Manitoba women's health just got worse

Here's a link to my CBC opinion piece, which ran this morning.  You may recognize the photo if you are a long-time blog reader.  (That's the Professor's finger, he took the photo, he held the twin, and no, I did not get to do that more than once in the NICU)

If you don't recognize the photo, click on June 2011 to learn a little more.  The details I wrote about for this essay are perhaps more graphic than I've ever shared in a published piece before, but it was worth it. 

Many women in Manitoba have gone through similar things, and based on proposed changes to our health care system, it could just get worse.  Here's hoping others are concerned, too.  (Based on the CBC-Manitoba Facebook page and the number of times this article has already been shared, my guess is that others may agree and are plenty worried.)

Manitoba women's health just got worse

birthday

The professor and Joanne Seiff -and Harry and Sally, the dogs- are very pleased to announce the arrival of their twins!
(written by the professor, with small contributions from Joanne)

Note that we have chosen to follow Jewish custom and will not formally announce the names of our two baby boys until they are circumcised a few days after they are released from the hospital (in Yiddish, a circumcision is called a bris). Until then, we're calling them Lokshen and Kugel. (Lokshen Kugel means Noodle Pudding in Yiddish. When they get old enough for solid food, we suspect that the Kugel twins will love this stuff.)

Joanne went into labor at about 7 pm on Monday, May 30, we reported to St. Boniface hospital soon afterwards. After laboring naturally for about 10 hours, they began inducing Joanne. After 24 hours of increasing dosages, we concluded that the induction was not working, and Joanne decided that she was ready for a C-section after 36 hours of labor. Our two boys joined the world as we know it on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 just before 9 am.

Baby A weighed 5 lbs, 15 oz. and was 20 inches long.
Baby B weight 4 lbs., 3 oz. and was 18.5 inches long.

Baby A was released from the NICU within 2 hours of birth, and roomed in with Joanne in the hospital. Baby B is almost as long as his brother, is extremely active, and their heads are the same size, but Baby B is very thin. They are watching him carefully in the NICU to make sure he is feeding well and gaining weight, but everyone is encouraged by how vigorous he is. Joanne is recovering well. Her mother took turns with the professor when it came to staying in the hospital with her. Joanne and Baby A were released from the hospital on Saturday. Baby B may remain in the hospital a little longer, depending on how quickly he gains weight. So far, all signs are very encouraging! We hope Baby B will be able to join us at home sometime this week.

The dogs are thrilled by the new arrival and will be in for a surprise when Baby B comes home to add to their litter of puppies. Harry likes kissing babies and Sally points out (by barking, of course) every time when her baby is crying. They are quite the nannies.

As might be expected, Joanne is really worn out from the long labor and c-section, but is slowly trying to respond to emails and other online comments. Please don't be surprised if it takes her a while to respond to you.

Thanks to everyone who has shared their well wishes and congratulations with us!

Yup.

Still here. Still pregnant with twins at 38 and a half weeks. Haven't posted for a while because I'm spending a lot of time going back and forth to doctor's appointments and ultrasounds. I am at the hospital for appointments and ultrasounds 2-3 times a week right now...it's all I can do to rest up in between trips! Hopefully something will happen soon, because the medical professionals are getting a bit itchy with my willingness to wait it out. There are some things (not scary things, in my opinion, but medically worth discussing) they are concerned about, so I may end up being induced anyway if Mother Nature doesn't kick in soon.

On the knitting front, I just posted a photo of a whole sweater, handknit, designed by me, etc. and no one even commented on it on my blog! (I did get a couple of nice emails though, thanks!) So, is that because everyone else is so absorbed in the "when will she give birth drama?!" The other option is that everyone thinks it is a downright ugly sweater. I like it though, so here is a bigger photo. :)

Sorry it's not a new picture...I'm not much for snapping photos these days!

More news to come, I hope...just no idea when that will happen. I sort of like the idea that going into labor is one of the few things that we can't plan exactly. It's driving everybody else nuts, but heck, I gave up being in control a long time ago...

Things to celebrate

1. I've made it to 37 weeks of pregnancy--full term with twins! Now I am just waiting for them to decide to arrive naturally, which I don't mind doing at all. I figure the discomforts I know are easier than the unknown ones to come... The good news is that when they arrive, they should hopefully be fully developed. The bad news is that the doctor can't imagine why anyone would willingly hang around waiting, and wants me to be induced. I'm holding out for now. The pressure to have a medicalized birth when carrying twins seems to be pretty big. That's ok though, I'm pretty big now too--I'm carrying around roughly 50 lbs of twins here. I'm hoping I can take it.

2. I've finally finished the red sweater! I started this back in September and described all my yarn choices there. This is one of those "Joanne designs" that will be unlikely to be repeated. I wrote down all my choices, but this sweater took a long long time to do. The mohair boucle on the bottom raced by, but the dk weight yarns for the upper body and the arms took long time due to my swollen hands. Even sewing in the sleeves took me way too long. I designed it to be flattering with a big belly...but I think I misjudged how big a belly I would produce. For now, I think it looks great on this very skinny clothes hanger!

The pin is a special thing on its own. It was a gift from my nephew Nate's mom. She worried it would be a bit too gaudy for me--I tend to wear plain things--but I've been eyeing it for months because I thought it would work perfectly for this kind of sweater. Here is a link to the artist who makes these. They are truly masterpieces of felt. Very quirky and interesting things...

3. We had a lovely visit earlier this week with the professor's brother and sister-in-law. They came to Winnipeg and soaked up our sunny spring weather and we enjoyed their company enormously. They went to see things with the professor, saw Assiniboine Park and enjoyed lots of good food and gelato. They were also very patient with me when I disappeared to take naps all the time. It's hard working shlepping around twins and I need lots of rests.

4. It's "May Long" this weekend-a three day weekend! The professor says things have emptied out at the university and overall, it is relatively quiet in town. I am hoping that means we'll have a lot of good quality time this weekend to rest and enjoy each others' company. Either that, or it means we'll be hanging out at the hospital. Just have to see what happens...

That's the news from here.

Springing along

The Nanking cherry blossoms in our yard are making a gorgeous display here! Here's a close up that the professor took. Everything is "greening up" nicely and we are having some gorgeous sunny weather after a week of clouds and rain.

Normally a little spring rain is "good for the flowers" but we have very serious flooding in our province right now. This happened because of a combination of factors--a lot of precipitation in the fall and winter, for one thing. However, so far, here in Winnipeg, we have very high water in both rivers but are doing fine with the help of some sandbags here in there. In other parts of the province, folks aren't so lucky. (over 3,000 people evacuated so far)

I mention this because some of those close to us read our local news on occasion and it does sound like Armageddon if you read or listen to the news. To reassure you, we are pretty darn sure we can still cross the bridges necessary to get to a hospital in time. :)

I am now at 36.5 weeks pregnant and doing a lot of resting. The doctor has indicated that it could be "any time now" and that most women with twins who give birth to healthy babies at this point do not have to worry about prematurity issues too much...usually they can go home from the hospital with the babies at the same time. That is good news!

