Spring is in the air

I am seeing lots of people out working in their yards already and have to confess that the digging-in-the-dirt thought has been floating through my mind as well. But it's only the beginning of March!

A book to wet your appetite to do things the organic way is "Diary of a Compost Hotline Operator". Uniquely written; local(Vancouver, BC.) Everything you ever wanted to know about setting up and maintaining a composting system set down in a humorous and easy-to-read way. This was a fun way to begin the gardening season. Now to keep up the momentum.

I finally finished a pair of socks that have been languishing in a corner for well over a year. Showing how much my knitting has improved, I whipped through some lacework that had me stumped back when I was working first on them. However, my tension has loosened up quite a bit, so the second sock is considerable larger than the first. But they're done! I got to cross them off the list - very satisfying. (Knit Picks Essential yarn; Girl's Best Friend Anklets Knit Picks pattern) [Ravelry picture - I think we lost all our pictures with the computer crash]

I have had a pro-life stance ever since I had occasion to view in-the-womb models of fetal development. That opened my eyes to the reality of the humanity of the unborn. Much later I became more involved with activism and through much reading and listening came to understand the heartache associated with abortion. Not only is a life lost, but the remaining lives are changed forever as well, and not in a good way.

So I was interested to read Jodi Picoult's book "Handle with Care", as I'd heard it took on this issue. And indeed it does, as it tackles the subject of wrongful birth. Early into the book I made the decision not to read it. The story threatened to be a heartbreaker and I didn't think I wanted to put myself through it. But...I was hooked and went to the end. You will find yourself moved by the struggles the characters go through as they try to make sense of tragic circumstances in their lives. Ultimately this book confirmed my prolife stance and I came away comforted by the reassurance that there is a God in heaven. He knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. Did Picoult state this? No, but that's the message I got and for that I'm satisfied to have finished the book. I'll give it three stars.

Lazy hours of summer-time knitting haven't arrived yet, but I did finish something. A cute little Bunny Blanket Buddy toy to add to a baby blessing basket being given to a new mom in a few weeks. It was a spur of the moment distraction that grabbed me after I saw someone else's version on Ravelry. I made it out of Lion Brand cotton-ease, so it's washable. I'm sure it will spend a lot of time in the baby's mouth.

Time to think about summer reading

Good beach reading would be "Bone by Bone" by Carol O'Connell. A murder mystery that kept me turning pages long past the time I should have been in bed. I'll have to check out her other books. I'll give it two stars.

I told a friend recently that since I had so many knitting projects started I wouldn't be casting on anything else till some were finished. Well...a tiny baby hat that matches the baby blanket from the last post doesn't count. After all, it's part of the same project (in a way). It's the same yarn. And it worked up so quickly that someone blinking might not have noticed. It sure was fun to knit, though! Pattern: Aviatrix Yarn: Paton's Decor Needles: 5mm & 3.25 mm

Wasted calories

One unexpected change that has come with my aging body is that I can no longer eat anything that I want and maintain a healthy weight. Every calorie that crosses my lips must be considered for its nutritive value and pleasure factor. That's why the ice cream snack I had the other night was such a waste! A little background - the grocery store that I regularly shop at has discontinued selling our favorite 4 litre bucket of ice cream. Despite many dissatisfied customers, they have decided that our opinion isn't worth bringing it back. So I was forced to buy the other brand (which is more expensive). Upon bringing it home I thought I'd give it a try. Bad, bad, bad. Taste that is. I wasted my snack calories on substandard ice cream! And once it's down the gullet, there's no going back. At least, for me there's not. Now I will be in search of another brand of ice cream and will have to break my rule of only food shopping at one store.

Our one camping trip of the year takes place this weekend. Major packing up of gear. Major headache. But it's all worth it once we get there. We love our homeschool campout. As a knitter, the question becomes - what projects to take? how many to take? will I take enough? 

