Evan's new Sweater

I just finished Evan's new Sweater. We call it sleepy forest after the name he has given our home in the woods of Maine. He might actually get some use out of it this year. That is a fresh snow fall from last night.

Crazy. It was over 80 degrees one week ago!

A rambling update...

So even though I have not been blogging here regularly I have been very busy on the homestead. Our computer is still on the fritz so it will be a while longer before I can be in this space on a regular basis. But while I have the time now I will let you know the many things we have been working on here.

Most recent and most exciting is the open house and lacto -fermenting workshop I participated in this past weekend at Koviashuvik Local Living school. It was a very inspiring weekend. The school itself is just a wonder; with an earth bermed root cellar and green house, amazing compost bins, awesome garden, solar dehydrator. I left the open house thinking that moving off grid does not have to be all that complicated if you just keep your systems simple. Food for thought. The class was great, in that, it answered some questions for me about long term storage of fermented veggies. The ease of this method of food preservation is going to find its way in to my food preservation regimen for the simplicity and low energy technique it provides. Lacto-fermented foods are also really good for you and do not rely on many outside imputs such as vinegar and sugar. Just salt and a few good sized jugs and I will be good to go.


This summer has given our family a good chance to relax after the last couple of busy summers. Each morning I go out to collect some wild foods, herbs from the garden and summer produce. The garden is not as bountiful as I hoped this year. I think it may be a matter of building up fertility. It is our first year in the space so it may be a matter of investing labor and good portions of compost. I just heard on the radio yesterday that Late Blight has appreared again this year so we will be keeping a close eye on our potatoes and tomatoes for any sign.I have hedged my bets with a CSA share this summer to make sure that we put up enough food so that we can cut our grocery bill in half by fall. We have ordered broiler chicks and they should be arriving soon. Our thinking is that we can grow them quickly and feed them with a lot of the by product from the garden.

Last week a friend invited a group of us over to make mozzarella cheese. We each brought our gallons of milk. Mine survived the the curdling but would not pull together. It was still good for putting on homemade pizza. Now that I have worked throught the process I plan to try again soon. I will use the recipe from "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. This should save us a good amount of money. The cheese weighed nearly a pound and cost about 5.00 to make. Much cheaper than a pound of mozzarella at the supermarket and made from mostly local ingredients.

The cupboard shelves are filling up. I find myself with a good rhythm. Each morning I fill the dehydrator. There is plenty of chicken stock, jams and dried kale. I have begun planting my fall garden. There is more broccoli, chard, spinach, beets and carrots in the ground with more spaces to fill with spinach. My favorite new crop to grow are shallots. I love planting 10 seeds and getting 50 shallots in return. I can save some of these for planting next spring. Also the shallots last longer than keeping onions so will be the last onion we eat before spring onions are planted. A good crop for closing the loop.

Evan is 5 years old and we were on the fence about whether to homeschool him or not. We have decided to homeschool him and take advantage of music, art and gym at our local school while we get our feet under us.

Finally, the knitting needles took their summer hiatus during the height of gardening season but I have picked up the needles to finish a few projects. I have not forgotten about the Plant A row Challenge. I hope to be back on line by September to hear how everyone has done with their gardens. I hope you are all well.

Peace, Karin

Yarn A Long

On the needles, Cobblestone, for Tristan in Peace Fleece. On the nightstand, Princess Bride, a great funny read. Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs by my friend and fellow Blogger Wendy

A Free Hat Pattern

I have been teaching knitting to a group of 5th and 6th graders at Mark's school since just after Christmas break. We have had a slow start and there were a few weeks this past month when I could not make it because of colds, a car in disrepair, etc. The students come into the school library for their 20 minute recess. There are two sessions. During that time I have had them share their work from the the other session. At first I have had the students just practice the knit stitch on squares. I will sew all the squares together to make a blanket when they are completed and we will donate the blanket to someone.

We have been blessed with some donations from friends on Ravelry and my family ( Thanks Tauntie!). A few of the students are doing really well. This week I plan to graduate a couple of the students on to a larger project with their own needles and yarn that they can take home.

