In Limbo

The week between Christmas and New Year's is always one of my favorites - at least since I work for a place that is always closed for that week. You are trying to relax, put toys together, eat more and hunker down.

However, my kids are a little tired of being together every moment for the last week, so some friends coming over is a welcomed distraction.

And the inaugural skate on the backyard rink. My biggest kid did NOT want to come inside - he could have been out there all day.

We have a few more days of this blissful existence before the return to the regular schedule. We'll try and enjoy every minute of it.

I Make Mittens

Do you know how sometimes you just start knitting something and before you know it, you've got a dozen of them in the queue? Well, this year is the year of the mitten.

Some for small hands.

EZ's May Mittens in Madelinetosh Worsted and Galway Wool. These were a wonderful introduction to knitting with a colour in each hand. They went so well, I'll do it again.

And mittens for long hands.

Blindingly orange Alchemy Juniper yarn twisted and turned into Green Autumn mittens by Jared Flood.

Both went to good homes with very dear knitters.

Merry Christmas!

The Lies I Tell

Long ago I wrote a post saying how I had only one thing on my knitting list for Christmas this year (I of course can't find that post, but trust me, I said it).

The Beast.

Then the closer and closer we get to the big day I start adding in projects. Little ones here and there. And a couple of big ones. And then my Love also starting adding things to the Christmas knit list. Next thing you know.....

No Beast done.

My Love knows it's not coming.

He laughs that I'm stressed about it.

He laughs at me a lot actually.

He will get a body and a sleeve under the Christmas tree this year. I hope that he can be wearing it by Valentine's day.

I'm pretty sure he'll keep me around no matter what. I make some pretty good Nanaimo bars to make up for my shortcomings as a knitter.

Her Hands

Hands are very personal things. They are unique and individual. Hands tell the story of a life.

My Baba's hands are wrinkly. The fingers are a little crooked but strong. They kneed dough. They roll cookies. Her pinkies are delicate and turn in slightly at the last joint. Baba wears a ring with the birthstones of her five children. When she visits with people, her hands sit in her lap, occasionally bouncing a little.

Those hands have worked hard. They have milked cows, held baby chicks, cooked and cleaned for her ever expanding family. They have cradled me while I slept, tapped me on the back when I've done well, held me close.

.

And now they will be warm.

Animal Planet

Today, we will be studying the ferocious bath mitt in it's natural habitat.

It eyes it's prey.

It looks about for other predators.

Seeing no other dangers, it attacks.

Alas, the peaceful Dude did not see the bath mitt until it was too late.

What's gonna work?

Teamwork.


Baadmedicine Industries produced these lovelies for some lovely (and patient) preschool teachers.


From Interweave Knits Holiday 2009 - Felted Porcelain Bowls.

Fast, easy and pretty. And them to your list of quick knits.

Dear Santa

It's been a while since I've written to you. It wasn't you, it was me. I was growing up, going to school, getting married, having two daughters. I know that's not a very good excuse for my lack of correspondence. I can only say that I am sorry.

I have changed, Santa. I used to look forward to toys under the tree. Then I wanted clothes. I asked for a boom box, I asked for a CD player. And every year, you delivered. (By the way, I'm sure that you were joking the year you put an onion in my stocking. I figured you have a great sense of humour, what with all the Ho Ho Hoing you do.)

This year, I was hoping you could give me time. Time to be still. Time to enjoy my girls. Time to knit. Most importantly, I would like some time with my Dude.

You don't have to wrap it up, Santa, and I'm sure it wouldn't weigh down your sleigh too much. I know that you don't always bring what people ask for; I am still waiting for that Roller Skating Doll. Just do what you can and I'll do the rest.

Thanking you in advance,

J

I actually finished something

It is a shock to me. I finished knitting something. And almost on time.

This is my mother's 60th birthday present, given to her in the sunny Californian Desert.

I asked it to be given immediately back to me, because, yes the knitting was complete, but the blocking was not.


