tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68404833610644416362024-03-14T05:49:04.719-04:00Rosemary's FancyRosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-50190708428746838862017-03-29T16:06:00.001-04:002017-03-29T16:06:33.785-04:00To All Friends and Faithful ReadersWhoever and wherever ye may be!<br />
<br />
There are a few reasons I haven't been blogging.<br /><br />Last year was a pretty intense one. A lot of stuff happened that I didn't feel I could write about here.<br />
<br />
And then I got pregnant and exhausted and we're expecting Baby Girl (!!!) Callenberg in a little over a month.<br />
<br />
When you have that sort of lag in posting it makes you question whether you should post at all, or start over, or just move on.<br />
<br />
To be honest I'm not sure if/when I will return to blogging in this space (especially since Ginny's no longer hosting the yarn along).<br />
<br />
But I do have something new in the works for sometime after baby, and it's both exciting and not a little bit intimidating, which makes me think it's precisely the direction I should be heading in. When that adventure is ready to share, I will post the link here.<br />
<br />
In the meantime ... I still read your blogs even if I don't comment much, and if you read this, I send you my love and prayers.<br />
<br />
Happy Lent!Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-21701671613758958742016-05-11T14:45:00.002-04:002016-05-11T14:45:31.685-04:00Playing with ColorI've finally been knitting, a little. When <a href="http://www.pumpkinsunrise.com/">Karen</a> knit her Pincha shawl it caught my eye, and I have plenty of beautiful variegated skeins hanging about my stash, so I dug one up and cast on. This is Knitting Knotions Superwash Sock yarn in all my favorite colors, a colorway called "Earthshine," which I believe has been discontinued.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9wv83PS3kCg/VzN7QY_vX5I/AAAAAAAABt8/MzCPCSSWXIw-19uh7B_H5BMjqUwajfNoACLcB/s1600/IMAG0091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9wv83PS3kCg/VzN7QY_vX5I/AAAAAAAABt8/MzCPCSSWXIw-19uh7B_H5BMjqUwajfNoACLcB/s400/IMAG0091.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
What's more exciting, though, are these lovely little skeins.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyS5TqqL6xM/VzN9WSV1hZI/AAAAAAAABuI/_LMwChooBQI2iaLKvmstT33T4fNcIEK4wCLcB/s1600/IMAG0041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyS5TqqL6xM/VzN9WSV1hZI/AAAAAAAABuI/_LMwChooBQI2iaLKvmstT33T4fNcIEK4wCLcB/s400/IMAG0041.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />A cool new organization has sprung up in Pittsburgh called the <a href="http://www.steelcityfiber.com/">Steel City Fiber Collective</a>, and they hosted a yarn dyeing even at a bar in the city. (Yarn. Beer. Pretty colors. how much better does it get??) It was so, so much fun.<br />
<br />
And now ... I want to keep on dyeing. This process was really simple, definitely something I could just do in the basement during naptime. I sense an addiction coming on. (Maybe after I'm done with this class, though!)<br />
<br />
I need more patterns to knit with these beauties. What are your favorite patterns that play nicely with variegated yarns? (If you have blog posts showcasing said patterns, please, link them in the comments! I'd love to see them.)<br />
<br />
<br />
Linking up with Ginny's <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2016/05/yarn-along-279.html">yarn along</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-3400790238329119182016-03-02T11:13:00.001-05:002016-03-02T11:13:32.381-05:00Not quite committed ... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-visltRg99nc/VtXiI24u3OI/AAAAAAAABsk/P0GMx1w8G6w/s1600/IMAG1676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-visltRg99nc/VtXiI24u3OI/AAAAAAAABsk/P0GMx1w8G6w/s400/IMAG1676.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Still not much knitting around here. I am about to embark on some (possibly over-ambitious) Easter projects--more on those later. But right now the only active project is this ten-stitch blanket. I had a lot of worsted weight leftover from various hats, so that's what I'm using. (Pardon the odd lighting ... those are lovely shades of teal and purple, if you can't tell. But there's foxy orange and a pretty blue in the middle.)<br />
<br />
I keep having doubts though. Is this <i>really</i> the pattern I want to put my leftovers into? Is it just going to be kind of ugly looking, and am I okay with that? I like the fact that it's knit all in one piece, but maybe something with granny squares bordered in a neutral color would tie the different colors together better ... like <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rettg/5087442517">this</a>. (Or if the colors still clashed, it would be more like a kaleidoscope, which sounds more interesting to me.)<br />
<br />
I am looking forward to reading these essays published by Wiseblood Books. Poetry is not my "thing." I can receive a good poem, even fall in love with it. But I don't have the instinct to delve more deeply in without guidance. And I certainly don't sound intelligent when speaking about poetry, which perhaps doesn't matter except as it affects my own ego.<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/">Ginny</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-12070526449451528662016-02-24T14:38:00.000-05:002016-02-24T14:38:06.847-05:00Chickadee! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xYWWgeAxmuA/Vs4D3P6V-vI/AAAAAAAABr4/8HAYyE_4U8s/s1600/IMAG1646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xYWWgeAxmuA/Vs4D3P6V-vI/AAAAAAAABr4/8HAYyE_4U8s/s400/IMAG1646.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I haven't done any knitting since last week. I think I'm having trouble committing enough to anything to cast on. Nothing seems to be calling my name, <a href="http://rosemarysfancy.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-im-doing-instead-of-netflix.html">not even the slippers</a>, which I haven't really needed thanks to this mild winter. Cold feet would probably motivate me.<br /><br />I do, however, have some yarn to show you. A group of women are working to set up the <a href="http://www.steelcityfiber.com/">Steel City Fiber Collective</a>, and I contributed to their Kickstarter drive a few months ago. And then I forgot about it. So it was a very nice surprise to receive this gorgeous hand-dyed skein in the mail!<br /><br />The only crafty thing I've accomplished lately is that little chickadee, and though it's definitely beginner's work, I'm pretty proud of it. (If anyone has any advice for a neater blanket stitch, or for cutting out small felt pattern pieces, I'm all ears!) I'm hoping to make another felt birdie for my brother's birthday (tomorrow ... we'll see if it happens). He's an amateur ornithologist, and I've been wanting to try my hand at felt ornaments, so when I stumbled upon an amazing collection of <a href="http://www.downeastthunderfarm.com/category/patterns/">felt bird patterns</a>, it seemed providential!<br />
<br />
I have been doing quite a bit of reading. I got this book from a friend, and am enjoying it so far. I need more nonfiction for my Catholicism & Literature course, and this fits the bill!<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2016/02/yarn-along-268.html">Ginny</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-92119129160112975612016-02-17T13:30:00.000-05:002016-02-17T13:30:14.149-05:00What I'm Doing (Instead of Netflix) Hi Friends.<br />
<br />
I've been trapped in a cycle of not-blogging. It has many sources, but one of them is wanting to come up with a REAL post to jump back in with. Something with nice pictures and/or profound thoughts, organized and coherent and thoroughly spell-checked.<br />
<br />