I had decided on three sock projects. One pair is 

just about finished - I just love this yarn! So instead of tucking it into the luggage to bring along, I had to keep on knitting. The foot will get finished at the campground and I should get to wear this luscious, glowing wooly gem. Unless the weather warms up, of course, which we're all hoping for. Then I'll just wear them to bed. (Chameleon Colorworks Footsie Yarn in Figgy Pudding Colourway; Roundabout pattern on the leg)

A very odd book

I follow up book leads like a dog sniffs for rabbits. Books that are recommended by others, books I see on the shelves of movie characters, titles I hear people talking about. Occasionally I come across a gem. Where "Housekeeping" by Marilynne Robinson came from I have no idea. Suddenly, there it was in my reserved pile from the library. Having a short memory makes for some unexpected surprises. In any case, this is a very strange book. It won the Pen/Hemingway Award, which sounds impressive. The whole book was like a dream that threatened to suck me in. Do you ever read a book like that? A book that somehow captures you (not necessarily in a pleasant way) and you almost become one with the story, your own existence slipping away? Housekeeping almost did that to me. A story of childhood and growing up and apart and mental illness. A good book for a book club - lots of fodder for discussion. But I was never one for book clubs, so I'm going to give this book one star.

On a more positive note - I received a gorgeous skein of yarn in the mail yesterday and have already knit 1/2 of a sock out of it. I just had to see how it would look! The yarn is Footsie by Chameleon Colorworks in the Figgy Pudding colorway (how can you resist a name like that?!!) Lots of ribbing and then the Roundabout pattern.

From this:

To this:

To this:

I finished a pair of socks over the weekend. Photographed on what is hopefully the last of our snow. Opal Winter Night.

Ah....organization...chaos tamed

When you have as many books, magazines and other resources as I have, you MUST be organized with them if you want to use them to their full potential. I'm getting there.

Kid's fiction is arranged in alphabetical order by title; non-fiction is grouped by category (eg. science, math, language arts etc.) I have a bookshelf for Christian books arranged by title. Or author if he or she has written more than two.

There are two "hot spots" that I'm attempting to get under control these days. One bookshelf in my living room has all the others. These are books I want to keep handy for reference or am planning to read or they just make me feel good. It needs to be gone over as it's become a dumping spot.

And then there are my magazines. Especially now the knitting magazines. Tea times for the last few weeks have included magazines and post-it notes. As I go through the issues I put in a post-it with either the item I'd like to make or the technique being shown. Most are now sitting happily in my filing cabinet with little flags flying, enticing me to "knit me, knit me". It's amazing what a contented feeling you have when chaos is tamed.

A quick update on my knitting progress: I got the ww sock to where I thought the toe decreases should start and began the other sock. In the meantime I tried it on my husband and it will have to be ripped back an inch to start the decrease. That's good news, as it means I'll have more yarn available for the second sock. There's about an inch to go on the Knit Picks socks before the heel turn - I'm making these babies LONG to handle size 12 EEE feet. And yes, there is another sock cast on in the middle. For my son; it had to be done. Variety is the spice of life.

Oh...I learned a new computer trick. I downloaded Passchendaele from itunes (took two hours!) and watched it the other night. Why was I so anxious to watch this I ask myself? One of those movies you feel you should see, just for the historical significance. But lots of war-type violence and some other scenes I could have done without.

Definitely not neck in neck

Well, it's not really a race, but if it was the worsted weight would be winning.

My dad up and broke his leg a few days ago so my free time has been spent with him. As I've sat with him the Knit Picks yarn sock has progressed slowly, but steadily. Nothing can beat the worsted weight, though, for quick progress.

However, I'm started to get a little worried about this sock. I squeezed the ball today and there doesn't seem to be much left. Was the leg knit too long? Will there be enough yarn to finish both socks? Ah, life is nothing if not for a few risks. I will continue on this sock to the toe decreases and then begin the other. If needs be I can make the toes out of a contrast. And if there isn't enough for two socks??? Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit and start over again. Good thing I love to knit.