It is made with Handmaiden Rumple in Ivory. It is a shimmery gold colour. Lovely yarn, but a true pain in the butt to work with. Think of novelty yarn made out of 100% silk and hand-dyed. Gorgeous but frightfully annoying (kind of like my kids).

Happy birthday Mom. You'll have it to take back with you to the desert.

A chill in the air...

There is snow on the ground. The Dude assures me it is here to stay. Perfect weather for handknits.

I've been plugging away at the Christmas list and find that I am on the home stretch. I have finished some Earl Grey Socks for my uncle. I knit him socks every year and he tells me they are the only ones that keep his feet warm. And that little tidbit keeps my heart warm.

I have finished one and a bit of my Baba's mittens. I feel like I'm getting better at this whole stranded knitting thing. The more I do it, the faster I get. I just have to knit colourwork periodically to get the skill up.

I started some Cauchy socks for another man in my life. I got a little help from a knitter on Ravelry and increased the stitch count to 72 which is my standard number of stitches for a man's sock.

Those are Catknip's Signature DPNs that she's letting me test drive. They are sweet. The tips are pointy and never split a stitch. The body of the needle is slightly grooved which makes it grippy but not too grippy. In short, I would be happy to receive a set in 2.25 mm and/or 2.5 mm this Christmas. I know that's a big request, but if you don't ask, you don't get.

I'm also working on a gift for the teachers at P1 and Stinky's preschool. I'm knitting the Porcelain Bowls for the Holiday Interweave Knits magazine. T will do the lace and together, we will have a low effort, (hopefully) high impact gift. I just love teamwork.

And once these projects are completed, I will be done.

But for now, I'd better get back to the needles.

Things I Learned on My Vacation

1. You can make anything out of Lego.


2. Giraffes are large animals with long black tongues.



3. My children are exhausting.



4. My children make me laugh everyday.



5. My husband makes me smile everyday.



6. Christmas celebrations are a whole lot different in the desert.


7. Family vacations are amazing. Can't wait to do it again.

I'm Back....

You may have noticed (or maybe not...) that I've been away. Miss J. has been holding down the fort for the last couple of weeks while I've been holidaying.

I can tell you family holidays aren't conducive to knitting - too much amusement parking, eating, swimming, family time-ing.

But I do promise to show you some amazing pictures of beaches and kids and all around fun.

Soon.

First - laundry.

Weak

So it turns out when it comes to yarn, I have no self restrain.

Have you seen this?

Yeah, me too. And the only reason I'm telling you about it is that I've already ordered my kit.

Weak, weak, weak.

It will have to wait until after Christmas when my calendar frees up. Any knitter interested in a KAL?

Little Red

Sometimes, I like to spring things on my friends. I like to keep a project under wraps so that my knitting friends will be surprised when I wear it into a Stitch and Bitch or shopping excursion.

When we decided that the Rogue Knitters needed a getaway, I started knitting this.

I have loved this pattern since it appeared in the Twist Collective last year. Careful planning allowed me to acquire the yarn for 25% off. That made this project very economical. I used Briggs and Little Atlantic, which is the recommended yarn. It is very rare that I use the same yarn as the original project, but it really worked out well in this case.

I love the crazy cable. I love the flowers. I love how warm this jacket is and how special I feel in it.

Is it Enough?

I have been thinking about Christmas knitting. While my fingers have been busy cruising through socks for loved ones, I have been thinking about the gift of my time, my craft, my yarn. I have been wondering why I feel that my knitting isn't enough. I often feel the need to supplement my work with other gifts.

But why? Why is my time and effort not enough, even for me? Why do I not give enough value to my own knitting to believe that it is a kind and lovely gift all on it's own? Or maybe I don't think that the recipients of my handiwork won't understand the time and thought that I put into their gifts.

My knitting is more special than a gift certificate. It is more heartfelt than a card. It is more time consuming than a trip to the mall. And I hope it is enough for my loved ones.