But here was my conundrum. I have straight knitting needles, mostly size 7. I have some bulky yarn and some worsted weight yarn. My students only know the knit stitch right now. AND as part of the class we are knitting hats for Nest Maine. So I created a little hat pattern for their first project. They will learn how to read a pattern. They will have the chance to play with color. It is small enough that they will work through the project quickly. When they are done with this project I will teach them the purl stitch. I plan to poll them on what they would like to make when they are done with their hats.

Here is the pattern. It will fit a baby up to 12 months. This is a pattern for a very beginning knitter. So I will explain a lot of what happens to the hat as it is knitted.

Garter Baby Beanie

Garter Stitch is simply knitting every row. It is easy to count rows in garter stitch because every 2 stitches make a ridge bump. There is a right side, or front, and a back side. When you add another color the front will have a solid color when two rows are knitted. The back side will have 2 broken lines of contrasting color.

Supplies:

1 skein Woolease Bulky Yarn and some other bulky colored yarn as a contrast.

1 pair size seven needles

Gauge: 4 stitches to one inch

CO 60 stitches in Main Color(MC).

knit 8 rows ( this will look like 4 garter ridges)

Add 2 rows of contrasting color (CC). You may add as many rows of of CC. Just make sure that add even number rows. This is where you get to play with design.

Knit in garter stitch till your piece measure 4 and1/2 inches. End at the end of a back side row.

Now we will decrease the top of the hat.

Row 1: *knit 4 stitches, Knit 2 stitches together (k2tog)*Repeat to the end.

Row 2 and all numbered rows ( backside rows): knit

Row 3:Knit 2 k2tog

Row 5: knit 1 k2tog

Row 7,9,11: k2tog

There should be 4 stitches remaining. Break yarn, leaving a 12 inch length of yarn. Thread yarn through remaining stitches. To seam, sew two edges together using the back stitch. Weave in ends. To make braid hat topper, cut three lengths of yarn approximately 10 inches long. Thread the yarn through the top of the hat. Braid. Knot and trim.

If any of my readers are experienced knitters I would love some feed back on this pattern so that I can make it easy for the students to follow.

I am hoping to teach knitting again next fall. It is my hope to get an earlier start in the school year. I think we also need a little more time and I hope to work it out so that the students can meet for their lunch and recess. It is so much fun watching these kids knit. We sit in the library and they share with me what they are doing in school. The habits and community of a knitting group are all right there with these kids. Did I tell you how much fun I am having with them??

Here are some helpful links:

Decreases especially K2tog

Casting on stitches

Back stitch seam

The Almost Fireless cooker part 2- how to use.

In the previous post, I posted a tutorial on making a simple fireless cooker. Today I would like to share how to use the cooker.

At 10:00 am this morning I put two cups of water in my pot. I placed the pot on our woodstove to warm the water. We have had quite a cold spell so our woodstove has been pretty warm. My intention was to use the cookstove as little as possible, so if I put warm or hot water on the cookstove to boil it will use even less fuel. The whole purpose of this exercise is to conserve cooking fuel. When I checked the water it was at a slow boil. I put the pot on the cookstove and brought the water to a roiling boil. I poured one cup of short sweet brown rice in to the pot. I put my pot on the cork hotpad, then covered my pot with the cozy.

Two hours later the pot was still warm. When I opened the pot, however, the rice had not really absorbed the water. I had it on the counter in the kitchen. This corner is pretty chilly and furthest 1st floor corner from our woodstove. So I heated the water up again. Replaced cozy and cover and put the cooker near the woodstove.

One hour later, I had some mighty fine looking brown rice. I put in some homemade tomato soup I had made for dinner the evening before. So not only did I save fuel but I also stretched a soup for a few more meals.

I am not sure if I should have waited three hours or whether it was a matter of a different location. I am leaning towards location.

I would like to make a larger version of the hay box cooker, such as this one. We have a small cubby located next to the woodstove. I am thinking that we could build a small cupboard for this corner. When I cook on the wood stove I do not have a really good place to put a spoon rest, pot holder and the cover of the pot with whatever homemade goodness inside. I could put the fireless cooker on the bottom of the cabinet and a little shelf for stacking the newspaper that we use for kindling.

On and off the needles..a little of this and that...