I've discovered a new, healthy taste sensation. Sauerkraut. Who would have thought? All these years I've avoided it like the plague, thinking it was so awful. But it's not - it's quite delicious. And if you can believe the traditional diet people it's also very good for you. Check out this article. Now if I can only get the rest of my family on board...

I made great strides in knitting this evening. It's amazing how quickly worsted weight yarn knits up into a sock. My current project is almost the same length after a few hours as the other sock that I've been working on for four days. Both gift socks for special men in my life - one a sophisticated grey and one a rustic oatmeal. Both a real treat to work with. I love knitting!

A crafty few days

I've made progress these last few days on knitting projects. Not so much on reading. The 52 in 52 has gone by the wayside. 26 in 52 might be a more manageable undertaking. What I did learn in my reading today was that you can actually knit unspun fiber. This will have to done to be believed because I just can't get my mind around how it can work. I did pick up some unspun fiber at the thrift store the other day, but I have it earmarked for a thrummed hat. Sailing knitter very generously shared her pattern for this kind of hat and I'm anxious to try it out.

My WIP (works in progress) and FO (finished object): fingerless mitts (second of the pair); gift socks for George; fingerless mitts (customed designed by my daughter).

A day well spent

Having some time to kill yesterday I wandered into a branch of the library that I don't ordinarily visit. The craft section didn't offer much, so I made my way to the oversize shelf. Gold mine! A beautiful, coffee-table book of knitting. "Knitting in America" by Melanie D. Falick is a book about people who are passionate about wool, yarn and knitting. It is so inspiring to read about men and women who have turned something that they love, into their life's work. And then tonight I watched the movie "Last Holiday" which is one of those stories that are all about what's really important in life and living life to the fullest.

If I had a day job that I hated...I'd be quitting it now.

I made a little progress on the second after-thought

heel sock. It is now relegated to "van knitting".

There are too many other, more pressing projects in the queue to be spending valuable home time on them.

Today I made one fingerless mitt for myself. These must be finished before it gets too warm to need them. I love the pattern (jack-in-the-box mittens minus the box) and the yarn (Paton's Classic Wool). They have a beautiful cable on them called the staghorn cable. I used the great tutorial at this address to do the cabling without a cable needle. So much easier.

On your mark, get set, START!

Today I started three new books.

1. In paper: "Raising a Modern-Day Joseph" by Larry Fowler. This promises to be a break-through book in terms of raising up children who are true to their faith and life-long servants of Jesus. It uses the example of the Old Testament Joseph as a model of someone who was put into adverse circumstances at a young age and didn't waver in his love for God. This will be a great book for churches hoping to come along-side parents in raising their children to be strong Christians.

2. Audio: The Pilgrim's Progress. The version I'm listening to uses the old English, but I'm managing to handle that. Probably because I've read it several times before.

3. Audio: "The Man in the High Castle" by Philip K. Dick. This was recommended somewhere in my wanderings online. It's science fiction/alternate history. The write-up sounded interesting, but so far I haven't gotten hooked. My mind wasn't completely on it, however. I may start over and give it another chance.

On my needles: I finished the first sock of the after-thought heel pair. They fit really well (although they aren't for me). The yarn is Felici from Knit Picks. Love it! Effortless, even stitches.

I put the button on a calorimetry I made last night which will be winging it's way to Surrey ASAP. It's for my niece who had a birthday at the end of January. The yarn came from a HUGE ball of Bernat Worsted (acrylic) that I bought to make the pig puppet because it was the perfect colour. I may be knitting projects from that for years.

Good listening

The Internet is wonderful for acquiring new listening delights. I get a regular newsletter from Koinonia House and the most recent one had an advertisement for a new resource - available in DVD, CD or mp3 download. Within a few minutes I was happily listening as I knit on my newest project. "Through Hebrew Eyes - A Messianic Journey" is fascinating! A Messianic Jewish man talks about the feasts of Israel and explains how they are a shadow of Christ and of things to come. And the fellow is funny to boot! Well worth the listen.

