Yarn along

 Joining Ginny and the Yarn Along today.

I am knitting my Split Back Tank by Allison Griffith. It is coming along, but all this stockenette is a slog. I like the blues colorway and the drape of the fabric and think the white is just heavier enough to make the tank hang really nicely. This is part of the Year of the Garment KAL with Yarngasm.

I am also working on a pair of sock for the box of sox KAL though I doubt I will finish twelve pairs in a year.

I just finished read Yarnitexture by Jillian Moreno and it was awesome. I have lots of ideas and things I want to try now.

I am starting the Handspinning Art & Techniques By Allen Fannin this week. Both are reading towards my Certificate of Excellence in Handspinning.

Happy Knitting! ~Julia

Some highlights

 Many - though not enough - days at the beach with friends. Including seeing Giraffe (dear friend's daughter, here nicknamed as they are her favorite toys) experience the surf - dislike - and the sand  - loved it. Mouse built her a little pool to splash in and then we spent a long time building retaining walls and moving water. Even though this is Lake Michigan, the waves where very strong that day.

 Lots of fiber-y fun, this is a camel and sheep's wool blend.

 Homemade tasty treats, my granola shown here.

 Dehydrating food for our backpacking trip. I loved the trip and am attempting to lose some weight and get in better shape to hike more.

 Hiking trip breakfasts, my granola plus dehydrated banana chips, pineapple, blueberries, and cranberries. mostly it took me hours to finish eating a bag. Very tasty but a bit crumbly/messy.

 Gear and packing required a lot of thought I used everything I brought at least once, but in a fit of trying to lighten the pack the night before I left some things behind - long sleeve shirt, pj pants, drawing pad and pencil, flashlight (this was accidental,) hand sanitizer, and honey sticks - that I really could have used. A learning experience and due to friends not a horrific to endure one.

 Tiny little dishcloth I made to bring on the trip the day before!

First day back to school. A new schedule since Mouse is in middle school and has to be there by 7:12, the girls and I get to their school now well before supervision begins, so we play on the playground or in the van depending on the weather. Beaver has a new schedule for his last year in high school and doesn't have to be in until 9. Which makes morning bathroom fights all but disappear. I really think this new schedule is a boon to our family.

~ Julia

Monday musings, restart

A while back, okay years ago, Nadja at Patch o' Dirt farms started Monday morning musings. It was a great way to focus your week and helped me to settle on plans and intentions in my work. She does appear to be posting now but I want to bring this back. Feel free to join me.

Right Now... I am sitting in my kitchen, cup of coffee at hand. The house is quiet as the kids are at school and my husband is on a business trip. He'll be back on Friday, Butterfly started crying she was missing him within about an hour of his leaving this morning. I wanted to join her in tears, but that would not do. With him working from home most of the time and me taking care of the kids and house and my business we are together - in the same space at least - most of the time. I like it and am spoiled. At the same time him being gone has allowed me to open the house up to the lovely weather and turn off all -nearly- the lights in the house. I can hear the birds and the wind. I think a wood pecker has moved into the neighborhood. As long as he stays out of my fruit trees he is welcome!

This Weekend... We mostly hung out with Jim knowing he was leaving. I had Spinning Guild on Friday and Mom is a member so I went down and got her, we had a nice day together at the meeting then did a bit of shopping and picked up dinner. I took her home and we ate takeaway Vietnamese and watched a movie with Dad. Beaver worked both days, he has a job at the local grocery store and just got his first promotion from bagger to clerk. He is doing well. We played board games, played outside, and cuddled. A little laundry got folded and put away. Dishes were done, meals were made. I got the hand-wash laundry out of the way and finally finished working on the spinning I was doing. I have decided to make the yarn into a hat to sell rather than sell the yarn. I really don't like anything other than the color. It will make a good waterproof cap but when selling yarn mostly everyone wants soft and nothing will make this soft. Mouse helped me mulch in the flower bed by the house door, boy did I not buy enough! I want to mulch all the beds near the house and thought it would go further. It looks nice though.

Some plans for the week... Buy more mulch. Plant the gladiolus bulbs in the under the window bed. Get the garden ready for planting - I feel like I am late but it only stopped snowing last week. Organize and post the stuff I have ready to sell at market this season - I'll be at the Harbor Market and the Westosha Market in Kenosha, WI. Skirt and wash as much wool as I can. Finish quilt for Cousin. Finish shower present for Ginny. Return books to the library, find at least one new author. Spend Tuesday with friend and her daughter.

If I find sometime for myself, I would like to... Start knitting rainbow grey yarn into tote bag to felt.

