And so Christmas is done Once Again

The more years you are this earth the more the feeling of "Didn't we just do this yesterday?" Happens more and more frequently.
That is how I felt about Christmas this year.  I enjoyed it but.... didn't we just have Christmas,

This year our little nuclear family stayed home after a couple of years in a row of traveling to Windsor...which I am so glad we did.  2 years ago it was the last time we got to spend time with 2 members of the family and last year it was the last one with Nana and Papa.  It was good to have a quiet one this year.

Even if we had not decided to be home for the holidays we would have had no choice but to stay put anyways.  We were right in the middle of the Southern Ontario Ice Storm of 2013.  Luckily we were only without power for 14 hours.  Some people are still without nearly a week later!

Look at all the trees snapped on our street!  Spring is going to be so barren on our street in 2014. These photos were taken the morning after the storm.

We lost 3 whole trees on our court end.  Looking across the court is depressing!

Our neighbourhood pulled together so amazingly!  Snapped branches and trees were dealt with by a group of 14 to 15 men.  With 2 chainsaws and manpower all dangers were taken care of.  Branches removed, trees taken down, and every thing stacked at the side of the road.  It looks like we are in the middle of a lumber camp!  Others came out with generators and coffee and snacks.

And so the New Year is around the corner.  Rhea is having her 22 birthday on New Years Eve.  Again...wasn't she just born?

Look at my amazing children!  Children no more!

Hot Hot Hot

For Crap Sake it is HOT here is southern Ontario! 
I usually do not sweat that much but this morning I walked the dog maybe half a block and back again and I actually had a sopping wet face!  Moisturizer was dripping in my eyes!

This is the face of a very hot person. See the shiny parts? And my hair is still wet from my shower 2 hours ago!

I want to knit but I am too hot. 

I am in my shop trying to cool down but the AC is having a hard time getting the humidity out of the air.

It is even too hot to think.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot.

Calm no More

I was enjoying the English Garden calmness of my backyard when troubling sounds drifted in.
What is this drilling earthshaking sound?  What is happening to the peace I love?

Arggggg!      Road Work!   

All over my street!

 Summer must be almost here!

I may need to leave town.

(thanks to Marilyn for the photos)

Where I will be this Weekend

Kniterary and Little Green House will be at the Peony Festival in Oshawa this weekend!
Read Here!

I am on Tumbler too!

http://martianknit.tumblr.com/

My Post for Little Green House/Kniterary

http://lghwhitby.blogspot.ca/2013/05/i-am-learning-to-share.html

I AM

I am a hand knitter.

Sometimes I feel I should call myself a Fibre Artist because it sounds more important than knitter. I do other fiber arts.  I rug hook, Embroider, crochet, sew... But the craft I feel most at home doing is knitting.

I love the way the yarn slips through my fingers and become a fabric that is most often utilitarian.  I love the creation of the utilitarian beauty of knit fabric.
I know you can get the same kind of result with sewing. But I don't enjoy it the same way.  Possibly the reason I enjoy embroidery is the hands on feel of fabric and thread.

Hand  knitting and hand embroidery and rug hooking for that matter are all slow crafts. I can feel and watch the colours grow and come into being.  It is almost as if my hands are magic and I can make them create a vision that was once only in my head.

Candle Cozies

Can't wait to try this at night on the deck. I think I should plan a summer party don't you?

Spring Outing

On May 2nd DH, DD and I did a morning outing to a local stand of woods called Thickson Woods.  It is a spring ritual to go down there and have a look at the current year's baby owls. 
I didn't manage to get a photo of them with my basic camera.
My DDaughter though brought her big ass lens and got a fairly good shot of one of them.  I am always in awe of my daughter's photographic skills.

I think this is the shot I got of the owl....hmmm....Nope..... Nice foliage though!

I did get a few shots I like.  Usually what I am attracted to is the textures of nature.  I am always trying to figure out how to translate the textures into knitting.

 As you can guess I am usually looking down at the forest floor while everyone is peering up into the trees.

These look like little shells on the moss but they are actually little paper wasp nests. 

Every year the Fern Fiddle Heads fascinate me.

 On occasion I do look up.  What an amazing Spring sky!

And what amazing company!

I am just so glad Spring has finally arrived!

Poison Fingerless Gloves

 The test knit of Vickie's Entrelac Fingerless Gloves is done! I really like how they turned out!

 They are knit with a ball of hand dyed I had stashed in a desk drawer..  I can't remember how long I've had it nor where it came from.  Luckily there was a tag with ball info on it.
The Company/person is KNITTINK - Comic Book Inspired Yarn & Fiber!  There seems to still be a website. http://www.dyeknittinkdye.com/ .
The yarn is Baby Alpaca/Wool/Silk lend.  3.5oz , 252 yards/ 3.5oz.  The colour name is "Putting the Poison Back in Ivy -Variant"
Love the colours. Loved knitting with it.  And loved the pattern.

One Saturday Evening

I am home after a slowish Saturday in the shop.
And it was/is a beautiful spring day.  I am really hoping that the weather holds the next 2 days so I can finally make it out into the back 40 and clean up winter.

Oh!  My DH just walked past me with something to go on the BBQ.  Wonder what it is?  (just found out...Italian Sausage!)

Son is home for a few days.  It is good to have all the babies under the same roof as me.  It is hard having them away.  Well not hard really.  It just feels like something is missing when they are gone. Parenting is a strange job.  From the moment children are born it is a parents job to start setting them free slowly but surely.  The last few years happen too quickly it seems.

Was teaching a sock knitting class this morning and now I want to start a new pair of socks BUT I have too many projects on the go already.  I have 2 commissions on the go. I am knitting 1 sample for the shop. I am test knitting a pair of Entrelac hand warmers.

I have a shawl on the needles. SO that is ...5.  Well I have been up to 10 before so not bad.
 Projects waiting in the wings are another sweater commission which I also have to design, small items for the Peony Festival booth and I have a shawl design percolating that I will have to start swatching for soon.

Supper was good. It is 7:30 PM and still sunny. Hockey is on the TV. My knitting awaits,
Til next time.