Well, enough of that way of thinking. It's naptime. I have a moment. I have a job that I need to do that I'm currently procrastinating. What better way to do so than by posting here?<br />
<br />
I am trying really hard to reclaim my precious naptime from the black hole that is Netflix. I binged on the first season of <i>Fixer Upper</i> (which I loved, but now I can't stop thinking about cased openings), and the shows I watch regularly (<i>Once Upon a Time</i> (don't judge) and <i>The Walking Dead</i> (yes, zombies)) are gone until spring.* So!<br />
<br />
I will tell you what I'm working on instead.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUIxFbbntRU/VsS6vo822YI/AAAAAAAABrg/ttLjBStva9E/s1600/IMAG1631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUIxFbbntRU/VsS6vo822YI/AAAAAAAABrg/ttLjBStva9E/s400/IMAG1631.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Several months ago I got an email out of the blue inviting me to teach a course on Catholicism and Literature ... and I accepted! I am very grateful, and excited, and just a wee bit terrified ... because now I <i>have </i>to manage my time wisely. What part of it I am in control of, which has not been a lot this year ... we seem to have been beset by illness after illness, ear infections and tummy bugs and eye infections and the croup and sinus infections ...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As it happens, I <i>do </i>have a picture for this blog post, a knitting picture so that I can link up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2016/02/yarn-along-267.html">Ginny</a>. Well, a pre-knitting picture, I guess. I am going to make myself a pair of <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cadeautje">thrummed slippers</a>, and the yarn is wound, and the thrums are all made, and there they have sat for about a week, untouched. But it is very pretty to look at, isn't it?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cukie06ezYI/VsS6q9wyqII/AAAAAAAABrc/tl_fqGPEY_U/s1600/IMAG1628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cukie06ezYI/VsS6q9wyqII/AAAAAAAABrc/tl_fqGPEY_U/s400/IMAG1628.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-73605715376139111242015-12-10T13:21:00.001-05:002015-12-10T13:21:38.866-05:00UpdateHello friends.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
It's been a while, so let's do a little combination day-late-yarn-along/life-dump, shall we?<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmnUZX5yVYI/VmnCElLuPzI/AAAAAAAABqw/s39bCm1jwK8/s1600/IMAG1435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmnUZX5yVYI/VmnCElLuPzI/AAAAAAAABqw/s39bCm1jwK8/s400/IMAG1435.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /><br />I finally--FINALLY--finished knitting the last of the boys' Christmas stockings. Holy cow. That's four inches of stockinette that just gets tucked INSIDE the stocking to give the cuff a little substance. Pure torture at the end of such a frickin' huge sock. I still have blocking to do, and little i-cord loops for hanging, and maybe, <i>maybe </i>they will get their names embroidered on the cuffs before Christmas. But I realized that all the names in the pattern are 3-4 letters--"Emma" is the longest--whereas our kids all have seven letter names. This is going to be interesting.<br />
<br />
The book--I am greatly, greatly enjoying it. It had been on my to-read list for some time and when I saw Karen reading it that pushed me over the edge into buying it, and honestly it is worth every penny.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q0tcObDfbrw/VmnCRndpt9I/AAAAAAAABq0/LOI1OFzotKs/s1600/IMAG1417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q0tcObDfbrw/VmnCRndpt9I/AAAAAAAABq0/LOI1OFzotKs/s400/IMAG1417.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, life.<br />
<br />
On Saturday I fell down the stairs holding Gregory. It wasn't as dramatic as it sounds--my feet slipped, I slid down a few steps and landed backwards on my bum. It has happened before. (Usually when I'm wearing socks ...) But this time my elbow landed on Gregory's foot, and now he has a cast on his whole leg, and will for about a month.<br />
<br />
If you are looking for a way to slow down your Advent, physical injury works. But I would not recommend it.<br />
<br />
We've been lighting our Advent wreath and singing "O Come Emmanuel" at dinnertime. And opening doors on our advent calendars. And I have been reading a story a day out of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Storybook-Antonie-Schneider/dp/0735819637/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449771670&sr=8-1&keywords=advent+storybook">this book</a> with Michael, as well as other books from our seasonal book basket.<br />
<br />
And our unoccupied stable is out on the mantle, as well as our Little People nativity, with Baby Jesus who gets put to bed with a binky in Dominic's crib for his nap by helpful little hands.<br /><br />That's it.<br /><br />And it is more than enough.<br />
<br />
I decided that wrangling three kids--one no longer mobile--plus cookies to our local Catholic mom's cookie exchange was a bit much, but a sweet friend is stopping to pick up cookies from me this evening AND bring me some back from the exchange. Such a kindness!<br /><br />And this weekend, on Gaudete Sunday, we will get our tree.<br /><br />So really, we want for nothing in this season of preparation.<br />
<br />
And I? I need this advent so much. My heart is crying out for Jesus to come, to be with us, and for the grace to keep the door open for him. He will find no humbler home than this, but He is more than welcome here.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-15671920770064698972015-11-04T07:53:00.002-05:002015-11-04T07:53:36.862-05:00Yarn AlongI type this riding on a writing high.<br />
<br />
After receiving an email about it from a dear friend, I have decided to jump in with both feet and participate in <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/dashboard">NaNoWriMo</a> this year.<br />
<br />
Two days ago I wrote. And I hated it. And it made me so depressed. Like, incredibly melodramatically depressed. I won't even go into it. So I turned around, jumped ahead in the story, and inflicted those feelings upon my main character. End Day 1 of writing.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I continued from <i>that</i> point in the story rather than the beginning. And while I would tremble to go back and look at that writing, it left me feeling excited, and happy. I guess tormenting your characters can lead to good things? ;)<br />
<br />
And all of these things are just emotions, dangerous things to ride without caution. But after two days of writing and meeting the daily word goals (although I'm still one day behind), I feel like I am legitimately "doing" NaNoWriMo for the first time in years, and that makes me very happy. It seems that naptime is <i>usually </i>just enough time to pound out 1500-1600 words. So we'll see.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ron-U1V1QyY/VjkCGD-qIAI/AAAAAAAABpg/SlIVdEJeJ7k/s1600/IMAG1362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ron-U1V1QyY/VjkCGD-qIAI/AAAAAAAABpg/SlIVdEJeJ7k/s400/IMAG1362.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Right now I am working on a test knit for <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/little-woolens">Little Woolens</a>. It's worked up in chunky yarn and thus flies by very quickly! Malabrigo Mecha is delicious, and I find myself calculating how expensive it would be to knit a sweater for myself out of it ... <br /><br />If it weren't for a knit-by-Christmas list as long as my arm I'd immediately cast on for all of Annie and Ashley's other designs, because seriously, how cute are those little knits?? Especially the<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/winter-hoodie"> Winter Hoodie</a> and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/trane-vest">Trane Vest</a>.<br />
