making things

So, yeah, there's a lot going on these days what with the end of school and A REALLY BIG TRIP looming, so it seemed like a good idea to show those of you who do lurk around the place that I DO make things. As I've said before, I haven't been good at all about documenting the things I've knit or sewn. Part of the reason I started this whole blog thing wsa to document not just the sundries of my daily life (oh so interesting...), but my crafting life as well.

I started knitting about three falls ago when I wanted to make scarves for Callum's teachers. They were awful, but the process clearly wasn't. My friend Sarah had been knitting for years, and I'd never understood the appeal. I'm not entirely sure what turned me onto it in the first place, but after those three miserable scarves (you know, dropped stitches, uneven tension, odd increases and decreases, crappy yarn) I was hooked. Or...what? Stuck?

I really thought I would be content to knit scarves forever (and I do still love having lots of scarves...), until Megan bullied me into knitting socks (thanks, Megan!). Suddenly a whole new world opened up. Projects...graphs...patterns. A sock here and there (and how satisfying to actually wear something that you made), some sweater ornaments and some mittens, a beaded bracelet and some wristlets. Oh, and hats and washcloths and bags. But I still wasn't brave enough to try an actual article of clothing...like a sweater.

Then my whole neighborhood started turning up pregnant. I love these women, and felt that they needed and deserved more than my requisite baby hat and booties. So perhaps, just perhaps I could manage a sweater if it was on a newborn scale. Ahhh...another obsession born. (So to speak.)

Eliott first (he got the green with the seed-stitch heart), then Mackenzie. A little girl needs some pink and brown, don't you think? I swear, if I could, I'd have one of these swingy little sweater coats just for me. What loveliness. Even if I do say so myself. I get it now, the desire for something a bit more complex. The desire to dig deep into a pattern and come out wearing something. Stuck, that's me.

good day sunshine

My friend Megan obliged us by having her birthday on a day when the kids were out of school and the weather was perfect for the beach. It's embarrassing how many times we said things like, "What a great day," or "You couldn't have asked for anything better." We're smart women, part of me thinks we could have found a little variation to describe this unbridled beauty and joy.

We're old hat at days like this. It's our third summer of beach fun, and each year takes a bit of time to get in a good groove. We managed pretty well today though. Two of us hit the gourmet grocery store and met Megan and her kids at the beach. It's so easy to drop a load of cash at this place. Champagne with blood orange juice, amazing cheese (stilton with mango and ginger, and some lavender goat cheese), and all sorts of other goodies. We decided that anyone walking past our own little patch of beach would envy what a lovely spread we had. At times the kids hovered around us like seagulls. We'd throw them some crumbs (popcorn, pretzels and chips), so they'd scatter for a bit, and soon there were waves to be jumped and holes to be dug. Lots and lots of holes to be dug.

That's a hole, not a ledge!

With just one week left of school, this was a perfect tantalizing treat to kick off the summer.

Happy Birthday Megs, you are my sunshine.

boytown

Back to the land of snores and stolen covers. Callum staked a claim in our bed as soon as Neel got home! It was worth spending the night perched on the edge just to have Papa back.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at 12:08 PM

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early morning

It's another glorious May morning here. Summer seems to be sweetly slipping up on us. A hot day here and there to remind us of the baking beach days ahead, but cool evenings and mornings. Memorial Day has come and gone, and I guess that means that summer is here.

We had a good weekend. I got some work on Fetching done. One wrister almost down, one to go. This was (and knitting usually is) my morning and evening work. I've been doing some super secret sewing that will be revealed later, and a lot of cooking.

These are the Maple Baked Beans from BC: At Home.

First you assemble the sauce.

Then the bacon and maple syrup go over top. Bake for a million hours (6-8), and you're ready for a cookout.

Sometime when the needs of a weekday morning (making lunches, drinking coffee, taking showers, feeding dogs, pulling out clothes, last minute snuggles, locating karate uniforms, watering lawn...that kind of thing) aren't pressing upon solo-me, I'll tell you about my neighborhood. What a surprise and delight it is.

We started the day like this: Bloody Mary's in the front yard. (I love living in a place where my jammies are not out of place in the front yard on a holiday morning!) And then we gathered for a Memorial Day cookout, and our chief mixologoist brought the Planter's Punch (I'm linking to a recipe, but Tyler's version is more art than science. Still, this should give you the idea.)

There were salads and burgers and brats and babies (we're overflowing with babies!), and oh, browines and rice crispy treats. Perfect picnic fare. After the food there was much lazy hanging about until Callum and his buddy Zach-Man hit the sprinkler.

Zach is a bit trepidatious now, but it's early days yet.

And those beans? They were a hit.

It's re-entry and back to the regular rhythms of the week. Happy day, though, Neel returns tonight!