A New Beginning... And A New Direction!

Hello all!

I know it's been way too long but life has taken some turns (mostly in the areas of career and hobby stuff) and now it's time to accelerate and lean into those turns! Woohoo! ;)

First of all,  I'm still knitting, designing, creating art, and crafting up a storm. So expect to see creative stuff!

Second of all, I'm focusing on my voiceovers more these days and I may try to post some voice samples to my blog just to get my voice out there.

Thirdly, every now and then I may want to review a book (or several) that has inspired and moved me! Be it fiction (with mostly an emphasis on romance) or books on knitting patterns, arts & craft projects, and perhaps even inspiring books on teaching and education.

Which leads me to my new direction in life...

Starting in September... I begin my training to be an educational assistant. Making a difference in children's lives has always made me happy. So I'm going to give this everything I've got!

Well there you have it! A new beginning. I stand at the start of this new career path and to be honest... I am excited... And terrified! :D

*fingers crossed*

Poor choices of the past...

Hello all... 

Sooo very many crazy days since my last post... But I do hope to find more time to keep the "blog rollin" Lol! 

*sigh*

Errr... ummm... Anyway... 

This book is the bane of my existence right now. Don't get me wrong... Living healthy is a very important thing for a child to learn. It contains puzzles, activities, and a story about all the ways to stay healthy including staying active,  eating right and... welll... *sigh* living smoke - free...

My darling boy asked me about smoking and we chatted about how it isn't good for your body... Then... He asked me if I ever smoked. At that point I had to make a decision. Do I lie to my impressionable 5 year old or do I tell him the truth.

I decided to tell him the truth with an extreme emphasis on that it was a very poor choice to make and why. I know it will come back to haunt me but I can't undo what I've done so all I can show him are the better choices that I'm making now...

Me: So Want... A Generic Tub of Pastel Legos.

Who knew a trip to Target would end up so thought provoking?

I rarely have moments where I'm vocal about my stance on things... Especially in public. But this was a moment where I felt the need to say something...

I was in the Target yesterday and was chatting with a cashier about how much we loved watching "The LEGO Movie", how cool the "Cloud Cuckoo Palace" set was, and how awesome LEGOs were when we were kids.

She went on to say how she isn't a big fan of the new Lego "Friends" sets. I agreed with her. But a woman who was standing off to the side (must have been the cashier's friend) said, "Well, girls need pink legos!" The cashier looked at her and said "No they don't. I played with legos as a little girl and I loved them. I didn't need pink legos!"

I agreed with her again. But I also added:

"I don't think girls, specifically, NEED pink legos. I think ALL kids should have equal access to ALL colours. My little boy had a fantastic time building the 'Cloud Cuckoo Palace.' He saw it for what it was. A cool thing to build... pink bricks and all. I'm lucky that my son doesn't see colours as feminine or masculine (at least for the moment...) He loves them all. He has preferences of course. Who doesn't? But to him, pink is just a colour that's equal with all the others."

I honestly don't mind that there are pink, lavender, and sky blue bricks in the world. I love the idea of more colours... However, I DO mind that those colours are being marketed EXCLUSIVELY to girls.

If I could, I would buy a generic (Non-"Friends") tub of  pastel coloured bricks to mix with all the other coloured bricks we have. That way my son can play with any colour he wants.

What a truly Wonderful Day!!!

I just have to say... 

*sigh* What A Day... What a truly WONDERFUL day!!!

It's rare that a "day with my son" is as heart-warming as today was. Time "together" gets easily lost in the everyday grind of daily life. And I found myself feeling a little sad... But then my little boy surprised me with a beautiful moment.

While my darling boy and I were having lunch, the "Cups (When I'm Gone)" song came on the radio in the Tim Hortons. He looked at me and we both started singing it (we love that song). Then he stopped to take a bite of his bagel, looked at me so sweetly and said, "Mommy, I'm gonna miss you when I'm gone*..." to which i replied "Awww... Me too, Sweetie!" and we smiled at each other with the biggest goofiest grins we could make. 

It was such a precious moment. And it will always be OURS. I want more of those moments... So I think i'm gonna have to make sure i have more days like these.    

*(just to clarify... the "gone" bit is referring to when he sometimes goes to Nana & Grampa's for a weekend" :D )

WOOT It's 2014! Wait... WHAT?!?!

where did the time go? it's been 2014 for almost a month?!

oops! ack!

as you can guess i've been knitting up a storm since my last post sooo...

quick 2013 wrap up / catch up to 2014...  annnnnd... GO!

• i tried to design a neckwarmer - i wanted to try something knew so i cast on a bunch of stitches, took my favourite rib pattern and started knitting in-the-round... i thought it was looking pretty good until i realized (after i was done...doh!) that i was following a "knit-flat" pattern and knitting in-the-round without modifying it for circular knitting. i really love how it ended up but it was not what i was expecting. so i call it "My Beautiful Mistake" neckwarmer ;)

• i finished my Elegant Travels Fingerless Mitts - And I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! They're so pretty.