Life is settling down. Without regular access to the computer I find that I am returning to better habits. A tidier house, more attention to the present and the finishing of languishing projects. I know that this is a good thing on the whole but I miss my regular connections to the blogging world. We hope to have internet access by next week. However, I have been grateful for the break. Some connectedness has return as a result of not being connected. My challenge will be to find a better balance between the two worlds. I heard this story on Fresh Air a couple of weeks ago. It was sobering and well worth a listen. In retrospect, my time online has been used as a coping mechanism for our last year. But now that we are settling into a new life it is nice to find grounding in a life I want to live; which for me, means more balance.The situation at the old place had not been healthy for a long time before our neighbors became a problem. Living in the country can be isolating. Being a new mom can be isolating. I am generally a social creature so adaptation took a while. The computer helped me for a while but I don't want it to be a substitute for making real connections in the world I live in.

However, I also love writing. the blogging has helped me rediscover this passion again. So this space will be busier again but I hope richer in content.

Anyway, that is where my head has been lately...

My hands have been busy while my mind has been pondering these things.

I finished Evan's fall sweater. It is the Modular Tomten by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I LOVE THIS SWEATER. It was fun to make and looks so nice on him. I have had the unfortunate luck the last few years of starting his sweater in the spring, so I he would have his sweater when the weather cooled, only to find out that he had grown more than anticipated. The sweater would be just right for about 2 months and then he would no longer fit in it.

Baggin' it!

Well, it has been a few days into the New Year and I am putting into practice my One Small Change. For this month I have chosen to forgo all plastic bags. This past weekend I realized that one of the reasons I may be forgetting my bags is that I have had them for a long time. I've accrued them over the years from thrift stores, donations to good causes. They are stained, holey and some of the handles have broken off. So Hubby and I put our collective creativity together and made some new bags.

Hubby repurposed the feed bag into a grocery bag. We have a few more of this sort of plastic weave bag around and will be making a few more.

I made the patchwork bag to hold my knitting ( which has been christened by a water bottle some little person put in it while we were about today). All the materials for the patchwork were from stash, old jeans and finds from yard sales. I also put a tool pocket inside the bag for easy reach of the tools I use most often.

Wee one wanted a new bag too. His library bag was also well worn out, so he got a new one for the new year. I think Scruffer kitty would like one too!

So today was the first chance I have had to remember the bags. I went to Marden's, a salvage store, for .75 fat quarters for more patchwork. While digging in my wallet for the cash to pay, I heard the clerk open a plastic bag. I told her that I did not need a bag and I added that it was a New Year's resolution to stop using plastic bags ( gotta spread the word;). We went to the healthfood store next and I used a cloth bag there as well. I think that it is easier to remember to use my bags when I go to the grocery store but I have a tendency to forget when I go to other retailers.

I also made a linen bread bag for keeping homemade bread in. I had an old linen table cloth that had been stained by one feast too many and saw this idea at Soule Mama. I am still a novice at the sewing machine but I am having a blast with the process. Next project is to make some take-a-long produce bags. Oh and all those old bags, well, they will be mended and patched because they are still useful!

More homemade Christmas...

Handknit socks for teen. There was an appreciaitve oh! when he put them on and then he wore them three days straight. His birthday is this month so I will make him another pair and maybe they won't be so ripe when they hit the laundry basket;)
I made this pencil case for the teen. He is an aspiring artist. His pencils were kept in a tin. I thought that if he had the case he could take them with his sketch book when he goes for wanders.
I made a couple of draft snakes for my aunt and my friend Louise. These were very fun to make. I used scraps of fabric I had in my stash.

This was the best handmade Christmas present. The wee one and I found this wooden truck at the GoodWill last spring. It was dirty, its bumper looked like a dog had chewed it and it was missing its back wheels. All summer and fall it sat on Hubby's work bench. Hubby wanted to fix it up for him but time and circumstance conspired to keep it gathering dust on the bench. Hubby has had 2 weeks off. His first weekend home he set to work planning how to revitalize this great truck. Hubby worked on the wheels and worried that wee one would care about the difference in wheels. I assured him that he will be so happy that his dad fixed the truck for him that he will not care about the particular wheels. Wee one was VERY happy.

Some of our handmade Christmas...

Hubby's Maltese Fisherman Hat

Teen's Watch Cap

Hubby got in on the action and made me a Boot Scraper! I am so please:)

Hubby also gave me this water color painting that our friend Lisa painted.