However, the fetuses inside me seem perfectly comfortable (I am not!) so I am being patient for now.

The other big news of the week is that for now, our big fix-it projects in the house seem to be complete. The professor put on a last coat of paint on a wall on the 3rd floor last weekend--and we think that is the end of the ice dam/roofing/insulation mess that started in January. (Finally complete!)

The other big fix-it was our front door lock. You see, one of the charming parts of having old house is that sometimes, everything in it is, well, OLD. Our front door lock was roughly as old as our house. Just shy of 100 years old. Last year, we had a problem where the temperature shifted abruptly from very cold temperatures to warmer ones--and the lock wouldn't work. We found the locksmith in town who could help. They came out, reconditioned our old lock, and put it back together for us. It worked again.

The fix came with a warning...this lock lasted a good long time. Don't expect it to last forever.

This winter, we had the same problem and the professor suggested I just wait for spring and it would work again...who needs two exits from a house? (Uhh, our house is wood...in case of fire? I do.) The difference? I was now pregnant with twins and trying to imagine getting out of this house with my lumbering pace, only one dependably working door lock and two dogs in a dangerous situation worried me.

We again called the locksmith. This time, they did a temporary fix and recommended getting a replacement lock. We ordered one from the USA and discovered when it arrived that every measurement would fit in our (original) door but one crucial measurement. Since replacing the door as well didn't sound good, we decided to return the lock.

Guess what got damaged in the post? $400 plus dollars later, we're waiting for that claim to be settled. In the meanwhile, the locksmith helped us find a perfect solution, and the new (but old looking) lock was installed on Friday. It looks beautiful. This is the photo of the new lock so you can see it too!

Should I mention that everyone has admired the old lock? It had been repaired at one point and it was a beautiful welding job. It was worn, but it served us very well. It has been hard to part with that old lock.

How long did that repair project take? Well, I think I last wrote about it in March...about two months total, perhaps.

We're hoping that in the next few weeks, the only thing likely to shift, change, fall apart or re-structure itself might be me! We'll keep you updated on the baby front as best we can.

Thanks for all the lovely emails and check-ins--I'm mostly resting (and eating) these days. We'll tell you when something changes!

Next year?

I don't want to leave any readers hanging--so a short update is in order. I am fine, I'm still pregnant at 35 weeks, and I'm trying to wait patiently with my feet up. I don't go out much these days and I'm doing a lot of reading and resting. Harry and Sally are the best dogs ever. One or both of them are almost always by my side.. possibly the best companions ever in the circumstances!

I'm a bit sad to be missing festivals this year but my mom went to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and gave me a brief report. Wonderful weather, a good time, my friends say hello...but it's not quite the same as going myself! (Honestly though, I couldn't stand up for more than about 10 minutes at a time, so there's no way I'd manage it, never mind all the traveling!) That said, it is hard to smell the sheep barns over the phone. :)

Locally, the professor went to a plant sale and got herbs, flowers and other delights for the summer. He planted them, and the rain is now hopefully going to make them grow big. When I'm up for walking around the yard later on, I'll get to enjoy his efforts. Our forsythia is blooming and everything is beginning to look green around here. I am finding the prospect of spring exciting!

That's the news from here. I kept hoping I'd feel up to snapping photos for the blog, but in any case, haven't seen any sheep at all in downtown Winnipeg! Perhaps you'll just have to refer to past years...look for the beginning of May and you're likely to see sheep in those posts. In any case, I am now much more empathetic when it comes to those ewes who always bear twins, triplets, or quads.

(Oy. I think I know how you feel!)

hot, hot, NOT!

Like a game of duck, duck, goose, the weather has been playing with us. Last week was warm (70F/20C) and sunny. On Saturday it rained a lot, which didn't help our enormously flooded rivers. Then, overnight the temperature dropped way, way down and it turned to snow.

The professor knows that I am missing some of our regular household routine. My world has gotten increasingly small. I am now 34 weeks pregnant and have to spend a lot of time in bed with my feet up. (I've got a lot of swelling going on, as well as a variety of other symptoms--it isn't so fun just now.) Anyhow, I usually wake up earlier on the weekends to feed the dogs so my lovely spouse can sleep. Since I'm not so able-bodied, the professor is doing this too.

Here is a photo he caught of Sally the dog, rushing into the house for breakfast. I love how it is all ears and tail and long pointer/hound legs in a blur. This is definitely Sally's morning attitude!

In order to prove to the world that indeed, all the snow had melted and we did have sunny days last week, the professor includes this photo of the new condo construction across the street. We are baffled as to why they changed the design and construction plans to make a frowning face that is pointed directly across from our house. When the professor sits at the dining room table, he looks out the window at this building and spends time debating what would make the face more cheerful. I'm wondering if we need really thick curtains or something so he'll stop worrying about this!

After breakfast, the dogs go on their walk. I have not gotten to take a solitary dog walk since January, and I really miss it. The professor brought his camera along to show me how much everyone still enjoys their walk. You can see the amazing skeletal canopy of our elm trees, which line the streets. Even in winter/spring/late fall, their size and natural architecture is impressive. Although Winnipeg has to actively fight against Dutch Elm Disease and a percentage of the trees die each year, it is one of the few cities in North America that still has its elm trees left. This is one advantage of our very cold climate. I love the majesty of these trees!

Sorry for the brevity of this post--wanted to tell you that I am still alive over here and that there are no babies on the scene as of yet. I'm just waiting patiently and now having a doctor's appointment and an ultrasound every week....along with a lot of unpleasant "twin pregnancy" symptoms that I'd prefer to live without.

Patience is a virtue, right?

left leaning

This post is not about politics.

I know you'd assume it would be, since we are about to have an election in Canada (in which I cannot vote, because I am not a Canadian citizen) and because there has been a lot of political news in the USA lately. Neither of these is particularly relevant to this blog post.*

I will, of course, refer to religion, health, and wealth in this post, so you can feel I've violated the "taboo in polite company" subjects. This makes up for the lack of photos! (Photos would be way too much information here...you'll see!)

On Passover, at the Passover seder, some people have the custom of leaning to the left as they drink the four cups of wine. Don't worry, I had grape juice this year. If you're curious as to why, I've included information from this website below to explain.**

Anyhow, at the seders I attended this year, nobody did this, but I was reminded of the custom.

