Post in Three Parts

We are here at the lake for eleven days, and the plan was that Elliot was here with his mum and dad for the first week, and then off they’d go home (Alex has to work) and then the pace of things here would dramatically drop off. It would be me and Joe, Ken, Amanda and Joe’s mum and dad, and all of those people are considerably more amenable to me sitting down with my laptop or plowing through knitting, and each of them is able to swim in the lake without my direct help. In short, I thought getting to my computer for the first bit would be hard, but then it would be easy, and instead Meg decided to stay with Elliot, and just Alex went home and we are so delighted to have them both here a little longer, but the idea that these few days would be easy going has evaporated.

Today it’s raining and grim, and nobody is in the lake lest they be hit by lightning (that is actually a thing) and Joe and Ken (Poppy and Poppa) have Elliot off playing foozball, and I’ve got a few minutes to catch up here, and in the new spirit of trying to blog – here I am. I figure we’ve got a few minutes before it all goes sideways, but that’s still enough to tell you about a bit of knitting.

(Whoops. Wrong. The sun came out and it was suddenly a gorgeous day and I went for a quick dip and then Ken was going for a kayak and I went with him, and then I was coming back up but Amanda was ready to swim, and then I was absolutely coming up, but Megan came down with Elliot and then I took him in swimming – and then suddenly it was time to get supper on. Sorry about that.)

When I left to drive up here (about four hours north of Toronto, on the edge of Killarney, for anyone who’s into parks) I imagined tons of knitting time, a wild rumpus of knitting. Hours stretching into days of knitting. I packed a partial sweater to finish, a pair of socks that only had one done, another pair of socks where the first wasn’t even finished, a whole  sweater for Ken that wasn’t even a swatch yet, and then panicked as I imagined these hours of knitting and tossed in an insurance skein. The astute among you will note that this means I intended to (while cooking for 9 people three times a day, and doing my fair share of childcare) knit at least one thing a day. Obviously, this was bananas. Completely insane. I am a fast knitter but even I cannot get knitting done without knitting time, and despite decades of effort, remain unable to knit in my sleep.

Still, in between birthday parties delayed until we could be together, and rounds of champagne, games of “Guess Who” and swims in the lake and long paddles with Ellie tucked in the front of my kayak… I did manage to finish one thing, and start another. Voila, my Simple Summer Sweater.

Yarn is Rowan Cotton Cashmere, and I love it.

The idea of a summer sweater cracked me up – cotton or not, I simply cannot put the words “summer” and “sweater together. It’s more than 30 degrees in those pictures – Meg and I waited until sunset to keep them so it would be a bit cooler and I am still roasting in it.  The weather is set to turn in the evenings the next few days, so I know it will get loads of use eventually.

(Whoops again, dammit.  I was going to finish this post last night, but oh we had a lovely supper. A huge storm blew though with a tornado watch (no warning, don’t panic) and everything. We sat here, eating our suppers and watching a fierce thunderstorm roll in across the lake and batter the windows, and as we finished the storm ended, and minutes later we had a clear sky and a lovely sunset.  We knit and chatted into the evening and I didn’t finish this post. Sorry.)

Obviously I’m not going to get through a million projects while I’m here. Obviously I’m not going to post a thousand times. I have gotten as far as starting Ken’s sweater (Oshima for Him, which I seriously believed I’d finish on this trip, but it’s going a little slowly.

I’ve missed these people so much, and to have them all back with me makes it hard to say no to anything.

66 thoughts on “Post in Three Parts

  1. It’s much more important to spend time with your much missed loved ones than anything else. My grandsons turned 15 recently and the time has flown by. I do not regret one moment spent on adventures with them and making memories. The time has come into focus over the last year and a half and I didn’t realize how important this was until now. Hug that little fellow every chance you have.

  2. Lovely to hear about you and those you love, however you manage. Love to hear how much you are enjoying being with them. Be there and heal, knitting will wait – it’s good at that.

  3. Lovely to hear of your time together! I’m all for you going radio silent and spending every second soaking up your time together.

  4. As always, I love the knitting project optimism (Or preparation for Armageddon, could go either way.) We also are preparing for a camping trip and I have a year’s worth of knitting ready to go. You know, in case we get stuck on the side of the road. For 8 months.
    Love love love seeing some of the family back together and that you’re able to soak it all in.

  5. So good to see people all together! Knitting is supposed to be fun, and if something else is funner for a while, then it is. I always have a bit of a challenge in times of big togetherness, to find some space to rest and regroup (introvert) when I don’t want to miss anything either.

  6. Also fyi, my captcha said to click the music note, but the only thing musical was a treble clef sign. This will bother me for a while, but I clicked it anyway.

