Interim Knitting

You know how sometimes you just need to read something light? Nothing too challenging, nothing depressing, just something to give you a little break. Well, it's the same with knitting, I need to break things up a bit with some easy projects. I've knocked a couple off the needles lately.

A scarf for my boss, he's a good guy and he gives me stuff (like a TV and a Microwave).

And a hat for one of the girls I work with. She's an art student and a skate rat and she reminds me of myself when I was 21.

They were both well received.

I also have a pair of slippers to finish. An "easy" yet not so easy project. They are for a good friend. Better than a "good" friend, a best friend, my partner in crime, one of the few people who gets my morbid/quirky sense of humour, the first person I told (after my X of course) when I was expecting, a friend who would help me "hide the body" no questions asked. She's fighting a battle with cancer and it is going to be a hard, hard fight. I feel so helpless. What I can... and will do... is knit for her. She isn't in Calgary but if I can keep sending her little things to show that I am sending her... not just knitted objects... but all my hopes and prayers. It's something isn't it?

And on this Canadian Thanksgiving... I am thankful to have as many people to care about as I have... having people to love is a gift. My friends... my family... they are the best gift I could ever ask for and I am thankful for them every day.

The tree is up...

I am of two minds at Christmas. I love Christmas, not getting presents but having happy secrets, decorating, lights, music all that good stuff. The general spirit of good will--unless you work retail then it's the general spirit of "I want it and I want it now and while you're at it could you wrap each and every ornament carefully mind you (cause you're obviously too stupid to do it carefully if I don't tell you to) and I don't care if there are 10 people behind me!--and even that only seems to be somehow tolerable, a reflection of how screwed up and sad some people are and how far away they get from the Christmas spirit, I feel sorry for them more than anything. But I digress.

I love the familiness of Christmas. My Mom was a certified Christmas Nut!! And that's my flip side. Christmas is also when I miss my Mom most of all. She MADE Christmas and it's never, ever been the same without her. So when I was decorating the tree with my son, I found myself in tears. Certain music gets to me, little things set me off. I think the word I am looking for is Bittersweet.

I also knit, I felt compelled to start the Simple Knitted Bodice. I've been obsessed with it for a while. So far I am loving the yarn, Lang Silk Dream, in Heather. It's SO soft. I am in Simple Knitted Bodice Love.

Oh happy day...

A day off after an insane work week. Yeah!! We busted out the Christmas decorations, the store looks spectacular and there was a feeding frenzy on yesterday fur sure.

I am loving the projects I am working on. If you haven't already, I would seriously recommend adding Greenjeans to your queue! It is an awesome pattern. 'Course Amy is a fabulous designer so it stands to reason.

I am also enjoying the slanted eyelet scarf from Alchemy. It's my first lace pattern. It's a quick easy to memorize pattern and progresses nicely. It's perfect for gifts as it only calls for one skein of yarn. I think the trick would be to counter the simplicity of the pattern with a truly fantastic yarn. The Tilli Thomas I'm using IS fantastic. Photographs really don't do justice to how vibrant it is. I am making it for a 19-year-old tiny little miss, a little bit goth, loves purple (happened to mention she wanted to buy a pretty scarf to contrast with her black leather jacket and studs) and she looks amazing in jewel tones so I'm hoping she'll like it.

I'm still working on the boy's sock and sweater but they are slow projects and it's nice to work on things that zip along a little quicker.

Still in a great mood. I usually suffer quite severe SAD and it starts hitting me about now (back before I had responsibilities, I use to quit my job, always in November every year or two). I've been taking Melatonin supplements to help with sleep issues, the boy's paediatrician recommended them for him and I thought I'd try them as well, it seems like they might be making a difference with the SAD.

Go with the 'Fro…

So I picked the boy up from camp after work on Friday. A week of fun in the sun canoeing, swimming, doing archery…I swear he grew while he was gone. His hair grew too. The camp counsellors nicknamed him "Curly 'Fro Man" which I find amusing and a significant improvement over "Gasmask" which was his nickname 2 Summers ago (don't ask). He doesn't seem to mind, he told me, "The girls at camp seemed to really like my hair". It's hard not to smile at it, dark brown and ridiculously curly (I swear he never had hair this curly before) and he has green eyes and tiny freckles and after a week at camp, a killer tan. I missed him.

I had planned a relaxing week of knitting, dropping by the LYS, Raveling and of course working. Well, my two days off were consumed by dealing with the car. Still no news from the insurance company. I was waiting on the loaner for the start of the week so no trip to the LYS. I've done a bit of raveling… a bit of knitting too but the week was over before I knew it.

I finished my jay socks. I cast them off as ankle socks because they were so mismatched. I'll know better for next time.