Why? Well, when you're pregnant, you're supposed to be sleeping on your left side. This is because you can't physically sleep on your stomach...that would be seriously uncomfortable for everybody involved. If you sleep on your right side, you can apparently cut off circulation because as the uterus gets larger, it can cut off blood flow. Apparently sleeping on your back isn't ideal either. You should only, if possible, lean to your left as you sleep. (I am usually a stomach or side sleeper, but well, everything changes when pregnant with twins, apparently.)

I'd like to point out here that before the days of medicalized advice, many pregnant women managed to sleep through the night without any instructions at all. Apparently, humanity survived this lack of sleeping instructions....but now women must rely on medical intervention to enjoy poor sleep and miserable nights during pregnancy.

Now, I can't speak for anybody else, but for the last few months, the only way I managed to sleep at all was in a sort of boosted up reclining position, on my back. This cut down on my heartburn, shortness of breath, and numbness in my arms and hands while I slept...until recently, when my legs and feet started to get seriously swollen, too. I have had low or normal blood pressure all along, and my doctor assures me all my symptoms are entirely normal for a twin pregnancy.

Last night in the dark, while pondering the notion of leaning left on Passover (and going to the bathroom about 500 times), I tried rebuilding my pillow fort in bed and trying sleeping on my left side again. The ligaments in my abdomen didn't like this added pressure. The fetus in the lower part of my abdomen didn't like it. However, when morning finally arrived, I discovered that the swelling in my legs and feet had subsided. It worked.

Leaning left was a good (if totally uncomfortable) idea. It only takes about 5 pillows, a duvet, a wool blanket, a bed entirely to oneself and a very long night of discomfort. It does, however, really reduce swelling in my legs.

When the professor got up this AM, he saw my frustration and asked if he could make me more comfortable. First, I offered a string of suggestions, none of which can be described in polite company here...I was grouchier than Oscar the Grouch. Second, I sprung out of bed at 6:30 in the morning, giving up entirely on sleep.

Stay tuned--the pillow fort research approach to circulation, swelling and numbness is likely to continue over here.

Now, don't you wish this WERE about politics?!

*Except for this quirky story: When I was a kid, I had a book about Native American/Indian/First Nations/Aboriginal culture. (Choose the category that people use in your area--this terminology varies in the US and Canada.) I loved this book and my parents read it to me over and over. In particular, I was enthralled with the notion of the Potlatch. I especially loved the idea of giving away presents to other people at a big party--and the effort to equalize status through redistribution. I still love throwing dinner parties today and giving people presents when I have just the right thing for someone. When we decided to move to Winnipeg, my father concluded--as a joke-- that I'd fit right in as I was always leaning "left" towards socialism anyway. Further, he figured I just wanted to move farther west --"left" when looking at a map--in order to really participate in all those potlatches. :)

**The Talmudic Sages created a rabbinic injunction that a Jewish person was obligated to drink 4 Cups of Wine during the Seder in a way (leaning or reclining to the left) that expresses their freedom (Babylonian Talmud, Gemara, Pesachim 108b, 117b). The drinking of Four Cups of Wine represents the most prominent rabbinical injunction or obligation or mitzvah to be performed during the Seder. Furthermore, each of the 4 Cups of Wine symbolizes a commandment or mitzvah I.E. an obligation to perform, unto itself (Babylonian Talmud, Gemara, Pesachim 109b-110a).

Why Must One Recline or Lean to the Left When Drinking The Four Cups of Wine? Why Not Recline or Lean to the Right or Not At All?

The Talmudic rabbis cautioned against reclining or leaning to the right when drinking the Four Cups of Wine or when drinking any other beverage or when eating because there was and is a greater danger of accidentally consuming the liquid or food down the windpipe or trachea when one is reclining or leaning toward the right. In addition, the custom of the Greeks and then Romans during the time of the Talmudic rabbis (the latter about 10 B.C.E. until 500 C.E.) was to drink and eat while reclining or leaning to the left, which symbolically indicated that the rulers of Judea - the Romans, who were preceded by the Greeks - were the only free people in Judea and so they were the only ones who were able to do that.

new sweater!

I finally finished my Tilted Duster sweater. These photos aren't so good--I was trying to do them myself and used one of the mirrors in my house. The mirrors are on the (original) doors and therefore are about 100 years old. This means that no matter how much you clean them, they are still a bit distorted and spotty at times.

Caption: Sally mainly watched the activity at a distance while I did my photo shoot...

The professor declared my photos "artistic" which was a nice way of saying they weren't that good...sorry about that. If you liked this pattern, you could buy a download of it here. Every so often, I try to knit someone else's design from start to finish to learn from their writing and design ideas. I find it particularly interesting if the design has an interesting construction or if I really respect the designer. (I really respect Norah Gaughan. Her designs are so innovative!) In this case, I used Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran yarn, which is now discontinued. In fact, Jo Sharp yarn is now no longer available in North America, for the most part. Very sad. Some of it was purchased in Australia when we travelled to Brisbane in 2004.

Of course, it is hard for me to restrain myself, so I went into this thinking I'd just knit a black sweater and ended up making changes anyway. The collar and sleeves are knit out of a purple color called "quartz" and I lengthened the ribbing on the sleeves and shorted the sleeves themselves as well. (I have short arms.) The sweater took way too long for me to finish, largely because knitting has been hard with my sore hands. The professor helped me choose the perfect buttons from my large button stash. (The button collection is mostly inherited from his mother and grandmother, but I do frequent building of stash to keep things interesting!)

We looked at gray mother of pearl buttons with a purple tinge, which came in at a close second. They were very dressy and gorgeous, but maybe a bit too flashy. I bought those mother of pearl buttons at an antique shop to match my -second hand-winter coat in the fall of 1991, when I was a freshman in college in Ithaca, New York. When the winter coat finally wore out, I cut the buttons back off again--they've been waiting for the next right garment ever since!

We looked at purple buttons (not a great match) and silver and black buttons (also a bit flash). In the end, we chose some plain black plastic buttons that looked as though a thrifty relative had cut them off of an outfit long ago.

Before I began sewing them on, I blocked the sweater. I usually block things by handwashing and pinning them out to dry. That seemed like a long time to wait and a lot of heavy damp material in this case, so instead, I used a steamy iron to block things. The collar flopped down immediately into a sailor suit collar, and when I put that on, I saw it suited "the big belly" far better than a high collar. I'm saving the buttons for later on, and for now, a pin will do. Temperatures are now reaching into the 50's (10-15C) here so it is a perfect outdoor sweater. I've taken to wearing this frequently now.

See, every so often I do talk about fibery things... I'm now trying to refocus my efforts on the last sleeve of this red sweater, which I first talked about last September. It's a good thing I'm also creating twins over here, because the sweater production sure has slowed down!