Yes there are still projects to finish. This is a blue felted vest for teen. Only half done. Below is Hubby's half done vest. Last year, I gave bags of yarn to I figure I am way ahead of the game. Although, I still have a whole vest left to make now...go figure!
There are still more handmade gifts to post.....

We had a lovely quiet day on Christmas day. How was your holiday?

I am enjoying...

I've been busy baking sweets and finishing holiday knitting. Today I spend some time with the sewing machine. Wish me luck!

In the meanwhile, I thought I would share some things I am enjoying.

This soup is delicious! I substituted buttercup squash for the pumpkin. I used this easy Garam Masala recipe.

I found this blog very interesting and this article in particular says it all for me.

I am working hard to make this as much of a handmade Christmas as possible. Here are some last minute quick gifts that we are making.

If you are a knitter and have some little kids on your list these hand puppets work up really quick. I can knit one in a couple of evenings. I made them in dish cloth cotton so that they are easy to clean.

Thumbless mittens are being whipped up fast and furiously at my house as well. All the kids in my family are under 5. Trying to get those little thumbs in a mitten thumb and hope that it stays there seems an exercise in futility. So I have been making mittens without thumbs in toddler/preschool sizes. I can make a mitten an evening. I hope to have my own pattern and pictures posted this weekend!

In our house we love to weave pot holders in our house. A few always find their way into Christmas gifts that the kids give. I think that this is a craft not restricted to children. I love to make them too and folks love their sturdy usefulness. You could whip up a whole bag of loops in an evening.

I plan on making a couple of these draft snakes today.

And lastly, I have made several pair of these slippers. They were very fun to make. I can crochet the squares for one slipper in an evening.

Just a reminder that Monday is the last day to mail packages and have them arrive on time.

Cheers!

Gettin' into Gratitude

I am Thankful. Yes, I am.

I am thankful for my great kids. They teach me something new each day. I learn from them to slow down and pay attention. I learn to dig deeper into that well of patience sometimes. They remind me to tap into my creativity through their own innate creativity. They provide me a reason for knitting. They lead me to great books. They inspire me to bake cookies.

I am very grateful for my kind, handsome, patient husband. He listens. He is a handy guy. He is reliable. We are never without flow in our conversations. He is a great reader and it is a pleasure to find books for him to read at Christmas time. He looks very fine in a hand knit sweater. He loves me. I love him.

I am grateful for daily vitamins. Yup. I've been taking them for a week now and I feel good. Maybe it is the vitamin D. Maybe it is the change in caffeine consumption. I have cut down to one cup of coffee with a cup of green tea later in the day. I can't control what the neighbors are up to but I can control how I physically react to this situation. Stress is a big no-no for me. My MS reacts to the stress in bad ways. So I am grateful that I had the awareness that I might need a little more physical health support through these tough times.

I am grateful for small moments of peace and stillness. Yesterday was a warm and sunny day. Wee One's nap time coincided with a sunny hour of knitting, tea and lawn chair placed on the south side of our house.

I am thankful for rainy days. Today, I bake bread, applesauce cake and Shepard's Pie for dinner.

I may want to sell my home and find a more friendly neighborhood. But I am grateful for my home. It is small and cozy and was a dream fulfilled. I have learned a lot here. I have learned how to garden a large plot. I have grown many things I have never grown before. I have learned how to tend sheep. I have learned how to cope through a long winter without a coffeeshop on every corner. I have learned how to build a fire, cook on a woodstove. I have learned how to care for pigs and chickens. All this learning has lead hubby and I to dream of being farmers even if that is not in the cards right now.

I am grateful for our sheep. Such gentle creatures ( well except for Rama-a-lama he can get pushy), each with their own personality. They are wooly beasties right now. I look forward to spring shearing because we will be milling their wool and I will be able to knit sweaters for my family with their wool next fall.

Indeed, I am grateful.

Christmas 2009

WARNING!!!! The following post is NOT for family consumption. There are spoilers on this post.

So, I joined Crunchy Chicken's Buy Hand Christmas Challenge. I try to make most of my Christmas presents every year. I am not always successful AND I usually spend a good part of the month of December with cramped fingers and a stressed air about me.

This does not really connote a sense of giving to me.

