Time for Change

I really felt like I needed a change with my blog. When it was first created a few years ago it's focus was supposed to be all knitting, all the time. But as time and life have progressed there are things that I want to talk about and share that really aren't knitting related, I am interested in other things too you know! So I have decided to change the title of the blog to reflect that there is more to me, and going to be more to this blog than just my fantastic knitting! (hehe).

So if you will look above, you will see a new header, with a new blog title! It still depicts my love of Red Yarn, but hopefully also will show that this blog is about more than that. I also share parts of my life, family, and hopefully soon (if my craft room ever materializes!) other crafts! (Sewing...I'm talking about you!!!) I had contemplated moving the blog altogether to a new address, and starting over from scratch, but I didn't want to lose what few readers I already have. So here it is. Same blog, new spin. And now that I have actually figured out how to change the header!!!!!! perhaps you'll see a new header from time to time.

Thanks for stopping by!

FO: Dark Side Cowl

Yes, I realize what follows is a fairly disturbing picture of myself, but this is part of the burden I shall bear for the sake of my knitting.

Self portraits are not my forte.

Pattern: Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino - Dark Gray Mix
Needles: KP's Options in US 10/6 mm

I wanted to use up the leftovers from my Bella's Mittens and I had just enough to do a cowl. I love the texture in this pattern, it was very easy to knit. I wore the cowl to walk the kids to school last week and I was cozy warm. :o)

In other news, a probable case of H1N1 has hit my house. Poor little Owen is down for the count. He has quite a few of the symptoms - fever, bad headache, nausea/vomiting, and a horrific chest cough which has turned quite congested. I'm mostly worried about the cough as that is the side effect of the virus that is really making people very ill - a bacterial infection can occur in the lungs making it difficult to breathe. He was scheduled for his vaccine tomorrow (along with Maeghan who at this point is symptom free) , so I'm going to ask the doc if she thinks he should still get it, just in case this isn't H1N1 that he has now.

And furthermore, as if that wasn't enough, Owen has managed to break his collarbone even worse than before and is now being referred to an Orthopedic Surgeon who will decided if he will require surgery or not. We aren't absolutely sure how it happened, but think it may have been when he was out in the backyard a couple of weeks back, tripped, and tried to break his fall by reaching up and grabbing onto a tree branch - unfortunately with his bad arm.

What a mess. When it rains, it pours.

Happy Halloween!

Bella's Mittens

If you have ever seen the movie "Twilight" than you may have noticed these mittens that Bella was wearing near the beginning of the movie. The scene where she slips on a sheet of ice and lands on her butt. I love these mittens. I love how they go up over the sleeves of her jacket. I've really wanted to knit up a pair for a while, and I have finally gotten around to it. Thankfully, I'm not the only one who likes these, and Marielle from Subliminal Rabbit whipped up a pattern! As we speak there are 2002 Bella's Mittens projects on Ravelry. I have now jumped on the bandwagon.

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Dark Grey Mix held double
Needles: KP Options US 10's/6mm - 32" length - Magic Looped
Verdict: Loved the pattern, very straightforward which a gal like me really appreciates. I wore these when I walked the kids to school this morning and my hands were toasty warm. I have almost a skeins worth of yarn leftover, so I'm going to knit up a matching cowl.

As promised in the last post, I bought a couple of rakes and got the kids to work! Actually, as soon as they saw the rakes they couldn't wait to get outside and rake up the biggest pile of leaves they could so they could jump in it. Maeghan even got out the wheelbarrow and carted a whole pile out to the front yard (where there were no leaves to begin with!), I'm still not really sure why, probably to decorate the front lawn or something like that. I had to put my foot down though and get her to clean it all up.

(don't you love the architectural element to our fence? I mean, why dig out the dead log....just build the fence AROUND it! Seriously?)



So we are starting to get ready for Halloween, the pumpkins are carved, the candy has been purchased, and costumes chosen. Maeghan will be the same witch that she has been for the last two years (yay! That girl takes after her mama in her thriftiness!), and Owen was going to be Spiderman, but has now decided on Darth Vader - either would have been fine as we already have costumes for both!



Have a great week, I'm back to work tomorrow (boo!), but will hopefully have some Halloweeny (Owen always laughs when I say Halloweeny - boys!) pictures for next week!



Happy Halloween(y)!

A Garden!

My man is building me a garden! How lucky am I? And how industrious is he?

He recycled all of the large rocks from various locations around the yard, digging them out and repositioning them to build a large raised garden bed. We are planting clumping Bamboo along the back whole length of the fence to give us some privacy from the neighbors along that side. They're not bad neighbors, we just don't want to look at them all of the time. The bamboo will take a few years to grow to the max height of 15 ft., and we have been told this particular type of bamboo will not spread (which is the problem with most bamboo) and will build a very nice privacy screen for us. Next spring we will plant potatoes and carrots and whatever else will fit into this garden.