Ahhh......

The ladies of Baadmedicine took a vacation. We headed off for a mountain retreat with a couple of ladies with similar interests. That is to say, we like shopping and knitting. We started our trip off with some shopping at a new mall just outside of Calgary.

We also had the opportunity to check out three (?!?) yarn stores in our travels. The first was Pudding Yarns in Calgary. Catty was delighted to find a plethora of Koigu yarn. Needless to say, I had to indulge, too.

See? Koigu and Shibui and Fleece artist. Oh, my! I also acquired shares in a skein of Louet Mooi with plans to make a Pretty Thing Cowl, but the yarn is currently in T's custody. I have visitation rights for next weekend.

We also stopped by the Knitting Room after a bit of a detour. If you plan on going, may I recommend calling ahead for directions? Annie will be happy to help you. I picked up some Berocco Suede for slippers as seen in the Interweave Knits Holiday edition.

Saturday was spent at the Willowstream Spa. I recommend it. Andi and I were completely stress free and mellow after a dip in the pools. That was BEFORE we had mimosas for lunch and massages in the afternoon.

One quick stop at Knit and Caboodle in Canmore where I picked up some Madelinetosh Worsted and Malabrigo Sock yarn.

I really think you wouldn't do wrong at any of these shops but the combination was ideal.

And we're already planning our trip for next year.

Gone Knitting

We're not here. The ladies of Baadmedicine have kidnapped Andi and Catty and are heading out of town. There will be shopping, knitting, wine, a spa, good food. There will be time spent with friends and yarn.

Next time, you should come along.

Arrrr

I have been wondering what to knit for my oldest nephew this Christmas. He is 11 years old. He is fashion conscious and discovering girls. He's into his music and is often seen with his earphones plugged in.

He's cool. So what to knit for this young man?

Skulls on socks. Oh yeah.

In Isolation

We're holed up here at Chez T. No outside contact. No visitors. No getting out and about. This was fun for the first 24 hours. It isn't so fun anymore. We've done all our tried and true methods of distraction and we're out of ideas. There are only so many things to do to entertain an almost 6-year old all day long without being able to go anywhere.

The Punk came up with a great idea, all on his own. Let's try knitting, he suggested.

Note the tongue. This is his concentration look.

So, even though things are a little boring, and birthday parties had to be postponed, and hockey games cancelled, this more than made up for it.

My 6 year old (well close enough). Knitting.

Mittens

When I was a little girl, I did Ukrainian dancing. I performed at school and for seniors. I performed at talent shows and peroghy suppers. And I always wore a white cotton blouse with billowing sleeves. The neckline and sleeves were embroidered with black and red roses, stitched by my Baba. There were different patterns for the embroidery. Some girls wore grapes on their sleeves, some had geometric designs but I loved the roses. When I was little, they were tiny rosebuds. As I grew, the roses grew. By the time I hung up my dancing boots at the ripe old age of 20, the roses were large blooms.

I've been looking for a way to thank my Baba for her hours with the needle. I have settled on a pair of mittens from my needles. I think Baba will love them.

I just hope she wears them.

Who. Hoot. Boo.

Hope you all had a great Halloween.

Boo.

Public Service Announcement

We here at Baad Medicine advocate the H1N1 vaccine for everyone that has no major contraindications. (ie. an egg allergy, you are less than 20 weeks pregnant, you have a high fever, you have recently had Guillain Barre) I believe that shots are unpleasant but preferable to getting the actual illness. For most of us, the swine flu makes us feel kinda bad and you get over it in about 10 days. For those among us who are very young, very old, have other diseases such as heart or lung conditions, it can be very serious indeed. And I'll be honest, our readership is not so big that we can afford to lose any of you. And it would break my heart to hear about one of you becoming very ill because of this mostly preventable virus.