<br />
I set aside <i>Possession </i>for a bit to read a Catholic book about a teenage vampire for Halloween. (Yes. Maybe a review forthcoming?) So I'm still not that far in, but I'm enjoying it and stayed up far too late to read it last night.<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/category/yarn-along">Ginny</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-63302481048763202872015-11-03T14:40:00.000-05:002015-11-03T14:41:40.039-05:00RefreshmentThe other day, I had a day that was ... not bad. But halfway through I realized: I really needed to get out of the house. Without kids. Everything I confronted--not just bad or difficult things!--filled me with a sense of, "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE."<br />
<br />
(I realized later that I'd had way too much caffeine that day. I'm pretty sure that helped fuel my angst.)<br />
<br />
So I texted a friend to ask if she wanted to get together that evening. (The exact text was something like "Margaritas tonight????") We crashed a Mexican place and ate wonderful food and reveled in being ourselves together, just the two of us--even if most of what we talked about was still our children. ;)<br />
<br />
Then we hung out in the car for an hour and just talked. (And saw a pair of stormtroopers ride past on bikes. For real. Pretty sure that was not the margaritas.)<br />
<br />
<br />
The next morning, my mom came down and I took Michael out to breakfast while she watched the twins. I've been meaning to do something one-on-one with him for a while. I think it did a lot to lift up both of us.<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDYCJGPl_fg/VjkNezg5d-I/AAAAAAAABp0/siEPV0U819I/s1600/IMAG1336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDYCJGPl_fg/VjkNezg5d-I/AAAAAAAABp0/siEPV0U819I/s400/IMAG1336.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring is serious business. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've come to realize that I'm not very good at self-care. It took me a while to discover, because the typical picture of lack of self-care is a mom who spends all her time pouring herself out for others: caring for the children to the extent that she doesn't eat, take a shower, make any sort of space for herself, until finally she burns out. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That isn't me.<br />
<br />
I possibly make <i>too</i> much space for myself. Often in little bits throughout the day. But I also have about an hour to myself each day for naptime, and plenty of time after the kids go to bed. Throughout the day I hide in the bathroom and read. Or, more likely, I check my phone, since bathroom breaks don't last long enough to sink into a book. I follow rabbit trails on the internet, catch up on Instagram. I indulge far too often in treats while the kids are napping.<br />
<br />
In short, I spend a fair amount of time on myself, but much of it isn't on things that fill me up. That takes a little more work. A little more intentionality. It's easy to pull up Facebook for a few minutes--a few minutes that extend into a longer period of time until a child interrupts you and you get grumpy because sheesh, they interrupted my <i>me time.</i> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I do knit, and <i>that </i>fills me up. I think blogging more regularly would too. Or actually calling someone or writing a letter during naptime, rather than spending the whole time scrolling through Facebook groups filled with too many women to make real connections with. (Wonderful women, mind you. People I probably could connect with if I invested beyond the scrolling.) Or setting aside a little more time each day for prayer, conversation with God over a cup of tea. <br />
<br />
But unless you have some solid routines, it takes <i>work</i> to do something healthy that refreshes and renews your spirit rather than just consuming an empty spot in your day. I am not good at working up that mental energy, and I really stink at routine maintenance. (I don't blame this on motherhood. I've always stunk at routine maintenance.)<br />
<br />
So I'm trying to give those things that really feed my soul their proper place. The Instagram and Netflix (or their equivalent) will always be there to fill in the cracks, I'm sure; but I'm making an effort to use naptime, bedtime, the times when I'm actually <i>free, </i>on things that ask a little more of me, but give back in return. And I'm trying to be willing to <i>make </i>time for myself for things that matter. For prayer, for connecting with friends.<br />
<br />
Every day's a new opportunity to try.<br />
<br />
:) </div>
Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-37800738883748560382015-10-28T13:53:00.003-04:002015-10-28T13:53:48.248-04:00Aaaah, that's better. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3l47wqml2Ic/VjEKE8yS8jI/AAAAAAAABpA/oMW_pZlvSsE/s1600/IMAG1301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3l47wqml2Ic/VjEKE8yS8jI/AAAAAAAABpA/oMW_pZlvSsE/s400/IMAG1301.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I am about to start the ears on the third and final fox hat. Hurrah! My children are excited. :) A lovely friend lent me her set of DPNs so I could knit this final hat without frustration. I'd been using two sets of circulars and it was getting very tiresome! <br />
<br />
I am almost wishing the boys were going to be foxes for Halloween. I would make them little tails to match! But their costumes are already underway. Michael has his heart set on being the Cat in the Hat, so the twins, of course, will be Thing 1 and Thing 2. (But who knows? The tails may make an appearance under the Christmas tree!)<br />
<br /><br />I am still in the first pages of this book, which I first heard of on the Fountains of Carrots podcast. Any recommendations from those ladies are generally a good bet. Since then I've seen it written about in a few other places, so when we made a spur-of-the-moment visit to our favorite city library after Mass on Sunday, I took the opportunity to pick it up.<br />
<br />
Linking up at <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/10/yarn-along-251.html">Ginny's</a> place.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-27190445371175633702015-10-14T13:04:00.001-04:002015-10-14T13:04:13.165-04:00Hats! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcvFX7O-LQM/Vh6KBo8NR5I/AAAAAAAABos/XuCHn4hitZo/s1600/IMAG1246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcvFX7O-LQM/Vh6KBo8NR5I/AAAAAAAABos/XuCHn4hitZo/s400/IMAG1246.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Fox hat #1--complete! Just in need of some button eyes. The construction of this is very interesting. It starts from the bottom up until you reach the end of the face, then you break the white and continue knitting up around the back, top, and then down the front again for the nose. Not exactly TV knitting, but lots of fun.<br /><br />Right now I'm taking a break from foxes to knit a little something for a friend. And I just finished reading <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i>. I really enjoyed it! An easy, enjoyable read that is also very clever. It's a book I'll happily hand to my children when they're old enough to read it. Keith and I watched the Studio Gibli movie based on this book a year or two ago, and while my memories of it are a bit hazy, I remember enjoying it ... but I think it was quite a bit different than the book in terms of plot?<br /><br />Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/10/yarn-along-249.html">Ginny</a>!Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-60475396548012305612015-10-07T13:47:00.001-04:002015-10-07T13:49:57.123-04:00Autumn Yarn Along<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YrM7wDJsNrI/VhVZYLYjzjI/AAAAAAAABoU/LkY35o1QN9M/s1600/IMAG1219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YrM7wDJsNrI/VhVZYLYjzjI/AAAAAAAABoU/LkY35o1QN9M/s400/IMAG1219.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Knitting: a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/foxy--wolfie">fox hat</a> for winter. The first of three, because there's no way I could knit just one without a war breaking out once it was on someone's head. There would be blood shed over that hat.<br />