I am grateful for... My husband, and his work allowing him to be home with us most of the time. My kids who know mornings are not my favorite time and got up early without complaints and gave me extra cuddles.

Some prayerful intentions this week... Hold Seal in my heart, he is doing great but we just got to see his x-rays. Doctor is very pleased but given the size of his fracture he won't be out of the woods for six months.
Hold My sister in my heart she has a job interview this week and is waiting to hear on a earlier interview. Both jobs would be closer to us! Back in the Midwest is the goal - I can't help wanting the closer one, it would put them about two hours away - though whichever job will be better for her family in the long run is what I want for her.

One of the ladies at the guild meeting asked us all to make baby shroud wraps. Her friend is a Chaplin at the state's children's hospital and she needs these tiny little knitted wraps for preemie babies to be buried in. She says she gets lots of hats and quilts but never has enough people willing to make these shrouds. I have agreed to make up a few. Mom lost my elder sister and several babies between me and my sister, so I will hold the mommas and daddys who don't want to receive this knitting in my heart, hoping they get dust rather than use, but if they must be used maybe the hand-knit holding their baby will help them.

Some things that make me smile... My girls hauling fallen branches to a corner of the yard to make a fort. Despite having two house structures they never much use. Mouse thinking cuddling me would get him out of his chores. Open windows and made beds - I should go make my bed.

~Julia

Yarn along ish

Joining Ginny and the ladies of the yarn along.

Two yarns I spun. The green is Targhee wool in pickle relish colorway, the other is the first self-striping yarn I have made.

No knitting. I have worked on Seal's prayer shawl, but despite it being easy, progress is show. My thumbs are hurting quite a lot and I am only able to do about three rows at a time (the rows are only 75 stitches). It is not going away, even with a full break so maybe this is the new normal. sigh.

Reading-wise, I stopped into my local library for a bunch of books you lovely ladies recommended and they had none. Not a single book I was looking for. In a few cases they had other titles by the same author, but mostly I struck out. Plenty of other books around but...

They had a table display to theme mysteries. You know the type a shop owner with other things to do happens across a murder and ends up solving it. I decided to grab a few different authors - people I had not before read but whose characters were interested in something I am. I pick a few duds, some I didn't even bother finishing (I used to view that as terrible but I got over it) and some I really enjoyed.

I have read and recommend for a enjoyable read - this is not heavy stuff in any way - Amanda Lee's Embroidery Mysteries (link) and Carol Ann Martin's Weaving Mysteries (link).

Amanda Lee inspired me for my own business. Want to see what I am working on? Check it out at MoonBound ArtisanShip.

~Julia

Garden Valentines

 My garden has started!!! I am trying to winter sow this year. Basically, you take milk bottles cut them out and turn them into mini green houses and plant your seeds inside. You put the whole mess outside in a sunny sheltered spot and ignore it. In theory come spring I should have plants ready and waiting. The post I read for this is here. I am trying some dye plants that I want to play with and as I collect more bottles I will start a few more things.

 Badger's Valentine box. The boxes had to be less the a foot square, have at least a 5 by 2 inch slit for cards and have at least one moving piece. This is what Badger with the help from mom, dad, and auntie made. The tail moves.

This is Butterfly's the slit is in the back and the jeans move so you can put the cards in. They also had to write out a meaningful appreciation on the card for each child in the class. Handwritten. The cards could be store bought or homemade but the child had to write something specific and caring to each classmate. They girls had quite a bit of help assembling the boxes. The did the painting and the paper mache, but we did the hot glue and structural work. What I really liked about this approach was that instead of a candy party sign it quick, the teachers made it be a design challenge and a change to think and express something nice about each classmate. 

I hope they brighten their classmates day and yours.
~ Julia

Yarn along - a sprinkles the sweater

Joining with Ginny and the Ladies of the Yarn Along today, combining our love of reading and knitting. Check it out and get some creative ideas and book suggestions.

 I started this sweater for Butterfly. This picture is very dull, I am blaming the lack of sunlight. I made the yarn, it is a three ply of hot pink mixed breed wool, teal merino, and chocolate alpaca. It is very soft with a WPI of 10. It is bright and busy. Maybe too busy for me but she loves it. The sweater is based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage system but as I found her sleeve ratios problematic with Badger's sweater I am expecting to have to radically increase the % in the arms. Her key number is 112 and the gauge is 4 stitches to the inch on sevens. My mother in law made the yarn bowl for me.

 My weather blanket continues nicely, do you see that grey stripe, today I have to add another. Grey is 0-4 degrees. I really like the blanket, the weather not so much, but it warmed up enough to snow briefly today. A very lovely, picture book kind of snow.

