I’m doing better

By Lisa | December 18, 2007

Hi all -

Just a quick note amidst the Christmas rushing that I am doing better — thanks to acupuncture. While I’m a bit freaked out that I am paying someone money to stick me full of needles, I am thrilled to have some relief.

Typing is still a bit troublesome which makes work…um…interesting.

But I can knit without my fingers doing an impression of “blocks of ice” — and I can spin! Unfortunately, between the kitchen reno (still waiting on countertop but otherwise its working) and the carpal tunnel, I lost significant Holiday Knitting time. Still there are some FOs coming up…and some pics of the kitchen. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to update.

Thanks to everyone for the notes of concern. The potential loss of my hands (I know that sounds wierd) was really pretty scary for a few days there. It helped to know that many others have had this problem too!

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Short…I hope…hiatus

By Lisa | November 29, 2007

The kitchen has definitely taken up a lot of time and energy lately. And its coming along fine. I have a working kitchen which is all I can ask for right now.

This is not why I am declaring a hiatus.

My hands are numb and its 24 hours a day at this point…it seems likely to be carpal tunnel, but could also be pinching in my neck. Eitherway, I can only type or knit for short periods of time.

I will try to post pics occasionally and even some knitting if I don’t have to quit altogether for a while (cross fingers I don’t).

I can’t tell you how depressing this is, given I am a fibre fiend. Sucks completely when you can’t actually feel the yarn!

I am off to the dr’s soon and checking out acupuncture tomorrow morning.

Cross fingers for me…and if anyone has any good advice or experiences please let me know!

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Show some love!

By Lisa | November 23, 2007

Hey guys -

Chriss of the comments – spinner, knitting teacher extraordinaire, designer and all around nicest of persons – has opened her online shoppe! Head on over to check out roving handspun, stitch markers and buttons.

I beg you…someone please buy the purples and blues roving…my stash is bursting at the seams and no more roving is allowed in until some goes out!

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Hey!

By Lisa | November 19, 2007

“Um…Miss? Back in here in the last row! Waving my hand in the air!!!”

Many apologies to everyone for not posting, commenting on other blogs or even, really, knitting much at all.

Normally I’d skip the excuse and get to the good stuff…except there is no good stuff, only the excuse.

I am renovating the kitchen. Yes, still.

I am in the third circle of hell. How do I know this?

First, there is no running water.
Second, there is no counter upon which to put my screwdriver which is probably why I keep losing it.
Third, I am glad I got my tetanus shot booster.
Finally? There’s no yarn here and the last time I picked up a knitting needle was to clear the vacuum hose that was clogged with bits of vintage linoleum.

Please save me.

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Thanks to SP10 – goodbye kitchen from hell – Hello startitis!

By Lisa | October 28, 2007

(insert usual bloggy excuses for lameness of recent blogs, lack of updating and general laziness. Done? Good…let’s move on…)

First up…recent acquisitions and mergers!

First of all, there was a serious destashing that involved handing off some really yummy yarn I knew I’d never get around to knitting, or it was really nice stuff but not in a colour that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I think that since this is a hobby I should only work with the warm and fuzzy stuff right? Right!
I didn’t take a picture of the bag’o'wool that I took over to my buddy’s place but let’s just say that she recently got re-bitten by the knitting bug, I owed her some $ so we agreed that I would send some yarn her way. I parted with some handspun and no small amount of sock yarn. She’s happy and now I have room in my shelves for this stuff -

Delicious package from my SP10 pal (who still hasn’t told me who she/he is!) From left to right: RowanTapestry, Artesano hummingbird, Colinette Jitterbug, and Colinette Parisienne. Yummy!

Knit-Wise SoySilk lace weight in yellow-orange. Its 100g with a whopping 1400 yds in it. It feels a bit stiff so I’ll be interested to see how it knits up and if it softens up at all. I have no plans for it…yet. Purchased at the Ottawa Knitting Guild Vendor night from Yarn Forward.

