For the last few days I have been looking forward to Christmas vacation with something almost akin to pleasure. For five days I have been counting the sleeps until Teapot and the girls don't require a hearty breakfast each morning.... till they would be home and we could really start enjoying home time. There has been a nasty stomach flu circulating the school and rarely does Christmas season come and go without someone biting the dust and spending a night praying to the porcelain god and bugging out on the couch for a day or two. We even have had it happen on Christmas Eve and forget turkey then. So one of the reasons I have been looking so forward to the end of school is because I think that if I can just get everyone to that day then I can get them past the nasty flu. So each morning I wake up and look at Teapot and saying things like.... 4 days left dear... or 3 days left dear.... or two days left dear. This morning I woke up late and Teapot, bless him let me sleep since he knew that I put in a nasty night of tossing and turning. So when I came downstairs the dear ones were just finishing their breakfast of cold cereal (poor ones). Teapot handed me a nice cup of tea because the expression on my face said Caffeine In Some Form Or Bust. I looked at him and said... one more sleep.... and he responded with this... Ah... I forgot to tell you that the JCRs are doing an outdoor survival camping trip for two days starting Monday.
I promptly cried, which I can only put down to not having enough caffeine in my blood stream. So Teapot and Daughter #1 will head off into the bush to sleep on the ground with nothing other than snow and leaves to cover them which means no sleeping at all and will return on Wednesday so tired that they wouldn't be able to fight a bug if it collapsed on their forehead. Anything remotely to do with Christmas that doesn't get done on Saturday and Sunday will have to wait till after Wednesday.... sometimes it just doesn't pay to look forward to something. Sometimes it's better to just stay in bed.
I wonder who will be doing more of the survival training... them or me!
On a brighter note.... Knit Night tonight.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
My Relationship With Christmas
You have, I'm sure, heard me say that I hate Christmas. But actually that is not really true. There are aspects of Christmas that I really hate but there are things about the season that I really enjoy too. So I am here to spin a more positive view of Christmas today for a change.
The Tree:
As you might or might not know the Daughters and I put our fake artificial tree up back at the end of November this year. That for me is extremely early. I have never done it before. I also finally embraced the fakeness of Christmas and bought us a cute little plastic and prelit Christmas tree from Sears last year. Part of mine and Teapot's tradition has always been to put up the tree quite close to Christmas Eve...usually somewhere between the 20th to 23rd. We would, as a family, march ourselves out into the bush to look for a suitable Christmas tree and then spend the next 24 hrs standing it up, thawing it out, watering it, and then decorating the hell out of it. But last year I finally put my foot down and bought an artificial tree for a variety of reasons.
Reason #1:
Having grown up in NFLD, where trees of the evergreen variety abound, picking, cutting and bringing home a Christmas tree was an easy job. Each year we would go out into the bush and we would look for a tree of epic beauty and bring it home to grace our home with ease. But when I moved away from NFLD I realised how spoiled I was. Trees on the mainland grow much faster than they do in NFLD. Trees in Nfld are barraged from the day the poke their first bud through the ground with an onslaught of high winds and cool (if not cold) springs, short growing seasons, and my experience has always been that even the smallest of Christmas trees would have a substantially large trunk. By the time a tree is 6 ft high it has already put on about thirty or forty rings of bark. This makes for standing a tree in the stand quite and easy job. So you can imagine my dismay when I went looking for a Christmas tree the first time on the mainland and discovered that a thirty year old tree is usually about 40 ft high. This will not fit into my living room no matter how hard I try. Therefore all real trees that we have had since leaving NFLD have been spindly and pathetic or doctored with extra branches that turn brown two days after Christmas.
Reason #2:
I've always hated putting the tree up so close to Christmas and then having to clean up the mess when there is wrapping to do and visiting to do and Christmas programs to watch or listen to. With our artificial tree we can put it up when ever the mood strikes, and there is no mess. Daughter #2 and I put up or tree last year as soon as we got it and it took 6 minutes from the time we started till the time we had it ready to put the bulbs on. I loved that... and while I miss finding pine/fir needles in the corners of the room in June, I don't miss the mess they make in December. We decided to put it up early this year, and believe me I've taken some criticism for that, but really it has been truly wonderful. Each night Teapot and the girls have come home from school tired and exhausted (there's flu going around our school and there have been some nasty scares as they have fought not to get it) and we have turned on a Christmas movie or a DVD of a Christmas concert and for 1 or 2 hours as we eat our dinner, enjoy a little Christmas spirit... this has been completed with a glass of homemade eggnog (far nicer than the store bought stuff) or a little Christmas chocolate or cookie. Getting an artificial tree and putting it up on the first day of Advent was the best thing we've ever done. So I think it has become a new tradition in our house. We have even decided to name our Christmas tree. (It's name is now Yawnus). As for real evergreen in the house... I've even taken care of that. We purchase a real wreath from a group in town that sell them as a fundraiser and I always order fresh Holly from the florist. Unfortunately, there is no smell (or very little) of fir, pine, or balsam but if I need it I can always bring in some bows or light a candle. I just love, love, love our cute little plastic Christmas tree. It has been so freeing.
Christmas Gifts:
I love Christmas gifts.... well who doesn't. Still I buy them or make them all. It is a stressful thing to take care of the wants and desires of everyone we know, and make sure that they get it in time for the big day. Recently I've tried to be less uptight about the whole process. I can change my mind about things at the last minute if I want, and if people don't get it in time for Christmas day then I'm not going to give myself a heart attack worrying about it. There's always Old Christmas day (also known as Ukranian Christmas or the Twelfth Night) and if you don't receive your parcel in time for Santa Day then you can celebrate Christmas any day in between.... and you might just have to when my parcel arrives.
