Christmas Knitting

Shhhhhhh...

Cool Socks

I am pleased to announce the completion of a second pair of socks for my boy.

These are exceptionally cool.

Someone agrees.

Belfast Mini-Mills

Knitting is a relatively new hobby for me. I used to do pottery but it takes me out of the house so much. Knitting is completely portable, it's social (eg. I can visit while I knit), and I can make gifts for people again, whether they like it or not.





I just drew my brother-in-law's name for Christmas. He's probably having nightmares about homemade sweater vests with matching neckties.





My husband is skeptical. I tend to get really enthusiastic about things (yoga, pottery, writing, kayaking...and now knitting). I still don't know how, but I convinced him to head up to Belfast Mini-Mills to go yarn shopping. We picked up Kieran's Grammy...and then our brother-in-law and all the cousins decided to come. In all, we had two women, two men, and five boys--maybe that's not the expected demographic for a knitting field trip but it worked out great. You see, with knitting comes farm animals.

Belfast Mini-Mills sells yarn that they produce from start to finish: cleaning, spinning, dyeing. They also have a little tea house that we didn't know about until we arrived. Oh well, we went to the drive-in restaurant in Montague...chocolate milkshake...mmmmm...

Are ewe feeling sheepish?

Such a "Lama Queen"

so many colours

Speaking of knitting, I just finished this little project called "Fresh Picked Baby Hat." I used Sublime Soy Cotton DK that I bought at Picket Fences in Brockville. Again, it's a baby hat and a four year old is wearing it...my tension is a little loose.

http://www.minimills.net/

Belfast Mini-Mills

1820 Garfield Road, RR#1

PEI, C0A 1A0

902-659-2202

Winning Some

I never did seal the grout on this table, which means it's vulnerable to stains and such. I made the tiles when I was taking pottery at the college and they each represent a part of PEI. The tree is an image of the crooked tree that hung out over our bank--it's more of a memorial now since the tree was cut down...without my consultation. That's another story.



The centre mosaic is obviously the sun and then, fish. I painted the wood ivory and then distressed it with a palm sander. The point is, I love this table. I'm proud of it. It was a lot of work but I took something that was a little rough and gave it a new meaning.

I must admit that I was actually admiring it this morning while I sat on the couch knitting and drinking coffee. My latest gossip magazine (guilty pleasure) was waiting to be read and my laptop had yet to be turned on. The happy sounds of Kieran's play narrative filled the room.



Somewhere in my happy daydream/admiration, I heard Kieran call me. I guess I wasn't prompt enough in my answer because, before I realized his intent, he marched over and dumped my coffee all over the table.



I managed to save my knitting and laptop. The magazine was ruined and the rug got stained. With the help of my little mischief-maker, the table was salvaged after a good scrub. My lovely, relaxing morning was turned upside down in an instant and I looked at my son wondering what exactly makes him tick to do such a thing. I remember thinking that it was going to be a bad day. And I wondered if my beautiful child was a sociopath. Well, not really. But I was darn mad.

Well, this is how the day ended. We all headed to the beach for a walk after supper and Kieran chased his father's shadow the whole way. It wasn't a bad day after all. And my table is just fine...even if the rug isn't.

You win some...you know the rest...

Knitting

Knitting is going well. I've actually started to complete some of my projects. I even enlisted a model to show off my latest pieces.

Here is my felted bag. When I knitted it, it was HUGE. Then, my friend Jackie felted it in her washing machine. Kieran says it would be perfect for his cars but I have other plans for it. The nice thing about bags for gifts is that one doesn't have to worry about sizing.

I also finished one half of my sock project and am delighted to report that I'm almost finished the second. The bad news is that they are quite different. Apparently, my tension has changed. One sock is a little billowy while the other is more snug. Oh well! The recipient is exceedingly pleased--except for the fact that they likely won't fit until he's ten.

Knit On...

Has it been a week since my last posting? Didn't I just post yesterday? Wow! What a busy seven days. It must be the end of the semester. Well, things should slow down. After all, it is exam time now...and I am a drama teacher. How nice not to have a stack of English exams and culminating tasks to mark. Shhhhh...

Don't worry, though. I'm still as busy as the rest of the world. I've been writing plays, rehearsing plays, marking plays, and begin auditioning for plays tomorrow. My life is about plays.

And about banana-mashing.

And about finally finishing my crooked rug-hooking project (almost)...

And about making blueberry-applesauce...

And about knitting...

Shari and I had an official knitting lesson from Jackie last week. I opted for a project that doesn't require a pair. That way, once I finish making my hat, it's finished. I don't have to start all over and that simply increases the chances that I'll complete it.

There's something to this knitting thing. I know why Jackie "gets her knit on" during times of stress and why Ruthie has been encouraging me for years. One can chat while knitting (unlike the anti-social hobby of writing or reading) and at the same time, produce a home-made item that's good for the soul. So, rather than sit around with friends and talk about our worries/fears/problems, we kind of work them away. We might talk about the dark side but our hands are busy so somehow it's cleansing. I find that, at the end of the day during this long and emotional week, knitting gives me solace.

Writing gives me escape.

Knitting grounds me.

But I never expected my little knitting project to be so coveted. That's why the photo above shows my knitting laying on the floor. It's not because I'm a slob who just tosses things onto the floor--don't worry, mom. It's because my cat finds it no matter where I put it. It's because my three year old likes to "twirl it so fast." I have to hide my knitting and I can't knit in front of child or feline. Strange. I always pictured myself by the fire knitting while my cat slept beside me and my child read on the floor. Instead, it's like I'm defending the Holy Grail from falling into the wrong hands.

I think Mike is after my knitting as we speak. What diabolical dead is he planning?

Better go.