The One About Inori

Sorry I haven’t been logging in to post lately – I admit I’ve not been feeling the best for the past few days.

Chubbs went for his first immunisation on Monday and developed a fever. I stayed up that night making sure he didn’t overheat.

He’s fine now and sleeping soundly in his rocker at my feet.

I don’t know why but I don’t seem to be in high spirits these few days. Have not been knitting or spinning much. Worrying and thinking about various things in my life.

I did receive a lovely package from Lois early this week, which I must blog about later (and try to locate the stuff she sent for the kids around the house) and that cheered me up some.

Last night Chubbs didn’t settle well and was crying non stop at 5am. He was hungry but did the ‘latch on, pull off, latch on, pull off’ thing that he does when something’s bothering him.

Nad woke up and told me to go back to bed. He changed Chubbie’s diapers, re-swaddled him and, get this – lay him to sleep on his chest. All these even though he had to go to work in an hour’s time!

I felt so blessed and loved.

Things like these keep me going. Although I really think I need a break from the kids for a bit. Just for a day would be good. Might be wishful thinking though.

I can’t wait to start school in August. That few hours a day away from them would do more good and put things into perspective for me.

It’s not that I don’t love them – I do, with all my heart. But when you are with them 24 freaking 7, it’s a whole different story!

Hope to blog more soon. Will try knitting/spinning to relax.

Once I pry the needles out of Sunshine’s hands. Grrrr.

Last night……. I did this:

What is that, you ignorant good people ask?

It’s yarn! You dumb dumb.

Not just any yarn. It’s yarn spun by ME. ME ME ME and ME! Myself! Me!!!

I finally dragged out the spinning wheel we bought from eBay aeons ago. The only thing that was spinning on it was cobwebs. *Blush*.

It’s not easy, spinning yarn for the first time. Yours hands have different jobs. My left hand pinches the twist and my right hand drafts the fibre. Then your foot has to pedal. 3 limbs doing 3 different movements. Only one brain. That’s why spinning is best done by women.

The one you see in the 1st picture above is called ‘singles’. I divided the fibre into two and spun two bobbins of singles. Then I plyed them with an opposite twist to get the yarn showed above.

I think it’s pretty good for a beginner. Don’t you think? Very little slubs although some parts are overspun.

I hope to get better with practice!

Oh, I tore off the beginner parts:

Lots of slubs and overspun bits.

I’d rather have yarn that I can actually knit with than be stuck with slubby, unknitable yarn which I know I can’t bear to throw out since it’s my first handspun. And then it’ll be stuck in my stash and I will hate myself for it.

I’m thinking of knitting mittens for either Sunshine or Chubbs for when we visit the East Coast this July. I think there is only enough yardage for a pair of kiddie mittens.

Hmm, yet another hobby added to my list. I guess I have to sacrifice and ignore my kids, ignore housework, ignore husband, knit less……

Well… Veni, Vidi, Spinni.

(I came, I saw, I spun.)

Dear Son,

You HAVE to stop crying the whole day. Because mummy’s head is about to explode from your incessant crying.

And I have to try very hard for that not to happen.

Why?

Because I am going to end up being the one to clean up the brain matter from all over the house.

Love,

The woman who housed you for 9 freaking months in her tummy and suffered from nausea and backaches and gestational diabetes.

And here are the reasons:

- I want time to knit

- I want time to sew

- I want time to play my computer games

- I want to lose the flabs on my body but I can’t go to a gym or swimming pool because no one is able to take care of the kids.

- I spend a lot of time thinking about when they can feed themselves/ shit in the toilet and flush it down themselves/ help with housework/ shower on their own/ bring the dogs for walks/ work part time to pay for their college fees/ getajobmoveoutgetmarriedandleavemealonetoknit.

- I gave Sunshine oranges to play with while I shat. Yep. Real oranges. She even came into the bathroom, handed one orange to me and said, “Try?”…….No, Sunshine, one doesn’t try eating oranges while shitting. But thanks.

- Nad had to fix the computer today before he went to work so he didn’t cook dinner. He asked me to cook stew and I said okay. Just dump the chicken, carrots, potatoes and garlic into a pot and boil. Simple, right? Well, it became soup instead.

I spent the next half an hour trying to evaporate the extra water………

Yeah. I think I should be banned from the kitchen forever. Who in the world screws up an idiot proof stew??

I’m so going back to school.

We has a FO! (I know the English is not correct… I did it on purpose, ok?)

Name of project: My Mohair Lace Shawl (Anisette)

Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze

Needles: Knit picks 5.5mm and 6mm

Cast on date: 09 July 2008

Cast off date: 08 June 2009

Learned: Nothing.

Modifications: None

Mistakes: Plenty but not noticeable. So please don’t scrutinise.

I did not take a year to knit this. I casted it on a year ago and knitted 28 rows (the border). Then it went into hibernation. Until a few weeks before Chubbs’ birth, I dug it up to work on it again.

So I probably spent about 10 weeks or so on this shawl. Most people only take a week to 4 weeks to complete this. -___- I told you I am a slow knitter.

This is how it looks like, preblocked:

During blocking:

And of course, the final product….

Now you know the importance of blocking!

Kidsilk haze is sticky AND slippery at the same time – Go figure. And the only thing I don’t like about this yarn is that it flakes mohair all over and I sneeze lots while knitting with it.
Now that I wear it with black (best to show the stitches), my black shirt gets hair all over. Grr.

The pattern is ok. Pattern called for 2 balls of Kidsilk Haze but most people used more than 2. I used 2 and a half balls of it. I don’t know what to knit with the other 1.5 balls I have left.

Nad thinks it’s too big but I think the size is just right for me.

I’ve started on another shawl called the Luna Moth Shawl. Hope I knit it up quicker this time as I’m using a DK weight yarn. It’s cotton and milk fibre yarn and I love the feel of it although it can be a little splitty.

On an unrelated note, I dreamt last night that Nad refused to help me in sushi making class and I had to make Tamago (egg) sushi with bread instead of rice….. I refused to talk to him after that in the dream. I have weird dreams……….