And finally ... Last autumn's knits, part 3

Oops, sorry for the delay in getting this final installment of Last Autumn's Knits up. But I saved the best for last!

You've already seen quite a few peeks of this sweater. It's Ella Funt by Pamela Wynne and is by far my favorite of the three sweaters -- both for the beauty of the finished object and the ease and clarity of the pattern. (Details and Ravelry notes here.)

Anyway, I don't have too much to say, other than "I love it". I officially completed this one first (in early February), and Fiona has worn it a lot since then. It's been washed quite a few times already. It's nice and roomy and will probably fit her all of next winter, too. It is beautiful and I am so pleased with it.

And guess what, I cast off another sweater for Fiona today and have yarn in hand for three more! I'm nothing if not ambitious. :)

Growing Up Sew Liberated

I'm very excited to be one of the stops on the blog tour for Meg's new book Growing Up Sew Liberated: Making Handmade Clothes & Projects for Your Creative Child. 

Meg has graciously agreed to do a Q & A for my readers, and as I was thinking about the questions, I remembered back to a time not so long ago (though it seems like it, in some ways), when I wrote this post as part of her series on motherhood. How much has changed since then! Meg has given birth to not one, but two little men, her two books have been released, and in my own house, we have moved out of those delirious and somehow outside-of-time newborn days into what feels like a very busy world of childhood (currently three hours, at two different pools, five days a week, for swim team and swimming lessons!).

I am humbled to be counted among the friends that Meg has included in the dedication of her very special new book, and I hope that you will all appreciate her thoughtful responses in today's Q & A as much as I do.

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Grace: Thank you, Meg, for taking the time out of your summer routine to answer some questions! Speaking of that, what does your summer routine look like right now?

Meg: Thank you, Grace! Now that we have two little ones, I've been reminded again and again of the importance of a joyful family routine. Children thrive when they can anticipate the course of the day, giving them a sense of control and security. It helps us as parents, too, by reducing the amount of improvisation we have to do at times when we may be very tired. 

At the same time, I am well aware of the obstacles most and probably all parents face in maintaining such a routine. Our routine lately has been a challenge. As you know, our second baby was born in February with a heart defect. Day to day, his most noticeable difficulty is that he doesn't have the stamina to eat a full meal of breast milk by mouth. He takes the rest through a tube, and this means that I have to pump a lot. It's super humbling to have a pump dictate your daily rhythm, but it surely does! 

I wish I could say that we start the day with some guitar playing and singing, or that we spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing our food together. This can't be our reality right now, but it is just a season in our lives, one that shall pass. In this season, as in all seasons of our lives, we do what we can and try not to fret about the ways in which we are imperfect. In this season, we are the grateful recipients of a lot of help from family and friends. Grandma is out for a walk with my toddler as I write this (while pumping!) 

Motherhood is a humbling experience, and right now I can't do all of the things I wrote about in my own book! That said, in this difficult and busy time, there are things that we can do to create a joyful life for our little family. We eat all of our meals together, even if we don't cook them all ourselves. We have a toddler art group once a week. We often eat a picnic dinner at our local park. My husband always puts Finn to bed by telling him stories that he makes up himself. Our boys are learning to enjoy and trust their extended family, and learning that they are loved and cared for by a circle larger than our nuclear family. All of these things are positive, joyful experiences in this season of our lives. I hope the book will be taken in this spirit. Rather than proclaiming that we all must be perfect companions of children, I offer ideas, ideals, and resources for enriching our time with children as we can.

Grace: One of the things that I think so many people appreciate about your work with Sew Liberated is your thoughtfulness in your approach to motherhood and raising your boys. How has motherhood surprised and challenged you? 

Meg: Before I had children, I was under the impression that, as long as I had my wits about me, I could have a plan for everything. My house would be organized. My homeschooling map plotted from early on. My meals planned. Of course, there would be hard days, but everything would, more or less, go as planned.

Haha. Ha. Ha! Motherhood has humbled me, and made me realize that there are forces at work that are out of my hands. This has been challenging for me, as I am person who likes to have a plan. It has made me realize that being a good mother is a little bit about laying the right path for your children, but mostly about responding with empathy, respect, and grace when your children decide to take an unexpected turn down a different path. Plans can help guide a family, but we have to know when to modify them or decide when they aren't right any more for our current needs.

Grace: We all approach the "big" things in life with some expectations. Can you share how some of these expectations have been met in your motherhood journey?

Meg: I've always had an expectation that I could create a loving, respectful home environment that helped my children develop a sense of wonder for the world. I know I am capable of that, but I know that the most difficult work of mothering is not the aesthetics of the home you build, but rather the supporting structure of that home - the patience and compassion of the parents. The opportunity to become a more compassionate, patient person is the gift that a toddler gives to a parent. A baby whose health is tenuous gives the gift of living in the moment rather than spending too much time thinking about expectations. Motherhood is so much more beautiful than I could have ever expected.
 

Grace: Your new book, Growing Up Sew Liberated, is such a delight. What does it feel like to see your designs -- your imagination -- come to life on the page?

Meg: I'm very proud of this book, as I wrote it with my own children in mind. Writing a book is such a long process, from the signing of the contract to the day you hold the completed book in your hands. It's almost a surprise to see everything again! The final book, too, is a compilation of the talents of many people - editors, photographers, and graphic designers - and it's wonderful to see what an accomplished book-making team can do with the creative vision of an author.

