076knits: Kille

If you've been reading the blog, you might have seen the pictures. I can't get enough of Bubs running around and doing anything but standing still to have his picture taken.

It all started when Bubs had only just joined us. I wanted to knit something for me, instead of the pile of baby knits that had gone before. I had a really (really) nice skein of Ripples Crafts Assynt Storms, a circular needle, and a naptime to gather my sanity before the next round of nursing, nappies and cramps. A new mom needs a bit of pampering, and that hank of yarn was just the trick.

One thing led to another (ever so slowly) and with help from two lovely professionals (hello Dutch Wool Diva and Yarn and Pointy Sticks) I can now present you my first ever pattern, Kille

Kille is a cowl with lots of nice and easy stitches, not a lot of counting and lots of pretty colours if you pick your yarn carefully. The sample shown is a new colourway by Dutch Wool Diva, Strolling through the Woods, and it's perfect for matching the Autumn colours out there right now. The sturdy Sock Star is perfect for sharing the cowl with your little one, especially when they like chewing on your knitwear, and soft enough to be worn against the skin. If you don't have a little one or like to live dangerously, go wild with your yarn choices! Be careful though, changing the gauge means changing your yardage! The pattern is carefully tech edited, but if you find a problem, please let me know!

You can wear Kille inside out and upside down, but not twice around your head.*
You can even try it on your other person, but I would keep it. It's a selfish treat, remember?

You have to knit it first, and you can do so after going right here: buy now (you don't have to be a member)


Love,
J



*definitely not twice around a little head so that pulling on it doesn't pull it tight

RSVP: Otherwise Engaged

You might be confused about what I've been doing for the past two years, if all you had to go by were my most recent purchases....

As a matter of fact, I've not touched dear neglected Bea in two years. I've spindled a whopping 50 grams of adorable fluff since the beginning of the year.

There's no rational reason to purchase these, or is there? Well, Juno Fibre Arts appears to end business soon, if not already. Catch it while you can, that's what I say.

This one contains camel. Camel fluff. You heard it. Camel in this fluff. It's for research and learning purposes. 

There'll be no irrational spending here!

PS. Exciting times ahead. Soon, soon!

On getting things done (with Little Spare Time)

So I finished another thing, this time including buttons! Lovely quiet day of nothing and a bit of knitting. As you can see, Bubs was in a hurry to get things done though! 

The pattern is Little Spare Time by Terry Kruse (link to Ravelry) and the yarn is Cascade Elysian which I purchased in a Tardis slash home-away-from-home and not-quite-Local Yarn Shop called Fibre Circle in Farmersville, Texas. Buttons, a shawl collar and pockets, this pattern has it all. It was a quick knit, a lovely pattern and I really recommend it. Bubs decided he needed to wear it and wouldn't stand still for a picture just in case I'd take it from him...

Nanowrimo, Nanoswemo, Movember, Wovember, Whateverember you wanna call it

It's all about the challenges, isn't it? Getting things done, without looking back or forwards too much. I sent a thingy to my wonderful tech editor. I'm working on being proud of that. Gimme a minute ;)

In the mean time, I knit a hat! It just needs buttons, and I have those ready to be put on. Just, you know, need to do it. Pattern is Lexie by Woolly Wormhead, Yarn is Warm Hearted Aran by  Helen of Ripplescrafts, colourway Carnations. 

Sneaky sneaky... on how to get to where you want to be taking baby steps in secret

I never imagined that writing would be the most difficult thing to get back to after the fog of sleep deprivation lifted. Mind you, that fog lingered like nobody's business and it doesn't need much encouraging to return.

It's not wonder that the Big Plan was put into hibernation for a while, at least that's how it would seem. In the very early hours of sleep deprivation (otherwise known as the beginning of motherhood) I was in desperate need of some comfort knitting.

Fortunately, I had some one-of-a-kind hand dyed sock yarn on hand and no idea what to do with it.

