I can blog late on Christmas morning because something very strange is happening at my house. Every child is doing something fun, and quiet. Reading, playing a puzzle, jumping on a pogo stick, it's a Christmas Miracle!

[Oh, wait, a couple of them are erm, discussing whose candy is whose. That's what you get with chocolate for breakfast.]

I have been so spotty of blog of late and so -- scattered -- in general that I figured I'd just do lots of pictures. But then I started typing and. . . well, I get going. This has been the most difficult year I can remember in a long while. Nothing really terrible happened to me or mine, just lots of hard stuff right after another and I've been surprised at how much it took the wind out of my sails. So I hung on to what I could -- my family, some fiber, food and music, and I'm looking forward to the New Year.

Enjoy these promised pics, and I hope you and yours are healthy and happy, and you have much good to look at now as well as to look forward to.


Suzee was right -- we were in Tennessee. This tree came from my uncle's farm -- my kids helped cut it down -- and you can't pay for that kind of stuff. After the kids decorated, we hung out.
My mom took us to a an ice show at Opryland. It was cold enough to remind me why I don't live somewhere more northerly.

Thing 4 gave in to an impulse I completely understood:


In August, I thought I'd never see my father alive again. I was wrong. I'm very glad.


I finished my first round of 3-ply yarn. The brown is local Merino, the fawn black Bluefaced Leicester, and the white some Sheepshed mill ends, so there's some mohair.


My plying needs work.


Christmas joys involve lots of boinging around at our house.


Finally, while these are emphatically Not For Christmas, they're merely a Kitchener away from being done and on Thing 1's cold little feet. As I despise knitting socks, I'm pleased.


Merry, merry.

Notes from Somewhere Else

Clues about where the children and I are? Well, there's a lot of churches here, we just had a big lunch yesterday with my cousins and their children and my aunt and uncle, wild turkeys are walking outside of my window, we're going to spend the night at the farm I used to mosey around on as a child, and my children just put up a cedar tree in my mother's house that we cut on another relative's farm.

It's lovely, but the pictures are going to have to wait as my cable is at home, but there is actual knitting content -- I'm 50% through a sock. Yes, it is the only thing I can think of to knit right now, and Thing 1 is more than impatient for it, having walked through and then outgrown her only other pair of handknit. These are squooshy and soft, knit out of Cleckheaton Tapestry in some mix of blues and purples, and she'll love them.

I even did some spinning last night, even though I'd left the yarn guide that fits on the flyer at home. I MacGyvered a guide out of my wedding ring and a twist tie, and it's workable. I just hope I can find that little piece at home where I wrapped it safely to bring on this trip. . .

So even though I have about 28 papers to grade, this is shaping up to be a very nice pre-holiday family break. I hope you and yours are as relaxed.

Thankful

For a couple of years now, we've rented a cabin for Thanksgiving, just my family. This year, we've been joined by my in-laws. So we're a full house. Most of this bunch is still asleep, so in the quiet before I start cooking (any more than toast and tea right now) I was taking time to think of all the things I'm grateful for.

Well, I'm also going to grade papers because I would be most thankful to be done with them, but I digress.

It's a long list, but as I watch Thing 4 clear some of last night's tea cups out of the living room oh so carefully, one blessing comes clearly to mind.

The drive up was worse yesterday than in earlier years because we left later and hit both rush hour and holiday traffic. We were well and truly crawling along when from the back of the van I heard those words: "I really have to pee!" An older child might have gotten the You Should Go When You Have A Chance lecture, but the two year old just gets "Hang on, honey, we're looking for a potty!"

There was an exit directly ahead of us, and I just had to change lanes and skim along the shoulder for a little bit, not actually reaching warp speed before landing at the intersection and turning right into the nearest gas station. As I jumped out of the driver's side to run around and free her, right behind me sat a motorcycle officer, lights flashing.

Oh dear.

I said, "I'm so sorry, officer, I must have done something wrong, but I have a two year old that has to go potty!'

He said, "Well, do what you have to do," and I grabbed her and ran to the bathroom, leaving him sitting there.

