A Dark Spot

There’s a dark spot on the silver cloud that is this lovely province we’ve moved to. In a word: ticks. Not familiar with the little darlings? Check this out. I can wait…

I realise that, if you’re around farm animals a great deal, ticks might just be an annoyance to you. However, I don’t live on a farm. I live in a town. And I hauled six ticks off my dog last Thursday night. She had an accident waiting for me in the den on Friday morning and off to the vet we went, after pulling SIXTEEN ticks off her just from her morning ablutions. I was not impressed. I do not like ticks. At. All. Apart from Germany where we found an occasional tick on Para, our backyard in Middleton appears to be a breeding ground. I found one in my hair a few weeks ago (ew! I just happened to find it too; I hadn’t been checking before) and my father had two on him within the first two days of their visit.

The vet said that this has been a very bad year for ticks. The vet assistant thinks we have a nest in the back yard. Either way, I’ve re-dosed Para with Revolution and she is now wearing a preventive tick collar (a very, very safe one – I don’t like using harsh chemicals on our pets).

As for the accident in the den, the vet feels that Para is trying to tell me something. She isn’t getting enough attention. Bad Patty! I am trying to rectify that with lots of pats and more regular walks. I can certainly admit that she had not been receiving regular walks up until my parents arrived. Walking Para is coming back to being a priority so I guess her message worked. Poor little puppy.

My parents left us this past Tuesday. It was a very sad day for those of us left behind. Iain is too young to really understand that they’ve left. Para and I were very sad for the rest of the day because we do realise what their leaving means. Luckily, we will see them again in three weeks. It will be interesting to see if Iain remembers them or not!

While they were here, I managed to get much more organised for both Iain’s first birthday party and the family reunion. DH says he now needs a list to know what to help out with and it didn’t take me long to think of a few things! It will be a busy couple of weeks. I’ve booked an appointment to get a first year portrait done of Iain this coming week. Iain’s party is on his birthday, July 4th. We leave the next day to start heading East for our ferry trip on the 6th (we’re breaking the driving up over two days for Iain). We will then be away until, at least, July 22nd. And that list doesn’t even touch on what needs to be done between now and then!

On Father’s Day, we ‘treated’ the fathers in the house by going for a hike on Long Island, NS. This is another fun destination if you have lots of time while visiting Nova Scotia. Here are Fadder and DH on the 5 minute ferry (literally! Expensive though - $1 per minute of crossing...) ride from mainland Nova Scotia to Long Island:

It’s a little off the beaten track but the hike itself is just over 2 kms and well maintained.

There are, ahem, a few stairs to go down and up though. Like, over a hundred of them.

However, we all made it up and down just fine. Balancing Rock itself is a bit of a marvel.

Apparently it’s been this way for thousands of years.

It was a nice hike but, if you’re hoping for a final destination that makes a pretty picnic area, this isn’t it. The boardwalk is built on the side of the rocks and is, essentially, a viewing platform so no grassy knolls to sit upon for lunch.



Luckily, we ate our lunch before heading out (Mudder forgot her hat so she's borrowing Iain's. He didn't need it at the time. See next picture).

Here’s what Iain thought of the picnic. Again.


He did wake up for the hike, however, and is here to remind you of the importance of hydration when you're hiking in warm weather:


On the knitting front, Mudder wouldn’t leave until I turned Chase’s heel to her satisfaction (sorry, no pics of that). Now I have some stitches to pick up before carrying on. I also have Iain’s chevron sweater blocked, dried and in the sewing process (the photo looks so sparkly because I'd just sprayed it with water. Funny what the camera picks up sometimes).

Hopefully I can catch Iain before he’s grown out of it (if he hasn’t already!) so that he can model it for you. He is standing on his own for seconds at a time and cruising around the furniture rapidly so it's just a matter of time before my baby boy is walking.

I managed to get three of four runs in so far this week – not bad for a week without my parents here for baby-sitting assistance. My long run, a 9 km, will happen later today when it’s a little cooler. I’ve been running after DH comes home so I usually go out after 6:00 PM and before dark. Luckily it stays nice and light for running at this time of the year.

Now, before you get worried that I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth, remember how much I said we have to do before departing on July 5th. We will not be back until July 22nd, at the earliest (and I am considering staying longer) so blog posts may be scarce over the next month or so. For that I apologise but, remember, at least I WILL BE knitting! That’s what driving trips are for!

A Visit to Grand-Pré

Well, we didn’t go camping. In the end, I decided it was too stressful for me/us to get ready with everything else I had to do. Additionally, DH flew off to Ontario on Sunday morning so, by staying home, we got to spend as much time with him as possible.

We did enjoy a ‘mini-break’ (I love that UK term!) on Saturday though. Mudder, Fadder and DH had not been to Grand-Pré before (Iain and I enjoyed a visit there last fall when my in-laws were visiting). It was a gorgeous day for a picnic and the grounds at Grand-Pré are spectacular for that sort of thing so, off we went.

Iain Bean fell asleep in the car on our way there. We managed to arrive, eat a huge picnic lunch and on he slept! As I’d already been through the interpretive centre portion of Grand-Pré, I opted to stay and wait for Iain outside, feed him his lunch when he woke up, and then join the rest of the group when we were ready.

