Flight of Fancy

Introducing the Flight of Fancy... a scarf that's more than a swatch.

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When I was in Napa, I was introduced to the lovely concept of tasting flights – a carefully selected sampling of wines. Sometimes they are thematic, and sometimes they’re just a chance to try different types.
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With all the yarn samples, yarn tastings, and yarn leftovers in my life, I realized I wanted something similar; something to evaluate the yarns and how they behave in a few basic stitch configurations. I developed this so that it can be knit for an infinite length with an infinite number of yarns – whether you have just enough handspun to make a muffler, or you have an entire smorgasbord of yarns to make a long, striped scarf.
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Whatever you call your finished project, you’ll have something that shows you how stockinette, reverse stockinette, seed stitch, and cables look in your chosen yarns. And as part of the process, you get to wind all your wee bits of yarn into one big, fun ball - it's like a magic trick!
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As I mentioned, I've designed it for Bess & Make 1's fall retreat; if you're lucky enough to be going, you'll be getting a copy. It's also available now for $2.oo USD.

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I'm finding it amazingly compelling to be able to compare the different yarns as the stripes get knit out of the ball!

The Most Dangerous Drawer

You know, in the middle of the night last night, I mentally composed a lovely post about parenthood, and how I really feel about it, and how it's making me a better person.
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But, it was the middle of the night. And Eleni woke up again... and again... and again, for good (or at least the morning) at 4:47. The man looked surprised when he got downstairs at 6:20 and found us watching Sex & the City reruns.

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Any rate. Here is a picture of the single most dangerous drawer in my house instead of a poetic, moving, coherent post.

Contrary to what you may think, it is organized. It's in my sewing desk, and the danger factor comes in when you calculate how many scissors, seam rippers, rotary cutter blades, and pointy things in general are in there and multiply it by my propensity to rummage through wildly, looking for scissors, seam rippers, rotary cutter blades, and pointy things in general.

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(I'll post about finished projects one of these days. Promise.)

Wait, Maybe It's Not So Bad...

Well, several hours later & things have improved; most notably, my mood. My back is still painful, but the man & Am are out gardening, and I'm watching El demolish some sweet potatoes. We're headed out once the sweet potatoes are totally decimated; I'm aiming to peel the small apples from our tree & try & talk Eleni out of eating any rocks.

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Oh, and also? Amoryn is barefoot.

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(Sadly, that won't be an option once winter comes along...)

Bad Mother Thought Of The Day, Or The Post I Maybe Shouldn't

"I am so sick of her."

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Now really, I know that that's totally inappropriate to say or think. And it's more like, I'm so sick of all the screaming & melodrama & histrionics that she throws at me. When I've surfed the angry high tide of 'NoooOOOOO!!!" more than a dozen times in the first three hours of the day, I just get tired and honestly, I can only go into my personal well of quiet and calm so many times before that sucker runs dry. Then I'm left with no personal reserve, and nothing to offer my other child, my husband, or anyone else in the world.

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I've tried being calm. I've tried being rational. I've tried hugging, and spending a lot more quality time - just one on one - with her. I've tried everything I can think of, and most of what I've read. And honestly, I'm just tired of it. I understand that she's small, and still learning how to control her emotions, and she can't always articulate whats going on in her head. I'm trying to teach her words to use, and methods to calm down, and honestly, I'm at the point where I think I should maybe just teach her how to bottle all of her feelings inside and smile all the time, because this? This is wearing me out.

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I also can't help but wonder - at what point am I creating a monster? I read the Harlot's post the other day, & I totally agree that babies don't cry for attention, to be controlling. They're not logical enough. But maybe three year olds do? And really, is asking someone to put on their socks such a terrible thing?

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The sock thing, incidentally, I'm having a hard time with. I clearly recall being screamed at to "LET ME DO IT MY SELF", so the sudden reversion to "HEEEELLLLP MEEE I CAAAAAN'T DOOOO IT!" is jarring. And something that I have not allowed time for, in the somewhat epic quest to Get Out The Door.

