Sunday, November 27, 2011

Wet Sundays are Good

Today is a wet Sunday in November. 


It's 10C today.  This is somewhat odd for our climate.  We've had an incredibly warm fall and have had no snow to date...none.  Not even freezing rain.  Usually by this time, we've had one or two days where the school buses are cancelled.  I'm not complaining.  I know the snow is coming.  In fact, the weather network says that we'll see it mid week.  I have my snow tires on.  I bought new winter barn boots.  Our cut firewood is piled and ready.    When the cold and the snow come, we'll likely be living with it for 4-5 months, so I will count my blessings for the extra time to prepare.

There's no obligations today that we need to leave home for.  I picked a couple jobs that needed to be done and we worked as a family to get them done.  One job was to replace the mailbox post that was run over by the guy that delivered our logs last month.  That was a rather big job, but it's done!


Now our day is meant for relaxation.  Comfy clothes, hot chocolate.  I've got some handspun yarn soaking in preparation for handpaint that I might get to later.  We might watch some of Season 1 of The Waltons that I brought home from the library.  Family is coming for supper...picking up Chinese food on the way.   Total relaxation is on the agenda!



I am knitting a very simple, long scarf in 100% alpaca of the highest quality.  In Canada's grading system, this quality is known as "Grade 1", but internationally, the fibre used in this yarn would be called "Royal Baby".  Whatever it's called on paper...you can just refer to it as "holy cow, that's soft".

I tend to knit pretty simple patterns because I'm not a very advanced knitter.  However, this scarf is absolutely beautiful in it's simplicity.  As I was knitting it, and thinking that it was such a simple pattern (knit 3 and purl 1 in 2 combinations, that's it!) and yet, the outcome was such a gorgeous scarf.

In reality, it is the yarn that makes this scarf a classic beauty that, with proper care will serve someone for a lifetime.  It will become softer with wear as the fibres in the yarn relax and bloom.  The rich natural colour of the fibres will not fade over time.  The same scarf pattern, if knit in a cheap, manmade fibre would simply not produce a classic piece. 

Knitting is labour intensive.  If you knit, you do because you enjoy it.  But it's your labour, your skill, your time.  Choose beautiful yarns made from natural fibres to create timeless classic knitwear.   
 

Saturday, November 12, 2011

November, BLAHvember

November in Northern Ontario.  Damp, grey, wet, cold, dark at 5:00pm.

All those fun things like:
- getting the snow tires on
- remembering to put my snow wiper in the car and buy some ice-melt at the hardware store
- trying to remember to put away all those tools before they get buried in the snow
- staying out of the bush so I don't get shot by a hunter
- lugging hay out through the muck of the barnyard
- the start of "hat-head" season
- the extra 2 lbs in the newspaper that is Christmas advertising
- someone reminding you that there are only 47 shopping days left, then 46, then 45, then 44...
- freezing rain
- fourteen hours of darkness and ten hours of grey dimness

and for me, November is also the month that my age changes.  Okay, the number doesn't just 'change'...it actually increases.

So, I am changing the name to BLAH-vember.

Are you with me?

Chin up.  We'll get through it with a big dose of Vitamin D.
And Vitamin F. (F is for fibre, preferably alpaca fibre in beautiful handdyed colours and it's also for friends that make you laugh)

Here's something else.


A few years ago, my sister sent me this silly card by the artist named Sark.  It was titled 'How to be a Succulent Wild Woman' and had suggestions like

- paint your soul
- be rare eccentric and original
- celebrate your gorgeous friendships with women
I have this card cover taped up where I can see it when I am doing office work.

Look what I found in the library the other day!

It's a lovely happy book by Sark, all about learning to cultivate pleasure in our lives no matter what else is happening.  Apparently, there is another book titled " Succulent Wild Woman".

This is good month for this book!
I hope you are finding pleasure these days...you deserve it!