<br />
<br />
Reading: a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030727103X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=030727103X&linkCode=as2&tag=mem0d-20&linkId=ELTWV4OP4EJC2WZH">book</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mem0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=030727103X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> that has been on my to-read list since its release. I am very much enjoying the literary fairy-tale feel going on here.<br />
<br />
<br />
The book and the yarn arrived on the same day. I think they go quite well together! :) Fairy-tales and a foxy orange ("Allspice") both speak to me of fall. And also something more about the book ... the atmosphere of forgetfulness and search for memory seems to me very autumnal.<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/10/yarn-along-248.html">Ginny</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-2907403267084876302015-10-02T15:33:00.000-04:002015-10-02T15:33:14.970-04:00Tea and Honey on a Chilly Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxDU-sPXyy8/Vg7Y-HSiafI/AAAAAAAABnY/8tTmdCWt6zI/s1600/IMAG1184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxDU-sPXyy8/Vg7Y-HSiafI/AAAAAAAABnY/8tTmdCWt6zI/s400/IMAG1184.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
<br />
A few weeks ago I asked some fellow-moms on Facebook about buying local honey in Pittsburgh. It was something I'd thought about ever since reading this article, but had been too lazy to pursue. It wasn't until I found myself swallowing spoonfuls of honey at a time that I thought, "It would really be better if I knew where this was coming from."<br /><br />Today on our way back from the homeschool co-op, Michael and I stopped by a local <a href="http://www.tupelohoneyteas.com/">tea shop</a> that I'd passed the sign for many times. Getting there is a little funky--it's in a very industrial sort of plaza, and you have to go through a warehouse to get to it, but as soon as you open the door the wonderuful smell of tea drifts down the stairs to greet you. It's a cozy little loft filled with lovely teacups, handknit cozies, and an entire cabinet full of honey. (I almost bought one of the little wooden honey dippers, but stopped myself after the jar of honey and a box of tea samples ... maybe next time?) There was even a little table painted with chalkboard paint and chalk for scribbling--a handy way to keep little hands away from breakables!<br />
<br />
Among the samples I bought are two kinds of chai. Today is quite chilly, and it seems a good day to drink it! I haven't drunk much chai in a few years, and am looking for the perfect blend--not too spicy, just a touch of sweetness. I have high hopes for these! (Any recommendations? I'm also open to mixing my own!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
(It may be that my reentry to blogging will consist of elaborations on Instagram pictures. I guess I'm okay with that!)Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-716061958259547802015-10-01T16:01:00.004-04:002015-10-01T16:08:21.485-04:00Of Mice and Motorcycles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gTYAW747Es4/Vg2P4Bu_SPI/AAAAAAAABnE/F7kLnfG5GL4/s1600/IMAG1182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gTYAW747Es4/Vg2P4Bu_SPI/AAAAAAAABnE/F7kLnfG5GL4/s400/IMAG1182.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Keith starting reading <i>The Mouse and the Motorcycle </i>to Michael a few weeks ago. I wouldn't have thought he was ready for it, and I think there are lots of things he misses or doesn't follow. But he understands the story. He loves the idea of a mouse riding a tiny, mouse-sized motorcycle that moves by making an engine noise. He loves the interaction between the a mouse and a boy, and he <i>loves</i> the threat of owls outside.<br />
<br />
We've been reading it before his nap, and sometimes afterwards over a cup of tea. Today I came down from putting his brothers to bed, and he'd opened it and found the chapter where we'd left off. We read two, because he asked for another (happy Mama heart!), and now there is just one left.<br />
<br />
I am so pleased that this world has opened for him, for us, especially just as the seasons start to turn. How wonderful to settle in to read when the winter is all outdoors; to be cooped up inside and enter the wider world of a story.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(I <i>may</i> be thinking of doing <a href="http://write31days.com/2014/09/family-life/">31 posts in 31 days</a>? Or some version of it, just to get blogging again? Just noticing/reflecting on/documenting moments from our daily life? Not sure I have the guts to commit ... but we'll see. :) )</span>Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-40255612888358992762015-09-16T15:13:00.002-04:002015-09-25T14:35:04.894-04:00Stocking Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHgYWXcO1j4/Vfm_KCEIYaI/AAAAAAAABmY/tQqUS1H5ba4/s1600/IMAG1133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHgYWXcO1j4/Vfm_KCEIYaI/AAAAAAAABmY/tQqUS1H5ba4/s400/IMAG1133.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I just realized that in addition to not being very well-lit, you can totally see where Michael scribbled all over the couch with a ball point pen in this picture.<br />
<br />
But I'm trying to participate in the yarn along regularly again, and it's this or nothing.<br />
<br />
So there's your dose of realism for the day. ;)<br />
<br />
I've been hearing about The Penderwicks a lot lately and bought myself an inexpensive copy to read. So we'll see! I am about halfway through the leg of the stocking. I know I will have Second Sock Syndrome when it comes to knitting the next one. I don't hate knitting these, but I don't particularly enjoy it either.<br />
<br />
I will probably take a break to knit myself some birthday socks.<br />
<br />
Linking up with the <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/09/yarn-along-245.html">Yarn Along</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-47450679817533155982015-09-09T20:36:00.004-04:002015-09-09T20:40:15.025-04:00A yarn along! Wow. It's been ... a long time.<br />
<br />
Well. I have been knitting quite a lot these days. Mostly hats. (And painting. But that is for another post.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tYfuIE97syc/VfDJfXDWAGI/AAAAAAAABlk/18S-BlBtdYA/s1600/IMAG1070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tYfuIE97syc/VfDJfXDWAGI/AAAAAAAABlk/18S-BlBtdYA/s400/IMAG1070.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/seedling-3">Seedling</a> and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lucy-hat-2">Lucy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Not pictured: a purple beret (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/meret-mystery-beret">this pattern</a>) I already mailed off to a cousin, and a brown cloche-style hat (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/oak-trail">this pattern</a>) for her sister who entered a Carmelite monastery last month and need "a brown woolen hat."<br />
<br />
<br />