 The bottom one is a magazine, Where Women Create Business, but it is so sturdy it feels like a book. It is focusing on different women and the businesses they founded. There are some tips and advice but a lot of how they got there, and what their business is about. I am really enjoying it. The other is a Dyeing book, I have only glanced at it so far, but it is very pretty. One of my favorite fiber-y things to do is natural dyeing, and the gathering of the dyestuff, with family.

Inside of the magazine and my nightstand reading. I really like the way she builds her characters, they feel like actual people and she includes lots of local history for whatever area she sets her story in. Dead on the Dance Floor by Heather Graham.

Hope your projects are going well and your book is hard to put down.
~Julia

perceptions

It is funny how differently we see ourselves from how others do. How the image we have of something is completely different from the mirrors and from the image others hold of us.

I am way thinner in my head. I am stronger in the heads of my friends and capable of anything in the eyes of my kids.

I often feel less as a stay at home mom in this world of working. I work hard. I chose this life. I would choose it again. I love being there for my kids. I love that the idea of me being there or taking care of whatever, right then, is ingrained in my kids - mom can fix it - that the entire family never questions it. I love that my youngest want to be just like me. I love having the flexibility to go to random school events during the day or take day an just there for a friend. I love that our lives allow me to be present in such a full way in all these relationships.

But sometimes, like when a conversation is all about the wonderful/terrible things going on at work, I feel excluded from the world. I can relate. I remember that world - I held my last job for almost nine years - I know what it is like to do business well, to live in the cube-world and all the dramas and joys of it. But really, my stories are old and nostalgic, not fresh and frustrating. I am removed from all of this, left out.

And sometimes, like when a friend asks 'so you just have the house all to yourself all day?' or says something about being just a mom. I hover between guilty and envy. You dress up and go somewhere and have adult things to say and a schedule to keep. You make money in a capitalistic society. You... a thousand things I imply about your life.

We would not have more if I was working, we would have less. Less of me for my family. Less activities for the kids. Less chances to go camping, because the weather was good on Wednesday and I can get everything for the weekend and we can just go. Maybe we would be able to buy more, or save more, or I would have stories, but my choices were the right ones for us.

Sometimes, I think of myself as a list of things. Who I am as a list of associations and things I do. I've sold my crafts for a few years now, mostly sporadically, a business that is part hobby, part outlet, part dream. Imagine the start I got when at the bank the other day - Beaver got a job and needed a different account to have his checks deposited into - and they list me a working woman, owning my own company. I do. It is correct, but it is not how I think of myself.

Maybe I should. I am all of those thing, maybe I should give myself credit for being all of them. Maybe I should be easier on myself. And Just maybe I should enjoy it all more.

~Julia

starting

a diet and exercise program. I really want to be healthier and bendier than I am. I am planning a backpacking trip with my husband and sister in law and a few friends. SIL is super healthy and in shape, and while I am certain I can hike for three miles, I am not so certain about doing carrying 40lbs on my back or enjoying any part of the rest of the trip especially not if trying to keep to the pace she sets. I don't want to worry about it and I don't want to hold the rest of the group back. I also want to be able to relax and enjoy the area, which if I am exhausted I won't. Hence the diet and exercise.

I told Beaver, he plays football and weight lifts for fun. He worked up a work out schedule for me. Cringe. So I got through the first work out and did not die. He was very sweet about only laughing at me in his head, but he is a very expressive boy and I know him well. 

That is my before picture. I hope there is a nice after or even a couple alright during pictures. (& I swear that is a stack of clean laundry!) 

Off to fold Laundry,
~Julia

A new technique

Picture batt from California trip with Beaver, Navajo plyed!

 My guild had a program on Navajo plying. I was really interested in learning the technique but my back has been hurting like crazy, so I couldn't haul my wheel along with me to the meeting - heck I had a hard time picking up my purse when it spilled on the floor - I almost decided not to go. I am glad I went.

Basically this is a method of taking a single strand of yarn and plying it into a three ply - stronger and more round for knitting. It also allows you to play with the changes in a colorway while plying to either keep them together or to blend them in the ply.

I have practiced on two skeins now. I really like it and go way to fast. My grandma nearly despaired of ever teaching me to so because I have a lead foot, apparently it is two lead feet Grams!

Wool on a wednesday...

