Girl draws, Boys knit

I fell asleep last night thinking about knitting...
Sigh...
I've had a few busy days in a row and not much opp to knit a few, purl a few... It was Jamie's b-day on Friday and I did manage to cast on his thrummed mitts...

Here's a couple of pics that Hannah drew...

This one is called "Mama knits."









Knitting is cool, says Hannah. Check out the knitted pants already hanging up, and the hoody just coming off the needles.










Jordan asked me to teach him how to knit. Yay! He's going to make a wee blanket for his sissy... well, for one of her teddy bears...

It was a snow day and one of his friends came over, saw the knitting, and asked if I could teach him too. While Jordan is slow, methodical, and very accurate, this kid could fly on the needles but his end product, a coaster for his mom, looked more like k2tog, yo stitching! Not bad for a first try though. I know, I know, I should've been watching his wip as he was progressing, but babies care very little if boys are learning how to knit. The magnitude of that surpasses them.

Happy 3 Months Babe!!

Hey Peanut!
Look who's hit the big 3!
3 months have already passed in this big wide world.
Life is sunnier with you in it!

Love,
Mama

Joy of Sour Milk

Last night after posting, I went to get ready for bed... and all I could smell was sour milk... "oh joy..." I said outloud, though I was alone. The joy of nursing a (not-so)newborn...

and then it hit me...

the joy of sour milk.

Dear friends of ours lost their tiny baby girl just a few months ago. She fell asleep with her tummy full of her mummy's milk, but she never woke up. I cannot imagine such agony...

and so I will celebrate the perfume of my motherhood: eau de lait aigre. Sour milk.

More than just me

My last few days have been... well... emotional. I love my life... I love my babies... but sometimes it just, well, it's just hard. Sleep deprivation will do that to ya.

In the midst of it all, there are moments of absolute beauty that overwhelm me. This morning as I was nursing Jaden, I was looking down at him and he was gazing at me too... and then the corner of his mouth turned up in a beautiful smile and he let out a giggle. It was one of those moments that you want to remember forever. I wanted to take in everything - his tiny hand wrapped around my thumb, the warmth of him cuddled close, the sweet smell of the top of his head... and as I looked into his eyes, I saw my own reflection. I stopped. It was a God-moment. I was only reflected in his eyes because I was so close to him... and that's what God desires in me... to be so close to him, that He is reflected in my eyes... when others look at me, they see more that just me... but my Father reflected.

As I climbed into bed last night, I had tears in my eyes. I was so tired from nursing thru the night, the ever-growing mountain of dishes and laundry (I've come to hate that one in particular), the constant smell of sour milk, the tangled mass of my long hair, the bed still being unmade... it felt like too much. In moments like that, I have learned one thing... to drive the sword of God's word deep into my sorrow. The truth of Hebrews 4:12 has been made clear to me in so many circumstances: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." If my heart is troubled, I turn to God's word that I might hear His voice of comfort. If my mind is troubled, I seek His word as a seive to sort thru the thoughts that circle 'round my mind. If I feel as if I have swallowed a stone that sits in the pit of my belly, I know my attitude needs to brought into line with God's gracious word. And so last night, I reached for Mark's copy of The Message, sitting on the night stand...

Psalm 34
2 I live and breathe God;
if things aren't going well, hear this and be happy:

4 God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.

5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.

6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.

7 God's angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.

8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

18 If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there...

What amazing words of comfort. At the end of the day, when I feel as if all I could do was just muscle my way thru to the end before collapsing in bed, I fell asleep knowing that I am not hidden from Him. I am not invisible to Him... No one else may know that I've had a lousy day, but He does, and He cares about what I'm going thru. He sees me, knows me, loves me. I wish He could do my laundry for me... but I don't think it's on His agenda.

Phew!

What a week! Tons of stuff on the go... wips coming off the needles... wow!

Coolest Thing #1: ANNIE'S HOME!!!! Back from Mozambique, completely ruined for her Jesus, I think is how she put it. She'll be here on Saturday to meet Jaden for the first time. Can't wait.