Also, while I hate spending a fortune on Christmas gifts, and hate going into debt each year and spending the next 6 months trying to dig myself out, I do enjoy giving gifts. So a few years ago I decided that I would try to make more of our Christmas gifts.... not only to save money but because my time is precious and when I take the time to figure out what you might like and then I take the time to make it, then you know that it really is a gift of the heart. This adds somewhat to the burden of stress before Christmas but I have tried to overcome that problem by allowing myself to change my mind at the last minute. I recently had planned on sending my sister a scarf, and her husband a pair of hand knit socks, and her son a hand knit toque. But when Teapot said he liked the socks it changed the whole thing. My sister and family are receiving gift cards and mugs of goodies, and Teapot will get the socks. I had planned on making socks for a family of four who have been our longest standing friends since moving here to HH.... I've changed my mind on that one too. The two kids are getting hand spun and hand knit toques (less work than socks) and a gift card from Coles book store. The parents are getting a box of homemade bread with jams and herb dipping sauces.
See easy... just change your mind... no stress no fuss. And when people open their gifts on Christmas day and then send you a thank you or give you a big smile it really makes you feel like a million bucks.
Christmas shopping:
While you have heard me say that I hate Christmas shopping, I can also say that there are things about it that I like. I do like to hold the door open for everyone as I'm entering a store, mall, or boutique..... and that includes that crabby old lady and the burly middle aged man who only has getting in and getting out as quickly as possible on their minds... with a cheery "Merry Christmas" wish and a smile. But you can see them suddenly become human again.... I love that. I love to drop a $5 or a $10 or a hand full of change into the SA kettle by the front door of which ever store that I walk into. I always stop to pass the time with whoever is sitting by the kettle and offer up a cheery "Merry Christmas" to them too. They deserve our respect and heartfelt gratitude for what they do.
I love the bins of colourful wrapping paper and spend long moments choosing which colours will grace the packages under our tree and the parcels we give out at Christmas time. I LOVE the music of Christmas and find myself warbling along as I drift in and out of various stores that I visit. I'm sure those in hearing distance must think I'm a nutter. But that's ok because I usually give them a chipper smile and say something about loving to sing Christmas carols. Then I get a wicked laugh inside when I watch the look of surprise thatcrosses their face because a perfect stranger (me) whose obviously a weirdo, just spoke to them. And then when all my shopping is done including all the online faceless stuff I get a great sense of satisfaction that it is done and I look at all the loot and think how this one is going to love that and that one is going to love this.... etc.
Lights:
I love the lights of Christmas.... it's that simple!
Cozy comforts leading up to, and surrounding the darkest day of winter:
I love the cozy feel of my family, each one doing their own little thing, unknowing of the great surprises I have planned for them, as I tear out the toe on the latest pair of socks, or blend the most recent combination of fibre on the drum carder, or spin the latest thread. I love to get up in the morning and have a cup of jo as the dawn slowly rises on a morning of grey and crystalline frost, or the white downiness of new fallen snow. I love carmel tea with a very small splash of Bailey's (I only allow my self that at Christmas). I love walking in through the door after a cold walk when the heat of the house hits you. I love warm mittens and warm boots. I love crawling into my bed at night a staring up at clear skies full of stars and looking for the Christmas star and wondering what it was like for the three wisemen.
Christmas Eve:
I love church on Christmas eve. I love that a full church sings altogether, Christmas carols as old as memory. I love the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ. I love the expectation on the faces of children. I love that in the quiet of the night you hear Merry Christmas called out as people leave the church and head for home and a night of surprises and wrappings. I love being the last to leave the church and turn out the lights and lock the door.... I love the quiet of the church and thank God for peace, love, joy and hope. And I love... just love, that as I head to my vehicle I know that a waiting Teapot and Daughters are glad to see me come. I love dropping in to visit friends after church and before we head home. I love hanging stockings... and then filling them. I love that every Christmas Eve Teapot gets out his camera no matter how late it is and takes a picture of the tree and the stockings laying in wait for the next morning.
After Christmas:
I love sitting around on Christmas Day till 3 p.m. in my jammies.... as smells of roasting turkey waft from the kitchen. I love Christmas dinner... turkey... just one word... yum! I love boxing day... it's the best day of the year. One word to describe that day.... relaxation. I love skating (though I don't do it anymore because of my back), I love sliding parties, and I love skiiing (though I find that hard to do too).... More than anything I love when people drop in for a visit.... awesome. I love our Christmas family portrait that we take each year and I love that after we have taken 10 or 12 and everyone is tired, we take one that is completely silly and totally goofy. I love celebrating New Year's Eve with a bonfire and friends. I love ringing in the new year with some sparkly beverage.
December 28th:
I love Teapot and thank the heavens above that we got married.... and I even love that we got married during the Christmas Season. It will be 20 years this year.
Old Christmas Day:
I love that we have special antique stockings that we rehang for that day. I love that we have made a tradition of taking down Yawnus (the Christmas Tree) on that day and putting him back to sleep in his box. I love that for a whole 10 months... we don't have to think about Christmas anymore. I love that at this point you can notice that the days are starting to get longer and the long drowsy days of spring are just a short while away.
So that's it... a bunch of things that I like about Christmas. I hope you can take the time to find all the positives that make Christmas good for you. Remember dwelling on the bad will make you wrinkled and old before your time.... enjoy your friends and family.... and smile a lot even when you don't feel like it because I promise it will make you feel a whole lot better. And if that doesn't work I guarantee that a half bottle of Rye (or Whisky, or gin, or Rum) will!
Really.... I don't drink... ; )
The Tree:
As you might or might not know the Daughters and I put our fake artificial tree up back at the end of November this year. That for me is extremely early. I have never done it before. I also finally embraced the fakeness of Christmas and bought us a cute little plastic and prelit Christmas tree from Sears last year. Part of mine and Teapot's tradition has always been to put up the tree quite close to Christmas Eve...usually somewhere between the 20th to 23rd. We would, as a family, march ourselves out into the bush to look for a suitable Christmas tree and then spend the next 24 hrs standing it up, thawing it out, watering it, and then decorating the hell out of it. But last year I finally put my foot down and bought an artificial tree for a variety of reasons.
