Represent

Gotta reclaim the good mojo... I'm still recovering from the sock ordeal, so I will go back to Friday and relay the awesome events of YarnHarlot "Represent" Tour...


Travelling to Toronto is always a big deal for me... I grew up in the country... I love the country... I love the wildlife, the grass under my feet, the space... that's not to say that I'm a redneck, but I have saltwater in my veins and a zealous appreciation for Creation (and the Creator). Anyways, Toronto makes me hyperventilate... too many people, pushing and shoving, weird smells... I generally feel like I have to shower when I get home. All that being said, it was quite an adventure trying to get to Indigo for Friday night, navigating the (non-wheelchair friendly) Go train, Union Station, and the subway during rush hour. Ugh... only for the Harlot would I dare such a feat.

The anticipation was killing me and I just about burst as I walked in the door. I couldn't believe how many people were there!!! It was incredible!!! It was wonderful to be part of such a large fellowship of knitters, but I was also really glad for the YarnHarlot. What a victory for her - a great turnout for her hometown. I wanted her to be blessed... and indeed, she was... who could stand in the midst of so many affirming, beautiful knitters and not be??? I know I was! And I was in the peanut gallery!


Her humour was unforgettable! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time! I loved her explanation of CHOKE - Cultural Humilation of Knitters Everywhere... how we struggle against so many stereotypes and judgements. As I was standing close to the store entrance, it was pretty freaky to witness people's reactions as they came in, responding in very a CHOKE-like manner, oblivious that they were the visual aids! It was worth a good snicker amongst those of us stuck on the balcony.


Indigo was completely overwhelmed. YarnHarlot has posted repeatedly how bookstores never believe many people will come. In Toronto, two celebrities from HGTV were presenting the night before and that was supposed to be a big deal... She wanted to see if she could at least beat out those guys. I heard that they ended up with just 30 and she had about 300!!!! Indeed! 300 supporters crammed into every nook and cranny of the store! The staff were scrambling for chairs... velvet rope to section of areas... it was chaos for them! And most of us were snickering on the inside... some on the outside... :) I loved how the staff kept coming over and telling the group of us that we weren't allowed to sit on the stairs... it was a fire hazard. I love it!! Knitters are a fire hazard!! That's amazing.


From my vantage point, this was all I could see between the slats of the railing...

























Nice, eh? Well, I could hear her and that was most important. I took a peak around to try to capture the scope of knitters....



the place was crawling with them! It was filthy with knitters!



While waiting to have our book signed, we noticed Swatchy and had to introduce ourselves. (there's a pic of me and the kids! Jaden is seriously debating taking Swatchy home!) Swatchy is not just unbelievably cute... but Swatchy has a good heart... someone Swatchy loves very much suffers from CFS and so Swatchy goes out into the world, and then carries back the tales of the adventures had. I love that. I mean it... I really love it. Having a hubby with MD has opened my eyes to many things that I have never thought of... such as the sinking pit he feels everytime he is faced with a flight of stairs, little things like having to bend over to pick up a dropped coin or put on shoes... What Swatchy represents - kindness, sharing with one another, carrying one another's burdens - that's pretty cool. And being a cutie doesn't hurt either. ;)


Noricum was Swatchy's chaperon for the night. She's a ray of sunshine. Gotta like anyone who wears a frog shirt. She's holding on to her hat to donate for StreetKnits... part of YarnHarlot's plan in the Represent Tour. Not just show up en force... but make a difference in the process. btw... love noricum's hat... fun pompom action going on there.

Oh... Hannah and I brought hats too, but I forgot to take a picture of them. Rats. You can see them on YarnHarlot's site. One is 4th from the bottom left - a cream colour chunky 2x2 rib, and the other is a little to the right and up from centre - it's pink and fuscia. Ok... I admit... I was using up my stash. The rib hat was intentionally using up some yarn I picked up at a yard sale, started knitting with it, but hated it. However, using 4 strands together gave it this awesome spongy texture. Didn't hurt that it used up 4 of the 10 balls I have! Regardless... May whomever wears these hats know that there is a knitter praying for them, that their hearts would find their true home.

There are many things that I admire about Stephanie, one being she's a doula as well. In chatting with her during the signing, it was so cool to connect with her on that level... show off my homebirthed babies. You know how it is, when you share one thing about yourself and it fills in a lot of blanks. One word speaks volumes. "Doula" is one of those things... it speaks of the joy of (home)birthing, babies, breastfeeding, embracing who we were created to be... tack on being knitters, and the connection is that much cooler.