And I finished Michael's leaf blanket. I need to take proper pictures, but here is a quick shot of it in its natural habitat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hu1R4ec6qTw/VfDJo-uQewI/AAAAAAAABls/e1xtUyKE8Do/s1600/IMAG0948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hu1R4ec6qTw/VfDJo-uQewI/AAAAAAAABls/e1xtUyKE8Do/s400/IMAG0948.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I went on the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl and managed to make it to all eleven shops (!!!), which is where I picked up yarn for the hats and a future shawl.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ty50R9Rdx3I/VfDJwDNuRoI/AAAAAAAABl0/u0oI65lvrL8/s1600/IMAG0858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ty50R9Rdx3I/VfDJwDNuRoI/AAAAAAAABl0/u0oI65lvrL8/s400/IMAG0858.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And now I have settled down to a Christmas stocking. I forgot what slow knitting this is--a huge sock with not-so-huge yarn. And I've made a mistake. I forgot to continue the pattern on the sole while doing the gusset increases ... I still haven't decided what to do about it. I tried knitting back on just those stitches, but discovered it to be well nigh impossible when dealing with the strands at the back. So it's either pull out five whole rows, or just move forward with a new "design element."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_bZTsc1wPq0/VfDJ1QplkMI/AAAAAAAABl8/JY3KTuMHIns/s1600/IMAG1069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_bZTsc1wPq0/VfDJ1QplkMI/AAAAAAAABl8/JY3KTuMHIns/s400/IMAG1069.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is the first book I've read by Chaim Potok, at the recommendation of my *other* cousin (brother to the two mentioned above). I am really enjoying it. And in fact, it is making me think about visual art in a way that I love. A way that excites me rather than exhausting me. ;) (I asked my cousin if this was a read that required one to think. He responded with praise for the book. I don't think he understood the question, not being a mom of three whose brain space is limited. ;) )<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/09/yarn-along-244.html">Ginny</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-70952136736686142822015-07-24T09:23:00.004-04:002015-07-24T09:23:51.958-04:00And then she said ... (miscellany)(mostly written on Monday morning, sitting in my drafts folder since ... I am going to post because it's this or nothing!)<br />
<br />
<br />
I had (have?) Big Plans this week to start a new habit. (Maybe because I've been reading this book?) I want to get up a smidge earlier--giving myself a half an hour before my kids usual wake time rather than my 10-15 minutes--and write letters and emails, keep in touch with those I love who are far away. (I love the old-fashioned-ness of letter-writing, but it is also immensely practical when one can't talk without multiple little hands and voices pulling at you and insisting on attention whenever you pick up the phone.) And then, caught up on all my correspondence, I would blog.<br />
<br />
Welllll, getting up early. Such an easy resolution to make <i>before</i> you go to sleep, right? ;) Also it seems that getting up earlier entails going to bed earlier. Hm.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
I think the moths are living in my air ducts.<br />
<br />
One of the previous owners had a dog, and my theory is that they are munching happily on dog hair somewhere inaccessible. Or thriving in a bird nest in our chimney. Those are the only two explanations I can think of for why moths keeps fluttering through my living room and kitchen despite every last bit of everything having been vacuumed, laundered, etc. Repeatedly. As I work my way through the house I've even found them dead in my kitchen drawers. (And yes, they are CLOTHES moths in those drawers and in my bathroom, not pantry moths. I have double-checked more times than I can count.)<br />
<br />
My house is very clean. I am very exhausted. I am going to call a professional sometime this week. I hope to avoid anything chemical; even exterminators say on their websites that this isn't a pest you generally spray for. The vacuuming, dry-cleaning, and baking of yarn should be enough. But it isn't.<br />
<br />
And I am over this.<br />
<br />
[Note: no moths spotted since Sunday. Fingers crossed. Will call exterminator if I see another one!!]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Happier things ... our fourth anniversary was last Thursday. :)<br />
<br />
On Friday, my parents came over to spend the night with the kids, and we got away together, on our own, for the first night since having children! Keith planned it all and kept things a surprise. We stayed in a <i>very </i>nice hotel, had our pictures taken at the Point--the place in Pittsburgh where the three rivers meet, ate dinner at a nice restaurant, and watched a ballet. It was perfect and wonderful and I hope we do it again before another four years pass. :) It was also very nice to come <i>back</i> to where our children were waiting--to have that time to focus just on each other, to renew the roots of our love and then come back to its fruit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It is not naptime. My children are happily wreaking havoc upstairs, and I have another room to vacuum (sigh). Until next time!Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-6971233424432804172015-07-08T11:59:00.002-04:002015-07-08T12:00:00.266-04:00Knitting in the Time of Moths? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ4c4Iv7kfA/VZ1G4ypgsNI/AAAAAAAABgo/TL68hqdr4dk/s1600/IMAG0682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ4c4Iv7kfA/VZ1G4ypgsNI/AAAAAAAABgo/TL68hqdr4dk/s400/IMAG0682.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hey look! I'm sewing leaves together!! Yay!<br />
<br />
Or at least, I was up until a few days ago. I decided I've found a few too many moths in my pheromone traps and am now in full-throttle de-mothing mode. Which is exhausting. And despite having thoroughly cleaned the upstairs and moving all potentially affected laundry out to be laundered ... I caught ANOTHER moth last night. I feel like this either means that I don't actually have a moth problem--that they are just flittering in from the outside and that is why I'm not actually finding much damage--or else ... it means I have a major problem somewhere. Argh.<br />
<br />
So the only times I've been touching this blanket lately have been to pull it out of the basket and give it a good shake. Just in case someone decides to munch on it.<br />
<br />
I've also found carpet beetles, so I guess deep-cleaning is a good thing right now. But so stressful.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the blanket is a little less than halfway put together. It will hibernate until after I finish cleaning, and then I need to knit a hat for my cousin who is entering <a href="http://www.friendsofcarmeljmj.org/">Carmel</a> in August ... and <i>then</i> I will finish this beastie. It is turning out beautifully--I'm half-tempted to keep it for myself, except Michael would never let me get away with it--but I am not enjoying the seaming process. Oh well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Reading: <i>Better Than Before</i>, a book about habits that wasn't quite what I thought it would be, but the writing is engaging enough to keep me going. <i>The Green Ember</i> is a book much loved on <a href="http://amongstlovelythings.com/">this blog</a> and so I thought I'd give it a read and keep it for the boys to grow into.<br />
<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/07/yarn-along-235.html">Ginny</a>!Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-89232288539558959242015-06-17T14:10:00.003-04:002015-06-17T14:10:21.763-04:00Getting Close ... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZN0ZBiCNSo/VYG2wlbHt5I/AAAAAAAABfM/CNe213Ds_yw/s1600/IMAG0585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZN0ZBiCNSo/VYG2wlbHt5I/AAAAAAAABfM/CNe213Ds_yw/s400/IMAG0585.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've bought the last of the yarn for Michael's blanket. After knitting up these skeins, I'll add as needed from a few odd and ends to make up the full count.<br />