Here’s why I was so interested in staying behind.

Sleeve number two!
Done! It’s now awaiting blocking, as per the books instructions. I need to go out and buy a spray bottle for that. We need one for laundry anyways – my other one holds our vinegar and water cleaning mix.

With the thrill of a completed sleeve coursing through my veins, Iain and I finished our picnic and joined the others inside. I managed to catch the 20 minute movie which I’d missed during our first visit (Iain was fussy). If you get a chance to visit this area, I highly recommend this site. It is a spectacular tribute to a horrific time in history when the English expelled the Acadians from their homes.

It is also an absolutely beautiful location.

In running news, I fit in three runs this past week. That is a two run increase from the week before. I also got in my long run of 7 kms in yesterday and I’m not sore today (my long runs are comprised of 10 minutes of steady running with one minute of walking)! Yeah me! Now, let’s see if I can get four runs in this week. My parents have been amazing about taking Iain and ensuring I get my runs in. In fact, when I mentioned borrowing the jogging stroller from my friend to go for a run, my mother informed me that “…running is my opportunity to get away from it all.” She then took Iain for me so I could go. I’m really going to miss those two when they leave. Not as much as Iain though. He just loves them!

The smell of freshly picked (today) rhubarb crisp is in the air. It was a hot and humid day here today but I went out this morning to get some weeding and rhubarb harvesting done. Then I came back in for most of the day as it was really too hot and humid for me (or my mother for that matter). There was no way I was going to use the oven today but, with the fresh night breeze blowing through all of the open windows and a bowlful of rhubarb sitting on the counter, I had visions of rhubarb crisp for breakfast.

Who You Gonna Call?

A couple of weeks ago, it hit me. I may look like Supermom. I may even act like Supermom. However, being Supermom is hard work and, I was coming apart at the seams. There’s only one thing to do in times like those: call yer Mudder. And that’s exactly what I did.

At the moment, I have a beautiful 11 month old (Happy Eleven Month Birthday, Iain!) baby, which means a first birthday to plan. I am the main organiser for a family reunion to be held on the 12 and 13th of July for a fairly large family (one side of mine = ~ 60 people). I have also decided to run a half-marathon in the fall which means I have to, um, train. Not to mention I live on a street where the retirees are in competition to see who can have the trimmest lawn and most weeded garden and DH is working later and later. Yep, I cracked. I called Mudder and Fadder in tears and cried “Help!”

They are too good - they arrived on Monday. So far, Mudder has Iain charmed and Fadder has the lawn mowed and (his current pet project) the seats for his handmade cedar strip canoe drying in our garage. I just love these people.

In preparation for the half-marathon, last week was week one of 18 (I get two extra weeks before starting the 16 week training from John Stanton’s Running: Start to Finish book, which is the same program I followed with a Running Room clinic in Kanata when I ran the National Capital Half-Marathon in 2005). I managed to get out for a run once. That’s 100% better than the six weeks previous but not good enough to start counting miles for the half-marathon. However, it did turn out to be quite the run.

I have mentioned that a friend of mine has a jogging stroller that I can borrow. She’s a sweetie, too. She keeps calling me to let me know when it’s available – how cool is that?!? Anyways, we picked a suitable time and afternoon. It’s unfortunate that it was a really hot day but that’s going to happen in the summer months (I’m a bit allergic to heat). I beat it, in my running gear and with Iain in the stroller, to my friend’s house, which is about a kilometre away. I then switched Iain into the jogging stroller and, with some preparation, managed to get on the road. Earlier in the day, I’d looked at the running book and decided, “Yeah, I should probably run 6 K.” I mentioned this to DH and he laughed at me.

“Start at 2K. You’ve never run with a jogging stroller before and you’re probably going to feel it.”

I have three little words to describe my 2.5K running with a jogging stroller experience. Oh. My. God. I ran less than 3K and was puffing the whole way. I haven’t been that out of breath since, since, since I was in labour. I’m not kidding. I felt like my head was going to pop off! I wasn’t graceful. Heck, I was barely moving. And, to add insult to injury, I was sore the next day. Iain though? He fell asleep. Maybe I could learn to like that stroller…

Now that Mudder and Fadder are here, I’ve had two solo runs at 33 and 20 minutes, non-stop each. I’m hoping they’ll be here at least a couple of weeks which gives me two weeks to put in some running miles and, hopefully, become a little more fit. I’m going to need it for the ‘Return of the Jogging Stroller’.

In knitting, I’m still working on Iain’s wee sweater. I’m getting to the point where I’m going to be sad to see it finished. I really love it. I hope he hasn’t grown out of it yet…

If the weather cooperates, we’re hoping to go camping this weekend. I hope to have some blogworthy shots by the time we get back!

Why, Yes! I Do Knit! Just Slowly…

Not that you’ve heard much it about recently but, I have been knitting. Sleeve number one of the chevron sweater is complete and I’ve an inch knit of sleeve number two. It took me a week to knit the first sleeve. The second one is being slowed down by other priorities. However, I have a bad case of finishitis and, despite the siren call from Chase from behind the dining room door where he is currently hung out of Iain’s reach, I am resisting other knitting projects.