When it was time for signing, she announced that those "with babies in their bodies, or outside their bodies and with them" could jump the line. That was very cool. And not just because I got to jump the line. ;) When I asked for a photo, she said "Sure! Got your sock?" Out came Grumperina! They look lovely together.



I'm sure I could ramble on about the evening... it was just so incredible. I'm still "full" a week later. But I better call it a night... tomorrow is our Family Vacation Day! Woo Hoo!

My little lost sock

I am on the verge of despair.

I went to pick up my nearly finished Grumperina sock... and it was gone. GONE! Gone I say! It has completely disappeared! Vanished! Il a disparu! Zut alors!

I have torn the house apart trying to find it. I'm feeling a little like Yosemite Sam..."Come back here you friggin fraggin yugnnn hrmfff..." I cannot find that sock anywhere!!!

I know I had it last night when Mark and I were watching the hilarious I.T. Crowd (a comedy from UK... very very funny... but that's beside the point...) When we were finished, I set my knitting down on the hockey table in the rec room... but now it's gone!! I'm so frazzled. And I was almost done dagnamit!!!

I found a very suspicious looking dpn hanging around the dining room floor... but there's no sign of the other 3... nor the sock attached to them! Ackkkk!!

The cats are usually to blame for ferreting away my yarn, but they usually leave a messy trail tangled thru the legs of every chair in the process. They didn't look guilty enough when I questioned them.

Hannah seemed innocent enough. Although Jordan couldn't keep a straight face when I asked him what he did with my sock... but I think it had more to with the fact his mother was losing touch with reality than a guilty conscience.

Mark... the muggle hubby... when I questioned him, he replied that he "might have" tidied up a bit and put in one of my knitting baskets. He was not helpful at all. He was very muggle-ish. In fact, he made such comments as "It's just a sock." Do you know what I think??? I think he has done away with it, because he's tired of me making socks for everyone else, but not him. Well... that little plan has backfired! To the back of the bus you go, Pal! No socks for you until you tell me what you did with Grumperina!!!

Ha!!

Full

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how long it's been... I'm so so sorry, my poor neglected blog. Wow... when BoozerBabes asked me to start blogging for her, I loved the idea, but I 've gotta figure out a way to not be so neglectful.... but that's not to say that I haven't been knitting! Woo-hoo!!!

Ok, enough with the chitchat... I just got home from seeing the YarnHarlot... live... in person... travelling sock and all! It was one of the most wonderful nights of my life! Does that seem strange? I don't care if it does... I was overwhelmed completely, and felt this outpouring of joy to be surrounded by so many like-minded people. We arrived later than planned (figuring out TTC when you're non-Torontonian & toting a nursing baby, Hannah, and a slow-walking MD hubby... but that's another story...) and I stood on the balcony with Mr. Babeez while Daddy took Hannah shopping for books. The view was not great... but we could still hear and the vibes were flowing all the way to the balcony. It was soooo cool. There was a prego mama from Kingston sitting on the steps beside me... a couple of young ladies in front of me... a beautiful smiley woman who kept playing peek-a-boo with you-know-who... two Italian mama mia's behind me who asked me why I liked knitting socks, and I got to tell them it was all about my Nan. And you know, I felt so... so... so... full. Does that make sense? My heart was full.

I'll write more about on the weekend, I promise... I just had to put to words this glorious feeling I have inside right now, before the day comes to an end.

I can't wait to show you pictures, and tell you about meeting Swatchy.

:)

Socks x 2

Ok... a few quickies before Jaden wakes up...

Tada! The spring socks (a la Grumperina) are done. Hannah loves them. Nearly destroyed them the first day she wore them... climbing the side of the crib to play with Jaden... The yarn got caught on the bottom latch and pulled about 4 inches out, but it didn't break... so I pulled it back in, bit by bit, evening out the stitches again. Phew!!! She felt so bad.





Little socks for Jaden... twisted cable pattern. Love it. here's a wee photo of one of the tidiest heels I've ever done. Woohoo! (don't know why I don't have a pic of the whole sock... hmm... Note to self: take pic when they come out of the laundry.) Funny thing about the close-up... I see my grandmother's hands. Weird.








Mr. Funny Face and I are having a blast hanging out this week. I think he should be in a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon... you know, it's time for his Dad to take a picture, and every time, Calvin makes a goofy face...















Gotta run! Someone is waking up!!