Yes I know it is Thursday, but this is what I did yesterday.  Mom and I wanted to go up to Spry Whimsy, mostly to see Peter and Ingrid, but also to get some wool and see Peter's latest creations.  He is an amazing felting artist, She is a spinner and being with them is calming and inspiring and energizing all at once. Ingrid was not in the shop yesterday but it was nice to see Peter. Mom and I had been talking about going for awhile, Dad who is still recovering from surgery was not really listening to us.  He arrived at my house thinking we were spending the day planning for our businesses and the kids 4H projects and maybe running to the Woodcraft store. He did think it was a little weird I want them here at 8! Spry Whimsy is a bit more than an hour away and I had to be back in time to pick kids up from school. Boy was Daddy surprised!

 I bought this wool (above two photos) to be plied against the the skein below.  Once I got it home I am not so sure, but it sure is lovely. Merino and silk blend. I am going to spin it up really fine and them make a decision.

 I want to play with the color wheel so I got these, that is three ounces of each.

More color play but this time a continuous blending experiment like in the current issue of Spin Off magazine.

We have a lovely day and Dad even got to go to Woodcraft but after we got the kids. They were given popcorn and sat quietly and quite contently munching while we shopped.  Mom helped my make dinner and Daddy took a nap in my chair with granddaughters giving him pillows and blankets and stuffies to cuddle. Then they made off with his hat and coat and played pretend to be Grandpa.

Hope you are having a wool... wonderful... week!~ Julia

Come have lunch with me

In the interest of feeling better, losing a bit of weight, and generally eating better I have decided the make lunch a bit more important of a meal.  I normally grab something, either from my own kitchen or out while doing errands - though I must admit I sometimes invent errands to do the two Chicago style dogs for $3 special down the street...shh!  I am then hungry and crabby later. I have been seeing these yummy looking recipes over at Farmish Momma and I wanted to try them, but thinking about the hard time my children would give me kept me hesitating. While at the grocery store this week I thought, I could just make some for me... Brilliant! So lunch is on! 

This is the yellow split pea soup she posted in her real food/real budgets series. I made a few changes, my husband was eating too and doesn't like blended soups so I skipped that step, I think it may have been necessary.  I cooked this much longer than she says, and the peas have a disagreeable - to me - texture that likely gets fixed by the blending.  It tastes amazing though, next time I will just cook it longer. I did not have any bacon grease handy so I fried up two slices and added them to the bowl of soup at the time of serving. I also added red pepper flakes because I add that to everything. 

 On the topic of bacon... I made these for Valentine's day.  Pretty but I prefer my bacon non-floral. No one in the family complained however!

For some crafting bits, I switched to cloth pads for that time of the month.  I bought some Glad rags brand and wowsa was that expensive, but rather than have something plastic-y paper-y rubbing against me all that week I have flannel. Much, much better. I did cloth diapers for my kids and thought about this a lot then. I have only had issue with them moving a bit during wear no leaks. So I am trying to make a few that are similar to what I bought but slightly differently shaped, hopefully these changes are comfy. I made a few before and they worked just as well as those I bought.  These are extra pieces of flannel from various kid projects and cotton batting leftover from quilts.  I have discovered a love hate relationship with grommet snaps, I love them when I line everything up, hate them when that is not happening. You might notice that the horse pad has two snaps set into one flap, that is not a design feature!

hope your plans are going according to plan! ~ Julia

remains of the...Garden

 A dear friend was talking today about hardy herbs still lingering in the garden, and while I expected t use the sage on Thursday, I really thought that would be about all that was still working out there.  As I was surprised, I figured a walk in the garden was in order. Come with?  I did not spend a lot of time out here this fall busying myself with fiber related or child related projects and up can tell, but the garden seemed to survive despite me.

Chives growing rampant and attempting to take over the entire yard. Not sure I would mind really, but it might smell odd on mowing day.

 See I do occasionally weed, this is chive and creeping charlie growing just find in my weed collection bucket.

 Lavender - I hope this survives the winter I have some at my front door that has, fingers crossed.

 Lemon thyme - since it is here it will be added to the festivities.

 Creeping thyme - I think it did not like where I planted it as it was never much better looking than this.

 Sage - the star of thanksgiving menu!

 flat leaf parsley - I spent 69 cents on the two little bunches of this. Scraggly looking little things but I had a recipe I wanted to try and if it didn't grow there was enough got that anyway. They just keep going and going, I have cut it to nothing at least four times, each time figuring well I got my monies worth out of that. It's back.

 Peppermint - I think this is growing again, I also think I need to make more tea.

 Rosemary - Growing well - tea and thanksgiving here too.

 I am fairly certain these are last years' onions - oh well I can use some nice green onions.

 Lemon balm - also appears to be re-growing. Yay for more tea!

 Oregano - I should make some tomato sauce with this.

 Spring planted garlic - I am going to try to tuck some garlic in yet this fall.

