Monday, February 28, 2011

On A Rainy, Cold, Gray Day

A little girl plays cards.




A mama sews.




A preschooler crafts his own doll clothes.


Brothers cheer each other on while playing their games.


Nate is playing on Poisson Rogue and Ben discovered Arcade Diner today, a virtual buffet of math and mind games for 6-10 year olds. We found this site thanks to Clickschooling, a daily email with links to great educational, fun and interesting sites. A big thank you to our friend from our local homeschooling group who shared it with us. I also spent a good hour or so playing a game called Arcs on this site. It's so addictive. You can get it for your phone too.

Friday, February 25, 2011

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. Inspired by SouleMama.





Thursday, February 24, 2011

New Beginnings


Have I mentioned before that knitting is great for relieving stress? Yes? Ok, well I'm going to say it again anyway. Knitting is really great for relieving stress. The repetition of the motion, the clicking of the needles, the movement of the yarn across my hand and onto the needle - it all seems to work wonders for my frazzled mind. That said, I've started a new project this week and after the week we've had, I'm probably going to finish it by tomorrow.

The project is a Spiral Baby Blanket. I really think this can be a shawl as well, and I've seen it made into a cardigan/jacket for toddlers too. It's very versatile. It's also proving to be very easy so far, but it looks complicated and tres fancy - which is a great trick for any knitting project.
Especially one for a mom with three kids, under some stress from life lately, who is not capable of following a chart to make a spectacular knit garment, but is not content to simply knit another hat, blanket or scarf.

I'm knitting it with Deborah Norville's Serenity Garden Yarn in Gems. Deborah Norville? I know, she was a Today show anchor long before Katie Couric's perkiness took over the morning news. Evidently, she left journalism to make yarn, and I have to say it suits her well. For acrylic yarn, it's very soft, smooth and easy to work with. Technically, this is sock yarn as it's rated a size 2, fine yarn which isn't a big deal as far as the pattern goes, except it means I'll be adding many more stitches than it calls for to make the blanket big enough. Or, I may decide to keep it small and it will become a blanket for one of Syda's many babies. This might the best use of it, as all of her babies are in various states of undress throughout the house.

This project has also been my first attempt at using the Magic Loop method in place of DPNs. I love DPNs, I really do, especially the little, tiny size 1 or 2s that make up cute toddler socks and baby sweaters. This project is intended to be started on DPNs and then moved to circular needles when it gets too large. I tried starting this on DPNs four times before I quit. I wish I had just started with Magic Loop, it's so much easier than I had ever imagined. For those on the fence about Magic Loop, give it a try. Your DPNs will still be there when you need or want them, but this method is just brilliant really. I'm very tempted to try a pair of socks this way in the future, thought that will require buying a smaller needle set for the job. Oh, the hardships of being a knitter. No one warns you that it can quickly become an expensive hobby if you let it.

Anyway, here are a few shots of the beginning of the Spiral Baby Blanket and the beautiful yarn it's originating from.




Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Baby Wearing Giveaway



From Hip Mountain Mama, a very generous and useful giveaway at her site today. Take a look!



Tuesday Tunes



I usually let the song do the talking for Tuesday Tunes, but there's an exception to every rule. I won't say much, just that you have to check out this band and listen to as many of their songs as you can get your hands on. Over the Rhine is a husband and wife team who have been writing and playing together for decades. Their story is very captivating and their collaborating process is interesting from a musical and personal standpoint. Once you've watched this video, check out the rest on YouTube, visit their site, buy their albums and ENJOY! (Desperate for Love is on this album, but I'd get them all if you can)



Desperate For Love - Over the Rhines

Are you feelin’
A little desperate

Get on your knees
And confess it
Honey please
Don’t second guess it
You’re desperate
For love

Is this just
A little fling
Or is it about
A little bling bling
Either way
You feel the sting sting
You’re desperate
For love

It might only take a kiss
For the plot to take a twist
That you hadn’t counted on

Just a tiny little minute
But eternity will be in it
If you turn me on

Red wine on my lips
Got this black silk slip on my hips
The kitchen faucet just drips and drips
You’re desperate for love

Friday, February 18, 2011

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.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Anatomy Of A Workspace

This is my desk, aka workspace. Someday, we'll have our own gigantic house that will contain two amazing dream spaces. One, an office just for Tim and his three monitor desk set up, wireless headphones and whatever else he dreams of. Two, a studio space for me, with a small desk, a big table for my sewing machine to live on and a comfy rocking chair and lots of storage space for yarn. In the meantime, we work with what we've got - and really we've got a lot. Specifically, I've got a lot of projects taking over my desk. Allow me to show you around...

Top of the desk covered in books, KnitPicks Options knitting set, a gorgeous skein of turquoise yarn that I intend to make socks from, and the two jars of assorted stitch markers, row counters, needle point protectors, DPNs and pens, scissors, and fabric pencils. There is also a large box with half of an order from KnitPicks that is not mine, truly! If anything, I brag about my knitting purchases, not hide them.

There is a white board behind my desk. I use it to keep track of what I'm working on, and write down upcoming birthdays or other gift giving opportunities. It also holds random notes such as what's scribbled on there now, "Canopy Fingering - Wispy Cardi"which is just my attempt to track down the right yarn for a spring time project.

The cubes are actually organized, though you can't see them in detail here. Left side bottom is knitting notions, left side top is sewing paraphernalia, right side bottom contains random office stuff, like post its and right side top holds our mailing needs.