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And really, should I be making her do it herself? Should I help with the socks? Is it backsliding, and potentially very bad to help her put on her socks, or is it only bad if she's screaming about it? I can't think with all the screaming in here!

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Maybe we need to play outside more. But to go outside, we need socks! Agh! Vicious circle strikes again!

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I have nothing else to say, and honestly, not much left to offer today. And it's not even noon. I'm going to inhale deeply, try to get us outside, and try not to lose my sh*t in the process of trying to teach my children how to keep a grip on theirs*. Wish me luck.

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(Helpful hints are welcome in the comments. I'm in the process of reading "How To Raise Your Spirited Child". And my sacrum locked up on Thursday, so once that's recovered, I'll have more to offer.)

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*I feel compelled to note that that's figurative sh*t, by the way.

Sometimes Unexepected News Is Bad

I should be knitting right now. I've got a deadline, and I've got yarn & needles, but I'm feeling sad. So perhaps telling you, the intarweb about it, will help.

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A beautiful woman died yesterday. She would have been forty or so next month, and we haven't been in touch in forever. I knew she'd been having health troubles, but didn't realize that they were that extreme.

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She was my first babysitter; or at least, our first regular babysitter. I understand now how tricky it can be to find a sitter who meshes with your children... so who know how many sitters didn't mesh, or care for a repeat engagement.

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I was a very awkward, dreamy, little kid. She was the first person who ever made me feel cool. She let me stay up late - after my brothers went to bed, even! - and we would watch movies together. I particularly remember a movie about a teenage glamor queen who got mad at her parents (or some kind of authority) and cut her hair short & spiked it & the only reason the hero recognized her is because she was wearing knickers that said "I (heart) YOU".

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Anyways. Staying up late watching movies with her was the first time that I ever felt cool. And that was such a gift for my self-confidence - to have someone - a sophisticated girl with a driver's license! - laugh at my jokes, let me stay up late.

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I realize now that it wasn't so much that I felt cool, but that I felt accepted for myself. I wasn't a great fit in small-town Saskatchewan. Being accepted for myself was a great gift that she gave me. (And I have to note here: I have a terrific family, with lots of support and love. But when you're nine, or eleven, or fourteen, your mother's support & approval just isn't, well, very cool. Even when you have a cool mom. Because you know, mom's are supposed to say nice things to you & love you & junk. So, for a while, it's almost like that doesn't count.)

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I'm sad because I didn't realize what an impact she had on my life until she was gone. I never had a chance to hug her - adult to adult - and say "thanks". I'm sad that I won't be able to make it to her funeral & try to give some comfort to her family.

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And I'm mostly sad for her family - because if she meant that much to me, how much more did she mean to them?

Mistaken Mistake!

One small error has been found - on page three, in Section III: Edging, row 11 should read:
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R11: K1FB, *P3, K3* until 4 st before M, P4, slM, P1, K3, P1, slM, P4, *K3, P3* until 1 st before end of row, K1FB (inc2)
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The error is now fixed, but if you downloaded the pattern prior to Sept 20, 2010, please make a note!
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It's still free on Ravelry though! And let's face it, winter is coming, and a nice, thick, cushy shawl is something we could all use.
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download now
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PS: Thanks to T____ for her vigilant reading of the pattern!

Just So You Know.

This isn't even a sticky note day; sticky notes days are more organized.
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First, please note that proper attire for knit designers includes but is not limited to a pair of sparkly star antennae.

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And they need penguin assistants.

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That's what the princess tells me, anyways.

(That's her "SMILE" face. She's going to Cuba once she's done her phone call. If only she could get decent coverage! Can you hear me now?) (She's also not having afternoon naps anymore.)
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If you've every watched Eleni eat, and wondered where such a dainty little thing puts it all, I have the answer.

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THERE is where she puts it.

(And in her high chair. And the floor. And there was a cheerio in her pantsthe other day...)
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I'm very tempted to put this image on the Xmas card. The guacamole, the spaghetti sauce; the red and the green. Very festive, no?