Reason #1:
Having grown up in NFLD, where trees of the evergreen variety abound, picking, cutting and bringing home a Christmas tree was an easy job. Each year we would go out into the bush and we would look for a tree of epic beauty and bring it home to grace our home with ease. But when I moved away from NFLD I realised how spoiled I was. Trees on the mainland grow much faster than they do in NFLD. Trees in Nfld are barraged from the day the poke their first bud through the ground with an onslaught of high winds and cool (if not cold) springs, short growing seasons, and my experience has always been that even the smallest of Christmas trees would have a substantially large trunk. By the time a tree is 6 ft high it has already put on about thirty or forty rings of bark. This makes for standing a tree in the stand quite and easy job. So you can imagine my dismay when I went looking for a Christmas tree the first time on the mainland and discovered that a thirty year old tree is usually about 40 ft high. This will not fit into my living room no matter how hard I try. Therefore all real trees that we have had since leaving NFLD have been spindly and pathetic or doctored with extra branches that turn brown two days after Christmas.
Reason #2:
I've always hated putting the tree up so close to Christmas and then having to clean up the mess when there is wrapping to do and visiting to do and Christmas programs to watch or listen to. With our artificial tree we can put it up when ever the mood strikes, and there is no mess. Daughter #2 and I put up or tree last year as soon as we got it and it took 6 minutes from the time we started till the time we had it ready to put the bulbs on. I loved that... and while I miss finding pine/fir needles in the corners of the room in June, I don't miss the mess they make in December. We decided to put it up early this year, and believe me I've taken some criticism for that, but really it has been truly wonderful. Each night Teapot and the girls have come home from school tired and exhausted (there's flu going around our school and there have been some nasty scares as they have fought not to get it) and we have turned on a Christmas movie or a DVD of a Christmas concert and for 1 or 2 hours as we eat our dinner, enjoy a little Christmas spirit... this has been completed with a glass of homemade eggnog (far nicer than the store bought stuff) or a little Christmas chocolate or cookie. Getting an artificial tree and putting it up on the first day of Advent was the best thing we've ever done. So I think it has become a new tradition in our house. We have even decided to name our Christmas tree. (It's name is now Yawnus). As for real evergreen in the house... I've even taken care of that. We purchase a real wreath from a group in town that sell them as a fundraiser and I always order fresh Holly from the florist. Unfortunately, there is no smell (or very little) of fir, pine, or balsam but if I need it I can always bring in some bows or light a candle. I just love, love, love our cute little plastic Christmas tree. It has been so freeing.
Christmas Gifts:
I love Christmas gifts.... well who doesn't. Still I buy them or make them all. It is a stressful thing to take care of the wants and desires of everyone we know, and make sure that they get it in time for the big day. Recently I've tried to be less uptight about the whole process. I can change my mind about things at the last minute if I want, and if people don't get it in time for Christmas day then I'm not going to give myself a heart attack worrying about it. There's always Old Christmas day (also known as Ukranian Christmas or the Twelfth Night) and if you don't receive your parcel in time for Santa Day then you can celebrate Christmas any day in between.... and you might just have to when my parcel arrives.
Also, while I hate spending a fortune on Christmas gifts, and hate going into debt each year and spending the next 6 months trying to dig myself out, I do enjoy giving gifts. So a few years ago I decided that I would try to make more of our Christmas gifts.... not only to save money but because my time is precious and when I take the time to figure out what you might like and then I take the time to make it, then you know that it really is a gift of the heart. This adds somewhat to the burden of stress before Christmas but I have tried to overcome that problem by allowing myself to change my mind at the last minute. I recently had planned on sending my sister a scarf, and her husband a pair of hand knit socks, and her son a hand knit toque. But when Teapot said he liked the socks it changed the whole thing. My sister and family are receiving gift cards and mugs of goodies, and Teapot will get the socks. I had planned on making socks for a family of four who have been our longest standing friends since moving here to HH.... I've changed my mind on that one too. The two kids are getting hand spun and hand knit toques (less work than socks) and a gift card from Coles book store. The parents are getting a box of homemade bread with jams and herb dipping sauces.
See easy... just change your mind... no stress no fuss. And when people open their gifts on Christmas day and then send you a thank you or give you a big smile it really makes you feel like a million bucks.
Christmas shopping:
While you have heard me say that I hate Christmas shopping, I can also say that there are things about it that I like. I do like to hold the door open for everyone as I'm entering a store, mall, or boutique..... and that includes that crabby old lady and the burly middle aged man who only has getting in and getting out as quickly as possible on their minds... with a cheery "Merry Christmas" wish and a smile. But you can see them suddenly become human again.... I love that. I love to drop a $5 or a $10 or a hand full of change into the SA kettle by the front door of which ever store that I walk into. I always stop to pass the time with whoever is sitting by the kettle and offer up a cheery "Merry Christmas" to them too. They deserve our respect and heartfelt gratitude for what they do.
I love the bins of colourful wrapping paper and spend long moments choosing which colours will grace the packages under our tree and the parcels we give out at Christmas time. I LOVE the music of Christmas and find myself warbling along as I drift in and out of various stores that I visit. I'm sure those in hearing distance must think I'm a nutter. But that's ok because I usually give them a chipper smile and say something about loving to sing Christmas carols. Then I get a wicked laugh inside when I watch the look of surprise thatcrosses their face because a perfect stranger (me) whose obviously a weirdo, just spoke to them. And then when all my shopping is done including all the online faceless stuff I get a great sense of satisfaction that it is done and I look at all the loot and think how this one is going to love that and that one is going to love this.... etc.
Lights:
I love the lights of Christmas.... it's that simple!