On the desk:
The cutting board - because I used it yesterday to work on this project:
Which is also on the desk under the bag to the right of the netbook. See it peaking out from under the canvas?


Inside the bag, the most recently finished knitting project. (just some finishing work to do. Isn't that every knitter's least favorite part?)


Behind the netbook awaits the next knitting project and the yarn to make it. Tuesday was a happy day around here, when this yarn arrived. It's KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Bulky and the pattern is Oatmeal Pullover, available at Magpie Patterns.



Last, but not least, two scores from a very quick library trip today. Cowlgirls, an entire book of cowls! I actually did a double take when I saw this on the shelf. Brave New Knits is just below it and I can't wait to really sit down with it. It's a collection of patterns from knitting bloggers and the foreward was written by Jessica - the co-founder of Ravelry! Really, this is a nice substitute for my lack of knitting group tonight.


Also always found on my desk, and featured in this post, random knitting needles (they were like that on the books, I didn't place them. Which either shows I have innate staging skills, or that I have way more needles than I thought and that I should fashion some kind of storage for them. That of course means another project involving fabric and sewing, so really where is the sense in putting away the cutting board?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tuesday Tunes

Communication
You're never making any sense
So much confusion
We're so afraid of everything
Won't be walking along
Keep singing my song



Beautiful Lie - Ivan & Alyosha
Tell me your secrets
You'll tell me anything at all
Those conversations
That we've had all summer long
As you walk away
Oh, what can I say?

And in the future
Our love will surely fade away
Or so they tell me
But we know better don't we
So I keep singing my song
Won't you sing along?

So tell me truth don't tell me lies
I've seen the truth inside your eyes
Life is so short, everyone dies
So live a beautiful lie

Don't want your money
You give me all that I can spend
And no direction
You tell me where to go and when
Don't need any man to tell me who I am

So tell me truth don't tell me lies
I've seen the truth inside your eyes
Life is so short, everyone dies
So live a beautiful lie

Communication
You're never making any sense
So much confusion
We're so afraid of everything
Won't be walking along
Keep singing my song

So tell me truth don't tell me lies
I've seen the truth inside your eyes
Life is so short, everyone dies
So live a beautiful lie

Friday, February 11, 2011

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.






Thursday, February 10, 2011

Progress

Syda's dress is done! (insert cheers and woops and a small parade here) The pattern is simple and well written. My first two attempts at it were not easy because I tried to resize it and forgo the pattern. I wouldn't recommend that approach unless you are an experienced knitter, which I clearly am not.

It's a great beginners project for learning how to knit in the round. Of course, since finishing Syda has decided not to wear it. As a matter of point, she tolerates it for about ten minutes and then begins pulling it off. I'm not taking it personally though, nor as a reflection of the dress because she is well known for always taking off her tops around here and a general distaste for clothes of any kind.








Can I take it off now?




Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Tuesday Tunes

Mary she moves behind me
She leaves her fingerprints everywhere
Everytime the snow drifts, everytime the sand shifts
Even when the night lifts, she's always there




Mary - Patty Griffin

Mary you're covered in roses, you're covered in ashes
You're covered in rain
You're covered in babies, you're covered in slashes
You're covered in wilderness, you're covered in stains
You cast aside the sheet, you cast aside the shroud
Of another man, who served the world proud
You greet another son, you lose another one
On some sunny day and always stay, Mary

Jesus says Mother I couldn't stay another day longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her face
While the angels are singin' his praises in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place

Mary she moves behind me
She leaves her fingerprints everywhere
Everytime the snow drifts, everytime the sand shifts
Even when the night lifts, she's always there

Jesus said Mother I couldn't stay another day longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her face
While the angels are singin' his praises in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place

Mary you're covered in roses, you're covered in ruin
you're covered in secrets
Your'e covered in treetops, you're covered in birds
who can sing a million songs without any words
You cast aside the sheets, you cast aside the shroud
of another man, who served the world proud
You greet another son, you lose another one
on some sunny day and always stay
Mary, Mary, Mary

Friday, February 4, 2011

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. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.






Thursday, February 3, 2011

Snow Days(again)


The groundhog says Spring is coming early. I hope he's right, although this year Spring will certainly equal lots of puddles and a very healthy mud season. In the meantime, we've got a good crop of icicles going and our snowbanks are top rate!











Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tuesday Tunes

usually when things has gone this far
people tend to disappear
no one will surprise me unless you do



Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn and John
If i told you things i did before
told you how i used to be
would you go along with someone like me
if you knew my story word for word
had all of my history
would you go along with someone like me

i did before and had my share
it didn't lead nowhere
i would go along with someone like you
it doesn't matter what you did
who you were hanging with
we could stick around and see this night through

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' 'bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about their own faults
talkin' 'bout our own style
all we care 'bout is talking
talking only me and you

usually when things has gone this far
people tend to disappear
no one will surprise me unless you do

i can tell there's something goin' on
hours seems to disappear
everyone is leaving i'm still with you

it doesn't matter what we do
where we are going too
we can stick around and see this night through

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' 'bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about their own faults
talkin' 'bout our own style
all we care 'bout is talking
talking only me and you

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' 'bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about their own faults
talkin' 'bout our own style
all we care 'bout is talking
talking only me and you
talking only me and you

talking only me and you
talking only me and you