Grace: Can you talk about your design process? Where do you get ideas? How do your work out the form and function of your projects?

Meg: I am so inspired by beautiful photographs on blogs (yours included, Grace!) as well as my contacts on Flickr. I tend to be rather insulated in my design universe - I don't follow high fashion or watch Project Runway or anything like that. I do have a style that I would call my own - it's a simple, rustic aesthetic with clean lines. For me, my designs must be both functional and beautiful. For my clothing designs, this means that they must be comfortable. 

When I'm brainstorming a new design, I like to have a brain dump on paper - a collection of words that capture the essence of the finished product. After this, I start sketching. Once I have a sketch, I pick fabrics. Often, the fabric itself will inspire a design. With the final sketch completed, I begin drafting the pattern, either using my hand-drafted set of slopers (basic pattern pieces for tops, bottoms, or skirts) or I drape the fabric directly on my dress form. With accessory patterns, I just kind of wing it, with no guides! Those patterns are more trial-and-error.

Grace: Do you have a favorite project in the new book?

Meg: Yes! The art satchel, followed closely by the doll pattern. 

Grace: Did any of the projects start out as one thing and transform into something entirely different?

Meg: The Irresistible Numbers started out as a framed, functional piece of art in my Montessori classroom. They soon morphed into something much more hands-on and functional - a set of numbers that could be traced, arranged, and played with.

Grace: As mothers, we all strive to balance meeting the needs of our little ones as well as our own needs. Can you talk about how you find this balance? 

Meg: It is such a monumental task, to carve out some moments for yourself when you have a toddler and a baby. Both my husband and I try to take time to move our bodies every other day or so - whether it means going for a run, a bike ride, a weight workout, or yoga. We find it a valuable stress-reducer and a way to help us maximize our sleeping time. 

In an ideal world, I'd like to have a regular meditation practice. For now, accepting the moment for what it is, I try to pause for brief periods of conscious awareness during the day. 

Reading inspirational parenting books is a hobby of mine (my current favorite is "Everyday Blessings" by Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn.) I'll steal some time for reading a book or check in with my favorite mama blogs in the evening after the boys are sleeping. It's so helpful for me to end the day with beautiful photos and wise words.

Grace: Do you have a favorite sewing notion?

Meg: Yes! Embroidery thread! I love adding embroidery to projects - it helps me slow down and appreciate the finished object so much more.

Grace: Thanks so much, Meg! 

Meg: Thank you, Grace!

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Also, for readers of Uncommon Grace, Meg is offering a 20% discount on everything in her store, including her new book! Use coupon code UncommonGrace at checkout. The coupon is good until June 19. Thank you, Meg!

And please be sure to visit the other stops on the blog tour -- the bloggers who have gone before me this week were all incredible, and I'm sure there is a lot more fun in store for the rest of the tour!

Growing Up Sew Liberated Blog Tour

Join Interweave Books in a celebration of the launch of Meg McElwee’s new book, Growing Up Sew Liberated. The launch kicks off with a 15-day blog tour visiting education blogs, sewing blogs, parenting blogs, personal blogs, eco-living blogs, and some that are simply a combination of all of the above.  You’ll meet some extraordinary women, see stunning photography, hear inspirational stories from Meg and many of her friends, and of course learn more about the book. Perhaps you’ll find some new favorite bloggers to follow along the way? Join us each day as we visit with:

6/6         Elsie Marley

6/7         Made By Rae

6/8         The Artful Parent

6/9         Rhythm of the Home Blog

6/10       Uncommon Grace

6/13       Frontier Dreams

6/14       Burda Style

6/15       Maya Made

6/16       Wise Craft

6/17       JC Handmade

6/20       Simple Homeschool

6/21       Made

Last autumn's knits, part 2

Next up in the series of sweaters that I meant to complete by last fall is James's sweet cardigan.

I began his first of the three and I had actually finished knitting it in plenty of time for my self-imposed November deadline. But it had a lot of seaming (in my lazy opinion) and so many ends to weave in (a minimum of 30-35), so it was wadded up in the bottom of my knitting basket for a full 6 months!

Then one day, a series of (un)fortunate events conspired to get me to finish it:

Fiona took it out of my knitting basket and put it on the couch. And Lucy (our beagle, for those of you who don't know) threw up on it. So, I had to wash it. And block it. And after that, seaming and weaving in ends seemed the next natural step. ;)

James picked out these buttons himself at our local yarn store. Despite their being expensive, and large (pretty difficult to squeeze through the yarn-over buttonholes), and the fact that I had already selected some more modestly sized (and priced) wooden buttons, he was very insistent that these were the buttons for his sweater. 

I sewed them on at the pool on Monday morning, and when I showed it to him after his swimming lesson, all buttoned up and complete, he exclaimed, in the sweetest (breathless, almost reverent) voice, "Oh! Mama! You are the best mama ever!" 

He loves his sweater.

(Pattern: Sirdar Cardigan with Collar or Hood. Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino, which we love. Ravelry link to this project.)

