lulubeans

FO: milkweed shawl, + other stuff

pattern: milkweed shawl by laura chau (ravelry link)

yarn: lulubeans handpainted sock

needle: US 4

totally embarrassing confession: while i was knitting this, i kept getting kelis' milkshake stuck in my head, only i replaced "shake" with "weed" (i know, there's some stonerific word play there, har, har).  and it's NOT that my milkweed is better than yours, or anyone's, it's totally NOT, and yet, it was impossible to keep that song out of my head.  impossible!

i was really happy to: a) finish something that required a little bit of concentration (not a TON, but enough that i had to start it over a few times.  my days have been so incredibly baby-centric as of late, and it feels really nice to say that i made something other than a mad dash for the toilet before miss speedy crawler puts her mouth on it.)  and b) give this to a friend who makes me feel really lucky and happy and normal and sane and thankful and all that awesome stuff that a good friend can make you feel. 

other stuff:

-a little yoga in the morning, even if it's completely half-assed yoga, with a baby crawling all over me and sticking her fingers in my nose, makes a lot of things a lot better.   i am so glad that amy karol blogged about yoga today's free stuff on youtube; it's totally upped my quality of life, honestly!

-i am hoping to lacto-ferment turnips + beets today.  yesterday i made yogurt cheese and saved the whey.  i hoping that adding more probiotic foods to our repertoire will help keep us healthy through the winter, and this is where my flu worries have led me.  there's a great article about food and immunity building here and while a lot of the weston price/nourishing traditions stuff makes me kind of squeamish + uncomfortable (ie, the enthusiasm for organ meats, homemade liver formula for babies, the use of the phrase politically correct as a slur) i can totally get on board for all the fermented stuff.  

-our downstairs neighbors left a giant pumpkin, a jar of homemade wild blackberry jam and a cool bowl for greta on our landing last night. our next door neighbors took natasha down to her bus stop so that greta could sleep in this morning after a hard, restless night.  (she's sloooowly working on her first tooth.)  our neighbors all around us look out for each other's kids and i know it sounds awfully corny, but they all extend so many small kindnesses and make me feel so thankful for the sense of community we share here.  thank you, neighbors!

hello, with pictures

this weekend we went to a fair:

it was fun but so pricey!

and today i made soup.

it's hot and sour with lots of napa cabbage from this week's csa offerings.  i totally improvised and it's so delicious that i could eat a big trough of it, right now. sadly (but also kind of luckily for me) no one else in the house will even try it. 

also:

i am looking forward to seeing this movie this weekend.

i am about 1/5th of the way through sleeve number 2 of february lady. i'm going to wear the hell out of that sweater this fall.

and my favorite for last: at 16 weeks,  i am most definitely feeling little tiny miniature kicks and thumps. the midwives came over today and for the second time, we got to hear baby's heartbeat. swish*swish*swish*swish*swish.
it's so cool.

happy saturday morning

I'm feeling it.

Enjoying: Good strong coffee, cutting felt, playing cards with my best wee girl.

Looking forward to: A walk in the woods, maybe a little thrifting, definitely some crafting, definitely lots of cooking and lots of eating.

Skipping: Yoga class. I'll start again next week.

Hoping: That your weekend is chock full of the things you love too!

in with the new

    I think that it might be my lot in life to be just slightly behind,  but I'm here and I'm wishing the best for all of  in the new year.      I wish for you to find beauty where ever you find it.    For myself, I am resolving to look harder, to see better, to slow down, to move my body more and my anxious mind a little less.    I am learning to do a better job savoring where I am in life,   loving those dear to me better and with more patience, and all that other being-fully-in-the-moment-etc things.     For me, a big piece of this is accepting that even though I want to be doing a million plus more things in my creative life,  that it really is ok to take breaks and to go with the flow even when it doesn't feel like it's actually flowing at all.

     Part of loving where I am in life right now is going to involve feeling more at home in my new home.    I am finally saying "uncle" and admitting that this move has been a way bigger (and in some ways harder) adjustment for me than I had anticipated.    I want to be more present in my environment, in this new neighborhood and in these new rooms.    Both metaphorically and literally,   I need to find the sweet spots in this house where the light hits just right,  and I have to accept that this may take time.    I haven't even attempted any real yarn photos yet because I just have this hunch that it is going to be tough.    I am planning on taking my camera out of the house more, hopefully on daily dog walks,  and taking the time to see my surroundings in a more thoughtful way.

 

 

This is my favorite image from this morning's walk, and there are a few more on my Flickr, should you care to take a peek. 

