Bliss Beyond Naptime

Green Dreams

After our ritual Sunday pancake feast we piled into the car to check out the little kid-friendly tobagganing hills sprinkling the local golf course. Though it's still looking alot like frozen tundra around these parts there is  a distinct whiff of spring floating in the air...

It's very subtle, I know, but it's little things like noticing that we're not completely in the dark during that witching hour before supper,  cow patties, slightly defrosted, are perfuming the air,  and rooster's crowing is either kicking in again or happening late enough for me to conciously register. Either way, I'm excited st this very moment for garden planning and seed ordering. This year I''ll be checking out these companies that  a friend with a really green thumb reccomended: William Damn Seeds or Seed Savers Exchange who both offer a vast heirloom selection.

I'm also excited to lay out the pieces to manifest my spring vision for my shops. I want to offer more options in both my yarn and clothing which align with my own purchasing and life philosophies; namely embracing organic, sustainable or rescued materials. So I'd like to announce that in the following weeks sustainable lines in both of my Etsy shops will be available. Yay! Organic art yarn - yum. I'll keep you posted when this happens.

Art You Knitting?

photo courtesy of Amy Palmer

Thank you all so much for all the birthday wishes! I had a great birthday party complete with sleeping children tucked in bed just as the guests arrived, a mountain of sushi and beautiful friends to help eat through it. Did I mention Mama scored a dishwasher for her bday? Life is grand.

I was tweeted to an article about knitting with art yarn. I checked it out and there is one of my yarns all knit up into this beautiful drop stitch scarf. The extra cool part about this is that the yarn used in the story just so happens to be the yarn that is the cover for the free ebook available over on the margin there. Isn't that kind of trippy?

I'm sometimes asked what to do with art yarns rather than just throwing them in a fruit bowl and stare at them all day long.  I agree with the author of the article that art yarns really shine with simple stitches so you can really showcase the intricacies of the spin and let that "do the work for you". Artyarn; the lazy knitter's choice. Here are some of my favourite things to knit up with these one of a kind squishy treasures, or any bulkier hand spun for that matter:

 

Here's a littler Edie modelling a simple cowl knit up with some of my earlier crazy carded batts I spun up when I was high on caffeine while I was pregnant with Kale (I think this may be why he's such a mellow little guy ~ kind of like a homeopathic effect). This can be whipped up with one skein for a mellow cowl or two skeins for something that can even warm up the schnoz.

You can use either 12 or 15 mm needles. Cast on 38 stitches then K2P2 until you run out of yarn, then cast off loosely. Sew the back seam together. Super quick and easy. Like one movie quick and subtitles easy.

Here's a snippet of a scarf I knit up with one of my flower yarns, very much like the one featured in the article. I still wear this everyday but it has hay bits sticking out from the flowers for it's my milking scarf now.  It's a basic drop stitch pattern: knit across the width you want the scarf to be for two rows, next row knit one, yarn over all away across then repeat these three rows. The yarn overs knit up in the next row will result in drop stitches that highlight the handspun's organic look.

This one I started for a spin then knit along a couple of years ago. The pattern itself was designed with a bulky hand spun in mind. It's available from Year of the Goat . The key word here is I started but alas I spun up a really greasy fleece and after a while it just felt and smelled like I've been heavily petting too much sheep so I frogged it. I don't spin such things anymore unless my hands are uber dry and in need of lanolin. But now that I have my dishwasher those salad days seem long gone. I guess I should wait for it to be hooked up before I type such things.

And, of course, behold the Queen of the Power Beanie, Lexi Boeger. Again, simple is all it takes with a more complex skein. Lexi's preference is a tall beanie. They do look awful cute; plus it never hurts to add  few inches to one's height. If you want to delved into this world of art yarn any deeper her gorgeous and inspiring book on spinning and knitting art yarn is invaluable; it's called Intertwined. I was lucky enough to participate in a workshop of hers whilst pregnant with Kale and plan on attending one again so I can partake in a glass (bottle?) of wine with her this time. She just seems like a fun lady to get tipsy with.

So, want to share what you have done with your handspun novelty yarn? Hmmm?

SS Wednesday - Birthday Suit

As you may have noticed I'm back to calling it SS Wednesday because the first thing that pops into everyone's mind is SS MInnow from Gilligan's Island, right?

I decided at the last minute to throw myself a little fete to celebrate all things 40 years old. Primarly, moi. I'm going to keep the littlest munchkin from napping so he'll conk out for sure by 7:00 and have invited some special guest stars to swing by for a "Keep it Down Sushi and a Sockhop" - not called so because of the nasty stomach flu making its way around these parts but as in keep it down so we don't wake up the kids. Mama wants to party!

Thanks to Craig for all the glam shots. I tried to do this sola but I just looked angry in all the ones I took. I'm not angry, look, I'm happy! WHEEEE, I'm 40!!!