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Okay, no. But I do want my wrestler name to be "Macaroni Octagon" pronounced MACK-aroni OCK-tagon.

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It is wrong that there is something in this world that tastes like celery & smells like maple syrup. Thankfully, I'm not taking a lot of fenugreek.

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And damn you, Stieg Larsson! Your books are eating up my life. I blame it on the summertime lull of fresh CSI's episodes & the fact that your main character went shopping at Ikea & got an Odvar, an Outgang, and three Billy bookcases. Way to make her universal. Who cares is she lives on Smallagravelinginjbjorn Street, and makes 28,000 kronor? She's got Billy. We've all got Billy.

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You know what else I have? Deadlines. Back to the grind. Thanks for letting me share, Intarweb. Deadlines seem to increase the number of random things swirling about me, and I always feel better & more able to focus if I can get them out, somehow.

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Okay, penguin. So, I'm thinking that a YO, K2tog pairing....

Well, Lookit That!

No, not really. I want to have a show'n'tell post about what I've knit, spun, sewn, & stashed this summer... but the camera is over there & everything else is all over the place. So that's for another day.

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Today was exciting - Am & I went to our first parent/tot dance class. She's technically old enough to go to a class by herself, but I know my girl, and part of her personality is the desire to observe new activities before she participates. You know, just to make sure she knows what she's getting into.

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I'm hopeful that she'll hold onto that well into her teenage years. I remember one conversation in particular with my mother that started off with her saying "Tell me what you think you did wrong..." and me replying "Well, I just wanted to have a little fun, and ..."

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Anyways. We carefully watched the dance class together, and had a lovely huggle, and subtly wiggled along to the music. I figured that there's no point in pushing her into anything; this is supposed to be fun after all. Then we went for a stroll on 17th. A two & a half loop took about an hour & a half... again, I let Am set the pace. It was nice though; I let go of my agenda & just people watched & sauntered along. I guess you could say we "Am"bled along!

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Now we're back, lunched up, and Eleni is napping. I'm off to the basement to finish some sewing projects - I don't like to sew when El is awake, as the combination of the iron on "HIGH/LINEN", and Eleni crawling around & pulling herself up seems particularly ominous.

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The sewing projects will end up in the show'n'tell post, I promise. One is exceeding my expectations, and one is, well, hm. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out, but it's not going badly, per se. I'm just a little out of practice at that kind of thing.

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Off to the iron - and the ominous project of pressing several yards of bias tape. *wince* Here's hoping that I don't steam scald any of my knitting fingers...

Thank Heavens That's Over

I got a haircut yesterday. It was a dramatic change - I like my hair long, but I was beginning to feel oppressed by the amount I shed. I mean, everyone sheds, but when the hair is like a foot & a half long...

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And then there was the diaper incident with Eleni. I'm not going to say anymore; but the hair had to get shorter.

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I did my research, chatted with a couple of the people important to me, googled about a zillion pictures, picked my favorite ones (including those with curly hair), sent the pics to my hairdresser, and talked to her about what I did & didn't want.

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It should have been great. G___ has been great in the past; I really thought I had it covered this time. But no. Somewhere along the line, I was misinterpreted.

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I put my glasses on (the real-life version of the big reveal) & thought "errr, no...." I hoped that I was wrong, looked at my watch, realized that I had to go to get Amoryn, and decided to just leave, go get the girl, shower the gunk out of my hair, and see what the cut was really like.

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This was maybe not the best move. Turns out the hair cut was, well, disappointing. The bangs are too short, and the crown was too long. The crown is fixable, but I have to admit that I'm feeling a bit grudging about the bangs. I had like, a foot & a half of hair to work with, people!

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When it was all styled up & I got home, I thought: "I look like Kate Gosselin".

But with shorter bangs. And as C___ pointed out, not even Kate Gosselin looks like Kate Gosselin anymore.

