Those who read my blog all the time have probably noticed two things:
first - I have not blogged for almost a week;
second - in the last 48 hours there has been some technical problems.
This is because we got finally fed up with Blogger and moving our blog to WordPress.
Hopefully, the problems will be straitened out within next few days. Currently Eli is working on making sure that all old links will continue working properly through redirection to new blog's location - our www.ChickenStitches.com website. It means you can continue using your favorites and bookmarks as well as external links.
Stay tune for a new and improved version of my blog.
I have forgotten how wonderfully satisfying it is to make baby hats. They take so little yarn and time and give so much pleasure to the maker and the recipient (or at least the parents of the recipient). They are usually easy to care for, after all, most babies simply do not get their hats dirty.
This time the main trick of designing this hat was matching the beautiful yarn (Zarina, by Fiaturo di Crossa, fingering weight) with just the right pattern due to the very warm weather here, in Israel, in the Summer. That is why after two non-lace attempts I chose to go for a very lacy version. But, of course, it had to be "manly" enough for a boy. So no flowers. Instead I decided on four lace panels, separated by a tiny, almost invisible rib.
All in all, I am very happy with this little hat. Happy enough to belive that I will publish a pattern for it.
One of the wonderful things this past week was a visit from my aunt. She lives in Kiev, Ukraine, and we have not seen each other for at least 25 years. She is my Dad's sister and it was such a pleasure to see her again and to get to know her a bit.
She has brought me a wonderful present - an agate necklace that belonged to my paternal Grandmother. The necklace was very old, the string was broken, but the stones were all there and they are a wonderful fiery orange color.
My late Grandmother was a very interesting person. She tried to be a truly liberated "free woman". She was not grandmotherly in a "milk and cookies" kind of way, actually I thing most of the cooking in her house was done by my late Step-Grandfather, who was a very talented cook. And she did not kiss boo-boos, at least not mine. It would have never entered my mind to as for her sympathy. She would have probably told me not to be foolish and get on with it.
But she held keys to the magical world - she managed a huge children's library and knew exactly how to make one feel welcome in a wonderful world of books. We lived in the same building as her library and from the age of 6 I spent a major part of my time there. Either with her or with wonderful ladies working there. She was always very busy, but would often find time to read to me, or later point out something worth reading and ask if I liked it, and if yes - why. I could not get by with "it was such a good book" - she demanded analysis and had no time for intellectual inferiority. I do not remember getting any other presents from her except books. Books were the most important thing, the greatest ambition to be able to write books. And, thanks to her, books have become a major part of my life. That is why when I graduated from school I became a librarian. And my first American "job" - was a volunteer at the public library in Philadelphia.
I have restrung the agates and added 3 large beautiful copper beads (Bali beads, handmade) and added copper lined Czech seed beads between the stones to enhance the look and prevent the cable from fraying.
I wore this necklace all day yesterday and maybe it is why I was in such a good mood all day.
I am feeling a lot better than just a few days ago. It is amazing what a difference can be made by an emotional "spring cleaning".
I had to reconcile myself to the fact that once again it is pointless for me to knit or crochet anything that has to fit me besides socks. So what! I love knitting socks! And I can still plan my vests and write my ideas down or make small versions for my kids. Silver lining! I am looking for it and finding it everywhere!
So I have made some progress on a new and very simple sock.
Just plain ribbing and lots of it! But the colors are wonderfully warm reds, orange and yellow with a bit of deep cobalt blue and I feel very happy simply knitting it.
Meanwhile I have started a blue baby hat for my friend's baby. So far I have re-knit it twice. And no, it did not make me upset or angry at all. Instead, I am now making a third attempt - this time I have decided that it will be a manly lace hat - since the weather is pretty warm here.
I am also debating if I really want to make booties, or will they be to hot in this climate, I guess I need to ask Moms, who had babies here...
Anyway, as my friend Mimzy sais, "life is good", and I feel so glad to be able to say it with her!
A few minutes ago I heard a very loud and a very familiar yell. My toddler was hollering outside, in front of the building. She was not even supposed to be there!
There was something really worrying in her voice. I did not even took time to think, just run out and grabbed her. In my hurry I have run out barefoot, and noticed that the pavement was very hot, hot enough to hurt my feet.
Got home and was trying to figure out what was wrong, when I realized that she was also barefoot, and her feet got burned! Not badly, but enough to be pretty painful. Thank G-d I got her inside so fast! Thank G-d I did not take the time to put on socks and slippers (I never ever go outside barefoot). I do not think I would have figured out what happened with her otherwise.
All is well that ends well!
I have been very good yesterday. So good it made me miserable. I put aside my beads and only worked on the Summer Vest all day. And I have made a lot of progress - the fronts are almost done! But I think that I will finish the fronts and put it aside for a while.
That is right, here goes another UFO.
Two reasons for it.
First, I have faced the fact that I will not be able to go to the meet up of my "Yarn and Falafel" this Friday. I simply do not have enough energy at this point to make it to Tel Aviv, have a decent time there and get back home. All this on a Friday (this means coping with Shabbos), is something I just can not face at this point. So I have made a decision to accept my limitations gracefully. I will read what other will post and see the pictures and remember how much fun it was last year.
