finally

I think I've got a banner I'm happy with. Why, oh why, did the other ones I made keep coming out so frickin' huge??

Anyway, it's over now. I can get rid of the folder of picture attempts I had named "battle of the banner." No, I'm not kidding.

I forgot to put Newton in it, though . . . 

poem in your pocket day

Today is the last day of National Poetry Month, and Poem in Your Pocket Day. It is a day to share poetry with others, maybe those who would not ordinarily read it, in a variety of ways - not just poems in one's pockets (though I find that concept thoroughly charming).

I have to confess - I fall into that category of people who would not ordinarily read poetry. I certainly have read poetry, and I recognize its value, but for the most part . . . it isn't what speaks to me.

So what does speak to me? Don't worry; I am not going to rhapsodize about a perfectly elegant geometric proof or a deviously, deceptively simple physics problem - though those things have their charms as well. I think I am just more attracted to the visual. Color speaks to me, and form speaks to me - it's a big part of why I love knitting so much. I could have stayed at the Peabody Essex Museum for weeks when J and I went last November. During the fall I am simply a hazard on the road: a brilliant yellow tree against an equally brilliant blue sky and I kind of forget where I am.

So, in order to share a poem today, I am posting some of my favorite song lyrics. I like song lyrics a lot - perhaps the poems themselves do not readily give up their rhythms to me, but if you show me those rhythms, I can get it. Even now, the words look a little flat on the page to me, if I'm being honest. But I will share them, and I hope the rhythms come through for you. This song is called "The Dumps," and it's by my current obsession, Elvis Perkins.

And yes, I realize sharing song lyrics would be so much more authentic if I passed them to you in a note in French class, but I'll work with what I've got. :)

The Dumps

The heavens are smiling upon us

The great, white, toothless grin of the newborn and the dying here among us

We are starting the living again

You have stopped your shivering

You won't go to the lake in the mirror again

The sea stops tonight and all her little children are hanging tight

As I have stopped my moon-walking, glad to say

It's oh so tired, and so am I, of stalking yesterday

The past will rust in peace

It's been one lousy couple of months, but now we are coming out of the dumps

And everything is calling our names, though the sunshine units are here to stay

Like Adam makes small talk with Eve on their six-month anniversary

They will go home in separate cars

Yes, they will sleep under separate stars

As the heavens are smiling upon us

The ghost white, shit-eating grin of the newborn and the dying here among us

We are starting the living again

insert spinning pun here

I completely fail at being monogamous. In craft, I mean - sorry, no salacious confessions forthcoming here. I have been trying, really I have, to commit to Reese's sweater, but the endless stockinette just puts me to sleep. Literally, sometimes. 

So I've cheated. I've played around with felt and embroidery, which has been a lot of fun. Some of the results of that are in the shop, and some of it ended up as gifts. I've especially liked cutting up cashmere sweaters and turning them into scarves:

I've also gotten back behind the wheel, so to speak. I started working on this merino top forever ago. The original plan was to spin half the singles on the wheel and the other half on a drop spindle, then ply them together, the intent being to keep from forgetting how to use the drop spindle, I suppose. What I did forget, apparently, is that drop spindling is a slow process. After over a year of spinning a little at a time on the spindle, with the pile of fiber not getting appreciably smaller (or so it seemed), I gave up. I am, perhaps, a slow learner. I finished it all on the wheel and oh boy is it pretty and squishtastic.

I'm debating putting it in the shop; I have no idea what I'd ever use it for. But I might have trouble giving it up. 

Having launched a bit of a spinning kick, I've started this too:

That's a 50/50 soy wool blend that's also been marinating in the stash quite a while. I'm trying to end up with chunky singles, though I'm not great at that. I like this fiber a lot, though. It's very soft, and a little shiny. I can certainly see why the soy fiber is sometimes called "soysilk." Mmm.

Oh, and one last thing! I have somehow ended up with two copies of At Knit's End by the esteemed Yarn Harlot. If there is any knitter left who does not have a copy of this book (!), leave a comment and it could be yours!

proof that coordination (or lack thereof) is hereditary

J, aged about 14, is riding his bike down the street. He sees a friend from school, waves, and . . . rides his bike into a parked car.

Sam, aged 11, is riding his bike down the street. He aims for the driveway, misses, and . . . rides his bike into the neighbor's hedge.

the scribbler

I'm writing a real post, honest. It's taking me forever; lately I've had the attention span of a gnat.

But in the meantime, I found this, and it's neat, and I wanted to share.

I'll be back soon, honest.

good karma?

I must have done something good. That's the only explanation, really, for the shower of good fortune that came my way this week.

On Thursday, I picked up the kids from school and came home to find a package. (Is there anything more exciting than an unexpected package?) Inside was a lovely belated birthday present from Amy. Look!

That's Paca Peds alpaca blend sock yarn, and a project bag she sewed herself. Squee, handmade gifts! It's gorgeous, right? Look at that color; I think it might be glowing. Seriously, look again.