Elegant Travels Mitts

• i finished my first cable project... Rainbow Twist by Thao Nguyen - this is one of my favourite neckwarmers. the yarn i used was not as thick as the pattern wanted but it came out perfect for me. it's basically like wearing a cozy thick turtleneck. i had never tried cables before and i probably should have started with something a little less chunky, but i'm so happy with how it turned out!

Rainbow Twist

• something for the family gift exchange - i was told that the gift had to be under $10 and gender neutral. so i made this. no pattern just 2 chunky yarns held together and knit in a 1x1 rib. i can post it now because Christmas is over and hopefully it found a good home :)

Gift Exchange Neckwarmer

• *sigh* Christmas REALLY took it's toll on our family - the plan was to spend Christmas up-island. and it was a pretty exciting plan... except that our family was not well. you know how when you're sick... you stay home. we were away from home and it was just not as pleasant as it could have been. there was stress all around especially with my little boy. he was not himself at all. it will probably go down in history as the most memorable holiday we've ever had. but it's also totally blurred. i can't remember a whole lot... oh wait! there was a surprise wedding... but for the most part i can only remember what i was feeling... *sigh*

• i FINALLY knit up an Arbutus cowl - Jane Richmond's designs make the most wonderful knits! i have been itching to try and knit up the Arbutus since her book (ISLAND) came out last year but i was nervous about all the complexity of the pattern. what are"short rows?" erm..."wrap & turn?" so i put it aside for a while. then just after Christmas i realized i wasn't knitting anything *GASP* :D i saw on instagram that a couple of people i was following were having a "jane-along" (a knit-along using patterns designed by Jane Richmond) so i decided that it was the perfect time to start the Arbutus. it was an open group so i joined... and guess what! here it is!

Arbutus 

• crochet (or knit) mood blanket 2014 - i saw on instagram an idea that a crocheter had started and it boomed in popularity over instagram and facebook. it's quite simple. you can make one square a day for 365 days or one square a week for 52 weeks. it started out awesome! the first couple of weeks were so exciting... i seamed them together and saw that it was looking not too bad for a strip of knit squares :) then i started thinking about other projects and well... i'm kinda falling behind now... but i know i'll pick it up again... why? because i am tenacious when it comes to my knitting... some might even say i'm TOO tenacious! :D

Colours for my Knit Mood Blanket 2014

• i'm designing something new - bu-u-ut that is for another time! ~.^

there! all caught up! woot!

Knit Project: Travels Fingerless Mitts... PLUS, I WON!!! ~.^

Life is crazy! Tis the season :D

Between knitting, sewing, getting food organized for Christmas and trying to clean around the house... Life has been a non-stop whirlwind.

Since finishing my pair of Rathtrevor by Jane Richmond, my newest obsession has been on fingerless mittens. 

Let's start with a couple of new ideas...

Cozy Travels Fingerless Mitts
I found a ball of bulky yarn in my stash and looked up a bunch of different patterns in The Knitting Book that I got for Christmas last year...(Someone obviously knew me ~.^)and came up with these. They are so warm and cozy... They are a bit big for me but it's a cool first try! They turned out better than I had expected...

But then...

I wanted something a bit more elegant and pretty. So I used the same pattern, chose a finer yarn and adjusted the number of stitches and came up with...

Elegant Travels Fingerless Mitts 

I found a ball of Martha Stewart Crafts 100% merino (colour: Buttermilk) in my stash and thought "I just have the one ball so why not try it out." I have to admit it took me a couple of tries but I think I've got the pattern almost perfected. I finished one piece. I seamed it up and tried it on. The fit is comfortably snug. But I like the look of it. Because of the stretch it looks almost lacy... The width of my palm is about 9cm. I will play with the number of stitches so see the different fits I get.

PLUS!!!! 

I WON an ebook copy of Journey from reading Melissa's MisoCraftyKnits blog and entering the giveaway. Journey is a NEW book of knitting patterns by Jane Richmond and Shannon Cook.  All three of these fantastic ladies are incredibly talented crafters from Vancouver Island, BC. This TOTALLY made my Christmas! I am so excited to start on these patterns. Squeee! ^.^ 

Finished Projects for This Week!

1. Christmas Decorating? DONE!

I love seeing the house done up at Christmas... *sigh*

2. Marian Cowl by Jane Richmond? DONE!

I really enjoyed knitting this up. It is so warm and cozy. 

And because it calls for super thick yarn... it knit up in no time.

 I may have to knit up a couple more in different colours.

Love Love Love!

3. A Cowl for Mark

 When I started, I was  knitting up a hat. 

But when Mark took a look at it he thought it was a cowl. 

Which gave me the idea to turn it into a men's cowl.

I just started knitting it up a few hours ago... 

 Now... DONE! :D 

(Mark wouldn't model it for me... *pout*)

I'd say that's enough for this week. 

Time to rest up tomorrow so I can get ready

 to tackle the projects for NEXT week!

(which may or may not include the baking of some goodies)

^.^