Update from springtime

Dear blog readers, I am not sure how many of you are still out there!  Some friends may still visit?  It's hard to tell --I used to receive lots of comments and make conversation on every post.  Now?  Nothing.  Hard to tell...So here are some updates from my world...

I made an unfortunate knitting project choice back in March.  One of my twins asked for a gray sweater and I agreed to knit it during our most gray, long, wet, puddle filled and flooded time of year.  True, the yarn is Polwarth wool so lovely and soft.  It will make a nice dress sweater. I finished it on one of the first warm days and my kid didn't even want to try it on long enough for fit.  Good news with twins is that if one does not want it, the other likely will...assuming it still fits somebody in the fall.

We also happened to hear about a new baby...so I made an "upsized" Worry Bear.  I took the pattern for a small pocket sized bear, which is really supposed to meet specific needs for those with anxiety, sensory issues, autism, dementia, etc. and I knit it on #8(5mm) double pointed needles and I used three strands of sportweight yarn.  Stuffed with wool, it will be perfect for a toddler to carry around or chew on.

The world news has also really gotten me down. I've struggled to keep cheerful. Our province has opened up to crowded events, without masks, despite an increasing rate of COVID deaths and health care cannot keep up. Meanwhile, war and gun violence are happening-completely avoidable deaths that politicians refuse to be mature enough to take prompt action on...people who can resolve conflicts peaceably seem to be in short supply.

When I'm particularly stressed by these things, I "make" a lot more...more sewing, spinning, knitting and cooking.  To my surprise, I discovered I'd cranked out over 900 yards of 2 ply Clun Forest wool  (Western Canadian wool) while processing bad news.  I washed and skeined it, and? - have absolutely nothing planned for it.  So, if you're taking on a big dyeing, weaving, knitting, or other project and could use handspun for it, let me know.  Let's make a deal!

There's also been an uptick in special life events.  Twins turned 11!  Alas, the gelati cakes from the past no longer are made at our favourite shop, but birthdays continue.  Mommy cake came to the rescue....although I truly failed "buttercream 101" in my 'breads and desserts' course in university...I made a big cake, and everyone seemed happy.  Yes, this is true, I took an elective course in breads and desserts at the Cornell hotel school.  Since I already knew how to bake bread, I ended up cranking it out to feed people during our labs and sales rather than getting tips on, say, icing application.  That's ok though, even poor icing skills taste good and satisfy my household!  

Work has been slower, despite the insistence that everyone is bouncing back now. It's kind of discouraging. Some of the markets I used to write for have stopped publishing or changed what they print. In one case, the publication's even been so disorganized or slow to respond that the short deadlines/low pay/weird responses have made it impossible to continue with them. 

In any case, I still had wool to wash this spring, and surprise!  I still know how...even if I wasn't able to write about it for publication. (This was the first of several loads for my household, no way I could do it one garment at a time...)

I'm still here... continuing to pitch publications, I write my column and my knitting designs are still out there on Ravelry, Payhip and Lovecrafts.  I post a bit more frequently on Instagram here: @yrnspinner.

I'm also celebrating our glorious (and short) spring in Winnipeg.

Last but not least?  I've had a very strange work email snafu...if you've reached out to me via email for work reasons since last October?  I may not have your message!  Last weekend, my account somehow disappeared messages from the last 7 months.  No amount of customer service or 'restore' functions seem to be working. Please do reach out if you need anything!  I'm still here, even after this new challenge.

It's been an important reminder, too.  No matter how hard I'm trying, many things are out of my control.  For instance, due to some infill construction near us, we have this large dead tree hanging over our power lines. It's not on our property, so legally, we can't do a thing about it, though of course, like losing work email in a strange blip, it's out of our control.  We cannot fix this.  So I'm trying hard to tilt my head, look at the blossoms in our yard, and hope for the best. 

End of year summary…

Our end of year has alternated between shoveling huge amounts of snow and resting and playing a lot indoors. There's a big COVID surge in Manitoba so we're doing a lot of hibernating and no one seems to mind. I am thrilled by the snowfall as we are in a drought and every bit of moisture matters.  Still it requires a lot of work to shovel out several houses and that's most of what we've been doing these days.  (It was maybe 10" or 25 cm of snow or maybe 12"/30 cm, and we helped out some 80 year old family friends, too.) Needless to say, we all like a rest afterwards, as you can see from Sadie the dog's photo.

We seem to also take part in a lot of toy sorting and match box car demolition derby.