Speaking of Iain’s chevron sweater, I have a story to tell you. We were lucky enough to host some extended family (that means, my mother’s first cousin, making her my first cousin, once removed, and her husband) for supper a couple of weeks ago. F had sent out an email tease saying that they were headed to NS and hoping to stop into her favourite yarn store (my LYS!) and would be staying about a 45 minute drive away from us. It turns out that D, F’s husband, has a sister living between here and my LYS. This same sister is also a frequent attendee at the shop’s knitting afternoon (which I have yet to attend. Iain is turning into a Yarn Monster. I cannot afford the destruction he might wreak if I actually let him lose in a yarn shop) and has been known to help others with their knitting! How cool is that?!? I mean, not only does it turn out I “know” someone who goes to the same knitting store but, we’re practically related (to a Newfoundland and Labradorian, the sister of your first cousin, once removed’s (new Patty word there!) husband is a relative)!

Anyway, both F and I were raving about the shop and their selection. F was bringing out all kinds of knitting candy from her bag after her two days of shopping there (she had to make a second trip, ending up with yarn for a new sweater although she had had no intention of knitting a sweater when she walked into the place). I, too, was enthused and proudly showed her my progress on Iain’s sweater, raving about the hand dying abilities of the Fleece Artist and the quality of the yarn. I was feeling quite cocky in fact. F looked at my knitting so far and stroked it tenderly, then said,

“But, this isn’t the project that you showed me in the fall when you were home…?”

Yep. It’s the same bloody sweater. SIGH.

I Confess

One of the things I like about writing for a blog is that it holds me accountable. A knitting blog is the best way to ensure you knit a few rows a week, if only to keep up with some of your more prolific blogging friends. There are many times when I’ve spent just five minutes knitting a couple of rows just so that I can honestly say ‘Yes! I was knitting this week!” on a blog post. It is time to come out of the closet about something else that the Internet may hold me accountable for. You don’t know this about me.

One of the great things about nursing is that I’ve lost my pregnancy weight. One of the bad things about nursing is that I’ve lost my pregnancy weight without watching what I eat. At. All. I can eat all kinds of things in all kinds of proportions and not gain weight. In fact, I still sometimes lose. A few weeks ago, I somewhat sarcastically decided to try and OD on junk food so that I could become good and truly sick of it and exorcise the beast. Well, my friends, it’s official. It is not possible for me to get sick of junk food. In fact, the more I eat, the more I want. I can drink Coke, eat a large bag of chips (you know, a LARGE sized bag), and three chocolate bars a day and it still takes about a month to notice any difference in the waist line department. That, my friends, is downright scary.

It is especially scary because weight gain is one of the ways I ensure that I watch what I ingest. Yes, it is a bit of a vanity issue. Partially a vanity issue and partially because I usually notice my jeans are too tight at about the same time I realise that I’m not feeling as well as I used to, my hips hurt and my skin looks terrible. My waist line watching helps ensure that I eat healthily and that at least something in every meal was ‘alive’ recently (e.g. green vegetables, fresh fruit, etc). When I can eat what I want and do not need to worry about the ol’ waistline, well, it seems that things can get out of control.

So bad is my addiction that threats of illness, or worse, do not affect my eating decisions. Heart disease and Type 2 diabetes run in my family but fear of those developing have not dampened my urge to gorge. The guilt associated with still nursing and eating crap (and it’s effect on the quality of my milk supply) hasn’t changed my ways either.

One of my blogging friends, Jen over at The Life of a Busy Little Bee, is one of my heroes. She has been running and is training for a big race. I did that once. I ran a half-marathon in 2005. I ran the race in May of a year, and a month, that were horrendously difficult due to a couple of personal tragedies. In fact, the final few weeks before the half-marathon saw me train very little because of the other events happening in my life. However, I had decided that a half-marathon is a mind game. As long as you can run 10K, I figured you can run just about any distance you put your mind to. I use the Running Room founder, John Stanton’s, running methodology of running for 10 minutes and walking for one minute and it works a charm. In fact, I guarantee that you can walk away from a half-marathon like I did: with a spring in your step and no muscle pain the next day. I finished the half-marathon on sheer will power, determined not to let the events of the past month ruin a carefully prepared lifelong dream.

Anyways, I was visiting Jen’s blog and left a comment about, perhaps, running a race with her sometime. I admit it, it was kind of an off the cuff comment. After all, I have an almost 11 month old and am living in a community with no family members (apart from DH) who I rely on for childcare during the day so training for a big race would be crazy, right? Well, Jen wrote me right back and was very interested in running a race together sometime and I got to thinking. Really, why not? I love to run. My hips are bugging me from lack of exercise. A friend has a jogging stroller that she has offered for me to try out and see if Iain and I like it so that I could train with him during the week…And my eating habits are out of control and need to be changed.

