right now

I've been enjoying using instragram to document and share the things I want to remember of these toddlering days.  Sometimes though, when there's lots happening at once, I have found that the start and stop process of sharing a photo here and there removes me from the present rather prematurely. So I thought I'd  use the blogger app for a change and walk around at a moment when I'm not as needed, and snap away at some of the hand-making that's happening in our home. 

If this works out, it may just be a regular thing for this space. 

Curtains the wife made for our bedroom as an anniversary present the other day. 

A fish the boy painted today. I love his colour choices and blending technique. 

The girl  was getting a bit tired of making.

The boy taking over helping the girl's wand decorating efforts (see above caption).

Succulents "Pinky" and "Screamy" named and potted by the girl and the boy, respectively.

Patchwork socks to combat the bad luck that has befallen my knitting of late. 

The boy's birthday sweater, due in 6 days (see above caption).

Our TV has been off and our hands have been busy. Not bad for a cold and rainy spring day. Not bad at all. I hope you're enjoying  your weekend! 

only a day away

I don't remember history being much of a subject in my elementary studies when I was growing up in the Philippines. If it was, I don't remember much at all (though I am finding myself rather interested and so will research anon). I do remember Social Studies class.  Specifically this lesson about what the Filipino people inherited as a result of Spanish colonization: Catholicism, architecture, dance, a cuisine full of Spanish flavours, a language peppered with Spanish words, and the Mañana Habit.

If you know some Spanish, you might know that the word "mañana" means, "tomorrow." So, it follows that the Mañana Habit refers to an habitual tendency to put things off until, well... tomorrow. Yes, this really is a thing. In fact, I very clearly remember answering a quiz question to help me commit to memory that my birth country's chronic procrastination habit is absolutely attributed to Spanish rule (anyone else remember this?). 

Although I realize that procrastination is hardly recognized as an actual inherited trait, I would like to posit that perhaps the proficiency with which I procrastinate (and the gravity of the consequences that follow) is because I am twice-blessed by both my Filipino and Spanish heritage (thanks to my paternal grandfather's family and good old scapegoating).

For example, I have been so focused on getting settled in our new home, parenting, and working hard at the job-that-pays that I have been neglecting the knitting. Not that there hasn't been any knitting. Oh goodness, if there hasn't been at least a few stitches knit in a day, I think I would spontaneously combust and repel all living things within a 6 mile radius what with the waves of volatile un-becalming grouchy-mcgrouchiness that comes of having no time to collect oneself.

So, as you can imagine, there has been knitting aplenty. I gifted a lot of knits over the holidays. You know how I know? Many of them are still here. Yup. I have a pile of hats that I have yet to mail or still happen to be just here, hanging out, waiting for an opportunity to see the neighbours who live a less then a block from us so they can have their hats, finally.

I also have a pile of blocking to do. I finally finished my owl sweater. I knit a tunic for the girl's birthday  and I joined the Journey KAL and finished the Onward Shawl but haven't made a moment to block it or join in on any of the happy Ravelry group chatter.

In the triage of our days such activities definitely fall into the non-emergent category and so often render themselves postponed. Much like updating my Ravelry account with photos of such projects. Or dealing with the clutter in my office. Or the hill that once was a pile of laundry that is now falling upon my hallway like a mountain avalanche.

I really need to get my act together at some point. It'll be Christmas again before some of my people get their hats. And we are close to running out of underwear (no more diapers here!) so I suppose it's time to get to that laundry.

Maybe tomorrow.

knit parade: yarn chicken

if a game of chicken is one in which someone dares to you to face your fear factor fears, than it follows that yarn chicken* can be defined as a game in which a knitter isn't exactly sure whether or not she or he has enough yarn to finish a project and forges forward by casting on anyway, yardage (and gauge) requirements be damned.

that's how i've been playing it, anyway. yarn chicken, that is.

for example, i played yarn chicken with my owley flugel sweater for the summer sweater kal and lost.

sweater front

sigh. although the yarn is rather reasonably priced (and so, so worth it the extra shipping and potential customs charges), my yarn budget is stretched to the limit at the moment and i've decided i'm going to fight back the tears be an adult about all of this and just let the sweater hibernate until i can get off the yarn diet. which may be awhile, because life happens.

there's the whole front left side still to do. then i'm supposed to pick up stitches for around the collar and then 8 rows of 1x1 ribbing. i think i'm gonna need 2 more hanks just to be safe.

sweater back

but isn't the sweater going to be so cute and awesome? it really, really is. 

wanna see the inside of my sweater? 