Coolest Thing #2: Shared at the Hamilton Midwives about home birth this week. They had an info night for couples considering it. It was absolutely amazing fun to share about our experiences, answer question and just chat... I love our midwives... I love all midwives... in fact, I don't think I've ever met a midwife I didn't like... and any opportunity that rises its lovely head, I will surely take it in order that I might extol the profound greatest of midwives!!! I spoke with Jessica (the hosting MW) afterwards, about how MW are "a unique breed of folk." She laughed, because that could be taken in two ways, one wonderfully, and one in a quirky sense. Both are true she said. :) BTW, Jessica is also a knitter... apparently a lot of midwives are... Anyways, it was a fabulous night. Totally connected and exchanged emails & numbers with a few people. Very cool. I left feeling completely jazzed, knowing that I had left a fingerprint in the life experience of another. What can top that?

Coolest Thing #3: Finished WIPs!
Baby socks galore for a friend who just had a little girl... and with a MW! Talk about a week with great mojo! The picture is a little dark and yellowish... a photographer I am not... one is just a simple stripe pattern and the other is based on the twisted cable sock from here: http://www.helloyarn.com/cabletwistsocks.htm

I apologize for not yet knowing how to turn text into a link... I'll get my hubby on that! .... actually... I think I did it... wow! I did! I rock! I so completely rock!!! (ok, I have a low standard for rock-worthiness...)


A close-up of the baby twisted cable...


Anyways, I'll post how I changed the pattern later today. It was so much fun and I can hardly wait to make some adult versions of these... I'm tempted to frog the Welcome with Love socks, because I think they would look wicked with the variegated yarn... but I had better not... it's taken me waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too long to get as far as I have, and I'm anxious to pass them to the lovely, awaiting Genevieve... MW extraordinaire!! :) XO

God is a Knitter

Ok... God is a Knitter... with a capital "K"... always knew it, but thought I'd ponder that for a bit...

1. One of my most favourite verses of all is Psalm 139:13-14. I had it posted on the wall while in labour with Jaden... and if this doesn't convince you that God is a Knitter, then nothing will!!

"You created my inmost being;
you KNIT me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

2. A question... We know that He is our Shepherd (Psalm 23). In fact, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd in John 10"11... how could one spend so much time with sheep and not knit?

3. Although it's not mentioned by name in Scripture, do we not refer to the "Purly Gates?"

4. There are numerous references to God's abilities. In the Message translation, Job 36:26 says "See how great he is—infiKNIT,
greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out!"

If the Message is a little too funky and modern, how about the King James? Psalm 147:5 says

"Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infiKNIT."

I bet He never feels stumped by peculiar pattern instructions.

5. He had a tendancy to use whatever is on hand... no doubt, his stash is pretty incredible. Look what he was able to dig up for Job...

"Did you not... clothe me with skin and flesh
and KNIT me together with bones and sinews?
You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit."
Job 10:10-12

6. BTW... He also sews a little:

You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:5

A closing verse, and a slightly more serious note... I love knitting, but Philippians 3:8 sums it all up...

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infiKNIT value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ."

Twins!

Two finished projects! Wow!

Jordan requested two pairs of socks a while ago (I won't mention just how long ago it was!) - one pair for his baby brother that would match his own, and he asked for a pair of red ones. He chose the yarn himself on one of our shopping expeditions. He very kindly asked if I would buy the yarn for him...let's just say, he didn't have to twist my arm! But he did have to be patient in order for me to finish them. I started them while I was still pregnant, they were meant for his birthday present on Nov. 18, and well... they sat there, waiting... staring at me for the longest time. You see, I don't suffer from SSS - Second Sock Syndrome. My personal affliction is IGS - Irritating Grafting Syndrome. I hate grafting toes... even though they look amazing. Well, they're finally finished and I called them "Les canadiens" in honour of Jordan's favourite hockey team.


"Jr. Blue."


Here's the miniture version of his blue self-patterning socks, finished for Jaden.

Welcome With Love v2.0

Ok... I frogged the socks. I love the feel of the yarn, but it wasn't turning out quite the way I was hoping... partly due to the fact that I wasn't able to get the right colour combination. I'm having to go with an "inspired by:" version, as oppossed to a replica. And... I've made my peace with that...