The whole time I was holding and wiping and telling her what a big, wonderful girl she was for holding it -- I do love me a potty-trained child -- I was worrying. My driving record was so far free of moving violations. How was I going to face this cop while holding my (evertalking) child?

All done, we left the bathroom to face the music.

And he was gone.

My spouse hadn't talked to him. My father in law had no idea where he'd gone. The kids hadn't seen anything. This isn't one of those spooky stories where a cop was killed there in previous years. I suppose either he'd gotten a higher-priority call, or decided that my hurry which had propelled us through a red right hand turn light was, in fact, legitimate -- maybe he has a toddler? -- or something.

Anyhow, there is gratitude for the missed bad things as well as those blessings which we have received.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Spun for the Holiday

The hippie dream koolaid yarn is done and plied. For some reason, there is no way for me to spin two bobbins at the same diameter. We'll see what effect that has on my budding sock yarn.


Meanwhile, I'm going to spend my holiday finishing (hahaha) The Pearl Buck Swing Jacket and maybe knitting up something for Thing 3. He's the one most sweaterless and I scored some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino for his sensitive skin. Oh, and grading papers. Lots and lots of papers. Hooray for employment!

If you're celebrating, have a great holiday.

Meme Away

Thanks to Needledancer, I have a post. 38 things to post, in fact.

38 Answers to 38 Random Questions

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? The almost-teen in the house. I was debating with spouse whether or not my new crank sock machine was a replica of an antique or a new machine -- we know it's newly made, but the design hasn't changed in 100 years -- and I said, "It's not an antique. . . " and the kid said, "Just works like one?" I had been swearing at it just moments before.

2. What were you doing at 0800? putting the makings of breakfast burritos on the table and yelling upstairs, "Breakfast is ready! You asked for these; come and eat them!"

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Posting answers to my online students' discussions.

4. What happened to you in 2006? I designed and knit a cabled sweater for Thing 1, the baby started walking and talking, and just plain old daily life happened -- a lot!

6. How many beverages did you have today? A cup of Earl Grey tea.

7. What color is your hairbrush? If I can find one, purple.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Food -- the biggest grocery shopping trip in recent memory.

9. Where were you last night? At home, working, working on the cranky sock machine and putting kids to bed.

10. What color is your front door? Peely brown stain and glass. It's an old double door.

11. Where do you keep your change? In an envelope marked "Mama's stash money." I'm saving for a fiber festival.

12. What’s the weather like today? high 60's and sunny.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. I just wish they'd use coffee-er ice cream and more chunks.

14. What excites you? Fiber fiber fiber. Gardening. My kids. Going somewhere with just my sister. Being read to at night.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? No. I want it to grow much longer.

16. Are you over the age of 25? Snort.

17. Do you talk a lot? Probably.

18. Do you watch the O.C.? No. Pretty much don't watch anything.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? I have a half brother and a cousin with that name.

20. Do you make up your own words? I use the ones the kids do mostly.

21. Are you a jealous person? I try not to be. I have many other besetting sins.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Anita.

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Katherine.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Eric.

25. What does the last text message you received say? The only entity who texts me is my phone company. See item #16 for an explanation of this phenomenon.

26. Do you chew on your straw? No.

27. Do you have curly hair? Although it's been curlier, my mental picture of me is very curly.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? After the kitchen, to make the offering for the potluck, probably IKEA for cheap ice cream dishes for one of the parties.

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Any one of my kids, in varying turns. My nephews are right up there, too.

30. What was the last thing you ate? One of those breakfast burritos.

31. Will you get married in the future? Um, if I'm widowed? Right now I think once is enough.

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? I've been watching the Hornblower series but don't remember going out to the movies.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Like? Like-like? Well, yeah, you don't get four kids and a daily shower pal without it.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Last night. I even washed mixing bowls and a pot.

35. Are you currently depressed? No, although I have a friend who often tells me I am. I believe it's because that person can't believe I'd actually choose this life.