Feathered friends

Had a delightful little visitor to the garden this morning. Never have I seen a bird in the wild with blue feathers. Ok... other than a blue jay... I bolted for the camera and tried to get a few pics before he flew off... this is what I managed to come up with... He's an indigo bunting, I believe.












Jordan and Hannah are off to Nanny & Poppy's for a week, so it's just me and Jaden here during the day. I plan on getting a few things done around the house... such as tackle the laudry room, which had a considerable chunk of organizing already done to it by Nana. (btw... thanks so much, Nana!) Also, I'm going to get some sewing done for Hannah's summer wardrobe. I admit, I haven't done much sewing lately, and I'm trying really hard not to be thinking "I wish I were knitting right now..." but I don't think Hannah wants to wear knit shorts all summer long. Besides, I have a wall of fabric ready and waiting.



Here were a few of my selections to begin with.











In looking for a pattern, I realized just how long it's been since I've had the Pfaff out, when I didn't have any patterns the right size. All I have are toddler patterns... so I'm going to fudge it a wee bit and see how it goes. Knowing Hannah, she's just going to park herself out on a mound of dirt somewhere, and pretty, perfectly hemmed pinafores are not her thing. We'll see how much I can get done this week.

I also want to make some time for me... well, me and God is more like it. Rejuv my spirit.

Mark and I are going to snuggle in and watch Heroes together tonight, without interuptions... woohoo! btw... Heroes rocks. Luv it.

Well, off to do some clutter bustin'!

Oodles of News

Last weekend was the OCHEC conference. Usually I come home with my batteries recharged and my passion for homeschooling renewed. This year was a little different... the homeschool aspects of the conference were quite thought-provoking as usual, but I felt personally renewed, beyond just my role as a homeschooling mom. "Raising Maidens of Virtue" and "As Unto the Lord: Keys to Being a Biblical Wife" were two workshops given by Stacy MacDonald, mother of... get this... 10!!! Simply having that many kids makes me want to sit up and listen! But her strong desire to see daughters of the King living pure and passionate lives was overwhelming and I came home changed. Absolutely changed. We live in a culture that is very "me first" but we live an upside down faith - one that seeks the servitude of others first. It was wonderful.

Amanda came with us to attend the youth workshops to develop her mind a wee bit and learn about having a God-centred worldview. It was great to hang with her for the weekend, talk about... you know... stuff. She is wanting more of God... and that is good.

We hit Subway for lunch... time to photo-blog... Mark did a little Mambo Italiano for us...

Gotta love him. He certainly keeps life interesting.

Saw the sights of downtown Hamilton a wee bit before heading back.

I showed the Grumperina sock to the statue of Queen Victoria in downtown Hamilton. It was very impressed.

I think the lion looks very impressed too.

What homage to receive: Queen and Empress, Model Wife and Mother.

How is it we have come so far away from this? Being a wife and mother are no longer considered positions of honour. There are no accolades... little respect... Our society considers women who choose to raise their children and educate them to be just a mom... just a housewife. I am so thankful that I do not rely on the world around me for my sense of value. What I do, day in and day out, is beyond value and the rewards are beyond compare.

I leave you with this bit of graffiti...

Sunny days!

All right... I'm a little slow in posting... but man, was it ever nice this weekend! The kids couldn't wait to get outside! Jordan was up and dressed, teeth brushed and everything by the time I emerged for my first cup of tea!

Jordan and Hannah asked to get the car out, and so they took turns pushing each other. Awwww... isn't that nice?!?! Yeah... they took turns ramming each other into the steps - crash up derby style! Bonus points if they managed to make the rider jettison out the side! Sheesh! some people's kids!






















On the knitting front, sock 1 for Hannah is done and I'm one to #2. I must have been completely dazed when I picked up the stitches for the heel, because one side looks horrible and the other side is fabulous... and of course, I didn't notice until I was grafting the toe... that's what happens when you knit while watching tv... you just do row after row... Love the pattern though! Based on Grumperina's sock featured in Interweave Knits, but made for my mini-Grumperina. Based on 48 stitches. Rib 3, then brioche stitch. Also, I'll be finishing Jaden's raglan sleeved sweater tonight. (Impressed yet?) I'm just doing the last couple of rows for the rolled collar and then I'm done! And not a moment too soon... I hate circular needles! Ick! Ick! Ick! I've only had to use them for the collar and it just seems so fiddly... could just be me & my technique... I've never used them before, so I shall suspend my formal judgement for now, but I sure will be glad to be done. I must say - it looks fabulous! The seams are... seamless! hardy harr... I'm tickled at how nicely it has all come together. Just in time for his big 6 months old tomorrow! Gosh... where does the time go????

