(see what i did there? i distracted you from the visual effects of my clumsy seaming. all i can say is, don't look back. don't. look down, it's even scarier.)

i know. when i shared this seaming predicament with the sskal ravelry group, the reactions i got included sincere sympathy empathy, cold sweats, racing hearts, and pure relief that although their project had some necessary seaming involved, their sweater did not look like it had been gutted from the inside.

after all was seamed and done, a pet fuzzball!

clearly, intarsia is not my strong suit. i tried many messy things seaming this sweater. and while i'm okay with the things i've done inside my sweater, i am not inclined to show anyone my gutsy seaming job. nope, you cannot make me. okay, maybe in exchange for the yarn i still need to finish this sweater. but nothing else can make me.

i digress.

because in the interest of full disclosure, i apparently play yarn chicken all the time. okay, 3 times, including above sweater. 

because in the interest of trying not to buy yarn, i turn to the stash. and i don't gauge swatch. 

because in the interest of living a life that is not motivated by fear, i like to live dangerously.

in the end, what i get out of each yarn chicken experience is another finished accessory or 2 and um,  spawn of the yarn i was trying to use up in the first place. ahem.

in my defense, i didn't buy the shibui stacatto yarn that i only needed 2 feet of, to finish this rae scarf (which i love). my cousin and now converted knitter (yes, i've been recruiting) bought it for me because he is a sweetheart.

i have no defense for buying more madelinetosh dk (lovely plied yarn). it's not even the same yarn as i started knitting these rathrevor gloves with. i originally used madelinetosh merino dk (single ply heaven),  the yarn shop isn't getting any more of it in the victoria gothic colourway. but about 5 feet into finishing a pair of gloves, i caved.

so, to conclude: i suck at yarn chicken and intarsia. but since all 3 knits were meant for me, it matters not. and i still have the yarn that i started with. that is, except for the yarn i need to finish my owl sweater.

good times.

*i did not coin the term yarn chicken. i saw it in a comment on instagram. i can't remember who posted it or for which photo but it was yarn harlot's. lots of people comment when she posts a photo. i have no idea if yarn chicken actually a thing outside my own definition. 

in the forest, part 4: knitting in the wild

of course there was knitting. i brought a project with me wherever i went. but since there was always some work to be done, the knitting was pretty much either confined to long car rides or stolen moments. i have become rather a fast knitter in my own little clumsy way, so i managed to finish 2 hats, a pair of gloves, a single glove, and a sock. and to be fair, one of the hats was half done, and i began the little sock en route to kelowna from vancouver and worked on it throughout our time away.

the half-done hat was for the wife. i don't remember the last time i made her a hat that's just for her.

she likes it.

fortnight by jared flood
cast on with manos del uruguay maxima
knit with mystery tweed (lost the yarn band)
but i was wishing i was knitting with shelter all the while.

very much.

which makes me very happy.  see? 

i started a hat for ms. t immediately after i finished the wife's hat. i finished this second hat the morning of our departure from the forest. i charged my phone the day before with the express intention of setting my alarm for 6am so that i could have a quiet knit in the woods behind our campsite.

the mornings were cool in the forest and that morning was no different. 

i watched the sun make its slow journey up the east side of manning park and listened for the early morning sounds of the forest. i winked at it, as it shone on me and bowed my head. i took a breath to accept the blessing and whisper my gratitudes, then returned to my stitches.

as i knit, i listed as the birds went about their morning chatter. i even heard a loon make its hauntingly intriguing call. i watched a squirrel skitter towards me with curiousity. i thought i even saw a two-headed slug (it was a mushroom).

the time i took to finish making this hat for a not-so-little girl i adore and admire was a moment i stole. i freely admit my greed because i can tell you that even now, in ever-cluttered bedroom/home office, i can wholly remember satisfying it so completely.

quynn hat by woolly wormhead
knit with malabrigo worsted
(i think i've made 6 of these. such a great pattern!)

ms. t loves her hat, too (in fact, she asked for this very hat when she saw the babes' hats. i had to knit an extra inch on the largest pattern size so it would fit her decidedly non-toddler head).