The other reason is that I have taken a good long look at the vest. And I still love it as much as I did when I started working on it. But then I took a good long look at myself and had to admit that I have hopelessly outgrown it in the few weeks since I have started working on it. And I am at the stage where I will be getting wider and wider for the next few months. And can not predict at all what size I will be by the time I will be back to so called normal closes. So I have decided to put aside all attempts at things that got to fit me (besides socks) for at least 6 months or so. This will mean my Rosemary Vest too. Sad, but at least it is for a happy reason.
So instead I have "gone with a flow" and gave in to the urge to compose more necklaces. This week's total is 15! I am not sure what I am going to do with them. One is a birthday gift for a friend, one is a birthday gift for a little girl I like a lot, the rest... I might have to grow a really long neck or start finally selling them.
At least I got this beading thing out of my system and can now concentrate on something more important. Another friend had a baby boy on Monday, this means a new hat and booties are a must.
And I will be happy to get going on them!
Why do I do it to myself?
I set a deadline (usually unrealistic), start bravely knitting or crocheting, then get distracted, or just realize that the time was impossible or get obsessed by something else...
So the deadline goes by and I end up with an egg on my face.
Well, at least I have not promised anyone to start a new exercise regimen or to loose 50 pounds. At least I know better than that!
I should be frantically crocheting my Summer Vest, so it would be ready to wear for Friday meet-up in Tel Aviv, but... Instead I have spend the last two days beading. Making new necklaces and trying out bead-weaving (no, this will not become my new craft addiction).
So now I have re-organized my Czech Glass beads by color, looked through all my stone and shell beads, and inventoried all the clasps and other odds and ends. And made EIGHT new necklaces (pictures to follow)! Two of them are gifts.
I need to re-string one more necklace for my friend, but I think it will wait.
I am going to grab my hook NOW!
No more distractions, no more excuses, no more "just to get my fingers going" new projects.
I am back to crochet!
Last night the whole neiborhood was alight with fires!!!
No, it was not a horrible accident. The fires were planned well in advance. The fuel has been gathered for weeks and was arranged, rearranged and disarranged many, many times. The arsonists ages 4 to 14 gathered up old boxes, boards, and anything else that might burn. They were disorganized into lots of groups, either friends or neighbors. Each group zealously guarding its supply of flammables.
The adults indulgently looked on and made sure that at least some safety precautions were taken. Like not making the fire pile right next to the walls.
The provisions were laid in - foil wrapped potatoes, and marshmallows, and hot dogs.
Finally last night, as soon as it got dark the fires went up!
The Lag B'Omer celebrations have started!
We, parents, got together too, in our case on a friend's roof from were we could see our progeny running around the fires and from time to time shout pointless directions at them so they would know we were watching. The whole fire scene was mainly run by very efficient teenagers, who had much more energy than an average parent can dream off. Bedtime was irrelevant, nutrition forgotten, wonderful time was being had by all!
DH was going to go to Meron, to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. This unfortunately did not work out. So instead the four of us - two couples sat on the roof and talked while my friend's DH was roasting chicken and stakes. "Al ha Eish" literally "on the fire" cooking is much less elaborate than American Barbecue. Some people marinade the meat, some do not bother to do it. The burning coals are deposited into a rectangular metal box (called mangal), a grate is put on top, and here you go cooking. When our host could not find his mangal he was going to use whatever was handy. Since he is a computer geek, the "handy" thing was a metal computer casing.
But after more searching a regular mangal was found after all.
About one in the morning our kids decided that they were ready for bed. DD #1 (G-d bless teenagers), got them home and put them to bed. I stayed up knitting and talking until the stakes were done (about 2 A.M.) and then went off to bed too.
By that time most of the fires on our block were out, it was getting quiet, the bonfire night was almost over.
I did start a new project - a new pair of socks. But I want to make sure not to get sidetracked again, so I am only knitting them when I go out. The Summer Vest is too large to be a "take out project".
And I did a couple of rows this morning just to wake up my fingers.
It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to proceed after finishing the back. And I am trying to avoid seaming as much as possible.
Now I am working on the second part of the front to even them out. I am doing it because I want to make sure both halves stay even.
I hope that I will have more progress to report tomorrow.
The "Feeling Peachy" toddler skirt is all done!!!
I am so happy with this cute little skirt! It is just right for my wonderful youngest daughter! It is lightweight, pretty and was easy to knit. All in all, it is just as I wanted it to be.
The stitches looked a little loose until I washed it and partially dried it. Now it is amazingly even and very slightelly felted. It is still a bit wet, so I could not put it on DD #4 to take the picture, but I just could not wait to show it off. I hope that tomorrow DH will be able to take a proper picture with DD wearing her new skirt.
Now I am debating what kind of top do I want to make with the leftover yarn. I do not have much left and I do not want it to be too warm. So the choice is tough - a vest? Bolero? A summer sweater with short sleeves? A shrug?
Decisions... Decisions...
Anyway it will have to wait until I am done with my Summer Vest. I have been sidetracked enough and need to finish it in about a week.
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