Cozy comforts leading up to, and surrounding the darkest day of winter:
I love the cozy feel of my family, each one doing their own little thing, unknowing of the great surprises I have planned for them, as I tear out the toe on the latest pair of socks, or blend the most recent combination of fibre on the drum carder, or spin the latest thread. I love to get up in the morning and have a cup of jo as the dawn slowly rises on a morning of grey and crystalline frost, or the white downiness of new fallen snow. I love carmel tea with a very small splash of Bailey's (I only allow my self that at Christmas). I love walking in through the door after a cold walk when the heat of the house hits you. I love warm mittens and warm boots. I love crawling into my bed at night a staring up at clear skies full of stars and looking for the Christmas star and wondering what it was like for the three wisemen.
Christmas Eve:
I love church on Christmas eve. I love that a full church sings altogether, Christmas carols as old as memory. I love the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ. I love the expectation on the faces of children. I love that in the quiet of the night you hear Merry Christmas called out as people leave the church and head for home and a night of surprises and wrappings. I love being the last to leave the church and turn out the lights and lock the door.... I love the quiet of the church and thank God for peace, love, joy and hope. And I love... just love, that as I head to my vehicle I know that a waiting Teapot and Daughters are glad to see me come. I love dropping in to visit friends after church and before we head home. I love hanging stockings... and then filling them. I love that every Christmas Eve Teapot gets out his camera no matter how late it is and takes a picture of the tree and the stockings laying in wait for the next morning.
After Christmas:
I love sitting around on Christmas Day till 3 p.m. in my jammies.... as smells of roasting turkey waft from the kitchen. I love Christmas dinner... turkey... just one word... yum! I love boxing day... it's the best day of the year. One word to describe that day.... relaxation. I love skating (though I don't do it anymore because of my back), I love sliding parties, and I love skiiing (though I find that hard to do too).... More than anything I love when people drop in for a visit.... awesome. I love our Christmas family portrait that we take each year and I love that after we have taken 10 or 12 and everyone is tired, we take one that is completely silly and totally goofy. I love celebrating New Year's Eve with a bonfire and friends. I love ringing in the new year with some sparkly beverage.
December 28th:
I love Teapot and thank the heavens above that we got married.... and I even love that we got married during the Christmas Season. It will be 20 years this year.
Old Christmas Day:
I love that we have special antique stockings that we rehang for that day. I love that we have made a tradition of taking down Yawnus (the Christmas Tree) on that day and putting him back to sleep in his box. I love that for a whole 10 months... we don't have to think about Christmas anymore. I love that at this point you can notice that the days are starting to get longer and the long drowsy days of spring are just a short while away.
So that's it... a bunch of things that I like about Christmas. I hope you can take the time to find all the positives that make Christmas good for you. Remember dwelling on the bad will make you wrinkled and old before your time.... enjoy your friends and family.... and smile a lot even when you don't feel like it because I promise it will make you feel a whole lot better. And if that doesn't work I guarantee that a half bottle of Rye (or Whisky, or gin, or Rum) will!
Really.... I don't drink... ; )
Monday, December 12, 2011
F*%#$$%#%#ing Socks
OK.
It is Not fair!
No... really it's NOT
See the picture of the socks in the last post.... oh hang it I will post it here again for pitty sakes...
Just a minute I have to go find the damn thing.....
Ah... here it is...
Now take a close look at this picture..... can you see anything that might possibly be wrong with it? I mean there's nothing wrong with the picture... albeit it's not the best picture in the world... but I am referring to what is in the picture.... do you see anything wrong with the F@#$#&*ing Socks....
Ah yes....one sock is substantially longer than the other.....@#%$@^$%&%^*^&*^&(&(&$%#$@
Sorry I had a momentary lapse of sense.
Yes it was only after I had posted this picture yesterday that I realized that one sock and another do not always make a pair. The upper sock is lovely. It configures as a sock should... nice shaft.... lovely heel... wonderful instep.... perfect toe....
The lower sock however does not configure as a sock should.... the shaft is alright... yes it looks good... doesn't it.... the heel is fine... I counted the rows.... yep it looks fine. The instep is ok...... yes it is. It's the damn toe.... (cut the bugger off I say!) The toe is far too long and this sock would fit a hobbit for God's sake.
So I had to take out the toe and ravel it back and re-knit the toe... I had repeated the pattern once too many times and so I had to take back the extra repeat in the toe of the sock too and then knit the toe back on.... now it looks right.
Meanwhile the socks in the dye pot.... yeah we're not going there.... at least not tonight... I've done enough swearing for one day. (sigh)
It is Not fair!
No... really it's NOT
See the picture of the socks in the last post.... oh hang it I will post it here again for pitty sakes...
Just a minute I have to go find the damn thing.....
Ah... here it is...
Ah yes....one sock is substantially longer than the other.....@#%$@^$%&%^*^&*^&(&(&$%#$@
Sorry I had a momentary lapse of sense.
Yes it was only after I had posted this picture yesterday that I realized that one sock and another do not always make a pair. The upper sock is lovely. It configures as a sock should... nice shaft.... lovely heel... wonderful instep.... perfect toe....
The lower sock however does not configure as a sock should.... the shaft is alright... yes it looks good... doesn't it.... the heel is fine... I counted the rows.... yep it looks fine. The instep is ok...... yes it is. It's the damn toe.... (cut the bugger off I say!) The toe is far too long and this sock would fit a hobbit for God's sake.
So I had to take out the toe and ravel it back and re-knit the toe... I had repeated the pattern once too many times and so I had to take back the extra repeat in the toe of the sock too and then knit the toe back on.... now it looks right.
Meanwhile the socks in the dye pot.... yeah we're not going there.... at least not tonight... I've done enough swearing for one day. (sigh)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sock Saga
So the sock saga continues....
I have two pairs finished but I'm in a bit of a quandary because the dye job on the first pair is still not satisfactory. Then the lady who is getting them for Christmas popped by today and there on the coffee table in my living room sat her socks! I didn't draw any attention to them and gently just dropped a knitting basket that I was sorting through on top of the socks and hopefully she didn't notice a thing. So as I sit here tapping out this post I have a pot of dark grey dye brewing.
