So...

I super suck at blogging as evidenced by how little I actually post. Oh I think about doing it but then I think of all the other things that "need" to get done and all the other things I "want" to do. Also I am not a very talkative person in my everyday life so it really is no surprise that I am not the best at this medium of expression.

I love to read blogs though. I am loving this one. It is so nice to see motherhood expressed in this fashion. I found her blog at the end of Draken's 2 week spring break (that is 16 whole days, days of the never ending "I'm bored" and "Can I have something to eat?"). I started reading the blog from the beginning and I must say it really saved my sanity. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love having my son around. He is a great, funny and sweet kid. The thing is he has this amazing capacity for talking. We are quiet people so I know he did not inherit this talent from Kev or myself. I lay the blame at my mothers feet. The past two weeks have made me think ahead to the three months of summer coming up. I feel fear but then I remember that my mum will be here over the summer months and my son will have someone who loves to chat as much as he.

On the knitting front: I am working on the Textured Tunic from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits book (its the one on the cover) out of this lovely silk yarn I got at Artfibers in San Franciso. I actually knitted more than halfway, tried it on and realized it was way too big. I tore it all out and am working on it one size smaller. I get gauge so I know that is not the issue. It is a pleasure to knit though because the yarn is so yummy. I do not think I ever want to knit with anything else.

I am also making the Merino Lace Socks by Anne Woodbury from the new Interweave sock book out of some lovely reddish Orange Koigu. They are fun pretty socks and I have completed one and am working on the cuff of the second. I hope to have them done by the time my 2nd STR club package arrives.

Speaking of the STR club, I finished the first sock pattern out of their lovely monsoon colorway. I adore them. I have never done a toe up sock before and I so love the way they look and the super fit at the toe. I really like that the toe looks rounded and not pointy like some cuff down pattern toes look. It was a fun pattern and I do think I would make it again with a different cuff. Maybe just plain ribbing all the way up. I have not taken a picture of the socks yet (I am lazy) but will get a group photo when the lace socks are completed.

Snow+power outages= no fun

I have been enjoying the snow. Even when we could not get out of our driveway I was still enjoying it. The flush of pleasure evaporated the minute, nay the second, the power went out. I realized at that point that I was wholly unprepared. Now I am used to hurricane preparedness, and I take it semi seriously. Enough water, canned goods, candles and all that jazz. Snow preparedness I am so not familiar with. When the lights went out on Tuesday evening Kevin and I both scrambled around in the dark for a little while (luckily we had a fire in the fireplace) till he found a flashlight. Then I went searching for candles. I have candles, loads of them, they just happen to still be packed away in boxes (somewhere).

Once we had light the evening was nice and quiet. I knit on the clapotis (which I am obsessed with at the moment) and Kev played on his Nintendo DS (of course it has to be a video game ::sigh::). We went to bed a little early. Pulled out extra blankets to cover the kids and piled into bed. I realized at that moment that I can not sleep with utter silence. I MUST have white noise. My evening friend, the electric fan, was silenced due to lack of juice. I lay there awake, in the absolute dark, pining for my airy pal, wishing the power would come on any second. Alas, it did not and I resigned myself to a restless night.

Next morning, Justin (brother in law) was able to come up from town and pick us up at the top of our street and drive us back to his house so we could be warm while we waited for PG&E to restore our electricity. 20 hrs without power is not too shabby, especially when we did not have to spend the whole time in a cold house.

I did not get alot of knitting done. I am working solely on the clapotis right now. Draken's sweater has been pushed to the side right now as I am determined to stay focused on one project at a time. I know that will not last and the clapotis will be thrust aside as soon as my package from Blue Moon comes with my Sock Club yarn. Tonight I will work as fast as I can but I know that the clapotis is doomed to wait, I just hope that it can make it out of the UFO basket one last time.

Snow Day

So, we are semi snowed in. We woke up last Thursday to the whole of our hilltop covered in lovely white snow. It was totally amazing since I have never lived anywhere with snow. Draken ran into our bedroom screaming "It snowed! It snowed!".This was Draken's and of course Keelin's first time seeing snow. We had a pre-breakfast snow ball fight then hot chocolate and a nice fire afterwards. We had a couple days of light snow where it proceeded to melt. A very nice novelty.



Yesterday as I was driving Draken home from school I noticed a light white dusting on our way up the hillside. As we pulled into the drive we had a nice little pile up. Not too bad though. Not this morning. We awoke to complete white everywhere. School was cancelled and all. Still we tried to get Kevin to work, so we piled the kids and ourselves in the van, and proceeded to get stuck in the driveway. Kevin kicked snow from beneath our tires and away we went, till we got stuck in the middle of our road at the end of our driveway. The only thing we could do at that point was clear snow from the drive and pull back in off the road as much as we could. Luckily our brother in law was able to come get Kev and all was well.
I find it odd to look out the window and not see green (or brown). I have always lived where it is warm for a good part of the year. The only time I lived where it snowed was when I was a toddler in Texas and I certainly don't remeber that. It will take a little getting used to. Also, I know the snow won't last long here. Soon, the rain that is usual at this time of year will take over again. We will be taking advantage of pelting each other with very cold snow and making little snow people as long as we possibly can.

All the more reason for me to have a sweater for each of us knitted up. The yoke on Draken's sweater is peeving me off. I really don't think I am doing anything wrong this time with the honeycomb motif, I think maybe it is just the way it looks with the dark yarn (ok, I am lying to myself, I know this so it is ok). Kevin's Aran is next, well after I finish the clapotis that was buried in my UFO pile. Hey at least I am finally working on something from that basket (the SSS [or the shawl of doom]calls out to me everytime I pass it, lol).

Kidnapped!

That is my excuse for not having blogged in so long. The kids they napped me! Would not let me near the computer, let alone the knitting needles. They tied me to the stove and submitted me to countless horrors of cleaning and drudgery.

Ok, so it really hasn't been quite like that but it sometimes seems that way. It is amazing how one can get so busy that the months just seem to fly by. Not to mention that I just have not found my everyday life to be "blogworthy". Knitting has been on the back burner, not to mention spinning or crafting of any kind (a new baby can do that to you).

Things are settling down here though. Keelin is growing fast (almost walking) and Draken is fully adjusted to life with school. Knitting has resumed (finished a couple of sweaters for the babe and am halfway done with one for Draken, not to mention a couple pairs of socks). I have also just started to attend the local spinning guild meetings and am meeting some very lovely women (most of them own whole flocks of sheep. Sweet!!!).

My new motivation for blogging is my recent obsession with podcasts. I just can not get enough of them. They have motivated me to really make time for my crafting. Also it is nice to hear about others adventures and dilemmas in the crafting community. I miss my Knitting Bitches so much but finding the online world of blogs and podcasts has really helped me ease my loneliness. Listening to Lime and Violet is like having Ruthee and the other KB's with me as I knit and laugh :)