On the needles I have my February "new technique" - the afterthought heel. Basically you knit a tube sock, but part-way through, where you would normally start the heel, you knit half the stitches with waste yarn. Then you continue around knitting over the waste yarn and do the foot and toe. At this point you go back to pick out the waste yarn, put the stitches on needles and knit another toe! It's one of those magical moments of knitting that don't seem to make sense, but work out none-the-less. Google afterthought heel for great explanations and probably video on this technique. I went back to make the heel before I finished the sock because I wanted to figure out how long to make the foot after the waste yarn. One tip - if you have a pattern on the leg (like I did) make sure to only do it on the instep after the waste yarn. Otherwise you will have pattern on the bottom of your sock as well (don't ask me how I know this!). The heel is very well fitting and I think that once I have done it on a few pairs of socks I'll get the bugs worked out so that it doesn't look quite as amateurish as it's doing now. It works well for self-striping yarns as it doesn't break up the stripes like a heel flap will do.

Odds and sods

My day of rest didn't include much resting today, but lots of family and friend time so that made it OK. The day started with the challenge of teaching the older children in the kid's class at church, lunch with family, awesome music recital of my two nephews and ended with an movie with friends.

I did get a little reading time in over breakfast this morning. I'm reading through the July/August 1998 issue of Piecework magazine. The only issues of this magazine that I bother to get have an article on knitting in them. This one features the history of cowichan sweaters. Since I've actually made several of these and they are quite common to where we live the article was of special interest.

The name cowichan comes from the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island, where the Cowichan band of the native Coast Salish people lived. The sweaters are a story in themselves as they include many of the animals important to these people, such as whales, horses, eagles etc. The Cowichan had always spun goat and dog hair, but when the settlers and missionaries came in the 1840's they brought sheep and these began to be used for spinning as well. The articles goes into some depth and there is also a pattern for a sweater included.

My new technique for January was the linen stitch heel flap. This picture doesn't do it justice, but what you don't see is the typical ribbed ridges of the traditional heel flap. It makes a nice flat surface that is much thinner than the traditional. My version is a four row repeat - google to find instructions. Mine came from a pattern that has gone missing.

In January I also made two charity hats and a pig puppet from the Creative Knitting website. This is the pig partially

made. I made some mods to the pattern to make it more "pig-like". I couldn't find the other hat, but it was called Thorpe.

Oh, I also made a pair of striped socks.

Keep your goals before you

Of the writing of books on organization and goal-setting there is no end. And I must confess, I have read many of them. Reading is my passion and organization is my weakness, so it stands to reason that I would want to read more; to learn more. It has been a journey with ups and downs to say the least. The end has not been reached, but the process continues to keep me interested.

Joe Tye, the values guy, is one of my favorite writers on the subject. He writes books and courses, gives seminars and sends out a regular motivational newsletter that I look forward to reading. In the most recent one his quote was

Keep your attention in the present, keep your vision in the future.

This is a theme that I have read different versions of over the years. It is well and good to make goals, but you must always be referring to them; always be taking action to fulfilling them or they just become wishes.

That's why I have my yearly goals pinned up beside my computer desk. That works for me because I tend to forget about things that have been filed away. If you are a filer, make sure to pull out the file regularly for review.

One of my goals for the year was to learn a new knitting skill each month. This month it will be the afterthought heel on a sock. Sock knitting is another passion of mine so it shouldn't be hard to fit this in. Next week it is! The knitting adventure begins - one tiny stitch at a time.

Book of the week?

One of my favorite people in the whole world is Susan Wise Bauer. She is smart, witty and so down-to-earth, in spite of being a well-known author. I was totally in awe of her accomplishments (well, I guess I still am), but after I actually saw her in person she became such a ....mom, just like me. She just has that certain something that has allowed her to be very productive and successful in spite of having some similar responsibilities as me (such as numerous children, homeschooling them, household stuff to do etc.)