Aidan also built these steps leading down into the backyard. Such an improvement over the muddy slope that used to be there! To the right of these stairs is another raised bed that runs the length of the yard. Aidan is planning to replace the soil in it and we will grow more vegetables and strawberries in it. He has hopes of building a greenhouse before spring, in which we will grow tomatoes and red/green peppers, as well as some habanero or jalapeno peppers for salsa!

These are all great plans, but let it be known, for all intents and purposes, I have a black thumb. I crave growing my own veggies, and canning my own tomato sauces and salsa's, and growing our own pumpkins for Halloween, but the likelihood of anything actually growing, let along fruiting, is pretty slim. We will give it our best effort, I will be frequently consulting "Gardening for Dummies" as well as searching the internet, and we will keep our fingers crossed until the first crop comes in!

In the meantime, we will have to deal with these leaves. They are ginormous. Each leaf is the size of my head. This is the part where we get the kids rakes for presents and enslave them into a life of eternal raking.

I think we are going to need another "Yard Trimmings" bin.

Ouch!

Well, Owen's been benched with an injury. Poor little guy. He managed to break his collarbone on Saturday night and will be out of play for the next 4-6 weeks. They were doing gymnastics in the basement and he attempted a front flip (originally he was going to do one off of the coffee table, but I caught him and told him no way! Then as soon as I left the room he decided to try one just off of the floor instead!) He's pretty disappointed, he was enjoying hockey so much, and now he won't be able to play until close to Christmas! Soccer is also out, as well as swimming lessons which were to start yesterday. He can't sit up or lay down by himself, and walks very gingerly - he's so afraid he is going to jar it, it hurts so bad! And of course because it is his collarbone, they can't cast it, he just has his arm in a sling, and has to keep it as still as he can for the next 3 weeks. Ha! Try telling that to a 6 year old! The doctor said that kids heal much quicker than adults, and the break should be fully healed in about 4 weeks, but of course he will have to be careful as any impact could re-break it.

(check out the fancy sling from the hospital...they go all out! A foam tube.)

I'm going to have to invest in some button up shirts. We have one. And two pairs of button up pajamas. Looks like I'll be doing the wash everyday for then next 3 weeks!

I just want to hold him in my arms and cuddle him all day! But that hurts him too. I already tried.

However, as much as I feel sad for the pain that my "baby" is going through, I was a little relieved that our crazy, hectic weekday schedule is on hold for a while. It's been pretty exhausting, and this will give us a chance to recoup a bit.

A couple of days before this happened to Owen, Maeghan received a golf ball in the eye (courtesy of her brother - total accident though) and now has a black eye. They make quite a pair now! On top of this Aidan has been going to physio for muscle spasms in his back. I'm the only healthy one left. Knock on wood.

Well, that's it for now, Owen and I are going to put in some movies and vegetate together for the day. He's too sore for school, and thankfully my work is letting me take a few days off to take care of him. I hope to get some progress on my Jane cardi, one sleeve to go! Not sure yet how I feel about it. I hope I like it more after blocking, but I think I should have made the smaller size, it feels a little big across the shoulders/armpit area. I have decided that if I don't end up wearing it much, I will rip it and make something else. I love the color of the yarn way too much to leave it in the closet unused. Anyways, I'm probably jumping the gun a bit since I'm not even finished yet!

May I introduce to you...for the first time...playing whatever position he wants....number 96......Owen Michael Sheridan!!!!!!!

Yes, that's right, my wee little guy is now a hockey player. His favorite piece of equipment is the cup/jock strap (why am I not surprised...), and he walks around wacking it with his stick, marveling how it doesn't hurt when he does so.

Boys.

I'm surprised he can even skate with all of that gear on. It's really heavy! He is loving every second of it and as soon as one game is over he is asking when the next game will be. He just can't get enough!

The hectic fall schedule has hit us full force. Aidan is in school at the university three nights a week, just so happens they are the same three nights that the kids have their activities. Hockey and soccer practice for Owen, and Maeghan is starting Brownies. I'm exhausted. I give kudos to all single parents out there. I don't know how you do it! Saturdays we have gymnastics and a soccer game, and then in October swimming lessons starts on Sundays. Yikes. What have I gotten myself into.

But the kids love it, Owen has such natural athletic ability that I really wanted him to be able to experience a couple different sports so he can find out what he truely loves. So far he can't decide. He says he loves both equally.

We have started a new school this year, that has been quite an adjustment for us as well. Making new friends (both kids and adults) and trying to feel connected and a part of things is hard work! But we've met a few, and things are going well, Maeghan wants to start a book club for new and old Grade 3 friends which I think is a fantastic idea. We will try to organize a monthly meet-up, it'll be a good way for her to keep in contact with her old friends, and get to know new friends better.

If you have any suggestions for a good Gr. 3 level book, let me know, Maeghan has already read Matilda, which she loved...any others?