So take of yourselves and your loved ones. I got the shot yesterday. It was no fun and my arm hurt but I know that it will protect me and my family.

Thank you.

(P.S. I haven't been posting knitting content mostly because I am working on something that T does not know about. It is not for her or anyone in her family. It's just awfully fun keeping a secret from her sometimes. T. likes to be in the know. Right, Andi?)

And here it is...

The Beast.


(it really isn't that much of a beast - but it is large and cumbersome and a pain in the butt to pack around).

I am keeping it as written by Meg's pattern notes - with the original cables and all.

I am also reminding myself to keep Meg's advice close at hand - even if it looks like it's small, it will be fine.

The big question is will it be done for Christmas???

K2T (Knit 2 Together)

Recently, I have been going through some stressful situations. I won't burden you with them as I am not dwelling on them. (The Dude would tell you that that was a lie. I ruminate. I stay up at night thinking and rethinking things. I digress.) The result of these unpleasant events has been unexpected and altogether wonderful.

I am reminded at this time that I have friends. And my friends are so wonderful. They listened to me complain about how hard it is to return to work after a maternity leave, how I felt like I know nothing and am out of date and out of touch. And then they made it all better. They complained with me, they reminded me that everyone feels this way sometimes, that I don't have to do everything all at once, that I am a mother and a wife and a pharmacist and that all of those things are important. They drank with me, they brought me flowers.

And now, everything seems so much better. I am looking up and I'm coping. Things are still hard but not unmanageable. Now, it's my turn to support and care for my friends.

And guess what? They all knit.

Cuteness Galore

Any guesses on what cuteness is occurring at my house (and yes there will be the obligatory pics of my children because really, to me, they are the definition of cute)?

Even with their tough guy looks.


And I thought this kid could not get any cuter.

I may have been wrong.

And who doesn't love cute little hats for cute little babies (twins to be exact)....


Next time I do promise pictures of The Beast. Promise. Pinky-swear.

Knit the Season : A Book Review

Knitting has invaded my life. I knit in the evenings when my daughters have gone to bed. I knit in spare moments when I need to feel more like myself. I knit on lunch breaks. I knit with friends that I met through knitting. And when I'm not knitting, I read about knitting.

This holiday season, knitters are offered the next in the Friday Night Knitting Club series. Knit the Season follows the club through a hectic holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving and carrying on until the New Year. I think that knitters have latched on to this series because the knitting club is made of knitters from every background in every stage of life. It reminds me of the ladies that are a part of my knitting circle; the new mothers, the working mothers, the knitter who knits socks on size 2 mm needles, the girl with the tattoos, the girl who knits lace but will never wear it.

Change is the only constant in life. The knitters of the Friday Night Knitting Club are all dealing with twists and turns in their lives. They must deal with changing responsibilities at work and at home. Misunderstandings drag families apart. Very familiar themes for the holiday season.

Holiday books are often nice little tales about Christmas starring characters that we know and hopefully love. This book moves our knitters through important turning points. Dakota must decide if the knitting shop is her future. Family obligations and her dreams of becoming a pastry chef are at odds with each other. Peri wants to pursue her handbag business but is now the time? Anita's adult son is standing in the way of her marriage. Catherine doesn't trust herself to love anyone.

This book is a lovely reminder that family and friends should be the focus of our holidays, whichever holiday you choose to celebrate. With shopping and baking and knitting, it is easy to miss the opportunity to spend time with and appreciate our loved ones this season. So maybe I'll knit a little less and talk to my loved ones a little more.

Thanks to Lydia at Penguin Group for giving me the chance to read this book that goes on sale November 3.

Where are all those finished objects?

I've finished quite a few things lately.

Like this.....

lovely hat designed by this lady. I love that lady. LOVE her.

I also finished this little knitterly friend....

And this little hat for a gorgeous little girl....


And just last night I finished these to put in the gift basket.....


These fo's are all to distract you from my dismal advancement on the BEAST....Slow and steady wins the race right???