a hat for each of my favourite scorpios = happy making.  now neither of them can wear those hats without thinking about our forest adventures. 

i don't have a photo of the gloves i made (in a hurry, 'twas cold up there!) or the pair of teensy socks that are finally done. so i will end this final instalment of  the "in the forest" series with a snapshot of a very long breath i took just behind our campsite that last morning, a moment full of gratitude and remembrance: a rare occasion in which my centre actually found me.

i hope your week began with the kind of peace and focus you need to carry out the busy-ness of the next few days. my vacation being most decidedly over, i am actively working hard to return to centre out of the forest. 

have a fantastic week! 

summer sweater kal progress update - week 1: miracles do happen

we are gearing up for a week long vacation away from home and what will be the babes' first very first camping experience. naturally, the wife and i figured it would be an appropriate time to rearrange our bedroom, play musical chest of drawers,  and overhaul our entire storage system. this means that our bedroom feels a bit airier; the girl's chest of drawers now lives in the hallway with the winter accessories; our chest of drawers now hold the girl's entire wardrobe in their room; the secretary desk that also has a chest of drawers now lives in our room; the linens have been moved to our bedroom closet, and the rest of our collective wardrobe now lives in what once was our linen closet. 

did you get all that? small spaces are fun. 

did i mention the 8 loads of laundry i did over the weekend? oh yes. all that. amid the usual housekeeping and home cooking and parenting and packing.

suffice it to say that with all that activity (necessarily) centred away from the boy and the girl, it's also been feeling like the toddler wars games around here. and i'll leave it at that. because the days. have. been. long. 

but there has been knitting - there has to be knitting. very late night knitting. and today, park knitting. 

ever the optimist, i never go to the park without some knitting. even though i know that at least 80% of the time, i'm pushing 2 swings, negotiating someone's right to be next, surveying for hazards, and practicing the art of keeping one eye on each kid at the same time.

my knitting basket usually sits lonely.

and as i go about the of business carrying out my mothering-at-the-park duties, the knitting basket and i cast furtive and longing glances at each other. then, my hands begin to itch - at which point, i finally give myself a talking to and force myself choose to be present.

but today, a small miracle happened. today i brought the sweaters i've been working on for luvinthemommyhood's summer sweater knit-along. and the babes - they agreed to try them on at. the. park. AND let me photograph them! 

see?!

they are little sweaters for little people so i really am speeding along.

the girl's sweater is called ms. marple and i'm really enjoying the pattern. there's some lace going on and its streamlined sweater construction makes me feel clever. 

as you can see, i can easily just call it a vest and be done with it. but i've got some more yarn and i really should get those needles off the back collar. also, that would defeat the purpose of participating in a sweater kal.

yarn: madelinetosh tosh dk in nutmeg

i really love this colour on her!

now the boy - he asked for a purple sweater. here is my answer: the wonder years cardigan. the pattern is simple, speedy, and straightforward, with a bit of a vintage vibe. 

i really like how this sweater is knitting up in my chosen yarn but i think that were i to knit this again, i would go with plied yarn in something tweedy or heathered. 

yarn: malabrigo worsted

both sweaters were inspired by my friend ava who has knit each of them for her adorable daughter. (thanks ava!)

just the sleeves, neckband, and button bands to go, really. so, i may just squeeze in another sweater or 2 as part of this kal. we'll see. 

oh! and the wife (finally) joined ravelry and is knitting away at her sweater: slowly and surely (see opening paragraphs).  maybe i'll get to show you her sweater progress soon, too. 

anyone else knitting along with us? 

knit parade: piles part 2 - gift knitting

sadly, there is no way in the world i can knit for every single person i want to knit for. i am a working mama. knitting is what i do for fun. there can be no room for orders or obligation knitting. otherwise; the thing that gives me a moment to compose myself in an otherwise chaotic existence where nearly every sentence i hear begins with the word "mama" (followed by some sort of demand), this thing that allows me a moment of triumph when yarn and pattern happen to marry and whatever i'm knitting is actually looking right (despite the fact that my home is a perpetual state of toddler-frat-party-aftermath); this hobby that affords me an opportunity to learn something new everyday (not out of necessity or to better my career but for the sheer pleasure of it) - the act of spontaneously creating something wherever i am, in the middle of whatever i'm doing - would just become another chore. and i just can't let that happen.