  7. People are so important to all of us right now – even us introverts! Love these little glimpses into your lake vacation. Just keep adding bits and pieces and post when you can. You are one of the people we miss, you do know that, right?

  8. The format of this post spoke to me almost more than the topics covered (almost). Three small kids and a dog mean all my thoughts and conversations are co ducted in multiple parts.

  9. With all that going on, I’m amazed you got your sweater done! (It looks great, BTW.). If the other one is easy to do a few stitches at a time, save the socks for knitting in the car, work on the sweater during Elliot’s naps, and enjoy your time with the family. (A belated happy b-day to the b-day girls, too.)

  10. Blogging should take lower priority than enjoying the time with family and friends, especially after being shut off from them for so much of the last year. It’s so much easier to sneak in a bit of knitting than it is to sit down and gather thoughts to write a somewhat coherent blog post. At least I think so? I’m not a knitter (still) though so I may not know what I’m talking about on that.

    I love me a good cotton summer sweater! It’s freaky how often I find myself freezing in air conditioned places.

  11. I’m with all the above – we know that blogging must take 2nd (or even 3rd) place behind being with those you love especially after this long haul without them. Thank you for taking some time to do this – we appreciate it and you.
    Cherish your time with them. (I know you do, just reinforcing!)

    I’m always amazed at the lovely things you produce – your sweater is wonderful and I’ve added that pattern to my list also. I’m a real sweater girl!

    Wishing you many blessings on this trip and safe returns home for all.

  12. Being with loved ones after all this time away, should be number one ahead of The Blog and even knitting (gasp) .Love the new sweater! Ken’s sweater colour is gorgous! Knit on! Hug your loved ones!

  13. I’ve trotted all over Ontario and Quebec this summer with two skeins of sock yarn and DPNs in my carry all bag. Not a stitch…..
    So don’t feel bad.

  14. Glad you got away. I’m jealous (in a good way) and happy for anyone that gets out of the city (or just away from their norm) right now. Hubby and I have not gotten away from the humdrum of this pandemic life, and have worked the whole way through (not from home) and its wearing on us to not get a break for sure! Maybe later this fall….

  15. Looks like a fabulous location and trip with loved ones. It’s great to “hear from you” in any format at all!
    Thanks for including us in lovely views and good times.

  16. Beautiful family, beautiful sweater, beautiful lake view. You were well overdue for this special time. Enjoy! You can always write about it later, when it’s a gray and rainy day at home.

  17. Isn’t it astonishing how this whole Thing has reorganized our priorities??!? Not that the truly important things weren’t important before, but…we always figured there would be more time, a next time, a see-them, do-that-tomorrow option.

    NOW we’ve been squarely challenged to really recognize what’s important, to give it space and time to really happen, to really be savoured…even if that means that other things need to wait, possibly even forever…

    Enjoy your Important Things, Stephanie: we’ll allll be here when you do find time for Us! If your great loves–the precious people in your life–were not as big a deal to you as they are, I can guarantee you that we’d be much less passionately committed to following along with you, even when we wish for more cake in the form of posts!!! =)

  18. Blogging, and all things electronic should stop at the Lake, Sea, Camp . . . this is time you will never get back so enjoy it & call us later.

  19. I am so glad for you and your loves that you are able to be together again I’m looking forward to a time when these gatherings are simpler and safer all the time. The sweater looks fabulous and the lake and pie and cake all look delicious! A blog in parts is a lovely reminder that we should all be saying ‘Yes’ to joy whenever the opportunity arises.
    Cheers!
    Aly

  20. Lovely post, as always. And you have it exactly right – say ‘yes’ to everything (and if you can came along later and share it with us, we’ll be here).

  21. You being surrounded by your people is likely as good for your mental health as hours of knitting, particularly after so long apart. Drink it in 🙂

  22. If only one could knit in their sleep!
    My grandmother crocheted in her sleep-she would catnap frequently throughout her day and obvs crocheted the same pattern repeatedly from memory (stacks of baby blankets while in the recliner, baby jackets at the dining room table and baby booties on the couch under the good lamp). When she would nod off in the recliner, those next rows would go slowly but surely. Whether she was truly asleep or crocheting with her eyes closed, she was convincing.
    What a glorious getaway-and how fun for Ken’s mom to get to join her bonus family-and 2 birthdays complete with cakes at the lake cabin! You’re a marvel Stephanie!

  23. PS-the Summer Sweater? Lovely-bet it’s a dream against the skin. Perhaps it’s named that because it makes you wish for warmer temps while you wear it midwinter.

  24. After all this time, you should say YES to everyone in your family. We can and will wait. Enjoy the lake and the family all you can …… really, knitting can wait too. You’ll have oodles of time when you get home, right?