36. Did you cry today? No. I don't think it's in my plans for today.

37. Why did you answer and post this? I'm feeling guilty for not blogging.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Since only 5 people currently read my blog, consider yourself tagged if you did.

As a reward for making it to the bottom, here's the lively bunch on a recent hike:

Yarn instead of candy

I began dating my husband after making a solemn vow to stay single, and maybe only spend time with people I already knew. Bam, just like the universe was listening and perhaps chuckling a bit, spouse and I went out on Valentine's Day, on not-a-date-thankyouverymuch, during which he casually informed me I should marry him because, and I quote, he was "the perfect guy for [me]."

Some people find that story horrifying, like he was a secret control freak, and some people seem to understand why I find it so funny. As far as there is a "perfect" person for people, we probably are to each other, and as far as not-dates go, that one was okay.

All this to point out that when I got very comfortable with not doing things, my three-course class session ended, I got some creative urges, and Thing 1 asked for some wristwarmers knit out of "her" yarn. "Yarn," that is, after I spun up the roving she'd dyed with Kool-Aid.


Pattern, dead easy. Either knit ribbing in the round or flat, and switch to back-and-forth if you're doing in the round for the size of a thumb hole, or seam it up with the same omission. One could, presumably, pick up and knit a thumb, but these aren't meant for Real Winter, just our chilly days -- and without heat in the house, we have them indoors! Now Thing 3 is asking for something else out of his "yarn." I have no idea what it will be.

So inspired, I thought about spinning some more yarn to put in my friends' yarn store. I may overdye this stuff -- it was my first dyeing with sunflowers experiment -- or not.


In the middle of spinning, I realized that I had to purchase candy for tonight (I do not keep it in the house for reasons of willpower, lack of, my own) and figured I'd pick up some Kool-Aid while I was out. I hope this stuff doesn't spin up into what looks like a hippie acid trip, but you never know until you try.

I may end up ordering more leftovers from the Sheep Shed if this spinning thing keeps up. What fun.

Oh, and while you're enjoying tonight's festivities if you do tonight, please spare a thought for Zipper, Thing 2's snake. He escaped his cage and the house is quite cold. We know he's here somewhere, but I'd like to get him back where it's nice and warm.

Fallow

Autumn has always, always been my favorite season. Even when I was growing up in a state where "Fall" meant "tear another page off of the calendar, you can't tell any other way," I knew when it really happened. Maybe it's day length sensitivity or something.

Later, living somewhere with a cliched greeting-card version of the season, I almost got hit by cars walking along looking up at trees (changing!) and clouds (scudding!) just sort of humming happily to myself. Probably equinox-drunk.

And it's happening again now, only I'm a little confused because there wasn't much "summer" to indicate that "fall" would be the coming attraction, and anyone who has ever watched a movie with me knows that I'm all about the previews. And I still love it.

But lately, it's become clear that not only am I not going to make twelve sweaters this year, I may not knit again this year. Combinations of stress have just driven any knitting sort of underground. Lots of work, which is a blessing; my dad has been doing the hospital/rehab place roller coaster, which is also a blessing, in many ways; watching those around me deal with their own troubles in graceful, attractive ways has taught me so much -- hey look! another blessing; and the kids are terrific and very very busy. Blessings all (easier to say now that they're asleep).

Instead of fighting it, which I do sometimes, the concept of letting this lay fallow is growing in me. Spinning has become my evening activity of choice, when I'm not ferreting out blatant plagiarism, and the soothing pull of the yarn and the sliding of the fiber heal whatever is jagged from the day. I even spun in public the other day, horrifying Thing 1, but fascinating everyone from little kids to old people.

While I'd rather be finishing the sweaters begun earlier, and I'd love to be casting on for new projects, it's probably better not to fight the inevitable. In the garden, for example, it's time to plant lettuce and kale, to rake over the old beds and put in the carrots. To plant tomatoes and melons now would be to doom them to misery. Likewise, if I rushed my still-healing body into the gym and pumped weights as though there had been no hiatus, I'd become seriously laid up. Waiting and listening have their own wisdom, and I'm lucky to get to be still in the middle of doing a lot and receive them.