So, Jen? Here’s the deal. Yes, I’m interested in running a race with you. If you’re willing to nag me on occasion about how the training is going, I’m willing to make a commitment. Starting this week. Maybe even starting on Monday. I’m looking at the Valley Harvest half-marathon in Wolfville (NS) on October 12th as a potential 2008 goal, with a 10K race sometime before that. Even if we can’t physically get together for a race, we could do it ‘virtually’. Willing to take on a self-professed junkaholic who wants to mend her ways?

Supermom

Before my baby was born, I tried to mentally prepare myself for how much my life would change. No more going to the movies every Tuesday night. No more sleeping in until I woke up on weekends. No more crafting until I dropped. Naturally, nothing could really prepare me for the real thing until it happened but it was a good mental exercise just the same.

As Iain and I move through his first seasons together, I am learning as I go. Many, many things have changed and, yet, some things have not. For example, the lawn still has to be mowed, baby or no. For the past couple of weeks, I have been doing what I’ve been calling ‘patchwork lawn mowing’. I would choose a section of lawn and hope to complete it until Iain, from the confines of his stroller, began to fuss. Once the section was finished, I would take him out of the stroller to crawl around and play while I raked. Luckily, Iain’s favourite tool is a rake! As long as the weather stayed good, I could get the front and one of the side lawns completed in, say, six days. And then start all over again. And did I mention that there was still the larger side and the whole back of the house lawn left?

For three weeks, I diligently kept up my patchwork mowing. I only occasionally stopped to swear when I ran out of cord length (we use an electric mower for environmental reasons. We have a push mower as well but, with just under an acre of property, the push mower is too time consuming. Eventually, we hope to go back to the push mower meaning that most of our property has been changed to flower beds and garden. I think I’d rather weed. Feel free to quote me on that when I start complaining about weeding in a few years). However, once DH directed me to a longer electrical cord stored in the van, I am doing better in that department. Still, once I got the lawn mowed, there was no energy or time to do anything else in the garden, such as weeding, and I knew something had to change.

DH has been looking at a child carrier from MEC ever since Iain was born. I have resisted the idea. I find them heavy without a baby in them and did not want to spend money on something I felt I would rarely use and DH would only use when we go hiking. After all, we do have three slings to choose from. One of my friends has the same carrier that DH was looking at and offered for me to borrow it and try Iain in it for a lawn mowing stint. I still wasn’t convinced. The child hates to be confined (right down to refusing to wear a bib, for heavens sake!) and I choose my battles with him very, very carefully. He is so small and I don’t think it’s fair to him to force him to do something he dislikes so vehemently on a regular basis.

After a short fight regarding the straps and how long it was taking for me to get him ‘locked down’ and into the carrier, an unconvinced Patty headed out with baby Iain and the lawn mower.


Guess what? The kid liked it. He hardly made a sound – unusual for my chatty boy. He liked it so much that he fell asleep while I worked. I thought that was so cute that I marched right into the house and got out the camera, with Iain on my back and asleep the whole time.

I also took some garden shots and you can see the unfinished mowing job in the background.

Amazingly, I also managed to get the whole front lawn with all the side bits completed. In. One. Day. The next day, I completed the back yard. That’s the whole lawn in two days versus seven to ten. This carrier may be a new modern day miracle.

While I was starting on the first bit of the lawn, two young gentlemen drove by and I waved at them (you do that in small towns). I was turned around and mowing another section so didn’t hear them stop and come over to speak with me. They yelled out from behind me,

"Um, do you need some help?"

I turned around and smiled and said "No thanks." Both were wearing name tags from the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints church so I can only assume they were young missionaries. One of them said,

"Yeah. We were, like, driving along and there you were with a mower and a cord and a baby on your back and a dog. You’re, like, supermom!"

Supermom? Darn tootin’!

Happy Two Days After Mother's Day!

It was a wee bit cold this Mother's Day here in Nova Scotia. We were lucky enough to have company Saturday night and, after they left on Sunday, DH and I decided to bring Iain to the playground. Here he is enjoying his very first time on the slide. Can you tell that Para wants to join in? (Note: make sure the volume on your computer is turned down. It was a very windy day so the sound of the wind is loud. All I’m saying is "Hello, Daddy!" "Here goes Iain on his very first slide." and "Whee!")

We used to take Para to playgrounds and, when no one else was around, get her to go up and down the slide (and for anyone who is concerned, Para never ever did her business in the sand on a playground. That is unacceptable for any dog owner to allow as far as we are concerned). One time, DH took her to the playground behind the military quarters where we lived in Cold Lake, Alberta. The jungle gym there had a tube slide. DH gave Para the command to go up the stairs and then down the slide. However, once she got to the slide and looked down, she hesitated. DH kept saying ‘Okay, Para, down the slide!" But, she continued to hesitate – unusual for her. DH said that finally, she looked at him, seemed to give a doggy shrug and headed down the slide. To his surprise, two teenagers popped out of the bottom of the tube slide before the dog came out! I don’t know who was more surprised – the young couple caught necking in the tube slide or DH!

Unfortunately, the arthritis in Para’s back is now too bad to allow her to use a slide anymore. She usually twists her back coming down and that is too much twisting for our old dog. It is really hard to see her slowing down.