<br />
I almost didn't pick this book up because I felt the need for something narrative, but it turns out that this is basically a memoir, rather than a parenting handbook. I'm enjoying it. I've fallen into some bad habits of using food as motivation for good behavior ... Gregory in particular is addicted to "cackies" (Graham crackers). Time to change that!<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/06/yarn-along-232.html">Ginny</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-37460330470325064692015-06-15T14:15:00.000-04:002015-06-15T14:15:06.482-04:00Naptime Miscellany--Moths and Other OdditiesThis is what I get for offering to write a moth post.<br /><br />One of the things I was/am going to mention in said post--you're never really rid of them. I think they can go dormant or something when the weather's cold, because they've been popping up now and then since April. All in our bedroom, which has almost zero wool in it, so I wasn't too concerned.<br />
<br />
But it just keeps happening. Two or three males flying around that I squish or get caught in the traps.<br />
<br />
Only this time I've found TWO downstairs. Deep breaths.<br /><br />I am, once again, examining my yarn and other woolens from top to bottom, and STILL no traces of damage. They are like moth ninjas with a secret base somewhere, and it is <i>stressing me out</i>.<br />
<br />
The fact is that moths are almost an inevitable part of life for any lover of natural fibers who lives in a certain climate. I was in the yarn store yesterday looking for something green, and I found a dead moth on a skein. In the yarn store! Once you know what you're looking for--and are paranoid enough to expect it everywhere--you will find them.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if that's encouraging or discouraging, but there it is.<br />
<br />
It makes you wonder how old woolen textiles have survived so long. I guess it's a combination of climate control (winters without heat surely killed off many pests) and the fact that people didn't own an excess of clothes that were put into storage; most things were in regular use.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6K8X6P64Hwg/VX8SsktuOlI/AAAAAAAABeg/Azkeok-DjiM/s1600/IMAG0464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6K8X6P64Hwg/VX8SsktuOlI/AAAAAAAABeg/Azkeok-DjiM/s640/IMAG0464.jpg" width="358" /></a></div>
<br />
In other knitting-related weirdness ... my mother-in-law hadn't knit for years and years, but she had a canvas bag with some yarn and needles that Keith brought back from San Francisco. In it I found this odd tool, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was. An unusual cable needle? Something for a craft other than knitting?<br /><br />I posted the picture on Ravelry, and most of those people were just as stumped ... until a veterinarian came along and said it's a <a href="http://www.sklarcorp.com/plastic-surgery/probes/doyen-grooved-director.html">grooved director</a>, or incision guide. A surgical tool used for guiding scalpels and other instruments where they need to go without cutting other tissues.<br />
<br />
My MIL was never a vet, or a nurse, so I'm not sure why she even owned one of these, let alone how it ended up in her knitting bag! How funny, right? I wish I could ask her for the story behind it. I wish in general that knitting was something that we could have bonded over. There are a lot of things I wish, and I am realizing, a lot of hurts that I still have to process. But I hope, someday, we will meet again, and be able to know and love each other in a way that wasn't possible in this life.<br />
<br />
And she can tell me why she had a surgical tool with her knitting needles. :)Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-82096822508390534302015-06-10T14:00:00.001-04:002015-06-10T14:00:29.011-04:00Life-Changing Magic, and other thingsYou know the deal. Even when I can't keep up with anything else I can manage a yarn along post.** ;) I was a bit under the weather last week as I recovered from my first ever case of mastitis after almost 3.5 years of nursing. I have so much admiration for mothers who struggle with this on a regular basis early in their nursing relationship ... I think I may have given up if I hadn't so much experience behind me already.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
Are you bored of leaves yet? ;) I pulled a skein of Tosh from my freezer , baked it in the oven, shook it vigorously to make sure no moth eggs came tumbling out, and ... it seems to be fine. No damage that I have noticed! Fingers crossed.<br />
<br />
(I'm thinking of typing up a post--hopefully with pictures--about how to survive a moth infestation with your sanity intact ... helpful? Or have I talked about moths too much already?)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4gD5aGMwygw/VXh5R-otPeI/AAAAAAAABdc/pD2NndtAuaQ/s1600/IMAG0489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4gD5aGMwygw/VXh5R-otPeI/AAAAAAAABdc/pD2NndtAuaQ/s640/IMAG0489.jpg" width="356" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So many thoughts about this book. As I read it, I always picture a single person living on their own--or at least in a child-free household. I don't think her ideal really encompasses the necessary and healthy level of <i>not being in control</i> that comes from living with several little people who are figuring themselves and the world out. She writes of how tidiness can transform our lives by helping us make decisions about not just what we own, but who we are. I think this is great, but if you're living with people who are still figuring that out in the most basic of ways ... there's going to be some messiness. :) (Also, is it just me, or do her descriptions of herself as a cleanliness-obsessed child make anyone else a little sad??)<br />
<br />
But I really love her philosophy about <i>possessions</i>. They are not bad. Your home is not a thing to be conquered, but love, and the things you own can and should bring you joy. But you shouldn't be so attached to things that you can't let them go. The material things around us are <i>good </i>and meant for our benefit and happiness. But they should not <i>determine </i>or <i>own </i>us. I love it.<br />
<br />
Also I really need to try out her folding technique and see if it helps my husband's t-shirts fit in his dresser, because none of those are getting discarded anytime soon ... much to his wife's chagrin. (If there is one recurring disagreement in our marriage, it is about the number of t-shirts that's reasonable for one person to own. ;) )<br />
<br />
<br />
I also just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935639315/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1935639315&linkCode=as2&tag=mem0d-20&linkId=RSWYC2X6SPLZNBUZ"><i>What Happened to Sophie Wilder</i></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mem0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1935639315" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Oh my goodness. It took a bit of patience on my part because there was just a touch too much of the "jaded literary people living an immature lifestyle" stuff that can plague literary fiction. But I could tell it was going somewhere different. And it didn't disappoint. The ending of this book pulled the rug out from under my feet, in such a good and heart-aching way. I am still a little bit in shock. And still thinking about Sophie. As though she were a real person, who truly did wrestle with the truth as she knew it to be, versus the lived truth of suffering in mind and body. It is not a hard or a thick read, but it truly does seek truth, and it is excellent fiction, and so I recommend it highly.<br />