Happy New Year, friends, and thank you for being a part of my life.

moved in

    It's been a little while since I've had the energy to post.    A little while with no internet, and what feels like a long while devoted to cleaning, packing, unpacking, painting, organizing, drilling, fixing, and making a place that did not feel at all homey (so smoky, grease splattered, beaten down and just plain dirty)  feel like home.    We didn't even think to take "before" pictures because all of our energy has been so focused on improving this place.    It is starting to feel good.   It is starting to feel like it is all coming together. 

Here and there

 

there and here

 

sometimes just in brief glimpses...

...it's starting to look like home.  To feel like home. 

  And see that cozy little girl there?  She turned five yesterday!   FIVE.    It blows my mind.  She had a great but maybe slightly overwhelming birthday.   The above image captures one of the day's few moments of repose.  We are planning a lazy day for today,  staying here, at home.   

if at first you don't succeed...

....dig that bottle of Manic Panic out of hiding and attempt to make the incredibly botched, incredibly not subtle highlights look intentional and funky and maybe, hopefully, somewhat attractive.

If that doesn't work out so well, rummage through underwear drawer until a misfit long-adandoned random knitted object is found. While knowing full well that the simple lace of the once-neckwarmer, now-handband in no way hides the garish dye job, hope against hope that a little silk/alpaca in a dignified plum somehow makes the "Wildfire" Manic Panic a little less... obnoxious?

Now, the big question is, do I embrace the obnoxious and whip up some more headbands, or do I make a run to the drugstore for a box of something more natural? Honestly, the first option sounds like more fun, but I am on (over?) the fence as far as work appropriateness.

Ah well, it is only hair. And I am off to dye the the stuff that I have way better luck with.

Happy Wednesday!

balmy beach day in october

Here is a little mosiac to illustrate my day yesterday:

I can't believe my kid was able to swim in October!   In Maine!  The ocean up here is usually so icy.  Getting your feet wet on a hot day in July can be a painful experience.  And ok, maybe swimming is a bit of a stretch- I guess it would be more accurate to define yesterday's activity as a series of quick dunks and sprints.  Whatever you want to call it, it was good times. 

On today's menu: updating the yarn shop.  For those of you waiting, that does mean more Banana Peppers (and an array of other fibery delights!) are on the way, hopefully up by 4pm EST today.   Yikes!  That means I had better get to work!

where the day goes

     I am borrowing my friend Meg's post theme for today, mainly because I have not been feeling super duper productive lately and I need to get out of my wallow-y funk and remind myself of what I actually do accomplish daily.

Of course,   my days are shaped by little bitsy bit, whose care and entertainment keeps me very much on my toes:

 

She is in school 5 mornings a week, and her school is a teeny coop, which means that I spend a good deal of time there too, helping in the classroom. 

 

 

I also work outside of the house, 20+ hours a week.  I work as an educator/counselor in a health clinic.  I love, love, love my work, but it can be exhausting sometimes. 

 

There is s some yarn spinning in each day too.  If a day goes by without any, I tend to feel a little lost. 

 

I really wish that I had more time to focus on knitting, and more time to sew.  But in truth,  I often feel like I am bouncing from one thing to the next and there is never enough time for everything that I want to do craft-wise.  (I am sure I am far from alone in feeling that way!)  Not to mention spending the occasional moment or two alone with my husband or keeping up with the endless housework or keeping things going with my website or walking the dog, and now, weeding that little garden.   Balance is a tough, tough thing.  It's something that I hope, one day, to feel on a very consistent basis.  It might take awhile, but I do think I am getting there.

 

happy friday!

Today I did some dyeing.   Some sock yarn, some merino roving, and some mohair boucle.  I washed some yarn too, and did a little bit of spinning.  I even got in a teeny bit of knitting.  I am almost done with a bonnet-y hat  that I think will be N's primary hat this winter.  There was even some dish washing, some house tidying and some coffee drinking in my friend's backyard while children frolicked.  A productive day, and with perfect weather to boot.

Without seque, Spike says hi.

 

He is peeking out from behind the Swedish ivy, standing guard over a really pathetic little pot of parsley.

This little dude is saying hi too.

I will leave you with a couple of bobbin shots from today:

 

Happy weekend everyone!   I am hitting some yard sales tomorrow, hurrah!

caution, meet the wind

Fall is nudging its way into the air, and I've been feeling a mental shift.  It's time for new starts.  As much as I love the exuberance of summer, fall is the time of change and possibility, the eternal first day of school. In the spirit of new things, a new blog. I'm excited!