I've also been doing some occasional making, spinning, knitting and sewing.  I've just washed all these skeins of handspun and tucked them away for the future.

I got an email from Yarncanada asking me to let people know about a charity knitting project giveaway. 

Here's an opportunity to get yarn for free to make things for charity.  Please apply soon if you're interested!

I'm continuing efforts to improve my "me made wardrobe."  This is a wool tweed tunic, based on the 100 acts of sewing dress no. 1.  It's a great warm layer with pockets, which is always good. I got this fabric for $4 as part of the MB fibre festival fibre trail and Costume Museum's sale in September. It's an amazing tweed, it looks very serious at a distance but up close, is full of bits of very bright colour.  Hot pink, neon yellow and green, electric blue.  Very cheerful, and of course, only very special people are allowed "up close" these days.  (Basically, the professor, twins, and a dog!)  

I'm continuing to spin up some well-aged brown Polwarth wool on my Quebec wheel, and I'm also working on a simple sewing project...but a sweet housewarming project.  Six napkins in a linen/cotton fabric - the gorgeous pattern matches the new owners' future dining room to a tee.  I could not resist the fabric when I saw it, and I'm rooting for things to go smoothly so that these napkins end up in use on a dining room table soon.

I've also been working (as I can) behind the scenes. I've had op-ed articles run in the Winnipeg Free Press and the Vancouver Independent.  Another article ran in PLY magazine, and I'm still very proud of that Winter 21/22 Vogue Knitting article that ran on moths and how to avoid them.  It's not been world's best year in terms of my freelance life, but considering how complicated the pandemic has been, remote schooling, not seeing family, and construction disruptions to our home life, well, I'll take what I can get. In just a few moments, I'll be bundling up twins.  It's -14F (-26C) right now, and that's the warmest it's been all day!  I'm looking forward to getting out in it so we can walk over to a medical clinic to go get their second vaccine dose, and I couldn't be happier or more relieved to have access to this opportunity.  Thank you, science.

Wishing you a peaceful, healthy, and happy 2022. 

Transitions

 Note, I am posting from a different device, format may be wonky!

What’s happening here? We had a longer warm period than usual, but alas, all good things come to an end.  We harvested our last herbs and greens, and the frost came.  All of us got used to life spent indoors, although we are still outside a lot.  Temperatures below freezing do not keep us home bound! Sadie the dog is here, on the steps, asking about her walk.

I continue to spin through deep stash.  This is some Polwarth that came originally from Australia, but I bought it in a fiber arts business retirement sale.  It is well aged!  That said, it is spinning up beautifully on my Quebec wheel.

Every fall, a kid or two gets a sweater.  This year, I made another one out of Icelandic plotulopi (unspun.). It is light and warm, if not the hardest wearing.  We were aiming for colour blocking here, but then my kid asked if I could knit the original early 20th century tile pattern from our bathroom into his sweater.  Of course!  I sent him into the bathroom with his iPad and then I knit it from the photo.  I did imagine doing those rows in the bathroom, just to see the tile in person, but thought better of it!

To keep cheerful clothing around, I also made myself another jumper using the 100 acts of sewing pattern and Rifle Paper Company print.  My biology professor husband (currently on strike at the U of Manitoba, but that is another story) suggests I am now dressing like a herbaceous border. I ignored him. I like it!

Last, but not least, our heroic boiler had finally died and we are in the process of getting a new one installed.  So, for now, no central heat, and a lot of toys to tidy in the basement so the new one can be put in.  I am excited about this, although it is an expensive home repair while my professor is on strike…because, well, in Canada, heat is life!  We are doing ok with running two gas fireplaces, a little radiator space heater, and of course, I am wearing a lot of wool…

Recalibrating

I recently had an article run that explained more about where I've been.  As the pandemic has been a constant, (nothing's back to "normal" for us yet)  I've worked and written at night when I can, but there's been a lot of time spent on other things.  Here is a link to the article: Recalibrating our life route 

This summer is another freeform one, where twins spend a lot of time on creative play in the yard, reading, making stuff and even doing a little learning...with outings to pick berries, swim at a lake for a day trip, etc. I mostly have stayed home with Sadie the dog while the professor does the out of town offerings.  I seem to be Mom in charge of playgrounds, farmer's market, wading pools, and long dog walks.

I've done some spinning, knitting, and lots of sewing....made my own version of MC Hammer pants...and even a brand new bag, with zippers... for taking care of business on those dog walks.