I want to thank everyone who left me a comment or sent me an email saying they were sending good vibes in my direction. I really appreciate it. I've felt a bit isolated lately and your notes have been very cheery. I am also expecting to have a very low key celebration this Passover ...very different than the travelling to see family or complicated holiday meals I've made at home in the past. It feels a little strange but as Nina mentions in her comment, "it's all good" --it will all work itself out. (It doesn't seem to be a good time to exert myself in the cooking and cleaning department!)

update on random stuff

1) I heard tell that a lot of folks ate some sundaes last week. I even heard they were good! Thanks for all the email reports! (We had sweet cream/cookie dough ice cream and hot fudge here. It was delicious.)

2) We now have a new roof and new insulation. It's hard to believe how incredibly quiet it is now that this banging is over. Even the dogs are exhausted.

3) It ain't over 'til it's over. Next week, I get to see a drywaller and a painter again--some of the roofing did a wee bit of damage on the inside of the house. Some day, all this renovation will be over and I will have a whole day without banging, noise, or disorder...(at least, while I'm still pregnant...I know toddlers offer all of the above.)

4) I'm still healthy, in week 31 of the pregnancy, and big as a house. More news on that another time, I guess.

5) I am slowly, slowly, finishing up a handknit black sweater. My swollen and sore hands don't enjoy sewing anymore either, so it is slow.

Hope you're all well out there. I see people are reading the blog, but don't hear from many of you. Wanted you to know all is fine here. Next time, I'll even try to post a photo...

shot of color

It is downright dreary outside right now...overcast and damp. Roofing has been put off until next week. The painting is almost complete--aside from the carpentry/painting that needs to happen next week. I knew all this would take a while. Some of it has gone very quickly, but some has not. Even though I'm not getting out much these days anyhow, I am beginning to miss leaving the house. (It's hard to leave home when you know someone is coming over at "mid-day"--and by the time that work is done, well, the day is mostly gone!)

I am really appreciating your messages on the blog. Sometimes I write you back via email, sometimes I visit your blogs (Adriene's post on citizenship was really something!) and sometimes, I just read your notes, smile, and read them again. I read them all. Thank you for keeping me company!

I am still doing some writing and editing for work, but am trying to wind this down. I can still type but my hands are very sore most of the time. This, like most of the pregnancy symptoms, will go away--sometime AFTER the babies are born. Between now and then, well, I have to take it one day at a time. From everything I've been told, nothing is likely to disappear in the symptoms department during this last trimester. It's all likely to get worse or stay the same.

One thing I can still do is dye things. A couple of days ago, I handwashed a wool blanket and while I was at it, went on a brief spurt of handdyeing. I started with an old short white cotton blend bathrobe. This was part of a nightgown set I got so many years ago that the rest of the set is long gone. I hardly ever wear robes and in any case, a white robe wasn't so useful in our household of muddy dog paws and spills. I decided that dyeing this might make it useful. I started with some garnet colored dye. (Before you ask where I got it and what I use...the professor used to buy me lots of this dye from here as presents. I have a life time supply of random colors!)

I like these packets of dye because they are self-contained, don't sprinkle powder everywhere, and allow me to dye in a one step, afternoon process rather than a multi-step one requiring mordants, etc.

I started with the bathrobe, but since the dye is an all-purpose one for both protein and cellulose, cotton/poly blends will not absorb all the dye bath. I decided to throw in some wool for fun. I soaked too small bunches of roving (wrapped up gently with rubber bands) in some vinegar. The weird color is because I used red wine vinegar. It was close by and didn't weigh too much for me to lift. (We buy white vinegar in enormous jugs and I now find a full one of these too heavy to lift!)

Then I threw these in the dye pot along with the robe. The white wool is a Romney roving and the natural gray color is a Romney-cross wool blended with a small amount of mohair. It turns out I could have dyed more wool, but I ran out of energy after this so ended up dumping a bit of colored dye water down the drain. That's reasonably safe with this dye, as compared to dumping something scary like copper sulfate-a mordant that fixes dye to fiber- down the drain as someone recently did in rural Manitoba. That harmed their water local water treatment plant and waterways.

In these photos, I included a ball of handspun laceweight natural gray wool/mohair so you can see how the darker color takes up a richer color of dye. I happen to like the rich cranberry color to the right better than the pinkish red...but in either case, this is enough for a spindle full of yarn, or perhaps a contrast color if I am filling up a bobbin on a spinning wheel sometime in the future. The robe came out a deep rose/red color. Ideal for hospital stays and perhaps more forgiving of stains than a white robe.

While all this dried, I had a remarkable turn-around in the mail service karma situation..I think it was all the professor's good luck. Yesterday, the professor was home from work as we dealt with two different things at once. (a painter and a locksmith/carpenter) First, my package of baggy maternity dresses arrived. Hurray!!

Everything I bought still fit (double Hurray!) although it turns out that one of the dresses I ordered, in brown, looks remarkably like a monk's brown cassock. I am wearing it today and trying to liven it up with some accessories. I am also having to put my feet up all the time because my ankles and feet are swelling these days as well as my hands. I usually try to remember to take my shoes off before putting my feet on the coffee table. Please don't think I'm a big slob! This is merely so you can see my oxblood colored shoes...good for livening up dreary weather.

Second, I finally received some black discontinued Jo Sharp yarn that I'd ordered to finish a sweater...back at the end of February. Both the seller and I had just about given it up for lost. It appeared yesterday. This photo shows the yarn (in a plastic bag) along with the black sweater, the red sweater, and some green t-shirts of the professor's -- fabric I am recycling by handsewing into something new and more useful, I hope.

This is the side table in my living room--it seems disporportionately messy. I am stuck on sleeves (second sleeve for the black sweater and first sleeve for the red sweater) and can only knit a few rows a day because of my swollen hands, but it LOOKS like I'm being really busy as a knitter! Either that, or really slovenly...!

If you live in a place where spring hasn't "sprung" yet (like me), I hope this shot of color brightened your day. If you're currently enjoying the end of daffodil season? Well, maybe you should keep that to yourself for a bit....don't rub it in!

constant renovations

I'd meant to include knitting photos in this post, but honestly, renovation has been on my mind. Every day, we have some new surprising change. We haven't been up in my sunny office on the 3rd floor to work in a week--the plasterer was working up there so I relocated the laptop to the first floor to avoid any stinkiness or dust.

Meanwhile, on the first floor I can actually answer the door when people arrive without rushing down 2 flights of steps. This is fine except that Harry really misses going to work upstairs with me. Instead, every time there is a stranger trying to work in the house, the dogs have to go to their crates in order to avoid bad run-ins with fur/plaster/paint or other messes.