I was going to say, ta da! An FO already in May but then I looked at the calendar and noticed the date. If anyone can help me find the first week of May 2008, I’d really appreciate it. Either way, though, this is another FO for 2008!

Well, the cross stitch portion is completed. It also needs to be washed as I’m sure you can tell from the stretch marks. As I’ve decided not to frame this project at a framing store, I now have to get sewing in order to hang it on the wall. Unfortunately, that means this project will have to join the sewing queue in the basement. Still, it takes me forever to complete a cross stitch and I consider this project complete despite the eventual sewing it will have to endure.

Details: This cross stitch came in a kit designed and produced by Paradise Stitching Co., Paradise, Newfoundland. This company can be contacted on the Internet here. The name of this kit was ‘Basilica’. Finished stitched size 7.4" X 5.2"

Once Upon a Time...

I haven’t posted a book review in ages and, amazingly enough, I actually have read a couple of books recently.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. This is a great read for, I’d guess, 9 – 10 year olds, as well as those of us who love children’s literature like me! It is fast paced, a little gross (to please those girls and boys who might like the thought of eating worms…), with strong male and female characters. This is the beginning of a trilogy based on the idea of "what happened before Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie?" I highly recommend the first book. I am halfway through the second in the trilogy (it’s called Peter and the Shadow Thieves) and am equally impressed although I have to admit that I keep having to put it down as the lead ‘bad character’ scares the crap out of me.

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw. Okay, I admit it. I bought this book in board book format for Iain because I liked the name. For a change, you can judge this book by its, well okay not its cover, but its title. It is a great book. The ‘Oh dear, the driver sheep forgets to steer’ cracks me up every time! This would be a wonderful addition to a hand knitted gift for all those new babies in your world.

Crewel World by Monica Ferris. This is the first in a mystery series based on a lead female character who owns a needlework store. DH was laughing at me for picking this up from the library. I was a little dubious at first. I love Ian Rankin’s Rebus mysteries and comparing these two authors would be like comparing apples and oranges as Rankin’s books are much darker and grittier. That being said, I quite enjoyed this book and intend on working my way through the series. They are a quick read but not too quick (e.g. like I find Janet Evanovich’s novels to be) and the characters fairly well developed. I was a bit thrown by the needlepoint information contained in the book – I’m not sure the level of detail needs to be there for the plot line, however, I still enjoyed it. If you like mysteries and want to add something fun and light to your repertoire, than these books are for you.

The Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh. I wrote a blog post about us using elimination communication with Iain awhile ago. I saw this book at the library and thought I’d have a boo. It’s a great read and is a great addition to Ingrid Bauer’s book. The Diaper Free Baby also has suggestions about starting an EC support group in your area, which is an interesting concept for me to consider. I returned my copy to the library and intend on buying one of my own.

Sorry, I haven’t bought any new knitting books (!) recently to comment on. I did receive my Summer 2008 copy of Interweave Knits magazine though. I really like the articles but, believe it or not, none of the patterns speak to me. That happens to me about once a year with this subscription. That’s not too much of a bad thing, however, seeing as most magazines have 5 – 6 patterns that beg for me to knit them (my pocket book only goes so deep and my time is so limited!).

Off to stitch – cross stitch that is. My WIP is almost complete!

Ten Months Today!

How time flies! Happy, happy ten month birthday, my little Iain Bean!

Fun in the Sun

This morning didn’t start off so well. Unfortunately, it started last night. Come to think of it, it all really started a few weeks ago when Iain started biting when he nursed. Hard. While nursing. Shall I say it again to highlight the painful importance of what has become my nursing life? OW! The night before last, he bit me once on each side. Sort of a sick cosmic balance thing, I suppose. I’m a nursing mother who has her child sleep with her…up until last night. As I now need to be awake to protect myself while nursing (if I keep a sharp eye on him, I can get my finger in his mouth to intercept his teeth prior to contact), I needed to ensure I’m good and awake while nursing him at night. Therefore, I said,

"Self, why not leave Iain in his crib (where he sleeps for naps and at night up until he gets up to nurse around 11:00 PM and then we go to bed together)? What a brilliant plan! Why didn’t I think of this before (um, cause he wasn’t in the habit of biting me at night before? During the day is another matter…)?"

So, after the tenth time (no, I am not exaggerating) of getting up and seeing to Iain last night, I realised exactly why I had not put this brilliant plan into force before. He ended up in our bed again. I’m happy to report there was no biting but I did wake up with him (when he woke me up, naturally!) at 7:22 AM feeling a lot like I did eight months ago while in the depths of sleep deprivation. Amazingly, my body isn’t used to that routine anymore. How time makes a body forget! Like, forgetting that whole labour business. Actually, its probably a good thing time lets us forget things like that or the human race might not have done so well …but, I digress.

Yes, the morning didn’t start off well. I got up tired and it was a grey, grey day outside. I wasn’t happy about that as ‘they’ had promised good weather for today. The fact that I managed to not be grumpy was no minor miracle.