I've canned some jam (natural outcome after all that berry picking!) and, despite our hot summer, managed to make a pie recently after a kind neighbour gifted us with an entire quart bag of pitted sour cherries.  She pitted them for us!  This, of course, is neighbourliness and treasure beyond measure in our household...local fresh fruit and the gift of her time!

The tricky bit? We love many of our longtime neighbours but the infill and a recent construction in our area - also more generally targeted as part of Winnipeg's densification efforts- has caused our house's walls to be damaged. The noise and construction is hard to live through.  We also live along a very busy road. The increased traffic that returns, post-pandemic, from the nearby restaurant patios and their drunk clientele, the high schoolers going out for lunch, increased bus traffic, etc. - it gets to be a lot of noise. 

Anyway, due to the disruptions near us and the third wave of the pandemic in Manitoba... (and likely, a fourth wave coming for those who aren't vaccinated...)

--this summer has been different than planned. Whew.  Now, the professor has a grant due, our kids are too young to get vaccinated yet, and we still can't see any of our relatives across the border.  (They're vaccinated, we're vaccinated, but the delta variant, the travelling, health issues, and kids too young to be vaccinated yet--make this too complicated at present.)

So, in the meanwhile, here are some lightweight organic crinkle cotton pants that I made!  Here are some jars of jam!

Here's to the summer that got away from me.  Now, like those GPS things in the car, we're recalibrating--and readjusting our summer route.

Popping by

This has been a long time between blog posts...it's not usual for me. Lots has been happening, but it's kind of overwhelming.  Like, when the weather finally warmed up, and we had a radiator pipe burst in the basement.  Like that.  

When each challenge has happened this year, we've worked as a family team and well, just kept our heads down and dealt with it.  Often, it means I'm doing home school/remote school with kids and dog while closed up in the guest room while the masked professor deals with a procession of tradespeople.  But, you know, now our pipes work, our heat works, our hot water works, our dishwasher has stopped leaking, and even the mice influx seems to have finally stopped ... lots has been fixed while we continue to stay home. 

 I hear some people take exotic hot weather vacations. (not us) However, it's a pandemic, and last I checked, there are still 250,000 people ahead of us to be vaccinated in our province... so we just spent that money fixing stuff.  Thank you, careful, masked tradespeople! Did each bit of damage happen for a reason? because of construction nearby?  Because of the extreme weather? Because that one little dishwasher valve wore out? Who knows.

In the work department, I've had some articles published, but it's not been frequent work. In one case, somehow the article's comments became like, well, a real tire fire.  I've been told by my Canadian friends that in Manitoba, people say "dumpster fire" to mean the same thing. When I say the words 'TIE ER FIE ER" --my accent comes out, straight from Virginia, with hints of my time spent in North Carolina and Kentucky.  It's slow just like when you're driving on the highway and see the huge plume of black stinky smoke.  Everyone ahead of you slows down to rubberneck and you're stuck in this horrible endless traffic jam. People are all aghast at the fire, which will take forever to put out and how did it happen?  And what kind of nasty pollution will it leave?  While the thing burns on endlessly and stinks. It's so awful that it's hard to look away.  (OK, now you can imagine how negative the comments were.)

So, I'm not linking to that article.  No need for anyone to go read those comments.  Hint:  it ran on the CBC and in this personal essay, I implored people to hold on, the pandemic's not done with us yet. I say this despite really missing my family and being so tired of this, we'd been lucky so far.  We were privileged, despite losing a family member in NYC last spring. The article ran at the end of March, and well, here we are now, starting the third wave. Just. Not. Over... yet here, folks. (Sometimes the true news is an opinion that hits home.  That's what people really didn't want to hear...)

While all this is happening, I am actively making things.  Sometimes, it's lots of food to get ready for holidays.  (We had a great Passover and spring break, and having a Zoom seder works fine for us. It's also awesome not to have to go anywhere and pack soggy matzah sandwiches for lunch...)

I've also been sewing, knitting and spinning up a storm as I find it a tremendous way to relieve stress right now.  I made a really large scarf out of beautiful red silk from Japan (a deadstock fabric remnant sent to me from Fabcycle in Vancouver) and a tiny bit of coordinating floral print.  I am knitting a sweater...probably for me, maybe a new design, but I'm sort of winging it so we'll see how it comes out. 

I finished the big new wool bathmat from Churro and Hebridean wool.  It's been a great addition to kid shower or bath time!