<br />
Linking up with Ginny.<br />
<br />
<br />
**Although I am loving Instagram lately. If you're on there, we should <a href="https://instagram.com/tobierose/">hook up</a>! :)Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-6314205335004203912015-06-03T14:08:00.003-04:002015-06-03T14:08:39.633-04:00Stacking up! After hearing an interview with the author on the <a href="http://amongstlovelythings.com/12">Read-Aloud Revival podcast</a>, I just finished The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma. What an excellent book! A well-written memoir is one of my favorite things to read, and I can highly recommend this one. <br /><br />(I am loving podcasts these days, by the way. Now that I have a smartphone I can listen to them in the car! I use the <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/">Stitcher</a> app, but I don't know much about what else is out there. How do you listen to podcasts?)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iFe_v0UUTN4/VW88Jl1d_uI/AAAAAAAABcM/hQ5Hn4mP7Go/s1600/IMAG0431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iFe_v0UUTN4/VW88Jl1d_uI/AAAAAAAABcM/hQ5Hn4mP7Go/s400/IMAG0431.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael has attempted to stack books like this for the purpose of standing. It doesn't usually turn out well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thank you all for the feedback about colors for <a href="http://rosemarysfancy.blogspot.com/2015/05/leaves-and-colors.html">Michael's leaf blanket</a>! A few of you were unsure what the final concept was. The pattern I'm using is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/family-tree-afghan">Family Tree Afghan</a>. The leaves all get stitched together to form the blanket, and right now the plan is to spread out the colors as evenly as possible. :)<br />
<br />
Last Saturday I bought some more green and blue yarn in shades close to those I've already used. I really, really love <a href="http://yarnhollow.com/semi-solid-colors/?wppa-album=10&wppa-cover=0&wppa-occur=1">this yarn</a> in DK weight, and the colors are just perfect.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1mfeOpwvr4/VW88JaUzXDI/AAAAAAAABcI/b_b-qidvEEI/s1600/IMAG0433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1mfeOpwvr4/VW88JaUzXDI/AAAAAAAABcI/b_b-qidvEEI/s400/IMAG0433.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big stack of nonfiction from the library!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: left;">On days where we mostly stay at home and nothing crazy happens (ha), I can usually knit a leaf and a half. This is leaf number 65 of 110. (Or possibly 62. There are three leaves I've decided I don't like. But even though there's not <i>that</i> much difference between having 62 and 65 leaves, it's really hard for me to see that number go backwards ... so, right now I'm still including them in the final count!)</span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTqPPA70xaI/VW9CaLMStCI/AAAAAAAABc0/UvmKZjitoVg/s1600/IMAG0437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTqPPA70xaI/VW9CaLMStCI/AAAAAAAABc0/UvmKZjitoVg/s400/IMAG0437.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: left;">There's a layer of shawls under those leaves that I will have to block soon, just to make room for more. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: left;">Sadly, </span><i style="text-align: left;">somebody </i><span style="text-align: left;">(don't know who for sure but I have my theories) got into my knitting basket and used one of my needles as a drumstick. It took me a while to find all the pieces. This pair belonged to my grandmother, and were among my favorites to use, so ... sadness. :( Luckily my bamboo needles get about the same gauge. </span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0DI1A7fQ3_w/VW88Jh9H6FI/AAAAAAAABcQ/VkiK9hZG8YE/s1600/IMAG0429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0DI1A7fQ3_w/VW88Jh9H6FI/AAAAAAAABcQ/VkiK9hZG8YE/s400/IMAG0429.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/06/yarn-along-230.html">Ginny</a>!Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-19811801188708378622015-05-20T14:33:00.004-04:002015-05-20T14:33:47.979-04:00Leaves and Colors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kWMqocku2HI/VVzKYpwKFtI/AAAAAAAABaY/-qf9_V0aa6k/s1600/IMAG0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kWMqocku2HI/VVzKYpwKFtI/AAAAAAAABaY/-qf9_V0aa6k/s400/IMAG0337.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have been parenting solo since Friday, so, not much time for knitting or reading this week. But I met with the webcomic <a href="http://namesakecomic.com/">Namesake</a> a few days ago, and ... well, that consumed my life for a few days. Now I'm caught up and have to wait for each page like a normal person. If you like fairy-tales, fanasy, and stories that are very meta ... you should read it. :) (Also if you like Oz. And super cute, not too sappy romance.)<br /><br />I also recently read Eleanor & Park, which was ... okay. I really liked the beginning, which I thought was very original; not so much the second half. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've knit a few more leaves for Michael's blanket. Number 48 is on the needles out of 110, according to the pattern. I might stop at 100, depending on how big it is. (Although when you've come that far and only have ten left, I guess you might as well keep going!) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My original idea was to stick only to leaf colors--green, brown, orange, red, yellow, plus some blue for the sky peaking through the leaves. But I'm wondering if maybe I should branch out? Maybe try some teal or some other jewel tone? I'm not sure. What do you think? I don't want it to look too "scrappy" ... perhaps I should buy more yarn in some of the colors I already have to keep it unified? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsGWqZ4a-d8/VVzKnBUbtBI/AAAAAAAABag/Qi1GCnx-W30/s1600/IMAG0338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsGWqZ4a-d8/VVzKnBUbtBI/AAAAAAAABag/Qi1GCnx-W30/s400/IMAG0338.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A skein of teal?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/05/yarn-along-228.html">Ginny</a>.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-53711308710191039532015-05-19T15:50:00.000-04:002015-05-19T15:50:05.884-04:00Naptime Miscellany <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjzgERg2rf4/VVuSlIase2I/AAAAAAAABZw/G_tEdkaYaGM/s1600/taroshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjzgERg2rf4/VVuSlIase2I/AAAAAAAABZw/G_tEdkaYaGM/s400/taroshelf.jpg" width="327" /></a></div>
<br />
I am eating a taro bun right now, with coconut cream. Occasionally Keith stops by an Asian grocery and picks up all sorts of goodies for our freezer and pantry--pocky and potstickers and panda cookies and seaweed. I'm kind of addicted to the light-yet-chewy texture of these things. (Taro is also our favorite flavor of frozen yogurt at Razzy Fresh. I guess it's some sort of tuber?)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RDbOsrl003U/VVuSnLkLILI/AAAAAAAABZ4/NcMj6NBvaR0/s1600/poetryshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RDbOsrl003U/VVuSnLkLILI/AAAAAAAABZ4/NcMj6NBvaR0/s400/poetryshelf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
While I'm showing you pictures of my bookshelf (Tolkien is just to the left in that picture), this is our poetry shelf. It is a frequent victim of baby attacks because Dominic can easily reach it while standing on the armchair. And he always, always goes for this book. Never Browning, never Eliot, never Auden. I guess he has very modern tastes. (Also he likes yellow.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Keith is currently away in San Franciso, for a wedding and to finish going through his mom's belongings. He left on Friday and comes back Thursday morning.<br />