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After I washed it & tried a variety of things, I established that I could look like a weird amalgam of two of the Three Stooges , or like that guy from the Flock Of Seagulls.

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Yes indeed. It was that bad. So I called my hairdresser, and after several conversations, we established that there was maybe an opening for tonite, but no, howzabout Friday? But no, Saskatchewan. Howzabout the 16th? I told her point blank that I couldn't wait that long, & if she couldn't help me, I was going to take matters into my own hands. Still nothing.
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So I did something that I haven't done in about a decade. I took blades to my own hair. (A razor this time, and little thread snips. Scissors aren't so great.) I spent a couple years cutting my own hair when I last had it short, so I knew that I could come up with something that wouldn't be so awful.
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I think it's okay - I'll have to live with it for a couple days & see. I might go shorter yet. Hard to say. I'm pleased with the hair being short - I feel liberated! And taller. And less pain - Eleni is quite a grabby little girl.
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And now, the only question left is... since I'm doing the time warp with my hair, do I want to go all the way, stop by the drugstore, and do *something* to the color of my hair????

Great Googelly Moogelly

Well, I have over 1200 pics for August. So I guess I can't say we didn't do anything! Here, in no particular order, are my favorite pics from the last couple weeks.
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Amoryn on Goose Spit, in Comox. Her ability to camouflage herself is truly uncanny, right?

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I'm showing Amoryn a tadpole. This is shortly before she scared the bejeebers out of him.

(Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet. And yes, tadpoles do have bejeebers.)
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Fresh air leads to exhaustion. I like that Rowr is collapsed in the same way that Amoryn is.

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If you're think that this slide required concentration, you're reading Am's body language correctly.

(Tofino)
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One glorious naptime, I sat on the deck & swatched as the tide came in.

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I love swatching in the round - it's such a dog's breakfast on the reverse.

(The yarn is Hasmi's Rocky Mountain Dyeworks , by the way. Scrumptious. More on this project later.)
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What else can I say about this photo? Love, loving, loved.

(Butterfly gardens, Victoria.)
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I don't quite know why this one appeals to me so much - the flamingoes, the mist, the reflections, the absurd shade of pink...

(Also at the butterfly gardens.)

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Eleni just woke up, so I'd best be off. I'm taking it very easy today; mastitis struck yesterday, and while I'm improved, I wouldn't say that I'm better. Judicious application of Thai take out & baby snuggles & an avoidance of all household tasks seem to be helping.

Back From The Coast!

So, here's a random assortment of photos from the man's iPhone...

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Amoryn in Tofino. That's an ice cream cone she's holding.

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And this time, she's passed out in the minivan. (I didn't take a picture of her older cousin L__, who was also passed out.)

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"Tide comes in, girls go out."

(Cabin in Ucluelet.)
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Watching the wildlife...

(Deck in Ucluelet.)

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Hanging out, getting ready to go...

(Ucluelet cabin.)
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Eleni, passed out after a busy morning.

(I know, her neck looks like it's better supported. )
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More tomorrow, after I find the camera cables & get ahead of the laundry a little bit!

Razor Slouch Hat

Please meet the Razor Slouch Hat! This is an idea that's been simmering in my head for a long time. It's based on a traditional Shetland lace pattern known as razor shell. It’s sharp no matter what style of sock yarn you use; semi-solid, space-dyed, or hand painted. There are two sizes to knit, but four sizes in effect - the hat can be blocked larger or unblocked and left smaller.

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It's knit in the round from the brim up to the crown. Both written and charted instructions are included. There are four sizes (in effect) that range from smallest to largest as follows: small, unblocked; large, unblocked; small, blocked; large, blocked. The pink hat is a large & blocked; the green is large & unblocked, and the navy multi is small & blocked.
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The stitch pattern is well defined, so the blocking decision is strictly based on your size preferences. Requirements are: Small(Large) 195m/210yd(220m/240yd) fingering/sock yarn, and a 32” 3.0mm circular needle & a 32” US #7/4.5mm circular needle.
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It's available now for purchase now ($6.00USD); please check out my Ravelry pages for details on the individual hats!