Snapped this a couple of days ago... Mr Big Man sitting in mama's bed.

And then there's this... what an angel... I could just stare at that face all day.

Spring

"It tis such a lovely day," said the Sock to no one in particular. It was merely enjoying the beauty of the sunshine reflecting off its glorious colours.

"I do say," said the Sock, "the sky certainly is enjoying my blue. "

"Well, enough of this lounging about... I'm off to see if Spring has sprung." And so the Sock left its comfy place in the sun, and went off in search of Spring.

"Excuse me, my fine fellows, but have you perchance seen Spring?" asked the Sock. There came no reply. "How rude" thought the Sock, and so it continued.

























How will I ever find Spring?" said the Sock, to no one in particular as it continued its sun-filled journey.

It found a Tree, full of buds. The tiny Lilac blooms would not appear for some time, and yet they were there, the waiting of promise of beauty and fragrance yet to come. From this vantage point, the Sock asked again, in the loudest voice its wool would allow - "Has anyone seen Spring?"






















And then, a little voice startled him. "Ahem... I've seen Spring."
































It was a Crocus, opening its petals to the warmth of the Sunshine. It said again, "I've seen Spring."























"You have?!!" replied the Sock, hurrying down from its perch. "Oh you must tell me where you've seen Spring!"




Shyly, the little Crocus replied, "Oh my, Spring is beautiful. Spring is about changes. Spring is about warm colours emerging from the coolness of winter."



"It sounds lovely," said the Sock.



"Yes. You are," said the Crocus.

Boogies, Bees & Blankies

I have seen eeeeeeenuf running boogies, flying phlegm, viscous vomitous goo to last me a lifetime!!! Ick!

Well, dear little blog, nearly everyone here is sick... and definitely everyone who is under the age of 8... including the bambino, who still manages to look amazingly cute even while he's sniffing and snarfling. I haven't slept in three nights... but hey... I've been thinking about you and I just wanted you to know that... So here are the highlights from the last few days (boogies aside...)

Jordan participated in the Canada Spelling Bee on Saturday - he was very excited and totally pumped... he was ready to go all the way (but also preparing himself for the possibility of not winning...) He studied very hard for it. Triumphed in Round 1. But erred in Round 2. He was crushed. He mispelled warmth... such an easy word for him. Had to be nerves. He was totally crushed. The setting was horrid, I have to say... it was set in the middle of the food court in the mall... could you find a worse locale?? The sound quality was an issue as well... ok, I know... I'm going on a bit... but I think things could've been arranged a little better to see the kids be successful, not stressed out of their witts. Well, Jordan didn't make it to the next round. After the tears, he was able to accept that he was a winner... maybe not with first prize, but he worked exceptionally hard, went to all the practices, and tried his best. He'll need to study more than just words for next year - learning how to focus better and tune out distraction. He's determined to do better.

Pre-competetion: cool as a cucumber

Sneak shot during Round 1: Cut the tension with a knife!

WIP News: Started a new project..... a test project actually... I want to make a blanket out of my odds and ends of sock yarn... inspired by: Shelly, whom I read about on Yarn Harlot (scroll down)... but I thought I'd test it out first. It's made up of a bunch of mitered squares and looks very cool with all the fantasitc colour changes that come with sock yarns. I'm nearly done Jaden's raglan, getting a little tired of blue... so I thought I'd set my hands to testing it out. Ya know what? These squares have awesome MOJO!!! Great info here. These squares get faster as you go (because you decrease stitches every round) and it's quite thrilling. Honest. It's like riding a roller coaster - the slow climb... then zoom... down the hill, and you're done. What? You don't believe me? Fine then...



So, my test project: I dug out a bunch of crappy yarn that's been kicking around... mostly squeaky acrylic... actually I think it's all squeaky acrylic... but Frugal Me says I shouldn't throw it out, some good ought to come from it, even though it's like knitting with steel wool. Ick. Oh well. THe wicked mojo makes up for it.

Square 1: (My internal conversation...does this look right? it doesn't look like a square to me... hey, this looks like underpants...)













By last night:















And tonight: thought I'd try a big square mixed in. Messed with the mojo. Me not happy. Oh well.