This morning, we were surprised to find a forklift in the backlane, delivering our shingles. They were deposited on our back yard path here. This is not a small delivery...you can see our (tall) fence and my car beyond it for a sense of scale. At the same time, the roofers are a bit concerned about the weather prediction for tomorrow (flurries and/or rain) so the insulation will happen tomorrow and the roof work will perhaps start on Thursday. Did I mention that tomorrow the painter arrives to work inside for the first time?

My bad postal service karma seems to be continuing. I still haven't received the yarn I ordered at the end of February (the seller is trying to track it down) and no big dresses have arrived yet to offer me enough for a week's worth of twin maternity clothing. I know it is just me because anything the professor orders arrives promptly. I am trying not to take it personally!

In the meanwhile, I present this wacky photo of my belly. It's not the best angle for seeing the whole thing....but last I measured, I was 45" around where there used to be a waist. For comparison --for those of you who know the professor in person? That is several inches bigger than his waist size. The mirror in the kitchen is a bit old and wavy so the best photo of my belly is streaky. Here it is on the left.

People say some mighty quirky things at this time...I'll be 30 weeks' pregnant on Thursday. I'm this big because I'm carrying twins--I don't have a cute little basketball bulge like the full-term folks in my childbirth class who are just expecting one kid. It's more like an old-fashioned watermelon!

I've heard everything from "Gosh, she's pregnant? I just thought she got really fat!" (gee, thanks, you look great too!) to "Oh, you're not that big, I was bigger" (Said in a disparaging way, like if I just tried harder, I could lug around an even bigger belly!) The test was going out to dinner last week. I just looked at what the other customers' expressions were. If I had to guess, it was something like "Oh my gosh, I hope she doesn't go into labor right here while I'm eating..." Of course, I still have roughly a couple of months before these fetuses are full term, so I will be even bigger then.

I meant to tell you about the dyeing I did today as well as some knitting and sewing stuff, but I imagine that will wait for another post. In the meanwhile, you might understand why taking a nap with Sally is top on my list for afternoon activities. I am not going out much anymore--I don't really enjoy the commentary I get all the time. Sally, on the other hand, says very little and curls up with me every day to be sure I am cared for. There is something to be said for the dog as nursemaid. Peter Pan's Nana had it right.

Walking the walk

When I wrote Knit Green: 20 Projects and Ideas for Sustainability, I tried to give information on sustainable ideas as choices that anybody could make. That's how I see it--we each make choices based on our individual values. One of the things I wrote is that I'm a moderate...I haven't given up my car or gone off the grid. That said, I feel like I have to strive to do more.

When I wrote the book, no babies were on the horizon for us. We had a long struggle with fertility and designing and knitting for babies was hard. I did a few baby designs anyhow. (Lots of people knit for babies, so it was just one of the parts of my job that wasn't my favorite....)

In doing research about fertility issues, I found a lot of recent research has gone into environmental pollutants that cause hormonal disruptions. Hormonal disruptions affect fertility. Plastics, like Bisphenol_A, can significantly affect the human body. While humans are actively using plastics in all parts of life, we're not sure yet what its long term effects are for our health. Some of those research results and effects are pretty worrisome. We often only find out long term affects of our inventions a long time after they are developed. (nuclear reactors and radiation, for instance)

In our case, there were no clear causes to why we didn't get pregnant, so no easy way to fix the problem.

Yet, the information I learned about plastics--a petroleum based product--led me to think a lot about why and how it is used.

I am now applying the same research skills to things one needs for babies...and I am stunned by how much baby stuff out there is synthetic. Synthetic: Plastic, man-made, petroleum-based, not natural, etc. It's hard to avoid the sheer number of plastic things out there--right down to basics like disposable diapers or bottles.

As I research, I'm making different decisions than I think many people may make when it comes to these fetuses I'm toting around. The professor and I are trying to find a lot of second-hand things, because if the stuff is plastic, it off gasses and doesn't break down in landfills. We can reuse it instead and reduce waste. For instance--we can try cloth diapers to reuse materials, reduce landfill waste, and avoid plastics. Yes, cleaning them takes energy, but it takes less energy and costs less than manufacturing new diapers and throwing them away after one use.

We are trying NOT to buy or acquire polyester or synthetic materials if we can avoid it. Not only is this oil dependent (oil is a non-renewable resource) but on a practical safety level, it is very flammable. Put your kid in synthetics like fleece all the time? Have you done a burn test on that? It melts!! Wool, on the other hand, is naturally flame resistant.

Since we aren't zealots, we're not going to be able to avoid plastics in everything we do. Our house has plenty of it. Despite my best efforts, my wardrobe is certainly not free of synthetics.

That said, here are answers to a couple of questions that have been posed to me:

So-and-so (average 5 year old) loves his fleece vests! What have you got against all that? (As in, Joanne, what is your problem!? Just buy synthetics and stop being such a vigilante.)

Answer: Kids wear what their families offer them to wear. (So-and-so also loves sugary cereals, but doesn't have to eat them if they aren't offered to him.) Just because someone loves something doesn't mean it is good for them. A fleece synthetic is made from oil (a non-renewable resource), is flammable and melts on the body, and doesn't biodegrade easily. It may cause health issues--researchers are still trying to figure that out. Further, many people find that polyester based materials do not breathe well, so people sweat more and have more skin-related problems with that.

Will I manage to avoid all polartecs/fleeces, etc.? No, but I can make an effort not to buy more of them. I can hope to raise kids who love soft wool, organic cotton, or cool linens instead.

Some babies CAN'T wear wool!! NOT even superwash! What will you do if your kid is extra-sensitive? (This has been extended to...some babies can't tolerate or thrive with cloth diapering/nursing/etc.)

My first response would be REALLY? So, you're saying that plastics/synthetics/polyesters (been around for 100 to 150 years) are always better for babies than natural fibers? That I am essentially going to be abusing these kids by putting them in things like cotton/hemp/linen/wool? While we've had humans in natural fibers for, at minimum, the last several thousand years--and they've done admirably-- we really don't have that long a track record for synthetics.

I'd argue that a very small percentage of people are sensitive to certain commonly used natural fibers. It is the exception and not the rule. It is also likely that someone sensitive to superwash wool is sensitive to the chemical process used to make the wool "superwash" as compared to the actual fiber itself. (Chemicals used to process wool or cotton commercially can be very toxic--a good reason to try organic fibers or locally handprocessed fibers instead. Cotton commercially processed with formaldehyde or wool "cleaned" with sulfuric acid can be toxic...no doubt about it.)

It is also just as likely that the kid is having a reaction to plastics as natural fibers. The kid might be allergic to detergent rather then the fiber. In some cases, the person might just have sensitive skin. That is, he/she is sensitive to everything.