Last autumn's knits, part 1

I have the annual goal of giving my children a new handknit sweater each autumn. Last autumn, because of my husband's illness among other things, I got very behind. And then Christmas came, and I had other distractions. In January I decided to pick them back up and get serious with their completion. I looked at the three sweaters in their various states of completion and assessed the situation. James's sweater was completely knitted, but not seamed. There were 30-35 ends that had to be woven-in. Fiona's sweater was complete except for the button bands. Elisabeth's was complete up to the underarms. I decided to begin with hers since it was the farthest from completion. But I realized almost immediately (since it was no longer a surprise, I tried it on her) that it was much too small. 

(The pattern is Drive-Thru, and the yarn is Malabrigo worsted. Ravelry notes here.)

I'd had some gauge problems and then the pattern itself seemed to have sizing problems. I ripped the whole thing out and started over, changing the gauge and the size. The result was a sweater that was much more pleasant to knit and fits her much better, although it's still a little bit small. 

I worked on it sporadically from late January until late May, completing Fiona's in the meantime. (Fiona got a lot of use out of hers from early February on, and you've seen it here and there. A full post devoted to it on Thursday, though!) I finally sewed the buttons on Elisabeth's sweater about 10 days ago and she's worn it a couple times on chilly evenings.

Elisabeth wears a 9-10 in ready-to-wear, although she is very thin and could get away with even smaller sizes around if it weren't for her height. This sweater is the size 10 from the pattern, knit with a larger gauge (4.5 stitches to the inch rather than 5). The sleeves are a bit too tight, and I added almost 4 inches to their length. I think the body fits just right but if she were an average size 10, it would be snug. 

Anyway, I didn't love the sizing in the pattern, but I do love the overall look of the sweater. Complete just in time for temperatures in the 90's! 

Admissions

I have some things I want to admit:

1. We are not doing a garden this year. Whew. That one has been hard for me, because I so want to be the "type" who gardens. And maybe, someday, I will be. But in the three years we've lived here, we've poured a lot of money (I don't even want to know how much, but it's over $1000) into soil enhancements for our hard clay soil (in addition to power-tilling it), which was still cheaper than starting from scratch with new soil for raised garden beds. And we have poured money (a little less, but still a lot) into seeds and plants, only to have them fail to grow ... due, we now realize (kind of late, I think) to the huge amount of shade in our yard from all the tall trees surrounding it. Yeah, that kind of made us feel stupid, not noticing the shade for more than two years. (See that dark shady area in the back of the photo above? That's where the farm-sized garden plot in our yard is located. In complete shade.)

Also, I may or may not have a black thumb.

So, we're not doing it. And I feel guilty, but also OK about it.

2. A friend and I have been discussing a phenomenon that we both seem to be experiencing. Maybe some of you have experienced it, too. We are in our 30's, have been married at least a decade, and are getting to a point of hating all of our stuff. Do you know what I mean?

I think when you're first setting up your household, you think you need a lot more "stuff" to fill it out than you really do. You think back to your parents' home, and all the "stuff" they have, and you figure, "I need all that, too." So you start accumulating things, from all different sources, without really considering if they are even things you need or want. And now you have 40 million mismatched towels, when you really only need 6. You have cabinets full of never-used kitchen appliances and random luncheon plates. You realize you have too much of everything, and none of it (or very little of it) is anything that you really appreciate. 

I realize that this is such a first world problem to have. And I am truly, truly grateful for the relative prosperity that my family enjoys. But I am so ready to start weeding things out -- the things that I don't use, don't need, don't like. Except I don't know where to start. And replacing the things I hate with (fewer, carefully chosen) things that I love is not exactly in my budget. So I just keep putting it off, and then continuing to feel stifled by all my stuff. It's high time to take action, I think.

3. In the early morning, Fiona likes to play a game where she makes me kiss her dolly or stuffed animal. And in the half-sleep of dawn, I often feel like I'm actually being suffocated by her toy (like I can't breathe). But I kiss it anyway, because, really, is anything sweeter than those first steps into the world of pretend?

4. Bedtime around here has been pretty bad lately. I won't go into all the details, because I'm sure many of you have experienced a bad bedtime or two.

I find that sometimes I'm able to keep a very strong bedtime routine and we all thrive for it. And sometimes, depending on where we are in life, I just can't swing it. Tonight my overtired middle child, getting up for a fourth time to ask for this or that, or maybe just to whine, came out into the kitchen and broke a dish, and I reacted in a not-very-kind way. As I type this, at 9:30, I'm still feeling tense from that exchange. Sigh. I wish it were easier to keep things running as smoothly as I want them to.

5. Tonight I laid in bed and listened to birds at dusk with Fiona. And it was the happiest moment of my day.

Some Christmas knits

I know I promised to be here yesterday, but I had a headache (which I very, very rarely get, so I'm a big baby about them), and the day got away from me. 

On to some knits. I've alluded to the fact that my kids' "fall 2010" sweaters are now finally complete (only 6 months late....). I think I will wait to share those at the beginning of next week since they are my "big" knits and I hate to end a week with my best material. ;)

But I do have some other finished knits to share with you.