A few years ago I read an editorial in Interweave Knits about why the editor tried to knit for Christmas. Her reasoning was that anyone could take their credit card for a walk through the mall, but to knit a gift takes a level of thoughtfulness that can not be bought. I know that when I am knitting something for someone I really care about; I am not just thinking about what color or texture of yarn would be the most satisfying to the recipient, but I am also thinking about that person while I am knitting it. I think about how warm they will be. Sometimes a strand of hair gets knitted into the fabric, sometimes my cat Lily weaves her own affection into the object. It is a sort of magic that occurs during the process.

So this year I began in February by joining a group on Ravelry ( if you are a knitter you should really check out this site, so many great FREE knitting patterns to be found). Each month there was a knitting assignment. One month was scarves, hats, pairs of something etc. Anyhow, when I started the Big Green Sweater,all that fell by the wayside but I did make a few things for the wee one. At the time, I had plotted out what I would make for those I want to give gifts too. I have most of the materials and I will not have to buy any more yarn for these projects.

Okay confessional, I have a yarn fetish. I have a substantial yarn stash. Some of it I found at the Goodwill, some a very good friend gave to me from his stash, and some I bought with the money I earned at the bookstore and from my sales of crafted items. But I confess, if today was TEOTWAWKI, I would be set for a LOONNNGG while. That being said, I am always able to make something, and I will not have to buy any yarn for gifts this year.

There are couple of quick knit patterns that I want to work on.

First are these Toasties. I've made a couple of pairs. They are really easy to whip up. I can make a pair in a couple of evenings.

I also want to make a few of these dishtowels. I will also make a dish cloths to go with them. If you want to learn to knit, I recommend starting with one of these projects. They are quick. They combine several elements of knitting without overwhelming the learner. You can find the needles and cotton for about 7.00 at some place like Joanne's or some place like that. Or a Local Yarn Shop can set you up with a finer grade of cotton and get you started on the project.

( FYI Wendy, Central Yarn in Portland carries the Sugar and Creme Cotton, they are really great and will get you started, oh and your girls will enjoy it too;)

I was going to make some handpuppets for the little kids in the family.

I hope to make a vest for the Teen and Hubby. These should take about a week each. No sleeves makes this a project that I know I can get done in time.

My nieces will be getting a new sweater each for Christmas.They are toddlers and this also should take just about a week to do.

I also would like to make my FIL a pair of wool socks. The other men folk in my home will get some wool socks. Teen needs a new hat. And hubby wants one of these hats. This hat looks a little tricky and may have to be presented as yarn in a bag that I promise to finish when life slows down after the holidays.

There are a few non-knitted items that I want to make too.

I plan to give some homemade herbal teas as gifts. A friend used to use little muslin bags for serving bulk tea. I have the needed material for making these bags. I will also include a jar of dried mint to go with the bag.

I want to find a recipe for finger paints for the wee one. I also want to make some lacing cards for him.

I will be sewing a wrap for colored pencils for the teen.

I will be putting together a small photo album of the kids for family members from over the last year.

Some folks will be receiving baked goods. I will be able to enlist the help of the menfolk in the house for this project. On the other hand, I may have to do this on my own. They eat more than they pack;)

Finally, I also resolve to not buy any wrapping paper. I found some Christmas tins at the Goodwill that I will use for some things. I also will sew up fabric bags from scraps of fabric I have at home.

okay... If you peeked you should know that I also LOVE handmade gifts as well...

Independence Day Challenge Year 2, The 21th week

Well, I have finished the wicked big sweatah'. I make hats, mittens and sweaters on a Singer knitting machine. I sell these garments at craft fairs and at a artisan coop. A man was looking for a custom made sweater similar to the one his father had. I worked out the design and have hand knitted this 48" sweater. If we can get our camera to work I will take a picture of it.

It is a good thing that the sweater is done because I need to work on a few projects for our next church fundraiser . I've also joined Crunchy Chicken's , Buy Hand for Christmas Challenge. I know, I know...this is now the third challenge that I am participating in. There is Sharon's Challenge and Wendy's challenge. But, I've been working towards a mostly handmade Christmas for the last few years. This year, money will be a little tighter for us. I would be knitting for the season anyway. Most of the projects that I have thought about will be small projects. Later today I will post my list and what sorts of things I will be making with any links that I can share.

Well, I still have carrots, squash, some brassicas, plenty of zukes , peppers to harvest from the garden. I also want to get another bunch of apples. There is a wild cranberry bog in our town.I think I will take the kids with me to pick some this week or next. Maybe try cranberry juice, cranberry jelly, dehydrated cranberries.