  25. You’ve missed them, we’ve missed you (and by extension them) and a lovely long segmented list keeps us posted. Well done.

  26. Well, given my mixed feelings about cooking, were it I, I’d have a dinner time meal prep rotation going. Seven adults bring food for their individual rotations and I’m exposed to the tastes of six others, whatever it is, and I’d get some guilt free time. It goes without saying that whomever cooks doesn’t clean up. As for the kayaking, swimming, communing time — yay! Beautiful landscape, lovely family pictures, and the sweater is fabulous!

  27. Oh absolutely – being together is what matters – not blogging – much as we love hearing from you. Being together is what matters – end of story!!! (As Louis would say)

  28. Yes, family is Everything. Agree with it all. Love that sweater. Fits you so well and the stripes are perfect. I think of you as an Autumn but blue seems to belong to everyone.

  29. So love hearing about all the wonderful things you can do with your loved ones again.

    I have to tell you: you look absolutely fabulous! I think you become more beautiful every year.

    And blue becomes you.

  30. I know we knitters get disappointed when we plan a vacation and think we’re going to get a ton of knitting done and then don’t, but I think that time got spent on something much more important — spending quality time with the people you love.

  31. Oh Steph, this was lovely. I’m so glad you’re having such a wonderful time – this post was like a lovely hug from your getaway. All my love to you and your family!

  32. Thanks for taking us on vacation with you. What a beautiful spot and the smiles on your family’s faces are heartwarming.
    Winter is whirling our way and there will be plenty of time for knitting then. Seize the day. Enjoy these waning days of summer with the people you love

  33. Glad that you are having a fantastic time. Finally able to get together with the whole gang (hope no one was missing). Enjoy the time and the knitting will happen in due course. Have fun and stay safe.

  34. Thanks for the post! So glad you’re getting to love on your people. We’ve had a death in the family (cancer, not Covid) which cements the importance of being with those you love as much as possible. Enjoy!

  35. Envious, in a good way though. Sounds like the perfect blissful vacation. All the interruptions are of the excellent kind of “time wasting” Waste away.

  36. Being with your people is the most important thing. Love the picture of Meg and the dinosaur background to Ken’s sweater.

    I knitted two of the Little Cotton Rabbits for my grandchildren and have get busy with additions to their wardrobe. It’s been a very scattered 18 months.

    Take care!

  37. Lovely post! A story of embracing all that is good, with a bright thread of yarn running through it. <3

  38. I love, love your posts. It’s the first blog I look for and I’m so glad you are writing. That summer sweater is gorgeous! Glad you are with your people.

  39. Dh & I finally got to visit with oldest son. Reason for visit was to take us to a Dr appointment in OKC (Oklahoma City). Haven’t seen him in over a year, wonderful to see him. He actually got to see &hold his new niece who is going to be 2yrs old in October. Pandemic sure has been hard on families, time with them is precious & hope you will have a wonderful time

  40. Knitting doesn’t spoil, rot or deteriorate if left on its own for a while. (well…we can talk about unmentionable flying creatures, but let’s not, shall we?).

    I enjoy reading about your family time so much I can only imagine how much more you enjoy living it. Enjoy.

    Blog isn’t going anywhere either. We will wait.

  41. If you’re on the big lake, you’re on my favorite lake in the world! I think on the piece of shoreline that is as far as possible from the piece I usually see. (On the Michigan side, about an hour north of Sarnia/Pt. Huron) Enjoy every minute of your family time and please use zero of your energy feeling bad about not blogging. It is so wonderful and precious to have time like that!

    We won’t forget you owe us a month (XP) but we’ll happily wait to collect. 🙂

  42. Love that sweater. Almost inspires me to take on a sweater project. I’ve knit so many red scarves for a hospital’s women’s heart program, I think I’ll take a break and do a sweater (for me). I already have a pattern I’ve had for ten years, and never started.Tomorrow the lys (sort of, only 35 miles away) opens at eleven.

  43. The thing about knitting is that it’s forgiving if you ignore it in favour of people….given what we’ve been through, take the people! Knitting can wait, but Elliott in a kayak absolutely cannot.

  44. It sounds as if you are having an absolutely fantastic time, even if you don’t get to knit as much as you planned to – congratulations to the “birthday kids”!

    The pullover looks so good on you! And Ken’s sweater has a really beautiful colour (the pattern is so gorgeous, maybe I can talk to my man to make him something like this).

  45. I love your summer sweater, and the lovely yarn you chose for Ken’s. The colour and texture are just delicious for his sweater!
    I am so happy to read your adventures! Thank you again.

  46. I am so very glad you’re getting to spend time with your family, and that you’re having such a lovely time. Enjoy it. It sounds blissful.

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