Hobbies and Passions

My aunt and uncle returned from a trip to Cuzco. My uncle was struck by the how young the Peruvian children are when they begin spinning. I was struck by how much still I wanted to go to Cuzco and visit the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cuzco.

It was a momentary pang. Right now I'm hanging out with Miss Pip and enjoying cooing conversations and baby smiles. We read The Runaway Bunny and Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. She gums my fingers and pulls off my glasses. I tickle her chin.

I'm ready for next spring when she will be a little hardier and able to wander in the backyard while I garden. My sister has already laughed at my plans, so please pretend that I will be able to return to the garden one day.

For now, I've found that Pip is quite happy to play with wooden blocks while I work at the spinning wheel. Sometimes a dishcloth gets knitted too. When I'm finished playing with string, we both love snuggling up for a nap.

More Knitting

My knitting mojo has suffered lately, so I made a trip to Twist on Saturday. A survey of the shop showed people knitting yarn cozies, sweaters, lace shawls, and socks. It was all so lovely and complex, but I wanted something that I was sure to finish. I picked out green and pink dishcloth cotton for a ballband dishcloth. Or, maybe the Mason-Dixon description lured me in the same way it always does.

"Here's the classic dishcloth recipe that goes with Peaches & Creme the way champagne goes with truffles. Or a Diet Rite Cola with a Moon Pie, to be more exact."

Several hours later, I nearly have a finished dishcloth.

New Knitz Girl

I'm pleased to announce a new addition to the Knitz household. Two weeks ago tomorrow, my daughter, Pip, was born. I'm completely enchanted, in love, in awe. My thoughts run strictly along the lines of mushy Hallmark cards. If there were an original way to say how much joy she brings, I would attempt it. As it is, I'll leave it to the imagination.

She took her first trip to Twist Yarn Shop earlier this week. Susan reminded me that she must have her first picture with knitting needles soon. I wonder if she is old enough to touch the Addi Turbos.

Closets and Cleaning

The Wamego Wool Fest is next weekend. Part of me really wants to go. Last year was the first year, and attendance was high. I bought some of the softest alpaca roving I've ever touched. (My sister got the yarn for Christmas.) Plus driving through the Flint Hills on a fleecy adventure is elating.

This year, I'm opting for comfort. I plan to stay inside and hide from the cold weather. My goal this week is to clean out the spare bedroom/office/cave, and Saturday will be a good day to finish that task.

Yesterday I began by excavating the closet. Odds and ends have been going in that closet for over five years. Some of the layers were fun to see -- birth announcements from my friends, long-lost books, a favorite set of sheets. The one treasure was several yards of a golden-tapestry fabric that can be sewn into valances for windows.

My old friend denial lingered everywhere. During the divorce, I must have tossed anything I didn't want to deal with in that closet. My wedding dress. Papers with his name on it? Closet. Ratty old t-shirts? Closet. Old photographs? Why not put them in the closet? Ten years of his family pictures were in there and so was old advertising material from a previous employer of his. It was like getting divorced again only the emotions were faded and distant. I had some forgiveness and understanding. Besides, he's visiting next weekend to help me move some furniture. It doesn't feel lonely like it did at first. I like to think we're both happier.

The most remarkable part of the closest was the volume it held. Since I wanted to wipe down the walls of the closet and vacuum, I started by tossing everything out in the middle of the room. (This violates one of Fly Lady's most practical bits of advice: "Don't pull out more than you can put back in an hour." My experience only underscores that she's right.) The debris that came out of the closet took up residence in the living room, dining room, and basement. I've been putting things where they belong, tossing trash, and taking bags of old things to the Salvation Army. One closet filled the entire house, which surely violates the laws of physics.

My goal is to have the closet contents dealt with by Saturday. The entryway closet is next on the list, but it may have to wait several months until I forget what it took to empty this one.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it brings happiness and good health.

The New Year began with the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket. This is my first EZ project, and I'm excited about it. It is cast on, and I'm knitting. It seems straight-forward in design, and I've seen several expert knitters create one quickly. However, this pattern is requiring a good amount of faith on my part. I'm mired the decreases and feeling uncertain about whether I'm knitting it properly.

The weather is very cold here and staying inside to knit is a wonderful luxury. Both cats and the dog piled on the recliner to doze with me this afternoon. I hope the truce lasts longer than the cold weather.

Garden catalogs are filling my mailbox too. Looking a pictures of peonies, iris, and foxglove give me hope for spring when fresh parsley and lettuce will be available in the backyard. Or, when I can knit lace shawls on the deck with the sun on my skin.

Until then, I feel very lucky to a have cozy home with such warm, little heat mooches for snuggling.

Turkey Talk

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for this year. Friends, family, and beloved pets made it all worthwhile. I'm grateful to have a job that allows me to do good. I'm looking forward to holiday celebrations for the first time in more than a decade. I might even get a tree this year.

My sister and brother-in-law hosted a delicious dinner their home near Milwaukee, WI. We watched football and then A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I got to snuggle with the nephews, learn more about Thomas the Train, and read books about farts.

Exploring my sister's garden was a treat. The lettuces and Swiss chard are still intact as are most of the herbs. The trees seem so much taller and more numerous in the north. The nearby lake is amazing. The light shocked me the most. By 4:45 in the afternoon, it is as dark as midnight. Most of all, I got to spend time talking to my sister and helping in the kitchen. She's such a good friend, and having her at such distance is a real sadness for me.

Just when I thought it might be okay to go back to Wal-Mart, I heard another sickening story about Wal-Mart pricing practices that are making it difficult for their suppliers to stay in business. So my opinion that Wal-Mart creates poverty was reinforced for the millionth time. If I do buy a tree, it won't be from there.

In unrelated news, my darling kitties were well-cared for by a friend and her daughter. I suspect they were even spoiled. Murphy the Beagle stayed at Mom and Dad's house. Mom laid out some strict rules at the beginning: no dogs on the furniture or bed. Dad reports that by the end of the week, Murphy was not only sleeping on the bed, but his head was on the pillow between Mom and Dad. He sat on the couch with them while they watched movies. Even though they were in good hands, I missed the fuzzy ones something fierce and was happy to see them again. They even let me hug them more than usual when I got back.

No more holes in the wall!

Nearly a year ago, I set about the systematic destruction of my home. Destruction wasn't my goal. The idea was to remove a little wallpaper and put up paint. However, the removal of wallpaper revealed problems that had never been addressed. Some of those issues dated back to the 1930s.

I did enjoy the trip through the layers of wallpaper. Some homeowners preferred paisley and others liked cabbage roses. It was an introduction to them. Most preferred pinks and greens with an occasional touch of silver or gold. The large hole in the wall and the hidden, closet-like room were definitely a surprise.

The sheet rock contractor is an old friend of Dad's. Dad was acting as project manager for questions while I was at work. Murphy the Wonder Beagle stayed with my parents during the renovations. Murphy has been known to zip out the door at the slightest opportunity. I just didn't trust him to behave for strangers. Dad was happy with the situation too since he has wanted a dog for years. He and Murphy went to the hobby shop together, built model airplanes, took naps together and surfed the internet.

A phone call from the contractors to inquire whether I had a black and white dog was quite a surprise. Upon hearing the answer, "No," they said, "Okay, we'll put him outside."

When the contractors arrived to put up sheet rock this week, I came home from work each night to a house that looked progressively more normal. As of today, the walls are ready for paint. The ceilings have sheet rock of the same thickness throughout the house. It even smells new. Not only did they do a great job, but I have the same number of pets at the end as at the beginning of the project.