Conclusion? I know that the last few generations of babies have been raised with lots of polyester/plastic/synthetics in their environments. That's what many households are used to--but it doesn't have be that way. We can think it over and review these things. These are just habits/tools for childrearing and we can try to create new habits instead.

Am I being naive? Perhaps. We'll see...but new is not always better when it comes to using plastic. There are reasons I am trying to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" that I wrote about in Knit Green.

At the end of the book, I mention that it's important to find people who support your new "green" choices. I'm working on that for myself, because it does get tiring to be told that "of course plastics are the right, better, intelligent choice." Sometimes surrounding oneself with positive or neutral opinions is the way to go. I hope I can do that for others. I hope that sometimes, people can also do that for me, too.

Omar the tentmaker

The last few days have been a whirlwind. If the stars align and the weather is good, it looks like we could have our roof, insulation, and inside repairs done much sooner than we'd thought. That means it's possible they could start next week and potentially end in early April sometime. I was almost afraid to talk about this at first--for fear of jinxing it. We'll see how all the arrangments line up and how the weather looks. (It is no where near "spring" here, but it is warmer, roughly near freezing, which makes roofing possible.)

At the same time, this week, I hit a new size. That would be--very big. At last measurement, my belly was around 43" around, but I am growing by the day. All of a sudden, I have outgrown much of my maternity clothing. While I can still wear many of the professor's shirts (he is a big guy), his sweatpants are too small. Frankly, most everything is too small. Maternity clothes are really only designed for a woman with one fetus in her tummy!


When I was in Florida a few months ago, I happened to go to a boutique called Oh My Gauze. I bought one tunic, a dress, and a bathrobe thing there. It was a little out of my price range. Also, in January, buying cotton gauze clothing seemed bizarre since it was so cold in Manitoba. However, that clothing has now come in very handy! First off, I am not spending great amounts of time out doors, and with a shirt underneath and leggings (if they fit) and a sweater on top, a gauze dress is warm enough.

That is good because very little else is fitting around my middle! Today I had to order more clothes from them. Here are photos from their website as a sort of free advertisement...ideal for pregnancy with twins!


My one concern is that the clothes might not arrive quickly. Packages sent from the U.S. to Canada can be sort of uneven in terms of how long they take to arrive. Some yarn I ordered in late February has not arrived yet. The professor placed an order less than a week ago and the box arrived yesterday. There's no telling, really. Here's hoping it arrives soon--and way before the twins also arrive.

In the meanwhile, if you see some extremely rotund pregnant lady walking around looking like a hobo in an enormous flannel shirt...please be nice. That might be me!

(caption for these photos? Just add belly)

blizzarding onward

I don't want you to feel I have fallen down a well or something! I am doing OK over here, but so much has been happening, both at home and in the world, that I wasn't sure what to post.

The story with a picture wins though! Last Friday and Saturday, the professor went off to give a talk at the North Dakota State University in Fargo. When the professor was in graduate school, he had a wonderful lab community. His advisor, the lab technician, and the grad. students all became pretty close. It was the kind of place where I always felt welcomed and most of his fellow students were good friends and colleagues. (This was in comparison to my grad. school experience--I have only one or two people that I made relationships like that with from those days.)

One of those other grad. students became a professor at NDSU in Fargo, so the professor went off to give a lecture and visit her, her husband, and kids. Unfortunately that planned trip corresponded with a blizzard. A blizzard here on the prairies is defined as some--usually small-- amount of snow and a lot of wind, which reduces visibility and lowers temperatures drastically...fairly dangerous conditions. A blizzard in on the East Coast in the USA usually consists of heavy snow (think a foot or more...) and some wind. Also very dangerous, but different conditions altogether.

The professor made it to Fargo safely, but there were a lot of cars that went off the road entirely on his way. (It's a four hour drive) His lecture went fine, his visit with friends was good, and after he returned to his hotel, he headed outside to shoot some photos. The hotel staff said something like, "Sir? Sir? Are you sure it's a good idea for you to go out on a walk tonight?"

Apparently, the professor smiled and said "It's ok. I'm from Winnipeg. This is winter." (If you know my husband, he is KING of understatement.) The hotel staff understood he knew what the conditions were...so he went out and caught this photo of the old downtown theater in the snow. Can you feel the windchill temperatures of -30F? I think it's a gorgeous shot.

On Saturday, the highways, both in the US and Canada, were closed because of the blowing and drifting snow. After a leisurely breakfast, some shopping, and even lunch in Fargo, the roads opened and he came home again, to my relief.

What happened at home? Well, I was lucky. A friend came by on Friday to visit for a couple of hours and keep me company. I had a long distance phone call or two from family to "check" on me. On Saturday, our cheerful new dog sitter showed up on my doorstep at 9 AM in his woollies, ready to walk the dogs for me so I did not have to attempt it.

All in all, this went fine. I was nervous, I won't lie. Here I am, waddling around at 27+ weeks of pregnancy with twins, and being left alone for a while scared me. I haven't felt great-the newest problem is that my hands get tingly, numb and go to sleep because of (entirely normal) circulation problems. This hurts, and it isn't fun as someone who types and knits all the time. Little things become difficult--our recycling bin blew around in the bad weather, but I decided it was not a good idea for me to chase it down --it was very slippery--and bending over to get it seemed scary with such strong winds. What if I couldn't get up? Meanwhile, just listening to the blizzard warnings and the horrible things happening in Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami left me so worried and upset I had to shut off the radio. News blackout seemed the wisest course...so I read library books and curled up with dogs on the couch.

So this post is about being lucky. I felt incredibly lucky that I had a couple of locals checking on me during bad weather and time alone. I was also grateful to have a warm house, lots of food, and safety when hearing about the terrible things happening in the world this week.

In the past, when I lived in other places, the professor has gone off on a collecting trip for his work for a week or two. During that time, I sometimes never even had one local person check on me. I sometimes was alone for the whole time with no good emergency contact nearby. I feel lucky that things are different here...but even so, I'm glad the professor is home and is not planning any more trips for the foreseeable future.

Knitting is going very slowly right now, typing doesn't feel great either, but I am still lucky. I think it might be a good week to count one's blessings.

International Women's Day

Last year, I posted about International Women's Day here. I wanted to post again today, but I haven't been feeling well and this post got delayed. (I didn't sleep much last night and am very out of breath lately from these twin fetuses squishing my lungs.) Then, I saw the Yarn Harlot's outstanding post and it spurred me on. I didn't have to cover that ground--cause Stephanie Pearl-McPhee did that part already. Well done...but I didn't want to miss my chance. So, I hauled myself back up to the third floor to post this.