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PS: Big thanks to GoodGriefLucy, for test knitting & making some great text suggestions.

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PPS: I was going to title this post "Women Go Crazy For A Sharp-Dressed Tam", but it's not really a tam, and it doesn't need to be dressed out. And how relevant is ZZ Top these days? Anyways.)

It Just Keeps Coming Back

The laundry, I mean. I got it all folded & even put away. And now... there's another stack on the loveseat. I'd ask how this happens, but I do recall something along these lines...

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(Oatmeal & cheerios.)

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And we went outside...

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And there was much crawling towards rocks to eat...

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And watering of plants... and other fun, summertime, messy things.

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Speaking of other fun things? I scored some fantastic fiber from Make 1 - some of Sweet Georgia's BFL & some Silk Tussah. I may post pics tomorrow, or I might be all tied up with the prepping & packing for Summer Holiday, part II!

It Ain't Gonna Fold Itself

The laundry piles that have been dominating my house for the last week or so have undergone a slight change - they're clean now.

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Still not folded though. I just can't scrape up the desire to fold it.

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You know what I have done?

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I turned this:

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Into this (spun in Saskatchewan, modelled on my piano).

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And then, on a whim, I turned the second half into this:

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Then I plyed them together and came up with about 230m of yum. I mean yarn. (Pigeonroof Studios, TLS Huckleberry, 4.5 oz, 80/10/10 merino/cashmere/nylon, 230m of sport-ish weight.)

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I think I know what I'm going to knit it into. In an effort to get done the laundry though, I'm not going to wind it up until we head for BC next week. It'll be great for holiday knitting.

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Now. Anyone seen any motivation? Because you don't need to be a spinner to see that this.....

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...is so much less tempting that this...

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or this....

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I remember once, when I was living with S____ in MJ, our apartment had a showing. We had a more laissez-faire style of housekeeping (snort), so there was a lot of panicked tidying in the 20 minutes that we had. I threw all the laundry - clean, dirty, miscellaneous - onto my bed and then tossed the comforter over it. Lumpy, but hidden. We put all the dirt dishes under the sink. Dirty, but hidden. It was fine until the potential new tenant looked under the sink to check for mice droppings... It was an important lesson about short cuts. Also, very very funny.

Cheerio Girl

Dear Eleni,

I love you very much and am very proud that you are crawling and feeding yourself.

I'd just like to let you know that when you find small random things* and stuff them into your mouth, I'm not stuffing my fingers into your mouth for you to use as a teething toy. Just sayin'.

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Also, Quit Freaking Biting Me When You Nurse. I respect that your teeth are bothering you; I give you lots of teething toys & cheerios. Please respect that THAT FREAKING HURTS, okay?

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I love you & your sister so much.

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(And I'm charmed that you love yarn so much, but please. Stop chewing on it. You're giving the cat ideas.)

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*Do you have any idea how long I vaccuumed for yesterday? I have no idea where she found that. Perhaps my prior tactic of letting a healthy amount of Cheerios stay on the floor as distractors was the better option. Crunchier underfoot, but that's all that Eleni would try to eat off of the floor.

A Day At The Spa

Rowr has had a busy summer; he's been all over the place. He was even forgotten in Maple Creek and had an exciting ride in a cardboard box, courtesy of Grampa & Canada Post. (When we moved him out of Ruby's way, we moved him out of sight. Moops.)

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As with any well-loved and busy stuffed toy, Rowr is starting to smell & look quite grimy. So, it was spa day.

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This is kind of a strange...

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...spa. This water could be warmer, you know.

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How cruel can you be? I can see you laughing at me! This isn't a spa!

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I wish that I could tell you that I didn't spend long, laughing at Rowr going around and around in the machine. Sadly, the new washer has a timer, so I know exactly how long I spent.

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Likewise, I wish that this was the first blog post that was about the anthropomorphization* & cleaning of a stuffed animal. But no. Sadly not. It's just that kind of blog.