Which leads me to her challenge for 2009. She's joined a group which plans to try and read one book a week for 52 weeks. For her that means unwork-related books, because she reads a number of research books as week. (And writes her own books at the same time - you see why I want to be this woman)

My nature is to jump on this bandwagon. One book a week...easy-peasy. I used to be able to pull this off no problem. Until I took up knitting. Add a crazy obsession with manipulating sticks and string for hours on end to an already full schedule of schooling, children's ministry and homemaking and there isn't a lot of free time left over for reading numbers of books a week. That's why I've taken up listening to audio books.

So I'm not offically saying that I'm going to read 52 books in 52 weeks. But....here's book number one.

OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell

This book is so exciting! If you have read any of his other books (The Tipping Point, Blink) and enjoyed them, you'll like this one as well. He is a man who can see patterns (another personality characteristic that I covet, but don't have). In Outliers he examines success to see what factors make a person successful. As the book proceeds he shatters many accepted ideas of what these factors might be by researching successful people and trying to find some common ground. I hesitate to say too much because it was just fascinating for me to read it for myself and I don't want to take away that pleasure from anyone.

One that I will divulge is the 10,000 hours theory. It appears that on average, to become a master or world-expert at something you don't necessarily have to have high IQ or an exceptional skill at it. You must just put in at least 10,000 hours doing it. Which roughs out to about 10 years. I have to admit that I got excited thinking about that 10,000 hours concept. Hmmm....manageable? Till he added the 10 years part. A bit mind boggling to think in those terms when you've already passed the half century mark. All the people that he used to determine his figures began their journeys when they were young and unattached and able to devote almost 24/7 to their passions.

Nevertheless, it is something to think about. It's more about the time that you put into a passion than the innate ability you have to do it that determines where you will go with it.

The chapter that will be of special interest to parents deals with the factors that mean the difference between success and failure even when starting with the same baseline of intelligence. It comes down to family interaction and involvement, people. Of course, we all know that. But maybe having it down in black and white will provide the discipline needed to be intentional about following through.

I got caught...

I was looking forward to starting my new year with the daily flip calendar from Stephanie Pearl-McFee (aka The Yarn Harlot...I know, I know, I don't like the name either)

I enjoyed her January 1 and 2 pages. Then I turned to January 3rd. Caught out! It reads, "You know you knit too much when...you won't let your New Year's resolution - exercise more - get in the way of your knitting. Instead you choose forms of exercise (like riding a stationary bike) that you can do while knitting."

Guess what I got my husband for Christmas (so that I could use it too)?

Do we need New Years Resolutions?

Yes, I think we do. I love new beginnings. Monday is my favorite day of the week because I get to start over 52 times a year. Did I blow it last week? Oh well, it's now a new week. And the ultimate new start is the start of a new year. So here we go. In 2009 I resolve to:

• reread "The GI Diet" book by Rick Gallop. My low glycemic eating habits have begun to slide; they need a jump start


• knit one charity hat per month.


• knit one Christmas gift per month till my list is done. Of course, that will involve making the list.


• listen to the entire Bible. Here I have a head start because I finished early last year and am already at the end of Numbers.


• simplify our family meals and make more bulk meals. Kitchen cleanup is becoming soooo boring and tedious. Over and over and over we clean up from cooking supper. I have better things to do with my time. So menu plan and meals-in-the-freezer, here I come!


• be more organized with my knitting projects by keeping better notes on when I started, yarn used etc. A friend is putting the ball band in hers and I think that is a great idea. Also, a sample of the yarn used.


• learn one new knitting skill per month. I plan to order Lucy Neatby's Essential 1 and 2 DVD's to help out here.


• try one new alpaca yarn per month and become an expert on alpaca. Why? I have no idea. It's just a passion right now.


• make good use of my 4 month gym membership by going 2-3 times per week.

OK, that's a good beginning. I'm going to print this out with space at the bottom to add things in as they occur to me.

What I like best about the resolutions I have come up with so far is that they are measurable. At a glance I can see if I'm following through or not. That's important - or so the "experts" say.

Can I really say I've read this book?

The book lies abandoned on the shelf. It gave its owner many chapters of enjoyment, but in the final gasp (ie the last chapter) she just couldn't continue. The first few sentences of the final chapter threatened....tears.