--Also, I was recently told by one of my twins that there was no way he was going back to wearing store bought pajama bottoms as the flannel ones I made were so much more roomy and cozy.  But oh, by the way, spring is coming and both twins grew.  So, now I'm sewing a pile of lightweight pjs in cheerful colours.  There has been some dispute over who gets which fabric. (pretty much all from stash or deadstock remnants)  I've encouraged both kids to realize that since they share the same room, they can always get to see the pjs across the room, even if they aren't wearing them.  This seemed to briefly mollify them!

I've also been spinning up some Dorset/Rideau (I think) wool.  This fleece was handed to me as a gift.  It's really soft and cozy.  The first couple skeins were ones I processed myself from start to finish, but then I decided to have the rest of the fleece processed by my favourite local woollen mill.  The roving came back clean and lovely to spin. 

 Alas, despite everyone's best efforts, this fleece still has a lot of field left in it. At each stage, there's lots of vegetable matter to remove.  I'm likely to still be removing it as I knit.  However, the wool is really something...I have spun it as a chunky two ply and it will possibly make a sweater for one kid or another for next winter (after dyeing it) as they are growing like weeds.

There's lots more to tell you, dear blog readers, but no more time in a day to fit it all in.  For now, I'll leave you with one finished pair of pajama bottoms  and our table, set for the first Seder.  It was great having my parents 'sitting' at the end of the table with us.  The table was really long.  Thanks to Zoom, it started in Virginia, and ended in Winnipeg. 

-And, because we live in Winnipeg, and it's mid-April, we're expecting another snow storm.  Happy spring time!!

Scenes from February

February has been full of highs and lows...much like this textured bathroom rug I'm knitting out of my handspun Hebridean and Churro yarns.  On the good side, full of love and busy times at home.  I had a couple articles run in the Vancouver Independent: 

Tu B'Shevat when it's -30

and Rejoice or slog? You choose

and I've submitted some pieces for publication in the fiber arts world, which will hopefully appear in due course!

We've worked hard to keep spirits up during some very cold weather.  My lovely professor bought us flowers from the local florist--while they struggled with a flower shortage and some challenging weather.  We had an extreme weather warning for two weeks or so, and every single day was -40 windchill or colder. No, kids don't go outside at those temperatures, and we adults and the dog only brave it when we must! It has finally "warmed up" in Winnipeg today to -16C (3F) with a windchill of -26C (-13F) and I just about threw the kids, husband and dog outside to get some exercise while they could.  --Note:  I did the first walk this AM, when windchill was -35C, so you know, I'm taking a pass on the second walk!!

I'm continuing to work on a new design when I can fit it in.  Some kind followers on instagram convinced me that my newest wrap looks a lot like 'wings' and a hug.  I'm working on how to name it, as well as writing up the technical details at night when twins are asleep...but hopefully will finish it soon.

I also keep sewing, and while you cannot tell from this crumply looking photo, this dress is adapted from the 100 acts of sewing dress no2 pattern.  It's a green herringbone wool, and it's cozy with a cardigan and wool tights.  I definitely made some errors there in the sewing department, it's not perfect, but I'm continuing to make myself clothing, so I'm proud of that.

We've had a lot of drama lately with keeping the household running.  The cold temperatures make for hard times when the car needs fixing, and our dishwasher line has been freezing pretty regularly. A regular service call for our boiler became a big repair, complete with a new hot water heater as well.  It meant keeping two 9 nine year olds and a dog contained on the third floor for nearly an entire work day so the plumbers could work--and almost $2200 CAD in repairs.  Ouch.  However, we never went without heat and the water wasn't off for long, and during a streak of days when the temperature high was around -30C, well, being warm was most important. 

We're still remote schooling, too...lots of projects in play, including our own virtual week of Festival du Voyageur.  (You know I can't pass up a good festival!)

What's not happening?  Those who follow me because of my opinion columns may notice--none of these have been happening.  Why?  Well, I still try to write them, at night, on weekends--whenever I can fit it in.  However, I haven't had any luck in placing them.  Some editors never respond. Others write kind rejection notes--but nothing is selling.

What's new? I've written about a recent Winnipeg city council decision to support a multi-use development in my neighbourhood which will knock down three homes-- each one is a hundred years old-- to build an enormous new building over three lots.  68 people objected to this, and only 6 people supported it (developers, lawyer, investors, and real estate agents) --but Winnipeg is allowing it to go ahead. (Developers and their money apparently outvote the rest of us?)   