After being up long enough for DH to join us from his sleep, I got to go back to bed for an hour and a half (thank God!). Then it was up again to watch Iain because DH and a friend from up the road (actually, the friend from up the road did 99% of the hard work – gotta love those friends with great gardening tools! Interestingly enough, this friend is related to the nice gentleman who shovels our driveway. We love this small town!) turned this (taken last summer. I forgot to get a 'before' shot this morning. Blame is on the biting induced sleep deprivation).

into this. And, the sun came out while they were working on it so ‘they’ were right after all!

We received our Veseys berry order (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and one blackberry cane) this week and DH really wanted to get them in the ground. Now that this rather huge garden plot is ready, I’m thinking of adding onions, garlic and pumpkins. You know, the things we tend to buy a lot of during the year. I want to store them in our cold room. DH will also be putting in his usual tomato crop for a tomato sauce and salsa extravaganza in the fall.

Here is DH planting the strawberries this afternoon.

All done!

Naturally, Iain and Para helped.

Iain checked the soil’s PH and other chemical compositions,

while Para supervised.

You can never have enough good supervision, I say.

Me? This was what was in front of me on the deck before I made supper.

Life is good in the Annapolis Valley. Wanna visit?

Whew!

Whew! Hi there! How are you doing? I’m doing fine, thanks. Things have been a little crazy around here these days. I imagine you are experiencing something similar. After all, life seems to be busy no matter who you are. Hopefully you're doing something you enjoy, wherever you are.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the things that have been keeping me/we busy.

Visiting Cottage Cove and the Bay of Fundy this past Sunday evening for my ocean fix.

Para liked it too!

Sunset shot. Isn’t it lovely? Sigh. It only takes us seven minutes to drive to the shore by car and it still isn't close enough.


Our two cats are becoming grand friends. This is singularly spectacular particularly if you are one of the chosen few who saw these two together the first year. It was tough. They must be siblings as they still fight sometimes too…

Our little boy is becoming quite the bookworm.

What fun is a dishwasher if you can’t play in it?

I really think Iain has the right idea here; I’d much rather play in the dishwasher than load/unload it any day. Mind you, I have a feeling the dishwasher door wouldn’t appreciate my weight placed on it like it's tolerating Iain's.

My Daddy wears combat boots (and I am too bloody busy to let my mother put my pants back on after a potty break – thus the à la diaper shot).

The only stitching going on around here this week (but, hey, I have made progress!).

One More Sleep!

DH gets back tomorrow, thank God. Although he was home over the weekend, he’s either been in Halifax (last week) or in Toronto (this week) during the weekdays, leaving Iain, the four legged critters and I to fend for ourselves. In general, we do fairly well. I attend regular baby programs with Iain and managed to get together with girlfriends and their children each week. I get a bit lonely for adult conversation in the evenings but tend to make up for it by being fairly productive (cleaning, sewing, untangling yarn or reading). DH and I learned early in our fifteen year relationship that we simply must hear each other’s voice every day. Between email and the telephone, we are now in contact several times a day. That’s all great but it just doesn’t make up for the times when Daddy is home!

Now I’ve vented – thank you – and we have only one more sleep left before Daddy is home. I can’t wait to see the look on Iain’s face!

In knitting news, I must thank you for your positive vibes because, this is what happened to my large tangle.


When a friend of mine saw the tangle these were in earlier this week, her comment was "I’d never have the patience to do that [untangle the mess]." I just smiled. She did not realise that it was impatience that was the fuel I was working with. I’m very impatient to have Iain’s sweater finished before he grows out of it, if he hasn’t already.

Despite appearances, these yarn cakes are the same weight. Well, as ‘same’ as my kitchen scale allows. I have enough yarn to not worry about them being a little off. One was wound using Chase’s sock bag as an assistant (I do not have a swift) and the other wound freely from the kitchen scale bowl. Therefore, one is a little looser than the other. I think I can live with the end result.

You think I’d be casting on and re-starting sleeve number one tonight, eh? Yes, I should. However, I’m just too darn tired! Perhaps Iain will let me in the morning while he naps. In preparation for DH’s arrival around lunchtime, I already have soup made and in the refrigerator to be re-heated tomorrow. Carrot and herb biscuits are also ready (wet still separated from dry) to be made up for lunch. I figure this halo deserves a little knitting time!

My Own Fault

It is really my own fault. Writing a blog entry with "knitting miracle" in the heading incurred the wrath of the Knitting Goddess. This is what I’ve been dealing with this weekend.

This,Turned into this.

Iain (Boy Wonder) and Checkers (the cat) further exasperated the whole mess. This is as close as I got to knitting all weekend. Sigh. The skein was tangled when I bought it (I asked to have it wound into a pretty yarn cake but it was not cooperating. Naturally, it was the best matching skein!).

On a happy note (I like ending with a happy note!), the family managed to get out into the gorgeous sunshine and garden this weekend. How can this not make you smile?

How about this?

Iain Daniel tasted his first dirt yesterday. A neighbour cautioned me not to introduce him to the worm I found hidden underneath the leaves. Proabably wise…

And, I haven’t shown one of these in awhile. Here we are in our kitchen yesterday.

PS I have finally put myself on the waiting list for Ravelry. It took me awhile to get on the blogging band wagon and it is one of the best things I’ve ever been involved with. Now I’m excited to see how Ravelry pans out.

