Gift

Hello Petals, and greetings from the other side of yesterday’s long, dark teatime of the soul. I don’t know if it’s the rest, ice, baths, massage, chiropractic, physiotherapy, drugs, whiskey, homeopathy or donations that helped, but today I feel hopeful and optimistic, and my arse and I have resumed speaking terms. It still doesn’t feel great, but it feels better, that much is sure, and last night I slept the whole night through. It took a lot of pillows, but when I woke up I felt like maybe things are improving for sure. (I will not be getting on my bike until Sunday to be sure, and I’m going to keep doing all the things I’m doing. One of them is working.) I also had a rather fantastic snuggle with Elliot this morning, and the healing impact of his glorious cheeks cannot possibly be understated.  He is the most delicious chunk. Fat and happy, and slept the whole hour his mother was in the dentist, while I walked him up to the drugstore and back, and then, wonder of wonders,  resisted the urge to scream in the car. (This is his favourite trick. He resents the carseat and all that it is, and generally acts like he’s experiencing death by a thousand cuts all the way wherever he’s going, then brightens right up the minute he’s free of it – though a minute before you would have sworn he was starving or had mere minutes to live. It’s really not hard to tell he comes from a cycling family.)

elliotsling 2017-07-26

Also, a minor fibre miracle.  The other day, tidying a basket I keep spinning things in, one tucked way back in the cupboard, I found two bobbins of camel/silk singles.

twospindles 2017-07-26

I pulled them out and for a minute, couldn’t even remember spinning them, but then it came back to me. They’re spindle spun, wound onto the bobbins to empty the spindle each time it filled, and I spun them at least ten years ago. Ten years! (Let us gloss over entirely what it means to my housekeeping skills that I can lose things for ten years in a tiny house.) My wheel was still right there, oiled and clean, and so I popped them onto my Kate (I refuse to call it a lazy kate. I has a sexist ring to it. Why is it always a lazy woman? Lazy Susan, Lazy Kate… how come nothing is called a Lazy Gary?) A little while later I had the most delicious tiny skein of laceweight camel/silk. Just a weensie 210m, but still, it’s delicious, and when I told Joe what I’d found and done, I realized that his conversion to Fiber-support-spouse is complete. “Wow honey” he said, “That’s like finding $50 in your winter coat pocket when you put it on in the Fall.”

cameldone 2017-07-26

That’s it exactly.

Karmic Balancing gifts? Let’s do them until I run out of time. Tonight is our last Steering Committee meeting for the Rally, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to say that. It turns out that my dedication does know bounds, and it’s meetings. Only because I can knit at them is this all  possible.

First up, Gauge Dye Works has two beautiful skeins for Virgina Y. One skein of classic sock, one shawl. (Man, Catherine who runs that place is so clever. That’s the yarn my most recent pair of socks were knit from.)

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Tia has three skeins of Shibui Knits sock weight yarn in 50’s Kitchen (I love that, it’s the colours of my kitchen!) that she’ll be sending to Susan G.

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The lovely Suzanne Visch is donating the pattern of their choice to five lucky knitters. (Lucky is right, what gorgeous things!)  Congratulations to Nichole B, Heather K, Mary Jo M, Anisa S, Jennifer W, and Susan D.

Suzannepatterns 2017-07-26

By the way, yesterday’s yarn went happily to the highest bidder, who asked only two things. That I not mention their name, and that the yarn not go to her, but to someone new to knitting who would adore it, and be inspired by it. I love that idea, and I know just the knitter. Thanks to everyone who bid, it was charming, flattering and made the world a better place for people who need help. You guys are amazing.

More tomorrow – It’s a desk day.  Thank you all for everything, you’re my favourite.

 

53 thoughts on “Gift

  1. My niece also had a visceral loathing of car seats from infancy through the well-past-toddler years. How my sister didn’t suffer hearing loss is a miracle.

    And yeah, her family are hiking people.

  2. What a lovely Karmic gift from the highest bidder – it went from being a Control Your Karma to a Karmic Balancing gift anyway! 😀

  3. Never underestimate the healing power of holding a baby!

    And to the winner of the handspun from yesterday….you made it really dusty in my house…. so dusty my eyes are watering! Thank you, I needed to hear about something like that. Restores my faith in humanity!

