Life is Different

Life is different without Mom.  I don't know how to feel, so I'm going with the flow.
Christmas was noisy as usual--all the kids came home except Kubota Man Jr.  who was on call and couldn't leave the city.  The food was great, some of them played board games (NOISY) some of them watched movies (NOISY).  And I hovered on the sidelines, happy in the presence of my family, and horribly sensitive to the noise.  This is the first time ever that I was glad to see my family all leave.

I had the funeral arrangements to make.  I determined that I would have a Celebration of Life.  I spent several days choosing photos for the slide show, and choosing music. That was sad and joyful at the same time.  I went through all of Mom's photo albums, from her childhood through all the kids' weddings, and the grandkids, and the great-grands.  She loved kids.  I wrote the Eulogy.  I must admit that it was beautiful.  The whole process was good for me, opening rawness and healing, all at the same time.

The Celebration of life did take place on my birthday--I wanted it that way.  Afterwards Kubota Man and all the kids and grandkids took me out for my birthday to Montana's, and I got to wear a birthday Moose Hat--I'm sure Mom was with us enjoying that.

Suddenly all was quiet again, and I hovered around the house like a ghost, not knowing what to do with myself.  I decided to go with it and only do what I felt like doing.  Well, that isn't housework, it's KNITTING.

I finished DD2's black cabled hoodie (a duplicate of the ecru one I made her a couple of years ago), one she requested.

I can't do better with photographing the black pattern.

I made her a skull scarf (illusion knitting--from most angles it's just a grey and black striped scarf), a last minute addition to Christmas knitting, but ready for Christmas.

And a last-minute gift for a friend who usually gets baking, but both she and her hubby have to lose weight, so, being the friend that I am, didn't tempt her.  She loved the mitts--her first hand-made gift.

Richard's scarf--totally reversible--same cables on both sides.  In the meantime, the hat and one matching mitten are finished (no photos yet).

As a reward to myself for stash-bustin' and not buying yarn for almost a year, I started my Marina sweater--it's about 5" long, but I won't take a picture till a whole pattern repeat is finished.

The pictures above are my Philosopher's Wool Mandala sweater.  I have joined a KAL to finish PW projects that have been languishing.  The body consists of 8 squares, the sleeves are larger squares.  The squares are knit on circular needles from the outside-in (sort of like a tam).  I've had this kit for a long time, and don't like things so bulky any more.  The third photo is the bottom of the sleeve with ribbing attached.  I don't like how that is so bulky.  I am working on two ideas to solve this:  either re-chart the sleeve to incorporate shapings (I have both sleeve squares finished), or take the sewing machine, sew a tapered seam and then cut out the excess.  The second option is fast and easy, the former one is teasing my intellect.

Tomorrow I am going to the city to join one of my knitting groups for knit and chat, and then some errands.

For my birthday, DD1 bought me a lovely book: Chicken Soup for the Soul:  The Magic of Mothers and Daughters.  This year I plan to go back to my old habit of leaving my readers with a thought.  In memory of Mom and in honor of my daughters, I will select these from that book.

Till next time: Kids spell love T-I-M-E.  (John Crudele)

Off to a Good Start

  First thing on the agenda (2nd week of the month) was to put the Christmas decorations away.  Had to say goodby to these little friends.

 

With projects I'm off to a good start.  The Mossbank is finished and soon to be delivered.  Father James is from India, so I thought the antique brass moose buttons were a neat touch.

I ran out of the main color of yarn just before Christmas, so I went through my stash, didn't find any, but found another project using the same Jamieson & Smith yarn, where I may run out of one color.  The postage for quantities up to 1kg is £8.95--a lot of moolah for just 4x25g of yarn.  Since that's a yarn that I plan on doing some designing with,  I ordered 19 more balls of various colors that I don't have.

 The Ginny is also finished.  This sweater is so cute, but its recipient is so tiny I'm worried that it may not fit.  However, I made the size that she circled in the book.

New on the needles is a mohair prayer shawl for a friend undergoing breast cancer treatments.  Since these pictures were taken I'm on the 4th ball and it's almost 5 feet long.

 Another friend was also just diagnosed.  For her, two other friends are chipping in for the yarn, and I am knitting the Rams and Yowes lap robe--another order went in to J&S for that.  Again I added 15 colors of yarn.  I now have most of them.  I'm also planning on making Rams and Yeows for myself later on, but I want to make it a bit bigger.  That blanket is so well planned, using all the 9 natural sheep colors of Shetland Supreme Jumper weight, that I will have to plan carefully to maintain the beautiful color transitions.

Seeds are coming in now,  so that puts on pressure to get the housework all caught up, get lots of R&R banked up, because in the middle of February we're back to work.

A Ravelry friend, Sheila Joynes, published a wonderful little Leisure Arts book called I can't Believe I'm knitting Fair Isle.  I've done some sample knitting for her, so I immediately ordered her book.  Highly recommend it.

I also got Charts for Colored Knitting,

The Art of Fair Isle Knitting,

and ...... I will get a lot of use from all these books.  Another friend gifted me a copy of Tudor Roses, an out-of-print book (which will be re-printed in 2013).  That book is a treasure--I have a few sweaters on my to-do list.

And since I've got "plump" and sluggish with sitting around and just knitting, I have to play on the WiiFit for an hour or so every day to limber up the joints and shape up my middle so I can knit some of the lovely waist-shaped sweaters that I've been ogling.

On Tuesday I went to a knitting group for the first time.  The Sherwood Park Daytime subgroup of The Edmonton Knitters.  That was a hoot.  I loved everyone's projects, didn't get much knitting done what with watching everyone else, and the lavish praise for my knitting wasn't too painful, either.  What a nice way to make new friends.

Finished and filed the last quarter GST (sales tax) report, and realized that the file cabinet is overflowing, so I started shredding stuff from as far back as 1999.  Also realized that it's time to review our estate stuff and make everything easy to settle (in 30 or 40 years or so)--organize now, while I still have a bit of a mind left.

Have a great week-end everyone, and God Bless You!!

♫ Fa la la la la, la la la la ♫ ♪

Good morning, what?
This is what we woke up to this morning. Only 10 days ago it was 33 degrees (90 F).
This can't be--I'm not finished the outside work!! There are still beets, carrots, cabbages and kale in the garden!! (don't worry--they will be all right, I just know it will melt and we will have nice fall--pray, pray)




























So I will give us a bit of cheer. This is not this year's amaryllis, but it might help.














And a reminder to start practicing those Christmas carols.














I think I have an American spell-checker, because it corrected me on the spelling of practising. If I remember my spelling rules (British), the verb is to practise, and the noun is practice. I guess there more serious things going on than using a c or an s--as long as we understand one another.

Till next time: How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all these. (George Washington Carver)