You can always knit a pair of socks. You can, but no new mom should be forced to make 2 of a thing, not unless she really wants to. It can be a struggle to juggle a tiny little babe, no less than 4 tiny little dpns or a tiny little circular needle for magic looping, a ball of yarn as well as keeping track of where your sanity disappeared to. And then have to repeat the process because not many people only need one sock. Trust me on this.

There isn't a bag hidden away with two different socks and 2 balls of yarn in it. (It's in plain sight, mocking me and my cold feet)

So what to knit?

It had to be a luxury item compatible with grabby hands and unfortunate spillage. Luckily, I had some gorgeous yarn at hand that's also easy to wash.

And that, as they say, was only the beginning. The Big Plan?

Baby, it's on...

Scottish Sundays, of milestones and how they hurt when you loose your balance.

Yes, still alive. Hai. Let's move on.

Last week I was confronted with my goals and wishes as they were when I started therapy about 9 months ago. There was little more to do but laugh about them and how they relate to now. I get to go on without the training wheels.
Oddly, it feels like hard work now that I'm officially declared sane enough to be left to my own devices. It's been a lot of Me Me Me Show* which I suppose is a necessary thing to deal with the Not Me Not Me Not Me Show** of the last years. Now it's more or less dealt with and every day has become more about NOW and how to make that work instead of the What If's of yesteryear, and about finding balance... Right.

Balance is not my best quality, which you would be able to tell if you were behind me at leaving the cinema last friday. No alcohol involved, just relative darkness etc. It's not something I possess in oodles, but something one can aspire to, can't one?

Anyway, during the time I just really didn't feel like blogging much, I've been trying to get out of the dip left by the high of the night of the performance (the higher the high, the lower the low?) which was great fun, and led to much hurt and drunk idiocy and trying to fit in without my wing-lady. It hurt the head and the soul, but dear therapist, who we ran into at the bar, said I looked really in my element. So, obviously, drunk and surrounded by relative strangers is where I really come into being me.***

Also during the non-blogging, 1 baby was born, a set of twins wasn't, and still isn't yet born, and then another baby. Are they handing them out for free or something? So including the twins, 4 are still to be born this year. Unless someone still has a surprise to tell me, I think that's quite plenty. One can only do so much baby-knitting in a year, can't they?
On a more serious note, the inevitable baby boom one encounters at this age does reinforce the notion of living life through others. People all around are getting settled, or at least have started a long process of doing up their dream home in order to get settled there. They are doing things that, I can only assume, make them happy in their being. So when those around us are taking the steps that some of us can't just yet, it is sometimes a little difficult to deal with those who don't appreciate what they have. While I'm very happy for people to vent their peeves (after all, that's what this blog is for sometimes) and make their own decisions about their lives, I'm often left baffled by the level of complaint and the decisions that are made. I'll have to go by the assumption that's just me not understanding others and their choices and remain silent in my bewilderment.****

Anyway, it's not all doom and gloom. Fancy me, being annoyed at not going out on an evening for feeling horrible? Uhuh, it happened, and again the next evening. I am still a bit bummed for missing the concert, but everything hurt, so sitting outside in the cold was not the best thing to do.
On my list is start Oboe lessons in the new school year, finally digitising a pattern, reading a few books and one day, maybe, book DH a ticket. You know, nice things. For now, I must continue knitting.


with this, for one of them unborn babs. 5 weeks to finish, or thereabouts. Oh, and send a bunch of postcard which have been sitting on a shelf for weeks. You know, now my head's out of my ass?

Disclaimer:
Due to the nature of my dwellings I encounter a lot of young parents, as well as in my personal, online and professional lives. My disbelief and bafflement can be contributed to all of you and no one in particular. Please assume I am talking about someone else. I probably am.




* Copyright to Louise J Hunt.
** No one in their right mind should want to own copyright to that.
*** Not really.
**** These things end up on the please kick my butt list