  4. We’re not your fav – family first – but we’re all rooting for you. Good luck on your expedition. Stay strong and stay safe.

  5. I see that you’ve once again surpassed your fund raising goal-go you! It looks like almost everyone else on the team is either there or so so close-so I just want to encourage everyone who is still going to contribute to give some love to Pato! Let’s all get him over the hump.

  6. Hmm can the dental visit be accomplished by transit to avoid the streetcar then?
    Soon a bike! Maybe one of those big Danish cargo bikes with the kid seat in front.
    So glad to see you hit the $40,000 goal today.
    Your team is stellar!
    best wishes for as smooth a ride as possible

  7. Oh Thank you, thank you! I don’t know if I’m more excited about the yarn or to see my name on your blog! So, so glad that you’re beginning to recover. I think it must be your good and generous karma coming back to you. Here are big virtual hugs from me!

  8. Babies are awesome..simply awesome! Even after they are grown, they are always our babies. No getting away from it.
    Your body is telling you to take care. Obey Steph!

    bjr

  9. That little guy, hmm i think i want a cuddle. He is so cute and youre right the perfect medicine to heal your pain!

  10. I was so glad to read today of your decreasing pain and elevated mood. Here’s hoping to a continued healing spell and quickest rally ever so you can return to grandmothering to your hearts content (until work interrupts). Don’t forget the pictures.

  11. My lovely son (currently an incredibly stubborn threenager making us crazy) also screamed his bloody head off in the car, until we found one major fix. A free white noise app on the phone. Turn that on (to true white noise, not fan or rain) and tuck it in the seat beside him and glorious silence 90% of the time. Of course then you have to hear the hiss of the white noise, but I found it far more desirable than a screaming baby.

    We also used MAM brand soothers with him (my dentist dad recommended them as being the least interfering orthodontically), because as much as I was OK with cluster feeding one can’t breastfeed in a moving vehicle or when mommy is desperately trying to ward off starvation and dehydration from a ravenous baby.

    The 5 S’s from “Happiest Baby on the Block” saved us from severe PPD (I already had mild to moderate) and sobbing and desperation. Suck, Swaddle, Side, Swing, SHH. That book is always either my gift or at least top recommendation to all new parents, as well as a pack of 0-3 month MAM soothers and at least one muslin swaddling blanket.

  12. I just want to echo the other voices here: a) That is one beautiful baby, and b) I’m so relieved that you’re doing better today. Onwards and upwards!

  13. Maybe because a lazy woman is so unusual as to need to be pointed out and commented on, while whoever it is that makes up such labels found that a lazy man was, I don’t know, redundant??!? Just speculating here…

  14. “Lazy Gary”…snork! Awesome.

    Could Elliot be any cuter?!?! I just cuddled my day-old niece for the first time this afternoon, and am still on cloud nine. Babies are just the most precious things.

    Happy healing Steph. You’re in our thoughts and prayers. (On that, given you’re not into religious spirituality, I’d be really interested to know, one day, how you feel about people praying for you. I never want to be invasive, but I am a pray-er for all sorts of people and situations, so it’s something I tend to do often for others. Just wondering…) Happy resting and recuperating.

    • I can’t speak for Stephanie, obviously, but if someone else’s non-religious perspective is of any use/interest to you, I can tell you that any time anyone tells me they’re praying for me, I appreciate it in the spirit that it’s offered. Whether or not *I* think it means anything, the person doing the praying believes that it does, and *that* means something to me.

      And now I also hope that doesn’t sound condescending. It’s not meant to be. 🙂

    • I agree with Brenda below, I am not at all offended or bothered by someone praying for me. I think it’s a lovely thought, in keeping with their own beliefs, and I’m glad they think enough of me to hold me in their hearts. I never knew anyone who was hurt by well wishes, and the best of hopes. Thank you!

      • how lovely that you 3 can have a discussion of sorts about religion and nobody gets annoyed, hurt or nose out of joint, to quote my Mum. I find this in my knit group as well….knitters are nice people.