I was reflecting on something important with the professor yesterday, and it fits here. The thing is, I was raised by a working mother who embodied a lot of the ideas of how feminism works. She was raised by a mom who worked, and a grandmother who worked...all strong women -- but there were two true feminists in my parents' household. My dad is a feminist, too. He took over a lot of childcare, cleaning, and other things when my mother couldn't do it all, and in the middle of the night, well, they were both there, taking turns, when one of us got sick.

I'm reading a lot of "this is how you give birth/care for a baby/care for twins" guides right now. I feel so lucky that I don't have to live in the households described in of some of these books. The world described there is one where mothers might have to "convince" fathers to help. That isn't how my parents did it, and it's not how we do it either. How do I know? Well, first, I worked hard to choose a person who would try to be an equal participant in my household. I was lucky to find one.

As my belly gets bigger and bigger, I have a hard time doing basic stuff in the house that I used to do or chores we used to share. That's ok, because the professor is doing it. Things like ALL the laundry, changing the bedding, walking the dogs, cooking a lot of the meals, all the grocery shopping...all of that and more. He also goes with me to all the doctor's appointments, and that is a huge support.

This past weekend, besides all the grocery shopping and laundry, he put in bannisters. A lot of bannisters. We have an old house, and matching up the bannisters or trying to make them fit properly was sort of difficult. Some of the details aren't perfect because the house is quirky, but the professor put up bannisters for 3 separate staircases this past weekend. Basement to first floor, first floor to second, and second to third floor. He knows I want to keep climbing these darn steps (dang it!) and now I can use my hands to haul myself up if necessary.

Many things in our society are still unequal. For instance, this week, I've been dealing with roofing estimates. (Fixing the roof will ultimately solve our ice dam/"raining inside" problems.) The amount it will cost to fix our roof? It's a lot. The cheapest estimate was $20,000. The most expensive ballpark figures are ridiculous--2 to 3 times that amount. Why is it ridiculous? Well, if I've never earned it in a year ($40,000?) in a "traditionally female" full-time profession like teaching? It seems ridiculous for me to even consider those figures, especially if only men quote them to me. One of them, I might add, had a bombastic macho confidence that leaves me somewhat speechless...won't be hiring him! Women's status in terms of income/health/well-being are so far behind men's status in most countries that it is still hard to imagine what it will look like when we're equal.

I keep hoping for change, and on a daily basis, the professor and I work on it together. My parents work on it, as do my brothers and their wives. I am often inspired by the men (and the women who raised them) who seek change and who make change in their daily lives. They work hard to break down stereotypes, and I want to support that. It goes without saying that I am incredibly inspired by the women who often fight on the front lines for equality on this front.

I know, too, that all these assumptions about nurturing being a "female" thing are just that. Assumptions. Harry (posing in a favorite position here) is a born nurturer...and he's not even a human male. He follows me around, kissing me, sleeping near me, and being absolutely sure I am safe while pregnant. He walks with me up and down every staircase. Sally helps too, of course, but lately, Harry is taking more of the on duty shifts.

I guess what I'm trying to say today is this:
I don't think being pregnant or giving birth or nurturing defines me as a woman. Not at all. That said, now that I am pregnant, it is even more clear to me how imperative it is that not just women are feminists. Men need to nurture women (and each other) as we all demand, support, and work towards creating equality. It's hard to do this stuff alone--and women don't have to. There are men out there who also can help make this world a better place. Sadly, not all men are working on this, but they could be.

In the meanwhile, we just have to start getting everyone else to step up to the plate and do their share. That's the kind of environment I dream of for my future offspring.

(I'm also thinking of how yarn might be used as insulation and roofing...cause I do have a lot of that, and it certainly doesn't cost $40,000. I'm also thinking babies, whether they are female or male, need a roof and a way to avoid getting rained on inside...can one spin/knit or weave a roof?!)

Here's to hoping that in a few years, this kind of post will seem hopelessly old-fashioned..like when women couldn't legally vote or drive. I can't wait.

view from the office

You may remember last summer a house was demolished right across from our house. Since then, I've been watching a new building take shape across the street. This is a building that will house 3 condos and even has garages in the back. It's quite an undertaking. Today is bright and sunny (and even warm for a Winnipeg February, at 16F/-9C). I decided to snap a photo so you can see the construction progress too. It's through a window, so that's why it is a bit smudgy.

Lately my world has gotten much smaller, so I haven't been able to come up with a lot of blog photos. The professor provides me with some, but a bright and sunny February day in my office is now worthy of a photo...let me explain. As the "pregnant with twins" experience progresses, I am learning more about my body and about the human body than I expected.

For instance, when I saw the doctor last, he pointed out that right now, in the middle of my second trimester pregnant with twins, I was experiencing the symptoms and physical size of a normal woman at the end of a normal singleton pregnancy. That, when I got to the third trimester, I would be in a place (in terms of size, symptoms, etc.) that most pregnant women never go. He told me this at a morning appointment and I must admit that it took me the rest of the work day to process the information and/or block it out. He probably just thought he was being honest with me, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know that information!

So, yes, here it is, week 24 and I can't lie, I am out of breath quite a bit these days. I take medicine for heartburn (which I have nearly continuously) and I have to eat in only small amounts--all the time. I have to rest a lot. I am outgrowing the maternity clothes. This experience is causing me to slow down and take notice. I do a lot of sitting still and I haven't been going out as much. I don't cook as much, either. I do a lot of reading, working, knitting, and hanging out with a dog or two.

That said, I do not want to have to give up my sunny 3rd floor office just yet! My house has 3 floors and a basement. Some days, I really need to limit my stair climbing, so I plan out my trips carefully and make little piles to bring from one floor to the next. (The professor does a lot of the transporting so I don't have to...) I bring snacks with me when I go up to my office, because a quick trip to the kitchen (1st floor) is really out of the question on an hourly basis!

When I get settled on the futon (note the extra pillow to support my back!), I don't get up very much. The laptop gets put on my lap and that rolling stool becomes my foot stool. My feet are up and I start working and answering emails.

I am also slowly--very slowly--trying to tidy things up in here. This is because I suspect that someone may end up staying in this room and sleeping on the futon when it is time for the babies to arrive. Perhaps it will be the dog sitter, or a relative--it's hard to tell. I also don't know when or if I will no longer make it up to my office anymore. While I don't keep things very tidy normally, I'd rather not leave it in a mess for months, either!

There's no reason to suspect I won't be able to get up to my 3rd floor office. I'm in good health and no one in the medical profession has said a thing to me about bed rest. No one with any medical training has said anything much to me about twins and how they often are premature. However, lately I've been constantly reminded by others that I should "prepare" for all this. The others are relatives, acquaintances--random, well-meaning people who don't actually know the status of my health or well-being. Usually they are doing this long distance, so if I do have a problem, they won't be here to help, either. They just want to worry me with scary information that I probably don't need to hear--at all. If something more serious should happen, I'll experience it myself soon enough. No need to anticipate what probably won't happen...yet, I hear a lot of people who can't wait to tell me what they think is "the worst." I can't see how this is helpful, but it surely does produce needless anxiety.