This Knitter’s Miracle

On Wednesday, Iain had his 9 month doctor’s check up in Wolfville. I cannot believe that he is nine months old already. I have to plan a first birthday party in only three months – eek! Iain is now 21 lbs, 29.5" long and is sporting five teeth! He is growing so quickly. While DH was away this week – Monday to Thursday – Iain cut two teeth. You’ve got to be with him every moment to catch these quick changes! He has two more coming in while I type and I sure wish they’d hurry up. Even the most contented baby would be fussy with odds like that.

Wednesday was a gorgeous, sunny day - capri and sandal weather. Not that that was what I was wearing. No, that would require foresight, planning and the ability to use finite personal time to search the Internet for weather information versus knitting information (not to mention a trip down into the depths of my storage area where I’m a little scared to go).

After his appointment, Iain and I headed off to Gaspereau Valley Fibres, my LYS, for a wee shopping trip. This time, Iain and I also visited the chickens, llama and sheep that are located close to the building that houses the shop. Iain was particularly taken with the chickens - probably because they were smaller than the other animals, some were black and white and they were conveniently located close to the fence. The sheep and friendly llama were a bit further away so they didn’t catch his eye. Do not despair, he’ll be a knitter yet. He had to be safely ensconced in a sling during my whole yarn store visit so as not to tear the yarn apart. He has a huge attraction to fibre; I just do not have a huge pocketbook with which to feed both of our addictions and, lets face it, I’m still bigger than him so I won.

I specifically went to the yarn store to pick up an extra skein of organic cotton for my nursing sweater. I already have plenty, according to the pattern, but I do not want to tempt the Knitting Goddess further and wanted to make very, very sure. Additionally, as I usually add at least 2" to the sleeves for a sweater for me or any member of my family, an extra skein in that particular dye lot is probably not going to go astray.

I was also on the hunt for something else very special. Something hand-painted special. Something ‘one of a kind’ that was on sale last summer special. Yes, I was tempting the powers that be to see if I could find something that would mean I could complete the sleeves on Iain’s chevron sweater without having to rip out the project and start a vest.

How do you think I did?

The only real fibre difference with the new skein is that the fibre blend includes 10% nylon (it’s Hand Maiden’s Casbah 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% nylon sock yarn) instead of just a cashmere and merino blend. I figure the nylon could help if Iain, you know, starts wearing the sweater out in the elbows. That is if he gets to wear it before he grows out of it.

Either way you look at it, I figure this find has got to be a knitting miracle! Now, if somebody can tell me how to evenly split a skein into two equal balls, I would be eternally grateful. I’m serious, how would I go about doing that?

A Little Bit of This and A Bit of That

Thanks so much to everyone for your helpful answers to my knitting questions! It’s so nice to have a group of experts to call upon in times of need. I have used all of your suggestions and am busily working on that organic cotton swatch. I have yet to cast on for that project as next in line for the swatch is to bind it off and wash it. My excuse was that I was waiting for our laundry sink plumbing to be installed; an outstanding project from when we put in new counter tops. While Iain and I ran errands today, DH got some quality fix it time and the sink is now in working order – yeah! Not only can I wash my swatch but also all those other large items that I don’t like washing out in the kitchen (rubber boot mats, screens, etc).

Things have been a bit strained around Chez Fibreholic I’m afraid. All three (well, the three that are out of the knitting closet…) knitting projects on the needles needed frogging. I have just managed to get to Chase and fix his heel flap. I’m now turning his heel. I decided earlier this week that, as my knitting was going so badly, I would go back to something I know how to do without thinking too much about it. Remember this? Well, it still needs to be backstitched – my second most disliked portion of cross stitch only beaten by my first dislike - working with metallic filament thread. However, this project is not at a stage where I can mess it up easily so back to cross-stitching I went. It’s been quite cathartic.

I have also been sewing a bit in my basement (I made a path through the boxes down there…). There’s a birthday coming up that I’m using as a deadline to get motivated. The project is working up nicely (thanks for all of your help with it, Aunt J!) and I will post pictures once it has been properly gifted, received, exclaimed over, etc.

I realise my posts about home have been rather ‘Iain-centred’ recently. Here are our cats to even the score a bit.

Here’s Tobi enjoying my mohair shawl.

This is a new hiding spot for her. She’s right next to the heady scent of 100% wool and organic cotton stored in the basket next to her.

And here are both Tobi and Checkers enjoying some gorgeous sun beams on our dining room rug. It’s 100% wool too. There seems to be a theme in this house ;).

The weather this week was amazing in the Annapolis Valley. I managed to garden and raked leaves out of the front garden (I use leaves in the fall to act as a protective winter cover for low lying plants). I also raked most of the leaves from the three gardens next to the house and shed (the lawn and back garden have LOTS left to be done). One of the shrubs has been pruned (my first time doing this and I am ridiculously proud of myself), the crocuses are up and in bloom and the tulips are on their way. Iain, Para and I have been heartily enjoying the chance to be outside in lovely weather. I have gotten back to hanging out my laundry in the spring breezes – only stymied today by the rain – and ate my lunch on the back deck once this week as well. It will soon be time to put out the deck furniture.