The socks are not in yet but they are soaking. They will be going from dark forest green to dark grey and I will have to embellish them to purdy them up and bit. I have an idea for that... add in a little orange embroidery and voila. They will look awesome when I'm done.
Meanwhile socks number 2 came off the needles at 12 midnight last night and so I am working on a little side project that may have something to do with Christmas socks in the end but not sure. Socks number 2 are awesome.
Teapot tried them on and liked them so much that he confiscated them and so they will not be winging their way across the country to my sister and her family.Instead she and her husband will be getting nice little gift baskets full of yummy stuff. Actually I am kind of relieved about that because I was getting down to the wire (and actually over it) on timing for Canada Post to get my parcel to them in time for Christmas. This way it will go in the mail first thing tomorrow and would get down east in time for the big day.
So the little side project that I got caught up in this morning and that I spoke of in the previous paragraph came into fruition quite spontaneously since in the last few weeks the two cats have discovered my laziness. Back in the fall when I did my cleaning and moved the house around to accommodate the new loom I had taken the lazy man's attitude and pushed a bunch of small balls of home spun/hand spun yarn into a bag without sorting through the mess. then I had some left over silk with was meant to go into a baggie and get put away in my stash. This did not happen and as I said the cats discovered my laziness and decided to play. In the bottom of the basket that I had poked everything into was a bunch of baggies of fibre from a workshop I had done two years ago and had never been properly put away either. When the cats discovered my basket of goodies sitting on the floor of my studio, all vestiges of order melted into kitty chaos. So today was the day, the day of days to organize that basket.
The first hour was spent pulling apart the many small balls of yarn and untangling them, and then reballing them and organizing them into baggies of similar colours. Then I took all the little baggies of fibre from the previous year's workshop and out came my drum carder and I decided to blend multiple colours and fibres to get a mish-mash of roving with mixed up fibres.
The rest of the day was spent spinning the mess of fibres together. So far things are looking civilized and somewhat pretty. I'm spinning fairly fine... so not sure if I will use the resulting yarn in a shawl or maybe I'll put several singles together to make a nice sock yarn. We'll see how that turns out.
Now that I have the hang of turning heels I am anxious to try out other sock patterns. I have bee perusing the many patterns that litter my pattern books and have settled on a pair of dress socks that are unisex.... they look so pretty in the book and somewhat simple so I will give that a try next. I still have five more pairs to finish before Christmas...
So with that in mind, I must be off to spin a little more before bedtime... for tomorrow I knit!
I have two pairs finished but I'm in a bit of a quandary because the dye job on the first pair is still not satisfactory. Then the lady who is getting them for Christmas popped by today and there on the coffee table in my living room sat her socks! I didn't draw any attention to them and gently just dropped a knitting basket that I was sorting through on top of the socks and hopefully she didn't notice a thing. So as I sit here tapping out this post I have a pot of dark grey dye brewing.
The socks are not in yet but they are soaking. They will be going from dark forest green to dark grey and I will have to embellish them to purdy them up and bit. I have an idea for that... add in a little orange embroidery and voila. They will look awesome when I'm done.
Meanwhile socks number 2 came off the needles at 12 midnight last night and so I am working on a little side project that may have something to do with Christmas socks in the end but not sure. Socks number 2 are awesome.
Teapot tried them on and liked them so much that he confiscated them and so they will not be winging their way across the country to my sister and her family.Instead she and her husband will be getting nice little gift baskets full of yummy stuff. Actually I am kind of relieved about that because I was getting down to the wire (and actually over it) on timing for Canada Post to get my parcel to them in time for Christmas. This way it will go in the mail first thing tomorrow and would get down east in time for the big day.
So the little side project that I got caught up in this morning and that I spoke of in the previous paragraph came into fruition quite spontaneously since in the last few weeks the two cats have discovered my laziness. Back in the fall when I did my cleaning and moved the house around to accommodate the new loom I had taken the lazy man's attitude and pushed a bunch of small balls of home spun/hand spun yarn into a bag without sorting through the mess. then I had some left over silk with was meant to go into a baggie and get put away in my stash. This did not happen and as I said the cats discovered my laziness and decided to play. In the bottom of the basket that I had poked everything into was a bunch of baggies of fibre from a workshop I had done two years ago and had never been properly put away either. When the cats discovered my basket of goodies sitting on the floor of my studio, all vestiges of order melted into kitty chaos. So today was the day, the day of days to organize that basket.
The first hour was spent pulling apart the many small balls of yarn and untangling them, and then reballing them and organizing them into baggies of similar colours. Then I took all the little baggies of fibre from the previous year's workshop and out came my drum carder and I decided to blend multiple colours and fibres to get a mish-mash of roving with mixed up fibres.
The rest of the day was spent spinning the mess of fibres together. So far things are looking civilized and somewhat pretty. I'm spinning fairly fine... so not sure if I will use the resulting yarn in a shawl or maybe I'll put several singles together to make a nice sock yarn. We'll see how that turns out.
Now that I have the hang of turning heels I am anxious to try out other sock patterns. I have bee perusing the many patterns that litter my pattern books and have settled on a pair of dress socks that are unisex.... they look so pretty in the book and somewhat simple so I will give that a try next. I still have five more pairs to finish before Christmas...
So with that in mind, I must be off to spin a little more before bedtime... for tomorrow I knit!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Christmas Rant
Recently I have been checking out some of my favorite blogs and low and behold some of them have shopping lists.... lists of things that they think we, the reader, might like to buy.... I hate that. I think that is totally stupid. So anyone of you who has a blog and is thinking about giving everyone ideas about good gifts, or for anyone thinking about Christmas in general, here are a few things you might consider before falling into the abyss of Consumer stupidity.