Chin Up, Buttercup

It's been a rough week in my house.

P2 got the baby measles and then a cold. I promptly caught her cold and now the Dude and P1 are also succumbing to the plague. No one is sleeping much at night with runny noses, coughs and nagging worries.

I returned to work which means the girls are both going to a babysitters. There will be bumps with this as everyone gets used to the new schedule.

It's snowing and I have a few moments to myself. I'm going to go knit. I'm going to knit and not think about all the stresses in my life right now and remind myself that change is good.

I'm going to keep my chin up.

Thankful

What am I most thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend?

This guy.



12 years of marital bliss.

I love you.

O Happy Day

Oh, my little smiling baby. One year ago, you arrived, surprising everyone with your size and smile. You were determined from the start, eating all the time. Over the past year, you have won over everyone you meet.

The ladies at the grocery store know you and wait for your smiles. Your grandparents think you are the smartest, most advanced baby since your sister was born. Your Uncles are wrapped around your little finger. You walk and talk and charm your way through life.

And I love you so very dearly, my Little Princess. Happy Birthday.

Supply and Demand

I've been thinking lately about yarn. Shocking. I have a lot of yarn. Some of it is quite nice. Some is meant for nothing fancier than dishcloths. Some is heavy and would make a lovely sweater if I could find the right pattern. Some is fine and will likely one day become a shawl or lacy scarf. Some was costly and some was quite cheap.

I've been pondering why we get so excited about the hunt for difficult to acquire yarn. I guess my case in point is Wollmeise. For years, I've been hearing about how amazing this yarn is. The colours are stunning. It is the most wonderful yarn since yarn was invented. People covet and hoard this yarn as if it were the end of days. Naturally, I fell for the lure of this yarn and sought it out. I even managed to smuggle a skein past unsuspecting knitters into my stash. But why am I so fascinated with it? Is it only because I couldn't have it? I have lots of nice yarn. I certainly didn't need any more. To be honest, I'm not even sure what I'll do with it now that I have it.

Would this yarn be so popular if it was available at Walmart? Would people still buy it up and then sell it for double the price on ebay? Why am I such a sucker?

The Beast

Calculations done and redone. And done again. Swatches made.

Pondering about how to get the ribbing to flow into the cables. Drawings. Scribbles.

The beast will prove to hurt my brain every now and then.

But I've cast it on. I've completed 2 rounds. Only about 1600yds of yarn to go.

I can't wait!!

Wrap It Up

Sometimes you just want to be wrapped up in something cozy. My girls have their blankies and I have this.

It's Shawl that Jazz worked up in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Woobu. It is soft with just a little sheen. It stretches all around me. It is warm and cute. The girls have started calling it Mommy's Blankie. It's a great name for something so comforting and simple.

The Postman Always Rings Thrice

Yesterday was an interesting day. All the little people I know seemed to be grumpy and out of sorts. This, naturally, makes all the big people grumpy and out of sorts. Fortunately for me, I got 3 packages in the mail. (I know. That never happens.)

The first was my September installment of the Rocking Sock Club. This month, the yarn is inspired by the colour of river rocks and the designer is Cat Bordhi.

I will be casting on these beauties as soon as I finish what's on my needles. Now that the weather is cool, I'm back to wearing wool socks.

Later in the afternoon, the girls and I checked the mailbox on the way home from the park. One package contained a new book of sock patterns from Cat Bordhi.

This one is already blowing my mind and I have only had a few moments to flip through it. All I know is you measure your foot, use life lines and have to cut your knitting on EVERY SOCK.

The other was a package of yarn that I acquired from a Ravelry friend. Four beautiful skeins of sock yarn.

(And yes, the red one IS Wollmeise. I can hardly believe it myself.)

Ta da....

As J. said, it's time for cozy knits.


Good thing I'm prepared.




This out-take is for Sarah (it was a little bit windy today....)