What the birthday girl is sporting:

Dress: satin number sewn up this weekend especially for the Keep it Down and Go to Town party. The under skirt is a floral chiffon. Both of these fabrics were thrifted scores.  I got the inspiration and pattern from Wendy Mullin's dress book.

Shoes: Fornarina

Necklace: this is the little surprise I had brewing up! I made these little necklaces I call Fiber Lover's Necklace. It's a generous pinch of my art yarn batt stuffed inside a tiny bottle like a little fluffy love message. Lots of pretty colours and textures squished in there!

Wish me luck tonight that I can party like it's 2003 (the year before Craig knocked me up) and thanks again for all the previous birthday wishes and sweet compliments. Love to you all!

Note to Self

I'm so excited. Really, because you know what Oprah says, the new age is the decade prior; for example the forties are the new thirties which is awesome because my thirties have been my most fabulous decade yet. Let's do it again!

My and Wayne Gretzki's birthday is not until Wednesday but I always like to milk my birthdays so the festivities last about a week. To kick off the party I made 40 goals for my fortieth year to share with you:

1. drink more water
2. pee more
3. go cross country skiing every second day. Except in the spring, summer and fall of course.
4. get the kids and myself outside earlier and more often
5. and stay out
6. floss
7. see dentist
8. Ooooo. Massage appointment too.
9. mama needs a facial big time. I'll wait until we visit Calgary so I can go here.
10. try to grow asparagus and resuscitate my rose bush which is currently buried under four feet of snow
11. grow, can and freeze larger quantities for next winter
12. host more dinner parties
13. start milling our grains
14. try not to kill yet another sourdough starter
15. give Craig more seven second long hugs each day. Or at least seven one second hugs.
16. cut down on caffiene
17. wear makeup more often. Craig calls it my clown face. Everyone loves a clown, right?
18. start wearing jewelry even (particularly necklaces, more on that later)
19.  wear more girly dresses
20.  be girlier in general
21. for I'll be a woman soon
22.  do less dishes (little birdy told me someone's getting me a dishwasher for my bday~ how romantic!)
23. with all that dishwashing time freed up I'm going to craft even more
24. get my studio more organized and photogenic
25. keep etsy shops stocked up abundantly and sell more goods
26. help with the mortgage so Craig can grow up to be a farmer sooner
27. make videos and maybe post them here for kicks
28. take a weaning holiday this summer
29. do more yoga ~ especially hand and headstands (helps defy the effects of gravity don't you know?)
30. foster my sweet, true friendships
31. finish, by Wednesday, my satin birthday frock
32. take more afternoon baths. The kids seem to like watching and find washing my toes fun.
33. catch up with Craig's reading list. Craig's list?
34. get rid of half my books
35. borrow more library books
36. get a tandem bike for me and Edie to lug Kale around in the chariot to the beach and park
37. paint the bathroom then hang up the pictures I've been meaning to since we moved in here
38. offer crafty e-courses starting this spring!
39. reconfigure our entrance area (inspired by Soulemama recently)
40. learn how to switch the propane tanks without fear of blowing up the house
41. be fabulous ~ in a non-cliche kind of way!

 

Deja Cute

Oh, it's so hard to pick just one pun sometimes. I was going to call this post "To Ganomy is to Love Me" because I had that song "God Lord it's Hard to Be Humble" stuck in my head ever since I started knitting these Ganomies. 

I found this pattern over on Ravelry, immediately put it on my queue because I loved the Come Hither/Amish Girl vibe it had going on. And then, I swear, the next day my dear friend Erin comes over sporting one herself. I was then able to borrow her Zimmerman book the pattern was in, Knitter's Almanac,  and immediately hunkered down over some super old movies and knit a couple. A couple because whilst knitting the first one Craig got wickedly ill and I was so worried about him it totally threw my tension off resulting in a teeny tiny Ganomy that may fit Kale for one more month if we're lucky. The next try was a keeper - barely. I think it's my Hajduk Head syndrome making a recurrence.

The photoshoot was hilarious. Kale was one cool cucumber. I couldn't crack a smile out of him. Reminded me of a little someone I knew way back when:

They get that from their father.

Triple S Wednesday

 

Hey, hey, it's that time of the week again; SSS Wednesday! Formerly known as SS Wednesday but Craig was kind enough to point out to me that that sounded a bit Third Reich-ish so a name change was called for: Super Style-ly and Sustainable Wednesday. Play along if you like and leave a link to your post in the comments below. I'm even thinking buttons to share in the near future. Mwah, ha, ha!

This is what I wore on the way to a lunch meeting with a collaborator of mine:

Headband: Panta I knit up way back with some Lamb's Pride Bulky

Coat: Vintage score! Probably my most favourite ever. Even thought the lady who owned the shop tried to talk me out of it because the sleeves were a little short. Nice try, lady!