One media outlet didn't acknowledge my submission at all.  The other (local publication) said they couldn't run something like this, because then it would open the floodgates to anyone else who wanted to write about these 'specific disputes' and 'local skirmishes.'

Past pieces-written, but never sold:  About the gendered power politics of mask wearing and making room on the sidewalks...and another, about how nobody likes to hear "I told you so"--even when certain pandemic related events are easily predicted by the scientists. 

Yet, whenever I'm taking it all too seriously, I'm heartened by funny 'art' installations around the house.  I'll leave you with our grassheads, named Bob and Squidward Squeeesh (formerly known as Qushy Gushy.)  Here's hoping for warmer times ahead.

Year's end

 It's been hard for me to find a moment to catch up on the blog. I've a little more time now that Hanukah is over and winter break is here...  I've mostly spent my days helping my kids learn at home.  We've also been staying home for a while now...the high virus rates are worrying.  It's a bit lonely, but we're definitely all introverts here. For us, there have been some advantages to having a break from regular life for a while, too.  I've made a lot of challah.  I've sewn Hanukah gifts: flannel pajama pants for little boys.  

I've had some articles come out:

This piece came out in the Winnipeg Free Press, I am a co-author (with my favourite professor):

Half-measures won't slow the pandemic

Here are some from the Jewish Independent, in Vancouver:

That glitter gets everywhere

Gift of doing nothing at all

The past helps decode the present

Also, I had a fun article come out about how to plan for handspun yarns and garments to keep warm in PLY magazine (I've yet to see a copy of that one in print).  Just today, I got my copy of the new Vogue Knitting.  I'm very proud to have an article on the value of having a yarn stash in that issue, too.

We're doing lots of playing in the snow, dog walks, and eating yummy foods.  We hope you're having a great winter break with lots of joy ahead.  Our sky is darkening now, on December 21st, and it's barely 4pm.  The great darkness is upon us....more time to read, knit, and stay cozy at home.  We're very lucky -and privileged-to be able to do so.

Stay safe, stay warm, and here's looking forward to happy and healthy 2021.

Make money: Invest in student research

Every so often, I write about a topic that is important to me--but nobody wants to buy it.  Maybe the draft wasn't good enough, or they have too many other pieces to run?  Maybe the publication thinks that the topic isn't important enough to their audience.  In other words, they don't think anyone cares enough to publish it.

This is hard because I've already invested the time in researching and writing it.  The hardest part though is when it's an important topic, but nobody has aired it sufficiently.  The Professor and I spent a lot of years as graduate students.  Since then, we've also mentored graduate students--in the classroom, the lab, or by feeding them on a holiday.  It was important to me to speak out about the poor levels of financial support grad students get in Manitoba.  Here's my piece on this issue.  It was just published in UM Today--despite the proximity to the end of the academic term, I hope folks read it!  I'm thrilled this piece found a home. I hope it might make a difference.

Op-Ed: Make more money: Invest in student research

Short version: Investing in undergrad and grad research offers huge positive outcomes from a financial perspective.  Personally?  It means grad students can afford to eat without using the food bank and avoid living in rooming houses while they continue their schooling.

In family news, we have continued our hibernation and making frenzy despite several viruses.  Here is a beet chocolate chocolate chip Bundt cake...Maybe the second or third time I have ever used this bundt pan we got for our wedding!  (we get a lot of beets in our farm share at this time of year.  It's a root veggie time of year..)

This year, my kids decided our gifts for teachers would be all handmade.  This morning we gave out four bags with homemade jam, pickles, handwoven and handknit items made by kids AND beautiful hand done colouring and cards from kids.  I was proud of my twins.

One of my guys is currently alternating between wearing only two handknit sweaters.  They are: Freestyle Super and Stripe Freestyle.  (The dude likes stripes.  A lot.)  We are now collaborating on yet another one, with hand-dyed yarns that both kids helped make last summer.  This sweater will be a mommy hand-knit, but I'm not going to write another pattern.  To my surprise, those patterns do not seem to be as popular with other kids as they are in my house.  Again, it's a mystery...but I'm glad the designs find a home on my kids' backs all winter.

Last but not least, one twin is exploring crochet.  This is his version of a lion, before he put on the mane.  Can you see it?  (This is an abstract thinker, I was  impressed.  Rorschach Tests are like this...)

Hope you are having a wonderful December, no matter what you make or celebrate! :)