But the socks were lacking pizzazz. So I decided to frog them...

to frog: to undo one's knitting, partially or completely,
thus named as one must "rip it... rip it..." in order to correct an error

Here's v1.0














And here's v2.0

Ok... so it's not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. The variegated yarn is such a surprise to work with... the pattern has been unpredictable. I had no idea how it would swirl around. I still think that I will eventually do a true Welcome With Love sock but I've enjoyed the process, as this has been my cross-over project into Knitterhood... I feel as if I am now a Knitter - capital K... not merely one who knits.

I've also discovered that I'm not so much attached to the end result, but rather I enjoy the process. For me, it is the time that I spend sitting down, thinking about the recipient for whom I knitting that I enjoy. And so, I've enjoyed my reverie with the WWL socks... my reflections on Jaden's birth and the warm place in my heart that Genevieve now holds. It has been a joy to knit for her...

So off I go to cast on sock #2, before "SSS" sits in.

SSS: Second Sock Syndrome

The dreadful malady that plagues many a sock, and many a knitter.
Yarn from one's sacred stash calls out to be knit
before the second sock is cast on or completed.

Wonderful Weekend With Wendy

We had a fabulous weekend! We made the trek to Aunt Wendy's house for a belated Christmas visit, and to introduce Jaden to the rest of the fam. A warm welcome always awaits us and it was so wonderful to be surrounded by such love. Jaden enjoyed meeting everyone and had lots of smiles to share. Uncle Ben wasn't to keen on sharing his cuddle time though! If someone else was holding Jaden for more than a few minutes, he was sure to bud back in line and take the little guy. :) However, Jaden took him quite by surprise with a tremendous rumble followed by what we have come to refer to as a "squishy".













Aunt Wendy and Uncle John both had their turns... total naturals! They're so amazing. They have been such a blessing to us time and time again and every time we leave their home, we feel as if we have soaked up a whole bunch of love and joy. I never could have dreamt to marry into such a wonderful family. :)











Jordan and Matt looked like long-lost brothers.










Jasmine took the kids out to the park... and I don't think they were gone for more than 5 minutes before they returned... Hannah was soaked to the bone after enjoying a ride down the slide that ended in a nice muddy puddle. She ended up sporting some of Jasmine's pj's for the rest of the night! Look at these girls... way to cute.















Uncle N8 was there as well, and lo and behold he was found peeling yams. Had to take a picture of that... record it for history! lol

Knitters everywhere... unite!

Just got back from taking a boo at yarnharlot's blog... she's going to be on tv... here's the info from her site:

"For anyone interested in hearing me talk about you (I promise I'll only say nice things) the CBC tv interview has been moved from today to tomorrow at about 10:45 - 11:15ish on Newsworld. It's five minutes, it's live...it's scaring the daylights out of me."

She's been calling out to all knitters everywhere to pare back on self indulgance and give sacrifically to Doctors without Borders. Near to a quarter of a million dollars has been raised so far! By knitters! That's so cool. check her out ... www.yarnharlot.ca

I'm "it"

I've been tagged by Amanda - aka Boozer Babes - to list 5 things you probably don't know about me... allrighty then...

#1. I swam with pink dolphins in the Amazon.
#2. I nearly drowned moments after swimming with said dolphins.
#3. I hate pajama pants.
#4. I won first place in a karate tournament.
#5. I can catch, gut, and clean a fish.

How's that for a completely random list of things???!!!

A Knitting Orphan

Along with my late night musings on capital K, I realized something... I have become a knitting orphan.

Every year, especially at Christmas, I knew that my Nan would be sending something handmade. All manner of quilted and crocheted things would arrive via Canada Post... and whenever I'd open the box, I swear I could smell the ocean! Now, Nan's choice of colours was always, shall I say... interesting. She had a penchant for peach and mint green... cotton candy pink variegated with flecks of baby blue... You'd never know exactly what awaited in one of Nan's parcels, but I do know that in ten years of marriage, I've hardly ever had to buy pillow-slips, tea towels, dish cloths or bubble bath. In mom's parcels, there would be lotion from Avon, Jackie's would have a little money to buy herself a treat, for me, a bookmark with a prayer on it. In the end though, it was never predictable, never the perfect colour... and never so missed.