Last November, I solicited ideas from you about what to knit for our priests for Christmas. I ended up knitting a scarf for our pastor (who had gotten a hat the previous year), and a hat for the assistant pastor who hadn't been with us before. Some drama ensued (in my mind, no one else really knew about it until now, when I'm putting it out there on the internet....) when I saw the assistant pastor wearing both his hat and the scarf I'd knit for the pastor. My feelings were extremely hurt. However, I moved on. You can't control what happens to the gifts you give people, even if they are handknits, and even if the person to whom you gifted them means a lot to you and is, in your opinion, a sharp dresser (who should like scarves). I never actually found out why the other priest was wearing it -- whether our pastor didn't like it and just gave it to him, or whether the assistant pastor didn't realize whose it was and just picked it up out of the rectory closet, or what. Either way, it was being used and enjoyed and keeping someone's neck warm. Also, both of our priests were reassigned this year, and we are getting two new priests in mid-June, so there will be a new batch of hats, I'm sure. So, enough about my hard feelings, and on to the pictures.

For both projects, I used Malabrigo Rios in black. (By the way, I love the texture and loft of Rios -- I highly recommend it for a superwash!)

The scarf for our pastor was the Professor's Scarf. It was so easy, quite fast for a scarf, and I love the look. I did use an entire skein and didn't feel like it was going to be wide enough, so I dipped into the second skein (which was for the hat), and still didn't get it wide enough. It turned out that the hat used less yarn than I anticipated, so I could have gone farther on the scarf, but I left it. It was fine, but I think a little bit wider would have been nice. (Ravelry link.)

The hat for our assistant pastor was this Irish Hiking Hat (I knitted a different Irish Hiking hat in 2009). I really loved knitting this and it's one I'll definitely make again, especially with new priests to knit for this year. (Ravelry link.)

A recently completed "Christmas" knit (a very belated gift) was for the teacher I had this year in the 4-year Catholic biblical school I'm in. I ended up giving it to her, wrapped in Christmas paper, at our final exam in May!

I loved my teacher, learned so much from her, and felt a real kinship with her: a fellow Type-A, melancholic, lover of pink. So I knitted her a pair of Leslie's Toast (how has it taken me so long to get on the Toast/Toasty wagon? These are fantastic!) in Malabrigo worsted (Cactus Flower colorway).

These were (obviously) very quick to knit, once I actually sat down to finish them. I did most of the work the night before my test, when I should have been cramming. I ended up getting a 100% on the test, though, so I suppose the last-minute cram wasn't all that necessary (despite the very real tension I was feeling at the time!).

They are also super cute and so very pink! Perfect in every way, in my opinion. (Ravelry link.)

OK, those are the knits for today. I'll be here tomorrow again (seriously!), and next week there will be lots of pictures of three very special cardigans. It's so good to be here!

A break sometimes feels so good, and other stuff

Thanks to all of you who have been checking in over the last three weeks in my absence! All is well, we have moved on from the hurt over the job rejection. It's disappointing on many levels, both from a career and personal satisfaction level for my husband, and our family's bottom line (I hate that I always have to be thinking about that, but it's the reality), but we remain hopeful that someday the right opportunity will present itself.

I didn't intend to take a long break, but it was a good thing, too. Sometimes it's easier to "do" stuff without feeling like it needs to be written about. 

But I did "do" some stuff that want to share with you, so here is some of it. (Plus an announcement at the end of the post if you are getting bored wading through all my photos.)

I met someone. We were able to spend one treasured day together while she traveled for work. It's so hard to put into words what it was like to meet Sarah and spend that day with her. We had so much to talk about; a lot of what we talked about was blogging -- our motivations and feelings about the whole thing, the ups and downs, pressures, and genuine pleasures. And not because we had nothing else in common, but because it really is a part of our real lives and it's so good to have someone who "gets" that. I haven't had the opportunity to meet very many bloggers face-to-face. This is due, in part, to the fact that I don't live within close geographic proximity to any of the bloggers in this particular corner of the community (crafty-photo-mama types), and even more, of course, due to the fact that opportunities to travel are very limited given our income. It's just the reality. So, having the opportunity to sit across the table from Sarah, at one of my favorite local restaurants, and take her to my favorite yarn and fabric store, was a real gift ... not one that I'm likely to repeat very often, and I really soaked it up. It was a beautiful day. Thank you, sweet Sarah.

I finished a lot of knitting projects. (And started a few new ones.) More on those to come, very soon! I think I overcame a huge knitting funk that I had been in! 

We played, and played. Indoors and out, with kites, and kitchens, and more.

We had the first (and hopefully only) summer injury, hereafter known as the Red Rover Incident of 2011. 

Swim team season is officially underway and I couldn't be happier! It's my favorite time of year, I think. (I know, I know ... in October, I'll be rambling on about my love for autumn. Let's just go with it.)

The sun, the sun! I'm so happy, here on the cusp of summer.  

I will be back TOMORROW with another post! Yee-haw!

.

I'm sorry I haven't been here to share our news. I think many of you have heard already, through various means. But anyway, he didn't get the job and it went down in a rather crappy way. I don't want to say too much about it, because we really do wish the person well who was hired. What you need to know is we didn't get it, but I'm thankful for your many prayers and good thoughts. And of course, he has his job to return to in the fall. So it's not dire. Just disappointing. 

Here are some recent flickr faves that have been cheering me up a little (click on it to see photo credits and get a better view -- the right-hand ones are cut off). Along with good friends, both local and far away. Thank you one and all.

Well....