I was so happy my children must have feared for my sanity. I kept saying, "People from the internet are so nice!" To which Sam dryly replied, "Well, Mom, not all of them."

And! Later that same day, J came home with another unexpected present - a Wii fit! It is seriously fun, even if it tells me my "Wii fit age" is 17 years older than my actual age, because my balance is so bad. I kick ass at the hula hoops, though.

And! The next day, J and I had planned a hooky day together. I arranged for Jane to go to her daycare an extra day, and J took the day off from work. It was so nice. We didn't plan anything big; there's not too much you can do when you've only got until early afternoon. We just stayed home and hung out. He also took me out for Indian food, which was especially nice, as he doesn't even really like Indian food.

And! Amy's gift was particularly fortuitous because I finished a pair of socks this week! Socks are my keep-in-my-purse knitting, so it takes me a while to finish a pair. I think these might be my new favorites.

They're quite simple, two-row striping socks. I had this Ty-Dy sock yarn with nice long color repeats, and I was inspired by that Noro scarf that's all over the place, so I just knit from both ends of the ball. I like that they are fraternal twins, and I don't even mind that spot where both ends were green for a long time. Bonus - there's easily enough left for another pair of socks.

And! Yesterday was freaking gorgeous outside! Okay, that probably has nothing to do with my karma, and actually I was at work most of the day, but spring is always good news.

And! Reese made me a fantastic picture.

With a note. :)

Q & A with the kids

I’ve been meaning to post about Sam’s birthday party all week (and into this week, too, come to think of it.) Because important things like birthday parties require blog posts, right? Well, a week’s worth of stuff has gotten in the way, and though I’ve guiltily looked at this blog every day (I’ve got it as my homepage), I haven’t written anything. Let’s just say the party was a lot of fun. For Sam. For me, it was a lot of hey guys we need to stay over here in our yard put down that stick no that’s the neighbor’s yard watch out for the little ones holy crap they devoured the entire cake SERIOUSLY THAT IS NOT OUR YARD. But, you know, fun too.

Anyway, there’s nothing like a completely adorable post to make you want to blog again. I loved this interview Amy did with her boys, and I immediately got the kids together to see just what might come out of their mouths. Mostly I asked Sam and Reese, but Jane answered when she had something to say. For context: Jane is nearly three, Reese is eight, and Sam just turned eleven.

1. What does your mom always say to you?
S: Come and give me a kiss.
R: Put away your stuff.
J: I love you.

2. What makes mom happy?
S: Kissing her.
R: Kisses.
J: Thank you.

3. What makes mom sad?
S: Us fighting.
R: Dad cursing.

4. What does your mom do that makes you laugh?
S: A lot of things.
R: Acts like a weirdo.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
S: She watched movies with her friends and her sister.
R: She acted like a weirdo and did chores.

6. How old is your mom?
S: Are you 30 or 29?
R: 30.
J: 3.
(I think Sam was just trying to be nice.)

7. How tall is your mom?
S: I think you’re about 5ft 2in.
R: No, 5ft 4in.
J: Big.
(FYI - I'm 5'6". They were pretty close.)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
S: Tell us to go do chores. Or knit.
R: Blog.
J: Play with me.

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
S: Posts on twitter, works, and buys food.
R: Probably teaches kids.
J: Lost.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
S: Knitting.
R: Acting like a movie star.

11. What is your mom really good at?
S: Teaching or knitting.
R: Knitting! And being a weirdo. (Here he added, “I’m sorry, am I using weirdo too much?”)
J: Jane.

12. What is your mom NOT very good at?
S: Being cool. (Hey!)
R: Playing Wii baseball. (Okay, he's got me there.)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
S: Works at Sylvan. She’s almost the boss.
R: Teaches at Sylvan.

14. What is your mom’s favorite food?
S: Chocolate.
R: Anything that Dad cooks.
J: Dinner.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
S: That she’s my mom.
R: Because you act like a weirdo.
(Yes, Reese, you're using weirdo too much.)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
S: The girlfriend that people fight to marry.
R: Popeye.

17. What do you and your mom like to do together?
S: Play games and do crafts and science experiments.
R: Play games.
J: Fart.
(I think Jane was trying to make her brothers laugh here. It worked.)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
S: We both think the same thing a lot of the time.
R: We’re both weirdos.
(Sam's right on this one - we are very much on the same wavelength, he and I.)

19. How are you and your mom different?
S: I like rock and alternative music, and you like folk and podcasts.
R: I like Legos and you don’t.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
S: She always tells me to come here and give her a kiss.
R: She wants to kiss me all the time.

21. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
S: Anywhere as long as the kids are there.
R: Sylvan. No, home!

22. Where is your mom’s LEAST favorite place to go?
S: Dropping us off to school and then going to work.
R: The market.

This was a lot of fun to do, and I think the boys enjoyed it too. The main thing I learned? They are apparently hitting the age where kisses from your mom are Not Cool. Could ya tell?