Plant: nope. The man we are buying the new cabin from has a three year old pile of horse poop he has offfered to us. We are going to try to get up there sometime next week and start prepping a garden space. I will plant my garlic next week.

Harvest: rutabaga, zukes, kale, field pumpkin ( boy are they big and beautiful).

Prepped/ manage reserves: I've been researching Tiny home design. We've been working and planning on things we can do with the new home. We will be going to the Common Ground Fair this weekend and spending a large portion of our time the homesteading/ alternative energy tent. Oh and the FEdco seed tent too!

Local foods: we gave our chickens away to a neighbor so I bought local eggs at the local general goods store.

Eat the food: We've done really well on this. A neighbor brought over a rump roast from the heiffer he grew. I made a roast for dinner one night, served with mash potatoes ( our own home grown) and a kale and apple sautee. The next day I made a beef stew with rutabaga and carrot from our garden.

Waste not: just he usual, composting, eating all of our left overs for lunch, recycling.

I've got gnomes in my garden!

Fish Head Fish Head ....

This much fun with knitting should be illegal. Or at least my husband probably thinks so because I was so enthralled with the project that not much else got done around here.LOL

Getting Crafty!

This is the sweater I finished for Hubby. Merry Belated Christmas Sweety!  It is knit in PeaceFleece ( local fiber) and looks very nice on him. Although I think it will be a while before I knit a whole garment in Double Moss stitch.  Hubby has never received a handmade sweater from me. Usually he gets machine knit.  So for Christmas he received a bag of wool and a promise.  
This is the beginning of a sweater for myself.  But given that it is partly cabled it may take a while.  I find that I can only do this during nap time or I mess up the cable.  Distraction is the bane of this pattern. The cable will go along the bottom and then it is knit straight up. So as soon as I reach  21 inches of cable it should work up quickly.
This is the beginning of a penny rug. I took the class this past weekend at my favorite Local yarn Store. I still need to finish it but it is fun and works up quickly.  Just what I need...another hobby.  But there are several things I would like to make up for the kids for Christmas so I needed to learn some new skills.
Speaking of new skills.  I have conquered, mastered, accomplished my first sewing project.  This is the teen with his new pair of PJ bottoms that I made ALL BY MYSELF.  The fabric was 1.99 at Goodwill and the pattern was 1.99 at Joann's .  I made them on my treadle sewing machine.  Low Carbon Foot Print PJ's! There is always the question whether there is any savings by making your own clothes. Fabric ( or yarn) can be expensive.   Sometimes it is worth spending a little something to provide a garment that one could not otherwise afford and will have lasting quality. A hand knitted sweater would be much more expensive if I had bought it from someone.  And a new pair of Pj bottoms would not have cost 4.00.
This is a little something I made for the wee one for next Christmas.  Winters are long here. There will not be much time after the snow melts off the garden, the canners get dusted off and fair season takes over to think about handmade for Christmas.  I usually find I am knitting day and night during the month of December for other people (hired knitter) and that my near and dears end up with bags of wool and a promise.  So I am trying to do a little every month.

All this creative activity seems to help keep the winter blues and mud season ick away. 

With all the doom and gloom that is out there, I think and hope that a return to hand made is seen as an affordable alternative for folks.  Building up skills  ( even it is just how to patch a pair of pants or sew on a button) has to be a better alternative than throwing something in the landfill or replacing something that might  still have some life in it.  When belts are tightening, it is easy to think that we have to deprive ourselves. But  knowing how to create something does not have to mean taking on expensive equipment or expensive materials.   I bought the yarn for my hubby's and my sweater through a yarn buying co-op.  It saved me 50% over retail.

4$ pjamas and the pride of doing it myself...

Need I say more?

Flow

We had a busy but nice weekend.  On  Saturday,  I went to work at the children's bookstore that I work at a couple of days a month.  Hubby took the wee one and ran errands all day.  We met at closing time to go to my midwife's birthday party.

When I was pregnant with the wee one we decided to try for a homebirth.  Every month of my pregnancy we would take the trip to her home on  a hill. We would drink warm herbal tea, discuss peak oil, gardening, unschooling, parenting and oh yeah...pregnancy.  My pregnancy was a great experience;but alas, the wee one was born in a hospital because he was too big to come the natural way.  