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*Bite me, spellcheck.

And The Next Thing Is...

As I mentioned, we got home from Saskatchewan, & the washer broke. The man made the diagnosis, and the next day we went shopping for a new one.

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Because in a house with two small people, one of whom is (usually) in cloth diapers, you need a washing machine.

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We found a groovy new machine - top load HE with no center thinger & with a clear lid. I anticipate many happy hours - or at least a couple minutes - idly watching it wash. We also found a new fridge & stove, because the stove is a little dodgy (two elements work fine; one does not work at all, and one is, well, odd) and because I have been in love with C____'s fridge for a long time. The longer I loved her fridge, the less I liked ours. I'm tickled to be welcoming a french door/bottom drawer freezer into our home tomorrow, along with a stove with five elements that ALL work, and a washing machine that I can watch swish stuff around. Expect photos.

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Of course, the cable box has also just crapped out. I'd spent a little bit of the holiday missing the 'rewind' & 'pause' function for live tv. Now, it's dead. Sort of a permanent pause, I suspect. It's okay; it just feels like an expensive week.

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And I feel all achey and crappy, so at the risk of being the next thing in the house to break, I think I'm going to have a nap after I finish clearing off the top of the old fridge. I could spin (I'm totally digging the Ashford Joy thus far) or knit, but I don't really feel like it. Which is the biggest warning sign about impending ailments that I know of! To heck with taking my temperature! Offer me some yarn, and watch the response.

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I wonder if I should get a Medic Alert bracelet that notes "Highly Responsive to Fiber"?

Holiday! Part I

Part II of the holiday will be later this month, when we all head to BC to visit a different branch of the family tree. This was all in SW Saskatchewan, and I regret to say that I took hardly any photos. We were too busy enjoying the sun, and chasing both children around.

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I managed to knit, wash, & block a small gauge swatch. I had to use corn-cob stabbers to pin it down, but hey, when you're living rough, you're living rough.

I did get quite a lot of knitting/designing done on one project, and mom worked on a version of Thaylor. That'll likely be ready to publish early next month, I think. If it weren't for these kids that are around the house... and my other knitting project... and the need to sleep...
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These are the morning glories on my parents deck. I love, love, love that they matched the blue of the sky. I also love how confused dad was as I tried to fold myself - and the man's giant zoom lens - low enough to the ground to take this photo. It didn't work, so I got brave & changed the lens.

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I hadn't for these shots - so I was running across the yard backwards, with a giant camera & Eleni in my arms, trying to get far enough away to frame Gramma & Grampa & Amoryn on her First Horse Ride! (Thanks Whiskey.) (I was doing it backwards because I didn't want to miss seeing it either - and I was pretty sure that I remembered where the truck & tractors in the yard were.)

I'm very proud of how brave Am was - she started off a bit skittish, but after I took Eleni for a 'ride', she was willing to join me, then I could leave completely.
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Speaking of horses, here is the ugliest one I've ever seen. You can't really tell, but the light parts on his face are the exact color of cheese whiz. And his eyes are a really light, creepy blue. He's built nicely enough, and must have a great gait or temper or something, because really, he's really ugly.

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Aaaaaaand as your bonus for humoring me through the 'ugly horse' picture, here's a photo of Ruby.

She's the most charming puppy I've ever met. I could keep talking, but that covers it. Imagine a sweet, mild, quiet, fluffy puppy. I love Ruby. So does D____, which is good, as Ruby's her puppy!

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I'm off to get a couple more computer things done... my list of goals for today didn't get done, but that could be because of the lack of internet this afternoon, and because the new washer doesn't get delivered until Friday, so I'm spending a lot of time dodging around the Giant Piles Of Laundry.

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And one more project for tomorrow - we're also getting a new fridge (!!!), and I realized: I need to clean the top of the fridge off. I seriously have No Idea What All Is Up There. If you're lucky, I won't blog it. Although if it's entertaining enough, I just may.