<br />
That's six solo bedtimes, people.<br />
<br />
It's actually not <i>so </i>bad. (Knock on wood?) Every night once everyone's in bed I've been rewarding myself with ice cream and a glass of wine. Although the ice cream is all gone. The wine helps me sleep. Also at night I've been binge-reading this <a href="http://namesakecomic.com/">webcomic</a> (recommended by <a href="http://mollymakesdo.blogspot.com/">Molly</a>--thank you!!), but now I've caught up, which is <i>awful</i>. Truly. I hate catching up to webcomics! To be reading pages and pages each day and then suddenly you get three pages a week! It's torture.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-21654916923046385792015-05-11T14:32:00.000-04:002015-05-11T14:32:01.674-04:00I was there, and now I'm here--a CWBN Mid-Atlantic Conference recapJulie just posted her <a href="http://thesewallsblog.com/2015/05/11/becoming-community-our-conference-for-catholic-women-bloggers/">CWBN Mid-Atlantic recap</a>, so I am finally going to hit publish on this. :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbyNixnyc2Y/VUuiuomgvuI/AAAAAAAABVU/u-D_DS1SIuc/s1600/cwbnma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbyNixnyc2Y/VUuiuomgvuI/AAAAAAAABVU/u-D_DS1SIuc/s400/cwbnma.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Rosie Hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been blogging for ten years.<br />
<br />
That's a little embarrassing. I think I've covered my tracks well enough that you won't find the super-old stuff. (Please ... don't try. ;) )<br />
<br />
When I started this particular blog, I wasn't quite clued in to the whole blog scene. I was burnt out from grad school, from self-conscious writing for workshops, and wanted a place where I could use my writing to express delight in things.<br />
<br />
But I always write for an audience. I've never successfully kept a private journal. I want my words to be <i>read</i>. And as I followed more bloggers, gained followers I'd never met in "real life," and absorbed the blogging culture, I thought: what am I aiming for exactly? Am I just writing for friends, people who are already interested in me for my own sake? Or am I trying to gain an audience of some sort? Do I want to be a "real" blogger, and if I'm not, does it even matter if I only post once a month or less?<br />
<br />
When Julie emailed to invite me to the CWBN Mid-Atlantic Conference, it was so validating. I may not have a header on my blog, or an "About Me" page, or even any photos in half my posts. But Julie had remembered my blog! And even where I lived! That meant something, right?<br />
<br />
So I signed up and decided this would be my line in the sand. After this I would write again ... and be a "real" blogger.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
God blessed me so much through that day, and I feel like I could type on for pages--about <a href="http://thesewallsblog.com/">Julie</a> and her wonderful hospitality, and how great it was just to sit and chat with her at her kitchen table in her beautiful home; about finally meeting fellow twin-moms <a href="http://rosie-ablogformymom.blogspot.com/">Rosie</a> and <a href="http://www.survivingourblessings.com/">Abbey</a> in person; about meeting and talking to so many wonderful women; about <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/">Leah</a> and <a href="http://www.faithfullysocial.com/">Cristina's</a> great presentations, and <a href="http://www.piercedhands.com/">Meg's</a> talk on prayer that brought tears to my eyes. If I tried to go more in depth about these things, I would never finish this post.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But during lunch we sat in our assigned small groups, and mine was perfect. <a href="http://www.survivingourblessings.com/2015/05/how-i-almost-didnt-attend-that-catholic.html">Abbey</a> and <a href="https://catholiccoffeetalk.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/why-blog/">Marie Bernadette</a> have written about it. We were all in the same place--wondering if blogging was something that really belonged in our lives right now, and what it meant for us aside from "branding" and all that stuff that seemed to be for bigger bloggers. Having that conversation openly with others was such an encouraging experience, and I came away from it feeling very refreshed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I admit I felt a bit sad leaving. There was talk of getting together again during the summer, which is something I couldn't do without it being a genuine road trip; and going back to "just blogging" together was a bit rough. <br />
<br />
But ultimately, two words sum up my experience of the conference: refreshment and affirmation. The immediate community I experienced there was a reminder--<i><b>this is why I blog.</b> </i>I have my communities here in Pittsburgh, which are vital to me. But connections made online are very real for me, too. This blog is a place where genuine companionship, even intimacy, can exist. And <i><b>I want to be here.</b></i><br />
<br />
So for me, right now, blogging doesn't look like "branding" myself. But it does look like making this page a more welcoming space (an "About Me" page and updated profile pic?), and engaging more often and more promptly with the comments you all are so generous with, and hopefully posting more often--inviting people in, asking them to stay awhile, to share a part of my life over tea and knitting, conversing about the wonder and beauty and struggle that is a part of our lives.<br />
<br />
So thanks for being here. :)Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6840483361064441636.post-41366508300778226742015-05-06T13:52:00.000-04:002015-05-06T13:52:30.307-04:00Yarn AlongI took a break from blogging.<br />
<br />
I signed up for the <a href="http://catholicwomenbloggingnetwork.com/">CWBN's</a> Mid-Atlantic Conference, which was last Saturday, and gave myself until then. Until then to just let it go, not try to write or even think about writing. (I am always thinking about writing.) Partly because a break just seemed to make sense in light of the last post. And partly because I'd been struggling a bit about writing here.<br />
<br />
The conference was wonderful! I feel refreshed and a bit more purposeful about blogging; I've been reminded why I do it, which was something I really needed. I have a half-completed post about it in my drafts folder as I type this. (Which may mean nothing. Sometimes the draft folder might as well be the garbage bin. ;) But I have determination!! And exclamation points!!!)<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I am, of course, knitting and reading.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8UuZwQg5qM/VUpUKhB_mTI/AAAAAAAABU4/eYgptV5fnKA/s1600/IMAG0096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8UuZwQg5qM/VUpUKhB_mTI/AAAAAAAABU4/eYgptV5fnKA/s1600/IMAG0096.jpg" height="280" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The blanket is for a baby (not mine!), gender unknown. The book is Dorothy Sayer's <i>Gaudy Night</i>, picked up because Haley and and Christy talked about it on <a href="http://fountainsofcarrots.com/">Fountains of Carrots</a>, and the other books they've read together have all been ones I love. I am probably committing some sort of book crime, because I haven't read the other books in the series first; I can tell I am missing out on the depth of Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey's relationship, but it hasn't really given me much trouble. I am enjoying it quite a bit.<br />
<br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.gsheller.com/2015/05/yarn-along-226.html">Ginny</a> as usual.Rosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699055172049185864noreply@blogger.com7