Some people got to go to Rhinebeck. Nancy, Leanne and I went to Poor Woman’s Rhinebeck (Nancy gets the credit on that one). I found a terrific kit with lace blocking wires (sorryI don’t remember the vendor). Here’s what else I got:

200 grams of Fleece Artist Silk Merino sliver…isn’t it shiny?!

Last of all, I was in Merrickville this weekend for a few hours and was about to leave when I spotted a promising little antique shop. I walked through and then decided to double check the sunporch area which had all the nifty antique farm implements. I looked up and spotted these dangling from the ceiling – so here they are dangling from mine:

Sock blockers! Don’t ask me how old they are, I have no idea. But the wood is nicely worn and they look like they were well used and loved.

Next up…new projects! I have NO idea what the hell has happened to my brain but suddenly I want to cast on EVERYTHING I have waiting in the wings…and some other stuff besides. I think its the cooler weather. I love fall – it always feels like the beginning of the year to me and my energy seems to peak. So, I just decided to stop judging myself for so many projects and just do what I want, rather than what I think I should.

Henry - as previously mentioned. Now that I have finished one of the seven repeats, this is going to be a looong knit. For my dad, for Christmas. Maybe.

Charlotte’s Web Shawl - but not in Koigu – that’s Handmaiden 2 ply silk cashmere that has been hanging out in my stash for 2 years. Probably the most expensive yarn I own. This pattern fits my criteria for this yarn perfectly – pretty and worn against the skin. It will be a small shawl – but perfect for wearing with a coat.

Latvian mittens – specifically the Mittens from the District of Latgale from Lizbeth Upitis’ book . I am modifying the pattern because there are 8 rows of that braid you see and knitting it is awful! – Each braid is two rows of alternate colour purling. The yarn tangles, its slow and makes me want to scream! So I am going to add a whole bunch of extra patterning in the wrist portion and skip the damn braiding.

Next up – breaking out the sewing machine. My 1995 wedding dress was looking pretty dated:

Last weekend I began deconstructing it – removing the skirt and all the beading around the neckline, arms and waist. I will be dying the silk a deep blue and I picked up some dupioni silk to dye as well. The plan is to make a quilt for Madeline as a keepsake. I was able to pull hundreds of beads off it too. I would like to use my handspun natural alpaca and make a beaded stole as a gift to Alex should he ever marry – I have some time since he’s only 8. I’ll post some pictures as soon as the dyeing is done.

Close up of the back detail and embroidery on the silk.

And finally – the money is starting to disappear as I buy the stuff for my new kitchen. The reno is going to be the week of Nov 12th. I get to say goodbye to this:

And maybe more notably this little monstrosity that drips no matter how often we tighten or replace the do-hickey’s inside the thingamajig.

If you are still with me…thanks for hanging in there!

Posted in dyeing, knitting, socks, spinning, swaps | 8 Comments

Now we are ten…

By Lisa | October 18, 2007

Tomorrow Madeline turns 10…and I guess so do I!

I try to celebrate a bit the day before – the anniversary of the day I finally went into labour with her. Becoming a parent is such a huge life-altering event -more so than any birthday or anniversary – that I think its important to take a day to remember too. Frankly Mother’s Day doesn’t do much for me and its too much a Hallmark holiday. So today I am a ten-year old mother and its been quite a rush! I think I’m doing pretty good…although I think I was just lucky to have such a great kid!

Here she is…and she’s 10…how cool is that!!!

Visiting Disney World

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A new definition

By Lisa | October 15, 2007

Depressing: Adding a map to your blog and only having one spot on it (and you know its yours).

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Stopping by with thank yous!

By Lisa | October 1, 2007

Thanks to everyone for the insightful and supportive comments on my earlier post. I am feeling more at peace now that some time has passed and I’ve come to accept a new phase of being in my own skin. Its pretty damned comfortable here (if slightly roomier than I like!).

My last two weeks have been unbelieveably busy but here are the highlights…

1. I don’t normally blog about work or even brag about it, but I was the lead on the team that did the focus group testing, branding and creative for this. And last week we got an award for it!

