Kniting and Knit-Alongs

Oh, how I wish I thought I could actually do a KAL with other people. I'd do this.

I'm working on the B4 bag, and a stole for my sister. I want to start another pair of socks tonight though, something to take on the train on Thursday...

Taking Steps, Baby Steps

I haven't been much of a blogger lately, but I thought I'd post my open letter to those in my life..


Hello Fambly –

I haven’t been avoiding anybody, (really I haven’t) I’ve just been trying to change the direction of my life. Which is sort of like trying to turn a really big building to face in another direction. I thought I’d just update you on the status of things round here.

The dream moves pretty slowly, but it does finally feel like there is some motion in the ocean. I had a dream last night that I was trying to make deliveries in my old car up on Mt. Tabor, but it was icy, and my car was full of a lot of garbage. For some reason, I knew I’d be better off if I cleaned that car out before I tried to navigate any more ice hills (aka slippery slopes). But I have to do it in small batches because the dumpster is a long way away, and the ground is slippery. So, baby steps, Dr. Leo Marvin, baby steps.. And I just knew I was driving the right car to keep from sliding backwards, even on the ice. My life is equipped and stable, just still needs a little de cluttering and cleaning out. And obviously, would have been smarter to clean it out before heading up the mountain, or not let it get so full of trash in the first place, but you do what you have to do.

I’m working on my web site and the preliminary version is here: www.willowbirth.com I still don’t have a logo I like very well, and my time has been pretty limited for working on it. I still find myself a little skeptical about the logistics of creating a business designed to serve people who by definition, probably can’t pay. But at the base of it all is the idea of empowering people through the birth process, and beginning to empower them as parents, in ways that the “system” just doesn’t do. I’ve been particularly interested in working with teen moms, and it seems like Catholic Charities is one of the best organizations in here in town to work with. (Thank you, Providence)

I’m working my way through my doula certification through Birth Arts International, and took their workshop in April. At the same time, I’m starting work on my midwifery program through Ancient Arts Midwifery Institute. There is quite a bit of crossover in their requirements so it shouldn’t be too difficult to do both. I’m also fascinated with the idea of eventually pursuing some sort of Childbirth Educator certification, and Birthing From Within is certainly my favorite in that regard, although Ancient Arts Midwifery has a CBE certification option within the midwifery program, so I will likely do that as well. There’s also a Gentle Birth conference in Portland this September, and I’m hoping to do the waterbirth certification workshop at that.

As with most education, it’s the cost of books that is going to be one of the big strains. The books I’ll need for my training I’ve compiled in an Amazon wish list. So, in case, you know, you have this undeniable desire to buy me a present. (that’s right, I’m begging for books *grin* - and I am not offended by used books). You can sort the list by priority and the highest priority ones are the ones I need sooner rather than later. I’m working to acquire these by selling other books I have (which also makes room for the new ones), but it’s slow going.

You can see the Wish List at:http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/3BROVHT7XI7LU

So, if anybody would like to design a logo for me (haha) I’m looking for something willowy, willow branches, willow tree, watery, and the words Willow Birth on it. I have one that I actually like pretty well, but the resolution on the graphic image makes it a little blurry for business cards. (if you want to see what I have let me know)

In other news, I’m still working my “day job.” We took a very much needed vacation in June to the beach for a week. Mom and dad came out for a few days. We have a couple of camping trips scheduled for August, but that’s all we could do this year. Keith has taken to riding his bicycle to work and he’s enjoying that. I think he actually gets home from work faster that way. Both kids are attending school this fall. Nick is going to Benson High School, and Charlotte is going to a new Charter school in North Portland called Portland Village School. I’m “hoping” this affords me more focus time to keep my irons from falling out of the fire and burning me or the house down. But we shall see.

On top of all this, we are making some remodelling/reconstruction plans for our house, some of which we hope to accomplish this summer, but the biggest bit will happen next summer.

But we are all healthy and doing okay. No major crises lurking on the horizon, or at least we are blissfully unaware if they are. Near as I can tell, it’s nothing worse than some slippery slopes to navigate, which I’ll take over steep rocky cliff climbing and running from tidal waves any day.

We will continue with the mantra of “next year it will get easier” until it comes true (or we go crazy).

Love to you all!

Vacation, all I ever wanted..

We are HERE! Lincoln City, just a teeny bit North of Inn at the Spanish Head. It's likely going to wind up being foggy and/or grey and rainy for the majority of our stay. We did get out yesterday and hike to Drift Creek Falls just far enough into the coast range to escape the fog for a few hours and hike in the woods. It's a really beautiful hike, about 2-1/2 to 3 miles round trip, with a suspension bridge over the gorge where the falls, well.. falls.

The beach has been great too. We had some kite flying fun. And some great tidepool exploring at low tide. And perhaps best of all, the jaccuzi tub, with a view of the ocean.

Well, it's beginning to rain, so that's my cue to finish up some work, and start getting ready to go do some shopping, hit the museums, and especially the yarn shops.

My other plans for this week include putting together at least a rudimentary Seers Guild Study Program, and work on my Doula Certification stuff. I also need to write up my bio for the web site, and then maybe, if there's time work on my own web site. But, I also really REALLY want some good quality knitting time this week, so we'll see how that works out.