    • I just relinquished possession of my 15-month-old grandson, Oscar, who makes his Meemaw feel every one of her 65 years once a week but also takes away all my aches and pains while he’s here and erases forever any bad mood hovering in the wings. The absolute best part was when he woke a bit early from his nap, I picked him up, snuggled him on my shoulder, and he slept another 15 minutes. Prime. Time.

      Bindy, you can pray for me anytime you feel like it. I’m with Steph, the more positive thoughts coming my way, the better.

      HeleninBoise, you’re so right about knitters.

  15. Glad you and your arse are on speaking terms 🙂 I hope the recovery continues apace..

    What a lovely thing that the highest bidder did, truly in the spirit of the whole thing.

  16. Elliot is just too dear for words! Sigh!

    My own fiber-support-spouse (and he’s a weaver!) says to tell you that he sees nothing unusual about finding 10-year-old yarn in the spinning basket. Which probably tells you something…

  17. I could live on those cheeks! My kiddo has sadly lost all the baby fat in her face, and I really miss the baby cheeks (though she still has pretty cute cheeks on the other end, if you know what I mean). Love the yarn — though I’m amazed you could have misplaced those singles for a decade and not had any issues with them when you found them again!

  18. So happy to hear that you’re healing – all those prayers, positive vibrations, and sheer love from your blog folk must be helping too. Keep up the good work on your end (no pun intended, though I giggled when I wrote that). Elliot is so sweet, thank you for sharing him with us. I have a 4 year old grandson who is also the light of my life. I would tell you treasure every moment, but it is obvious you are doing so. Wishing you blessings abounding.

  19. Oh, but at least there is, here in the USA anyway, the “Lazy Boy Recliner”. It’s been around for so long that, like tissue being called “Kleenex” a recliner is often called a “lazy boy”. So at least there is that……

  20. Hmmm, sitting here wondering if I’m the only Jennifer W. No matter, the story of the handspun gave me a flutter of loveliness. So nice to read about kindness.

  21. Is it possible that Elliot is suffering from motion sickness? My friend’s daughter was always inconsolable in the car as an infant. Once she was verbal, they discovered that she felt nauseous every time they went somewhere in the car.

  22. I wonder, just wonder, how many of your readers recognize the reference to the “long dark tea-time of the soul.”? SUCH a fun read! I wonder if Dirk Gently (or Douglas Adams for that matter) were closet knitters?

  23. Why is it called a “Lazy Kate”? Kate came up with a way to keep her bobbins from rolling away. Kate was smart, not lazy. Same goes for Susan. Who wants to constantly be pulling crap out of a cupboard to reach the back? Susan was a problem solver!

  24. I hope he doesn’t fuss in the car as long as my daughter did. She did that until she was about 3.

    She was 13 months old when we flew to the states from Germany where she was born. She screamed the entire 9 hours we were in the air. I walked up and down the plane for most of the flight. Trying to comfort her.

    It wasn’t car seats as we didn’t have them for babies that small.

    {{{{Hugs}}}} I hope he outgrows it sooner then she did.

  25. I hope he doesn’t fuss in the car as long as my daughter did. She did that until she was about 3.

    She was 13 months old when we flew to the states from Germany where she was born. She screamed the entire 9 hours we were in the air. I walked up and down the plane for most of the flight. Trying to comfort her.

    It wasn’t the car seats as we didn’t have them for babies that small.

    {{{{Hugs}}}} I hope he outgrows it sooner then she did.

    Meanwhile her daddy and older brother slept most of the flight.

  26. Ha! Great response Joe!
    Is that the next book? How to be fibre supportive?
    Unearthing camel/silk that needed a decade of rest can only mean good things!

  27. Oh, man, that’s great, what the highest bidder on your handspun did. Now I feel better about losing out on it, I would’ve kept it all for myself 🙂

    Also, yay baby picture! And yay baby time!

  28. It’s official: Joe is a spouse of spouses, a veritable God of the spinning-knitting-fibre arts universe. Imagine someone totally “getting” the gem you found – amazing. My kids do – but I raised them so no wonder. Hope it isn’t wasted on non-knitters/spinners.

  29. Here’s sending good healing thoughts your way as you ride!

    I love what the handspun winner did. That’s lovely, and such a perfect gift for a new knitter! 🙂

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