I wanted to start a clapotis, seduced by the sheer number of them out there. I'm having trouble getting the pattern going but I think it's because I am a combination knitter that my stitches are wonky and I'm just not quite getting it. I am planning to take a series of knit what you want classes in the fall. May be I'll save clapotis for then.

The never ending wrap… well it's still never ending. I am trying to think of it as a value added project. The longer it takes to knit, the greater the entertainment value and lower the cost. Three balls of laceweight silk/mohair and a set of circulars x 4 years or more of knitting entertainment I guess it is good value for the money spent. Shut up out there, it's a positive spin OK! I show people and all they say is, "Well the yarn is really lovely." I know they are thinking, "Is she insane! At the rate she's going she'll be in her grave before she gets through the first ball".

And… did you know… my dog thinks she's a prOn star.

We are the champions my friends…

a hard tackle

And they are! The boy's rugby team WON the city finals. It came down to a final match against the only other undefeated team in the league this season. Our other club team! Yep it was the old school boys (Sheilds in green) vs the football Dad's boys (Swords in white) and guess who won. I've never seen any of the boys play so hard, every try was hard fought to the bitter end and in the end the Shields only won by three points. It was great! Fun to watch and well played on both sides.

the line out… note intense look on the boy's face.

I went to watch a friend's son play baseball… no offence to my American friends but compared to watching rugby… it's like watching paint dry. There were tons of Mom's in the stands. I said, "You never see this many Mom's at the rugby games." to which she replied, "Of course you don't, they can't bear to watch their son's getting hurt."

the scrum

The boy already has designs on some classmates to get them signed up for next year.

hang onto the ball lads!

And school is out. YEAH!! No more rugby… no more school… nothing to worry about for 2 whole months! The boy's transition to Junior High did not go well. School this year was a total right off. Absences, issues, I hate to say bad…but young, inexperienced, stressed out, teachers who were not able to reach out to my son. I am hoping next year will be better.

I am very excited about the boy's psychologist. She specialises in issues surrounding anxiety, depression, LD kids, School refusal all the stuff we've been struggling with and our intake session went very well. Her philosophy is good, I felt very much at ease with her. She likens anxiety to a visitor, something you let in and what she does is teach kids how to shut the door. The boy has his first real session with her in just over a week, we have the Summer to get things going and by September I'm hoping for good things. I was really worried about the cost. My coverage for this sort of thing is limited. She told me to let her know if at any point it becomes a financial burden. She said we've accepted you as our clients, the treatment doesn't stop because you can't afford it. So that was reassuring.

Anyway, no knitting today, still working on the heinous mohair wrap. Self torture disguised as fun hobby. My best friend is coming Tuesday, 4 kids and 2 adults in a 750 sq. ft. house with one bathroom, we will need 2 things--good weather and lots of booze, The house is a shambles must work on that. HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Up 'n Down 'n Round we go…

Ok so the happies were somewhat of a fleeting thing…

My son has me down again. We are getting there slowly, slowly. He has an appointment with a psychologist who specializes in teen anxiety and depression for the end of June. The paediatrician is thrilled that he was able to get in to see her because it's a closed practice. She feels it will really help get to the root of my son's problems to see this woman. The new meds he's taking are making a huge difference with his ADD but they just aren't enough.

I feel like there is a great big weight in the middle of my chest. Mom's are suppose to make everything better and I can't. I started seeing my own counselor and she is helping me work through some stuff. It's emotionally exhausting but she's definitely helping me. It's just that every time my son has an anxiety attack my heart breaks into a million little pieces. He's so sorry afterwards and it's not his fault.

I'm coping right now but just… you know… barely. Every day I try and find light… things to feel good about… things to feel grateful for (and there is so much) and things that are positive and hopeful. Happiness is in the little things. Knitting is wonderful therapy. I do a lot of walking… pacing might be a more accurate term. We have this park near my house and a path that makes a loop through it. I walk the loop when ever I'm feeling out of control. It's like pacing in a really BIG circle.


I treated myself to more socky goodness. First off, I got the first installment in the Make1 Sock Club. A lovely lace sock pattern and some Schaefer Anne to knit it with. Second, I got these gorgeous skeins of Wooly Boully from The Loopy Ewe called "Lotus Blooms" and "Beneath the Cherry Tree" they came with a cute little needle inventory and a lovely note. I love them!!


And my jitterbug socks are almost done. I am a sloooow knitter. They aren't quite what I expected but it's OK. I can try for a better matched pair next time. They are fitting really well and I think my problem is that I started them from either end of the same ball when I should have done what the sane people do and made one, then continuing with the same end of the ball, made another one. However, my odd sock ways work for me and the mismatched socks are not out of sync with how I am feeling. I recently described myself to someone as a nut-laden-bar and right now, that's pretty much accurate.