First of all, let me say that what you might think is a great item for the masses, to someone else probably is stupid. Recently I was on one site that suggested we should all go have a look at a Solar Powered Queen..... ! And what does the Queen do once she is powered up.... she waves at you. Now this is the heights of stupidity. I mean we all know that I am a Royal fan but a stupid plastic waving Queen is not my idea of the all purpose Christmas gift that is going to make me say WOW! (Well it might make me say WOW but not in the way that the giver would appreciate.) It is one more thing that is made out of petroleum products that defaces our planet and has absolutely no meaning except for the manufacturers pocket and maybe the Queen. So what I am trying to say in my miserable way is that what you might think is an awesome gift, to me would be one more thing on the way to the landfill.... (I'm starting to sound like Chuck V here now with his spiel about the landfill). Better still and the best gift I could get is a visit from you and not some plastic junk.... remember the anniversary party to which none of our friends showed up.... that was the worst, meanest gift we've ever gotten. I would rather have your company than a solar powered waving Queen.
Second: In this world of complaints about our economy and our environment, a solar powered Queen can only damage your pocket book and piss me off as she lands in the landfill. I really do not want to have to watch anyone declare bankruptcy because they over spent at Christmas purchasing a dumb object like a solar powered Queen. (Knit me a Queen instead if it must be a Queen... I at least know then that my relationship with you means enough for you to spend some time on a gift). Again, in my own stupid way I'm saying your opinion of a good Christmas gift might not be mine since I don't believe people should give gifts if they can't afford it. All you're doing in spending money you don't have, is making the credit cards companies richer and bringing down governments... i.e. Greece (who by the way doesn't have a Queen and wouldn't want a plastic solar powered one if they are in their right minds.)
Third: stop sending me cards with just a signature.... and make a card instead of waiting for the CNIB or the Heart and Stroke Foundation to send those dumb freebies through the mail.... once upon a time getting a card in the mail meant something.... you would find out what people were doing and it was so nice to catch up. Sending cards out is not a popularity contest. "Oh look I sent out 59 cards this year," says so and so. "Well I sent out 78," says another so and so.... "Well I can top that.... I sent out 102 cards this year." (Thanks Mrs Beaver, for the lovely card..... by the way... so far yours is the only one with anything written on it, beside your name.) (And to Sweet Davey.... keep this in mind when you send yours through the mail... I keep hinting each year that you should write something on your card but this year you're getting a direct hit! Write something besides, Sweet Davey and family. Perhaps you could tell me you're a Grandpa... that might be something you could write instead of letting me find out on the family website!!!)
The other day I was listening to The Current in the Evening on CBC radio. Anna Maria Tremonti was talking to poor people and asking them what it was like to be poor in Canada. It was an eye opener as well as a tear jerker. People were calling into the show and talking about what it is like to be poor in Canada. (Yes we have lots of poor people in Canada.) Story after story of poor people...people who are struggling just to keep food on the table were being broadcast... each story more heart renching than the one before. One lady called in and talked about how she went to a friend's house for a sleep over for the first time as a child, and the friend's mother let her have a bubble bath. She laid out on the bed a perfectly pretty flannel nightgown and a beautifully thick towel and ran a bath for her with bubbles from a bottle of Mr Bubble (remember those pink bottles of bath bubbles). The lady talked about how she remembered sitting in the bath until every last bubble popped and it was the greatest gift anyone could have given her.
It's the small things in life that mean so much.
So don't tell me that a solar powered Queen is the best gift ever....it's not. Instead, just go do something nice for someone and then write to me about it.... and tell me you were thinking of me when you did it because that is way better than a solar powered Queen... or any other piece of junk.
First of all, let me say that what you might think is a great item for the masses, to someone else probably is stupid. Recently I was on one site that suggested we should all go have a look at a Solar Powered Queen..... ! And what does the Queen do once she is powered up.... she waves at you. Now this is the heights of stupidity. I mean we all know that I am a Royal fan but a stupid plastic waving Queen is not my idea of the all purpose Christmas gift that is going to make me say WOW! (Well it might make me say WOW but not in the way that the giver would appreciate.) It is one more thing that is made out of petroleum products that defaces our planet and has absolutely no meaning except for the manufacturers pocket and maybe the Queen. So what I am trying to say in my miserable way is that what you might think is an awesome gift, to me would be one more thing on the way to the landfill.... (I'm starting to sound like Chuck V here now with his spiel about the landfill). Better still and the best gift I could get is a visit from you and not some plastic junk.... remember the anniversary party to which none of our friends showed up.... that was the worst, meanest gift we've ever gotten. I would rather have your company than a solar powered waving Queen.
Second: In this world of complaints about our economy and our environment, a solar powered Queen can only damage your pocket book and piss me off as she lands in the landfill. I really do not want to have to watch anyone declare bankruptcy because they over spent at Christmas purchasing a dumb object like a solar powered Queen. (Knit me a Queen instead if it must be a Queen... I at least know then that my relationship with you means enough for you to spend some time on a gift). Again, in my own stupid way I'm saying your opinion of a good Christmas gift might not be mine since I don't believe people should give gifts if they can't afford it. All you're doing in spending money you don't have, is making the credit cards companies richer and bringing down governments... i.e. Greece (who by the way doesn't have a Queen and wouldn't want a plastic solar powered one if they are in their right minds.)
Third: stop sending me cards with just a signature.... and make a card instead of waiting for the CNIB or the Heart and Stroke Foundation to send those dumb freebies through the mail.... once upon a time getting a card in the mail meant something.... you would find out what people were doing and it was so nice to catch up. Sending cards out is not a popularity contest. "Oh look I sent out 59 cards this year," says so and so. "Well I sent out 78," says another so and so.... "Well I can top that.... I sent out 102 cards this year." (Thanks Mrs Beaver, for the lovely card..... by the way... so far yours is the only one with anything written on it, beside your name.) (And to Sweet Davey.... keep this in mind when you send yours through the mail... I keep hinting each year that you should write something on your card but this year you're getting a direct hit! Write something besides, Sweet Davey and family. Perhaps you could tell me you're a Grandpa... that might be something you could write instead of letting me find out on the family website!!!)