When she died this summer, I didn't expect to feel her absence in so many little ways.

Her bibs and bobs for around the house weren't my favourite things to receive, and they were usually stored at the back of the cupboard for the day when everything else was in the laundry and they were the only ones left... However, in her absence, I find myself pulling them out, so that as I dry my hands or wash the dishes, I feel as if she is with me... or at least, I allow myself a moment of reverie. I miss her so much. (sniff)

But not all that she made was religated to the corners of the house... her vamps (knitted socks) were worn throughout the winter. They were always warm and comfortable, simple in their construction and colour. As much as I liked them, Mark loved them even more... and Nan was glad to have another person to knit for. Her "double-ball mitts" were amazing. Never knit from a pattern, never charted out, yet beautiful designs would emerge in alternating colours. The body of the mitten was a split-finger design, to allow for better dexterity, but I have a hard time imagining any Newfoundlander explaining it in such a way. It's just the way to make mitts. Period.

Christmas came and went.and no parcel arrived. No bibs and bobs. No vamps. No double-ball mitts. And then I realized... I'm a knitting orphan.

Capital "K"

Last night as I was falling asleep, I decided something...

I am a Knitter. With a capital K.

I am not just someone who knits. It has become part of who I am. It defines a part of me.

Last night, I felt myself crossing over... I received some wonderful books from my wonderful hubby for Christmas, two of which were by the Yarn Harlot herself, Stephanie Pearle-McPhee. In Knitting Rules! she explains some of the math behind knitting... in an extremely humourous, laugh-out-loud, pee-your-pants kind of way.

I understand sock construction!! I could knit a pair of socks without a pattern now! (I have yet to actually try, but I'll keep you posted on that!)

My whole life, I've watched my Nan knit... rarely with a pattern. She tried to explain how to "eye" things, how it would feel or fit just right, but I never got it. Last night though, I had a light bulb moment. I understand now how Nan never needed a pattern to know how to turn a heel or shape the toe.

I am no longer bound to the pattern, following line by line, counting exactly where I am! I have crossed over!

I AM A Knitter!

2007 - Embrace the Rhythm

RHYTHM
1.movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.
2.Music.
a.the pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by the occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic beats.
b.a particular form of this: duple rhythm; triple rhythm.
3.measured movement, as in dancing.
4.Art, Literature. a patterned repetition of a motif, formal element, etc., at regular or irregular intervals in the same or a modified form...
7.the pattern of recurrent strong and weak accents, vocalization and silence, and the distribution and combination of these elements in speech.
(from www.dictionary.reference.com)

It's amazing how God has created so many things to function cyclicly. The seasons progress thru their patterns. The phases of the moon, the tide of the ocean. The water cycles from the sea, evaporates to the sky and then returns to water the earth. A farmer's field prospers when allowed to remain fallow for a season. Even my body has its own rhythms... my circadium clock, my womanly cycle, pregnancy and breastfeeding... all these things have a natural rhythm that beats without my involvement.

We go thru the cycles ourselves... periods of strength inflected by moments of weakness. There are days when we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and there are days when our feet have yet to hit the floor and already we are overwhelmed. But as in the musical definition of rhythm, there is measurement. In our weakness, God has measured us and He knows exactly what we are able to withstand... we may be hard pressed, but never crushed. We have seasons when we are living on the potter's wheel, where we are molded and fired in his kiln before the beautiful work is revealed.

God made cycles. God made beginnings. Open your Bible... what are some of the first words that you'll see? In the beginning...

We all have the blessing of a new beginning... an opportunity to flow in new creativity and to find the natural rhythm that God has for us.

In the last season of 2006, I made peace with my own rhythm. I stopped trying to be someone else, to do what someone else was doing, and embrace who God made ME to be.

In 2007, I want to continue my walk to be who I was destined to be, defined by God.

I embrace my rhythm.