But the relationship with my midwife continues with her yearly pig roast for her past and current clients...and this past weekends celebration of her 50th birthday.

It was a great time.  Her adult children played the music for the contra dance.  Potluck was the menu.  And babies and children everywhere.  Fun, fun, fun.

I realized; while we were there, that there are moments of joy that I find in just watching my children.  This past weekend it was watching my 2 year old running around with all the other kids.  He was just lost in the movement  music and fun; giggling, color rising in his cheeks, engaged in a moment of play that is whole and pure.

It reminded me of a time when the teen and I were at the Common Ground  Fair back in 2003.  I sat on a hill watching teen play with abandon with other kids throwing hay up in the air and at each other while the drums of Inanna ( a woman's drumming group) beat in the back ground.  I had never seen him so lost in the moment, just playing; feeding his wild child, playing with abandon. No rules, no limits, for that moment.  I had the chance to see him do this again when we went to a family wedding this past fall.  I marveled at the fact that he danced all night long whether he had a partner or not.

Sunday, Hubby and I spent the afternoon working on transforming a spare room off of our workshop into a knitting studio for me.  This is a work in progress.  It was a room hubby was going to use to give private music lessons.  Instead it became a dumping ground for STUFF and then a nursery for baby chicks last summer.  Needless to say, it is a big job; but we chip away at it a little at a time.  I hope to be able to have it all set up by this summer and ready to knit for the fall fair season. In the meantime I play with my daydreams about this space.  I think it will make our living space less cluttered because there will not be yarn everywhere.  I will have before and after pictures when it is done.

Did you have a good weekend?

Good Ideas!

I've found a few good ideas that I would like to share with you.  

First, we've planned on building a greenhouse but this little greenhouse might make a nice temporary structure that we could make in a weekend until we are able to make our dream greenhouse.

I will be starting seed soon and I think that I will be making my own starter mix.

And then I dream of starting my seed under something  as smart as this nifty set up( at least until I built my own greenhouse)

I received some yummy Noro Kuryeon yarn for my birthday and plan to knit this entrelac scarf when I finish Hubby's Sweater . I am nearly done with it and will have pictures of pride to share this week.

And Finally it is Saint David's Day; patron saint of Wales.  Hubby made Cawl Cunnin today. Oh yum, yum.  For dessert we had Welsh Cookies.

I NEED TO KNIT WITH WOMEN!

Okay, maybe the need isn't so great that it requires capital letters and exclamation points but I really do need to knit with other women. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to take more time for myself. One way that I was able to to do this was to join a local knitting group at our local library. 2 hours a week, on a Monday evening, 5 minutes down the road.

Up until this group started, I had been sneaking away on rare occasions to my favorite yarn shop ( insert shameless plug here), but that required a 45 minute drive and a balancing act between what needed to be done around here, hubby's availability to hold the fort down here and my need to have sometime for myself. My favorite yarn shop has a lovely sun room and a great group of women who congregate there. I can drool over yummy fiber, have a good cup of coffee and work on whatever project I am in the middle of, uninterrupted.

Fiber Fellowship.  Knitting with other women, I can get inspiration for the next project. Such as this lovely scarf.  We share our hopes, joys, and concerns and more than enough laughter.

There used to be a time in my life when I was living the writing life. Nearly 20 years from those earnest poems of my teen years to the full bodied poems of a life lived.  I had a regular writing routine, I labored over poems while waiting for the right words to fall from the pen. I belonged to writers groups.  I used a lot of paper.  I frequented poetry readings and submitted poems for publication.  I actually had some local success with the whole endeavor. 

 And then...one day it just stopped.  Writers block? Maybe.  But I also reached a point where I didn't feel the driving need to write.  At one time I heard a story on NPR about Harper Lee and Henry Roth.  Writers who had one great novel and that was it.  The essence of the story was that even though they only wrote one novel they were creative people at heart and had found other outlets for their creative drive.

 Writing can be very solitary. Unlike knitting, it is hard to see how your poem fits a loved one. If the color is flattering or if ;while your hands were moving, you were daydreaming about the prospect of the next pattern, yarn and color you would like to work with.   

So, I create still, I weave still. Wool not words....