but now and again, inspiration strikes: dear friends make humble and respectful requests without tying me down to a deadline; new babies must be smothered in hand-knitted woolly love; and some random acts of kindness and friendships can only be reciprocated with hundreds of stitches to convey my gratitude, in the smallest possible way.

this pile of knitting represents all of the above. 

my needles have been busy indeed. i have just been tearing through my stash - and not just for myself but for some of the people i adore. they are all in various stages of finishing, these knits: some need seaming, others need buttons, every single one of them have yet to be blocked. and there are 2 or 3 more little things to add to the pile that will complete a sibling set. but all in all, i'm pretty pleased with what i've been able to knit up in the last 3 weeks.

i hope to share a proper show and tell of each of these items anon. but luvinthemommyhood's summer sweater kal kicked off this week and i've been hard at work. 

i have just over 2 months to knit each of my babes a sweater - totally doable - if i stay focused and keep the side projects to a minimum.

suffice it to say that you can expect quite a bit of knit-centric posts in the next little while. 

enjoy your weekend y'all! 

knit parade: in which there is much rambling about all the knitting

as you can imagine (though many of you probably don't) my knitting needles have been, as my friend from nook often says, "clicking away." rather nonstop, in fact.

for 6 weeks straight - until the end of the month in fact, i was working on this graphite beauty.

i can't show it to you yet because the pattern is yet to be released. but oh, it is my pride and joy. i think i've shown it to anyone who's visited my house at least twice, forgetting that i showed it to them already.  

8 skeins later, after all the seaming was done (and there wasn't too much), i only had this much yarn left.

it's by no means perfect. but when i was on a button search for this very thing, a fellow knitter window-shopping for buttons, apparently, asked me if the pattern was available on ravelry! 

AND it fits! it fits me! i get to wear it in the fall! 

there was much drama as i knit my precious. there was mismatching skeins of the variegated yarn. there was some really horrible mistakes. and there was some seriously epic tinking involved. but it's oh so worth it. 

there will be a good and proper show and tell once the pattern is released, i tell you.

this sweater's made me a sweater knitter. as in, i want to buy only sweater quantity yarn from now on. which means i need to burn through my predominantly single skein stash and save my pennies so i can live the dream of mostly wearing my very own handmade sweaters.  

grand plans, i tell you. i has'em. i has'em lots. like setting a goal of knitting at least 1 sweater for each member of my little family every year. there's only 4 of us, after all. it's doable. i've already knit 2 for the girl. the boy's up next. but first, the burning through my stash part.

and there happens to be a baby boom around me. i'm not having any more babies, alas. but a few dear friends and some of my cousins are. and babies are the best reason to knit like the wind and use up the stash.

babies are delicious all by themselves. i never pass up the chance to hold a sweet little babe. the littler the better. if i could bottle up that new baby smell, i totally would. what's more delicious and cozy and sweet is a baby covered in knits. 

this pile belongs to my cousin's little girl to be. she's due in september. she will need to be warm. 

pattern: stay-on baby booties
yarn: sweet georgia cashluxe fine

sadly, i won't be around to see these knits in action, in person. i am a faraway auntie. and it is my fervent hope that somehow that little baby feels a great big hug of love every time she wears my knits. 

those booties replace my cheeks where her teeny feet would've have clapped with my help. 

pattern: quynn
yarn: baby cashmerino aran

that hat is a kiss from me on her forehead. 

the sweaters are my surrogate arms enfolding her in her first 6 months...

pattern: baby surprise jacket
pattern: mystery yarn + debbie bliss cashmerino aran for the yarn

and in the second half of her first year.

pattern: in threes
yarn: spud and chloe sweater

i'll meet her someday soon. sooner than i expect, i hope. but i'm guessing that it won't be until she's outgrown one or more of my handmade gifts. 

(a new nephew was born just 2 days ago but he lives in the philippines, where, even cotton knits will be far too hot to wear. also, i did not have foreknowledge of his due date so i could not plan ahead. but i assure you that someday he will be smothered by me in the knitterliest (new word) of ways. )

in the mean time, the knitting continues to be a daily, nightly, stolen moment. an opportunity to collect myself, to reflect, to feel creative, and connected to whomever i am knitting for  - including myself. and believe me when i tell you, there's so much more where this little pile came from.