We thought we would find out the results from the interview last night. But instead they are waiting until Monday to do the final portion of the interview process. So we may not hear until Monday night or Tuesday. I'm trying not to spend my weekend overthinking the whole thing, but of course I am. I go back and forth between thoughts like, "he's perfect for this job, it was practically made for him, he is the obvious candidate" to a sinking feeling like I know he hasn't gotten it already. I know these thoughts are normal in a situation like this. But I don't want to become obsessive. Because he does have his job to return to in the fall, although it's always shaky in an inner-city school with shrinking enrollment. But we haven't reached the desperation that so many have lately. So I'm thankful for that, always. 

We've had to take on some new expenses. A car, a computer. We knew they were both coming, and they came close together. Suddenly I'm thinking, "Should we really be reserving campsites for this summer? Can we afford that this month?" and other silly worries like that. Here is what I know. Sometimes you have to take on bigger expenses, and things feel tight, and you have to stretch. And then you do stretch, and you find you can make do with fewer of some things. And you may not be able to make all the same choices you've been making. And that can be freeing, in a way. 

And what else do I know? I know that yesterday I went to my sister's to watch the Royal Wedding and it took us 11 hours to get through it. There were some frustrated words from both mamas. I remember that things like 4-hour television specials about some strangers getting married are not particularly riveting to one- and two- (and five-, and even, nine-) year-olds.

I know that tomorrow is May first and I haven't yet completed that blue sweater as I'd hoped I would. Because I spent 11 hours yesterday trying to watch Kate Middleton become the Duchess of Cambridge. And that I do really care about that transformation in the life of a woman I've never met. It gives me hope. Not that I'll become a princess one day (though when I was four, my career aspiration was to be the Queen of England), but because it reminds me that in a real way, "fairy tales" happen to all of us, in ordinary and extraordinary ways all the time.

I know that my house has been neglected for two days. And that it looks like it's been neglected for a month. I think if one of you walked in right now, you would think it has never been cleaned. I'm surprised, all the time, how fast things can decline, even when we haven't been home most of that time. 

I know that anything is possible: with patience, love, humility, and openness. 

And that's what I know on this Saturday.

This week....

Whew! This Easter week has just flown by for me! What about you?

I've had something going every evening (when I would normally formulate some thoughts into a blog post....)

Here are some snippets of my week, which I'd love to add began very cold and gray and is ending warm and sunny.

This week ...

... a friend and I enjoyed a much-needed moms' night out. So good for the soul.

... I noticed my baby getting cuter, and cuter, and bigger, and bigger.

... I hung out on the couch with this old girl, under quilts, and still shivered.

... I knitted,

... and knitted, 

... and knitted,

... wound some yarn,

... and knitted some more, on a sweater that I am determined to finish before May first. And some very late Christmas gifts. (All after completing [most of] my daily chores.)

... Elisabeth "graduated" from her CGS program, after 6 years. 

... my husband was offered his first job interview in several years. The interview is a day-long process tomorrow (Friday), and if you would be willing to send some prayers and good thoughts our way, we would be appreciative!

... I think we kept ourselves out of trouble for the most part. 

Tomorrow I think I'll head over to my sister's house to watch the Royal Wedding (on DVR), and anxiously await any word from my husband about his Big Interview. See you later!

Easter tidings

I hope you all had a blessed Easter Sunday yesterday, and that the coming weeks of spring will be filled with much goodness! 

Here is a little bit of what has been happening here over the last couple of days....

Eggs! 

We dyed them using beets, turmeric, and purple cabbage. The colors were absolutely perfect; the most beautiful we've ever done! Every year I plan to use natural dyes, and every year, I fail to get around to it. I'm so glad that this year, we did! Next year, I would like to do more eggs with a few more colors. (The egg cup above is an antique Japanese one from my great-aunt's Easter collection, which I was fortunate to inherit)

The Easter bunny arrived on schedule, leaving behind his customary muddy footprints. However, this was the second year in a row that I forgot to put some little Ostheimer bunnies (that I got on sale after Christmas of 2009) into their baskets. I will need to make a note to myself for next year or something.

I brought my camera to our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services this year, thinking I could take some beautiful photos inside our lovely church (a la Kyrie), but I find that taking photos inside the church, especially during services, doesn't feel right to me, so here is the lone picture of our Easter church. And I love it. 

My mom's pretty china (formerly my grandmother's). I love it so much ... it is so suited to Easter. This was the kids' table. There were real linens on the adults' table.

Easter snow!

It actually snowed more on Easter this year than it did on Christmas. Hmm.

Today, I am relaxing, wishing for some warmth, knitting, cleaning, detoxing from yesterday's sugar overload, and reveling in the joys of Eastertide. 

What about you?

A little cap

I have a huge backlog of projects to share with you -- some even from last year! Today I wanted to start off with this sweet little cap that I knitted for Fiona at the end of January.

Fiona was really in need of a new hat this winter (she actually didn't have one that fit, or that she would leave on). I didn't find a pattern I liked until a friend told me about this one, which was designed by a friend of hers. I was excited to knit it up because it was just what I was looking for: in a DK weight yarn, with earflaps, and under-chin ties.

It's the Junie Cap (that's a ravelry link). It is such a cute little design. It's knit from the top down, which I love (as you know), and the short-row earflaps are a brilliant design detail. The little pointy top (achieved by knitting a few rows of i-cord from the cast-on, rather than starting in on crown shaping right away) is a cute, playful addition.