The other day I was listening to The Current in the Evening on CBC radio. Anna Maria Tremonti was talking to poor people and asking them what it was like to be poor in Canada. It was an eye opener as well as a tear jerker. People were calling into the show and talking about what it is like to be poor in Canada. (Yes we have lots of poor people in Canada.) Story after story of poor people...people who are struggling just to keep food on the table were being broadcast... each story more heart renching than the one before. One lady called in and talked about how she went to a friend's house for a sleep over for the first time as a child, and the friend's mother let her have a bubble bath. She laid out on the bed a perfectly pretty flannel nightgown and a beautifully thick towel and ran a bath for her with bubbles from a bottle of Mr Bubble (remember those pink bottles of bath bubbles). The lady talked about how she remembered sitting in the bath until every last bubble popped and it was the greatest gift anyone could have given her.
It's the small things in life that mean so much.
So don't tell me that a solar powered Queen is the best gift ever....it's not. Instead, just go do something nice for someone and then write to me about it.... and tell me you were thinking of me when you did it because that is way better than a solar powered Queen... or any other piece of junk.
 |
| See... I really wasn't kidding about the Solar powered Queen.....and I'm not giving the link... purposely because I refuse to encourage anyone to purchase this piece of s*#t oops maybe I shouldn't have said that. |
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Where Do You Find Your Inspiration
Inspiration is a funny thing. Sometimes you have it and sometimes you don't. I've been thinking in the last few days that a muse would not be such a bad thing. It's been really hard to find inspiration in the last little while. Sometimes I think that I live a somewhat limited lifestyle... especially in the winter. Summer time is great and I go out as much as I can but in the wintertime, I stay close to home mostly because I can't afford to slip on the ice and damage my back any more than it already is. Recently its been quite icy, which means that I'm not getting out as much as I would like and certainly not finding the all illusive inspiration.
Nothing inspires me like the great outdoors. Nothing inspires me like paddling down a lake or a river with my paddle dipping quietly in and out of the water. I usually do that in spring summer or fall, but what I really want to do is take a canoeing trip in the winter.... no I do not want to camp in the winter but yes I do want to paddle down the river when snow is falling and while the banks are showing white and frosty. I want it to be cold enough that the snow that falls is not wet snow but warm enough that we're not freezing our buns off. I want to be able to pull out my camera and take pictures of the pristine silence of winter. Inspiration?.... I think so.
Nothing inspires me like new experiences. I'd like to do something I've never done before.... and while paddling in the winter would meet that criteria, I can think of other things I'd like to do too. I'd like to go for a horse and sled ride... a real horse and sled ride. Not these modern concocted things that lots of places put off for Christmas that are so slow moving that when you get off the cart at the end of the ride you are surprised to look in a mirror and realize that your hair hasn't turned any greyer than it was when you first got on earlier in the afternoon (at least that was my experience). I remember reading in my Little House On The Prairie books when Laura (the main character), spends a wonderful afternoon with Almanzo, (her future husband), going up and down the main road in a fast moving small cutter singing Christmas carols. They would whip down the road and well out onto the prairie before making a wide arc and turning back onto the main road again. I can only imagine how much fun that must be and since reading that I've always wanted to do it. How inspirational that would be! You'd feel charged for months.
Nothing inspires me like good music... and I love the symphony. It's been so long since I've been to a concert with a symphony. Over 20 years. When I was growing up, my mom, who also loves the symphony orchestra, would buy tickets to the Saint John's symphony... (I don't even think there is such a thing any more) and we would go together for an evening of beautiful music that transported you to another time and another place. I try to get the same affect from time to time by playing some of the classical music CDs that I have here. It's not the same though. Somehow you cannot replace the thrill of the drums that raise to a crescendo and as it does so you can feel it all through your body. Somehow you cannot replace the movement of all the violin bows moving in unison or the harps trilling. I miss that.
What is it that inspires you? When Teapot asks me what I want for Christmas it is this that I know must be my response.... I will say, " Dear, all I want for Christmas is a little inspiration!"
I wonder if I will get it.
Nothing inspires me like the great outdoors. Nothing inspires me like paddling down a lake or a river with my paddle dipping quietly in and out of the water. I usually do that in spring summer or fall, but what I really want to do is take a canoeing trip in the winter.... no I do not want to camp in the winter but yes I do want to paddle down the river when snow is falling and while the banks are showing white and frosty. I want it to be cold enough that the snow that falls is not wet snow but warm enough that we're not freezing our buns off. I want to be able to pull out my camera and take pictures of the pristine silence of winter. Inspiration?.... I think so.
Nothing inspires me like new experiences. I'd like to do something I've never done before.... and while paddling in the winter would meet that criteria, I can think of other things I'd like to do too. I'd like to go for a horse and sled ride... a real horse and sled ride. Not these modern concocted things that lots of places put off for Christmas that are so slow moving that when you get off the cart at the end of the ride you are surprised to look in a mirror and realize that your hair hasn't turned any greyer than it was when you first got on earlier in the afternoon (at least that was my experience). I remember reading in my Little House On The Prairie books when Laura (the main character), spends a wonderful afternoon with Almanzo, (her future husband), going up and down the main road in a fast moving small cutter singing Christmas carols. They would whip down the road and well out onto the prairie before making a wide arc and turning back onto the main road again. I can only imagine how much fun that must be and since reading that I've always wanted to do it. How inspirational that would be! You'd feel charged for months.