Here’s hoping this weekend finds you knitting up storm! I am sending out positive knitterly vibes through the Internet…

Knitting Questions

I’ve been swatching. Yes, for a new project. I feel the need to have another one on the needles despite the, ahem, other WIPs. Don’t worry though. I hold too much guilt to really get a good start on a new project. In fact, I was so over zealous about Chase’s heel that I knit too much and am now frogging it back to size. I used the eye of the partridge heel flap (thanks, Renée!) from Yarn Harlot’s Knitting Rules book and I’m finding it a wee bit tedious to take back with all of those slipped stitches so Chase is hanging out on the dining room door at the moment. I’m also moving along on Iain’s chevron sweater. I’m going to run out of yarn, there’s no doubt about it. I’m still on sleeve number one but cannot figure out how I’m supposed to knit 10" of sleeve times two out of the yarn I have left. However, the eternal optimist in me is not going to rip it out and knit a vest until I first head off to my LYS and casually inquire as to whether or not there’s anymore of that once in a lifetime yarn left…from the summer. I doubt it but you never know. The Knitting Goddess might be smiling on me that day. It’s worked once before for me regarding some special quilting fabric. Let’s try my knitting luck.

I’ve been swatching in preparation for my Queen of Hearts nursing sweater from Natural Knits. The organic cotton (I'm using 'Sage Colour 83') from Blue Sky Alpacas is GORGEOUS! Like other cotton I’ve used, it has no ‘give’ but that’s where the similarity ends. You know those lovely pictures you’ve seen of cotton blooming in the fields and how soft it looks? Well, that’s how soft this yarn IS. I’m not kidding. It is amazing. I cannot wait for this sweater to be done. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve rubbed my swatch against my face, exclaiming over the wonder and softness of it. It’s going to be so lovely to cuddle my little boy in!

Speaking of that swatch, I have a couple of knitting questions for you knitters with lots more experience than I. Here goes. Seeing as this is somewhat revealing, I will start properly.

Forgive me, fellow knitters, for I have sinned…

Question One: How much extra yardage do designers allow for knitters to get gauge? I’ve only just realised (seeing as people have been asking what others do with their swatches. I, um, ripped them out and re-swatched and/or knit that part back into my project. Bad Patty!) that I’m not supposed to re-use the yarn I used to swatch. However, I’ve been known to knit up to five swatches to get gauge. The Natural Knits book suggests casting on 30 - 40 stitches and then knitting 4" from the cast on edge. If I knit several swatches at that size (the cotton is worsted weight), I’m afraid I’ll run out of yarn! Are designers allowing enough yardage for the likes of me? Can I re-use the yarn I’ve used for a swatch that isn’t to gauge? Yes, I understand that reusing the yarn might be difficult if I also, gulp, washed the swatch like a good knitter should…Should I be doing that too?

Question two: Regarding ‘checking your gauge as you knit’, I have to admit to not having done this before either. I’ve only knit one adult sweater in recent memory and I’m afraid to knit another one without understanding this concept. In general, I’m a very loose knitter (stop laughing) and am often a couple of needle sizes below what is called for in the patterns I’ve used. Therefore, I’m fairly sure my knitting loosens up as I become relaxed with a pattern. If I am keeping track of gauge and have noticed that, indeed, I’m loosening up, what do I do then? Go back and swatch and change needle sizes as per the new swatch? Do I then frog back until I hit a section where I was knitting to gauge? Help!

I will now immediately return to a WIP until someone is able to provide some answers. I’m afraid to start this lovely sweater without starting it properly!

Yours headed for (hopefully) knitterly purgatory,

Fibreholic

A Rare Night Indeed

I’m sitting here at the computer, alone. Yes, you read that right: alone. DH and baby have gone to bed. DH attended a Mess Dinner last night (that’s a fancy dress event where military members wear the equivalent of a tuxedo, get to eat good food and, usually, drink a bit too much). He strolled in around 0230 hrs this morning (self-reported – we were not up to greet him, thank goodness!), which means he is a wee bit tired tonight. Iain is off to bed a whole two hours earlier than last night. Hopefully this means he has fully adjusted to the time change – yeah!

Therefore, with a bit of an evening to myself, I have to admit to being at a loss. This is the first time this has happened in, oh, about nine months. Likely I’m going to spend so much time thinking "Well, I could do this. And I have enough time to do that…" that I will while the evening away without much to show for it. I have already spent an hour downstairs working on a quilt for somebody special. That time bit was supposed to be my hour ‘off’ and then I was going to take Iain for the rest of the evening. I’m getting a sitter in tomorrow so that I can sew more so I’m thinking I’d like to do something else tonight instead. Iain allowed me to bake cookies earlier so the baking urge has passed. The housework is at a point where I do not feel pressed to do anything tonight (egad!).

What to do, what to do?!? Oh! I know! There’s a television with Season Three of Battlestar Gallactica primed and ready to go plus a couple of knitting projects waiting for me upstairs…

Ain't life grand?!?