It knitted up quickly, which was a good thing since I ended up ripping it out after completing it the first time. The first time I knitted it, in the 18-month size, it turned out huge. It actually fit me! This was partly because of my gauge (it was a bit loose, although I had swatched, so that was too bad), and partly because our family have tiny heads, and partly, I think, because the pattern runs a bit big. The pattern doesn't give finished measurements, only age ranges, so that is just a guess; but I think it must run at least somewhat big since my gauge and our tiny heads can only account for part of the reason it came out so big. Anyway, you might start with a size smaller than you think you need unless you know your children have good-sized heads. 

The second time around, I knit the 3-6-month size (without changing needle size or yarn, so I was still on the slightly big gauge), and it fits Fiona perfectly. 

The yarn I used was Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock heavyweight; this was the first time I'd used this yarn and I have to say that I really love it. The texture is beautiful. It's wonderfully soft without being fuzzy or cloying, and the colors are complex and beautiful.

Overall, a very satisfying knit: fantastic yarn, a quick pattern, cute results. We'll still get quite a bit of use out of the cap this spring, and during camping trips in the summer. I love when projects are so satisfying!

{While we're talking about knitting, there will be more about her sweater in a post very soon. And I have been asked by a couple of Ravelry friends if I have some "news" to share based upon the fact that I've faved and queued a lot of baby patterns lately. The only news of that variety I have to share is that my best friend is expecting her first baby at the end of this summer and I went through a big faving spree on Ravelry, thinking of some simple things I might be able to make for her. So, no "news" with me!}

Hello

Today is a cold, gray day. It's getting on to dinner time, and I haven't made it out to the store. My house is a bit chaotic. But these tulips -- twenty pink and one red -- are cheering me up.

I haven't been here much this year. Partly, of course, I've been in a funk. But also, technical difficulties have been so prevalent for me over the last few years, and they really started to accelerate in the last few months. We have had a series of old/slow/bad computers. Actually, it is amazing what I have accomplished on them. All but one have been very old. The one brand-new PC we purchased in 2008 was already acting up within 6 months, and by 18 months later, was crashing frequently (it's how I ended up losing more than 6 months of photos last spring -- and yes, they were even on a back-up drive). 

So, we finally invested in a Mac this week, after much worrying over expense and so on. And I'm so glad we did. Everything is easier, smoother, clearer, cleaner ... it's going to make things so much easier. 

Will having a new computer make it easier for me to be here more? Yes, it will. Of course, I'll still need to think of things to talk about. And that funk with blogging is a very real thing. But at least I won't have to worry about it taking 12 or more hours to upload photos (as it did with my last post), while crashing several times in the midst of it. 

Here's to having tools appropriate to the job!

Nine years old!

This is the scene to my left as I sit at the computer late on the night of my firstborn child's ninth birthday.

She lost a tooth today. The Tooth Fairy has already made her visit, though I have yet to head to bed. I know there is a sprinkling of fairy dust on my child's pillow and surrounding areas. There is a note, and two dollars -- normally the Tooth Fairy leaves two quarters, but a tooth lost on a birthday seems bigger than that, don't you think? -- under her pillow.

But I'm still up, reminiscing about this day, and these nine years of motherhood, and this daughter of mine.

In the early hours of the morning, she opened her gifts blew out the candles on her birthday ring -- this year with only three little figures left in the ring, making way for nine bright candles. And so many little people in the center! (Note to self: buy more birthday ring candles!)

She served on the altar at church this morning, a responsibility she relishes.

We ate pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, potato chips. And lemon cake. (From the latest issue of Everyday Food -- the recipe isn't up on the website yet, but I highly recommend it, if you have a copy of the magazine -- still on newsstands.)

We played this game. The children read together.

All through this day, I thought to myself, "I can still see the baby she once was in the girl she is now." I remember her tiny newborn face, in those moments after birth. And yes, this is still her. Yes, this is still the busy, dazzling, delicious toddler underneath those serious dark eyebrows and thoughful gray eyes.

Yes, the sensitive and stubborn preschooler with the Shirley Temple-curls is still here, though we see her differently now, in our sensitive and strong-willed nine-year-old who is beginning to experiment with many new, intricate hairstyles. The nine-year-old who treated us to a "fashion show", twirling and dancing in her new (very "big girl", certain-styles-only-please) birthday clothes. The flower-loving girl who treasures the early spring flowers of her season of birth. Who I saw stealing a peek at the end of one of her new birthday books. (Something her mother has been known to do, too.) Who is still delighted to wear her birthday crown all day, just as she was when she first got it years ago. And who still believes in magic. Shouldn't we all have some magic on our birthdays?

Yes, I can still see my baby in my big girl. And I am amazed and surprised and excited to see the big girl that I never could have dreamed of back in the baby days.

We are so blessed to have this incredible girl in our lives. Happy birthday, lovely Elisabeth! You mean everything to us.

(You are seeing this a day late due to technical problems -- also some of the reason I haven't been here in a while. This will be the year we get a new computer!)

Sidetracked Home Executives winners!

Thank you all so much for entering my little giveaway! (Sorry I'm a day late ... yesterday turned out to be a very crazy day.) By the time I eliminated my own responses and double comments, there were 163 entries! Thanks to Random.org, the winners are...