In other news, I did a reading for a friend using my as-yet untested method of using SPAM e-mail as a divination method. It was pretty accurate. Great to find some practical use for SPAM, eh?

I'm pleased about the rain, it feels like home. :)

Busy Weekend

Still feels like nothing got done..

We went last weekend to the Pomeroy Farm Herb Festival and bought a bunch of herbs. And I SWEAR this time, they will LIVE! At least through the summer. Bunch of culinary herbs like varieties of basil, rosemary, thyme, sage. Some mints for their own pot. I even got three kinds of catnip, which have to live in a hanging basket high above the porch for their own survival. Lane will roll in it to death otherwise.

My sister is getting married this summer and I want to make them a lace stole. I may be getting ahead of myself in terms of just how fancy my knitting skills are. But we'll see. If I get to the first of July and find that it just looks like crap, I'll just make them some lovely heirloom washcloths. ;)

My joints are getting worse. My hands ache all the time. REALLY need to get my broken butt in gear and change this career path. Constant typing is just not going to work out for the long term. Oh, and I still have this weird rash on my thumbs. It's like, the pigment in my skin is turning brown. In the bright sunlight, you can see that it has some spots that are more pink, and the skin is starting to flake a little. I don't know what it is. But my medical transcriptionist brain goes right to the pathology potentials. It's probably not Alzheimer's disease, but there's always sarcoidosis, or rheumatoid arthritis. Or, as I've joked to my husband, I probably have about enough Native American blood in my veins to fill my thumbs. Maybe that's it.

Our beach vacation is finally on the horizon. I NEED this vacation like nobody could believe. Naturally, I'm taking my work with me because even though I need it, and I can have it, I really can't HAVE it. blah. I have some other projects I need to work on, my little doula bio, my web site, the ADF Seers study program... and several knitting projects.

Speaking of, I'm going to yank the yarn out of the little vest thing I started because I'm just positive there isn't enough yarn. I figure, since even when I look and think, oh yeah, there's plenty, I tend to run out. So, if I look and say, I don't think there's enough, then there is DEFINITELY not enough. But, this yarn will make a really cute tote bag.

Okay, better get moving on the mundane life... library, post office, bank... work, work, work...

Blogger Slacker and Yarn Cruises

Yep, I'm a blogging slacker. But in my defense, when I'm not working, I'm trying to spend time with knitting, so at least that means I'm not on the computer 24/7.

I'm fascinated by this whole notion of going on cruises to knit. Like this one.. Sea Socks or this one.. Spindlicity

If I ever were to do a cruise, I hope it's one of those. Too fun. I wonder if there are any more? And how do you find them?

Like an Old Friend

So, I'm almost done redoing that Monkey sock. It looks a lot better on 0 needles, so I'm glad I did it. I'll probably be able to finish it this weekend.

Heading out tomorrow with Malacat to the Birth Arts Doula workshop this weekend. Kind of like a first step. Maybe even more than the first step I thought I was taking before when I signed up for the AAMI Intro to Midwifery course, which I'm a teeny fraction of the way through, but it is due to be finished and turned in in two weeks. I doubt I'm going to make it. I'm not sure I'm concerned about that right now. I guess I'll see how much of it I can get done and if it looks close, I'll pay for the one month extension on it and finish it up. If not, I'll just go ahead and send for my Orientation materials for the regular Advanced Midwifery course and get busy on that instead.

I went ahead and signed up for the Shop Hop tour with the local Knitting Guild. I hemmed and hawed about it for a good while, but I think it will be nice to get out with a group of people I have never met before and just have a fun day. Why not?

To further spur me on to meeting new people on purpose, the last two weeks I have mysteriously been back in touch with two people I haven't talked to in quite a long time. One of whom I was formerly quite close to. The signs point to something a little more in tune with the universe than just random serendipity, so I'm keeping my eyes open on this one.

Frogged

Sometimes, you just have to start over. I finished the first Monkey sock (as you may recall), but it was just too loose. I admit, I am very new to the whole gauge thing, and with this one in pattern, I couldn't tell how it was going to be until it was mostly done. I could tell then that it seemed like it was going to be too loose, but I wanted to get all the way to the end. So, I did. And yep, too loose.

So, I tore the whole thing out, and I'm going to start again with smaller needles and see how that goes. Surely, I will never get even one sock done before the end of the month now, but I'm going to give it a try.

On other needles, as I was pouring through my stash to find yarn to make that B4 bag with, I came across some yarn I bought back in probably 2004 from Ozyarn (no longer in business sadly), a place in Australia that sold mainly novelty type yarns but they had some great patterns.

I bought 7 balls of this funky, lumpy blue and purply, yarn called Dazzle, which came with a pattern for making a celtic vest. I found the pin, that came with it the other day, and last night, I found the pattern I'd printed out. So, last night, I cast on and started it. It's on super big (5.5 mm) needles, so that's a switch. And now that I look at it, I'd probably really need one more ball of the stuff to make it actually fit me, but we'll see if I can tweak it a little.

'nuff talk. Must work to buy more yarn..!!