The colours look a little nicer in real life... honest. Just a little though. It's not the prettiest bag of stash... most of it is coming from a neighbour who had a yard sale last year, and after I bought a scooter from here, she said "Hey Jo, you knit... take this wool." (I hate when all yarn gets called wool... this stuff hardly qualified as "wool"...) So it's been occupying a corner, and it's about time I did something with it... get rid of it, or make something out of it. I'd like to get some nice wool to occupy that space!

Ooooo! big BTW... a yarn shop finally opened in Burlington. Gotta go check it out! Spun Fibre Arts - owned by my former naturopathic doctor... I couldn't believe it! Sit and knit is tomorrow. Gonna try to make it out...

Bact to the blankie... It's putting my in mind of Nan actually. she's knit/quilt/craft with whatever she had on hand. Her quilts may not have won any state fairs, but they grace every bed in this household and keep us warm during the long Canadian winters... btw... will it ever end? geez, it's cold! enough already... so I'll knit up these squares from time to time, when the feeling hits and I need some mojo... the finished project will be religated to the tv room, where the kids will use it make forts, the dog will lay on it, and anyone who feels a little chilly can snuggle into it.

This one's for you Nan. I'm calling "Home by and by." I miss you.

It finally happened!!

Hello dear little blog,

What joy this morning... I awoke to the sounds of the birdies outside my window, twittering away... the sun barely peaking through the curtains... I felt rested. Sigh.

AHHHHHHHHH!!! It happened! It finally happened!!! Jaden slept through the night! Woohoo!

Is he not the cutest thing in the world??!!
















It's been a whirlwind lately, but here's the breakdown of all the fun:

1/ Went to make myself a cup of tea a few days ago. Jaden was playing happily, and when I looked in on him, here he was.... He had rolled over and was displaying mixed emotions. Part "Wow, look what I just did!" and part: "Oh crap, what did I just do??" Very cute.

2/ Spent a great weekend at the CafazZoo... it was awesome. We celebrated Easter together. We also had a Passover meal... I know, I know... Passover was Tuesday... we're not Jewish... but we were celebrating the fulfillment of Passover - Jesus, the Lamb of God, our Y'shua. It was deep and incredibly meaningful. How amazing that God gave His people a revelation of their Messiah and true Deliverer - a hint of what was to come... not just deliverance from Egypt, from deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. Every minute detail of the Passover has significance and is a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. How amazing. Baruch ata Adonai!

3/ Annie loves the Boy. We do too. He's probably still recovering from the kids tackling him and using him as their personal jungle gym. He tolerated it well. So we decided: Yup. He'll do.

4/ We celebrated 3 birthdays… Hannah who was proud to turn 5 – which she announced very loudly from the back of the church Sunday morning when the Rev. asked if there were any birthdays… Annie nears her ¼ of a century mark, continuing in maturity as a woman and in the Lord… and then there was Boozer Babes... although she is hardly a babe any longer, crossing the threshold of her Sweet 16.


Boozer Babes gets her first car... Hot Wheels...













Musical-obsessed Boozer Babes flippin out over her Wicked b-day card from N8.















As a family, we gathered around her to pray and bless her. Was there a dry eye in the house? Don’t think so. (Thank you Jesus for waterproof mascara!) (sorry the photo's a bit dark... forgive me, N8)

5/ Hannah asked if she could play with Jaden, and I smiled to myself, thinking how beautiful to see the bond between sister and brother developing. However, when I peaked around the corner, I realized that she wanted to play with him… as if he were her little play thing. Even Bosco got in on the action.
























6/ Knitting news: started a wee raglan sweater in 2-toned blue cotton for Jaden. I have some appointments/events coming up that require me to sit and wait, so I thought I’d set my hands to a project that was fairly straightforward and I could just knit mindlessly. I love it! It’s so fulfilling to be growing as a knitter, to see my skills grow so that I can picture something and then knit it. I’m taking notes, and I’ll post the pattern if it works out! (I should probably stop tooting my own horn just in case this flops!!)


















Note: This post was supposed to go up last night but just as I went to upload it, the server crashed. I could hear the voice from the Starship Enterprise speaking – “Unable to comply…” I lost everything, and I was very very very PO’d. I don’t get to post often enough as it is, and then when I do get to it, it crashes. AWK! So I sat down, ate some chocolate and I felt better. Even today, there are still some issues because my images won't upload. I'll try again later, but here's the post for now. BTW… it seems like the sleeping thru the night (STTN) was a one-time deal… sigh…