I could just tell that Stephanie Pearl McPhee was going to reach into her past and tell a heart-warming story of such emotional depth that tears would flow and eyes would turn red. So I quickly slammed the book shut and there it sits. When I get to a place in my life when life is stable and hormones settled, I will happily pick the book back up and warm myself with the words of a great storyteller.

Free Range Knitter is a legacy book - a book that her children and family will treasure as an heirloom, just like her knitted items. It made me roar with laughter, and cry with heart-felt emotion. I want to knit like her and write like her...in my next life in heaven.

A Cozy Read

I had been feeling guilty over the fact that I haven't been reading many books lately. For the most part, if it doesn't have anything to do with knitting or Sunday School, the cover hasn't been cracked. And then it came to me...I have been reading (some would say obsessively) for over 40 years. Rarely a day has gone by (can you do the math to figure how many days that would be?!!) when I haven't read pages, if not chapters, of books. So I decided to give myself a break. It's my knitting phase, for as long or short as it may last. I feel better with that guilt load off my back.

The latest book I have read is "Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines". I loved this book. The authors write as if talking right beside you, in a homey and comforting way. They enthuse and inspire you to greater knitting heights. The format is essays interspersed with patterns, with technique thrown in as needed. It truly is "outside the lines", or box. One of the items I want to make is the fair isle blanket knit in the round and then steeked. To get me thinking fair isle is really a stretch, so you know how persuasive they can be!

This book will give many years of fun knitting and hone your knitting skills at the same time.

RIP

Since I have joined the ranks of the knitting world I have had to learn a whole new language. Sl1, WS, SSK - who would have thought these all meant something? In the "old days", to decipher such gobbledegoop you would have to page through knitting books or find a knitting mentor who was wise in the ways of this foreign land. Now, however, enter the world of the WWW. A few strokes of the keyboard, a click and you have a simple explanation - often times even a diagram or video. Technology is wonderful.

RIP doesn't (at least, as far as I have so far ventured) mean anything in knitting language. RIP stands for "reading in progress". This is a cousin to the OTN, which is a knitting abbreviation for "on the needle". Projects you are currently working on. Since my reading level has declined since I started my yarn obsession I thought that this would be an appropriate way to chart where I'm at in the world of words.

Bible - Psalms, Mark and Ezekiel (pardon me, but I will really be glad when I'm done reading Ezekiel to the kids!)

In my "study" (also known as the bathroom) - "Chicken Soup for the Soul - Celebrating Mothers and Daughters". My daughter gave me this book and I love it. But I can only take it in small doses as it causes me to cry with almost every story.

"Study" book just finished - Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitter's Almanac". What a heart-warming book! Even if you never plan to knit any of the projects, her friendly style of writing and useful tips are worth the read. She takes you through a full year with a different project for each month.

In the kitchen - "Apple Cider Vinegar" by Paul C. Bragg. I'm reading this book in my never-ending search for a cure for my 13 yo son and his listlessness and allergy (?) problems. No, apple cider vinegar does not taste like apple juice. It tastes like it smells - bad!

In the living room - I'm reading the kids "Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis in anticipation of the movie coming out in May. It looks really good! This will be an exciting boy-type movie with lots of action. My 8 yo son just wiggles in delight when the book describes the swords and sword play that is going on.

By my favorite chair - "Princess" by Jean P. Sasson. This is a true story of a progressive-thinking Saudi Arabian princess and the struggles she goes through bucking the age-old system that keeps women in their low place of esteem. It is a heart-breaking book as it describes what women go through and I have to put it down after a few chapters of reading.

In audio form (best for knitting by!) I have "Emma" by Jane Austen and "Beowulf", translated and read by Seamus Heaney (you must listen to this just for his lovely Irish accent!)

OTN - dishcloth shawl almost finished; Knitpicks Essentials socks about 1/4 of the way done; slipper socks for my husband 1/2 way done; cable scarf (I may just frog this as it sits abandoned and I have no heart in me to finish)