canada..... and he couldn't find anything. I knew then that I was in trouble.... I knew then that I couldn't ask Hubby again for help. I am completely on my own in this.

"Have a plan and execute that plan," my father always says. So I guess my next step is to put the plan on paper and then put the plan into action. Gees.... I feel like I am going into battle... like what is that all about?

Plan on paper... plan on paper... ok I guess I had better get on that..... in the meantime have a look at this:

The great big fist of winter has hit
Time to get out the scarves, hats and mits.
I find this year I don’t have as much time,
To figure out Christmas poems that rhyme.

But I’ll do my best to give you a clue,
About all that has happened and all that we do.
The first big thing I have to say,
Is I became ‘redundent’ and lost all my pay.

The College disappeared and so did my job,
It didn’t surprise me I didn’t even sob.
Businesses are closing in our little town,
But new ones are opening so I just won’t frown.

I’ve started my own called ‘Ye Olde Batt’
I’m milling wool so how about that!
I’ve bought myself sheep and some alpacas too,
Well you all know me I’ve got to have something to do.

So I am a shepherd with my very own flocks,
We give vaccines and clip nails and shear off their locks.
When I studied Philosophy at good old MUN,
I never thought I’d be having such fun.

The kids are impressed and Hubby too, I think,
I do have to say that he didn’t even blink.
It started out, with 2 alpacas, I said,
But then they’re so cute, it just went to my head.

16 animals later, I’m breeding them now,
And Hubby keeps on smiling, he’s holding out for a sow.
I asked, “Why do you want a great ugly pig?
They’re smelly and gross and nasty and big!”


You’ll have to wait till I write next year’s poem,
or check out my blog at yeoldebatt.blogspot.com
I’m sure if he wants there’ll be a pig here next year,
Then our small farm will be really in gear.

Even Daughter #1 is in on the farm,
“A horse,” she says, “A horse in the barn!”
She took up riding, on Rosie the mare,
with lessons each week, she hasn’t a care.

She has a good teacher and just loves to ride,
She sits on that horse with the greatest of pride.
Her school work too is good we can say,
We enter the teens this year and I pray!

Both of my girls give me wonderful pride,
They’re lovely and polite I cannot deny.
I worry the teen years will be a bad shock
But so far so good, my daughters just ‘rock’.

Daughter #2 keeps on doing so well,
Her marks are tremendous, her art is just swell.
She wrote a story that gave me such pride,
Her talent is growing and can’t be denied.

So from our little farm as the year passes on,
This season of Light full of joy is from God
We wish you all now, the gifts He bestows,
Joy, peace, and hope, with blessings that grow.

Merry Christmas with love from the Nichols Family

Spinning Takes Time

I went to a wonderful workshop yesterday. I learned how to do a three ply yarn and varigate the strands so that they went from one colour to the next seamlessly. Neat! We were supposed to spin 9 skeins in one day.... not huge skeins but 15 gms each. I didn't get there. I managed to complete 3 of my 9 and I have almost enough for my next one which I will finish tonight.... I might even get a couple done. I love when spinners get together because we have so much fun. Yesterday was no different and though there was a push to get it finished we still sat and chatted about everything under the sun.

I will be knitting a scarf with the fibre that I spun but I bought enough to do another project and so I may just use that to do something other than a scarf like mittens which I need desperately. My leather work gloves just don't provide enough warmth. At the workshop it was very inspirational to view all the things that people are doing.

I am off again tomorrow to spend some time on a working retreat and am expecting to get lots done. I will be back at the Master spinner's program again. I am working on the third section of my homework which is all about mohair. This is not one of my favorite fibres to say the least. I have spun one sample in just mohair and it was quite the difficult fibre to process. My next attempt will be a blend of mohair and Finn wool. I have that stuff prepared and found that though I put it through my drum carder to blend it, it still needed to be combed and dizzed to make a really nice preparation. So I will be preparing that and then a blend of mohair and cultivated silk. My last mohair skein must be a textured mohair skein. I will look forward to this one as it is much more fun to play in such a manner.

Between going to the workshop yesterday and the working retreat this weekend, I expect to get a lot done. Inspiration abounds if you just give it a chance. In January I am looking at booking a two or three day retreat at the local Lodge. It is simply a devine place for a retreat. If retreats help to get the work done then I'm all for it. I'm only too glad to take the time to spin if spinning is going to take up my time. What a wonderful way to spend a cold snowy day. Spin a little wool... look out the window at the hoar frost and snow on the trees, drink a little hot chocolate.... yeah, works for me.