 Collard greens - Aren't they pretty. I might add these to thanksgiving dinner as the store did not have any brussel sprouts.

Horseradish - I want to harvest some before it has died back so much I do not know where to dig.

We all have unexpected treasures in our lives, my garden is one of them for me. From the outside it is not much to look at but it is a bit like a walk of discovery, hidden in there are treasure untold. Thank you for exploring them with me. Next year I plan to add plants for dying, do a bit more weeding, and I want to ask the neighbor if I can cut back some of her trees that are shading my property. Hopefully that will help my garden to grow.
Hope your garden is growing or sleeping well and that you have a wonderful time with your family this week. ~ Julia

Thoughts on a Thursday

Last week Tuesday Butterfly turned 6, this is her dancing before school that morning.

 It is 7:24, Beaver is at school. Mouse - woke up early to crawl in my bed for extra cuddles - is ready for school and unloading the dishwasher to help me. Butterfly is whining that her socks are too big, her pants are to short, she has to sneak back in her bedroom again, basically that she is awake. Until a moment ago Badger was asleep - the last sneak in woke her up. Jim is asleep. Time to take Butterfly to school.

It is 8:04 I drove a much cheered (amazing what breakfast will do!) Butterfly across town to school, it started to rain.  My wipers were replaced last month and it had not rain until Saturday, when I found out they do not work anymore. I really need to go bug the place that put them on.  Badger helped me load the dishwasher, mostly so she could get toast. She did not like the cinnamon bread I made for breakfast and just wanted plain buttered toast and don't stack it mommy. (side note: she has invented a new swear word - Oh Crazelle Stacks! - terribly cute.) Soon I will be walking Mouse to school, time to find the umbrellas.

It is 8:45 Mouse is at school, the rain stopped for the whole walk. Normally, there are a few other kids maybe a mom walking them but no one else is walking. Today there were 4 people walking for exercise out on this wet dismal day. I am going to read awhile with my coffee and book, and finally have my cinnamon bread for breakfast, then I need to print this pattern for Mouse's sweater. I bought a bunch of German wool from St. Vincent's two months ago and I think it will be enough to make him a nice sweater, I'll do the sleeves last just in case, but you can't say no to 100% wool skeins for 79 cents. I bought all they had. His sweater will be a heathery green. Today is Badger and Mommy do errands and crafting time at out Local Yarn (beading and spinning) shop.

It is 2:12 I got the coffee and mattress cover we needed and some cookies to bring to crafting, Badger picked them out. We got to the shop and De was chatting with M, who I think is pretentious and while she is an instructor there is pushing her own agenda often at the store's expense. I wanted to get two yarns to use for sample socks (reading Toe up 2 at a time socks and she recommends practicing in worsted weight in two different colors once to get the hang of it) knitting needles for the girls, size 7 needles for myself and a 40" cable for the knitpicks system. I also got a new gauge, locking stitch holders and pearl cotton for a Barbie Wedding dress (i picked up a pattern book at the library, thinking I would knit some simple cloths for a Butterfly Christmas present, of course she caught me looking at it while I was on the wedding dress page!)  Normally there are a lot of other ladies but today not so much, so it was a lot of shopping then waiting for them to be done talking about a class they want to offer (I won't be taking it) but I ended up getting involved in the conversation which, along with reading The Knitting Sutra, has changed my plan for Mouse's sweater.  I will be using the stitch pattern - k 3rows, p 1 row - for the sweater but making the body in the round in one piece stitches based on gauge and his measurements rather than slavishly following the pattern. Later, M left and another lady joined us, she was working on a complicated (to my eyes) beaded bracelet. I would like to learn the technique,eventually.

It is 6:59, Homework is mostly done, violin lesson for Butterfly went well, but oh the homework.  Too much to have practice and lesson both before dinner. getting her to finish tonight was difficult. Have to work on getting dinner earlier, Jim seems to be working later and later into the evening... it is nice that he can work from home but he seems to be working 24/7 lately and always seems to be running late on the days that are busiest for the kids and me. I know he likes to do the cooking but I think I need to pick up a few days a week and make something that I can start cooking early in the day and is just ready to go.

It is 8:10, Dinner was yummy, pork roast with a spice rub that was so tasty, baked potatoes and corn &peas. The kids are all in bed, I expect the Badger to keep leaking out of her bed for hours yet. I shall sit and watch some whatever is on while starting Mouse's sweater.

Beaver's last cross country meet of middle school. He is the boy that is further away, I meant to get a better shot but as he got near me he yelled out - "I'm Freezing!" they made him take off his hoodie right before the race. He lives in that thing.