2. I made two trips to Toronto in two weeks (please don’t ask how much time I spent in the car – I’m still having post-traumatic stress disorder reactions). The good thing was a very fruitful trip to Romni which may have resulted in some spending. For once I went there with an agenda in mind – I wanted fiber for Henry, Charade (scroll down a bit to see the lovely ribbon cardi wrap from Annie Modesitt’s Romantic Handknits book) and more Noro Kureyon for Lizard Ridge.

I couldn’t afford the Berroco Zen at $13-$15 per ball. I needed 1o balls so I went on a hunt around the store for a worsted weight ribbon. I found Romni’s own labeled brand in 100% silk – more yardage per ball (I only needed 7) and only $7.99 each. I wasn’t keen on any of the colours so I grabbed white white and will dye it myself.

For Henry I got (be still my heart) – Lana Grossa Seta Cashmere - gorgeous! And yes I’ve cast on and damn are those rows EVER LONG!!!

3. http://www.needleartsbookshop.com/- open house! I trekked back into Toronto from Whitby on Saturday to get to this sale. I have been desperately wanting the Latvian Mittens book ever since the Harlot knit a pair (remember the ones where she ended up with two right-handed mittens?) a while back. Plus I am obsessed with really complicated colourwork mittens.

I might have also slightly enhanced the stash with this and this (scroll down to see the wool) in black to make it out of.

4. Ava and Luke – I had a lovely time cuddling the little ones at wannabaa’s (of the comments). Luke is definitely 2 but not terrible at all – he so energetic and the way he talks totally cracks me up. Ava is adorable. Which is a good thing because Ava is not the happiest baby and at this point I suspect that a fierce maternal sense of responsibility and the cuteness might be the only things keeping her from going out with the trash once a week. Having a newborn is hard enough…a newborn determined not to sleep and only soothed by nursing or being carried a certain way quickly drains a whole lot of joy from the whole experience. Hopefully she’ll get happier when she can more and express herself more clearly. In the meantime, send good thoughts to wb – she needs ‘em!

Hopefully soon again…with pictures. Not much in the way of FOs and way too many UFOs but it does make for interesting blogging.

Posted in books, kids, knitting, life, travel | 5 Comments

Huh??

By Lisa | September 14, 2007

What are you doing here?

The new Knitty is up.

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How do you fill the empty spaces?

By Lisa | September 13, 2007

My marriage ended about 5.5 years ago after 11 years of being together. I can only describe the time before I met K (BK) and after (AK) as times of desperation – wanting to have a relationship, believing with all my heart that love was out there etc etc. And while I was married I always felt there could be something more or better than what I had. After a 2.5 year relationship (call it a rebound that last WAY too long if you like) I’ve now been on my own and not really looking for about 2 years.

The thing is…I like it.

For most this would be enough. As in “I’m here and I’m happy – don’t question it.” If you know me however, this kind of staying still is not in my nature. I don’t exactly excel at living in the moment. In the past, looking for something “more” or looking to the future meant a relationship and somehow everything else – the job, the house, the extras that make life what it is – would just…well…follow. So for well over a year I have not, for the first time in over 25 years, been looking for “love.”

Lots of reasons for this have filtered through my head:
- I don’t want to compromise with someone
- I don’t want to deal with someone else’s baggage/crap/opinions/judgements
- I am not particularly loveable (more of a premenstrual opinion)
- I am not at my best in a relationship
- Sex is messy and I don’t want to deal with it right now
- I don’t want to have to live up to someone else’s expectations

Not that these really matter, because what I realize is that the absence of the Relationship Goal has left a void that I don’t know how to fill. I don’t know how to live if I am not looking for that thing.

So instead, I obsess about why I don’t want it. I try to decide if not wanting it is healthy. I try to decide if I don’t want it because I am broken. I try to figure out if I have become either a) a lesbian or b) asexual or c) monosexual. I suspect that c is the most likely but think that expecting to live the rest of my life without sex with another person is a bit ludicrous.

I realize I had so much invested in this great search that without it I am at a bit of a loss when it comes to envisioning the future.

So if you have any suggestions for how to replace desire and passion for another person with desire and passion for yarn, and still be able to make mortgage payments, I’d be happy to consider any and all options.

Posted in life | 9 Comments