Cowl sticking out: I was a bit late for my meeting so I didn't take the coat off. But you can see the full view of the tunic here. It's Take Manhatten from Twinkle Sews pattern book by Wenlan Chia.

Leggings: I just finished these yesterday! So very comfy - I made them two toned with organic cotton on the top and a kind of 'built in legwarmer' piece on the bottom part of the leg in a more stable jersey knit.

Boots: Sorrels I scored at my friend Elly's clothing swap. She was my lunch date last week and while we were walking to the restuarant she asked "didn't those use to be my mother inlaw's?". Funny how we notice footwear.

  And yes, we can't forget the gloves. Edie runs away when I wiggle my fingers at her when wearing these. She calls them my stinky gloves. Originally, these are the gloves my mom got for me from Peru. Now they are part of my official milk maid winter uniform. They smell somewhat, um, cow. Just to clarify I don't wear them while I'm actually milking Daisy; that would be silly. I just sport them to get to the milking station but then I can't help but to give her curly mop top a good tussel when I say good morning. There are worst things to smell like than wet cow I suppose. My other mitts were wet, what can I say?

Curious Bird Gets the Worm

I just wanted to share with you the yarn I spun up for a giveaway over on Curious Bird. Those are little felted birdies spun into the yarn up there incase you can't tell. Leya, the bird of Curious Bird, has been a long time read of mine and definately one of my favourite blogs. Her photography is amazing, she always has the best snack ideas and she's just the coolest new mommy evah. Check out the cuteness levels of her little Felix. Ack. My ovaries.

What Boy George Says

 

See that goofy picture of me in the middle? That is what I look like whilst in the throes of intense happiness. Not only am I'standing on top of our packed trailer ready for the big move from being city mouse to  country mouse but I just completed the first sewing project I actually enjoyed from start to finish.

Sewing use to really stress me out. I knew I wanted to learn but I was intimidated by the attention to detail and spatial relations component to it. But after that teeny tiny Amy Butler bag I completed was for a sewalong way back in the day called "Sew? I Knit!", which was an invite to avid knitters to learn how to sew, it all, after all those years, started a groove within me.  Since then every project has become just that much more relaxing (for the most part anyway) and rewarding as  I get a little more efficient and skilled with the practice. 

Being a daughter of a seamstress, my attempts to learn to sew began at a young age and were frequent.  And my mom, the seamstress who never seems stressed, made it all look so easy and every stitch seemed excecuted perfectly. I always felt I missed out on some kind of gene; like her ability to fold laundry nice and crisp.

It was either having kids, which maybe graced me with a little more patience with problem solving, or meeting Craig, who introduced me to the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi; finding the beauty in imperfection, freeing me from my fear of producing something less than perfect, but it wasn't until my mid-thirties I finally caught my mother's passion. 

Now I can't stop. I love it. Perhpaps sewing is in my dna. Or maybe, like meeting your one true love. timing is everything. Now I wish I could sew all day long but, alas, now's not the time. Maybe when the kids are older. Timing is everything. Luckily we got nothing but time. Just like Boy George says.

This Moment: Deep Snow

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

Jaws Theme Song Here

You know how sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don't? Well, sometimes I feel like spinning and sometimes I feel like knitting. This week I felt like spinning. Like alot. So one morning earlier in the week I pulled "Jaws" out from the baby-proof nook under the stairs (baby proofed by 'locking' the latch with a twist tie). I have this paranoia that the kids fingers are going to get caught in there one day when I'm not looking. But I'm training them kind of like clicker training with dogs. Kale gets anywhere close to Jaws and I start yelling "POKEY! POKEY!". Our click word for 'sharp'.

Then I hauled out my glorious collection of merinos, mohair, silks and other luxurious fluff that I never tire of looking at or fondling and then it's lunchtime for Jaws. Crank, crank, crank...

 I'm no body language expert or anything but I think the sounds of Jaws's teeth gnashing together hurts the little ones' ears. So regardless,  I kept cranking away yelling "Pokey! Pokey!"  until we had a nice basket full of batts.

What I love about this part is that I have no idea what the finished yarns are going to look like in the end. So much depth in colour and fiber lurking in those thick clouds not to mention some of these puppies may be plied with something all together from another part of the studio or married with bits and pieces from another Jaws session and who knows what my spinning fingers will feel like doing when coming across a particular piece.

To lay my eyes on the finished skein is the prize at the very end of the process. That basket comes back down the stairs with me to be pulled out once the munchkins are in bed and Craig and I are hanging out watching videos or simply holding hands and looking deep into each others eyes. I've been practicing spinning with one hand just for those romantic interludes. And there you go. Birth of a yarn. No two babies exactly alike!