Number 124

Jacqueline said...

Grace,

This post could not have come at a better time! I recently moved into my first home and have been struggling to find or develop systems for cleaning, cooking, etc. that mesh with my preferences and lifestyle. This just might be the one for me. Also, I implemented the meal planning system that you wrote about several months ago and it has been going wonderfully! Thank you for sharing so many wonderful ideas. They have brought such a sense of peace and order to the daily rhythm of my life.

xo,
Jacqueline

AND...

Number 156

Michelle Elaine said...

I sooooo needed to read this. I have been hopelessly fighting this same battle. And I've been at a loss as to how to overcome it. I try and try to "do better"... yet always fail.

Thanks so much for the chance to win!!

Jacqueline and Michelle, please email me at uncommongrace(at)comcast(dot)net, and I'll get your goodies out to you. Thank you all so much for entering! My next post about cleaning and homemade, natural cleaning products, is underway! See you back here soon!

On housekeeping (part 1)

Today I'm going to write about something that I have wanted to talk about in this space for a really long time: housekeeping. But first, thank you for your birthday wishes over the last few weeks. We have one more birthday approaching in a couple of weeks and then birthday season will be past us and I'll heave a sigh of relief. And I thought I'd also update you on the illness front. It turns out this was pneumonia. And my first chest x-ray also showed something concerning in my lung, and I ended up having follow-up x-rays and a CT scan to find out what was going on. In the end, it turned out to be nothing. But between the pneumonia and the uncertainty, it was a kind of stressful time there for a while. Anyway, that's all on the mend and I'm avoiding human contact at all cost (OK, that's an exaggeration), to avoid any more exposure to illness this season!

So, back to the housekeeping. This begins with a confession: I am not tidy. I am not neat. (I am clean, and actually slightly obsessively so, about things like bathrooms [I clean mine daily] and sheets [I change them at least weekly without fail] -- after the advice given to my own mother when she was a newlywed by an older friend and mentor of hers, a mother of five, who had been given that advice by her family physician when she was struggling with keeping five little ones healthy. So my mom took that advice to heart in her own family, and now, so do I.) But mostly, I think I fall into that "absent-minded professor" category: brainy, a bit scattered, and, well, kind of slovenly.

I have a hard time keeping after clutter. I mean, I know everyone says that, but I'm worse than the average person. I am not good at getting rid of stuff when I don't need it anymore. I'm a saver. (You know the type.) Between overwhelm, busyness, lack of diligence (a huge problem of mine, and others like me, for whom so many "academic" things have come easily), and absence of any sort of system, this house can be quite messy, chaotic, and disorganized.

Of course I appreciate a tidy home, but getting there has always been so hard for me. I see how our family thrives when things are running smoothly, but achieving that on any kind of consistent basis has been extremely hard for me. It's so hard to know where to start. (And for any of you wondering right now about the home that you've seen on the blog: never discount artful photography.)

I'm going somewhere with all this, I promise. Last summer, thanks to the advice of a friend who had experienced the same type of frustration, overwhelm, exhaustion, self-blame, and general stress from a life lived in messy surroundings, I found something that worked for me. My friend felt so transformed by her new way of life that she was nearly evangelical about it. And now I'm about to be.

We call them "my cards".

It's a system outlined in the book Sidetracked Home Executives, written by two sisters who had come to the end of their ropes with housekeeping. They came up with the system because they needed it. Simply, you write every single task that needs to be accomplished in your household on 3x5 cards, which are color-coded based on the frequency of the task. Daily chores are on yellow yards, weekly chores on blue ones, and anything that is done monthly or less frequently (seasonally or annually), are on white cards. (Pink are for "personal" things, like appointments, classes, activities, homework, vitamins or medicine, etc.) I made a card for each and every task that needs to happen in our house. As I've gone on, I've eliminated some cards that I don't need anymore (because I never forget to do the chore, and so don't need it anymore), or consolidated some. With other things, I've changed the frequency, after seeing what has worked and what hasn't.

The system has been so freeing for me. There is no longer any emotional attachment surrounding housekeeping. If I don't complete all my cards, I just re-file them and get to them the next day (or week, or whatever). I do complete most of them most days. And I do get so much pleasure from completing something on a card -- even something small, like changing the dog water -- and filing it to the next day. As I see the day's cards diminish, I really do feel a sense of accomplishment. And it's such a good feeling to finish them and then feel "free" for the rest of the day.

My house is still not perfect. We have clutter "hot spots" that are constant battles. I fall off the wagon sometimes. Sometimes even for a couple of months. But I know that I have a system in place that can support me as I work on forming stronger habits, making our home beautiful and peaceful, and keeping our family happy and healthy.

In my next post, I'm going to talk a little bit more about actual cleaning, my favorite tricks and tips, and using natural cleaning agents (something I've been doing since I was first married and really love).

And finally, I am giving away two copies of Sidetracked Home Executives. These are not gifts from the publisher, I'm purchasing them myself to give to two of you, hoping that someone out there will be helped by the book as much as I have been. I will also throw in some supplies to get you started (some cards and maybe a surprise or two). Please leave a comment on this post and I'll draw two winners in one week (Thursday, March 24). Good luck!