Nothing inspires me like good music... and I love the symphony. It's been so long since I've been to a concert with a symphony. Over 20 years. When I was growing up, my mom, who also loves the symphony orchestra, would buy tickets to the Saint John's symphony... (I don't even think there is such a thing any more) and we would go together for an evening of beautiful music that transported you to another time and another place. I try to get the same affect from time to time by playing some of the classical music CDs that I have here. It's not the same though. Somehow you cannot replace the thrill of the drums that raise to a crescendo and as it does so you can feel it all through your body. Somehow you cannot replace the movement of all the violin bows moving in unison or the harps trilling. I miss that.
What is it that inspires you? When Teapot asks me what I want for Christmas it is this that I know must be my response.... I will say, " Dear, all I want for Christmas is a little inspiration!"
I wonder if I will get it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
OH...NO... Not Now...!
So I am in it (up to my neck in poo) again... bad back. One whole year without a bad flair up. But this morning I find myself crawling up and down stairs since last night something exploded inside my back when I sneezed. It has been seriously twinging in the last few weeks anyway... so somehow it doesn't surprise me. Last night I could not find a place of comfort anywhere so out came the painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Today I will get Teapot to pick up the newest meds that are specifically geared to nerve pain.... and we'll see how that works... hopefully it won't fog up the brain like last time.
What really ticks me off about it all is that it's three weeks before Christmas. I had a five week stint last year and I really don't want to spend Christmas eve and day trying to suffer through severe pain. Besides I have socks to knit and it is seriously difficult to knit fast when your hurting.
Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to hear about my aches and pains.
I finished a good book yesterday. Yes I do read in between knitting and other stuff. It's called before I fall. It's actually a youth novel but Daughter #2 finished it last week and suggested to me that I might like it. I did. The title is Before I Fall and it is written by Lauren Oliver.
It is the story of a teenager who dies in a car accident and has to come back and relive her last day seven times before she finds out what is wrong with her life and why she is stuck in limbo. There are no goofy angels or anything like that there is no supernatural world, just reliving the last day over and over again in different ways. It's a really interesting concept and very well done by the author.
Books here lately have been back on the agenda... if not actual paper books certainly audio books. I finished Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (sister to Charlotte and Emily) in Audio books and I've finished several paperbooks, including the one above. I tend to go through fits and starts with reading throughout the year. At some points in time, I'm so focused on the homework for the MSP I can't even think about reading... but at other times (when I'm knitting socks for Christmas) I read before going to bed and when I'mbored with the knitting or needing a break for my hands. I finished Before I Fall yesterday and today I'm reading Siege Of Heaven which is a book about the first Crusade in 1039 A.D. An interesting read and for me an opportunity to learn a little more about European history. It is a story told from the point of view of a spy for the Holy Roman Emperor. I've always read about the crusades but usually from the point of view of the Brits not from lower countries in Europe...I've always wanted to learn more about the Medici's and Borgia's... it's funny because since my father started figuring out our family history I've taken more of an interest in lower European history... my several times great Grandmother had the last name of Avis or Ayres. There is some secret history that we are not sure about and a trunk that went missing with her real name on it which would prove her real ties in Europe... (this would have been around 1600 A.D.)...but if her last name is Avis then she has ties to Portuguese and Spanish royalty... this is really hard to prove... but she did have lots of money... how she ended up in a small fishing villiage in Newfoundland is beyond me. But it is just before her time that the Avis family got turfed out on their butts by another line of of the Spanish royal family. It's all very intriguing actually... I love family mysteries. : )
Anyway I've been sitting long enough behind this computer with my very sore back... I guess it is time I go and try to find a place comfortable enough to keep me knitting cause I have to finish that sock... and oh yeah I need to dye the green ones too... sock pics tomorrow hopefully....
What really ticks me off about it all is that it's three weeks before Christmas. I had a five week stint last year and I really don't want to spend Christmas eve and day trying to suffer through severe pain. Besides I have socks to knit and it is seriously difficult to knit fast when your hurting.
Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to hear about my aches and pains.
I finished a good book yesterday. Yes I do read in between knitting and other stuff. It's called before I fall. It's actually a youth novel but Daughter #2 finished it last week and suggested to me that I might like it. I did. The title is Before I Fall and it is written by Lauren Oliver.
It is the story of a teenager who dies in a car accident and has to come back and relive her last day seven times before she finds out what is wrong with her life and why she is stuck in limbo. There are no goofy angels or anything like that there is no supernatural world, just reliving the last day over and over again in different ways. It's a really interesting concept and very well done by the author.
Books here lately have been back on the agenda... if not actual paper books certainly audio books. I finished Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (sister to Charlotte and Emily) in Audio books and I've finished several paperbooks, including the one above. I tend to go through fits and starts with reading throughout the year. At some points in time, I'm so focused on the homework for the MSP I can't even think about reading... but at other times (when I'm knitting socks for Christmas) I read before going to bed and when I'mbored with the knitting or needing a break for my hands. I finished Before I Fall yesterday and today I'm reading Siege Of Heaven which is a book about the first Crusade in 1039 A.D. An interesting read and for me an opportunity to learn a little more about European history. It is a story told from the point of view of a spy for the Holy Roman Emperor. I've always read about the crusades but usually from the point of view of the Brits not from lower countries in Europe...I've always wanted to learn more about the Medici's and Borgia's... it's funny because since my father started figuring out our family history I've taken more of an interest in lower European history... my several times great Grandmother had the last name of Avis or Ayres. There is some secret history that we are not sure about and a trunk that went missing with her real name on it which would prove her real ties in Europe... (this would have been around 1600 A.D.)...but if her last name is Avis then she has ties to Portuguese and Spanish royalty... this is really hard to prove... but she did have lots of money... how she ended up in a small fishing villiage in Newfoundland is beyond me. But it is just before her time that the Avis family got turfed out on their butts by another line of of the Spanish royal family. It's all very intriguing actually... I love family mysteries. : )
Anyway I've been sitting long enough behind this computer with my very sore back... I guess it is time I go and try to find a place comfortable enough to keep me knitting cause I have to finish that sock... and oh yeah I need to dye the green ones too... sock pics tomorrow hopefully....
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