Every day that I go up to my cluttered, sunny 3rd floor lair makes me happy. I am trying to clean up, really I am, simply because I'd feel embarrassed if anyone had to maneuver around here right now but me.

What I am hoping is that the visiting person who ends up staying in this room appreciates all the fibery books and supplies on hand. Imagine all that reading material... I'd love to be put up in someone else's studio--but in the meanwhile...

If you get an email from me in the next few weeks, please keep hoping it comes from up here. You know, from my sunny 3rd floor retreat, where Harry the dog usually sleeps on the futon next to me. I hear one can do email and write/edit on bedrest, but I'd really rather not find out!

meetings?

I am at home today, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. In fact, I am really excited about not going anywhere at all. On Monday, I was supposed to have a work meeting. It got cancelled. I was so relieved...turns out that teaching spinning while pregnant with twins is more work than I'd expected and I needed an entire day to recuperate.

On Tuesday, I had a meeting with the buyer of the Winnipeg Art Gallery Shop. I love this shop and several people had suggested that I see if my handwoven rugs would possibly be something they would be interested in stocking. The short answer is no--they don't have room for it, and tend towards chenille handwoven scarves and painted silk ones. While these are nice things, my scarves are all, umm, warmer, made from natural fibers and planned with actual use in our cold climate. So, even my wool/silk/mohair/pygora scarves were not appropriate for them at this time...they seem to like stocking the floaty impractical ones instead. That's ok though, if they are looking towards spring, good luck to them! (spring is a long way off here!)

All this said, it was a fine experience because the buyer treated me with respect and was a real professional. I never felt like I did bad work or that my rugs weren't worthy. "Not enough room for things this size" was an ok outcome. I could live with that and maintain my self-esteem. Good. I still have a lot of 2 foot by 3 foot handwoven rugs on hand, but someday, I'll manage to sell them or give them away...I hope.

Afterwards, I got to go see my friend Margaret (who organized the spinning class) and who works at the Cornish Library. The Cornish Library was built in 1914 and has just the right mixture of old library hush, good organization, and friendliness. I was over the rejection quickly.

Yesterday I had a business meeting for a freelance editing opportunity. It was downtown in a building with 24 floors. I had to park on the street, negotiate some icy/melty sidewalks, and spend a good deal of time during the meeting worrying whether my 2 hour parking meter was up! It was also scheduled over the lunch hour (11-1:30) which wreaked havoc on the pregnant-with-twins eating schedule, which is near constant, these days. (That is, when I am not having heartburn or throwing up, both of which also happened this week.) I was likely the most on-task person in that meeting, because between thinking about food, the bathroom, and whether my car would get towed, I wasn't in the mood for small talk! Turns out I don't like meetings as much as I used to.

All this coincided with reading When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy, 3rd Edition--well, I don't know that I had the 3rd edition, but reading an earlier edition from the library still worried me. Apparently I should be eating and resting a whole lot more than I am doing right now. If I do enough eating and enough resting, there is some chance that my future offspring might be born at a good birthweight and maybe, just maybe, not born too prematurely. This seemed sort of important information that no one has told me at the doctor's and I'm trying to take the advice to heart.

So, I am thoroughly enjoying a whole day at home. I am trying to keep my feet up. I'm off to eat again...and I'm going to try to take this seriously.

Good thing that I can do editing while sitting down...babies also need a roof over their heads, and our ice dam experience means we likely need a lot of insulation and a new roof this spring.

That's the news from here! Hope you're well and considering putting your feet up too...

spindle secrets

1. Ice dams seem to be under control for now. Demolition of our 3rd floor bathroom plaster was successful--we now have an entire wall that is covered with insulation and plastic/taping. It isn't pretty but the plumbing all works, so that is fine for the present time... our second floor bedroom still has an enormous hole in the ceiling and will have that until the spring melt. I have been knocked for a loop by all this weird unexpected house renovation. That said, we're now working on roof estimates so if you have a roofing company recommendation in Winnipeg that does insulation too, let me know, please!

2. My spinning class on Sunday went very well. I'm very tired out --shlepping around twin fetuses while teaching is a lot of work, it seems--
but there are 10 new spinners in the world! Hurray!

3. Geri asks:

What are the specifics of the spindles you're assembling for your class? Are the whorls readily available from a home centre? Does the hole in them readily fit a particular dowel size? What is the size of the dowel (spindle)? I'd love to learn the specifics if you don't mind sharing.

---
Well, the short version is that there are some very basic "making a spindle" instructions in practically every how-to spindle book. There are even instructions in my book, Fiber Gathering.

The basic information is: you need a weight and a stick. Here are some other great books that have illustrations or information on how to make/use a spindle:
Spindle Spinning: From Novice to Expert

Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool

Spinning in the Old Way: How (and Why) To Make Your Own Yarn With A High-Whorl Handspindle

Productive Spindling

I strongly encourage anyone who is even remotely interested in spindling to check out some of these extremely useful books. There are also many wonderful resources online and at your local spinning store/guild/friend's house/spinning class.

Now, some of you are wondering why I'm not revealing all the exact details of these spindles. Well, first I'd refer you to this post. One summary on this end is--I sometimes get paid to teach people how to spin. I've been spinning about 25 years, and I spend a lot of time learning and thinking about it. I don't think any of the information is top secret. I am also certainly not the only one who knows how to spin out there!! However, I also am sure you will understand when I say that I don't need to help you re-invent the wheel (err, spindle) either. There's lots of information out there...seek and ye shall find.

Even if I did want to write a "recipe" for how to make a spindle and give it away for free, I'm afraid it wouldn't work. Everyone lives near a different hardware store. Some folks sell dowels or sticks in metric and some don't. Some people use whorls that aren't toy wheels and some use other kinds of weights. Oh--and I don't always use the same size dowel and whorl. I buy what's available and I teach people to spin on many different types of spindles with different weights and sizes. I don't always make/teach the same thing because there isn't just one way to make a spindle or spin. I'm flexible about it.

Thankfully, all these spindles will work. If they didn't, humans wouldn't exist--we humans would all have frozen to death, naked without textiles, thousands of years ago!!

I know some one out there will think I'm purposely withholding vital information here, and that's not my intention. I just don't have the time/mental energy/desire to create a pattern/design/recipe for this that I can then have edited, formatted and sell efficiently online right now. I also can't afford to always do this kind of thing for free. However, I can point you in the right direction towards making your own, and I hope this post is a good first step.

Congratulations to the 10 new spinners in Manitoba! I am so excited to welcome you to the world of spinning!!