Edited, March 25: Comments closed! I'll announce the winner in a separate post in a little bit! Thank you all for entering!

Five years old!

{please excuse the breakfast crumbs! ack!}

It's funny about time. Sometimes, you can see how you got from one point to another and it makes perfect sense -- I think about Elisabeth turning nine this spring, and even though that seems so "big", and even though, in some ways, I can hardly believe it, at the same time, nine years seems about right. It really feels like it's been that long. But sometimes, the passing of time doesn't seem to make any sense at all. When I think back to that snowy Sunday morning five years ago, when I awoke and had a baby in my arms just an hour later, I can't believe it's been a full five years. Five!

So, my little guy is five today. Ages three and four were challenging for him. He's a sensitive little soul who feels things so acutely, and it sometimes leads to misunderstandings (or worse) between him and the people around him. I'll admit to more than a few moments of frustration where I have asked "Why? Why me? Why is he so challenging? How are we supposed to get through this?" And those moments are often followed by moments of grace, in which I realize that I am the exact mother he needs, as hard as that might be sometimes.

But he is such a smart, loving, wonderful little boy, too. He fills our lives with fun, creativity, and joy. His curiosity and zeal are so inspiring, as are his honesty and vulnerability, too.

As I think any parent of a challenging child would say, I will gladly accept the storminess with the sunshine. I do hope that things are easier for him as he enters this year of Five. But no matter what, he is such a beautiful part of my life, I cannot imagine a world without him, challenges and all.

I'm brimming with love for my sweet boy. Happy birthday, Jamesy!

at it again with my favorite habit

Well, sickness abounds in our house. I have to say that this might be the worst thing about having a teacher for a parent: he catches, and brings home, every single virus that goes around. I have had particularly bad luck in February and I now have the world's worst cough. I mean, seriously, I'm half-wondering if it's pertussis.

So I'm here just briefly tonight to let you know that I'm back at habit for the month of March and I'm so, so excited. If Molly and Emily ever stop inviting past guests back on an occasional basis, I think I will die of sadness. It is my favorite place on the web, for real!

So, please visit me and the other guests over there. If you are new to the space, you'll be so glad you did. And if you are an old friend, like I am, you already know what I'm talking about.

Hopefully after a day of rest tomorrow I'll be back here at the end of the week.

Edited: I was exaggerating about pertussis. :)

Two years old!

I can hardly believe that it has been two whole years since we welcomed this little one into our family.

Ane yet, here she is, filling our home, lives, and hearts with her particular blend of sweetness and stubborness, determination and delicacy, playfulness, thoughtfulness, and fun.

I'm amazed, constantly, by the individuality of each one of my children. You sort of think, "Oh, three kids, I've got this figured out." But each of them is so amazing; growing, changing, becoming themselves in their own wonderful ways. A father of eight children that I know once remarked, "If you want to know at what age children reach certain milestones, ask the parent of an only child. After eight, I certainly don't know!" I think that says exactly what I'm thinking today, as I look at my new two-year-old, who has less to say than her siblings did at this age, but at the same time, so much more to say. She is, without a doubt, the most determined and stubborn of my three; almost fearless. And yet, she is so delicate and tender. A little bit small for her age, a little more prone to sickness and injury. We definitely baby her. And I'm really, really OK with that.

She is our baby. Our sweet, fierce, loving, precious baby.

She's so ready to be a big girl. And I know that so much will unfold in this magical year of Two. I can't wait.

33

Here I am at 33. I have some thoughts that have been swirling around in my head all day today, on what has been a very quiet birthday. I'm not sure I can even put them into words, exactly, but I wanted to share them with you after a very beautiful conversation I had last night with one of my dearest friends.

When I turned 30, I was in a very confident place. My children were six and two, and I was very comfortable in my role as a leader among my circle of acquaintance. Things were comfortable at that time. My children were in a very good play place; I had energy and time for a fairly prolific creative life. There was stress ... there always is, especially when you are a fairly high strung person. But mostly, I was in a great place then. I really felt confident, sure, and open to the world.

This year, I'm in a different place. I feel quiet, and maybe a little bit vulnerable. I'm not depressed, but just in a place that feels transitional. I think that I had an idea that by the time I was 35, I would magically be a different person, someone who had things all figured out. And now I'm closer to 35 than to 30, and I know I don't have it all figured out -- nor will I in two years. Though my youngest child is two tomorrow, I don't feel so certain in my motherhood as I did the last time I had a two-year-old. Perhaps it's my oldest, turning nine this spring, who is navigating new social waters. Perhaps it's a feeling of straddling two different worlds -- that of babies, and that of an older elementary-aged child, and not sure where I belong. I'm feeling a lack of community, it's true: the friends I was closest to three years ago aren't even in my life enough to have called me for my birthday this year. And that's not bad -- it's different. I'm wading through change here, at 33.

Someone suggested to me recently that I must be in a period of intake, and I think that is pretty accurate. I feel like I'm quietly absorbing a lot of what is around me right now, but not putting a lot out. It's a different place for me; I'm used to doing a lot, and being a lot. Surrender is never very easy for me, but I know that it's the path that brings the most peace. So I'm working on it.

And I guess that's where I am on this quiet thirty-third birthday of mine. In a thoughtful, seeking, slightly introverted place. Which is just where I need to be.

Thanks for walking along with me. :)